Title: Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities:
Cyberinfrastructure and Research Facilities (CRIF:CRF)
Date: 10/26/07
Replaced: NSF 07-518
Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities:
Cyberinfrastructure and Research Facilities (CRIF:CRF)
Program Solicitation
NSF 08-504
Replaces Document(s):
NSF 07-518
[NSF Logo] National Science Foundation
Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Division of Chemistry
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
February 01, 2008
REVISION NOTES
In furtherance of the President's Management Agenda, NSF has identified
programs that will offer proposers the option to utilize Grants.gov to
prepare and submit proposals, or will require that proposers utilize
Grants.gov to prepare and submit proposals. Grants.gov provides a single
Government-wide portal for finding and applying for Federal grants online.
In response to this program solicitation, proposers may opt to submit
proposals via Grants.gov or via the NSF FastLane system. In determining
which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the
proposal, please note the following:
Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate
submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via the NSF
FastLane system. Chapter II, Section D.3 of the Grant Proposal Guide
provides additional information on collaborative proposals.
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
General Information
Program Title:
Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF:CRF)
Synopsis of Program:
The Division of Chemistry of the National Science Foundation
(NSF) , under the umbrella of the Chemistry Research
Instrumentation and Facilities Program (CRIF), has provided
support to research institutions and consortia for the
establishment of regional or national instrumentation facilities,
the purchase of departmental research instrumentation, and the
development of state-of-the-art equipment. In FY05, the
instrumentation facilities component of the CRIF Program was
expanded to address the growing importance of cyber-enabled
chemistry in the research endeavor. Preference will be given to
cyber-enabled chemistry proposals that are distinct from the
projects represented by the FY05 and FY06 awards (CHE-0535542;
CHE-0535640; CHE-0535656; CHE-0535710; CHE-0625419; CHE-0626111;
CHE-0626305; CHE-0626354). The Chemistry Research Instrumentation
and Facilities: Cyberinfrastructure and Research Facilities
(CRIF:CRF) Program provides funding to build a foundation for
cyber-enabled chemical research and education, and to establish
and support multi-user instrumentation research facilities with
unique capabilities in the chemical sciences. This is structured
to enable NSF, through its Division of Chemistry, to respond to a
variety of needs for infrastructure to support basic research and
education in chemistry.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
* Celeste Rohlfing, Program Director, 1055 S, telephone: (703) 292-4962,
fax: (703) 292-9037, email: crohlfin@nsf.gov
* Wade Sisk, Program Officer, 1055.19, telephone: (703) 292-4454, fax:
(703) 292-9037, email: wsisk@nsf.gov
* Khaleelah Po Rome, Science Assistant, 1048, telephone: (703) 292-8441,
email: kporome@nsf.gov
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
* 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Award Information
Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: 3 to 6 depending upon award size and the
quality of proposals. Duration of awards is up to five years initially. For
instrumentation facilities proposals, 1-2 awards can be expected up to
$1,500,000 per year. For cyber-enabled chemistry proposals, 2-4 awards can
be expected averaging $500,000 per year.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $4,000,000 depending upon the availability
of funds in FY08.
Eligibility Information
Organization Limit:
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
* Only academic institutions or non-profit research
organizations in the U.S. and U.S. territories may submit
proposals.
PI Limit:
The principal investigator must be affiliated with an academic
institution or non-profit research organization in the U.S. and
U.S. territories. Other investigators may be affiliated with U.S.
academic institutions, non-profit research organizations,
industry, government laboratories, or international institutions.
No CRIF:CRF award funds may go directly to industry, government
laboratories or international institutions.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
None Specified
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:
None Specified
Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
* Letters of Intent: Not Applicable
* Full Proposals:
* Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award
Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available
electronically on the NSF website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.
* Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov
Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of
NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF
Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov
website and on the NSF website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.pdf/)
B. Budgetary Information
* Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required by NSF.
* Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable
* Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable
C. Due Dates
* Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
February 01, 2008
Proposal Review Information Criteria
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: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary of Program Requirements
I. Introduction
II. Program Description
III. Award Information
IV. Eligibility Information
V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
B. Budgetary Information
C. Due Dates
D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements
VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures
A. NSF Merit Review Criteria
B. Review and Selection Process
VII. Award Administration Information
A. Notification of the Award
B. Award Conditions
C. Reporting Requirements
VIII.Agency Contacts
IX. Other Information
I. INTRODUCTION
For over thirty years, the CRIF Program has provided support to research
institutions for the establishment of regional or national instrumentation
facilities, the purchase of departmental research instrumentation, and the
development of state-of-the-art equipment. Due to the different nature of
these requests, the Division of Chemistry has separated the components of
this infrastructure program into three stand-alone competitions: (a) the
CRIF: Department Multiuser Instrumentation Program, or CRIF:MU
(http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05578); (b) the
CRIF: Instrument Development Program, or CRIF:ID
(http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04534); and (c) the CRIF:
Cyberinfrastructure and Research Facilities Program, or CRIF:CRF (this
solicitation). CRIF:CRF will provide funds to research organizations and
consortia of research organizations to build a foundation for cyber-enabled
chemical research and education; and to establish and support multi-user
research facilities with unique capabilities in the chemical sciences. This
program is structured to enable NSF, through its Division of Chemistry, to
respond to a variety of needs for infrastructure to support basic research
and education in chemistry. Under this program, investigators may seek
funding to establish and support either centers for the development of
cyber-enabled chemical research, or regional or national instrumentation
facilities. Preference will be given to cyber-enabled chemistry proposals
that are distinct from the projects represented by the FY05 and FY06 awards
(CHE-0535542; CHE-0535640; CHE-0535656; CHE-0535710; CHE-0625419;
CHE-0626111; CHE-0626305; CHE-0626354).
a. Research Facilities
Research facilities are meant to serve as unique resources that
enable access to state-of-the-art instrumentation that is too
expensive or specialized for an individual faculty member or
typical departmental multi-user facility. A research facility is
distinctly different from a departmental instrument center, in
that it provides for unique or nearly unique instrumentation or
other resources that are too expensive to be widely available or
must be custom-made or developed. A research facility typically
requires a permanent staff to operate and maintain
instrumentation and to provide service to a national or regional
user community. It is anticipated that there will be only a few
facilities and that there will not be more than one facility in a
given technical area. These facilities are expected to serve the
state-of-the-art instrumentation needs for a wide community of
users and simultaneously to support core research in the
development of next-generation instrumentation and instrumental
methods. Instrumentation in this context is to be construed in a
broad sense to include physical equipment, computational
capabilities, and software. Research facilities are also
encouraged to exploit or develop cyberinfrastructure (see below)
in order to maximize accessibility of the instrumentation and
other resources.
Specialized equipment and software dedicated for use in
particular chemistry research projects are normally funded as
part of individual investigator awards, along with personnel and
other direct project costs. Major instruments and computing
environments shared and maintained for multiple uses by
researchers in a department may be funded through the CRIF:MU and
Major Research Instrumentation programs (see Section IX). In
contrast, CRIF:CRF supports large single instruments or
collections of instruments that are unique because of their
capabilities and/or because they represent new models for the
operation of facilities that provide extraordinary research
opportunities.
b. Cyberinfrastructure
As described in the report, "Revolutionizing Science and
Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure: Report of the NSF
Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure," the
manner in which scientific and engineering research and education
is conducted will be radically transformed by
cyberinfrastructure. This report may be accessed at
http://www.cise.nsf.gov/sci/reports/atkins.pdf. The NSF Division
of Chemistry shares this vision and has held a workshop that has
identified research and education frontiers that would be enabled
by investments in cyberinfrastructure. The report from this
workshop may be accessed at
http://bioeng.berkeley.edu/faculty/cyber_workshop/, and general
information about cyber-enabled chemistry may be found at
www.nsf.gov/chem/cyber. A National Research Council report,
"Information and Communications," also identifies
opportunities in cyberinfrastructure in the chemical sciences and
is available at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10831.html.
Cyberinfrastructure is enabling new chemical research and
education activities through grid computing, community databases,
remote access to instrumentation, electronic support for
geographically dispersed collaborations, and other web- and
grid-accessible services. A team of researchers in a virtual
laboratory can now assemble distributed expertise and resources
to target chemical research and educational priorities. Advances
in cyberinfrastructure in areas such as scientific portals,
workflow management, computational modeling, and data and
molecular visualization will clearly impact the day-to-day
practice of chemistry in the near future. Moreover, the access to
expertise and resources that cyberinfrastructure provides holds
the potential to broaden participation in the chemical sciences
to create a truly inclusive national and international community.
