Print

Archived funding opportunity

This document has been archived. The latest version is NSF 22-585.

NSF 17-565: Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

Program Solicitation

Document Information

Document History

Download the solicitation (PDF, 0.7mb)
View the program page

Program Solicitation NSF 17-565

NSF Logo

National Science Foundation

Directorate for Education and Human Resources
     Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

     September 05, 2017

     August 08, 2018

     Second Wednesday in August, Annually Thereafter

Important Information And Revision Notes

Revisions to this solicitation:

  • Addition of a new funding strand to support exploratory research.
  • Removal of the call for Resource Center proposals.
  • Revision of the guiding questions for research
  • Clarification of what to include in the research plan
  • Clarification of what to include in the Project Description section of proposals.
  • Minor editing throughout to update information and clarify expectations.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 19-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after February 25, 2019.

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

Synopsis of Program:

As the nation continues to expand the horizon of opportunities and possibilities through advances in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the need for a more diverse and well-prepared STEM workforce is also expanding [1]. The challenge of preparing citizens for the expanding workforce and the changing workplace environments calls for new innovations in STEM education [2]. ITEST is a research and development program that supports projects to promote PreK-12 student interests and capacities to participate in the STEM and information and communications technology (ICT) workforce of the future. The ITEST program supports research on the design, development, implementation, and selective spread of innovative strategies for engaging students in technology-rich experiences that: (1) increase student awareness of STEM occupations; (2) motivate students to pursue appropriate education pathways to STEM occupations; or (3) develop disciplinary-based knowledge and practices, or promote critical thinking, reasoning skills, or communication skills needed for entering STEM workforce sectors. ITEST projects may adopt an interdisciplinary focus that includes multiple STEM disciplines, focus on a single discipline, or focus on one or more sub-disciplines. The ITEST program supports projects that provide evidence for factors, instructional designs, and practices in formal and informal learning environments that broaden participation of students from underrepresented groups in STEM fields and related education and workforce domains. Projects that actively engage business and industry partners to better ensure that PreK-12 experiences foster the knowledge and skill-sets needed for emerging STEM occupations are strongly encouraged.

References:

  1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Developing a National STEM Workforce Strategy: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
  2. National Research Council. (2012). Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills, J.W. Pellegrino and M.L. Hilton, Editors. Board on Testing and Assessment and Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

  • Address general questions to, telephone: (703) 292-8628, email: DRLITEST@nsf.gov

  • Celestine H. Pea, telephone: (703) 292-5186, email: cpea@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

  • 47.076 --- Education and Human Resources

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 9 to 18

Depending on the availability of funds, ITEST anticipates making approximately 2-4 Exploratory awards with durations up to two years and total budgets up to $400,000 each , 6-12 Strategies awards with durations up to three years and total budgets up to $1,200,000 each, and 1-2 SPrEaD (Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination) awards with durations of three to five years and total budgets up to $2,000,000 each.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $10,000,000 to $20,000,000

NSF anticipates having approximately $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 available for the FY18 competition and approximately $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 each year thereafter.

Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter I.E.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI:

An individual may serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI for no more than one ITEST proposal during any given funding period under this solicitation. In the event that a person submits more than one proposal as PI or Co-PI, only the proposal received first will be considered, unless it has been withdrawn.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

  • Letters of Intent: Not required
  • Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required

B. Budgetary Information

  • Cost Sharing Requirements:

    Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:

    Not Applicable

  • Other Budgetary Limitations:

    Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

C. Due Dates

  • Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

         September 05, 2017

         August 08, 2018

         Second Wednesday in August, Annually Thereafter

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program supports projects that advance the knowledge base and increase capacity within the professional communities of researchers, scientists, and educators who support STEM learning and education pathways to occupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and information and communications technologies (ICT). Through funds provided by revenue from the federal H-1B visa program, the ITEST program supports research on the development, implementation, and selective spread of innovative strategies for engaging students in experiences that: (1) increase awareness among students of STEM and ICT occupations; (2) motivate students to pursue appropriate education pathways to STEM and ICT occupations; or (3) provide students with technology-rich experiences that develop disciplinary-based knowledge and practices, or promote critical thinking, reasoning, or communication skills needed for entering STEM and ICT workforce sectors.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is charged with promoting the vitality of the nation's science and engineering research and education enterprises. The ITEST program contributes to that mission by supporting projects having the potential to inform how the nation prepares increasingly diverse populations of students for rapidly changing occupations in STEM fields. In an effort to identify the most promising strategies to meet this challenge, the ITEST program supports a broad array of projects that explore innovative approaches to achieving STEM workforce priorities and show promise of: (1) engaging participants in rich experiences with STEM technologies or practices; and (2) advancing knowledge on how best to prepare students for STEM occupations. The research and development goals of the ITEST program support efforts by the Directorate for Education & Human Resources (EHR) to expand research foundations in STEM learning and learning environments, workforce development, and broadening participation in STEM. ITEST projects may be embedded within the formal learning environments of schools, within informal learning environments after school or away from schools, or in blended programs that link formal and informal learning environments.

