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Title: Ship-based Science Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC)
Augmenting Science Support on the USCGC Healy and USCGC Polar Sea
Date: 08/09/10
Ship-based Science Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC)
Augmenting Science Support on the USCGC Healy and USCGC Polar Sea
[1]Program Solicitation
NSF 10-594
NSF Logo
National Science Foundation
Office of Polar Programs
Division of Arctic Sciences
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
November 08, 2010
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REVISION NOTES
Please be advised that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures
Guide (PAPPG) includes guidelines implementing the mentoring
provisions of the America COMPETES Act (ACA) (Pub. L. No. 110-69, Aug.
9, 2007.) As specified in the ACA, each proposal that requests
funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include a description
of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such
individuals. Proposals that do not comply with this requirement will
be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal
Guide Chapter II for further information about the implementation of
this requirement).
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
General Information
Program Title:
Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic
Augmenting Science Support on the USCGC Healy and USCGC Polar Sea
Synopsis of Program:
This solicitation is for proposals to enhance marine science and
technical services provided to NSF-supported research cruises on
U.S. Coast Guard cutters Healy and Polar Sea. U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) provides basic services that will be augmented by the
awardee to the level provided by the University-National
Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) for supporting academic
research. This solicitation is for an awardee to perform two
primary functions: 1) to plan, coordinate and deliver science
technical support onboard Healy and Polar Sea, augmenting the role
of the USCG marine science technicians and 2) to coordinate with
NSF, USCG and the academic community to provide for the operation,
maintenance and upgrade of science equipment installed or used
on Healy and Polar Sea. The awardee is expected to coordinate
support among qualified providers as appropriate for specific
cruises, utilizing the capabilities and equipment available through
the UNOLS system. Ship-based science support will be planned and
provided in close coordination with the research teams and USCG
personnel with input and approval from NSF.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
* Renee D. Crain, telephone: (703) 292-4482, email:
[2]rcrain@nsf.gov
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
* 47.078 --- Office of Polar Programs
Award Information
Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: 1 One award for 3 years as a
continuing grant or cooperative agreement to a lead institution or a
collaborative proposal involving multiple institutions.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $300,000 to $600,000 per year, subject
to availability of funds. The funding amount is given as a range
because the annual funding amount will be based on support
requirements of funded research projects for each annual period of
performance and availability of funds. After the first year, the
funding request will be proposed by the awardee and agreed to by NSF
through an annual program plan.
Eligibility Information
Organization Limit:
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
* U.S. institutions or organizations.
PI Limit:
None Specified
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
* Preliminary Proposal Submission: 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:
[3]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:
[4]http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grant
sgovguide)
B. Budgetary Information
* Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this
solicitation.
* 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):
November 08, 2010
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
[5]Summary of Program Requirements
I. [6]Introduction
II. [7]Program Description
III. [8]Award Information
IV. [9]Eligibility Information
V. [10]Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. [11]Proposal Preparation Instructions
B. [12]Budgetary Information
C. [13]Due Dates
D. [14]FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements
VI. [15]NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures
A. [16]NSF Merit Review Criteria
B. [17]Review and Selection Process
VII. [18]Award Administration Information
A. [19]Notification of the Award
B. [20]Award Conditions
C. [21]Reporting Requirements
VIII. [22]Agency Contacts
IX. [23]Other Information
I. INTRODUCTION
The Arctic Sciences Division supports ship-based research in the
Arctic in all aspects of oceanography and marine science as individual
projects or organized research efforts. The USCGC Healy was
commissioned for active service in 2000 and was designed to support
research in the Arctic. It has supported approximately 3-4 projects
per year during the arctic summer season, March-October, funded by
NSF, NOAA, NASA, USGS, ONR and other agencies. Its capabilities are
described in greater detail on the USCG website
[24]http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/healy/ and a science support website
for the USCG [25]http://icefloe.net/.