To achieve this vision, certain characteristics of the chemistry
research community - specifically, the broad range of its
computational techniques and data types and its large number of
independent data producers - pose unique challenges that
will need to be overcome. Close interaction between practicing
chemists and information technology developers, iterative
approaches to software development and deployment, and mechanisms
to share best practices will all be critical in advancing a
cyber-enabled chemistry community. It should be noted that
specialized software dedicated to an individual
investigator's research project would not be supported
through the CRIF:CRF program, as it is normally supported as part
of an individual investigator award.
For FY08, preference will be given to cyber-enabled chemistry
proposals that are distinct from the projects represented by the
FY05 and FY06 awards (CHE-0535542; CHE-0535640; CHE-0535656;
CHE-0535710; CHE-0625419; CHE-0626111; CHE-0626305; CHE-0626354).
Note also that all proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation are subject to program-specific review criteria (see
Section VI. A) in addition to the standard NSF criteria on
intellectual merit and broader impacts.
II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The CRIF:CRF Program accepts proposals for the support of
cyberinfrastructure projects and for national or regional facilities that
would provide unique computational and/or state-of-the-art instrumentation
capabilities for research to a broad community of chemical scientists.
Examples of cyberinfrastructure projects might include developing freely
distributed computational codes that take advantage of grid technologies;
networking of analytical instrumentation to provide remote access for
educational/home/commercial use; and establishing digital libraries and
repositories for sharing of chemical data. Advances in areas such as
scientific portals, workflow management, computational modeling, remote use
of instrumentation, and data and molecular visualization provide other
examples of the rich opportunities associated with the development of
cyberinfrastructure.
A CRIF:CRF research facilities project provides for unique instrumentation
capabilities that are either too expensive to be widely available or must
be custom-made or developed. A CRIF:CRF research facilities project
typically requires a permanent staff to operate and maintain
instrumentation, and to provide service to a national or regional user
community. Projects for the design and development stage of a large
facility can also be considered under the CRIF:CRF program. PI's are
strongly encouraged to consult with Division of Chemistry staff before
submitting a cyberinfrastructure or research facilities proposal to
CRIF:CRF.
CRIF:CRF projects are expected to serve the state-of-the-art software
and/or instrumentation needs for a wide community of users and
simultaneously to support core research in the development of
cyberinfrastructure and/or next-generation instrumentation. The proposal
should document these cyberinfrastructure and/or instrumentation needs and
describe the research community the project would serve. For FY08,
preference will be given to cyber-enabled chemistry proposals that are
distinct from the projects represented by the FY05 and FY06 awards
(CHE-0535542; CHE-0535640; CHE-0535656; CHE-0535710; CHE-0625419;
CHE-0626111; CHE-0626305; CHE-0626354).
Successful proposals will initially be supported by the Division of
Chemistry of NSF for a period of up to five years, depending upon merit
review through the CRIF:CRF program and the availability of funds. Annual
progress reports will be required. On-site evaluations will be made during
the award period.
III. AWARD INFORMATION
Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration
are subject to the availability of funds.
Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3 to 6 - depending upon award size and the
quality of proposals -- Up to five year awards initially. For
instrumentation facilities proposals, 1-2 awards can be expected up to
$1,500,000 per year. For cyber-enabled chemistry proposals, 2-4 awards can
be expected averaging $500,000 per year.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $4,000,000 depending upon the availability of
funds in FY08.
IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Organization Limit:
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
* Only academic institutions or non-profit research
organizations in the U.S. and U.S. territories may submit
proposals.
PI Limit:
The principal investigator must be affiliated with an academic
institution or non-profit research organization in the U.S. and
U.S. territories. Other investigators may be affiliated with U.S.
academic institutions, non-profit research organizations,
industry, government laboratories, or international institutions.
No CRIF:CRF award funds may go directly to industry, government
laboratories or international institutions.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
None Specified
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:
None Specified
V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit
proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Grants.gov or via
the NSF FastLane system.
* Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response
to this program 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:
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies
of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov. Proposers are
reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program
solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National
Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to
determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to
submit this information may delay processing.
* Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in
response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be
prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov
Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF
Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov
Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the
NSF website at:
(http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.pdf). To
obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package,
click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply
Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application
Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the
program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the
Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application
Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and
submission of the proposal, please note the following:
Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate
submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via the NSF
FastLane system. Chapter II, Section D.3 of the Grant Proposal Guide
provides additional information on collaborative proposals.
This solicitation contains information that supplements the standard Grant
Proposal Guide (GPG) or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide proposal
preparation guidelines. Proposals for the support of cyberinfrastructure or
research facilities must include a full description of technical
capabilities and the impact that these projects will make on chemical
research and education. Investigators must identify the nature and size of
the user community in the chemical sciences that will make principal use of
the project's capabilities.
Cyberinfrastructure and research facilities are intended, in part, to
stimulate the development of new software environments and/or
instrumentation capabilities; proposals must therefore include a
description of the project in sufficient detail for reviewers to evaluate
its technical merit and its potential benefit to chemical research and
education. Transfer of new knowledge or technology to various academic,
industrial and government sectors is an important broader impact of
CRIF:CRF projects, and partnerships involving these sectors as appropriate
are encouraged. Plans for broad dissemination of the project's
results will be considered in evaluation of the proposal.
CRIF:CRF instrumentation facilities proposals must include descriptions of
the provisions for service operations, maintenance and development.
Important elements include the management structure, qualifications of
individuals in supervisory and support positions, external advisory
structures, and partnerships. Requests for personnel support must include
justification for each position and the responsibilities associated with
the position. If a project will provide a service to users, the proposal
should include a description of how user priority and user fees, if any,
will be determined.
Detailed Proposal Format
NSF Cover and Certification Page. Enter this program solicitation number in
the space indicated. Proposals should provide a title in the format:
"CRIF:Facilities:..." or "CRIF:Cyber:..."
Information about Principal Investigators/Project Directors must be
completed.
Project Summary (1 page maximum). The project summary should include the
rationale for the project, the current and intended user community, the
nature of the project, the areas of research and education to be enhanced,
and the principal development goals. Both intellectual merit and broader
impacts must be addressed in separate statements or the proposal will be
returned without review.
Table of Contents. A table of contents will automatically be generated.
Project Description. This will be limited to 25 single-spaced pages. Within
that overall page limitation, the proposal must address the following
issues (a-g):
a. Rationale for and Impact of the Project. This introductory section
should describe (1) the need for the proposed cyberinfrastructure or
research facility; (2) the unique capabilities and services it will
bring to research and education in the chemical sciences; and (3) the
community to be served, including the extent to which the project
broadens participation in the chemical sciences.
b. Detailed Description. This section should provide a full description
of the proposed project, including location, size, and major equipment
to be purchased or constructed, software to be developed, services to
be provided, and core research areas to be investigated. The plan
should detail the instrument and/or software improvement and
development component and explain how resources will be targeted at
developing the next generation of research tools and techniques.
Strategies to keep the proposed project at the forefront of research
in the identified field must be described and necessary equipment
upgrades planned and budgeted. Investigators should identify
connections with other partners where appropriate, and the roles each
will play in development. The proposal must contain a plan for
evaluation of the feasibility of commercialization of the technical
advances of the project in the case of instrumentation facilities, or
dissemination of software in the case of cyberinfrastructure
development.
c. Research Activities. This section should identify the senior on-site
personnel supervising the project's research, development, and
training; summarize their current research activities; and describe
the research projects to be enhanced by the project. Numbers of
additional personnel whose research and education would depend on the
proposed project (e.g., postdoctoral fellows, graduate students,
undergraduate students, K-12 teachers and students, informal science
education organizations, international partners) should be estimated
as closely as possible.
d. Service to the External Community. Because of the limited number of
these projects, the PIs must demonstrate broad impact for a
well-defined user community, and provide a plan for assessing
performance and results of all activities supported by the project.
