NSF-Navy Civilian Service Fellowship-Scholarship Program
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Dear Colleague:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of the Navy would like to call your attention to an opportunity to apply for supplemental funding in areas identified below, of technical interest to the Navy, under the provisions of the jointly-funded NSF-Navy Civilian Service (NNCS) Fellowship-Scholarship Program.
This program supports students at the bachelors, masters, or doctoral levels in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) who agree to commit to spending a year as a civilian employee at a Naval R&D Center for each year of support received.
The NNCS program has three goals: (1) To ensure the economic future of the Nation by increasing the number and diversity of US citizens pursuing advanced degrees in the STEM professions, (2) To strengthen Navy ties with the university research community to facilitate the transfer of promising technology to the Navy in a timely fashion, and (3) To ensure the future of the Navy’s research enterprise by providing new career entry pathways for talented STEM professionals.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This program invites university PI’s who are currently supported
by an NSF award from the NIRT, NSEC, ERC, STC, IGERT or large ITR
programs to apply for support for their eligible students who are
working in areas of interest to one of the Navy’s R&D
Centers. The funding will be provided for up to two years of fellowship/scholarship
support plus a cost of education allowance. At the completion of
their degrees, the students will accept civilian employment at
a Navy R&D Center for one year for each year of support received.
Areas of technical interest to the Navy are described along with relevant contact information at the following website: http://www.nstarweb.com/careers.html. Fundable proposals will provide clear evidence of collaboration with Navy R&D Centers both in the formulation of the proposal and the completion of the proposed research. Specifically, it is expected that appropriate Center personnel will serve on the advisory committee of the students who are supported in this program, play an active role in the development of a student’s research project and its execution, and will work with the student and the student’s advisor to find suitable Center employment upon the student’s graduation. It is expected that a student will spend some portion of each calendar year while supported by this program working at the collaborating Center on a summer internship or similar arrangement.
In addition to funding for students, this program provides the PI with the opportunity for close interaction with colleagues at the Center and opportunities for funded professional development. Preference will be given to proposals with comprehensive and innovative plans to promote the professional development of the student. For undergraduate students, an identification of features that will be added to the traditional curriculum to develop and enhance the students’ research skills is encouraged. An effective plan for a recruiting a highly qualified and diverse pool of students should be included in the proposal.
It is critical that the proposals contain a clear plan to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of this program in terms of the student and program outcomes in both the near and far term as viewed by the students, the PI, and the collaborating Center. Proposals should include (as a minimum) provisions for measuring:
- The quality of the students’ interactions with the personnel and programs of the collaborating Center
- The importance and quality of the technology transfer associated with this program
- The increased attractiveness, as perceived by the students, of the Navy as a career destination
In addition the proposal should include (as a minimum) provisions for measuring the extent to which this program has facilitated:
- The ability to recruit students in increased numbers and diversity into the program
- Improvements in student mentoring leading to enhancements in student retention and professional development
- Increases in the number and quality of collaborative university/Center projects
PROPOSAL FORMAT
NSF’s Fastlane system should be used to prepare and submit
these requests for supplemental funding (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov).
The Supplemental Funding Request can be accessed by the PI
through the “Awards and Status” function, under
the “Award
and Reporting” functions. The PI should complete the
Budget, Justification for Supplement, and Supplementary Docs
sections of the Supplemental Funding Request according to the
guidelines below.
In the Justification for Supplement, awardee institutions are expected to clearly articulate management and administrative plans for the following program elements:
- Verification of scholarship candidates' eligibility, including the recipients' academic merit, eligibility for security clearance (see below), and enrollment in a nanotechnology-related program.
- Provision of scholarship amounts to be used for expenses normally incurred by full-time students in the institution, including tuition, room and board, and equipment. These shall be included in participant support costs.
- Provision of academic-year stipends at the levels specified below.
- Provisions for tracking the academic progress of students to determine their continued eligibility throughout the academic part of the program.
- Evaluation of student and program outcomes.
The Justification for Supplement should not exceed 8 pages.
The ONR will provide assistance in identifying potential partners within the naval research enterprise. Proposals should include a letter of support in the Supplementary Docs section from the partner Navy R&D center indicating the nature and level of the proposed collaborative activity.
ELIGIBILITY AND STIPEND
Eligible undergraduate students will be US citizen
juniors or seniors eligible for security clearance
(see below) with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or greater. Eligible
graduate students will be US citizens eligible for
security clearance (see below) and ready to commence
full-time research, having passed any required qualifying
exams and completed most or all of the required course
work, and be involved in projects of mutual interest
to their advisors and the Navy. The award amounts will
be:
Stipend | Cost-of-Education Allowance | |
---|---|---|
Undergraduate Scholarship | $8,000 | Actual cost of tuition, fees, room, board and books. |
Master’s Fellowship | $20,000 | $10,500 |
Doctoral Fellowship | $30,000 | $10,500 |
These costs should be included in the budget as participant
support. The Navy will administer the contracts with the students
and ensure compliance with service requirements. Undergraduate
and Masters students who complete their degrees while supported
by this program and who elect to pursue an advanced degree
will be allowed to re-apply for support from this program.
ELIGIBILITY FOR SECURITY CLEARANCE
After the award is made to the university, students recruited
into the program must demonstrate to the Navy their eligibility
for a security clearance. The student must provide a written
vita and proof of United States citizenship to the Navy in
the form of either a copy of a state birth certificate or
passport. All students will be expected to sign a contract
agreeing to provide one year of full-time service as a civilian
employee of the Navy following the completion of their degree
for each year of support they receive. Failure to provide
the required service will obligate the student to repay the
full amount of the stipend and tuition assistance received.
ELIGIBILITY FOR SECURITY CLEARANCE
Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:
No indirect costs may be charged on these supplements, but
PIs may request up to 10 percent of the total participant
support budget to address the management and administrative
costs associated with the program and may request up to an
additional 5 percent of the total participant support budget
to address curriculum, laboratory, and faculty development
costs in support of the program.
The Navy will provide support for the participation of mentors
at the partnering naval facility.
PROPOSAL REVIEW
A panel selected by NSF /Navy staff will review the proposals.
PROPOSAL DEADLINES
The deadline for proposals is June 3, 2005. Awards will be
made by August 15, 2005.
FUNDING AVAILABLE
Depending on the availability of funds and quality of proposals
we anticipate that we will fund up to 15 supplements for two
years at an award size not to exceed $250,000. The anticipated
funding amount for the NNCS Fellowship/Scholarship program
is $3,000,000 for FY 2005 awards.
NSF/ONR CONTACTS
Potential PIs are encouraged to contact Deba Dutta (ddutta@nsf.gov,
703-292-5304) at NSF to discuss details of the program. Those seeking
help with identifying potential Navy partners should contact Ernest
McDuffie (Ernest_McDuffie@onr.navy.mil, 703-696-6816) at ONR.
We look forward to reviewing innovative and competitive proposals.
Sincerely,
John Brighton
Assistant Director, Directorate of Engineering
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.
ABOUT THE US NAVY
The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready
Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and
maintaining freedom of the seas. For more information about the
US Navy please visit http://www.navy.mil The Office of Naval
Research (ONR) coordinates, executes, and promotes the science
and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine
Corps through schools, universities, government laboratories,
and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. It provides technical
advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of
the Navy and works with industry to improve technology manufacturing
processes. For more information about ONR please visit http://www.onr.navy.mil