NSF 10-562: Management and Operations of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC)

Program Solicitation
NSF 10-562

 

National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences      Division of Astronomical Sciences Directorate for Geosciences      Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences

 

Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 

August 02, 2010

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

October 01, 2010

Important Information And Revision Notes

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title: 

Synopsis of Program:

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

• Dana E. Lehr, Lead Program Officer, telephone: (703) 292-7456, fax: (703) 292-9034, email: dlehr@nsf.gov

• Robert M. Robinson, Program Officer, telephone: (703) 292-8529, fax: (703) 292-9022, email: rmrobins@nsf.gov

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

• 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• 47.050 --- Geosciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award:  Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards:    1  

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $41,200,000  over 5-year period, beginning in FY 2012 pending availability of funds.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit: 

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

• For-profit organizations: U.S. commercial organizations, especially small businesses with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education.
• Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities.
• Universities and Colleges - Universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions.

PI Limit: 

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 

None Specified

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

• Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable

• Full Proposals:

  • Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at:
    https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.

  • Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: 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)

B. Budgetary Information

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this solicitation.

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  Not Applicable

• Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

• Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 

  August 02, 2010

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

  October 01, 2010

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:   Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Reporting Requirements:   Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Agency Contacts

Other Information

I. Introduction

II. Program Description

III. Award Information

IV. Eligibility Information

Organization Limit: 

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

• For-profit organizations: U.S. commercial organizations, especially small businesses with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education.
• Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities.
• Universities and Colleges - Universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions.

PI Limit: 

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 

None Specified

Additional Eligibility Info:

Proposals for the management and operation of NAIC may be submitted by U. S. academic institutions, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, or consortia thereof, subject to the qualifications outlined in the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG).  Collaborative proposals are acceptable. In collaborative proposals involving multiple organizations, a single organization must be identified as the lead organization and accept overall management responsibility.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Letters of Intent(required):

Each lead proposing organization must submit a Letter of Intent through FastLane. Proposing organizations anticipating the submission of a collaborative proposal should submit only one Letter of Intent from the lead organization.

Letters of Intent will be used by NSF to ensure that the appropriate expertise is available for participation in the review and selection process, to foresee potential conflicts of interest, and to anticipate special award conditions that may be necessary to accommodate the proposed organizational and governance structure. The Letter of Intent is a statement of a proposer's preliminary plans; the senior personnel, collaborating or partnering organizations, and proposed plans may change between submission of the Letter of Intent and submission of the Full Proposal.

Full Proposals may be submitted only by organizations that have submitted a Letter of Intent by the due date, or that have been identified as a non-lead proposing organization in the Letter of Intent for a collaborative proposal.

Letter of Intent Preparation Instructions:

Complete submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) requires two separate components that must each be submitted prior to the LOI due date.

FastLane LOI Component—Via Fastlane, submit the following LOI information:

• Project Title
• Synopsis (a brief abstract of maximum 2,500 characters of plain text)
• Point of Contact for NSF Inquiries
• Project PI Information
• Participating Organizations

Submission of this component via FastLane will produce an LOI ID that must be included in the PDF LOI Component described below.

PDF LOI Component—Via an email to the Lead Cognizant Program Officer, submit a document of no more than 5 pages in Portable Document Format (PDF) that addresses the following:

• a description of the proposed organizational and governance structure for the NAIC managing organization, including the identification of all collaborating and partnering institutions and their roles in the managing organization;
• a list of proposed Key Personnel, including all PIs, Co-PIs and senior personnel, that identifies full names and affiliations;
• a description of the organization's overall management concept for NAIC;
• a description of the strategic vision for the organization's fulfillment of the NAIC mission;
• a description of the major elements of the organization's transition plan and estimated resource needs for assuming management of NAIC.

The PDF document should include the FastLane LOI ID in a running header and must be consistent with NSF Grant Proposal Guide formatting guidelines (NSF GPG Section II.B).

