NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

AUTHORIZATION:

National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, Public Law 103-327, 42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.

OBJECTIVES:

To support research improving the fundamental understanding of computer and information processing, to enhance the training and education of scientists and engineers who contribute to and exploit that understanding, to enhance the personnel pool for these fields, to provide access to very advanced computing and networking capabilities, and to provide the information intensive knowledge underlying selected national initiatives.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants.

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Funds may be used to pay costs of conducting research, and obtaining access to advanced computing and networking capabilities, salaries and wages, equipment and supplies, travel, publication costs, other direct costs, and indirect costs. This program does not provide support for fellowships, scholarships, product development or marketing, or proof-of-concept experimentation.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Public and private colleges and universities; nonprofit institutions; profit-making organizations, including small businesses; and Federal, State, and local government agencies are eligible. The greatest percentage of support goes to academic institutions.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Public and private colleges and universities; nonprofit institutions; profit-making organizations, including small businesses, and Federal, State, and local governments.

Credentials/Documentation:   The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to commit the institution or organization in business and financial affairs and by the Principal Investigator. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular Nos. A-21 for educational institutions and A-122 for nonprofit organizations. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:   None required, except in specific cases, but preliminary discussions with relevant National Science Foundation program officers, by telephone or mail, are encouraged. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   Proposals being submitted electronically via FastLane to the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate should follow the general instructions and guidelines in the National Science Foundation brochure "Grant Proposal Guide," NSF 01-2. All proposals are acknowledged. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110 for nonprofit organizations. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102.

Award Procedure:   NSF Staff members review and evaluate all proposals, with the advice and assistance of scientists and engineers who are specialists in the field covered by the proposal, of prospective users of research results when appropriate, and of specialists in other Federal agencies.

Deadlines:   Deadlines and target dates are published in the NSF bulletin, program announcements and on NSF World Wide Web site URL: http://www.cise.nsf.gov/.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   Approximately six months or less, except in special instances.

Appeals:   The Principal Investigator may request, in writing, that the National Science Foundation reconsider its action in declining any proposal application, renewal application, or continuing application.

Renewals:   Standard Grants, in which the National Science Foundation agrees to support a specified level of effort for a specified period of time, are awarded with no statement of NSF intent to provide additional future support. Proposals for renewal of a Standard Grant compete with all other pending proposals.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   Institutions are required to share in the cost of each project resulting from solicited or unsolicited proposals by contribution to any cost element in the project, direct or indirect. This program has no statutory formula. The Grant Proposal Guide(GPG)(Chapter II) and the Grant Policy Manual (Sec. 330) provide additional information as to these requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Normally 6 months to 3 years; occasionally longer. Assistance is disbursed by letter of credit, or as required.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   For multi-year grants, annual progress reports are required. Within 90 days after the expiration of a grant, the grantee is required to submit final expenditure information and a final project report. Quarterly Federal Cash Transactions Reports (SF 272) are required. Other reporting requirements may apply in specific cases.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Grantees are expected to maintain separate records for each grant to ensure that funds are used for the general purpose for which each grant was made. Records are subject to inspection during the life of the grant and for 3 years thereafter.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   49-0100-0-1-251.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 99 $298,550,000; FY 00 est $388,420,000; and FY 01 est $529,100,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:   From $1,000 to $30,000,000; $74,996.

PROGAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

In fiscal year 1999, 3,264 proposals were received and 1,672 awards made. In fiscal year 2000, approximately 4,600 proposals will be received and about 1,800 awards will be made. In fiscal year 2001, approximately 4,800 proposals will be received and about 2,000 awards will be made.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

48 CFR Chapter 25: 45 CFR Chapter VI; "NSF Guide to Programs, Fiscal Year 2001," NSF 01-3 (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf013); and "Grant Proposal Guide," NSF 01-2 (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf012).

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:   Assistant Director, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: (703) 292-8900. NSF World Wide Web site URL: http://www.cise.nsf.gov/.

Web Site Address:   http://www.cise.nsf.gov/.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Scientific data management - Computer scientists, lead by Joel Saltz and his team at the University of Maryland, are looking at new ways to store and retrieve data so that scientists in various areas (estuary pollution modeling, images of slides produced by microscopes, investigation of land cover dynamics) can more effectively integrate disparate data from many sources. Their work has produced the Active Data Repository (ADR) being used by research groups at Maryland, Texas and Johns Hopkins University. One example of CISE investment in addressing workforce issues is the Distributed Mentor Project operated by the Computer Research Association during the past six years. Its goal is to increase participation of women in research and education in disciplinary areas associated with information technology. The project provides one-on-one mentoring by bringing female undergraduate women into summer research projects under the direct supervision of female researchers at major research universities. This project has been notably successful in increasing the fraction of women continuing on to graduate work. Multimodal Interaction - James Flanagan at Rutgers University has developed an approach to integrate sight, sound, and touch in human computer interaction to allow arbitrary channel selection in providing commands to a computer. The project has produced a working demonstration of an integrated haptic output, data glove input, speech output, distant-talker microphone speech input, and video display output system.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals submitted to NSF at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB97-72). The revised criteria are designed to be useful and relevant across NSF's many different programs, however, NSF will continue to employ special criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities. The revised merit review criteria are listed below. Following each criterion are potential considerations that the reviewer may employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. Each reviewer will address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments. Criterion 1: 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 prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources? Criterion 2: 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? In addition, consideration will also be given to the following: (a) 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 learner perspectives. Principal Investigators should address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions. (b) 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 - are 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. Principal Investigators should address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions.