National Science Foundation (NSF)

(CLOSED) NSF-23-608: Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention Phase II (PIPP Phase II Centers Program)

Slots: 1. An organization may submit no more than one Letter of Intent to this solicitation as lead organization. An organization may submit up to one full proposal that corresponds to a Letter of Intent submitted to this solicitation. A full proposal that does not correspond to a Letter of Intent submitted to the program will be returned without review.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: ~~Research Deans to contact RII with any interested parties by Monday, July 31st, 2023.~~ Closed.

LOI: August 25, 2023 (required)

External Deadline: December 8, 2023

Award Information

Award Type: Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 4 to 7

Anticipated Award Amount: $126,500,000

Who May Serve as PI:

The Lead PI must be a faculty member or equivalent at the lead organization. A letter of commitment from the Dean or equivalent at the lead organization must be submitted as part of the proposal given the broad focus of the centers.

NOTE: Submission or award of a Development Grant (PIPP Phase I) is not required to participate in the PIPP Phase II Centers Program competition

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23608/nsf23608.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

Building on visioning exercises and the PIPP Phase I Development Grant Program, the PIPP Phase II program will fund Centers comprised of scientists, engineers, practitioners, and/or educators united by a common focus on advancing the research frontiers of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and national and global health security. The program seeks to build a broad, nationwide set of centers to pursue transformational advances in a range of science and engineering fields – see Center Themes, below. PIPP Phase II Centers will have as their primary focus the advancement of multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder pandemic research on larger-scale, longer-time-horizon challenges than are supported in typical research grants.

Against this broad and ambitious scope, it is expected that each Center will pursue their vision in ways that are best suited to its selected research focus, facilities, collaborations, and other unique circumstances. Proposers are encouraged to convey the unique qualities of the proposed Center, while addressing the following:

Centers are coherent multidisciplinary groups of scientists, engineers, practitioners, and/or educators appropriate for a large-scale, long-term research agenda for the advancement of pandemic research and innovation in application sectors of national importance. The multidisciplinary nature of these Centers will catalyze coordinated, convergent, and nimble responses to pandemics and pandemic research needs that are not hindered by silos and lack of shared data. Additionally, the individual projects that a Center may carry out should meaningfully integrate into fundamental contributions beyond the sum of the individual projects.
PIPP Phase II Centers innovate and advance foundational research that will have broad and lasting impact, contributing new knowledge or methods toward understanding the rise, spread and response to pandemics (see the program vision specified above). Centers aimed at advancing established lines of research should demonstrate the potential to radically advance these areas beyond the state of the art. For Phase II Center proposals that arise from a PIPP Phase I Development grant, proposals are expected to address how new foundational research and development priorities arose and advanced from previous funding. PIPP Phase II Center proposals that do not describe a clear plan to achieve ambitious advances in foundational research will not be responsive to this solicitation. It is critical that proposals clearly specify how the use-inspired context for Center research reveals the opportunities for foundational advances and how those foundational advances in turn contribute to the related sectors that define the use-inspired context. This dimension of a center-scale proposal will feature clear and compelling goals to enhance the transfer of knowledge through the meaningful exchange of scientific and technical information with external stakeholders such as industrial partners, public policy makers and users, or international organizations, as well as with the broader scientific and educational community. Through use-inspired contexts, Centers have the potential to create and share new community infrastructure, including data and software and/or analytical capacity, to further research, promote data and research reproducibility, and support education.
PIPP Phase II Centers actively build the next generation of talent for a diverse, well-trained workforce. Specifically, a Center should leverage the visionary nature of their research foci to drive new and innovative education and development tailored toward e.g., undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers, as well as through community colleges and skilled technical workforce training and other opportunities as appropriate that advance knowledge and education of pandemic related research. This could include innovative pedagogy, curricula and instructional materials, advanced learning technologies, project-driven training, cross- disciplinary and collaborative research, industry partnerships, and new career pathways. Centers should offer broad, deep, and diverse experiences to build the next generation of a workforce ready to deal with pandemic threats, with a focus on broadening participation among the full range of groups currently under-represented in science and engineering. Centers should maximize their unique position to grow the next generation of talent that will provide new discoveries and leadership.
Each Center will be comprised of multiple organizations/entities working together to create significant new research capabilities. NSF seeks to grow new Centers of pandemic research leadership throughout the country and encourages leveraging existing Centers of excellence as appropriate. Centers are strongly encouraged to include organizations that directly contribute to NSF’s commitment to broadening participation by engaging a diverse, globally engaged research community, integrating research with education and building capacity, and expanding efforts to include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM and diverse institutions across all geographical regions. Participants should be meaningfully integrated into a diverse Center. Each Center will have a lead PI with demonstrated vision, experience, and capacity to manage a complex, multi-faceted, and innovative enterprise that integrates research, education, broadening participation, and knowledge transfer. Each Center will also be staffed with a Managing Director or Project Manager (distinct from the lead PI) and a suitable Management Team to oversee the operations of the Center.
PIPP Phase II Centers are nexus points for collaborative efforts. The “nexus point” function in this program is not a mere state of being, but rather an active set of priorities, programs, mechanisms, etc., whereby a Center pursues the continuing growth of collaborations with external partners to bring together people, ideas, problems, and technical approaches for maximum impact beyond the members and the boundaries of the Center itself. As nexus points, Centers have the potential to continue to connect with new partners with the best teams and approaches from institutions of higher education, federal agencies, industry, nonprofits/foundations, centers/institutes, and national networks. As nexus points, Centers promote organizational collaborations and linkages within and between campuses, schools, and the world beyond, and further the Center’s mission to broaden participation in research, education, and knowledge transfer activities through a network of partners and affiliates.

