National Science Foundation

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National Science Foundation Funding Opportunities
Directorate for Biological Sciences Division of
Environmental Biology Susan J. Mazer John
Damuth Mazer_at_lifesci Damuth_at_lifesci
Website http//www.nsf.gov
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Agenda

• Organization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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Science Advisor
Office of Management and Budget
Other boards, councils, etc.
OSTP
Science Advisor
Major Departments
Commerce
Health and Human Services
Agriculture
Interior
Transportation
Defense
Energy
Independent Agencies
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Smithsonian Institution
Other agencies
NASA
EPA
NSF, NASA, OSTP Appropriations Subcommittees
House Science, State, Justice and Commerce
(Wolf) Senate Commerce Justice and Science
(Shelby)
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NSF

• Independent agency
• Established in 1950
• Provides funding to support science, math,
  engineering, social science and education
• US academic and research institutions
• Promotes international collaborations
• (operates no laboratories and
  conducts no in-house research)

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(No Transcript)
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• Research Directorates
• Biological Sciences
• Computer Info. Science Eng.
• Education Human Resources
• Engineering
• Geosciences
• Mathematical Physical Sciences
• Social, Behaviorial Econ. Sciences

• Offices
• Integrative Activities
• Polar Programs
• International Science and Engineering

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Biological Sciences Directorate
Jim Collins Assistant Director
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In the Biology Directorate (BIO), there are 4
Divisions and 14 Clusters
Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)
Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
Environmental Biology (DEB)
Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
Functional and Regulatory Systems
Research Resources
Biomolecular
Systematic Biol. Biodiversity Inventory
Developmental Systems
Human Resources
Cellular Systems
Population and Evol. Processes
Plant Genome
Behavioral Systems
Genes and Genomes
Ecological Biology
NEON, UMEB, Equip, FSML, 2010
Microbial Observatories MIP
Environmental and Structural Systems
Ecosystem Science
Plant Phys., Anim. Beh.
LTER, LTREB, OPUS NCEAS, ESC, PEET
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In the Biology Directorate (BIO), there are 4
Divisions and 14 Clusters
Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)
Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
Environmental Biology (DEB)
Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
Functional and Regulatory Systems
Research Resources
Biomolecular
Systematic Biol. Biodiversity Inventory
Developmental Systems
Human Resources
Cellular Systems
Population and Evol. Processes
Plant Genome
Behavioral Systems
Genes and Genomes
Ecological Biology
NEON, UMEB, Equip, FSML, 2010
Microbial Observatories MIP
Environmental and Structural Systems
Ecosystem Science
Plant Phys., Anim. Beh.
LTER, LTREB, OPUS NCEAS, ESC, PEET
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In the Biology Directorate (BIO), there are 4
Divisions and 14 Clusters
Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)
Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
Environmental Biology (DEB)
Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
Functional and Regulatory Systems
Research Resources
Biomolecular
Systematic Biol. Biodiversity Inventory
Developmental Systems
Human Resources
Cellular Systems
Population and Evol. Processes
Plant Genome
Behavioral Systems
Genes and Genomes
Ecological Biology
NEON, UMEB, Equip, FSML, 2010
Microbial Observatories MIP
Environmental and Structural Systems
Ecosystem Science
Plant Phys., Anim. Beh.
LTER, LTREB, OPUS NCEAS, ESC, PEET
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Typical Core Research Panel (e.g., Ecological
Biology Program, 2005)

• 500 full research proposals/year (2 cycles/yr)
• 4 panels/year (two are split with Population
  Evolutionary Processes)
• 120 proposals evaluated per panel
• Average request 450,000/3 yrs (wide range)
• Panel recommendation fund 25-30
• Funding available 5 - 7 million/panel
• Fraction funded 8-15 (by or by )

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Two ways in which a successful proposal may be
funded (NSFs decision)

• 1) Standard Grant
• One lump sum
• Annual reports requested
• Final report required

2) Continuing Grant Annual allocations given
at the beginning of each year Annual reports
required Final report required
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Two ways in which a successful proposal may be
funded (NSFs decision)