The ITEST program supports projects that broaden the participation of students within populations currently underrepresented in STEM fields, including women, African Americans/Blacks, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, English language learners, veterans, students with disabilities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is an initiative aimed at enhancing U. S. leadership in STEM discovery and innovation through commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in STEM fields. The ITEST program advances the mission of NSF INCLUDES to develop talent from all sectors of society and nurture a new generation of promising STEM talent and leadership to secure the nation’s future in STEM and ICT fields.

A note about STEM fields and STEM occupations: STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and the term "STEM fields" is used in this solicitation to refer to all four of these disciplines, their many sub-disciplines, and related fields that require knowledge and skills related to one or more STEM disciplines, including ICT fields. The ITEST program invites proposals that focus on any one of these disciplines or related fields, or a combination of these disciplines and fields. There is no expectation that any one proposal must address all these disciplines and fields, or their integration. While proposals that have an interdisciplinary focus on two or more of these disciplines or related fields are welcome, so are proposals that focus on a single discipline, sub-discipline, or related field.

It is often assumed that preparation for STEM occupations implies preparation for advanced academic degrees in STEM fields. However, the areas of STEM workforce need currently and in the foreseeable future include the need for technicians and other middle-skills workers in science- and technology-driven industries. Many of these positions require technical training or proficiency with STEM-related skills and reasoning, but not advanced academic preparation in STEM disciplines. The ITEST program supports projects that focus on any level of professional engagement along the full spectrum of STEM occupations, from technicians and middle-skills STEM specialists to scientists, technologists, engineers, or mathematicians. Attracting and preparing students for the STEM workforce is to be interpreted broadly as preparing students for STEM careers at all levels, from technicians to researchers needing advanced academic degrees in STEM fields.

II. Program Description

The aim of the ITEST program is to advance understanding of how to foster PreK-12 student interest and capacities to participate in the STEM and ICT workforce of the future. To achieve this objective, ITEST supports research on the development, implementation, and selective spread of innovative strategies for engaging students in technology-rich experiences that make them aware of STEM and ICT careers, and motivate them to pursue the education necessary to participate in those careers. Individual ITEST projects contribute to this endeavor through applied research that builds on fundamental knowledge, either by testing innovative new learning strategies that are informed by strong theoretical frameworks, or by further development and testing of practices based on empirical evidence of potential impacts. The ITEST program supports these efforts through three types of research and development projects:

  • Exploratory projects that advance theory or examine associations among malleable factors that influence learning, moderating conditions, and educational outcomes.
  • Strategies projects that address the initial design, development, and implementation of innovative, technology-related interventions.
  • SPrEaD (Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination) projects that support the further examination and broader implementation of interventions that have demonstrated evidence of impact. SPrEaD projects may build on efforts previously initiated through a Strategies project, or prior work supported through other means.

Successful ITEST projects will engage students in research studies that: (1) promote student awareness of, interests in, and capacities to participate in STEM occupations or education pathways leading to those occupations; and (2) advance knowledge of promising interventions and the conditions and contexts that influence their success in promoting STEM career awareness among PreK-12 students. ITEST projects may engage students in school or out of school, or through a blend of learning environments. Individual projects may engage students at a single grade or age level, or at multiple elementary, middle, or secondary school grade or age levels. Projects that examine the effectiveness of engaging adult volunteers with relevant disciplinary expertise from academia or industry to mentor or engage students are encouraged, as are projects that would engage students in the uses of cutting-edge technologies, in computing or computational thinking, or in work or problem based experiences involving their use. Projects that link to NSF INCLUDES Design and Develop Launch Pilot Projects are also encouraged.

ITEST proposals may focus on any STEM field (such as biology, chemistry, physics, environmental sciences, engineering fields, computer science, marine science, or mathematics) provided the project addresses specific needs of students in grades PreK-12 and their teachers. ITEST proposals often emphasize linkages between and within STEM domains because the STEM workforce of the future will likely require more integrated knowledge and experiences (for instance, fields such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, energy use and generation, green technologies, and additive manufacturing). While ITEST projects must address at least one STEM content domain, they may also investigate opportunities for students to learn and practice inter-personal and intra-personal skills needed in the STEM workplace, such as oral and written communication skills, conflict management, self-regulation, persistence, leadership, knowledge of workplace ethics, negotiation, or self-direction. Projects designed to explore student critical thinking skills and the possibility of transferring these skills across domains and into career settings are encouraged.