Center Themes

Building on previous visioning exercises and funding opportunities through the PIPP Phase I Developmental Grant effort, in this round, proposals are being solicited in the following high-priority areas, described below. The descriptions for each theme are only intended to provide a broad, principal focus, they are not exhaustive reviews of respective fields. Also, while each theme has a clear center of gravity in some disciplines, successful Center-scale proposals will integrate and innovate across all relevant areas of environmental, biological, chemical, physical, materials, social, behavioral, economic, mathematical, computer and information science and engineering science, and reflect this in balanced expertise on the team of collaborators and participants. Full proposal submissions MUST identify as a principal focus one of the themes described below. This principal theme must be reflected in the Title of the Project. However, the themes below are not mutually exclusive, and it is expected that connectivity exists between themes.

Theme 1: Pre-emergence – Predicting and detecting rare events in complex, dynamical Systems

Natural and social systems are dynamic, stochastic, nonlinear, multi-scale and complex, making both the theoretical prediction and modeling of its states challenging. Some examples in a predictive context include: epidemiological transitions from a pre-emergence stage to localized emergence (epidemic) and/or a pandemic; transition of an individual or a community from resistant to susceptible to disease; transition of a microbe from harmless to pathogenic.

Usually, these systems spend protracted periods of time in various metastable states and only very rarely, and at seemingly random times, transition to other states, often producing effects that cross spatial and organismal scales in the process. Predicting the dynamics of such systems across scales requires the development of frameworks of contextual predictive intelligence to understand how transition paths interact with a series of additional and often seemingly unrelated events and/or dynamic variables.

One challenge to innovation in data-driven and contextual predictive intelligence for pandemics is the need to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based computational approaches that meaningfully analyze multiple biological data points (e.g., from bio-surveillance, host-pathogen interactions, at scale ecology) to timely (real-time, just-in-time) identify events that are biologically relevant and significant for pandemics. This will require robust mathematical and physical models, and new biologically-cognizant computational approaches to (1) detect and analyze data that are being collected continuously and across scales, and (2) identify the key events (which may appear unrelated at the onset) that precede pandemics. Another, related challenge is the integration of data-driven approaches with mechanistic models to facilitate our understanding of the biological underpinnings of the complex process of emergence. This will require integrating molecular to environmental scale data and models, with novel computational systems to identify biological, environmental, and/or sociological drivers of rare events and transition states that influence emergence.

Theme 2: Data, AI/Machine Learning and Design – Computing, sensing, manufacturing and technology innovation for pandemics

With the current and emerging challenges of increased spill-over risk of pathogens it is important that a paradigm shift occurs in how pathogens and diseases are identified across ecosystems and hosts in either real time, or times well ahead of outbreaks (see Theme 1 above). This shift involves improving the granularity and timeliness of available epidemiological information, with hybrid systems augmenting rather than supplanting traditional surveillance systems. On the data collection and information integration domain, most available technologies are designed for humans. Move towards new ideas to develop methods and devices grounded in advances of wireless technologies, computing software and hardware, algorithms, and machine learning that enable data monitoring, acquisition, and analysis for animal hosts and humans is warranted. We envision that information gained on changes in animal behavior and welfare, physiology, or range to intelligently and timely identify pre-pandemic conditions.