When submitting a Letter of Intent in response to this Program Solicitation please note the conditions outlined below:

• Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) Submission is not required when submitting Letters of Intent
• Other Participating Organizations are allowed
• Submission of multiple Letters of Intent is not allowed

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

• 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 Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at:
  https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies of the GPG 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 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. Chapter II, Section D.4 of the Grant Proposal Guide provides additional information on collaborative proposals. By submission of the proposal, the organization has determined that the proposed activity is administratively manageable. NSF may request a revised proposal, however, if it considers that the project is so complex that it will be too difficult to review or administer as presented.

Due to the complexity of the proposals being submitted, use of FastLane to prepare and submit proposals is strongly encouraged.

The Full Proposal shall conform to the guidelines specified in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide or the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide, except where detailed below.

Proposers are reminded to review procedures under "Proprietary or Privileged Information" in Chapter 1, Section D.3 of the GPG and to mark only such information, including patentable ideas, trade secrets, privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, disclosure of which might harm the proposer, with the appropriate legend such as, "The following is (proprietary or confidential) information that (name of proposing organization) requests not be released to persons outside the Government, except for purposes of review and evaluation." Please also see the section entitled "Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements" below.

The following information is required for the Full Proposal:

PI/Co-I Information - This should follow the standard GPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide guidelines.

Cover Sheet - A cover sheet must be submitted and electronically signed by an Authorized Organizational Representative for all full proposals.

Project Summary - This section should provide a one-page summary of the key points of the proposal and should be understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader. This section must follow the standard GPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide guidelines. Proposals that do not separately address both NSF merit review criteria within the one-page Project Summary will be returned without review.

Project Description - This section of the Full Proposal should contain the information specified below, in the order listed, and be limited to no more than 50 pages. Where noted below, necessary resource material may be marked separately as an Appendix to the proposal and submitted as Supplementary Documentation (see below).  Such material is not subject to, or included in, the 50-page limit.

Each proposal should address the proposing organization's scientific, technical, and managerial qualifications to operate NAIC, and should include the following (1-7) in describing how the organization will fulfill the expectations in Sections I and II of this solicitation:

1. Overall Management Concept

Discuss the organization's proposed approach to the management of NAIC. Describe the role of the managing organization and include a detailed plan for each of the following:

• Employing effective mechanisms for engaging NAIC's primary stakeholders at all levels to ensure that the Center's facilities, services and programs best reflect the evolving needs and priorities of its stakeholder science communities;
• Recognizing, estimating, and prioritizing future requirements for the services and facilities at NAIC needed to support the U.S. astronomy and space and atmospheric sciences research communities;
• Developing an annual program plan for NSF review that will present the objectives, plans and priorities for NAIC, including scientific, technical, managerial, operational and long-range planning;
• Implementing strategic partnerships with U.S. universities/colleges, Federal, non-Federal and/or international entities that will enhance the overall scientific and support capabilities available to the entire community; and
• Achieving buy-in of NAIC vision and goals from stakeholders and employees.

Proposals should describe the nature of any planned collaborations or partnerships and the added value to the observatory and to NSF-supported science.  The commitment of collaborating or partnering institutions should be demonstrated through letters of commitment, memoranda of agreement, or other supporting documents (submitted as Supplementary Documentation, see below) that indicate the potential roles of partners and their intent to commit to the partnership.  Proposals should carefully justify plans for collaborations or partnerships in which multiple institutions take on substantive roles in supporting, managing or operating NAIC.

2. Organization and Operations

The proposed approach must include a description of each of the following:

• Organizational structure for NAIC, including appropriate governance and advisory structures. Describe roles, lines of authority, communications and accountability. Describe the oversight of the facility and of each significant program area. Include a clear discussion of how the planned organization will best serve the diverse needs of the science and education activities to be performed by NAIC;
• Structure of the managing organization. Identify the lead organization and the level of commitment by the lead organization to NAIC support. Identify any major collaborating or partnering institutions or subawardees, clearly noted as such, along with their purpose and responsibilities;
• Processes for planning, review and performance management within a structured framework, including the development and use of appropriate mechanisms to aid both the managing organization and NAIC's stakeholders in assessing performance and identifying areas for improvement;
• Providing the space and equipment necessary for effective performance (in coordination with NSF);
• Providing strategic logistics support for short and long-term science initiatives;
• Operating and maintaining advanced observational facilities in support of NSF-funded science in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations;
• Plans for implementing and monitoring compliance with relevant environmental regulations, risk management, and health and safety;
• Mechanisms for reviewing and scheduling user access through a process that demonstrates NSF core values;
• A data management plan that describes the acquisition, analysis, archiving and accessibility of all AO data, including the definition of proprietary periods and adequate cyberinfrastructure, connectivity and cybersecurity to meet the proposed scope of user community support;
• Plans for managing radio frequency interference (RFI) and frequency licensing and certifications.

3. Human Resources, Workforce and Diversity

Describe the proposed techniques for recruiting and developing an expert scientific, engineering, technical and administrative staff, consistent with the NSF strategic goal of cultivating a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce. Proposing organizations may identify specific individuals for key staffing positions, or present clear plans for seeking and hiring highly qualified individuals for those positions. Include details of the following:

• Personnel qualifications, to include appropriate expertise in the multiple sciences and professions required to support the NAIC mission and defined programmatic scope;
• The organization's minimum qualifications for all managerial and supervisory positions should be provided in an Appendix;
• Key Personnel. Resumes for each Director, Co-Director and each named senior participant should be provided in the Biographical Sketches section of the proposal (see above). Resumes for other personnel who will occupy key positions and be specified in the awarded agreement may be provided in an Appendix. The submission of resumes for additional qualified personnel is encouraged. A signed letter of commitment for a minimum of twelve months should be provided by each named personnel and attached in an Appendix;
• Strategy for the recruitment and retention of staff from underrepresented groups, including people with disabilities, and the promotion of diversity among the workforce, students and researchers;
• Policies and practices to be employed in recruiting, developing and evolving an expert scientific, technical and administrative staff with the skill set appropriate for a leading national scientific center;
• The approaches to be taken (for example the relative proportions of permanent and temporary positions, use of visiting scientist posts and student placements) to ensure that NAIC supports a sufficiently stable, expert workforce, while encouraging vigor and innovation through its personnel policies.

4. Science and Facility Plan

Provide an initial five-year science and facility plan for NAIC, showing how the managing organization would develop and execute a program of services, facilities and research that would support and enhance the astronomy, atmospheric, and related scientific communities. Identify the major research instruments to be made available to the observing community and the primary scientific objectives that drive the programmatic scope of the science and facility plan. Include sufficient detail for reviewers to judge how work will be accomplished and identify the resources to be used.

Show the relationship between the science and facility plan and the planned organizational structure detailed in section 2 (Organization and Operations). Describe how an NAIC strategic plan will be maintained during the award and how the NAIC science and facility plan will be reviewed and developed in response to ongoing community input and emerging needs. The plan must explain how the management of NAIC is directed toward accomplishing scientific objectives and how the priorities for these objectives will be determined.

Describe the measures that would be employed to ensure that the NAIC strategic plan and the science and facility plan would optimally continue to meet the needs of NAIC's primary stakeholders. The science and facility plan must include details of how NAIC's ongoing core programs and existing commitments would be sustained and supported during the initial period of the agreement, or managed through strategic changes during the Transition Plan and subsequent award period. Describe the integration of projects within NAIC and the multidisciplinary mix needed to achieve the goals articulated in the science and facility plan, and discuss how any significant barriers would be overcome.

5. Education and Outreach Plan

Provide a vibrant, innovative and inclusive plan for education and outreach that is closely integrated with the programs and activities described in the science and facility plan. The education and outreach plan should engage and develop the Nation's intellectual talent, including groups underrepresented in the sciences, mathematics and engineering disciplines, in the conduct of NAIC research and education activities.

Include details of involvement in national, regional and local programs, promotion of diversity in NAIC activities, and the type of opportunities and/or information that will be made available to help ensure equitable access among the scientific research community. The education and outreach plan should articulate clear goals and objectives, as related to the NAIC mission and to the science and facility plan, and identify the resources and expertise necessary to achieve them. The plan should identify mechanisms for formative and summative assessment of educational programs and a strategic vision for attaining the stated goals.

