Research Experience for Graduates Supplement-Dear Colleague Letter

Dear Colleague:

To advance the integration of research and education the Cultural Anthropology program of the National Science Foundation invites researchers holding existing NSF awards to request a Research Experience for Graduates (REG) Supplement. This grant will provide up to $5,000 per student in supplemental funds to support the cost of a Cultural Anthropology Ph.D. student's closely mentored but independent research experience. The student's research should be a creative project, not a clerk or assistant's task. The purpose of these awards is to give students a taste of the excitement of real research and to encourage PIs to engage in cooperative, collaborative projects.

• Requests for REG support should be in the form of a Fastlane supplement submitted by February 1.     
• The supplement should state clearly that this is a REG Supplement request, and should articulate in some detail the form and nature of the student's involvement in the research project. The grounds for the student's selection and a brief biographical sketch of the student should be included. Normally, funds may be available for one student; rarely, for no more than two students; but exceptions will be considered for training additional qualified students who are members of underrepresented groups.     
• The supplement should include an NSF budget page (Budget Form 1030) detailing the proposed use of funds requested for student support. All student costs should be entered at "Participant Support Costs (line F) of Form 1030, which can be downloaded from  http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/00form1030/00form1030.doc . Indirect costs for REG awards are not allowed. An administrative allowance limited to 25% of the student stipend support may be requested. Institutions are encouraged to treat these supplements like Dissertation Research grants which incur no indirect costs.

ELIGIBILITY

Proposals may be submitted by universities in support of Principal Investigators (PIs) holding existing NSF grants. The PI must be currently serving as PI or co-PI on an NSF grant.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions.

• Requests for REG support should be submitted through the Fastlane supplement funding request module (Fastlane PI sign in)   
• The request should articulate in some detail the form and nature of the student's involvement in the research project. The grounds for the student's selection and a brief biographical sketch of the student should be included. Normally, funds may be available for one student; rarely, for no more than two students; but exceptions will be considered for training additional qualified students who are members of underrepresented groups.   
• The supplement should have an NSF budget page (Budget Form 1030) including information about the proposed use of funds requested for student support. All student costs should be entered at "Participant Support Costs (line F) of Form 1030, which can be downloaded from http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/00form1030/00form1030.doc .    
• Indirect costs for REG awards are not allowed. An administrative allowance limited to 25% of the student stipend support may be requested. Institutions are encouraged to treat these supplements like Dissertation Research grants which incur no indirect costs.

B. Request Due Dates. February 1, annually.

PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Merit Review Criteria.

Proposals will be reviewed internally by NSF program staff in accordance with the established Standard National Science Board approved criteria as detailed in the Grant Proposal Guide (http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_prep.htm).

Special attention will be paid to the appropriateness and value of the educational experience for the student participants, particularly the independence and theoretical significance of the student's activities and the quality of the supervision.

In addition preference will be given to student involvement in collaborative projects which advance theory by explicit tests in comparative research designs.

B. Merit Review Process.

Requests submitted in response to this announcement will be reviewed by internal program review only.

After programmatic approval has been obtained, award recommendations are then forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a supplement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants 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 an 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 Officer does so at its own risk.

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Notification of the supplement in the form of an amendment to the existing award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA). Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program.

B. Grant Award Conditions.

The supplement shall be awarded under the same grant award conditions that are applicable to the grant and any numbered amendments thereto and any special conditions stated in this Dear Colleague Letter.

C. Reporting Requirements.

There are no special reporting requirements for these supplements beyond the regular reporting requirements that apply to the grant.

CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries should be made to the

Cultural Anthropology Program,

Dr. Stuart Plattner, Program Director, Room 995,
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences,
National Science Foundation,
Arlington, VA 22230,
telephone 703. 292-7315,
e-mail: splattne@nsf.gov.

http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/sber/anthro .

OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding opportunities for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter. Beginning in fiscal year 1999, the NSF Guide to Programs only will be available electronically. Many NSF programs offer announcements concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices listed in Appendix A of the GPG.

Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, available electronically on the NSF Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/. The direct URL for recent issues of the Bulletin is http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?edaily. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service to find out what funding opportunities are available.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Grantees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636.

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) 306-0090, FIRS at 1-800-877-8339.

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; 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 applicant 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 needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; 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," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

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 this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination Branch, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230

YEAR 2000 REMINDER

In accordance with Important Notice No. 120 dated June, 27, 1997, Subject Year 2000 Computer Problem, NSF awardees are reminded of their responsibility to take appropriate actions to ensure that the NSF activity being supported is not adversely affected by the Year 2000 problem. Potentially affected items include: computer systems, databases, and equipment. The National Science Foundation should be notified in an awardee concludes that the Year 2000 will have a significant impact on its ability to carry out an NSF funded activity. Information concerning Year 2000 activities can be found on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/y2k/start.htm

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 47.075 - Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
OMB #3145-0058
NSF 99-107