Requests for ship time on Healy are made through the
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) ship time
request system [26]http://www.unols.org. The Arctic Sciences Division
collaborates with USCG to schedule and manage the icebreakers in
collaboration with other federal agencies and involving the research
community through the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC),
a subcommittee of UNOLS. In conjunction with USCG and the AICC, NSF
has supported development of the scientific capabilities of Healy. The
awardee will work with USCG, NSF, other agencies and AICC to identify
and implement improvements to the technical systems that support
science in addition to proving science technical support during
cruises.
II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Arctic Sciences Division seeks proposals to provide two main
functions: 1) to plan, coordinate and deliver science technical
support onboard Healy and Polar Sea, augmenting the role of the
USCG marine science technicians and 2) to coordinate with NSF, USCG
and the academic community to provide for the operation, maintenance
and upgrade of science equipment installed or used on Healy and Polar
Sea.
The number of cruises supported by the Arctic Sciences Division varies
each year based on funded proposals. Historical data about the
duration and scope of work on past cruises is available on the
icebreaker cruise planning website, [27]http://www.icefloe.net.
Because other agencies like NOAA, USGS and NASA fund cruises on the
USCG icebreakers, NSF expects that these agencies will request
services provided by the awardee on a cost-reimbursable basis to
NSF. To provide a scope of work for proposers to respond to, the
awardee may anticipate supporting 4 cruises per year for a total of
112 days conducting oceanographic and marine science research on
Healy. Polar Sea is used less frequently, so proposals should
anticipate supporting one 14-day cruise.
Three technicians are typical to operate all underway systems, plus an
additional person that may be needed onshore for data management for
all cruises. The awardee should plan to have technical staff available
for shakedown and transit cruises to the Arctic prior to the field
season for a total of 14 days, depending on the area of research
focus. Key personnel should also plan to attend pre-cruise planning
meetings with the ship, routine telephone calls with USCG or UNOLS
organizations and post-cruise debrief teleconferences. These
parameters are intended to simplify the proposal budget development
and to outline an expected scope of work. Services provided onboard
will include operation of all "Standard" equipment and systems
described below. Those support services described as "Other" will vary
depending on the nature of the cruise and are not necessary to include
in your proposal budget for the purpose of this review.
The awardee will work closely with the chief scientist and other
participating researchers to provide an appropriate level of cruise
support. The types of support will vary from cruise to cruise, aspects
of which are noted below. NSF anticipates that no single institution
will provide all the ship-based technical support, but rather that the
awardee will work with the academic research community to coordinate
services from established providers. The awardee should provide
pre-cruise planning, deliver support during cruises, provide underway
data to approved data archives, and provide information for the chief
scientist's post-cruise report. The awardee will participate in cruise
debriefs conducted by the AICC to address concerns of the research
team or ship. Because Arctic cruises may be supported by vessels other
than the USCG icebreakers, the awardee may be requested to coordinate
with other vessel operators and the chief scientist to share or
transfer equipment.
The awardee will work with NSF, AICC, USCG and the academic community
to define program needs and priorities for maintenance and upgrades to
ship-based science support capabilities. To accomplish that, the
awardee is expected to participate in meetings of the AICC and other
UNOLS committees such as Research Vessel Operators Committee
(RVOC) and Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) and
to work with the engineering and operations staff of Healy and with
NSF.
More information about UNOLS institutions, pooled equipment, research
vessels and UNOLS committees is available on the UNOLS website at
[28]http://www.unols.org/. Additional information about science
support on the USCG icebreakers is available from the
science liaisons, for Healy Dave Forcucci
([29]David.Forcucci@uscg.mil) and for Polar Sea, Phil McGillivary
([30]philip.a.mcgillivary@uscg.mil).
Planning, Coordination and Reporting
Ship time requests for use of the U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are
submitted by researchers through the UNOLS request system and will be
copied to the awardee. NSF will notify the awardee when projects are
funded to initiate their detailed planning process. When funding
decisions are made, USCG develops the icebreaker schedules in
collaboration with NSF and other agencies. The awardee will work with
NSF during this planning phase of each arctic field season. As an
additional service, researchers during the proposal stage or NSF may
request that the awardee develop a budget estimate for proposed work
to inform proposal review. This may include 5-10 estimates for cruise
support.