The current program at NAIC includes support for graduate students, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), Web-based public outreach, and operating and maintaining the Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center.  The REU and RET programs are funded through a separate NSF award administered under the current cooperative agreement.  Proposing organizations may consider the continuation, expansion or reduction of these programs as appropriate to their overall strategic vision for NAIC. 

6. Transition Plan

Proposing organizations may be funded for an additional transition period of up to four months preceding the five-year award.  If a new awardee is selected to operate NAIC, the incumbent will cooperate with the successor to the extent necessary to facilitate uninterrupted support for NAIC during the transition period and will provide transfer of legal rights to relevant property and equipment. NSF will support appropriate transition costs incurred by a successor awardee if different from the current awardee.

Organizations other than the incumbent should provide, as a Supplementary Document not to exceed 10 pages, a detailed transition plan and budget for a transition period of up to four months preceding the new award.

The transition plan must include, at a minimum:

• A proposed duration and schedule for the transition period;
• Estimated resource needs for the transition period;
• Plans for recruitment, orientation and training;
• Plans for changes to staffing, facilities or operational modes;
• A plan to acquire office infrastructure and manage the transfer of assets, inventory, commitments, plans and documents;
• Identification of assumptions that underlie the transition plan.

7. Other Supporting Materials

Within the 50-page limit, the proposing organization may provide additional material that it believes will be of assistance in evaluating the proposal but that does not fit into any of the defined sections above.

References Cited - This section should follow the standard GPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide guidelines.

Biographical Sketches - A resumé, limited to 2 pages, should be provided for each Director, Co-Director and each named senior participant, including department heads and other members of the management team. At a minimum, each resumé should include a description of the individual's education and professional preparation, academic/professional appointments, relevant publications, and synergistic activities as required in GPG Section II.C.2.f.(i)a-d. Other GPG guidelines on order and format do not apply to this section of the proposal.

Budget - See the instructions in Section B, below.

Current and Pending Support - This section should follow the standard GPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide guidelines.

Supplementary Documentation - Except as specified in this solicitation (e.g., as required Appendices) and in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (see GPG Section II.C.2.j), special information and supplementary documentation must be included as part of the Project Description (or as part of the budget justification), if it is relevant to determining the quality of the proposed work. Exceptions include, but are not limited to, documentation of collaborative arrangements of significance to the proposal through letters of commitment, and the required submission of a Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan for each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers.

Single Copy Documents - Information for the two items below should be entered via the Single Copy Documents section in Fastlane as "Additional Single Copy Documents."  This information is required by NSF for determining conflicts of interest in the review process. The information includes the names of Project Personnel and the names of Collaborators and other Individuals with Conflicts. The information should be entered in the Single Copy Document section of FastLane "List of Personnel, Collaborators and Affiliates."

• Project Personnel: Provide the full names and affiliations of all Key Personnel, including directors, co-directors, department heads, coordinators, and other members of the management team.
• Collaborators/Individuals with Conflicts of Interest: Provide the names of all persons, participants and affiliates with potential conflicts of interest as specified in Section II.C.2.f.(i)e. of the NSF GPG. For each person, enter the first name, last name, and institutional affiliation(s). For each person listed on the project personnel list include all co-authors/editors and collaborators (within the past 48 months); list all graduate advisors and advisees; list individuals who would act as external advisory committee members for NAIC; list all subcontractors who would receive funds through the award.

The following section is not required for the Full Proposal:

• Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources (all relevant information must be provided in the Project Description and Appendices).

Note that when the proposal is submitted, FastLane or Grants.gov will perform a check for all of the standard sections of a proposal.  Proposers will receive warning messages that the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section has not been completed or uploaded. Proposers should disregard these messages, since this solicitation does not require submission of this section of the Full Proposal. The check performed by FastLane does not provide assurance that a proposal is fully compliant with the GPG or with the requirements of this solicitation.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:   Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.