• 1) Standard Grant
• One lump sum
• Annual reports requested
• Final report required
• Funds come from NSFs current fiscal years budget

2) Continuing Grant Annual allocations given
at the beginning of each year Annual reports
required Final report required Each year of
funding comes from a successive fiscal year
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INCREASINGLY PERVASIVE TECHNOLOGIES

• Molecular Methods
• Stable Isotopes
• Modeling
• Scaling
• Multiple levels of interactionn
• (e.g., multiple trophic levels,
  plant-mycorrhizae interactions)
• Remote sensing

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Synthesis and Integration

• LTER Long-Term Ecological Research
• LTREB Long-Term Research in Environmental
  Biology
• NCEAS National Center for Ecological Analysis
  and Synthesis
• NESCent National Evolutionary Synthesis Center

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Synthesis and Integration

• LTER Long-Term Ecological Research
• LTREB Long-Term Research in Environmental
  Biology
• NCEAS National Center for Ecological Analysis
  and Synthesis
• NESCent National Evolutionary Synthesis Center

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Synthesis and Integration

• LTER Long-Term Ecological Research
• LTREB Long-Term Research in Environmental
  Biology
• NCEAS National Center for Ecological Analysis
  and Synthesis
• NESCent National Evolutionary Synthesis Center

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DEB Reorganization into 4 Clusters
DEB
Ecological Biology Alan Tessier
atessier_at_nsf.gov Saran Twombly stwombly_at_nsf.gov
Jess Zimmerman jzimmerm_at_nsf.gov Kitty Gehring
kgehring_at_nsf.gov
Population and Evolutionary Processes Mark
Courtney mcourtne_at_nsf.gov Sam Scheiner sscheine_at_n
sf.gov Gerry Wilkinson gwilkins_at_nsf.gov
Systematic Biology and Biodiversity
Inventories James Rodman jrodman_at_nsf.gov Charle
s Lydeard clydeard_at_nsf.gov Juan Carlos
Morales jmorales_at_nsf.gov Judy Skog Jskog_at_nsf.gov
Ecosystem Science Henry Gholz hgholz_at_nsf.gov Mar
k Walbridge mwalbrid_at_nsf.gov Martin
Caldwell mcaldwel_at_nsf.gov
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DEB Reorganization into 4 Clusters
DEB
Ecological Biology Alan Tessier
atessier_at_nsf.gov Saran Twombly stwombly_at_nsf.gov
Jess Zimmerman jzimmerm_at_nsf.gov Kitty Gehring
kgehring_at_nsf.gov
Population and Evolutionary Processes Mark
Courtney mcourtne_at_nsf.gov Sam Scheiner sscheine_at_n
sf.gov Gerry Wilkinson gwilkins_at_nsf.gov
Systematic Biology and Biodiversity
Inventories James Rodman jrodman_at_nsf.gov Charle
s Lydeard clydeard_at_nsf.gov Juan Carlos
Morales jmorales_at_nsf.gov Judy Skog Jskog_at_nsf.gov
Ecosystem Science Henry Gholz hgholz_at_nsf.gov Mar
k Walbridge mwalbrid_at_nsf.gov Martin
Caldwell mcaldwel_at_nsf.gov
Proposals require at least one PI from a U.S.
institution. can go abroad via subcontracts
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Office of International Science Engineering
www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?divOISE
International Research Fellowship Program for
U.S. citizens to conduct research abroad as
postdocs in collaboration with a foreign
scientist Susan Parris Sparris_at_nsf.gov
Partnerships for International Research
Education Frank Wodarczyk Fwodarcz_at_nsf.gov
No new competition until 2007
Developing Global Scientists
Engineers International Research Experiences For
Undergraduates (summer) Frank Wodarczyk
Fwodarcz_at_nsf.gov
International Research Education Planning
Visits and Workshops Contact OISE program
officers by country
Proposals require at least one PI from a U.S.
institution. can go abroad via subcontracts,
and students/postdocs work with both U.S. and
non-U.S. scientists
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DEB Homepage - http//www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?di
vDEB
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Agenda