An annual program plan will be due on January 15 of each year
detailing the planned technical support for scheduled cruises and
related science technical support activities for review and approval
by NSF. This will form the basis for each year's activities with
adjustments negotiated as needed between NSF and the awardee. Each
year after the first year, an annual report should accompany the
program plan. The report should summarize major activities and
accomplishments and include a government-recognized performance metric
of the number of days of service lost due to the organization's
performance. Other performance metrics may be included as well.
Science Support on Polar Sea:
Polar Sea is used less frequently to support research cruises but may
be requested for mooring cruises or research in heavy ice. Because
installed instrumentation onboard Polar Sea is limited, cruises may
require borrowing or deploying over the side, equipment that is
portable to make oceanographic measurements. Proposals should address
the operation of the Bathy 2010 echo sounder and the Knudsen 320
sub-bottom profiler on Polar Sea. In addition, the measurements from
the acoustic equipment, ship position and ice imagery provided by the
National Ice Center should be integrated into a real-time map server
for use by scientists and the ship.
Science support on Healy includes, but is not limited to:
Acoustic Equipment
Proposals should address operational support of the ADCP, multibeam
sonar and Knudsen 320 sub-bottom profiler onboard Healy. The awardee
will operate these instruments almost continuously while underway. The
successful proposer should present a staffing plan and approach for
collecting and distributing data from these and other underway
measurements and for providing spatial data services such as real-time
bottom mapping and georeferencing satellite imagery of ice
conditions.
Hydrographic systems
A mainstay of arctic research includes collecting essential
oceanographic data. The awardee will provide support to operate and
manage onboard hydrographic systems. These systems include CTD
rosettes, thermosalinograph, salinometer, and other devices that may
be required for oceanographic studies.
Meteorological systems
The awardee will operate the science meteorological systems available
on Healy and provide a plan to maintain and configure meteorological
sensors in support of research. Healy's systems include
photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), long and shortwave
radiation, air temperature, barometric pressure, precipitation, and
anemometers.
Navigation systems
Onboard Healy, the POS-MV inertial navigation system requires
configuration and maintenance from the science support provider. GPS
systems are maintained by the USCG. The awardee will operate the
Terascan remote sensing satellite data receiving system. USCG supports
the maintenance and configuration of the Terascan system. The awardee
will provide onboard GIS support for displaying Radarsat and Terascan
satellite images, georeferencing these images to the ship's location
and inputting science underway data collection and station data for
the science team.
Information Technology and Data
The USCG operates and maintains an onboard science network and science
data logging and provides ship-board email addresses for email access.
Underway connectivity is limited to two hours per day with small data
transmissions via INMARSAT and Iridium. The awardee will work with
USCG on IT solutions for research teams. Proposals may include new
approaches to provide better connectivity for science teams on board
Healy. Proposals should include an approach for disseminating underway
data to science teams immediately following cruises. Underway
measurement data should be quality assured, quality controlled and
submitted to relevant NSF-recognized data archives following each
cruise.
Other Ship-based Support includes, but is not limited to:
Coring
The awardee will coordinate coring support for research cruises as
required. A Jumbo Piston Corer (JPC) purchased for Healy is managed by
Oregon State University for storage and maintenance and is typically
operated by OSU technicians. In addition the awardee may need to plan
for other coring in support of research.