Budget Preparation Instructions:  The full proposal will include a budget for each of the five years proposed.  FastLane and Grants.gov will automatically provide a cumulative budget.

The proposal should provide all staffing and budgeting information needed to describe how the organization will fulfill the expectations in Sections I and II of this solicitation.  Requested budget amounts for each year of the proposal should reflect the level considered necessary to perform the NSF-funded activities described in the proposal.  Proposers should also be cognizant of budget constraints implied by the estimated funding levels provided under Section III.

Enter the anticipated total level of subcontract support on line G5, Subawards, of the FastLane budget or line F5 of the R&R Budget Form in Grants.gov.  Full proposals require the inclusion of separate budgets for subcontracts that exceed $250,000 per year.  For subcontracts that would be less than $250,000 year, include the costs in the aggregate on the subaward line in the budget.

Proposing organizations other than the incumbent must also provide a detailed budget for a transition period of up to four months preceding the new award. This information must be provided in an Appendix labeled Transition Budget and submitted as Supplementary Documentation. The budget must be presented in the same style with all applicable budget line items as for the budget for each year of the proposal. If a new awardee is selected to manage and operate NAIC, the incumbent will cooperate with the successor to the extent necessary to facilitate uninterrupted support for NAIC during the transition period and will provide transfer of legal rights to relevant property and equipment. NSF will support appropriate transition costs incurred by a successor awardee if different from the current awardee.

The transition budget should not include non-renewal costs of the incumbent. If a new operator is selected, the incumbent may submit to NSF costs related to the cooperative agreement non-renewal, and these costs will be considered separately.

In an Appendix labeled Financial Capability, proposing organizations must provide the following in support of the organization's financial condition and capability:

• A detailed structure and plan for implementing and monitoring business systems and internal controls for financial management and accounting, property standards, equipment standards, procurement standards, reporting and records management.
• Total compensation plan setting forth proposed salaries and fringe benefits for professional employees, with supporting information such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys, and studies of professional, public and private organizations used in establishing the total compensation structure.
• If available, the organization's annual audited financial statements (e.g. Balance Sheet, Profit and loss Statement and Annual Reports) for the three most recent fiscal years and/or other documentation to clearly explain its current financial strength and resource capability.
• A current indirect cost rate proposal and supporting financial data. If the organization's indirect cost rates have been approved by another Federal agency, provide copies of such agreements.  NSF does not participate in or contribute to the cost of Independent Research and Development (IR&D) and such costs shall bear a proportionate share of overhead and G&A costs; therefore, IR&D costs should be excluded from indirect expense pools and included in the appropriate distribution bases.  If the organization has no IR&D costs, a statement to that effect should be included with the indirect cost rate proposal;
• A current Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB) Disclosure Statement.

Organizations that have not previously received NSF awards should review the NSF Prospective New Awardee Guide https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf0529/guide05_29.pdf  for additional guidance in preparing their budget submission.

Other Budgetary Limitations:

Proposing organizations may include a fixed annual management fee in their proposed budget. The management fee must be clearly identified as such.

C. Due Dates

• Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 

  August 02, 2010

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

  October 01, 2010

Informational Site Visit

NSF intends to conduct a site visit to Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, for representatives of potential proposing organizations. The visit is expected to take place in June 2010, prior to the submission of Letters of Intent, and will be guided and managed by NSF staff. This will be an opportunity for potential proposers to view the Center's buildings and facilities and to acquire information relevant to the development of a proposal. Attendees will be responsible for their own expenses.

Eligible organizations that are interested in submitting a proposal and wish to send representatives to the site visit should email the Lead Cognizant Program Officer by May 31, 2010.

D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements

• For Proposals Submitted Via FastLane:

  Detailed technical instructions regarding the technical aspects of preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. 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.

  Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.

• 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. The Grants.gov's Grant Community User Guide is a comprehensive reference document that provides technical information about Grants.gov. Proposers can download the User Guide as a Microsoft Word document or as a PDF document. The Grants.gov User Guide is available at: http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport. In addition, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide provides additional technical guidance regarding 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.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures   

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program where they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements. 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 who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the 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.

