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NSF 04-545: Study of the Northern Alaska Coastal System

Program Solicitation

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  • Posted: January 16, 2004
Public comment:
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Study of the Northern Alaska Coastal System (SNACS)
A contribution to the Study of Environmental ARctic CHange (SEARCH)

This solicitation has been archived.

Program Solicitation
NSF 04-545

NSF Logo

National Science Foundation
Office of the Director
      Office of Polar Programs



Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
    April 22, 2004

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Study of the Northern Alaska Coastal System (SNACS)
A contribution to the Study of Environmental ARctic Change (SEARCH)

Synopsis of Program:

This solicitation seeks proposals focused on the arctic coastal zone of Alaska (see below for details) addressing one or more aspects of two coupled themes:

  • How vulnerable are the natural, human, and living systems of the coastal zone to current and future environmental changes in the Arctic?
  • How do biogeochemical and biogeophysical feedbacks in the coastal zone amplify or dampen change locally and at the pan-arctic and global levels?

Particular emphasis should be placed on understanding how coastal ecosystems (including human societies) respond to change originating from outside of the strictly defined coastal region, and also on how responses in the coastal zone feed back to the larger arctic and global systems. This solicitation draws on the community planning embodied in the LSI (http://arctic.bio.utk.edu/screen_LSI_science_plan.pdf) and PACTS (http://www.laii.uaf.edu/pubs/PACTS_Plan_screen.pdf) science plans, but should not be considered a replacement for, or the full implementation of, either plan. The research efforts resulting from this competition are expected to be a partial contribution to the interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH).

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

  • Neil R. Swanberg, Arctic Systems Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, email: nswanber@nsf.gov

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

  • 47.078 --- Office of Polar Programs

Eligibility Information

  • Organization Limit: None Specified.
  • PI Eligibility Limit: None Specified.
  • Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified.

Award Information

  • Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
  • Estimated Number of Awards: 5 to 10
  • Anticipated Funding Amount: $8,000,000 combined from FY 2004 and FY 2005 for awards up to three years, pending availability of funds.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
  • Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that deviates from the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
B. Budgetary Information
  • Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required.
  • 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 Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
      • April 22, 2004

Proposal Review Information

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

I. Introduction

The NSF Arctic System Science Program (ARCSS) is moving to a more integrative and synthetic phase in its science agenda. Recent core efforts of ARCSS including the ARCSS components Paleoenvironmental Arctic Sciences (PARCS), Ocean/Atmosphere/Ice Interactions (OAII) and Land/Atmosphere/Ice Interactions (LAII), have succeeded in fostering excellent investigations of arctic paleoclimate, marine and terrestrial systems, respectively. When it was recognized that these efforts did not always integrate societal impacts or concerns fully, the Human Dimensions of the Arctic System (HARC) component of ARCSS was created and has been growing stronger steadily. These four disciplinary components of ARCSS have yet to merge their views into a fully integrated Arctic System Science Program. One of the key remaining issues limiting our ability to predict the near and longer term evolution of the system is understanding the interactions and linkages between the major components of the system. As arctic system science moves forward, it is clear that progress will be hastened by fostering further integration among the ARCSS research communities that have developed under the PARCS, OAII, LAII and HARC efforts.

Several recommendations arose from discussions at the ARCSS All-Hands Workshop in 2002. A need was identified to develop a pan-arctic understanding of freshwater cycling, and this resulted in the ARCSS Freshwater Cycle competition in 2002. Two emerging science plans were also recognized. A Land-Shelf Interactions (LSI) effort was suggested as a means to forge connections between the science being done under OAII and LAII by focusing on the coastal zone. A plan for a study of Pan-Arctic Cycles, Transitions and Sustainability (PACTS) was seen as a means to forward systems-based approach and thinking with respect to the study of the interactions between arctic living systems and their physical environment. The arctic coastal environment, lying at the intersection of the land, ocean, and atmosphere, and being the locus of much human activity, is one of the critical interfaces in the arctic system and is seen as an ideal test bed for tackling the kinds of complex scientific issues embodied in LSI and PACTS, and required to develop a true systems approach to the Arctic. 

II. Program Description

This solicitation seeks proposals focused on the arctic coastal zone of Alaska (see below for details) addressing one or more aspects of two coupled themes:

  • How vulnerable are the natural, human, and living systems of the coastal zone to current and future environmental changes in the Arctic?
  • How do biogeochemical and biogeophysical feedbacks in the coastal zone amplify or dampen change locally and at the pan-arctic and global levels?