Another critical area of research to enhance prediction is in computational algorithms and frameworks for processing, analyzing, and modeling data to enable inference of difficult-to-measure information and integration of traditional computing and biological computing platforms. This highlights the effort needed to connect measurable with difficult/unmeasurable (observable versus unobservable) biological events/characteristics/processes for pre-emergence forecasting of pandemics. Progress in biological sensor technologies, in-situ sensors, and smart sensor networks to record difficult-to-measure or track in near real time cellular and molecular-scale effects as well as to monitor biological systems at all scales is critical. Monitoring systems at a higher level for effective and comprehensive disease emergence and spread prediction/analysis could benefit from coordinated solutions of in-situ detection, computation, and decision by networked sensors, actuators and processors, and physical processes, together with cybersystems (such ecosystems could be modeled as cyber-physical systems) of simulated events where the interactions between levels and systems can be simulated to enhance, understand, and generate empirically based policy. An important challenge and opportunity to advance in this field calls for a continuous and iterative feedback loop between simulated and real worlds, which must happen in either real time or at relevant time scales.

The development and strengthening of computational methods and process of data collection, analysis, storage, curation, and analytics, along with a “model commons” serving as a repository of leading-edge modeling and simulation about pathogens and pandemic disease is the basis for a successful predictive intelligence for pandemic prevention program. On the other hand, the increasing number of available models and the lack of best practices in coordination, integration and data sharing are major roadblocks in the development of the field. This solicitation calls for a clearly rationalized research plan that addresses these concerns at all steps in the design of computing and networked systems/infrastructure for predictive intelligence for pandemic prevention.

Theme 3: The Host as the Universe – Identifying host-pathogen tipping points that dictate control or spread of an infection

The host can be the bottleneck or the amplifier of a pathogen. The outcome of infection may change in the face of pathogen mutation and/or changes in the host environment. A concerted research effort spanning multiple research areas is required to understand the basis for host control in the spread of an infection under these changing conditions. Research submitted under this theme is expected to pursue critical aspects of molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms that dictate the outcome of host-pathogen interactions, including disease outbreaks. This foundational knowledge could be exploited to inform insights to control or predict pathogen emergence, identify new therapeutics or vaccines, or predict and understand the emergence and maintenance of antimicrobial resistance.

A game-changer in pandemic prevention would be remote sensors that autonomously track and report on pathogens and their hosts in situ over time and space. Remote tools and technologies for detecting and monitoring changes in biological systems and processes that are also capable of analyzing and transmitting information from hosts could make possible the discovery of potential for outbreaks prior to society-scale dissemination. Although genome sequencing is now ubiquitous it remains difficult to use this sequence (or other -omics based methods) to accurately predict hosts for a new pathogen, or to detect transmission and amplification routes of a new pathogen. This challenge could be overcome by advances in engineering and in computational algorithms and frameworks for processing, analyzing and modeling data.

Molecular-level information exists about host responses to infection and about the bio-synthetic pathways required for a pathogen to survive in a specific host. This information can be leveraged to develop therapeutic and diagnostic tools. There is still a gap in understanding how these functions occur temporally and in concert within the entire host organism, and the hierarchy of mechanisms that result in control or spread of an infection within an individual and throughout homo- and heterogeneous hosts. An opportunity to advance in this field is developing mathematical and computational models that accurately predict infection outcomes from sub-cellular events.

Theme 4: Human Systems – The role of human behavior, activities and environment in disease emergence, transmission, response and mitigation.

The devastating human, economic, and social costs of the recent pandemic have highlighted the urgent need for coordinated research and actions to build resilient systems for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Central to the development of resilient systems is a recognition of the role that humans and their environments play in disease and pandemic dynamics and an understanding of the complex behavior of humans at individual, group, organizational, societal, and global scales.