• Organization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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4 BIO Divisions, with Clusters and Programs
Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)
Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
Environmental Biology (DEB)
Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
Functional and Regulatory Systems
Research Resources
Biomolecular
Systematic Biol. Biodiversity Inventory
Developmental Systems
Human Resources
Cellular Systems
Population and Evol. Processes
Plant Genome
Behavioral Systems
Genes and Genomes
Ecological Biology
NEON, UMEB, Equip, FSML, 2010
Microbial Observatories MIP
Environmental and Structural Systems
Ecosystem Science
Plant Phys., Anim. Beh.
LTER, LTREB, OPUS NCEAS, ESC, PEET
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Continuation of Core Panels in DEB

• NSF is accepting proposals as usual in the core
  areas
• Biodiversity Surveys and Inventories (BSI)
• Ecological Biology
• Ecosystem Science
• Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
• Long-Term Research in Environmental Biology
  (LTREB)
• Population And Evolutionary Processes (PEP)
• Systematic Biology

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Biodiversity Surveys and Inventories

• Increased budget

• Broader scope new inventories will be eligible
• - clade-focused
• - guild-focused
• New target dates Jan 9th and July 9th, annually

Contact Judith Skog, jskog_at_nsf.gov
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BIO Target dates for unsolicited proposals

• January 9 or 12
• July 9 or 12

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Microbial Observatories and Microbial
Interactions and Processes
Announcement NSF 05-600

• Develop a network of sites in different habitats
  to study and understand microbial diversity over
  time and across environmental gradients.
• Establish or participate in an internet-accessible
  knowledge network to disseminate the
  information.
• Now supports research projects that need not be
  site-based, and that are smaller and/or shorter
  in duration than MO projects.
• The Cooperative State Research, Education and
  Extension Service of the U.S. Department of
  Agriculture will be partnering with NSF to
  support Microbial Observatory projects relevant
  to agroecosystems.

Deadline October 2006 Contact Matt Kane,
mkane_at_nsf.gov
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Agenda

• Organization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent)

• Foster greater conceptual synthesis in
  biological evolution
• Bring together researchers and educators,
  extant data and information technology resources.
  
• Develop new tools and cross-disciplinary
  standards for management of biological
  information, support data analysis capabilities,
  and host and curate databases.
• Workshops, sabbaticals, postdoctoral fellows

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National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent)
http//www.nescent.org International scholars may
apply for postdocs sabbatical visits
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Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research
(FIBR)
Announcement NSF 05-597

• Identify major questions in biology, develop
  integrative approaches, and integrate scientific
  concepts and research tools both from within and
  outside of the biological sciences
• Often include 5 - 12 collaborators from
  multiple institutions, including foreign
  scientists
• Awards made up to 5 Million for up to 5 years
• Planning grants are available

Contact Chris Greer, cgreer_at_nsf.gov
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Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID)
Announcement NSF 06-506

• Joint NSF and NIH initiative
• Study how large-scale environmental events alter
  the risks of emergence of viral, parasitic, or
  bacterial diseases
• Supports the development of predictive models and
  discovery of principles governing relationships
  between anthropogenic environmental change and
  transmission of infectious agents.

Deadline 2nd Friday in February,
annually Contact Sam Scheiner, sscheine_at_nsf.gov
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Agenda

• Reorganization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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Faculty Early Career Development Program
(CAREER)
Announcement NSF 05-579

• Supports teacher-scholars
• Supports plans that effectively integrate
  research and education
• BIO minimum of 500,000 for 5 years
• Check eligibility criteria

Deadline July 2006 Contact Dr. Mark Courtney,
mcourtne_at_nsf.gov
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Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Announcement NSF 00-139

• Address important scientific questions in biology
  
• Aims to increase proportion of underrepresented
  groups in biology
• Develop computational, statistical, and other
  tools in the collection, organization,
  dissemination, and use of information to solve
  problems in biology
• May fund U.S. citizens working abroad

Contact Judy Skog, jskog_at_nsf.gov
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Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Biological
Informatics (not just genomics!!!)
Announcement NSF 04-539

