1. Office of Research and Engagement Faculty Development Team
NSF CAREER Program
Office of Research and Engagement
Faculty Development Team
February 17, 2016

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES PROGRAM OVERVIEW PROPOSAL ELEMENTS REVIEW PROCESS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Office of Research & Engagement

3. Office of Research & Engagement
CAREER OVERVIEW:
“The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.”
Office of Research & Engagement

4. Office of Research & Engagement
PROGRAM GOALS:
Provide stable support for 5 years to allow career development of outstanding new teacher-scholars in the context of the mission of their organization.
Build a foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education.
Provide incentives to Universities to value the integration of research and education.
Increase participation of those traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering.
Office of Research & Engagement

5. Office of Research & Engagement
Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) :
Selects from among the most meritorious recent CAREER awardees based on two important criteria: 
innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology that is relevant to the mission of NSF, and
community service demonstrated through scientific leadership, education or community outreach.
Office of Research & Engagement

6. Office of Research & Engagement

7. SUBMISSIONS BY DIRECTORATE:
Office of Research & Engagement

8. SUCCESS RATE BY DIRECTORATE:
Office of Research & Engagement

9. Office of Research & Engagement
UT SUCCESS RATES:
YEAR
# PROPOSALS
# AWARDS
SUCCESS RATE
2010 17 4
22%
2011 16
2012 3
17%
2013 10 1 6%
2014 18
2015 21
**3+
???
**3 awards appear in NSF awards database,
all from the COE, all utilized FDT support!
Office of Research & Engagement

10. INVESTIGATOR ELIGIBILITY:
By the deadline for submission:
Hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by NSF;
Be untenured until October 1 following the deadline;
Have not previously received a CAREER award;
Be employed in a tenure-track (or equivalent) position as an assistant professor (by Oct 1st following deadline);
Have not had more than two CAREER proposals reviewed.
Untenured Associate Professors are NOT eligible.
Office of Research & Engagement

11. CAREER Proposal Elements:
A compelling research plan
An innovative but feasible education plan
A plan for effective integration of research and educational activities
Results of prior NSF support (if applicable)
Departmental Letter
Statements of collaboration if relevant
Appropriate proposal budget
Office of Research & Engagement

12. Office of Research & Engagement
CAREER Research Plan:
Place the work into context
Why is the proposed research important?
What has been done / what is known to date?
In what way(s) is the proposed work novel?
Provide some details for an expert reviewer
How do you plan to approach the problem(s) under study?
What will you do if the approach does not succeed?
Why does the project require five years of effort?
Office of Research & Engagement

13. CAREER Education Plan:
Activities should go beyond what is expected from any assistant professor in your field
Workload should not be unreasonable
Should be informed by what has been successful in the past -- intellectual merit of the education component
Should have a plan for assessing the success of the education program
Check with your Program Officer or search the abstracts on the web
Office of Research & Engagement

14. Office of Research & Engagement
Integration of Research and Education - All CAREER proposals must have an integrated research and education plan at their core.
Q: How will your research impact your education goals and how will your education activities feed back into your research?
Office of Research & Engagement

15. Involving others (graduate, undergraduates, K-12, high school teachers, public) in your research using new tools, laboratory methods, field components, web outreach, cyber networks, etc...
Partnering with those in other communities, especially those traditionally underrepresented in Sciences and Engineering
Bringing the excitement of your research topics to help in the education of others
Searching for new methods to deliver your research results to a broader audience than those in the immediate research community
Using the broader community to gather data for your scientific pursuits (“citizen science”)

16. The Department Letter (2 pages):
Support for the PI’s proposed CAREER research and education activities
Description of how the PI’s career goals and responsibilities mesh with that of the organization and department
Commitment to the professional development of the PI with mentoring and whatever is needed to forward the PI’s efforts to integrate research and education
Statement indicating that the PI is eligible for the CAREER program
Should not serve as a letter of recommendation or endorsement of the PI or the research project

