National Science Foundation (NSF) January 19, 2010 Kellie Buss Kim Codere Pete Larsen Carol 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

NSF Search

Finding Funding NSF Guide to Programs – Compilation of funding opportunities by program areas – sp sp Upcoming Due Dates – Key due dates at NSF for the current year –

Special Solicitation Examples Research Experience for Undergraduates REU Faculty 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 – – Pagination, Margin and Spacing Requirements – Budget requirements – Other requirements (biosketch, current & pending support, etc.) Solicitation Contact Relevant Program Officers See 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 s/FastLane_Help/pd_pi_functions/pd_pi_func tions.pdf

FastLane - Getting Started SPO has the responsibility for: Registering FastLane Users Contact: Jennifer Bukovich or Signing and Submitting Proposals Organization Registration Michigan Tech

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 Forms Facilities, 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 Forms Budget 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

Acknowledgment of Receipt Confirmation Sent to PI PI can Access Proposal in Fastlane

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 Program Officers Debate Merits of Each Proposal Post-Panel Recommendations Depends Upon Budget (cost of proposal vs. money available) For Proposals Reviewed Jointly, Program Officers Barter EPSCoR Funding May be Sought

Tips Use NSF Website Plan Ahead Befriend Your Program Officer Get FeedbackBe 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 – 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 ed to SPO The NOA includes: Applicable grant conditions Budget

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

Annual Progress Report Submit 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?