For the purpose of this solicitation, the term environment is broadly construed, it may include biological, physical and chemical components, and may consider a continuum of environments from those with very limited human populations (e.g., “natural” environments) to those in which human systems and processes fully dominate (e.g. cities, built environments). Research that meaningfully incorporates social and behavioral processes in epidemiological models relevant to human systems and environments is particularly critical.

Center projects submitted to this theme will therefore advance science and engineering research on human systems that are relevant to improved pandemic prevention and resilience. It is expected that research in this theme will be necessarily interdisciplinary and explore aspects of how human cognition, behavior and attitudes, and the sociocultural and socio-environmental drivers underlying these, contribute to disease emergence, transmission and mitigation. Research under this theme must address human behavior and/or social processes, and projects may, but need not, focus on human pathogens or human hosts. Understanding the human impact will also allow for the development and optimization of high impact methods for disease surveillance/prevention/suppression/containment/mitigation protocols. Examples of broad areas of focus that leverage and advance foundational research in science and engineering and support use-inspired goals include, but are not limited to: investigating how the environment and/or human attitudes, beliefs, decisions, and activity patterns contribute to disease transmission and affect pandemic resilience and responses; understanding the processes in water, soil, and/or air that trigger or amplify pathogen spread in human environments; understanding the role of organizations and policymakers in communicating disease risk, coordinating across stakeholders, shaping research efforts, and planning and implementing disease mitigation protocols; and utilizing and advancing sociocultural and economic models and theories about the ethical and logistical trade-offs between human health/privacy and economic/societal health in order to optimize disease prevention and mitigation strategies.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

NSF-23-527: NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)

Slots: Two.

An institution may submit up to two proposals (either as a single institution or as a subawardee or a member of an inter-institutional consortia project (lead or co-lead) for a given S-STEM deadline. Multiple proposals from an institution must not overlap with regard to S-STEM eligible disciplines. See Additional Eligibility Information below for more details (see IV. Eligibility Information).

Institutions with a current S-STEM award should wait at least until the end of the third year of execution of their current award before submitting a new S-STEM proposal focused on students pursuing degrees in the same discipline(s).

The above restrictions do not apply to collaborative planning grant proposals.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: ~~Friday, October 13, 2023, 5pm PT~~ Contact RII.

External Deadline: February 20, 2024 for Tracks 2, 3, & Collaborative Planning Grants; March 28, 2024 for Track 1 proposals

Recurring Deadlines: For Tracks 2, 3, & Collaborative Planning Grants: Third Tuesday in February, Annually Thereafter;

March 28, 2024 for Track 1 proposals and Fourth Thursday in March, Annually Thereafter

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 50-90

Anticipated Award Amount: $80,000,000 to $120,000,000

Awards for Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) projects may not exceed $1,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Awards for Track 2 (Implementation: Single Institution) projects may not exceed $2,500,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Awards for Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia) projects may not exceed $5,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Collaborative Planning projects may not exceed $100,000 for a maximum duration of 1 year.

Who May Serve as PI:

For Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) and Track 2 (Implementation: Single Institution) projects, the Principal Investigator must be (a) a faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline, or (b) an academic administrator who has taught in an S-STEM eligible discipline in the past two years. The Principal Investigator must be able to provide the leadership and time required to ensure the success of the project. Projects involving more than one department within an institution are eligible, but a single Principal Investigator must accept overall management and leadership responsibility. Faculty from all departments involved need to have roles in the project as either Co-Principal Investigators, senior personnel or scholar mentors. Other members of the S-STEM project senior leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators.

For Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia) projects, the Principal Investigator must be (a) a faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline, (b) an academic administrator who has taught an S-STEM eligible discipline in the past two years, or (c) a non-teaching institutional, educational, or social science researcher investigating questions related to low-income student success. The Principal Investigator must be able to provide the leadership and time required to ensure the success of the project. Track 3 consortium proposals must have a Principal Investigator who accepts overall management and leadership responsibility across all consortia members. Faculty from all institutions and departments involved need to have roles in the project as either Co-Principal investigators, senior personnel or scholar mentors. Other members of the S-STEM project senior leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators or as Principal Investigators on collaborative research proposals.