For CRIF:CRF instrumentation facilities proposals, PIs must document
the managerial, support personnel, advisory, and accounting structures
necessary to fulfill the service objectives. For CRIF:CRF
instrumentation facilities proposals, PIs must describe mechanisms for
selecting proposals from users, for choosing among in-house
activities, and for the allocation of resources.
e. Management Plan. For cyberinfrastructure projects, this section should
describe a management plan including software maintenance, such as
updates and archiving. For instrumentation facilities projects, this
section should describe the management plan for direction, operation
and maintenance of the proposed project. The management plan must
identify the director and any senior personnel involved in the
day-to-day operation of the project. The project must have an external
advisory committee, selected in consultation with the NSF Division of
Chemistry, to provide advice to the project management on operations,
research directions and accessibility to the broader user community.
f. Education and Outreach. A CRIF:CRF project is a unique resource for
education and training, for transfer of knowledge and technology, for
exchanges of staff with other research organizations, and for outreach
to communities currently underrepresented in science and engineering.
Investigators should outline their plans to use the unique
capabilities of the project to contribute to a stronger infrastructure
in the chemical sciences through education and outreach activities.
g. Results from Prior Support. All senior personnel must report on
results from prior NSF support, up to a maximum of 5 pages in total.
All renewal applications for continued funding of NSF
Chemistry-supported facilities or center grants, whether supported by
CRIF or other Chemistry programs, must provide Results from Prior
Support. Information is required on major breakthroughs in research,
software, or instrument development, publications, patents, past
outreach activities and their impact, and sponsored workshops or
meetings. Also, a combined alphabetized list of all scientists, with
current affiliations, who have collaborated with the PI, co-PIs and
other senior personnel in the last 48 months or are otherwise
affiliated with them including Ph. D. and post-doctoral mentors and
students, must be included in the Supplementary Documentation section
(see below).
Budget. This section should provide a detailed estimate and
explanation of the total budget projected for establishment (or
continuation) and operation of the cyberinfrastructure or
research facility. Explain the basis for any cost estimates.
Commitments of space, renovation, faculty, staff positions, or
capital equipment should be detailed here, with estimated dollar
values.
Biographical Sketches. Biographical sketches must be provided in
the standard NSF format for the director, for all senior
personnel whose core research activities would make major use of
the facility/cyberinfrastructure project, and for any other
senior personnel who would draw major salary support from the
facility/cyberinfrastructure project.
Current and Pending Support. Current and pending support of two
types must be summarized: (a) all current and pending support for
the facility/cyberinfrastructure project, including any support
from any source, received or pending, for support, repair,
renovation, replacement, or construction of the proposed
facilities in the previous five years; and (b) current and
pending support (agency, award number, total award amount,
expected duration, and topic) for all research projects of each
senior investigator.
Supplementary Documentation. A combined alphabetized list of all
scientists, with current affiliations, who have collaborated with
the PI, co-PIs and other senior personnel in the last 48 months
or are otherwise affiliated with them including Ph. D. and
post-doctoral mentors and students, must be included in the
Supplementary Documentation section. For Grants.gov users,
supplementary documents should be attached in Field 11 of the R&R
Other Project Information Form.
B. Budgetary Information
Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is not required by NSF.
C. Due Dates
* Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
February 01, 2008
D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements
* For Proposals Submitted Via FastLane:
Detailed technical instructions regarding the technical aspects of
preparation and submission via FastLane are available at:
https://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 solicitation should be referred to
the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this
funding opportunity.
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. Further instructions regarding this
process are available on the FastLane Website at:
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.
* For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:
Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must
register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the
applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the
Grants.gov website. The Grants.gov's Grant Community User Guide is a
comprehensive reference document that provides technical information
about Grants.gov. Proposers can download the User Guide as a Microsoft
Word document or as a PDF document. The Grants.gov User Guide is
available at: http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport. In addition, the
NSF Grants.gov Application Guide provides additional technical
guidance regarding preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For
Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at
1-800-518-4726 or by email: support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact
Center answers general technical questions related to the use of
Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation
should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in
Section VIII of this solicitation.
Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the
Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the
application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity
and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then
sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed
application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further
processing.
VI. NSF PROPOSAL PROCESSING AND REVIEW PROCEDURES
Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program and,
if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements, for review. All
proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator
serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other
persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular fields represented by
the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with
the oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names
of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the
proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These
suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at
the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is
optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the
proposer.