The awardee will gather requirements from funded research projects and
plan to meet those requirements. In addition to operating the above
equipment onboard Healy, the awardee may be required to provide or
arrange support that includes but is not limited to the following:
* assisting with mooring deployment or recovery
* arranging and coordinating the use of general or special purpose
vans
* ensuring proper handling and disposal of hazardous or radioactive
material
* assisting with deployment and recovery of autonomous vehicles
* arranging scientific diving
* designing and implementing active seismic systems
* conducting environmental assessments, consultations and permitting
activities
* engineering on-deck flow-through sea water systems
* assisting with requirements gathering for helicopter services in
support of research
* other tasks as needed
The awardee should provide key personnel who will work with USCG and
the chief scientist to determine the cruise requirements. To meet
these requirements, services may be provided directly by the awardee
or coordinated by the awardee utilizing other institutions that are
equipped and experienced at providing aspects of cruise support
required. The Arctic Sciences Division is interested in making use of
existing infrastructure and institutions and technicians with
expertise in relevant aspects of cruise support.
The proposal should describe an approach to gathering researcher
requirements and planning to support the requests. The proposal may
include a work breakdown structure, describe the approach to providing
cruise support, describe the roles and responsibilities of personnel
or entities involved, and should include metrics for how the service
provider will assess their performance. The proposal should also
address aspects of planning and overseeing maintenance and upgrades to
science equipment on Healy and Polar Sea in collaboration with USCG,
NSF and the research community.
III. AWARD INFORMATION
Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: One award for 3 years as a continuing
grant or cooperative agreement to a lead institution or a
collaborative proposal involving multiple institutions.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $300,000 to $600,000 per year, subject to
availability of funds. The funding amount is given as a range because
the annual funding amount will be based on support requirements of
funded research projects for each annual period of performance and
availability of funds. After the first year, the funding request will
be proposed by the awardee and agreed to by NSF through an annual
program plan.
IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Organization Limit:
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
* U.S. institutions or organizations.
PI Limit:
None Specified
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
None Specified
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:
None Specified
Additional Eligibility Info:
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:
[31]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
[32]nsfpubs@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:
([33]http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgo
vguide). 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 [34]nsfpubs@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.4 of the Grant Proposal
Guide provides additional information on collaborative proposals.
Principles for the Conduct of Research in the Arctic
Proposers should observe the Principles for the Conduct of Research in
the Arctic
[35]http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/arctic/conduct.jsp. Proposers may also
find helpful the "Guidelines for Improved Cooperation between Northern
Communities and Arctic Researchers"
([36]http://www.arcus.org/guidelines).
The Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL) program was created,
in part, to enhance access, safety and interactions with arctic
communities. Accordingly investigators are encouraged to propose
effective and efficient use of logistics resources to achieve research
goals and to cooperate with communities near field research sites.
Relevant Organizations
The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS)
includes pooled, university operated equipment to meet specific
research needs. UNOLS equipment may be requested for science support
onboard Healy.
When private aircraft are required for science support, NSF works with
the Aviation Management Directorate (AMD) at the Department of the
Interior (DOI), which coordinates contracting for federal aviation
support.
NSF's prime arctic logistics contractor is CH2M Hill Polar Services
(CPS; [37]http://www.polar.ch2m.com/). CPS may be involved in some
aspects of marine research projects, but does not typically provide
ship-based support services.
B. Budgetary Information
Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.
C. Due Dates
* Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
November 08, 2010
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:
[38]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
[39]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: [40]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:
[41]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: [42]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
where they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation
requirements. 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 of
interest with the proposal.
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:
[43]http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf.
Mentoring activities provided to postdoctoral researchers supported on
the project, as described in a one-page supplementary document, will
be evaluated under the Broader Impacts criterion.
NSF staff also 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:
Proposals responding to this solicitation are to provide science
technical support to funded research projects on the USCG
icebreakers Healy and Polar Sea. Accordingly, the intellectual
merit of the proposal may be somewhat different than that in most
research proposals. Intellectual merit will be reflected in
proposing an organized approach to providing science support or
coordinating service providers to meet requirements of funded
research projects. Broader impacts of this support proposal will
likely focus on services provided to a community of researchers,
but may also include education, training and outreach in fields
relevant to marine sciences.
