April 14, 2023

Dear Colleague:

With this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), encourages teams of U.S.-Japan researchers to submit proposals for advancing human-centered data and data-driven science and engineering for disaster resilience.

BACKGROUND

Both U.S.-based and Japan-based science and engineering communities have separately demonstrated commitment to conducting rigorous, cutting-edge research to support improved policies and practices for disaster risk reduction. This DCL invites teams of U.S. and Japan researchers to propose new data and data-driven research projects centered on human dimensions of disaster resilience. Proposers are particularly encouraged to submit proposal that exploit special synergies and transfer learning between Japanese and U.S. contexts. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, new measures and data types; new data integration methods; novel approaches to leveraging existing and emerging data sources; and efforts that move beyond discipline-based science and engineering approaches, including multidisciplinary and large-scale simulations. Projects that have potential to advance the four priority areas of the Sendai Framework are of particular interest.

Potential applicants may find it helpful to review materials from the October 2022 US-Japan Workshop on HCDDRR.

OPPORTUNITY

This opportunity invites joint research proposals from U.S.-Japan team. JST will fund the Japan side of selected projects; NSF will fund the U.S. side. NSF encourages proposals from teams that bring together a diversity of expertise and perspectives. Proposals in response to this DCL are welcomed by the following NSF programs:

• Smart and Connected Communities (Integrative Research Grants, Track 2) in Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)
  • Budgets may be up to the limit specified below.
  • Note that NSF-JST proposals count against the limit on proposals per PI in this solicitation.
• Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) in Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)
• Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment (HDBE) in Engineering (ENG)
• Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS) in Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)

JST and NSF will each independently review the proposals submitted through their systems using their own review criteria and procedures. Following those reviews, joint decisions will be made regarding funding. Proposals submitted in response to this DCL, and corresponding unattributed reviews and panel summaries may be shared with JST to facilitate joint award decision-making.

Total budgets for each proposal should not exceed 75 million yen for the Japan portion of the joint work and $500,000 for the U.S. portion of the work.

It is anticipated that approximately three joint projects will be awarded, depending on proposals received and funding availability.

HOW TO APPLY

Proposals to JST (by the Japanese researchers, with the JST budget) will be submitted in Japanese through e-Rad and the corresponding proposals to NSF (by the U.S. researchers, with the NSF budget) will be submitted in English through Research.gov to one of the programs named above.

Each research team must submit both their NSF and their JST proposals by 5 p.m. in the local submitter’s time zone on August 18, 2023 at the latest. This deadline applies to NSF-JST proposals even when the receiving NSF program does not have a deadline for other proposals. If the NSF program has an earlier deadline, both the NSF and JST proposals must be received by 5 p.m. in the local submitter’s time zone on that date. Eligibility to submit a proposal to the NSF-JST funding opportunity follows the regulations of the JST and the NSF programs that are participating in this activity.

Project descriptions will describe the full scope of work, including both Japan- and U.S.-based researchers. They must make clear that the proposed activities constitute a well-integrated project. They must also make clear what contributions are being offered by the Japan-based and by the U.S.-based members of the team and how project responsibilities will be divided across the US-Japan team. The project descriptions should also explain how the proposed international collaboration will enable intellectual progress and broader impacts that go beyond what each country’s teams could accomplish on their own.

The project descriptions for both the JST and NSF submissions must include the same content in different languages. For proposals to NSF:

1. NSF requires proposers to comply with the proposal preparation requirements outlined in NSF’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), except when the funding opportunity to which the proposer is submitting includes requirements that deviate from the PAPPG. NSF requires proposers to submit the proposal through Research.gov.
2. U.S.-based researchers must submit proposals to one of the participating programs listed above.
3. Proposals to NSF must include "NSF-JST:" at the beginning of the proposal title. Other prefix information may precede "NSF-JST:" (e.g. “HDBE: NSF-JST:”).
4. The proposal to NSF should include only the U.S. expenses in the Budget and Budget Justification sections.
5. For proposals submitted to NSF, Japan-based personnel should be listed as “non-NSF funded collaborators.” This listing is for administrative purposes and is not intended to characterize the level or value of the contribution of Japan personnel to the project. Guidance specific to "non-NSF funded collaborators" is as follows:
   1. Biographical Sketch - Required. The biographical information must be clearly labelled "Non-NSF Funded Collaborators” and uploaded as a single PDF file in the Other Supplementary Documents section of the proposal.
   2. Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) Information - Required by NSF; Optional but requested by JST. The COA information should be provided through the use of the COA template, identified as "Non-NSF Funded Collaborators’ COA Information,” and uploaded as a PDF file in the Single Copy Documents section of the proposal.
   3. Current and Pending Support - Not required for non-NSF-funded collaborators.
   4. Results of Prior Research - Not required for non-NSF-funded collaborators.

Applicants should refer to the JST Call for Proposals for more details about JST applications.

Questions about the DCL should be addressed to:
Jacqueline Meszaros, ENG/CMMI Science Advisor, jmeszaro@NSF.gov.

Sincerely,

Margaret Martonosi, Assistant Director, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering

Susan Margulies, Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering

Kendra Sharp, Office Head, Office of International Science and Engineering

Sylvia Butterfield, Acting Assistant Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences

 

Cognizant Program Officers:

David Corman, CISE/CNS Program Director
Anne Emig, Office of International Science and Engineering, Program Director
Daan Liang, ENG/CMMI Program Director
Jacqueline Meszaros, ENG/CMMI Science Advisor
Robert O’Connor, SBE/SES Program Director