Science and Technology Studies (STS)

The STS Program supports research and related activities that contribute to systematic understanding of the character and development of science and technology, including their cultural, intellectual, material, and social dimensions. The program supports research on the nature and development of technology and science, both in the past and present; on differences in the nature of theory and evidence in various fields of science and engineering; and on the interactions among science, technology and society. Proposals are welcomed from various disciplinary perspectives, including history of science, history of technology, philosophy of science, and various social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, and political science.

This program solicitation covers the following modes of support:

1.  STS Scholars Awards

2.  Grants for Collaborative Research

3.  STS Postdoctoral Fellowships

4.  STS Professional Development Fellowships

5.  Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

6.  STS Small Grants for Training and Research Fellowships

7.  Conference and Workshop Awards

8.  Other Funding Opportunities

 

The Science and Technology Studies (STS) Program supports research and related activities that contribute to systematic understanding of the character and development of science and technology, including their cultural, intellectual, material, and social dimensions. The program supports research on the nature and development of technology and science, both in the past and present, and on differences in the nature of theory and evidence in various fields of science and engineering. STS also supports research on the interactions among science, technology and society, including such topics as the foundations of scientific and technological knowledge and institutions; the relations between science and other social institutions and groups; and processes of scientific and technological innovation and change. Proposals are welcome from the various disciplinary perspectives that comprise the science and technology studies community, a diverse and growing intellectual field that encompasses three distinct intellectual traditions: The history of science and the history of technology; the philosophy of science; and the array of scholarly disciplines from the social sciences (sociology, anthropology, political science, etc.) pursuing social studies of science and technology. In recent years, the NSF has made 60-65 new awards annually under this program, which has had an annual budget of about $3.8 million.

Researchers whose projects are primarily concerned with ethical and social values, policies, and the obligations that arise in the interactions among science, technology and society should contact NSF's Societal Dimensions of Engineering, Science and Technology Program (SDEST). The SDEST and STS Programs often cooperate, but the programs retain different programmatic and research emphases.

Except for doctoral dissertation research, science and technology studies of medicine, public health and society are not normally supported by NSF. Researchers should contact the National Institutes of Health and/or the National Endowment for the Humanities for support of research in these fields.

The STS Program provides a range of funding opportunities designed to support the full spectrum of research, educational, and scholarly activities undertaken by scholars within science and technology studies. The Program urges potential investigators to discuss their proposals with the cognizant Program Officer(s)in advance of submission.  This program solicitation covers the eight (8) modes of support detailed below.

1.  STS Scholars Awards

2.  Grants for Collaborative Research

3.  STS Postdoctoral Fellowships

4.  STS Professional Development Fellowships

5.  Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

6.  STS Small Grants for Training and Research Fellowships

7.  Conference and Workshop Awards

8.  Other Funding Opportunities

1.   STS SCHOLARS AWARDS

STS Scholars Awards are the usual award for individual investigators who are undertaking research projects, ordinarily for part or all of an academic year, a summer, or some combination of academic year and summer. Additional support may be requested for up to two additional years (up to three years total), although full-time support normally is provided for only one year.

Budget Guidelines for Scholars Awards

• Awards normally provide support for academic year (nine months) research, including salary, fringe benefits, and other direct costs, up to a total of approximately $70,000 for total direct costs.
• Proposals may also request support for full-time summer research, including salary, fringe benefits, and other direct costs, up to a total of approximately $20,000 for total direct costs. Summer salary request may not exceed 2/9ths (two months) of academic year salary.
• Annual limit for project support in a 12-month period is normally $90,000.
• Research assistance may also be requested but must be justified in the proposal's work plan. Normal limits for such support are $6,000 per year for an undergraduate research assistant, $15,000 per year for a graduate student, and $36,000 per year (including fringe benefits) for a designated postdoctoral researcher.
• Indirect costs assessed by institutions will be added to these levels of support.
• Projects duration -- up to three years.
• Maximum award (indirect costs excluded) is normally $150,000. Proposals of longer duration or requesting larger amounts of support will be considered if extraordinarily well justified and merited.

Eligibility Requirements for Scholars Award

Scholars Awards are normally made to U.S. academic institutions, although an individual who is not affiliated with an appropriate U.S. academic institution may submit a proposal as an independent scholar. In the latter case, the scholar must be a U.S. citizen or national, or have permanent resident status.

