1. Is my proposal a good fit for the Smart Health and Wellbeing solicitation?
2. How do I prepare and submit a proposal to this program?
3. Would my project be likely to get funding?
4. What is the difference between an Exploratory project proposal and an Integrative project proposal?
5. Are postdoctoral fellowships awarded under the Smart Health and Wellbeing program?
6. Are the budget limits listed on the website per year or over the course of the grant?
7. How often is the Smart Health and Wellbeing solicitation issued?
8. Does the collaborator from the health application domain need to be a co-PI? Does the person need to be from or the sponsoring institution need to be a School of Medicine or Health Science?

1. Is my proposal a good fit for the Smart Health and Wellbeing solicitation?

One of the criteria of the solicitation is to make a transformative advancement in health and wellbeing through ongoing research in a core science (e.g. engineering, technology, mathematical modeling, behavior change, psychology, social psychology, etc.). Ideally, a proposal would be transformative both towards the basic science and in its application in the improvement or preservation of health. At the minimum, we need all proposals to advance at least one aspect of core science. Although that advancement might not be considered revolutionary or transformative to the science by the reviewers, it still needs to push the science forward even if its use in health would be transformative. A proposal would not appropriate for this particular solicitation if it is primarily focused on clinical outcomes and the treatment of disease but does not advance a core science relevant to the sponsoring Directorates at the National Science Foundation.

2. How do I prepare and submit a proposal to this program?

Before preparing your proposal, please read the SHB solicitation at https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12512/nsf12512.htm and this FAQ document. Additional guidance for preparing and submitting proposals is included in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg and the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide available at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide

If you have questions about submitting your SHB proposal in FastLane, the NSF FastLane FAQ's can be found at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/NSFHelp/flashhelp/fastlane/FastLane_Help/fastlane_
help.htm#fastlane_faqs_introduction.htm.

If submitting via Grants.gov, applicant resources can be found at: http://grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp If you have further specific questions you can direct them to the correspondence email, iis-shb-corr@nsf.gov. We also recommend consulting with your institution's Sponsored Research Office.

3. Would my project be likely to get funding?

If your proposal fulfills the criteria in question 1, then you are encouraged to apply to the program for funding. Keep in mind your proposal will be evaluated through use of the two National Science Board (NSB) approved merit review criteria, as well any solicitation specific review criteria, by panelists from industry, government, and academia who have expertise in the area of your proposal. Program officers cannot provide you with further advice regarding specific changes to your proposal that would make it more likely to be funded.

4. What is the difference between an Exploratory project proposal and an Integrative project proposal?

Exploratory project proposals should investigate the proof-of-concept or feasibility of a novel technology, processes, and approaches to promote smart health and wellbeing. They are designed for single investigators or small groups of researchers and funding will range from $200,000 to a maximum of $600,000 for a period of 2 to 3 years. Integrative project proposals are more appropriate for collaborative proposals that address key application areas by advancing multiple scientific and engineering domains, incorporating at least two out of the three areas of CISE, ENG, and SBE. Funding will range from $600,001 to $2,000,000 for a period of 4 to 5 years. All integrative project proposals require a Collaboration Plan that outlines the integration and collaboration of all participating senior personnel at all involved sites to accomplish the scope of the research effectively.

5. Are postdoctoral fellowships awarded under the Smart Health and Wellbeing program?

The Smart Health and Wellbeing program solicitation is designed to fund specific research projects that advance both a core science at NSF and health and wellness. A proposal may include funding for a postdoctoral fellow; however, the Smart Health and Wellbeing program does not sponsor individual trainees outside of a research proposal.

6. Are the budget limits listed on the website per year or over the course of the grant?

The budget limits on the website are cumulative, and will be paid out over the course of the grant period.

7. How often is the Smart Health and Wellbeing solicitation issued?

This is the second solicitation for Smart Health and Wellbeing. Right now the current plan is to issue another solicitation in approximately one year; however, this may change depending on approvals and budget restrictions.

8. Does the collaborator from the health application domain need to be a co-PI? Does the person need to be from or the sponsoring institution need to be a School of Medicine or Health Science?

Although many of our proposals do have health professionals as co-PIs, it is not a strict requirement. An individual who works in health IT, who is a member of the health professions or works in public or community health, or who has purpose of the solicitation. Medical school sponsorship is not required for co-investigators and collaborators if the relevant experience in a health-related domain could certainly be considered a qualified health professional for the necessary expertise is involved in the proposal.