National Science Foundation (NSF)

January 19, 2010Kellie BussKim Codere Pete LarsenCarol Wiitanen Sponsored Programs

Sponsored Programs Office Enhancement

Session Goals & Objectives

• Learn about the locating funding opportunities• Find information to guide proposal development

and policies for grant administration.• Become familiar with the proposal submission and

review processes.• Learn about the Award Acceptance and Reporting

Requirements.

Funding Opportunities

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/

NSF Search

Finding Funding• NSF Guide to Programs

– Compilation of funding opportunities by program areas

– http://www.nsf.gov/funding/browse_all_funding.jsp

• Upcoming Due Dates– Key due dates at NSF for the current year– http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=NSF&ord=date

Special Solicitation Examples

•Research Experience for Undergraduates

REU•Fac

ulty Early Career Development

CAREER

•Partnerships for Innovation

PFI

•Major Research Instrumentation

MRI

•Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers

I/UCRCs

•Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship

IGERT

Program Solicitations

• Defines special requirements for proposal preparation

• Key Considerations– Eligibility Requirements– Limited Submissions– Budget Restrictions– Cost Sharing Requirements

Limited Submissions• Role of V.P. for Research Office

– Alerts faculty of funding opportunities that limit the number of proposals the university may submit

– Conducts an internal review competition to select the most competitive proposals to go forward

– Go to Research Webpage• Click on the following links: Sponsored Programs Office,

Proposal Preparation, Funding Sources – Limited Submission Listing near middle of page

Proposal Preparation and

Submission Guidelines

Proposal & Submission

• NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPP)– Part 1 – GPG: Guide to preparation and submission of proposals – http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp– Pagination, Margin and Spacing Requirements– Budget requirements– Other requirements (biosketch, current & pending support, etc.)

• Solicitation

• Contact Relevant Program OfficersSee Handout

Proposal Process

Collaborative Proposals

Single Submission

• Investigators from two or more organizations working on a unified project

• Single proposal is submitted

• Single award is issued

Simultaneous Submission

• Investigators from two or more organizations working on a unified project

• Submission of separate linked proposals

• Separate awards are issued

PI’s Side of Fastlane

https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/NSFHelp/Printdocs/FastLane_Help/pd_pi_functions/pd_pi_functions.pdf

FastLane - Getting Started

SPO has the responsibility for:Registering FastLane Users

Contact: Jennifer Bukovich487-2226 or jlbukovi@mtu.edu

Signing and Submitting Proposals

Organization RegistrationMichigan Tech

Fastlane https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

Fastlane

Fastlane

Fastlane

Fastlane

Fastlane

Proposal Formatting Requirements

Font Requirements• Use one of the following• Arial, Courier New, or Palatino Linotype at 10 pt. or

larger• Times New Roman at 11 pt. or larger• Computer Modern family of fonts at 11 pt. or larger

• Font size of less than 10 pt may be used for mathematical formulas or equations, figure, table or diagram captions and when using a symbol font to insert Greek letters or special characters.

• The text must still be readable.

Proposal Formatting Requirements

Proposal Margin and Spacing Requirements

• No more than 6 lines of text within a vertical space of 1 inch

• Margins, in all directions, must be at least 1 inch

• These requirements (and font requirements) apply to all uploaded sections of a proposal, including supplementary documentation

Proposal Forms

List of Suggested Reviewers (optional)

• Suggest well qualified reviewers• Designate reviewers not to include

Project Summary

• One page synopsis suitable for publication• Must address Broader Impact and Intellectual Merit

Proposal Forms Project Description• Outline the general plan of work, including:

• Broad design of activities• Clear description of experimental methods and procedures • Plans for preservation, documentation and sharing of data,

samples, physical collections, curriculum materials and other related research and education projects

• Describe the broader impacts resulting from the proposed activities• Results from Prior NSF support

References Cited • Reference information is required.