A. NSF Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which the reviewer is qualified to make judgements.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

NSF staff also will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- 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.

Additional Review Criteria:

For this solicitation, the following additional and specific review criteria will be used in the evaluation of proposals.

For Full Proposals, reviewers will be asked to identify and analyze the following:

• Strengths and weaknesses of the proposed approach;
• Opportunities and potential benefits that the proposed approach presents for NAIC;
• Risks to the future success of NAIC in the proposer's approach that are not satisfactorily addressed;
• Cost reasonableness and cost efficiency of the proposed approach.

Reviewers will consider the following specific criteria in each of the areas below, as well as the integration of these areas into a coherent and viable management and operations plan for NAIC.

1. Overall Management Concept

Reviewers will consider:

• the quality, relevance and extent of the proposing organization's strategic vision for fulfillment of the NAIC mission;
• the viability of the organization's management strategy to maintain and develop NAIC's position as a world-class, multi-user facility;
• the role of the managing organization in relation to NAIC, NSF and the Center's stakeholders;
• the relevance of proposed methods to reinforce the NAIC mission and programmatic scope with primary stakeholders;
• the extent and quality of the plan to engage the  multidisciplinary community served by NAIC, with clear lines of communication, understanding of community needs and issues, and the means to engage the community in planning, research, education and development of relevant instruments and technology;
• the suitability, credibility and risks of proposed partnerships and their added value to NAIC and to NSF-supported science, education and outreach;
• the applicability of proposed methodologies for identifying, estimating and prioritizing future requirements, including demonstrated awareness of potential directions of the relevant sciences and responsiveness to stated community needs and ambitions.

2. Organization and Operations

Reviewers will consider:

• the feasibility, relevance to NAIC stakeholders, and potential for success of the proposed approach, including organizational structure, resource integration, provision of space and equipment, logistics support for scientific initiatives, data management and information technology, management of radio frequency interference, and maintenance, safety and security of systems and facilities;
• the sufficiency, and potential for achieving effective results, of the proposed methodology for assessing and improving NAIC performance.

3. Human Resources, Workforce and Diversity

Reviewers will consider:

• the adequacy and appropriateness of the organization's named personnel and proposed labor categories for fulfilling the NAIC mission;
• the suitability and potential for success of the proposed methods for recruitment and retention, promoting diversity at all levels in the organization, invigorating and training the workforce, and infusing new ideas and approaches in NAIC programs and administration.

4. Science and Facility Plan

Reviewers will consider:

• the degree to which the proposed scientific programs, priorities and technical capabilities reflect the needs of NAIC stakeholder communities and utilize the unique research capabilities of AO;
• the scope, feasibility and innovation of the planned activities,
• the ability to respond to and prioritize evolving scientific and engineering needs and opportunities in the community,
• the extent to which the plan targets critical goals relevant to the NAIC strategic vision, identifies challenging scientific and technical questions or barriers to be overcome, proposes high-quality research projects to address the stated goals, identifies performance measures for the planning and delivery process, and reflects appropriate and effective use of resources where possible.

5. Education and Outreach Plan

Reviewers will consider:

• the extent and quality of the proposed education and outreach programs, their potential for success, and the resulting impacts on identified target audiences;
• the relevance of the proposed plan to engage and develop intellectual talent, including groups underrepresented in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, in the conduct of NAIC research, education and operational support activities;
• the effectiveness of the plan to engage local, regional and National public audiences in NAIC activities and the extent to which the knowledge and discoveries made at AO will be used to strengthen public awareness of NAIC-related science;
• the suitability of proposed mechanisms to ensure broad and equitable access to NAIC among the relevant scientific research communities;
• the adequacy of the proposed plan to assess and improve NAIC education and outreach activities as based on defined goals and objectives.

6. Transition Plan

The Transition Plan will be evaluated to assess the proposing organization's ability to assume full responsibility for the management and operation of NAIC upon completion of the transition period without degradation of high-quality services, research efforts and facilities.

7. Other Supporting Materials

Materials provided in this section will be considered by reviewers to help form an overall impression of the proposal.