The ITEST program also supports projects or activities that study the cultivation of innovative and creative thinking among participants, such as designing, making, and testing products. This may involve the use of various technologies and resources to increase exposure to open-ended, real-world problem solving, hands-on training, or interactions with practicing scientists, engineers, and other experts from industry. Projects that examine strategies having potential to foster entrepreneurial skills (such as identifying or creating a need, communicating ideas, predictive analysis, persistence, and resilience) and explicit learning of STEM workforce tools and skills are also appropriate.

The ITEST program supports projects that bring researchers in STEM education together with researchers in the STEM disciplines, career development, psychology, sociology, anthropology, or any other specialty related to the focus of the proposed project. Partnerships with PreK-12 schools, two- and four-year colleges, universities, informal science education institutions, government laboratories, or community-based organizations are encouraged, along with business and industry partners that cultivate student career awareness and interests. Such partnerships can provide opportunities for career exploration and mentoring, interactions with technology and STEM professionals, and workplace applications of technology skills. Projects that expand and extend our notions of learning environments and where learning STEM-related skills are taking place are encouraged.

All ITEST projects are expected to: (1) be informed by relevant research (such as that on innovative pedagogical approaches, career education, in-school and out-of-school learning environments); and (2) contribute to the research knowledge base on strategies and program models for fostering student awareness of, interests in, and capacities to participate in STEM occupations or education pathways leading to those occupations. ITEST projects are expected to be grounded in professional literatures relating to career and technical education and technological literacy, in addition to the literature focusing on STEM education research and curriculum standards. ITEST projects are expected to generate data and provide evidence that furthers and deepens understandings of factors, designs and practices that encourage and motivate students to pursue and persist in education programs or pathways that prepare them for STEM occupations. ITEST projects must involve students and may focus on investigating: a) conceptual, epistemic, or social learning outcomes, b) the development of technological or computational practices, or c) learning environment conditions that enhance learner motivations, mindsets, identity, and interest in STEM learning and occupations. Within the focal contexts, ITEST projects are encouraged to examine the roles and influence of teachers, other education professionals, mentors, and caregivers working with students.

Guiding Questions for Research

Collectively, ITEST projects contribute to producing knowledge about: (1) strategies and models that promote student awareness of, interest in, and capacities to participate in STEM programs of study and occupations; and (2) factors and program models that enable successful interventions to spread beyond the context of pilot studies. In an effort to facilitate building that knowledge base, the ITEST program has identified seven broad areas for researchers to consider. While no individual project could provide a definitive answer to any of the questions that follow, these are guiding questions that ITEST research projects can collectively help to answer over time.

  1. Student experiences with emerging technologies: What learning experiences involving emerging technologies effectively enable diverse populations of students gain familiarity and relevant competencies with these technologies, and what factors influence the outcomes of the learning experiences?
  2. Motivation and preparedness to pursue STEM Careers: What factors and key experiences effectively promote awareness of STEM careers, motivation to pursue a STEM career, and persistence in undertaking education pathways to those careers, particularly among students from underrepresented populations?
  3. Instructional and curricular innovations: What culturally-responsive instructional and curricular practices and models used by teachers enhance student understanding of and interest in STEM occupations, and what factors influence the outcomes of the practices and models?
  4. Partnerships with business and industry: In what roles and in what ways do business and industry workforce members: (1) motivate students from diverse underrepresented populations to become aware of, interested in, and prepared for careers in the STEM workforce, and (2) support teachers in efforts to promote STEM workforce awareness and interest?
  5. Partnerships with communities: In what roles and in what ways do parents, mentors, caregivers, and other community members motivate students to become aware of, interested in, and prepared for STEM careers?
  6. Partnerships with school policy leaders: What strategies to engage principals, guidance counselors, and other school system administrative leaders effectively promote student and teacher adoption and effective use of practices and technologies that support STEM learning and career awareness, and what factors influence the outcomes of those strategies?
  7. Partnerships with career technical education: How do STEM education teachers and specialists effectively collaborate with Career Technical Education specialists to design and implement innovative learning experiences and learning environments from early grades through high school to foster awareness of, interests in, and persistence in pursuing STEM occupations?