Collaborative Planning grants are intended to help a collection of institutions plan for a future Inter-institutional Track 3 proposal. For Collaborative Planning grants, the Principal Investigator must be (a) a faculty member teaching in any S-STEM eligible discipline, or (b) a STEM administrator (department head or above) at one of the institutions within the envisioned inter-institutional consortia, or (c) a non-teaching institutional, educational, or social science researcher investigating questions related to low-income student success. The Principal Investigator on a Collaborative Planning grant must demonstrate the capacity to convene and lead a team of inter-institutional S-STEM eligible faculty, social science or educational researchers, and administrators focused on low-income student success to write the desired proposal in a 1-year timeframe

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23527/nsf23527.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Purpose

The main goal of the S-STEM program is to enable low-income students with academic ability, talent or potential to pursue successful careers in promising STEM fields. Ultimately, the S-STEM program seeks to increase the number of low-income students who graduate with a S-STEM eligible degree and contribute to the American innovation economy with their STEM knowledge. Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to institutions of higher education (IHEs) not only to fund scholarships, but also to adapt, implement, and study evidence-based curricular and co-curricular[1] activities that have been shown to be effective supporting recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM.

Social mobility for low-income students with academic potential is even more crucial than for students that enjoy other economic support structures. Hence, social mobility cannot be guaranteed unless the scholarship funds the pursuit of degrees in areas where rewarding jobs are available after graduation with an undergraduate or graduate degree.

The S-STEM program encourages collaborations, including but not limited to partnerships among different types of institutions; collaborations of S-STEM eligible faculty, researchers, and academic administrators focused on investigating the factors that affect low-income student success (e.g., institutional, educational, behavioral and social science researchers); and partnerships among institutions of higher education and business, industry, local community organizations, national labs, or other federal or state government organizations, as appropriate.

Scholars must be domestic low-income students, with academic ability, talent or potential and with demonstrated unmet financial need who are enrolled in an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree program in an S-STEM eligible discipline. Proposers must provide an analysis that articulates the characteristics and academic needs of the population of students they are trying to serve. NSF is particularly interested in supporting the attainment of degrees in fields identified as critical needs for the Nation. Many of these fields have high demand for training professionals that can operate at the convergence of disciplines and include but are not limited to quantum computing and quantum science, robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, computer science, data science and computational science applied to other frontier STEM areas and other STEM or technology fields in urgent need of domestic professionals. It is up to the proposer to make a compelling case that a field is a critical need field in the United States.

S-STEM Eligible Degree Programs

Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Engineering, and Associate of Applied Science
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Applied Science
Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Engineering
Doctoral

S-STEM Eligible Disciplines

Disciplinary fields in which research is funded by NSF, with the following exceptions:
1. Clinical degree programs, including medical degrees, nursing, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, and others not funded by NSF, are ineligible degrees.
2. Business school programs that lead to Bachelor of Arts or Science in Business Administration degrees (BABA/BSBA/BBA) are not eligible for S-STEM funding.
3. Masters and Doctoral degrees in Business Administration are also excluded.
Technology fields associated with the S-STEM-eligible disciplines (e.g., biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology).

Proposers are strongly encouraged to contact Program Officers before submitting a proposal if they have questions concerning degree or disciplinary eligibility.

The S-STEM program particularly encourages proposals from 2-year institutions, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and urban, suburban and rural public institutions.

[1] an activity at a school or college pursued in addition to the normal course of study.

Description of Program Tracks: The following sections describe each track differences:

Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building)

Track 1 projects seek to increase the participation of institutions that have never had an award from the S-STEM program or the STEM Talent Expansion (STEP) program. This requirement applies to the institution as a whole. One S-STEM or STEP award to any department or school within the institution makes the entire institution ineligible for a Track 1 award.

Track 1 projects must be led by a PI who is (a) a faculty member currently teaching in one of the S-STEM eligible disciplines being pursued by the targeted scholars, or (b) an academic administrator who has taught in one of the eligible disciplines within the two years prior to submission and can dedicate the time necessary to assure project success. The PI must be a member of the proposed project’s leadership and management team. The leadership and management team should also include a STEM administrator (department head or above). Faculty members from all departments or academic units involved should have a role in the project either as Co-PIs, senior personnel, or scholar mentors. The project team could include, if appropriate, a non-teaching institutional, educational, or social science researcher to support evidence-based responses to items raised by the external evaluator through formative evaluation. This additional researcher cannot take the place of the external evaluator.

