Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI)

Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI) is a mechanism to facilitate collaboration among teams of NSF-supported U.S. scientists and engineers and their international partners who have complementary strengths and common interests and who wish to form virtual institutes to foster enhanced research collaboration; data sharing; networking; and technical exchanges of students, post docs, and junior faculty across borders.

While many of the individual activities envisioned for SAVI could be supported by existing NSF programs, SAVI provides a platform for teams of NSF-funded investigators to network with their partners abroad and to leverage counterpart funding across a common topic of interest. SAVI does not replace existing NSF programs that encourage collaboration between U.S. PIs and their international partners, nor is SAVI intended to support collaboration between individual PIs.  PIs should consider these programs to determine the best fit for the level of activity they are planning. Examples of such programs include:

Research Coordination Networks: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=11691  

Catalyzing New International Collaborations: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12815

Teams of NSF-funded investigators in the U.S. are eligible to apply.  A SAVI team may be comprised of members from an existing NSF-funded center/institute or a group of individual investigators with complementary and mutually beneficial research and education strengths and objectives. A single individual representing the team must be designated as the SAVI PI, and his/her institution must serve as the U.S. lead institution responsible for management of a SAVI award.  

SAVI is not a stand-alone program. SAVI proposals may be prepared as a new proposal to link the research and education efforts of multiple NSF-funded PIs, as a supplement to an existing NSF award for this purpose, or as a component of a larger new proposal submitted to an NSF disciplinary program. For additional guidance, potential proposers should contact the appropriate Directorate or Office representative: http://www.nsf.gov/savi