Each ITEST project must be aligned in some way with one or more of these guiding questions. In the Project Summary and Project Description of each proposal there must be an explicit description of how the proposed project addresses one or more of these guiding questions, and in the Project Description, reference to the prior literature that informs the approach being proposed. Each ITEST proposal is expected to have a detailed research plan that has the following essential components at a minimum:

  • One or more explicit hypotheses and/or research questions that are aligned with and grounded in the research literature associated with one or more of the guiding questions presented above.
  • For Exploratory projects, a research design appropriate for Early-Stage or Exploratory studies as described in the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development, available online at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf13126.
  • For Strategies projects, a research design appropriate for Early Stage or Exploratory, or Design and Development Studies as described in the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development.
  • For SPrEaD projects, a research design appropriate for further design and development or studies of impact as described in the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development.
  • Identification and description of the data to be collected, measurement instruments or procedures to be used in collecting data, and evidence of the reliability and validity of instruments.
  • Identification of the analytic or other procedures proposed for data analyses.
  • Inclusion of someone with education research expertise on the PI team or an advisory group who can provide guidance in research design or methodologies, instrument implementation or development, data analysis, or qualitative research procedures as appropriate.

Exploratory Projects

ITEST Exploratory projects advance theory and generate evidence to inform the design and development of strategies for achieving desired learning outcomes. Exploratory projects may examine factors associated with new innovations, or they may examine modifications of existing practices to promote outcomes associated with advancing STEM workforce objectives. In either case, the research should focus on elucidating the associations among learning experiences or environments and desired learning outcomes, identifying malleable factors that influence outcomes, or identifying factors or conditions that moderate learning outcomes.

Exploratory projects can be up to two years in duration with a maximum award size of $400,000. The size and duration of the request should be appropriate to the scope of the project.

Strategies Projects

The goal of ITEST Strategies projects is to design, implement, and study innovative interventions that support PreK-12 student engagement in relevant learning experiences that: (1) incorporate the skills, knowledge, and practices associated with STEM occupations; and (2) generate student awareness of, interests in, or capacities to participate in STEM occupations or education pathways leading to those occupations. Strategies projects may also devise ways to provide teachers with the appropriate resources to ensure students consider and are prepared for entering the STEM workforce. Strategies projects are expected to contribute to STEM education knowledge about the design and implementation of effective interventions as well as about future research activities.

Strategies proposals are expected to draw on existing theory and evidence to design and iteratively develop interventions or strategies, including testing of individual components to provide feedback in the development process. Strategies projects can include pilot tests of fully developed interventions to determine whether they achieve intended outcomes under varying contexts and conditions. Results should reveal understandings about how and which aspects of the project are effective in motivating and engaging students in STEM learning, career awareness, or persistence in STEM endeavors.

Strategies projects can be up to three years in duration with a maximum award size of $1,200,000. The size and duration of the request should be appropriate to the scope of the project.

Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination (SPrEaD) Projects

The goal of ITEST SPrEaD projects is to support the further development of successful innovative interventions across a wider range of contexts and settings. To this end, ITEST accepts proposals for developed interventions having evidence of strong theoretical and empirical support that can be expanded in order to determine whether they achieve intended outcomes under varying contexts and conditions. Where appropriate, SPrEaD projects document factors that may enhance, moderate, or constrain the effects of strategies designed to promote student knowledge of, or dispositions toward, STEM education programs and occupations. Programmatically, the ITEST program accumulates information from SPrEaD projects to inform the larger ITEST community's efforts to build and inform future implementation research and impact studies.

SPrEaD proposals must:

  • Identify the strategy, model or intervention to be studied, and describe the contexts and conditions for broadening and scaling (e.g., composition, size and demographics of targeted populations, dynamics of contexts, etc.).
  • Present prior evidence on the feasibility of impact for implementing the strategy in selected settings by intended users.
  • Explain how the new implementation builds on, extends, or differs from previous implementations.
  • Identify anticipated contributions to knowledge about effective STEM programs from the new implementation.
  • Present a study design capable of generating robust evidence of the strategy’s promise for generating the intended outcomes, including: data sources; data quality or collection protocols; valid and reliable instruments/measures; and where applicable, sample designs and power analyses and analysis plans.
  • Include plans to document the fidelity of implementation (including the extent to which the implementation may vary from original feasibility studies).
  • Involve at least one partner not previously involved in the intervention being further developed. Partners may include schools, providers of extended day or after school programs, informal science institutions, out-of-classroom STEM engagement programs, businesses, industry, commercial organizations, or community organizations.

SPrEaD projects can range in duration from three to five years with a maximum award size of $2,000,000. The size and duration of the request should be appropriate to the scope of the project.

Expectations for all funded ITEST projects:

ITEST program priorities include: (1) projects that examine strategies to promote student familiarity and appropriate competencies with emerging technologies that are, or will likely become, prevalent within STEM workplace environments; and (2) projects that examine factors that promote greater access to these emerging technologies among students from populations underrepresented in the STEM workforce. To promote attention to the specific educational needs of students from underrepresented populations, the ITEST program has special review criteria that reviewers consider in addition to the potential intellectual merit and broader impacts of a proposed project. Please refer to Section VI.A of this solicitation to read the solicitation-specific review criteria for ITEST proposals.