Budget and Financial Review

NSF will assess the organization's budgetary and financial information as requested under Section V.B of this solicitation. The organization will be assessed for the adequacy of its internal accounting and operational controls (including human resources, property control and procurement systems), potential for attracting qualified employees, and the adequacy of its financial resources for managing NAIC. The proposed fee (if any) and proposed direct and indirect rates will be evaluated for reasonableness and potential impact on funding available for science and related activities. The impact of rates and any proposed fee will be evaluated relative to other organizations' proposed rates and fees.

The business evaluation will be used to help inform the Program Officer's recommendation for award.

B. Review and Selection Process

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

In addition to individual reviews of each proposal by outside experts, a panel of reviewers will be convened to assess the relative merits of all proposals submitted for consideration by the NSF Program Officer.  To further clarify the panel's understanding of the proposal(s), the evaluation may include one or more reverse site visits to be held at the NSF offices in Arlington, Virginia. Based on their evaluation, the panel will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. 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 is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later.  The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, 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.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support for review of business, financial, and policy implications and 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.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants and Agreements Officer in the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support. 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 letter, 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 letter; (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 letter. 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 Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.

Special Award Conditions: 

The award associated with this solicitation will be a cooperative agreement, not a standard grant or a contract.  Individual cooperative support agreements will be issued under the terms and conditions of the overall agreement.  Any special requirements not stated herein will be negotiated at time of award.

Programmatic Terms and Conditions:  The cooperative agreement(s) awarded as a result of this competition will be administered by the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences in cooperation with the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences. The following measures will be employed in providing oversight for the cooperative agreement:

• Review of annual reports, program plans and performance metrics;
• Review of research and education activities and management performance approximately midway through the five-year award;
• Site visits annually, or as necessary.

Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions:  Costs to be reimbursed in accordance with 2 CFR 220 -- Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, 2 CFR 230 -- Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations, or Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31, as applicable.

The awardee will be required to submit to a Business Systems Review at least once during the five-year award period.

Standard cooperative agreement terms and conditions, including supplements for managers of Large Facilities, are available at: https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/co-op_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Specific terms and conditions will be negotiated at time of award.

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 at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project reports). Within 90 days after 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 that PI. 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 FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports.  Such reports provide information on activities and findings, project participants (individual and organizational) publications; and, other specific products and contributions.  PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.  Submission of the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report 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.

The managing organization will be required to provide annual program plans, including long-range plans, and quarterly reports for all programs at NAIC, along with other reports as may be required by NSF. In addition, as a requirement under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), NSF is required to report on the Federal Performance Goals for Facilities. Any and all facilities with an annual budget exceeding a specific threshold must report on their operations activities; and any and all construction/upgrade projects that exceed a total project cost of a specific threshold must report on their construction/upgrade activities. Therefore, the awardee will be required, upon request of the cognizant NSF program officer, to submit annual reports related to the GPRA performance goals. This may include the collection and submission of specific data related to the NSF GPRA requirements.

VIII. Agency Contacts

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

• Dana E. Lehr, Lead Program Officer, telephone: (703) 292-7456, fax: (703) 292-9034, email: dlehr@nsf.gov

• Robert M. Robinson, Program Officer, telephone: (703) 292-8529, fax: (703) 292-9022, email: rmrobins@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

• FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail: fastlane@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, National Science Foundation Update is a free e-mail subscription service 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 Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail when new publications are issued that match their identified interests. Users can subscribe to this service by clicking the "Get NSF Updates by Email" link on the NSF web site.

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

Sources of Additional Information:

National Science Foundation Strategic Plan:

http://nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf0648/NSF-06-48.pdf

National Science Foundation, Astronomical Sciences:

https://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=AST

National Science Foundation, Mathematical and Physical Sciences:

https://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=MPS

National Science Foundation, Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences:

http://nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=AGS

National Science Foundation, Geosciences:

https://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=GEO

National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center:

http://www.naic.edu/

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 40,000 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 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 provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II, Section D.2 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: 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230 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
Division of Administrative Services
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230