• Address important scientific questions in biology
  
• Include a strong linkage between computer,
  information, computational science and biology
• Develop computational, statistical, and other
  tools in the collection, organization,
  dissemination, and use of information to solve
  problems in biology
• May fund U.S. citizens working abroad

Contact Carter Kimsey, ckimsey_at_nsf.gov
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Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG)
Announcement NSF 05-607

• Division of Environmental Biology programs only
• The Division of Integrative Biology no longer
  offers DDIGs
• Must pass candidacy by the deadline
• Funds research-related costs only
• Recent changes
• increased upper limit to 12,000
• allows travel to meetings
• Deadline 3rd Friday in November, annually

Contact Dr. Mark Courtney, mcourtne_at_nsf.gov
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Graduate Research Fellowships
Announcement NSF 04-615

• Awarded for graduate study leading to
  research-based masters or doctoral degrees
• Science, mathematics, and engineering
• Intended for students at or near the beginning of
  their graduate study
• Handled through the Div. of Graduate Education
  (Education Directorate)

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Integrative Graduate Education and Research
Traineeship (IGERT)
Announcement NSF 05-517

• Developed to meet the challenges of educating
  future Ph.D. scientists and engineers
• Emphasizes multidisciplinary training
• Institutional award
• 2 million over 5 years

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Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
Announcement NSF 04-584

• REU Sites or REU supplements to PIs with existing
  awards
• Intended to attract and retain undergraduates in
  mathematics, science and engineering
• Incorporates active research experience

DEB Supplement Deadline February 1st, annually
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Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)
Announcement NSF 00-144

• Support high quality research by faculty with
  active involvement of undergraduate students
• Strengthen the research environment in academic
  departments that are oriented primarily toward
  undergraduate instruction
• Target Dates same as core programs

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Research Opportunity Award (ROA)
Announcement NSF 00-144

• Supplementary funding through ongoing NSF
  research grants (details located within NSF
  00-144)
• Allows faculty at predominantly undergraduate
  institutions to participate in research
  activities under the aegis of NSF-supported
  investigators

Consult with the Program Director of your
particular NSF award.
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Research Experiences for Teachers (RET)
Announcement NSF 03-554

• Supplements to current NSF Awards
• Helps build long term collaborative relationships
  between K-12 teachers of science and mathematics
  and the NSF research community
• Encourages researchers to form partnerships with
  teachers

Consult with the Program Director of your
particular NSF award.
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Agenda

• Reorganization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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Research Initiation Grants and Career Advancement
Awards to Broaden Participation in the Biological
Sciences
Announcement NSF NSF 05-581

• Increase number and competitiveness of
  underrepresented groups in biology as well as
  scientists at minority-serving institutions.
• For faculty at any college or university.
• Proposed activities must facilitate broadening
  participation by underrepresented groups in
  biology.
• RIG - beginning investigators - for activities,
  (e.g. preliminary data or developing
  collaborations) in order to formulate competitive
  grant applications.
• CAA established scientists to enhance career
  development and competitiveness (e.g., acquiring
  new tools, skills).

Contact Charles Nilon cnilon_at_nsf.gov Target
Date 5 July 2005
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Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Announcement NSF 00-139

• Supports training and research in the areas of
  biology and social, behavioral, and economic
  sciences
• Offers travel grants for graduate students to
  visit prospective sponsors
• Provides starter research grants for Fellows
• NSF hosts an annual meeting of Fellows and their
  mentors

Deadline December 6, 2004 Contact Carter
Kimsey, ckimsey_at_nsf.gov
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Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology
(UMEB)
Announcement NSF 03-585

• Research Mentoring Awards - proposals should
  emphasize factors that enable students from
  under-represented groups to enter and remain in
  environmental biology
• Travel Awards - awards to professional societies
  to enable them to bring undergraduates from
  under-represented groups to meetings

Contact Dr. Sally OConnor, soconnor_at_nsf.gov
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Agenda

• Organization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement
(CCLI)
Announcement NSF 05-559

• Division of Undergraduate Education
• Changed substantially for FY 2006 (and new
  deadlines)
• Phase 1, Exploratory Projects - up to 150,000
  (200,000 when 4-year and 2-year institutions
  collaborate) for 1 to 3 years
• Phase 2, Expansion Projects - up to 500,000 for
  2 to 4 years
• Phase 3, Comprehensive Projects - up to
  2,000,000 for 3 to 5 years.