All funded projects are expected to work with the ITEST Resource Center by participating in an annual meeting of ITEST projects and ongoing collaborative activities. As a condition of the award, the grantee agrees to submit requested project data for the purpose of program evaluation to an NSF third-party evaluator.

All projects are encouraged to use common instruments and to consider sharing data from these instruments (with IRB approval) to support improved coordination and understanding of program impacts.

For additional guidelines for preparing the Project Description component of a proposal, please see section V.A of this solicitation.

III. Award Information

Depending on the availability of funds, ITEST anticipates making approximately 2-4 Exploratory awards with durations up to two years and total budgets up to $400,000 each , 6-12 Strategies awards with durations up to three years and total budgets up to $1,200,000 each, and 1-2 SPrEaD (Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination) awards with durations of three to five years and total budgets up to $2,000,000 each.

NSF anticipates having approximately $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 available for the FY18 competition and approximately $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 each year thereafter.

IV. Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter I.E.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI:

An individual may serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI for no more than one ITEST proposal during any given funding period under this solicitation. In the event that a person submits more than one proposal as PI or Co-PI, only the proposal received first will be considered, unless it has been withdrawn.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via FastLane, Research.gov, or Grants.gov.

  • Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov. Proposers are reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.
  • Full Proposals submitted via Research.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov. The Prepare New Proposal setup will prompt you for the program solicitation number
  • Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: (https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via the NSF FastLane system. PAPPG Chapter II.D.3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

See PAPPG Chapter II.C.2 for guidance on the required sections of a full research proposal submitted to NSF. Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the PAPPG instructions.

The following information supplements the standard PAPPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide proposal preparation guidelines:

Cover Sheet: The Cover Sheet must contain all requested information. Complete this form with the appropriate information and make sure to check the human subjects box when appropriate. If project funds are requested from another Federal agency or another NSF program, it must be indicated on the cover sheet. If such funds are requested subsequent to proposal submission, a letter must be sent to the attention of the ITEST program, identifying the proposal by its NSF number. Please note: In the title section on the cover sheet, begin the title with the type of ITEST proposal being submitted (i.e., Exploratory, Strategies, or SPrEaD), followed by a colon and the title of the proposed project.

To avoid delays in processing, it is strongly recommended that PIs begin the process of obtaining appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals or exemptions as needed for projects involving human subjects. No awards will be made without such approvals or exemptions.

Project Summary: A one-page Project Summary must be provided which presents a self-contained description of the activity that would result if the proposed project were to be funded. The Project Summary consists of three parts: an overview, a statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity, and a statement on the broader impacts of the proposed activity. The first sentence of the overview must clearly indicate the type of ITEST project being submitted (Exploratory, Strategies, or SPrEaD) and the key ITEST guiding question(s) being addressed. For Exploratory and Strategies projects, the overview must describe the STEM content emphases; the strategy to be designed, implemented, and evaluated; and the audiences to be targeted, including the age ranges or grade levels of student participants. For SPrEaD projects, the overview must describe the evidence collected from previous efforts with an innovation that justifies an expansion of the effort. Project Summaries are used by NSF Program Officers to make decisions about the Merit Review process, so they should clearly describe the nature of the project. Proposals that do not contain an overview and separate statements on intellectual merit and broader impacts will not be accepted by FastLane or will be returned without review.

Project Description (maximum of 15 pages, including results from prior NSF support):

To be competitive, a proposal must respond fully to the ITEST program description in this solicitation. Reviewers will judge the merit of each proposal primarily on the content of the Project Description. Proposals must address the following elements in the 15-page project description, in any order:

Project Overview, Rationale, and Importance:

The proposal must clearly show how the proposed project addresses critical STEM educational needs and has the potential for intellectual merit and broader impacts. The proposal should provide an overview of the project goals and objectives. The proposal should provide a rationale for how the project will improve STEM education for students and advance understanding of how to foster PreK-12 student interest and capacities to participate in occupations in STEM fields. The proposal should address how the proposed STEM education innovations or approaches differ from existing practice, and why the proposed project has the potential to improve student learning or other education outcomes beyond what current practices provide. Proposals must demonstrate how the work is related to similar research and development, and how the proposed project has the potential to contribute to the research knowledge base on strategies for fostering awareness of, interests in, and capacities to participate in STEM occupations or education pathways to those occupations.

Results from prior NSF support:

If the prospective PI or Co-PIs has received NSF support with a start date in the past five years, a description of the project(s) and outcomes must be provided in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to assess the value of results achieved. Past projects should be identified by providing the NSF award number, funding amount, years of support, title, and summary of results. The realized intellectual merit and broader impacts of the prior project(s) must be noted, and research and evaluation data should be clearly described. In cases where the PI or any Co-PI has received more than one award (excluding amendments to existing awards), they need only report on the one award that is most closely related to the proposal.

