[Flex] [Fwd: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences Update]
Claire Reid
creid@whoi.edu
Thu, 06 Feb 2003 14:39:43 -0500
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences Update
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 14:26:16 -0500
From: "Binkley, Kandace S." <kbinkley@nsf.gov>
To: "Binkley, Kandace S." <kbinkley@nsf.gov>
Dear Colleagues:
With the 15 February 2003 target date fast approaching, we thought it
would
be a good time to send out a message alerting you to:
1. Proposal Submission Reminders
2. Annual and Final Progress Report Requirements
3. Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 03-2) changes -
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf032/start.htm>
4. Upcoming proposal announcement deadlines
We hope that the information that follows will help you in your proposal
preparation plans over the next few weeks and months.
1. Proposal Submission Reminders
Font Size and Type:
We are still receiving proposals that do not follow the GPG formatting
guidelines, especially the font size.
The type size must be clear and readily legible, and conform to all of
the
following three requirements:
1. height of the letters must not be smaller than 10 point;
2. type density must be no more than 15 characters per 2.5 cm (for
proportional spacing, the average for any representative section of
text
must not exceed 15 characters per 2.5 cm); and
3. vertical density must be no more than 6 lines per 2.5 cm.
Sample fonts that meet all three NSF requirements are Times New Roman
11.5
point, Times Roman 11.5 point, Arial 12 point. Please note that smaller
font
sizes of these typesets will not conform to these GPG requirements.
Please
do not change the margins to include additional text.
Merit Review Criteria:
We noted in an email before the 15 February 2002 target date that the
Grant
Proposal Guide (GPG) <http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?gpg> was
revised requiring that the INTELLECTUAL MERIT OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY
AND
THE BROADER IMPACTS RESULTING FROM THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY MUST BE
ADDRESSED
EXPLICITLY IN SEPARATE STATEMENTS IN BOTH THE PROJECT SUMMARY AND
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION. While Investigators routinely address the Intellectual
Merit
criterion, treatment of Broader Impacts has been inconsistent. Both
criteria must be addressed.
Effective 1 October 2002, NSF began returning without review proposals
that
do not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project
Summary. Please make it obvious that both criteria have been addressed.
This
will help us avoid having to take drastic action.
Collaborative Proposals:
Please make sure that all components of a collaborative proposal are
submitted. Given that separately submitted collaborative proposals (lead
and
non-lead) constitute a "single" proposal submission to NSF, it is
imperative
that the proposals be submitted within a reasonable timeframe of one
another. Failure to submit all components of the collaborative proposal
on a
timely basis may impact the review of the proposal.
2. Annual and Final Progress Report Requirements
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing
grants),
the PI 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 final technical
reports
delays NSF review and processing of 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 project participants
(individual and organizational); activities and findings; publications;
and,
other specific products and contributions.
3. Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 03-2) changes to note - additional
changes
can be found at <http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf032/032sigchanges.htm>
Biosketches - has been supplemented with additional information on
Co-Editors. In addition to listing all collaborators within the
preceding 48
months, all co-editors of a journal, compendium, or conference
proceedings
during the 24 months preceding the submission of the proposal must be
listed
in the Biographical Sketch.
4. Upcoming Target Dates And Deadlines
Unsolicited Proposals - for Biological Oceanography, Physical
Oceanography,
Chemical Oceanography, Marine Geology & Geophysics, Ocean Drilling
Program
and Technology Development. Target dates: February 15 and August 15
Program Announcements -
Centers For Oceans And Human Health (COHO) - RFA ES-03-003
<http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-03-003.html>
Deadlines - Letter Of Intent Receipt Date: February 17, 2003
Application Receipt Date: March 17, 2003
Purpose Of This RFA: The National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences
(NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) invite applications
for
establishment of research programs to elucidate underlying mechanisms
that
govern relationships between marine processes and public health. The
purpose of Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH) is to provide
linkages
between members of the ocean sciences and biomedical communities in
order to
support interdisciplinary research in areas where improved understanding
of
marine processes and systems has potential to reduce public health risks
and
enhance existing biomedical capabilities. COHH are expected to create
an
environment conducive to interdisciplinary and reciprocally beneficial
collaborations among biomedical scientists (e.g., epidemiologists,
pharmacologists, toxicologists, microbiologists, cell and molecular
biologists) and ocean scientists (e.g., biological and physical
oceanographers, geochemists, and ecologists) with the common goal of
improving our knowledge of the impacts of the ocean on human health.