2. GRANTS FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

Grants for Collaborative Research support research projects that require several investigators, or investigators and advisors, or collaboration among principal investigators (PIs).  [For collaborative projects that also require postdoctoral researchers or graduate student assistants, please consider Small Grants for Training and Research Fellowships (SGTRF) described below.] Some collaborative projects are designed to develop research or educational infrastructure, such as preparation of reference works, editions of scientific and personal papers, or development of data bases, digital libraries, or graphics resources for public use. Electronic dissemination of the results of such infrastructure projects should be the norm in STS projects. In this type of collaborative project, the STS Program's support should be directed to research or scholarly components including, but not limited to, archival research and annotation, as opposed to routine administrative or logistical activities.

Budget Guidelines for Collaborative Research

• The budget guidelines listed above for Scholars Awards should be followed.  For each PI $70,000 is normally the maximum allowed for full-time academic year (nine months) research, $20,000 is normally allowed for full-time summer (two months) research.
• Indirect costs assessed by institutions will be added to these levels of support. 
• Proposals of two or more years' duration, or proposals requesting larger amounts of support, will be considered if extraordinarily well justified and merited.

Eligibility Requirements for Collaborative Research 

Collaborative Research Awards are normally made to U.S. academic institutions, although an individual who is not affiliated with an appropriate U.S. academic institution may submit a proposal as an independent PI. In the latter case, the PI must be a U.S. citizen or national, or have permanent resident status.

3. STS POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

STS Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals should be prepared, following the same format as a regular NSF proposal (see the NSF Grant Proposal Guide for details), including the specific additional items listed below. 

The chief purpose of these Fellowships is to enhance the methodological skills and research competence of researchers in STS fields. Consequently, proposals must describe both a training and a research component, and the site for the Fellowship must be different from the institution where the Fellow received the Ph.D. degree. The proposal should justify the choices of the venue for the Fellowship and the host faculty member, in terms of the Fellow’s research and training goals. In addition host faculty must provide statements describing their plans for working with Fellows, while host institutions should provide letters agreeing to provide appropriate space and facilities. A letter of support also must be included from the Fellow's dissertation supervisor. No Fellowship may begin until the appropriate Ph.D. granting institution has certified that the Fellow has completed all requirements for the degree. Letters should be submitted in the Supplementary Documentation section of the FastLane proposal.

The Fellow generally prepares the proposal and normally should be listed as the co-Principal Investigator. The host faculty member at the host institution normally should be listed as the Principal Investigator (PI). The host institution usually submits the proposal and administers the award. In certain circumstances (such as when the Fellowship takes place at an institution outside the U.S.), Postdoctoral Fellows may submit proposals as independent PIs.

Budget Guidelines for STS Postdoctoral Fellowships

• Postdoctoral Fellowships normally provide an annual stipend of up to $36,000 (including fringe benefits) per year for support of full-time academic year study and research.
• Postdoctoral Fellowships allow research and travel expenses of up to $3,000/year. The proposal should justify expenditure of the research and travel expenses.
• Postdoctoral Fellowships provide a fixed-amount institutional allowance of $3,000/year in lieu of indirect costs. [Please note: NSF will not pay the institutional allowance to non-U.S. institutions.]
• There are no dependents’ allowances, and moving expenses, if requested, must be deducted from the research and travel allowance.
• The maximum award normally will be $42,000/year. Awards may be for up to two years

Eligibility Requirements for STS Postdoctoral Fellowships 

Postdoctoral Fellowships are available for STS researchers within 5 years of receipt of their Ph.D. degree. All Fellows must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or have permanent resident status.

4. STS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS

STS Professional Development Fellowship proposals should follow the same format as a regular NSF proposal (see the NSF Grant Proposal Guide for details), including the specific additional items listed below. 

Professional Development Fellowships (PDFs) are available for researchers trained in history, philosophy, or social studies of science and technology who wish to improve and expand their skills in the areas of science or engineering, and conversely for physical and natural scientists and engineers who desire training in STS disciplines. For example, historians, philosophers and social scientists may use this award to work with a scientist or engineer to learn the technical aspects of research in their area. Alternatively, scientists or engineers may use this award to work with a historian, philosopher or social scientist to learn the research methods and analytical tools and approaches current in STS fields.

These Fellowship proposals must contain both a training and a research component, and should justify the choice of both the venue and the host faculty member, in relation to the Fellow's training and research goals. These proposals also must include letters from the host faculty describing plans for working with the Fellows, and from the host institutions agreeing to provide appropriate space and facilities. These should be submitted in the Supplementary Documentation section of the FastLane proposal.

