Title: Frequently Asked Questions for Solicitation NSF 13-500 - Cyber-Enabled
Sustainability Science and Engineering (CyberSEES)
Date: 12/17/12
NSF 13-029
Frequently Asked Questions for Solicitation [1]NSF 13-500 - Cyber-Enabled
Sustainability Science and Engineering (CyberSEES)
Date: 12/17/12
1. How many CyberSEES proposals can I participate in?
Only two (2). Any individual may appear as Principal Investigator
(PI), co-PI, or other senior personnel on at most two proposals in
response to this solicitation. This limitation includes proposals
submitted by a lead organization, any sub-award submitted as part
of a proposal, or any collaborative proposal. In the event that an
individual exceeds this limit, proposals received within the limit
will be accepted based on earliest date and time of proposal
submission (i.e., the first two proposals received will be accepted
and the remainder will be returned without review).
2. What is the maximum number of co-PIs that can be on a CyberSEES
proposal?
NSF does not allow more than one PI and 4 co-PIs on the cover page.
Any other personnel contributing to the project (except students
and postdocs) should be listed as senior personnel.
3. I am planning to submit a CyberSEES proposal. Does that limit the
number of other proposals I can submit to other programs?
No. Being a PI, co-PI, or senior personnel on a CyberSEES proposal
has no impact on any PI limits in other NSF solicitations,
including other SEES or CISE programs.
4. Can I obtain a postdoctoral fellowship through the program?
A proposal may request funding for a postdoctoral scholar as part
of the project. However, the program does not accept applications
for individual postdoctoral traineeships.
5. I was unable to submit a letter of intent by December 4, 2012. Can
I nevertheless submit a CyberSEES proposal?
No. Letters of intent are required and must have been received by
December 4. Please see Section V.A. of the solicitation for more
detail.
6. Can employees of Federal Agencies or Federally Funded Research and
Development Centers submit proposals in response to this
solicitation?
NSF does not normally support research or educational activities by
scientists, engineers or educators employed by Federal agencies or
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)
sponsored by agencies other than NSF. A scientist, engineer or
educator who has a joint appointment with a university and a
Federal agency (such as a Veterans Administration Hospital, or with
a university and a FFRDC) may submit proposals through the
university and may receive support if he/she is a bona fide faculty
member of the university, although part of his/her salary may be
provided by the Federal agency (see
[2]http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp).
Furthermore, scientists, engineers, or educators employed by
non-NSF-sponsored FFRDCs can be sub-awardees on a project led by an
entity, such as a university, that is eligible to apply for grants
from NSF. Such a sub-award typically does not provide funds for
salary, but can provide funds for travel to work with collaborators
on the project or for students to work on the project as interns in
FFRDC labs.
7. Can I ask for support of foreign collaborators while they are in
the U.S. or must such support come from a foreign organization?
Foreign collaborators are expected to cover their project costs.
CyberSEES awards cannot be used to pay for foreign researchers
while they are outside the US, or for their travel costs to visit
the US; however, costs of hosting them at a US institution for a
short period may be considered on a reciprocal basis if required
for the success of the project.
8. What is an interdisciplinary research team in the context of
CyberSEES?
Each team is required to contain at least two investigators working
in different disciplines. The program is open to a wide range of
sustainability challenges and interdisciplinary approaches, and
aims to advance computing and information sciences research and
infrastructure in tandem with other disciplines. See Section VI.
A.2 of the solicitation for more information on CyberSEES-specific
review criteria. While all sustainability factors (social, economic
and environmental) must be considered in the proposal, the research
team does not have to have a PI or co-PI from each of these
disciplines. The project vision should situate the proposed
collaborative research within a clearly articulated context of
larger sustainability goals, and the project team should be
informed by all relevant perspectives.
9. My research is relevant to CyberSEES as well as another NSF
program. To which program should I submit?
We recognize that some projects will lie in the intersection of
areas targeted by two (or more) programs. However, we expect that
in nearly all cases, the project will fit one program better than
the other(s). Prospective PIs should read the solicitations
carefully, talk with Program Directors if needed for clarification,
and then determine which program best matches their research goals.