Climate Variability and Human Health
<http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/c&gc/ao/2003/healthammend.htm>
Deadlines - Pre-proposals must be received by NOAA's Office of Global
Programs no later
than December 16, 2002
full proposals must be received no later than February 18, 2003
Synopsis of Program: With the intent of stimulating integrated
multidisciplinary studies and enhancing institutional collaboration,
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Electric
Power
Research Institute (EPRI), announce our interest in receiving research
proposals to improve our understanding of the human health consequences
related to climate variability and enhance the integration of useful
climate
information into public health policy and decision-making. This joint
announcement is intended to support the formation of multidisciplinary
teams
working in close collaboration on integrated projects to illuminate the
human, biological, and physical pathways by which climate may affect
human
health, and which explore the potential for applying climate and
environmental information toward the goal of improved public health. We
are
also interested in understanding how the human health impacts and
responses
related to climate variability affect our knowledge of potential
consequences of, and adaptation and vulnerability to, longer term
changes in
the climate system. Investigators should also plan to participate in an
annual meeting of researchers funded under this announcement.
Collaborations in Mathematical Geosciences (CMG) - Program Solicitation
NSF
03-508
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03508/nsf03508.htm
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/results.cfm>
Deadline - February 20, 2003
Synopsis of Program: The purposes of the CMG activity are: (A) to enable
collaborative research at the intersection of mathematical sciences and
geosciences, and (B) to encourage cross-disciplinary education through
summer graduate training activities. Research topics under (A) should
fall
within one of two broad themes: (1) mathematical and statistical
modeling of
large, complex geosystems, or (2) representing uncertainty in
geosystems.
Research projects supported under this activity should be essentially
collaborative in nature. Research groups should include at least one
mathematical scientist and at least one geoscientist. Projects under
category (A) should be of three to four years in duration. It is not the
intent of this activity to provide general support for infrastructure.
Projects under category (B) are not restricted to topics (1) and (2).
Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID) - Program Solicitation NSF 03-507
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03507/nsf03507.html>
Deadline - Second Friday in February, annually
Synopsis of Program: The Ecology of Infectious Diseases special
competition
supports the development of predictive models and discovery of
principles
for relationships between anthropogenic environmental change and
transmission of infectious agents. To that end, research should focus on
understanding the ecological determinants of transmission by vectors or
abiotic agents, the population dynamics of reservoir species, and
transmission to humans or other hosts. Proposals may focus on either
terrestrial, freshwater, or marine systems and organisms.
Geoscience Education (GeoEd) - Program Solicitation NSF 03-515
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03515/nsf03515.htm>
Deadlines - March 17, 2003
Synopsis of Program: The Geoscience Education Program considers
proposals
that integrate geoscience research and education. Awards are intended to
facilitate the initiation or piloting of highly innovative educational
activities by geoscience researchers and educators when support may not
otherwise be available. Awards are intended to provide start-up or proof
of
concept funding to enable projects to reach a level of maturity to
compete
for longer-term funding from other sources. Awards are expected to
complement, but not duplicate, awards provided by the NSF's Directorate
for
Education and Human Resources. Proposals may target any educational
level:
1) graduate and postdoctoral education and training (outside the
framework
of basic NSF research grants), 2) undergraduate education, 3) elementary
and
secondary education, and 4) education outside the classroom. In
appropriate
cases, awards may be made by supplementing active research grants.
Proposed
projects should have strong dissemination and evaluation plans. Awardees
will be strongly encouraged to include the products of their projects in
the
Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) collection if
appropriate.
Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological
Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML) - Program Solicitation
NSF-02-040
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02040/nsf02040.htm>
Deadline - First Friday In March Annually
Synopsis of Program: Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories
(FSMLs) are off-campus facilities for research and education conducted
in
the natural habitats of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
FSMLs support biological research and education by preserving access to
study areas and organisms, by providing facilities and equipment in
close
proximity to those study areas, and by fostering an atmosphere of mutual
scientific interest and collaboration in research and education. To
fulfill
these roles, FSMLs must offer modern laboratories and educational
spaces,
up-to-date equipment, appropriate personal accommodations for visiting
scientists and students, and modern communications and data management
systems for a broad array of users. In recognition of the importance of
FSMLs in modern biology, NSF invites proposals that address these
general
goals of FSML improvement.