Budget Guidelines for STS Professional Development Fellowships

• The annual stipend for these awards depends upon the Fellow's current salary and work history, and can range from $36,000 to $60,000, inclusive of fringe benefits, for a full-time academic year of study and research in a field outside the Fellow's current area of expertise.
• These awards provide $3000 for travel and research expenses. The budget should justify these expenditures; moving expenses (if requested) must be deducted from the travel allowance.
• These Fellowships provide a fixed-amount institutional allowance of $3,000/year in lieu of indirect costs.

Eligibility Requirements for STS Professional Development Fellowships 

All Fellows must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or have permanent resident status.

5. DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT GRANTS

These awards provide funds for dissertation research expenses not normally available through the student's university. The dissertation advisor is the principal investigator on these proposals; the doctoral student should be listed as co-principal investigator.

Dissertation proposals should be prepared in accordance with the guidelines for regular research proposals.  (See the NSF Grant Proposal Guide and the instructions and additional items listed below.) The Project Description section should describe the scientific significance of the work, including its relationship to other current research, and the design of the project in sufficient detail to permit evaluation. It should also present and interpret progress to date if the research is already underway. The Results from Prior NSF Support section is not required with these proposals.

Awards are not intended to provide the full costs of a student's doctoral dissertation research. Funds may be used only for valid research expenses which include, but are not limited to, conducting field research in settings away from campus that would not otherwise be possible, data collection and sample survey costs, payments to subjects or informants, specialized research equipment, analysis and services not otherwise available, supplies, travel to archives, specialized collections, and facilities or field research locations, and partial living expenses for conducting necessary research away from the student's university. Funds are to be used exclusively for the actual conduct of dissertation research. These funds may not be used as a student stipend, for tuition, textbooks, journals, or for the typing, reproduction, or publication costs of the student's dissertation. Funds may be requested for research assistants only in very special circumstances, which should be carefully justified.

The proposal must include a letter from the faculty advisor. This document is not intended as a traditional recommendation, but should evaluate the student's promise as a researcher, the student's capabilities for undertaking this project, and the value and status of the proposed research. It should also discuss the student's current progress in the graduate program, affirming when the student passed -- or will pass -- the qualifying exams and completed all course work required for the degree. If the doctoral student will use the award for travel expenses to work with a specialist, the proposal should provide a justification for this choice and a letter from the specialist agreeing to work with the student. These requirements must be met before an award will be made. Letters should be submitted in the Supplementary Documentation section of the FastLane proposal.

Budget Guidelines for STS Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

• The usual limit on a dissertation award is $8,000 for research in North America. 
• The usual limit for international research is $12,000.
• No indirect costs are allowed.

Eligibility Requirements for STS Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

• Doctoral students who are enrolled in U.S. graduate programs are eligible to apply.
• Doctoral students must have passed -- or will pass -- the qualifying exams and completed all course work required for the degree prior to receiving the award.

6. STS SMALL GRANTS FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

Small Grants for Training and Research Fellowships should follow the same format as a regular NSF proposal.  (See the NSF Grant Proposal Guide and the instructions and additional items listed below.)

This program is intended to enhance the methodological skills and research competence of researchers at the postdoctoral and graduate level by providing sustained research and training opportunities on important issues in STS. Consequently, proposals must describe both a training and a research component on a subject or theme of significance. In addition, host faculty must provide statements describing their plans for working with the Fellow and graduate students, while the host institution must provide letters agreeing to provide appropriate space and facilities. Finally, the Fellow must provide a letter of support from the dissertation supervisor and certification that the Fellow has completed all requirements for the degree. Letters should be submitted in the Supplementary Documentation section of the FastLane proposal.

The Fellow generally prepares the proposal and should be listed as the co-Principal Investigator. The subject or theme proposed by the Fellow must be related to the area of the Fellow's expertise and must reflect an area around which an extended research and training program may be constructed. The host faculty at the sponsoring institution normally should be listed as the Principal Investigator(s) and should indicate how the subject or theme of the proposal coincides with strengths of the host faculty and institution. The host institution usually submits the proposal and administers the award.

Budget Guidelines for SGTRF

• These Fellowship awards provide a maximum of $100,000 per year (including the institutional allowance) to support the Postdoctoral Fellow and up to three graduate students.
• Each award may last up to three years, depending on the duration of the postdoctoral position.  The composition of graduate students supported by the award may change during the duration of the award.
• Postdoctoral Fellowships normally provide an annual stipend of up to $36,000 (including fringe benefits) per year for support of full-time academic year study and research.
• Also allowable are a research and travel expense allowance of $3,000 per year and a fixed-amount institutional allowance of $3,000 per year in lieu of indirect costs. The proposal should justify expenditure of the research and travel allowance
• Graduate student support is $15,000 per student, each with a research and travel expense of $1,500 annually. The proposal should justify expenditure of the research and travel allowance.
• All expenses for the SGTRF should be listed on the Participant Support line of the proposal budget.
• STS may fund only 2 or 3 SGTRFs each year.

