1. UPCOMING COMPETITIONS Kelvin Chu, Program Director, NSF EPSCoR PD/PA/EOD Meeting Arlington, Virginia 20 May 2013 1

2. Current and Upcoming Competitions RII Track-1 (NSF 13-549) RII Track-2 (NSF 13-509) RII Track-3 (NSF 13-553) 2

3. RII Track-1 (NSF 13-549) FY14 solicitation released 2 March 2013 Proposals due 6 August 2013 Changes from FY13 (NSF 12-563) Decrease in number of required elements; Emphasis on sustainability Emphasis on integration of students into research Emphasis on collaboration and partnerships 3

4. RII Track-1 (+) Panel Review Contact PDs 6-8 wks Proposals Received 2 wks Panel selection & proposal review by panelists and domain experts NSF Program Officer Review 6-8 wks Questions (if necessary) to PDs & PD Response Evaluation Directors Review Board 2-3 wks DRB Analyses PD Informed of Decision DGA Award 30 days Decline Decision Total time for review process for a successful proposal is approximately 6 months 4 wks POs Finalize Rec. Finalize recommendations and budget negotiations

5. RII Track-1 (++) Target dates: White paper due – July 2013 Proposals due – August 2013 Panel review (6-8 weeks) – October 2013 Communication to PDs (2 weeks) – November 2013 EPSCoR office and Director’s Review Board (6-8 weeks) – February 2014 PD informed of decision (2-3 weeks) – March 2014 Formalize recommendations (4 weeks) – April 2014 Recommendation processing to DGA – May 2014 Target award start date – June 2014 5

6. RII Track-2 (NSF 13-509) Consortia of EPSCoR jurisdictions Promote collaborations in all areas of science, engineering, and education supported by the NSF 6

7. RII Track-2 (+) FY13 competition: Eligibility: Track-2 expires before 1 September 2013 or no current Track-2; Due: 30 January 2013. Estimated number of awards: up to 4 FY14 competition: Eligibility: Track-2 expires before 1 October 2013 or no current Track-2 Due: last Wednesday in January (29 Jan 2014). 7

8. RII Track-2 (++) Potential Target dates 7 January 2013 - 1-page white papers due. 30 January 2013 – Proposals due. Nine proposals received. April 2013 – Panel review June 2013 – Merit review processing July 2013 – Actions to DGA August 2013 – Award target date 8 ✔ ✔ ✔

9. RII Track-3 (NSF 13-553) Proposals due 10 July 2013 $750,000 total over 5 years Broaden participation of underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields supported by NSF (underrepresented minorities, women, persons with disability and those in underserved rural regions of the nation) Projects should demonstrate novel and effective strategic approaches for inclusiveness in S&E that can be adapted and replicated nationally. 9

10. Feedback from FY13 to strengthen future proposals Research topics Some plans for research activities need to “incubated” longer to be viable for RII phase. Some plans may require a larger cohort of researchers in place to develop a successful proposal. Reviewers need specifics in order to evaluate if activities are well-planned and achievable. 10

11. Feedback + Project Elements Integration of project elements: Research needs to be integrated into education and other project elements. Evaluation and Assessment: Formative and summative evaluation plans are not outlined. No metrics for measuring outputs and outcomes. 11

12. Feedback ++ Consortia (Track-2 specific) Unbalanced consortia/partnerships: need to demonstrate consortium is well-positioned to produce results that cannot be obtained by any single partner working independently 12

13. Feedback +++ Writing Avoid repetitive, verbose writing. Avoid jargon (when possible). Final editing and rewriting should create logical and literary flow. 13

14. Thank you! 14