Track 1 proposals may also include a focus on student transfer or progression to graduate school. In this case, if needed, two or more institutions could partner.

Track 1 proposals may request up to $750,000 total for up to 6 years.

Track 2 (Implementation: Single Institution)

Track 2 proposals have the same S-STEM goals as Track 1 proposals. They generally involve and benefit only one institution, but they will serve more scholars than Track 1 proposals. Any IHE (as described under the eligibility section) can submit a Track 2 proposal, whether or not the institution has received prior S-STEM or STEP awards.

Track 2 proposals may, in some cases, also include a focus on student transfer or progression to graduate school. In this case, if needed, two or more institutions could partner.

Track 2 projects must be led by a PI who is (a) a faculty member currently teaching in one of the S-STEM eligible disciplines being pursued by the targeted scholars, or (b) an academic administrator who has taught in one of the eligible disciplines in the last two years from submission and can dedicate the time necessary to assure project success. The PI must be a member of the proposed project’s leadership and management team. The leadership and management team should also include a STEM administrator (department head or above). Faculty members from all departments or academic units involved should have a role in the project either as Co-PIs, senior personnel, or scholar mentors. The project team could include, if appropriate, a non-teaching institutional, educational, or social science researcher to support evidence-based responses to items raised by the external evaluator through formative evaluation. This additional researcher cannot take the place of the external evaluator.

Proposals for Track 2 may request up to $1,500,000 total for up to 6 years.

Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia)

Track 3 projects support multi-institutional collaborations that focus on a common interest or challenge. For example, a collaboration among community colleges and four-year institutions may focus on issues associated with successful transfer of low-income students from 2-year institutions to 4-year programs. In another example, a multi-institutional collaboration may focus on investigating factors, such as self-efficacy or identity, which contribute to the success or degree attainment of domestic, low-income students in different types of institutions.

Proposals with a strong focus on the transfer or advancement of students from one educational level to another should collaborate with appropriate institutional partners. For example, proposals focused on the transfer of students from 2-year institutions to 4-year institutions should include faculty and administrators from 2-year institutions and 4-year institutions in the leadership team; likewise, proposals focusing on the advancement of undergraduate students at predominately undergraduate institutions to graduate programs should include institutions, administrators and Co-PIs representing both the undergraduate programs and the receiving graduate programs.

Track 3 projects have the same overall goals as Track 1 and 2 projects but seek to accomplish these goals at a very large scale by leveraging multi-institutional efforts and infrastructure. In addition to the expectations stated in section II.B.2 for all tracks, Track 3 projects are expected to:

Establish an authentic, strong and mutually beneficial collaboration across all institutions involved in the consortia, providing comparable benefits to all institutions in terms of number of scholarships as well as in the infrastructure established to serve low-income students;
Establish strong technical assistance and processes that support and manage project activities across institutions involved in the collaborative effort.
Engage in high quality research to advance understanding of how to adapt, implement and scale up effective evidence-based programs and practices designed to foster positive outcomes for low-income students in STEM.

NSF does not favor a particular research design over others. How the chosen research methods and approaches are aligned with and appropriate for the research goals should be fully explained in the proposal. The ultimate goal of S-STEM is to support low-income students. Projects are strongly discouraged from allowing a desired sample size to play a role in the determination of the size of awarded scholarships.

Track 3 projects are managed by leadership and management teams composed of faculty members who are currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline(s), STEM administrators, and non-teaching institutional, educational, or social science researchers. The PI of Track 3 proposals must be either (a) a faculty member currently teaching in one of the S-STEM eligible disciplines, (b) a STEM administrator (department head or above), or (c) a non-teaching researcher whose expertise is in institutional, educational, or social science research in higher education. Faculty from all the institutions and disciplines involved need to be included in the leadership team and/or senior personnel. The lead PI needs to demonstrate the capacity, experience and resources needed to manage a complex, large-scale project and the necessary time to dedicate to assure project success.

Track 3 proposals may request up to $5 million total for up to 6 years.

Track 3 projects will be reviewed by NSF during their third year to determine whether satisfactory progress has been made, with continued funding contingent on the result of the third-year review. See section VII.C on reporting requirements.