Eligibility Requirements for Small Grants for Training and Research Fellowships (SGTRF)

• These SGTRF awards are available for STS researchers within 5 years of receipt of the Ph.D. and for graduate students who are regularly admitted students in STS graduate programs.
• All Postdoctoral Fellows must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or have permanent resident status.
• NOTE:  SGTRF proposals will only be considered in the Fall of each year. The target date for submission of these proposals is August 1 annually.

7. CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP SUPPORT

These proposals should be prepared in accordance with the NSF Grant Proposal Guide and the additional information below.

STS can help to support national or international conferences, symposia, and research workshops that enable scientists, engineers, researchers in STS areas of support, policy makers, and representatives of interested groups to develop, evaluate, and share new research findings. Proposals for conference or workshop support should describe the need for the gathering, the proposed date and location, topics and persons who will be involved, prior related meetings, publicity, and expected outcomes. Every effort must be made to include among proposed participants younger scholars and members of underrepresented groups. Conferences and workshops may, where justified, be carried out as special sessions in regular meetings of professional societies.

STS gives priority to those conferences and symposia that promote interactions between researchers in STS and scientists and engineers, or between STS scholars and members of scholarly communities not normally in contact with each other. Meetings usually should be open, and the ultimate goal of the gathering should be development of a new field of scholarship, pedagogy, or research.

Budget Guidelines for Conferences and Workshops

• STS normally limits support for conferences and workshops to $10,000.
• Expenses (travel, stipends, honoraria, etc.) for attendees should be entered on the Participant Support line of the budget.

Eligibility Requirements for Conferences and Workshops

Conference and workshop awards normally are made to U.S. academic institutions, although an individual who is not affiliated with an appropriate U.S. academic institution may submit a proposal as an independent PI.  In the latter case, the PI must be a U.S. citizen or national, or have permanent resident status.

8. OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

The STS program may provide supplemental funding to existing awards in order to create research experiences for undergraduates (REU).  The STS Program participates in most Foundation-wide initiatives, such as CAREER, ADVANCE, MRI, and specially-focused research efforts. Information about these efforts can be found at the Crosscutting /Interdisciplinary Programs home page: https://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/.

Organization Limit:  See Section II. Program Description for detailed information.

PI Eligibility Limit:  See Section II. Program Description for detailed information.

Limit on Number of Proposals:  None Specified.

• Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
• Estimated Number of Awards: 65
• Anticipated Funding Amount: $3,800,000 in FY 2004 pending availability of funds

See Section II. Program Description for detailed information.

This program solicitation has instructions that deviate from the GPG guidelines. See Section II. Program Description for detailed information about each mode of support.

Proposers are reminded that proposals are evaluated not only by specialists in their research area, but also by generalists from various disciplines within the larger domain of science and technology studies. It is imperative that proposals be comprehensible to all readers, and proposers are urged to consider carefully the use of jargon and highly specialized terminology without explanation, or currently fashionable vocabulary.

Proposers are also reminded to pay close attention to the legibility of their proposal as well. While NSF guidelines allow 10-point type, many fonts this size produce very small text, especially in single-spaced documents. Forcing readers to struggle to decipher one's meaning and intent is never a good strategy. Therefore, the STS Program recommends that applicants use at least 11-point type. Proposals prepared with type that is too small to read may be returned without review.

Indirect costs are not allowed on Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants.  Indirect costs are not allowed on STS Postdoctoral Fellowships, STS Professional Development Fellowships, and STS Small Grants for Training and Research Fellowships. Those three Fellowship awards do allow a fixed-amount institutional allowance of $3000/year in lieu of indirect costs.

See Section II. Program Description for detailed information.

The Home Page for the STS Program has links to a number of other NSF programs that might interest potential proposers. Investigators are invited to visit the STS Page at https://www.nsf.gov/sbe/ses/sts/start.htm

Investigators are especially urged to examine the opportunities identified on NSF's Crosscutting/Interdisciplinary Programs home page. These programs reach across the entire Foundation. Among the most visible of these programs are the Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU), the CAREER competition for young investigators, the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) competition, the effort to increase the participation of women in careers in science and engineering (ADVANCE), and the special research initiatives of recent years. Information can be found at https://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/