Directorate for Engineering Strategic Planning: The Road to Reorganization

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Directorate for EngineeringStrategic
PlanningThe Road to Reorganization
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Strategic Planning Process

• Background
• External Environment
• Internal Reports
• STG Report

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Background Existing Plans

• The Long View ENGs last strategic planning
  document, produced in 1994

• NSF Strategic Plan Mission, Vision, and
  Strategic Goals for NSF from 2003 through 2008

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External EnvironmentReports and Recommendations

• Assessing the Capacity of the U.S. Engineering
  Research Enterprise NAE 2005
• Engineer of 2020 NAE 2004
• Innovate America National Innovation Initiative
  Final Report Council on Competitiveness 2004

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Internal Reports

• July 2004 Task Groups/Committees within the
  ENG Directorate were formed to study, assess,
  plan, and prepare actions for the Directorate for
  Engineering
• Awards and Solicitation
• Awards Impact and Assessment
• Making the Case for Engineering
• Engineering Education and Workforce
• Strategic Thinking Group
• Organization and Structure

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Strategic Thinking Group

• Strategic Planning Overview Strategic
  Directions for Engineering Research, Innovation,
  and Education
•  Developed by the
• ENG Strategic Thinking Group

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ENG Mission

• To enable the engineering and scientific
  communities to advance the frontiers of
  engineering research, innovation and education,
  in service to society and the nation.

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ENG Vision

• ENG will be the global leader in advancing the
  frontiers of fundamental engineering research,
  stimulating innovation, and substantially
  strengthening engineering education.

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ENG 5 Goals

• Overarching Frontier Research Goal Effectively
  invest in frontier engineering research that has
  potential for high impact in meeting national and
  societal needs.
• Overarching Engineering Innovation Goal
  Effectively invest in fundamental engineering
  innovation that has potential for high impact in
  meeting national and societal needs.

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ENG 5 Goals

• 3. Overarching Engineering Education and
  Workforce Goal Effectively invest in frontier
  engineering education and workforce advancement
  that has potential for high impact.
• 4. Public Understanding of Engineering Goal
  Effectively invest in and seek partnerships to
  educate the public about the value of engineering
  research and education.
• 5. Organizational Excellence Goal Effectively
  organize the Directorate to provide agile,
  multidisciplinary leadership in engineering
  research, innovation, and education

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ENG Research Priorities

• Biology in Engineering
• New Frontiers in Nanotechnology
• Critical Infrastructure Systems
• Complexity in Engineered and Natural Systems
• Manufacturing Frontiers

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ImplementationOrganizational Structure
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Forces Driving New Structure

• For past 15 years, ENG has had essentially the
  same organizational structure.
• Changing conditions have emerged
• New multidisciplinary research areas
  (nanotechnology, cybertechnology, bioengineering,
  etc.)
• National priorities (defense, economy, homeland
  security)
• Global competition in innovation
• To remain at the frontier, ENG must evolve to
  address these changes

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External Rationale

• Engineering education and research becoming more
  interdisciplinary, team-oriented, and
  collaborative.
• Universities establishing centers, clusters, and
  cross-department divisions.
• Industry adopting more interdisciplinary research
  paradigm.

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Internal Rationale

• STG Report identified opportunities in line with
  new structure (covered earlier)
• ENG has relatively large number of divisions,
  with relatively small budgets
• Divisions must have sufficient funds (at least
  100 million) to have major impact

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New Structure Must Enable ENG to (1)

• Position ENG at the frontiers of engineering
  research, education, and innovation
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration
• Integrate across priority areas
• Integrate research and education
• Support the continuum from discovery through to
  early engineering innovation

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New Structure Must Enable ENG to (2)

• Enhance flexibility for change by combining some
  units
• Provide opportunities to explore new areas
• Strategically allocate human and financial
  resources

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Data-Driven Plan Based onASTG Study Report

• Inventory of all ENG ongoing grant portfolio as
  of December 2004.
• Considered funding in each of about 30 topic
  areas for each division
• Selected a listing of topics within three-four
  thrust areas for each division.

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Organizational Structure ReportENG Considered 4
Scenarios

• Scenario 1 Operational Effectiveness
• Scenario 2 Priority Led Matrix Structure
• Scenario 3 Cross-disciplinary Excellence on the
  Continuum from Discovery to Innovation
• Scenario 4 Aligning with Intellectually
  Stimulating National Priorities

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Organizational Structure Changes

• A hybrid of Scenarios 1 2 has been selected
• New structure will better position ENG to be more
  effective both inside NSF and externally
• New structure better aligns with STG Overarching
  Goals

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New Framework
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Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure
OAD
EFRI
EEC
CBET
CMMI
ECCS
IIP
CBET Chemical, Biological, Environmental and
Transport Systems CMMI Civil, Mechanical
Manufacturing Innovation ECCS Electrical,
Communication Cyber Systems IIP Industrial
Innovation Partnerships EEC Engineering
Education, Centers EFRI Emerging Frontiers in
Research Innovation
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Divisions and Cross-cutting Areas
ECCS
IIP
CMMI
CBET
Eng Education
EEC Division
Crosscutting Areas
ERC
EFRI
Cyberinfrastructure

Nanotechnology
Critical Infrastructure
Complex Eng. Systems
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EEC Linkages to Divisions
AdCom Subcommittee For K-12
EEC Division
EHR
Eng. Ed.
Eng. Res. Centers
CMMI
CBET
CMMI
CBET
IIP
ECCS
ECCS
IIP
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Implications for Engineering Community

• Greater flexibility to explore the emerging
  frontiers of engineering research, education, and
  innovation
• Engineering Education and Centers will be more
  deeply ingrained throughout all divisions
• Multidisciplinary focus will more closely match
  trends in research and education
• New divisions with larger budgets may help
  Improve Success Rate for ENG

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Timing and Implementation

• Appoint an Implementation and Transition Team
• Coordinate with Division of Budget, Division of
  Financial Management, HRM, and NSF Employee Union
• Full implementation by FY 2007

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Comments and Feedback

• Share your thoughts via the NSF Website
• WWW.NSF.GOV
• Go to the Engineering Program Area
• ENG Reorganization Comments Invited box at
  top of page
• Follow links to plans and reports, as well as
  feedback email (engquality_at_nsf.gov)

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Questions Answers

• General Discussion