Particular emphasis should be placed on understanding how coastal ecosystems (including human societies) respond to change originating from outside of the strictly defined coastal region, and also on how responses in the coastal zone feed back to the larger arctic and global systems. This solicitation draws on the community planning embodied in the LSI (http://arctic.bio.utk.edu/screen_LSI_science_plan.pdf) and PACTS (http://www.laii.uaf.edu/pubs/PACTS_Plan_screen.pdf) science plans, but should not be considered a replacement for, or the full implementation of, either plan. The research efforts resulting from this competition are expected to be a partial contribution to the interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH).

Examples of unifying research themes that have been identified are:

  • An improved understanding of biogeochemical fluxes (C, N, nutrients) that pass through and are moderated by the coastal zone. These fluxes are bidirectional across at least four interfaces (land/sea, water/benthic system, coastal waters/Arctic Ocean, ocean/atmosphere, with ice being an important component of the aquatic system). A full assessment of the fluxes will entail detailed understanding of the physical, chemical, and biogeochemical processes operating in all of these subsystems of the arctic system. These processes and subsystems have obvious implications for the human components of the coastal system, and proposers are encouraged to explore these connections.
  • The interaction of biotic and abiotic components of the arctic system and the effect of these interactions on coastal system vulnerability, or in the case of humans, the basis for community and industrial sustainability. Proposals are encouraged, for example, that seek to understand the complex interactions between physical, chemical, and biotic factors affecting food webs, and that seek to generalize this knowledge to the wider arctic system.
  • The way in which changes in the atmosphere mediate the interactions among land-based, coastal, and ocean components of the arctic system. Relevant issues include the roles of known modes of atmospheric variability (e.g., the North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and North Pacific Oscillation), seasonal phenomena, extreme events, and projected changes in atmospheric states on the coastal system, or conversely, ways in which coastal processes impact and export change to the regional and global systems through the atmosphere.

Proposers are encouraged to examine the LSI and PACTS science plans as guidance for research goals driving this solicitation. It should be noted, however, that the LSI plan intentionally targets a narrow geomorphic province, in contrast to other terrestrial and oceanic components of ARCSS. For this solicitation the spatial scope should be considered larger than just the nearshore zone if a compelling case can be made that the process(es) of interest exert important influence on the arctic coastal system (e.g., oceanic controls on sea ice, upland controls on delivery of nutrients to northward flowing rivers, suppression of primary production by ice algae due to long range transport of toxins). Also, the LSI plan focuses on terrestrial and marine questions without a corresponding emphasis on interactions with associated atmospheric components. The scope of this solicitation includes the atmospheric part of the nearshore system (e.g., meteorological forcing of sea ice, surface currents, storm tracks; also atmospheric delivery and processing of nutrients and other key chemical species).

The pan-arctic scope of LSI and PACTS, while essential to our understanding of the arctic system as a whole, is simply too large to be implemented within the funding constraints of the present solicitation. Several of the PACTS themes nevertheless bear importantly on the coastal zone, including but not limited to biogeochemical cycling, the delivery of terrigenous material to the ocean, alterations in the freshwater discharge cycle including precipitation, and the importance of interactions between physical and living systems. Proposers should consider how their specific coastal studies are relevant and contribute toward improved understanding of the larger pan-arctic system, its function and predictability, and should draw on both LSI and PACTS plans in developing integrative approaches to innovative system science.

The proposals funded under this solicitation are expected to comprise an integrated program. To ensure a high degree of cross-project collaboration and coordination, the arctic coast of Alaska has been chosen as the geographic focus. The intent is to have projects co-locate and to investigate collaboratively coastal processes in this region, but with the larger goal of understanding how interactions and linkages in all arctic coastal regions affect arctic and global systems. Proposals should include specific explanation of how the proposed research contributes to systems-level understanding. For this solicitation the coastal region is defined as the terrestrial and marine strip across which atmosphere-human-land-ocean-ice impacts and feedbacks are manifest. The dimensions of this strip will vary depending on the specific focus of the research, but it can be considered lying north of the Brooks Range and south of the summer sea ice limit in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. 

III. Eligibility Information

The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.