It is our belief that the best proposals are those driven by the
goals and dreams of the researchers rather than those force-fit to
a particular solicitation. Proposers are reminded that duplicate or
substantially similar proposals may not be submitted for concurrent
review. We do not anticipate that CyberSEES proposals will be
co-reviewed with other programs.
10. I am not a computer scientist or computer engineer. Can I be the
PI on a CyberSEES proposal?
Yes. CyberSEES projects are expected to advance other disciplines
in tandem with computing or cyberinfrastructure research. Project
leadership should be determined according to the specific needs of
the interdisciplinary project.
11. What is SRC's role in the CyberSEES solicitation?
The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) is a partner with NSF
in CyberSEES, through its Energy Research Initiative (ERI) program.
SRC is not involved in the full scope of CyberSEES. SRC ERI and NSF
expect to co-fund projects that address computational aspects of
smart infrastructures, in particular the smart electric grid.
Topics of interest to SRC ERI include, but are not limited to,
efficient and secure electrical power management at multiple scales
and integration of renewable energy resources and home energy
systems into an aware and enabled electric grid. Projects selected
for joint funding by NSF and SRC ERI will be funded through
separate NSF and SRC ERI funding instruments. For each such
project, NSF support will be provided via an NSF grant and SRC ERI
support will be provided via an SRC ERI contract.
12. How do I indicate that my proposed research overlaps with SRC ERI
interests?
Proposals to be considered for joint funding by NSF and SRC ERI
must include a statement of consent from the proposing
institution(s) that indicates NSF may share with SRC ERI the
proposal, reviews generated for the proposal, and related
information. The statement of consent must be uploaded into the
Supplementary Documents section in Fastlane or Grants.gov.
Proposals that do not contain this statement will not be considered
for joint funding by NSF and SRC ERI.
13. Do Type 1 and Type 2 proposals have different structures and
different proposal preparation guidelines?
Yes. The project description of a Type 1 proposal is limited to 10
pages. The project description of a Type 2 proposal is subject to
the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG-see [3]NSF 13-1) limit of 15 pages.
Type 2 proposals must be structured as described in Section V.A.B
of the solicitation. For Type 1 proposals, investigators are
encouraged to incorporate the elements described in Section V.A.B
within the page limit.
14. Do CyberSEES proposals require data management plans? What other
supplementary documents are necessary?
Yes. All NSF proposals require Data Management Plans, as specified
in the GPG. In addition, the solicitation requires all Type 2
CyberSEES proposals to include a management and collaboration plan,
submitted as a supplementary document not exceeding 3 pages in
length. Proposals to be considered for joint funding by NSF and SRC
ERI must also include a statement of consent. See Section V.A.C.
for more information.
15. Who can attend PI meetings? Can my students or post-doc attend the
PI meeting?
Each project will be required to send at least one investigator to
each meeting. For a typical project it will be appropriate to plan
for two investigators representing complementary expertise in
computational and sustainability aspects of a project to attend the
PI meetings. Students and post-docs cannot substitute for the
principal investigators but may be allowed to attend in addition to
the investigators if the meeting site has sufficient capacity.
Proposal budgets are expected to include travel costs for attending
the PI meetings. For more information see section V.B of the
solicitation.
16. Can a CyberSEES project involve industry partners?
NSF highly values collaboration with industry to enhance the
relevance and impact of academic research. The GOALI Program
[4](NSF 12-513) is one mechanism that can support costs of industry
researcher participation in the project. GOALI can also support
student internships at the industry and travel costs for the
faculty and students for industrial collaboration, among other
things.
17. Will there be future CyberSEES solicitations?
The CyberSEES program is one component of the NSF's Science,
Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) activities, a
foundation-wide effort aimed at addressing the challenge of
sustainability through support for interdisciplinary research and
education. Future annual deadlines will depend on the availability
of funds.
References
1. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf13500
2. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp
3. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf131
4. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf12513