Research and Development Design:

The design of any ITEST proposal begins with hypotheses or research questions about how some aspect of STEM education can be improved based on theories of learning and development and prior empirical work. Hypotheses or research questions must address one or more of the ITEST broad guiding questions. Proposals should include an explanation of principles and the theoretical framework that guide the project’s design, informed by the relevant literature of the STEM education discourse communities. The proposal should articulate development and research strategies appropriate for attaining its goals and objectives, consistent with the type of study proposed (e.g., early stage, design and development, or impact studies, as described in the Common Guidelines for Educational Research and Development https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf13126).

The proposal should provide a detailed plan and timeline that address how the major design iterations and resulting evidence will be developed to support or question key assumptions underlying the project. The research plan should describe the processes for systematic exploration of student outcomes related to STEM workforce awareness, interests, and skills, and the factors, designs, and practices that encourage and motivate students to pursue and persist in education programs or pathways that prepare them for STEM occupations. For all proposals, the research plan should identify and describe the data to be collected, the measurement instruments or procedures to be used in collecting data, the evidence or plans to establish the reliability and validity of instruments used, and analytic or other procedures proposed for data analyses as related to project hypotheses or research questions. Additional requirements are described for SPrEaD projects in Section II. Program Description.

Independent Review (Project Evaluation):

All ITEST projects must include provisions for ongoing, independent, and critical reviews of their designs and activities, including reviews of their theoretical frameworks, data collection plans, analysis plans, and reporting plans. A proposal must describe appropriate mechanisms to assess success through project-specific external review and feedback processes. These might include an external review panel or advisory board proposed by the project or a third-party evaluator. The external critical review should be sufficiently independent and rigorous to influence the project's activities and improve the quality of its findings. The feedback processes should enable the project team to answer two overarching questions relating to the goals and objectives of both the research and development aspects of the project: (1) Is the project making sufficient progress toward meeting the goals and objectives? And (2) What are the intellectual merits and broader impacts of the project with respect to its intended outcomes? Successful proposals will: (1) describe the expertise of the external reviewer(s); (2) explain how that expertise relates to the goals and objectives of the proposal; and (3) specify how the PI will elicit, report, and use results of the project's external, critical review process.

Dissemination:

A proposal must include a communication strategy for reaching broad audiences with the findings of the project, including, where appropriate, scholars, practitioners, policymakers and public audiences. While the potential results of the proposed research are expected to be of sufficient quality and significance to merit peer-reviewed publication, approaches that reach broader audiences are also expected. Proposals should identify the key elements of a communication plan, such as target audiences and identification of the channels, media, or technologies appropriate for reaching specific audiences.

Expertise and Management:

ITEST project teams should reflect the diversity in expertise needed to successfully manage the proposed project. ITEST projects typically include interdisciplinary teams that may include STEM education researchers, development experts, school district personnel, experienced teachers, STEM researchers, researchers in career development, psychology, sociology, anthropology, or any other specialty related to the focus of the proposed project. Projects should include someone with education or social science research expertise on the PI team or an advisory group who can provide guidance in research design or methodologies, implementation or development of measurement instruments, data analysis, or qualitative research procedures as appropriate. Include a description of the responsibilities, qualifications, and level of effort of the key personnel involved in the project, including the roles of consultants and advisors at each stage of the project. The proposal should address how project activities, communications, and relationships will be managed across collaborating individuals and institutions.

Broader Impacts:

Please note that per guidance in the PAPPG, the Project Description must contain, as a separate section within the narrative, a section labeled "Broader Impacts". This section should provide a discussion of the expected broader impacts of the proposed activities. Proposers can decide where to include this section within the Project Description.

Special Review Criteria:

Proposals should clearly address the ITEST solicitation-specific review criteria. Proposers can decide where to include the following information within the Project Description: explicit strategies for recruiting and selecting participants from identified groups currently underrepresented in STEM occupations or education pathways to those occupations; explicit strategies for identifying the specific needs of the underrepresented groups to be served, and plans or strategies for addressing or accommodating the particular needs of participants of the identified underrepresented groups; and explicit attention to strategies appropriate to participants’ age and experience for promoting awareness, interest, or capacities to participate in STEM careers or STEM education pathways.

Other sections (in addition to the 15 page Project Description):

References Cited:

Any literature cited should be specifically related to the proposed project, and the Project Description should make clear how each reference has played a role in the motivation for, or design of, the project.

Biographical Sketches:

Biographical information (no more than two pages each) must be provided for each senior person listed on the budget forms, and other personnel with key qualifications important to the project. Biographical sketches should adhere to the format outlined in the PAPPG, Chapter II, Section C.2.f. (https://nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg).