PI Eligibility Limit: None Specified.

Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified

IV. Award Information

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

NSF anticipates making 5 to 10 standard or continuing grants with a maximum duration of three years each. The anticipated funding amount for all of these grants is $8 million combined from FY 2004 and FY 2005, pending the availability of funds.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/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/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

The following instructions supplement the GPG guidelines.

Researchers should conform to the Principles for the Conduct of Research in the Arctic, prepared by the Social Science Task Force of the U.S. Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) and approved by IARPC in 1990. These principles are listed at https://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/arctic/conduct.htm.

Arctic Research Support and Logistics

The Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL) program supports field components of research funded by the Arctic Sciences Section. Support includes, but is not limited to, providing transportation, food and shelter while conducting field work, user and day-rate fees at field camps, salaries of staff hired specifically for field work, activities such as travel to coordinate projects with permitting agencies and Native peoples. More detailed information is available on the RSL web site (https://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/arctic/suplog.htm). 

Access to logistical support from the RSL program is through the regular proposal process. All fieldwork should be described in the proposal. We strongly recommend preparing a brief outline of the field plan within the proposal body, including a schedule and describing the associated costs in the budget explanation. Costs for field support should not be included in the budget if they are to be provided through a support organization, e.g. the Arctic logistics contractor VECO Polar Resources (VPR; http://vecopolar.com) or the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC; http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/basc/); however, these activities must be noted in the budget justification. 

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number (04-545) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program Solicitation.

Other Budgetary Limitations:

Proposals should be for a maximum duration of three years.

A science team meeting will be held before fieldwork commences, and at that time further integration of projects will be implemented.

Budget Preparation Instructions:

A science team meeting will be held before fieldwork commences, and at that time further integration of projects will be implemented. Proposers should budget travel funds for an annual investigators’ meeting, and will be expected to coordinate and integrate plans and results with other investigators supported in the competition.

A brief section in the proposal and budget justification should outline the field plan and associated costs (see Full Proposal Instructions, "Arctic Research Support and Logistics"). 

Researchers intending to use a vessel from UNOLS or the USCG should follow the UNOLS procedure (http://www.unols.org).

C. Due Dates

Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):

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

    April 22, 2004

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this announcement/solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://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 announcement/solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this announcement/solicitation.

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. Proposers are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

VI. Proposal Review Information

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127, Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making funding decisions.

In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January 2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators (PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.

Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.

The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information). 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 he/she is qualified to make judgments.

    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 and original 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 will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

    Integration of Research and Education
    One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.
    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:

    Each proposal must include a data management plan that conforms to the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program data management policy. For a copy of the policy refer to the ARCSS Data Coordination Center (located at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, web site: http://arcss.colorado.edu/arcss/protocol/protocol.html). Proposals without a data management plan that incorporates the ARCSS data policy will be returned without review.

    In additon to external peer review, proposals will be evaluated both for their contribution to a systems level understanding of the functioning of the Northern Alaskan coastal system and for their potential synergy with other submitted proposals that create an integrated research program contributing directly to the interdisciplinary goals of ARCSS. The contribution of proposed research to SEARCH goals (http://psc.apl.washington.edu/search/) will be used as an important review criterion.

    Proposers may be required to attend a pre-award meeting to coordinate their research plans in a way that focuses on ARCSS goals and demonstrates synergy with other projects selected for support.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Ad Hoc and/or panel review.

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.

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 Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

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 date of receipt. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

In all cases, 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 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 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 Division 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.A. 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 (NSF-GC-1); * or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Website at http://www.gpo.gov.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Each awardee will be expected to attend annual meetings to coordinate and integrate plans and results with other investigators supported in the project.

Annual reports must include information about the status of data mangement activities. Noncompliance with the ARCSS data management policy could be used as grounds for suspension or cancellation of funding commitments.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all Co-PIs. 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. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on project participants (individual and organizational), activities and findings, 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.

VIII. Contacts For Additional Information

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

  • Neil R. Swanberg, Arctic Systems Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, email: nswanber@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

  • Linda Izzard, Program Coordination Specialist, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 740 S, telephone: (703) 292-7430, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: lizzard@nsf.gov

IX. Other Programs Of Interest

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. 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, which is updated daily on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Awardees 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, although some programs may have special requirements that limit eligibility.

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 GPG Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

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.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid 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 this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.



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