Proposal Forms

Biographical Sketches • Required for PI, Co-PIs and senior personnel • Limited to 2 pages and must include:

• Professional Preparation• Appointments• Publications – list only 5 relevant and 5 additional• Synergistic Activities• Collaborators and Other Affiliations

Current and Pending Support• List all current project support even if they receive no salary support• Current proposal being submitted must be included as pending

Proposal FormsFacilities, Equipment and Other Resources

Supplemental Documents• Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan

• Description of the mentoring activities• No more than 1 page

• Describe the mentoring that will be provided• May not be used to circumvent the 15-page project description limitation

• Examples include• Career counseling• Training in preparation of proposals, publications, etc.• Guidance on ways to improve teaching/mentoring• Training in responsible professional practices

• Letters of Support

Proposal FormsBudget

• Must have detailed budget for each year • Salary & Wages• Total of TWO months of salary allowed for ALL NSF awards

• Equipment• Equipment must be primarily or exclusively used in the actual conduct of

research• Cost Share• Only required cost share is to be listed on line M of budget• GACS is internal to Michigan Tech and will not be disclosed to the sponsor

• Justification • 3 page max• Do not relist budget; explain and tell what you will be doing with the

money and why you need it

Submission Preparation

Allow SRO Access in Fastlane

Complete the proposal in Fastlane

Complete the required internal forms for SPO

Allow SRO Access

Allow SRO Access

Allow SRO Access

Acknowledgment of Receipt

E-mail Confirmation Sent to PI PI can Access Proposal in Fastlane

Review Process

Review Process• NSF Reviews the proposal

– Compliance Review– In house reviews (sometimes)– Ad hoc reviews (usually)– Advisory panels– Program officer recommendation– Divisional Director review and recommendation

Review Process – Types of Reviews

Ad hoc Reviews

•External Reviews Solicited by Program Officer•Review Broader Impacts and Scientific Merit•Quality of Reviews Vary•PI May Suggest Names of Reviewers and/or Persons Not to Review Proposal

Panel Review •Structurally Identical to Ad hoc Reviews•Panel Summary•Justifies a Recommendation•Emphasizes Most Important Points•Constructive•Panel Decision Made by 3 or 4 Panelists Assigned to Review Proposal

Standard Review Criteria• What is the intellectual merit and quality of

the proposed activity?– Importance - Qualifications– Creativity & Originality - Access to Resources– Conception & Organization

• What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?– Training - Diversity -

Infrastructure– Dissemination/Public Awareness - Societal Benefits

Review Process

Funding Recommendations are Made by Program Officers

• For Proposals Reviewed Jointly, Program Officers Barter• EPSCoR Funding May be Sought

Program Officers Debate Merits of Each Proposal Post-Panel

Recommendations Depends Upon Budget (cost of proposal vs. money available)

TipsUse NSF Website

Plan Ahead

Befriend Your Program Officer

Get Feedback

Be Persistent

Network with Colleagues

More Tips

• Project Summary: THE most important page

• Appearances count as much as technical quality– Spelling & grammar– Graphics quality (relevance, readability), and overall

appearance are all important

• Ask a mentor to read & critically review your proposal

More Tips• Discuss your ideas with program directors

– Email white papers, follow up with phone calls– Visit & discuss – Volunteer to serve on panel reviews

• Discuss proposal reviews with mentor, then revise and re-submit

Award Acceptance and Processing

Notice of Award (NOA)

Notification of a grant is e-mailed to SPO

• Applicable grant conditions• Budget

The NOA includes:

If you are funded…• Check with NSF regarding any significant

changes during conduct of the project• Conduct the research properly and

disseminate the results promptly• Regularly report findings, products and

contributions

Proposal declined?• Pause a while to let the pain subside

somewhat• Evaluate the reviews

– If criticisms focus on correctable points, revise and submit again

– If criticisms are more general consider other funding sources or other lines of inquiry

• If you have questions or want additional information, contact the program officer

Reporting Requirements

Reporting Requirements

Annual Progress ReportSubmit 3 months prior to end of

current cycle

Failure to submit may result in delay of next

funding increment

Final Project Reports Due 90 days after

expiration of award

Include history and

accomplishments Not submitting the final technical report

may hold up future funding for PI and Co-PI’s on the project

Questions?