Meritorious proposals will:
* Describe an approach to gathering detailed science support
requirements, planning, and providing ship-based science technical
support.
* Describe what aspects of science support will be provided directly
and which aspects will be coordinated with other institutions and
how this coordination will be managed successfully.
* Include metrics for measuring their success at providing research
support and improving on their performance.
* Include approaches to participate in ship scheduling
meetings, AICC meetings and other relevant meetings.
* Leverage the investment NSF has made in developing the UNOLS pool
of equipment, services and expertise as appropriate.
* Include an approach for managing the maintenance and upgrade of
science equipment in collaboration with USCG, NSF and the research
community.
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be
reviewed by Panel 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 deadline or target
date, or receipt date, whichever is later. 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 Research
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
[44]http://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF.
Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from [45]nsfpubs@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
[46]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, and a
project outcomes report for the general public.
Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports, or
the project outcomes report 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. The project outcomes report must be
prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a
brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and
outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website
exactly as it is submitted by the PI.
VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:
* Renee D. Crain, telephone: (703) 292-4482, email:
[47]rcrain@nsf.gov
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
* FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail:
[48]fastlane@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:
[49]support@grants.gov.
Additional information regarding science support onboard USCG Healy is
available from Dave Forcucci, Science Liaison for Healy, at
[50]dforcucci@pacnorwest.uscg.mil.
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, National Science Foundation Update
is a free e-mail subscription service 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 when new
publications are issued that match their identified interests. Users
can subscribe to this service by clicking the "Get NSF Updates by
Email" link on the [51]NSF web site.
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 [52]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
(NSF Information Center):(703) 292-5111
* TDD (for the hearing-impaired):(703) 292-5090
* To Order Publications or Forms: Send an e-mail to:
nsfpubs@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
[55]Policies and Important Links
|
[56]Privacy | [57]FOIA | [58]Help | [59]Contact NSF | [60]Contact Web
Master | [61]SiteMap
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington,
Virginia 22230, USA
Tel: (703) 292-5111, FIRS: (800) 877-8339 | TDD: (800) 281-8749
Last Updated:
11/07/06
[62]Text Only
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References
1. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#toc
2. mailto:rcrain@nsf.gov
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6. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#pgm_intr_txt
7. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#pgm_desc_txt
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13. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#dates
14. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#fastlane
15. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#review
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17. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#reviewprot
18. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#awardadmin
19. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#awardnotify
20. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#grantcond
21. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#reportreq
22. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#cont
23. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10594/nsf10594.htm#othpgm
24. http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/healy/
25. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://icefloe.net/
26. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.unols.org
27. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.icefloe.net
28. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.unols.org/
29. mailto:David.Forcucci@uscg.mil
30. mailto:philip.a.mcgillivary@uscg.mil
31. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg
32. mailto:nsfpubs@nsf.gov
33. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide
34. mailto:nsfpubs@nsf.gov
35. http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/arctic/conduct.jsp
36. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.arcus.org/guidelines
37. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.polar.ch2m.com/
38. https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm
39. mailto:fastlane@nsf.gov
40. https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp
41. http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport
42. mailto:support@grants.gov
43. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf
44. http://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF
45. mailto:nsfpubs@nsf.gov
46. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag
47. mailto:rcrain@nsf.gov
48. mailto:fastlane@nsf.gov
49. mailto:support@grants.gov
50. mailto:dforcucci@pacnorwest.uscg.mil
51. http://www.nsf.gov/
52. http://www.grants.gov/
53. http://www.nsf.gov/
54. mailto:nsfpubs@nsf.gov
55. http://www.nsf.gov/policies
56. http://www.nsf.gov/policies/privacy.jsp
57. http://www.nsf.gov/policies/foia.jsp
58. http://www.nsf.gov/help/
59. http://www.nsf.gov/help/contact.jsp
60. mailto:webmaster@nsf.gov
61. http://www.nsf.gov/help/sitemap.jsp
62. http://transcoder.usablenet.com/tt/referrer