Special Information/Supplementary Documentation:

The only items permitted in the Supplementary information section are letters of collaboration from project partners, the postdoctoral researcher mentoring plan (if applicable) and the data management plan. Letters of support from persons merely endorsing, but not making a substantial commitment to the project, are not allowed.

Appendix:

Not permitted. The 15 pages Project Description should contain all the information needed to describe the project. Proposals submitted with an Appendix will be returned without review.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

Other Budgetary Limitations:

Additional limitations to consider include the following:

Major research equipment purchases are not supported. The ITEST program limits the purchase of equipment to software, probes, and specialized equipment needed to implement a given project. General purpose equipment such as computers, printers, projectors, notepads, and cellphones are not supported.

C. Due Dates

  • Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

         September 05, 2017

         August 08, 2018

         Second Wednesday in August, Annually Thereafter

D. FastLane/Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

For Proposals Submitted Via FastLane or Research.gov:

To prepare and submit a proposal via FastLane, see detailed technical instructions available at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. To prepare and submit a proposal via Research.gov, see detailed technical instructions available at: https://www.research.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=research_node_display&_nodePath=/researchGov/Service/Desktop/ProposalPreparationandSubmission.html. For FastLane or Research.gov user support, call the FastLane and Research.gov Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov or rgov@nsf.gov. The FastLane and Research.gov Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane and Research.gov systems. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.

For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:

Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the Grants.gov website. Comprehensive information about using Grants.gov is available on the Grants.gov Applicant Resources webpage: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html. In addition, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide (see link in Section V.A) provides instructions regarding the technical preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email: support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact Center answers general technical questions related to the use of Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this solicitation.

Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further processing.

Proposers that submitted via FastLane or Research.gov may use Research.gov to verify the status of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted via Grants.gov, until an application has been received and validated by NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative may check the status of an application on Grants.gov. After proposers have received an e-mail notification from NSF, Research.gov should be used to check the status of an application.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program for acknowledgement and, if they meet NSF requirements, for review. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists, or both, who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal. In addition, Program Officers may obtain comments from site visits before recommending final action on proposals. Senior NSF staff further review recommendations for awards. A flowchart that depicts the entire NSF proposal and award process (and associated timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1.

A comprehensive description of the Foundation's merit review process is available on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/.

Proposers should also be aware of core strategies that are essential to the fulfillment of NSF's mission, as articulated in Building the Future: Investing in Discovery and Innovation - NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2018 – 2022. These strategies are integrated in the program planning and implementation process, of which proposal review is one part. NSF's mission is particularly well-implemented through the integration of research and education and broadening participation in NSF programs, projects, and activities.

One of the strategic objectives in support of NSF's mission is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions must recruit, train, and prepare a diverse STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and participate in the U.S. technology-based economy. NSF's contribution to the national innovation ecosystem is to provide cutting-edge research under the guidance of the Nation's most creative scientists and engineers. NSF also supports development of a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by investing in building the knowledge that informs improvements in STEM teaching and learning.

NSF's mission calls for the broadening of opportunities and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

The National Science Foundation strives to invest in a robust and diverse portfolio of projects that creates new knowledge and enables breakthroughs in understanding across all areas of science and engineering research and education. To identify which projects to support, NSF relies on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to advancing NSF's mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." NSF makes every effort to conduct a fair, competitive, transparent merit review process for the selection of projects.

1. Merit Review Principles

These principles are to be given due diligence by PIs and organizations when preparing proposals and managing projects, by reviewers when reading and evaluating proposals, and by NSF program staff when determining whether or not to recommend proposals for funding and while overseeing awards. Given that NSF is the primary federal agency charged with nurturing and supporting excellence in basic research and education, the following three principles apply:

  • All NSF projects should be of the highest quality and have the potential to advance, if not transform, the frontiers of knowledge.
  • NSF projects, in the aggregate, should contribute more broadly to achieving societal goals. These "Broader Impacts" may be accomplished through the research itself, through activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. The project activities may be based on previously established and/or innovative methods and approaches, but in either case must be well justified.
  • Meaningful assessment and evaluation of NSF funded projects should be based on appropriate metrics, keeping in mind the likely correlation between the effect of broader impacts and the resources provided to implement projects. If the size of the activity is limited, evaluation of that activity in isolation is not likely to be meaningful. Thus, assessing the effectiveness of these activities may best be done at a higher, more aggregated, level than the individual project.

With respect to the third principle, even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be accountable for carrying out the activities described in the funded project. Thus, individual projects should include clearly stated goals, specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to do, and a plan in place to document the outputs of those activities.

