NSF Research Opportunities For Social Scientists

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NSF Research OpportunitiesFor Social Scientists

• Harold Clarke
• Ashbel Smith Professor
• University of Texas at Dallas and
• University of Essex
• Former NSF Division Director,
• Social and Economic Sciences

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NSF in a Nutshell

• Discipline-based structure
• Cross-disciplinary mechanisms
• Mix of Permanent Visiting Staff

• Independent Agency
• Supports basic research
• Natural Social Sciences
• Uses grant mechanism

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Why You Might Want NSF Funding

• Funds basic research
• Funds both theory development data collection
• Funds infrastructure development everything
  from submarines to software
• Provides summer salary support
• Funds doctoral dissertation research
• Program Development Opportunities

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Office of the Director
Directorate for Social, Behavioral Economic
Sciences
Social and Economic Sciences
Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
Science Resources Statistics
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Opportunities

• Unsolicited competitions
• Special initiatives (e.g., Democratization)
• Rapid response research (RAPID)
• Early concept grants for exploratory research
  (EAGER)
• CAREER grants
• Doctoral dissertation improvement grants

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Social and Economic Sciences

• FY09 Program Allocations (millions of dollars)
• Cross-Directorate Activities 3.8
• Decision, Risk, Management Sciences 7.5
• Economics 25.8
• Innovation and Organizational Sciences 3.4
• Law and Social Science 5.1
• Methodology, Measurement Statistics 4.0
• Political Science 9.9
• Science and Society 8.9
• Sociology 9.5

Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic
Sciences
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Where to Start?

• www.nsf.gov
• Check awards by program, keyword, etc.
  www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/
• Read solicitation carefully (if not unsolicited
  competition)
• Download Grant Proposal Guide
• Contact Program Officer once you have formed and
  organized your ideas

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SES Target Dates
January 15 August 15 Law and Social
Science Political Science Sociology January 16
August 16 Methodology, Measurement, and
Statistics January 18 August 18 Decision,
Risk, Management Sciences Economics February
1 August 1 Science and Society February 2
September 3 Innovation and Organizational
Sciences
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Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program

• Untenured faculty (or comparable)
• Single scholar award
• 400,000, 5-years minimum award
• Three proposals lifetime limit
• July 1 deadline
• High expectations

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Rapid Response Research (RAPID)

• Research when data are ephemeral, e.g. study
  impact of stimulus package
• 200,000 maximum 1 year
• 5 page project description
• Internal review only
• Contact program officer first

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Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research
(EAGER)

• Exploratory work on untested, potentially
  transformative ideas
• High-risk, high-potential payoff
• 300,000 maximum 2 years
• Eight page description
• Internal review only
• Contact program officer first

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Dear Colleague Letter Example Integrating HSD
Goals into Core SBE Programs

• Complexity Science
• Large-scale Interdisciplinary Research
• Infrastructure

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Proposal Process
Returned as Inappropriate/Withdrawn
Award via DGA
Proposal Processing Unit
NSF Program Officer
Decline
Organization
Proposal received by NSF
Div. Dir. Concur
Award
4 months
30 days
DGA Review Processing of Award
Proposal Preparation Time
Review of Proposal P.O. Recommend

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Finding Reviewers

• Program Officers knowledge
• References listed in the proposal
• Google online data bases
• Reviewers recommendations
• Investigators suggestions

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Human Subjects

• No award for a project involving human subjects
  can be made without prior Institutional Review
  Board (IRB) approval of the research activity.
• IRB approval is not needed at the time of
  proposal submission.

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Funding Decision Process

• Program Officer decision
• Feedback to PI
• If Your Proposal is Recommended
• Scope of Work Budget Discussions
• Division Director Concur (typically yes)
• Formal notification of Recommendation

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Two Funding Criteria

• Intellectual merit
• Broader impacts
• Both are Important intellectual merit is
  necessary but not sufficient

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Intellectual Merit

• NSF funds basic research
• NSF funds basic research
• Intellectual merit means increasing knowledge
  through developing and testing theories,
  gathering data relevant to theory testing,
  developing methods relevant to theory testing
• Leading-edge science

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Broader Impacts

• Promote teaching, training and learning
• Broaden participation of underrepresented groups
  (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geography)
• Enhance infrastructure for research and
  education, e.g., facilities, instrumentation
• Disseminate results broadly to bolster scientific
  and technological understanding
• Benefit society

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Budget Tips

• Amounts
• Reasonable for work Realistic Dont be
  greedy!
• Well Justified -- Need established (Do You Really
  Need 9 Trips to Paris?)
• In-line with program guidelines
• Eligible costs
• Personnel
• Equipment
• Travel
• Other Direct Costs, Subawards
• Facilities Administrative Costs

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Some Urban Legends about the NSF

• Only funds scholars at elite graduate
  institutions
• Only funds famous academics
• Once declined, you are likely always to be
  declined
• Only funds normal science
• Only funds American topics
• Panels make funding decisions

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Reasons for Declinations

• Trust-me proposal (Im a bright person!)
• Expertise gaps
• Too Expensive (Program budgets are small!)
• Incremental contribution
• Competition, Competition.
• Bad luck
• Unhappy with Decision? You are not alone!

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NSF and the ARRA (Stimulus Package)

• NSF - Total Stimulus Package 3 billion
• SES - Total Stimulus Package 41 million
• Very closely monitored (priorities - CAREERS, 1st
  time investigators, review very well)
• ARRA ONE-SHOT!
• Back to regular business in 2010

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How SES Spent the ARRA

• SES initially given 27 million
• Clarke-Scioli Experiment - 8
  1 shares (DD strategic reserve)
• Can Small Programs Do More 1st Rate Science?
• Yes!
• Additional Competitions as became available
• e.g., Political Science - 4.5 million

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Advice

• Study Important Topics
• Study Interesting Topics (Don't be boring!)
• Team up with smart people
• Team up with creative people
• Being interdisciplinary helps
• Critically review your own proposal before you
  hit the send button!

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Questions?
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National Science Foundation
Director Deputy Director
National Science Board
Inspector General
Staff Offices
Computer Information Science Engineering
Mathematics Physical Sciences
Biological Sciences
Engineering
Geosciences
Social, Behavioral Economic Sciences
Budget, Finance Award Management
Information Resource Management
Education Human Resources
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Restrictions, Monitoring

• In-House Proposals From Fall 2008 Spring 2009
  Rounds
• Priorities -gt
• CAREERS
• First-Time Investigators
• RAPIDS EAGERS
• Dissertations
• Closely Monitored