17. Office of Research & Engagement
BUDGET:
Estimated Number of Awards: 400 per year
Anticipated Funding Amount: $222,000,000
Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), or the Division of Polar Programs (PLR): minimum of $500,000 for the 5-year duration (including indirect costs)
All others: minimum of $400,000 for the 5-year duration
Office of Research & Engagement

18. Office of Research & Engagement
BUDGET:
Support for senior personnel is allowed only for the PI's salary.
All other allowable costs are permitted, including funds for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduate students, summer salary, education or outreach activities, support for an evaluator, travel and subsistence expenses for the PI and U.S. participants when working abroad with foreign collaborators, and consultant expenses.
In some cases, it may be appropriate to include academic year salary support for the PI on a CAREER budget.
Office of Research & Engagement

19. NSF Merit Review Process:
All CAREER proposals a NSF require at least three external evaluations before the Program Officer can take an action to recommend or decline an award
Evaluation can be done by either:
Ad Hoc reviewers only
Panel Review only
Combination of both Ad Hoc and Panel Review
Office of Research & Engagement

20. VARIATIONS BY DIRECTORATE:
Merit Review -
Ad hoc plus Panel
Most of GEO (except AGS)
BIO and SBE
Primarily dedicated CAREER Panels
ENG, CISE, EHR
MPS varies by Division
AST: panel only
CHE, DMR: mix of ad hoc and panels
DMS: mostly panels
Office of Research & Engagement

21. REVIEWER SELECTION: The ad hoc/panel reviewers:
have specific content expertise
have general science or education expertise
Sources of ad hoc/panel reviewers:
Program Officer’s knowledge of the research area
References listed in proposal
Recent professional society programs
Computer searches of journal articles related to the proposal
Investigators are encouraged to:
Suggest persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal
Identify persons they would prefer not review the proposal 22

22. FIVE REVIEW ELEMENTS:
What is the potential for the proposed activity to:
advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts
Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success
How well qualified is the individual, team, or institution to conduct the proposed activities
Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home institution or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities? 23

23. BASIS FOR THE DECISION:
Peer Review
Content of the review is more important than rating
Program Officer analyzes: Fairness and substance of the reviews; any technical issues raised (can they be resolved swiftly and easily); reviewer’s enthusiasm for the project; any additional feedback from reviewers/panels or other program officers; sometimes also clarification from the PI if needed
Portfolio Balance
– Research and education topics and their integration; potential for transformative impact in both; priority or timeliness of the area of research and systems; demographics of the PI population and diversity of institution types; stage of the career development of the PI; international partnerships 24

24. REASONS FOR RETURN WITHOUT REVIEW:
Co-principal investigator(s) listed on the cover page
Departmental Letter is missing
The proposed work duplicates, or is substantially similar to, a proposal already under consideration by NSF from the same submitter
The proposal was previously declined and was not revised to take into account the major comments from the prior NSF review
Office of Research & Engagement

25. DEADLINES (full proposal):
July 20, 2016
Biological Sciences (BIO)
Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE)
Education & Human Resources (EHR)  
July 21, 2016
Engineering (ENG)  
July 22, 2016
Geosciences (GEO)
Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS)
Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE)  
Office of Research & Engagement

26. A Recent Success Story…

27. Office of Research & Engagement
RESOURCES:
Solicitation (15-555)
NSF CAREER website and FAQs
Program officers
Grantseekers Toolkit
Faculty Development Team
NSF CAREER recipients
Office of Research & Engagement

28. Office of Research & Engagement
WHAT NEXT?
Read the solicitation
Determine “readiness”
Contact a CAREER program contact
Let your department head know
Identify a SME to review your proposal
Start outlining your research and education plans
Sign up for an FDT Summer Writing Cohort
Office of Research & Engagement

29. Dr. Louise Nuttle, Director
Faculty Development Team
Office: (865)
Mobile: (423)
103 Blount Hall
Office of Research & Engagement