Deadline Phase 1 May 17-19, 2005
Phase 2 3 January 24, 2006
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Agenda

• Organization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through
Synthesis
Announcement NSF 05-572
gtgtgt NEW ltltlt

• Encourage and provide the means to produce
  integrated analysis and interpretation of a body
  of research by an individual or team of
  investigators.
• Provide an account that chronicles how stages of
  research led to cohesive understanding.
• Generate a new level of insight that points to
  new directions in research.
• 6.5 months salary and fringe benefits for primary
  PI up to 25,000 non-PI salary costs, over 2
  years.

Contact Mark Courtney, mcourtne_at_nsf.gov
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Agenda

• Organization
• Ongoing Core Activities
• Emerging Frontiers
• Developing Expertise
• Increasing Diversity
• Instrumentation Resources
• Future Activities
• Proposal Preparation

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NSF Proposal Award Process Timeline
NSF Proposal Generating Document
Proposal Processing Unit
Research Education Communities
DD Concur
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The Proposal Cycle
Funded!
Declined
Revise
What next?
Write
Try again
Conceptualize
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NSF Merit Review Criteria

• Intellectual Merit
• Broader Impacts

• Any proposal that does NOT address both merit
  criteria
• in the Project Summary will be
• RETURNED WITHOUT REVIEW.

Grant Proposal Guide - http//nsf.gov/pubs/2004/ns
f042/start.htm
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NSFs Two Review Criteria

• What is the intellectual merit of the proposed
  activity?
• What are the broader impacts of the proposed
  activity?

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Intellectual Merit

• Potential to advance knowledge and understanding
  within and across fields
• Qualifications of investigators
• Creativity and originality
• Conceptualization and organization
• Strong potential for unambiguous results

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Broader Impacts

• Advancement of discovery and understanding while
  promoting teaching, training and learning (at any
  level)
• Participation of underrepresented groups,
  including students, scholars, and facilitators
  abroad
• Enhancement of infrastructure for research and
  education
• Dissemination of results to enhance scientific
  and technological understanding
• Benefits to society

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Hints for preparing an effective and compelling
proposal

• Be sure that the motivation for the project is
  clear and irresistable convince the reader and
  hook the panel
• Provide a thorough and up-to-date literature
  review
• Make it clear how your research will fill in a
  critical gap in our knowledge or understanding

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Hints for preparing an effective and compelling
proposal

• Test clear predictions or hypotheses
• Reveal mechanisms previously undetected or
  currently poorly understood
• Proposals to describe fundamental natural history
  or phenomena do not fare well
• Testing long-standing but inadequately tested
  predictions is fine testing new predictions is
  often even more compelling

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Hints for preparing an effective and compelling
proposal

• It must absolutely clear how your data will be
  used to test your predictions or to evaluate your
  hypotheses
• If your results are subject to alternative
  interpretations, describe them (dont ignore this
  possibility)

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Checklist

• Do you have all the expertise you need? (if not,
  consider collaborating)
• Is your experimental design robust? (e.g.,
  sufficient replication, appropriate controls,
  etc.)
• Is the analysis of your data carefully thought
  out and clearly-described
• Have you given the broader impacts section
  sufficient thought?
• Questions? Call a program director!

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Other Hints

• Persist -- many proposals are funded on their 3rd
  or even 4th submission
• Find collaborators with the expertise that you
  need to strengthen your proposal
• Really call your program director

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Please get to know your friendly NSF home page
http//www.nsf.gov
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BIO Homepage - http//www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?or
gBIO
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DEB Homepage - http//www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?di
vDEB
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NSF Needs You!
Program Officers
Division Directors
Ad hoc Reviewers
Advisory Panelists