Information Technology Research (ITR) - Program Solicitation NSF-02-168
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02168/nsf02168.htm>
Deadlines - Medium projects: February 12, 2003.
Large projects: March 24, 2003 - Pre-proposals are
mandatory and are due by November 18, 2002. After NSF review of
pre-proposals, only PI's who are invited may submit full proposals. NSF
will return feedback to pre-proposal PIs by the week of January 27,
2003.
Synopsis of Program: Information Technology (IT) today is an essential
ingredient in research, technology, education, and other societal
endeavors.
IT includes the automated capturing of data and processing of
information;
large-scale networking; high-end computing; high-end computation and
infrastructure; high-confidence software and systems; human-computer
interaction and information management; as well as theoretical studies
of
the nature of information and the limits of computation. In addition,
there
are important social, economic, and workforce implications of IT. This
Announcement broadly invites innovative fundamental research proposals
that
address the challenges that face IT or seek advances at the frontiers of
science and engineering through the creative and innovative use and
further
development of IT. The ITR Program is interested in fostering visionary
work
that could lead in the future to major advances, new and unanticipated
technologies, revolutionary applications, or new ways to perform
important
activities. The program is especially interested in multi-disciplinary
research. In general, research that fits well in existing NSF
disciplinary
programs and that pursues an already established research agenda should
be
directed to those programs and will be less competitive in the ITR
Program.
In FY 2000, the NSF Information Technology Research (ITR) program
stressed
fundamental research on information technology itself, and in the second
year, research on applications of information technology to the various
sciences was added. In FY 2002, the program expanded research in
multidisciplinary areas, focusing on fundamental research at the
interfaces
between information technology and other disciplines; proposals were
solicited in three topical categories: software and hardware systems,
augmenting individuals and transforming society, and advancement of the
frontiers of science and engineering through information technology.
While
explicit categories will not be used in FY 2003, ITR will continue to
support new awards in these previously targeted areas and will
additionally
emphasize the fundamental relationship between the acquisition and
utilization of knowledge and the information tools needed to acquire,
organize, and interpret that knowledge. The intent in FY 2003 is to
stimulate research on the fundamental challenges facing the continued
expansion and utilization of IT across the sciences and engineering,
creation of novel use and development of IT, the interaction of IT with
society at large, and the use of IT to enhance security and reduce the
vulnerabilities of our society to catastrophic events, whether natural
or
man-made.
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) - Program
Solicitation
NSF 03-519
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03519/nsf03519.html>
Deadlines - Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required): April 07, 2003
Full Proposal Deadline(s): May 16, 2003
Synopsis of Program: The National Science Foundation announces an open
competition to establish a National Nanotechnology Infrastructure
Network
(NNIN) as an integrated national network of user facilities that will
support the future infrastructure needs for research and education in
the
burgeoning nanoscale science and engineering field. The facilities
comprising this network will be diverse both in capabilities and
research
areas served as well as in geographic locations, and the network will
have
the flexibility to grow or reconfigure as needs arise. The NNIN will
broadly
support nanotechnology activities outlined in the National
Nanotechnology
Initiative investment strategy. It will provide users across the nation
access to leading-edge fabrication and characterization tools and
instruments in support of nanoscale science and engineering research,
develop and maintain advanced research infrastructure, contribute to the
education and training of a new workforce skilled in nanotechnology and
the
latest laboratory techniques, conduct outreach to the science and
engineering communities, and explore the social and ethical implications
of
nanotechnology.
If you have any program related questions please contact the applicable
Program Officer. For FastLane questions, please send an email to
ocefl@nsf.gov <mailto:ocefl@nsf.gov> or contact Kandace Binkley, Holly
Smith
or Brian Midson by phone at (703) 292-8580. In addition, the FastLane
Helpdesk can be reached by calling (800) 673-6188 or by sending an email
to
fastlane@nsf.gov <mailto:fastlane@nsf.gov>.
Thank you.
Kandace Binkley