These three merit review principles provide the basis for the merit review criteria, as well as a context within which the users of the criteria can better understand their intent.

2. Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board approved merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two merit review criteria are listed below. Both criteria are to be given full consideration during the review and decision-making processes; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient. Therefore, proposers must fully address both criteria. (PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i). contains additional information for use by proposers in development of the Project Description section of the proposal). Reviewers are strongly encouraged to review the criteria, including PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i), prior to the review of a proposal.

When evaluating NSF proposals, reviewers will be asked to consider what the proposers want to do, why they want to do it, how they plan to do it, how they will know if they succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project is successful. These issues apply both to the technical aspects of the proposal and the way in which the project may make broader contributions. To that end, reviewers will be asked to evaluate all proposals against two criteria:

  • Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and
  • Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria:

  1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to
    1. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
    2. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
  2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
  3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
  4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?
  5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to: full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); improved STEM education and educator development at any level; increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology; improved well-being of individuals in society; development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce; increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others; improved national security; increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and enhanced infrastructure for research and education.

Proposers are reminded that reviewers will also be asked to review the Data Management Plan and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan, as appropriate.

Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria

In addition to considering the two general Merit Review Criteria, reviewers will also be asked to consider the following three questions relating to broadening participation when reviewing Exploratory, Strategies, and SPrEaD proposals:

  1. Does the proposed project include explicit and adequate strategies for recruiting and selecting participants from a population or populations currently underrepresented in STEM professions, careers, or education pathways?
  2. Does the proposal identify the specific needs of the underrepresented groups selected to be served, and does it include specific plans or strategies for addressing or accommodating the particular needs of participants from those underrepresented groups?
  3. Are the planned technology experiences and learning activities of the proposed project developmentally and age appropriate?

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals using two National Science Board approved merit review criteria and, if applicable, additional program specific criteria. A summary rating and accompanying narrative will generally be completed and submitted by each reviewer and/or panel. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF strives to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. Large or particularly complex proposals or proposals from new awardees may require additional review and processing time. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director acts upon the Program Officer's recommendation.

After programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications. After an administrative review has occurred, Grants and Agreements Officers perform the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

Once an award or declination decision has been made, Principal Investigators are provided feedback about their proposals. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying information, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award notice, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award notice; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (GC-1)*; or Research Terms and Conditions* and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award notice. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer no later than 90 days prior to the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require submission of more frequent project reports). No later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report, and a project outcomes report for the general public.

Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports, or the project outcomes report, will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for all identified PIs and co-PIs on a given award. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system, available through Research.gov, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. Such reports provide information on accomplishments, project participants (individual and organizational), publications, and other specific products and impacts of the project. Submission of the report via Research.gov constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report also must be prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website exactly as it is submitted by the PI.

More comprehensive information on NSF Reporting Requirements and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.

VIII. Agency Contacts

Please note that the program contact information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

  • Address general questions to, telephone: (703) 292-8628, email: DRLITEST@nsf.gov

  • Celestine H. Pea, telephone: (703) 292-5186, email: cpea@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane or Research.gov, contact:

  • FastLane and Research.gov Help Desk: 1-800-673-6188

    FastLane Help Desk e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.

    Research.gov Help Desk e-mail: rgov@nsf.gov

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

  • Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: support@grants.gov.

IX. Other Information

The NSF website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, "NSF Update" is an information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new publications are issued that match their identified interests. "NSF Update" also is available on NSF's website.

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.

This solicitation has been revised to incorporate a publication jointly developed by the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education entitled, Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development. The Guidelines describe six types of research studies that can generate evidence about how to increase student learning. Research types include those that generate the most fundamental understandings related to education and learning; examinations of associations between variables; iterative design and testing of strategies or interventions; and assessments of the impact of a fully-developed intervention on an education outcome. For each research type, there is a description of the purpose and the expected empirical and/or theoretical justifications, types of project outcomes, and quality of evidence.

The Guidelines publication can be found on the NSF website with the number NSF 13-126: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf13126

A set of FAQs regarding the Guidelines are available with the number NSF 13-127:
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf13127

Grant proposal writers and PIs are encouraged to familiarize themselves with both documents and use the information therein to help in the preparation of proposals to NSF.

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 55,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Arctic and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter II.E.6 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov

  • Location:

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314
  • For General Information
    (NSF Information Center):

(703) 292-5111
  • TDD (for the hearing-impaired):

(703) 292-5090
  • To Order Publications or Forms:

Send an e-mail to:

nsfpubs@nsf.gov

or telephone:

(703) 292-7827
  • To Locate NSF Employees:

(703) 292-5111

Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:

Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Office of the General Counsel
National Science Foundation
Alexandria, VA 22314



Top