A. NSF Merit Review Criteria
All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science
Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the
broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF
will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific
objectives of certain programs and activities.
The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. 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 the reviewer is qualified to make judgements.
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, original, or
potentially transformative 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?
Examples illustrating activities likely to demonstrate broader impacts are
available electronically on the NSF website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf.
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:
* Qualifications of the project management to meet multiple
purposes of research, education, and service simultaneously;
* Capability of the project to provide a needed state-of-the-art
resource for chemical research and education;
* Breadth of the chemical sciences community that is impacted;
* Anticipated effect on the development of instruments and/or
software;
* Effectiveness of partnerships for transferring of new knowledge
and technology to appropriate academic, industrial, and
government sectors;
* Use of unique project resources to enhance education and training
of students; and
* Extent to which the project broadens participation in the
chemical sciences.
For renewal proposals, the following additional review criteria will
be considered:
* Quality of the scientific results obtained;
* Continuing need for the project in terms of its impact on
research and education in the chemical sciences; and
* Workforce impact (for example, information on students trained
and other professional development).
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be
reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review, Site Visit Review, or
Reverse Site Review.
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be
reviewed by ad hoc review or panel review or site visit review or reverse
site visit 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.
After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of
appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant
Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended
for award. 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.
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 Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of
the decision to award or decline funding.
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 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.B. 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 (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
agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative
Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and
the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are
electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and
transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.
*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/general_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper
copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone
(703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important
information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF
Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on
the NSF Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.
C. Reporting Requirements
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the
cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current
budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project
reports). Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is
required to submit a final project report.
Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports will delay
NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any
pending proposals for that PI. 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. Such reports provide information on activities and
findings, project participants (individual and organizational)
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. Submission of
the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the
contents of the report are accurate and complete.
VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:
* Celeste Rohlfing, Program Director, 1055 S, telephone: (703) 292-4962,
fax: (703) 292-9037, email: crohlfin@nsf.gov
* Wade Sisk, Program Officer, 1055.19, telephone: (703) 292-4454, fax:
(703) 292-9037, email: wsisk@nsf.gov
* Khaleelah Po Rome, Science Assistant, 1048, telephone: (703) 292-8441,
email: kporome@nsf.gov
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
* FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail:
fastlane@nsf.gov.
* Paul G. Spyropoulos, Computer Specialist, 1055 S, telephone: (703)
292-4968, fax: (703) 292-9037, email: pspyropo@nsf.gov
For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:
* Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational
Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from
Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please
contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: support@grants.gov.
IX. OTHER INFORMATION
The NSF Website provides the most comprehensive source of information on
NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding
opportunities. Use of this Website by potential proposers is strongly
encouraged. In addition, MyNSF (formerly the Custom News Service) is an
information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other
interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and
publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and
procedures, and upcoming NSF Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are
informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new
publications are issued that match their identified interests. MyNSF also
is available on NSF's Website at http://www.nsf.gov/mynsf/.
Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for
Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may
be accessed via this new mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may
be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency
created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC
1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress
of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare
by supporting research and education in all fields of science and
engineering."
NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering.
It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000
colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science
organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The
Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic
institutions for basic research.
NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research,
education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded.
In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for
graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories
itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain
oceanographic vessels and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also
supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US
participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and
educational activities at every academic level.
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provide
funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide
Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these
types of proposals.
The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD)
and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable
individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation
about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed
at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.
The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703)
292-5111.
The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
mathematics, and engineering.
To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the
NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov
* Location: 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington,
VA 22230
* For General Information (703) 292-5111
(NSF Information Center):
* TDD (for the hearing-impaired): (703) 292-5090
* To Order Publications or Forms:
Send an e-mail to: pubs@nsf.gov
or telephone: (703) 292-7827
* To Locate NSF Employees: (703) 292-5111
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; and 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 proposer 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 or other entities needing information regarding
applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in
order to coordinate programs or policy; 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," 69
Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File
and Associated Records, " 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004).
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 Office of
Management and Budget (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 the burden
estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to:
Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Division of Administrative Services
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230
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