Edwin H. Abbott Senior Associate, CDI RESEARCH CENTERS DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS NORTH DAKOTA, APRIL 14 and 15, 2005 An EPSCoR Foundation Initiative Funded by the National Science Foundation Helping EPSCoR Teams Develop Research Centers

As a Senior Associate in The Centers Development Initiative, I have now worked with many individuals and organizations engaged in seeking funding from NSF for a Center. My comments are directed to scientists and engineers who want to develop a successful Centers type proposal and to their University administrators who seek to catalyze the process. Centers Proposal Development

Experience with Developing Major NSF Centers at EPSCoR Institutions MRSEC: Center for Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ERC: Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, University of Kansas STC: Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas

Two common errors: 1.“My friends and I want more money to do more of what we are currently doing” 2. Potential PI’s spend too much time getting the scientific arguments just right and do not spend enough time on one or more things that are essential ingredients for a center.

Do you have the right PI and participants? 1.The PI will be a prominent person of senior rank with ongoing NSF support and a steady stream of publications. 2.The senior participants will have a history of NSF support and a steady stream of publications in good journals. 3.There should be substantial participation by junior faculty who show promise of being future leaders. A Hard Decision: There are cases where the prime mover is not adequately credentialed to be the PI. Solution: There are other roles for such people and a properly credentialed PI must be found.

Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts PI’s and Participants that are adequately credentialed should all be able to assemble a proposal that merits funding for its scientific merit. The broader impacts of the plan will be a determining factor among many proposals of high scientific merit.

The “Big Picture” Crucial “Big Picture” ingredients of a proposal with strong Broader Impacts: A theme that is not just good science but is also timely and strategic. Synergy among the participants so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. There must be a compelling reason to form a center to attack this problem and the participants that have been marshaled must be the best people in the most strategic locations to do the work.

Four key parts: –Education –Diversity –Outreach –Knowledge Transfer Each part must be made more successful because things the other parts bring to the table. (Synergy again). Proposed activities should be based on past achievements and strategic location. Making the Whole Bigger than the Sum of the Parts

The task of assembling a Center is enormous. It is very hard for the PI to maintain objectivity and credibility among the participants. Difficult problems can better be addressed through an ongoing interaction with external, unbiased individuals who have no stake in the structure of the Center. Outside Consultants

1.Expect the process to take years and two or more submissions. 2.Don’t try to read the tea leaves – read the guidelines!! Start with a checklist. 3.The Center PI must recognize that they are not going to do more science themselves and they must find satisfaction in the broader impacts of the Center. 4.Don’t expect the reviewers to have a preconceived notion of what your Center should look like – make the case for what you believe in. A Few More Comments…