International Activities at NSF

NSE Grantees Conference December 5, 2011

Machi F. Dilworth Director Office of International Science and Engineering

The nation's commitment to research will … take on a more globally connected context as the major issues and problems we face know no boundaries. Dr. Subra Suresh, Director NSF

National Science Foundation Supports International Collaborations

Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been before…….We ... need to work with our friends around the world.... my administration is ramping up participation in -- and our commitment to -- international science and technology cooperation across the many areas where it is clearly in our interest to do so. President Barack Obama, April 27, 2009

International Collaborations at NSF

International activities are supported throughout NSF

Advance the frontiers of science and engineering

• Inherently international activities

• Scientist-initiated, scientist-led, and science-driven international collaborative research

• Access to unique expertise, facilities, and phenomena

Prepare a globally engaged U.S. S&E workforce

• Workshops/symposia and exchange visits involving students and young scientists

Participate in global science agenda

International Collaborations at NSF Sample International Activities Across NSF

BIO Long-term Ecological Research; Metabolomics CISE Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience; Global Environment for Network Innovations GEO Integrated Ocean Drilling Project; Belmont Forum EHR Graduate Research Fellowships Nordic Supplement; Integrated Graduate Education & Research Traineeship ENG Earthquake Research; Synthetic Biology; Nanotechnology; MPS International Collaboration in Chemistry; Materials World Network; Astronomical Observatories OISE Human Frontier Science Program; Global Science Forum OPP Antarctica and Arctic research and education OCI International Research Network Connections SBE S&T Statistics; Science of Science and Innovation Policy

Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)

• Serve as the resource for international activities inside NSF

• Assist the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the State Department with implementation of international S&T agreements

• Serve as the point of contact for international S&T funding organizations

• Coordinate international activities across NSF

• Facilitate and support catalytic international research and education activities

East Asia Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI)

• Program in partnership with counterpart funding agencies in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan

• Students initiate scientific relationships which enable future collaboration with foreign researchers

• Support research experience of U.S. graduate students at host laboratories

Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes (PASI)

• Advanced graduate, post-doctoral, and junior faculty level

• PI organizes short courses on leading-edge research themes

– Ten days to three weeks, involving lectures, demonstrations, research seminars, and discussions

– 25 to 40 students/participants from the different countries in the Americas

• Jointly supported initiative between NSF and DOE

• Senior researchers initiate bold, forward-looking research with their international collaborators

• Facilitate student preparation for and participation in international research collaborations

• 47 PIRE awards involving more than 70 countries

• FY2012 PIRE (4th competition)

- Focuses on SEES

- Joint funding from 4 international and 2 U.S. funding agencies

Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE)

Sample International Opportunities for NSE – China and Japan

Japan • Nanotechnology has been a national priority area, and has received

substantial government investment over the past decade. • NanotechJapan, a network of 13 shared use facilities

(https://nanonet.nims.go.jp/english/), welcomes international partnerships. • Three national institutes are noted for their NSE research and their highly

international environment: NIMS (National Institute of Materials Science; AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology; and RIKEN@Wako

China • Nanotechnology is a high national priority, and has received ~$800 million

over 2006-2010. • Three dedicated national nanotechnology research centers: NERCN (National

Engineering Center for Nanotechnology); NCNST (National Center for NanoScience and Technology); and CNANE (China National Academy of Nanotechnology and Engineering).

• All welcome international collaborators.

Sample International Opportunities for NSE - Europe

EU • The US and the EU have extensive interactions on NSE. The US and the EU are

working (slowly) towards a potential joint call in this area. Germany • The German Ministry of Science and Technology (BMBF) and NSF has recently

agreed to: - Exchange of scientists in relation to the program “Nano(mat)future” -Collaborate on research on ecotoxicological aspects and advanced materials

Ireland • Under the US-Ireland R&D Partnerships

(http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11070/nsf11070.jsp), the eligible areas include: nanoscale science & engineering; sensors & sensor networks; telecommunications; and energy & sustainability.

Nordic Countries • Nanotechnology is a field of strength in the region • There is a "Nano-Connect" for Scandinavia that links 7 universities

( http://www.nano-connect.org/)

• Launched in October 2011: www.nsf.gov/SAVI • SAVI will support a team of NSF-funded investigators: A team can be: 1) an existing NSF center/institute awardee; or 2) a virtual center/institute consisting of multiple investigators holding individual NSF awards with shared research/education interests. • SAVI funds are meant to serve as "glue" to facilitate building of solid foundations for virtual institutes.

• NSF funds will support US participants: international partners are to be supported by their own funding sources.

Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI)

International activities are supported across NSF