0.6 How to obtain funding  (Page 2/3)

Funding opportunities at nsf

• Individual Programs
  • Research, education, center programs
• Priority Areas (Investment Areas for FY)
  • Cross-Programs and Cross-Directorates
• Cross Disciplinary Areas
  • Cross-Programs and Cross-Directorates
• Interagency Programs
  • NSF, and other government agencies

Award (grant) types

• Individual Investigator Initiated Awards
• CAREER Awards
• Center Awards
• SBIR/STTR awards
• SGER awards
• Supplements
• Workshops, conferences

Nsf disciplines&Structure

1. Biological Sciences (BIO)
2. Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering (CISE)
3. Education and Human Resources (EHR)
4. Engineering (ENG)
   • Biomedical Engineering Program
5. Geosciences (GEO)
6. Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
7. Social, Behavioral And Economic Sciences (SBE)
8. Polar Programs
9. Office of Cyberinfrastructure
10. Office of International Science and Engineering
11. Office of Integrative Affairs

Nsf-wide investment areas (fy 06)

• Nanoscale Science and Engineering
• Biocomplexity in Environment
• Human and Social Dynamics
• Mathematical Sciences
• Cyberinfrastructure

Nsf-wide investment areas (request for fy 07)

• Biocomplexity in Environment
• Climate Change Science Program
• Cyberinfrastructure
• Human and Social Dynamics
• International Polar Year
• Mathematical Sciences
• National Nanotechnology Initiative
• Networking Information Technology R&D

Nsf merit review criteria

• Criteria include:

• What is the intellectual merit and quality of the proposed activity?

• What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

Potential Considerations:

• 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?

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

Potential Considerations:

• How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training and learning?
• How well does the 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?

Tips for successful proposal writing

Determine if your project is relevant to the program

• Get in touch with the Program Director
• Program Director:
  • Review Panels
  • Award/decline recommendation
  • Post management of the awards (progress report)

• Follow the instructions posted by the agency
  • Format, sections, project plan
  • Agency’s Review Criteria (NSF Merit Review Criteria)
  • Priority Areas for the agency
• Respond to a solicitation
  • Deadlines (pre-proposal, letter of intent, full proposal)
  • Additional review criteria and requirements
• Read “successful” proposals of your colleagues
• Have your proposal reviewed by collaborators or colleagues before submitting
• Do not submit on the day of the deadline