February 1, 2010

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

Since 2001, the number of proposals submitted to NSF has increased by over 50 percent. During that time, staffing has increased by only 19 percent. To support NSF's continued excellence in science and engineering research and education, NSF must invest in expanding and developing the workforce and resources that will maintain a capable and responsive organization.

In FY 2011, NSF plans to increase its investments under Stewardship to ensure that NSF will be able to effectively and efficiently manage its operations. Activities will include:

• New Staff: 40 additional full-time equivalent staff members and 11 additional IPAs.
  
  
• IT Investments: expansion of Research.gov and improvements in the reliability and security of NSF's operational IT systems.
  
  
• Acquisition: part of the government-wide effort to strengthen the acquisition workforce. A key priority for NSF is improving capabilities in the pre-solicitation phase of major acquisitions.

Also, NSF will devote staff and resources to establish an NSF-wide capability for assessment and evaluation. This centralized capability would bring greater attention and analysis to such areas as comparing different types of programmatic investments and identifying the most effective means for continuous improvement across the NSF portfolio. This effort is part of the Administration's government-wide initiative to build capacity within agencies to strengthen program assessment and evaluation.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Bobbie Mixon, NSF, (703) 292-8070, email: bmixon@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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