Collaborative Planning Grants to Develop an Inter-institutional Consortium

Collaborative Planning projects provide support for groups of two or more IHEs and other potential partner organizations to establish fruitful collaborations, increase understanding of complex issues faced by low-income students at each institution, establish inter-institutional agreements when necessary and develop mechanisms for cooperation in anticipation of a future Track 3 proposal that will benefit all institutions and their scholars as equal partners.

This category of projects aims to provide proposers from two or more institutions the funds and time to establish the relationships and agreements necessary for submitting an Inter-institutional Consortia S-STEM proposal. It is expected that proposers will be ready to write and submit this Inter-institutional Consortia proposal within 1-2 years of receiving a Collaborative Planning grant award. Any subsequent proposals to S-STEM based on this work must describe the results of the planning effort.

Inter-institutional Consortia projects represent diverse collaborations, including partnerships between 2-year colleges and 4-year colleges and universities, between 4-year colleges and graduate programs, or between comparable institutions looking to implement and study parallel interventions. As such, Collaborative Planning grants can address these, or other, types of partnerships that might result in a stronger Track 3 proposal. Ideally, planning grants should reflect authentic collaborations between institutions, prepare collaborative partners to award scholarships at all collaborating institutions and provide programming according to each institution’s needs assessment and realities.

A Collaborative Planning grant should allow institutions to gather data, design shared mechanisms for data collection and student support, and establish the necessary memorandum of understanding (MOUs) or articulation agreements to facilitate students’ transition between institutions and ultimate success. Different methodological approaches may be employed to uncover the needs across institutions. PIs should propose approaches they feel are appropriate to their specific context. Surveys, focus groups, interviews, etc., can also be included in the planning grant as mechanisms to understand the needs of students. Furthermore, Collaborative Planning proposals must include the following elements in the project description:

what is already known about all potential partner institutions;
the planning grant goals;
name of the individuals and offices that will be approached at each institution and description of the potential contributions of collaborators representing multiple perspectives;
the steps to build effective collaborations to achieve the project goals (needs assessment, articulation agreements; meetings, etc.);
the steps and actions to further refine and develop the future S-STEM Track 3 proposal, including how programmatic details will be decided (the interventions, the definition of the scholarship eligibility requirements based on institutional data; establishment of scholarship amounts, and methods), leveraging the expertise of the collaborators;
narrative of how the development of the collaboration will lead to a stronger future Track 3 proposal, and;
a mechanism to assess the collaborative planning effort’s progress towards its stated goals.

If appropriate, Collaborative Planning Grant proposals may request funds to pilot evidence-based supports at one or more institutions in order to collect preliminary data and strengthen those activities. Participating institutions can also test new policies and administrative procedures that, per a needs assessment or other institutional data, have potential to remove barriers or otherwise improve outcomes for potential S-STEM scholars.

Please note that, while collaborative planning projects may wish to share any findings or implementation mechanisms, a formal dissemination plan is not required.

Collaborative planning grants are managed by a PI who is either (a) a faculty member teaching in any S-STEM eligible discipline, (b) STEM administrator (department head of above) at one of the institutions within the envisioned inter-institutional consortia, or (c) a non-teaching researcher whose expertise is in institutional, educational, or social science research in higher education. The PI must provide the required leadership and the capacity to convene and lead a team of inter-institutional STEM faculty and social science or education researchers to write the desired proposal in a 1-2-year timeframe. A successful Track 3 proposal will likely require a range of expertise including STEM faculty and administrators at all institutions, financial aid officers, and education, learning science or social science researchers interested in low-income student success or other pertinent topics. It is ideal that management of the planning grant incorporate the appropriate senior personnel across institutions as needed. Planning grants can also speak to potential gaps in expertise that might hinder a forthcoming Track 3 proposal and work to identify and build relationships with qualified individuals or organizations that would enhance the impact of future collaborative efforts.

Please note that the Collaborative Planning Grant proposals described in this solicitation are a solicitation-specific project category and are separate and distinct from the type of proposal described in Chapter II.E.1 of the PAPPG. When preparing a Collaborative Planning Grant proposal in response to this solicitation, the “Research” type of proposal should be selected in the proposal preparation module in FastLane or Grants.gov.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

NSF 20-554: ADVANCE: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions (ADVANCE)

Slots: 1 total. Eligible IHEs can submit one proposal to IT-Preliminary, Adaptation, OR Catalyst.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Contact RII.

LOI: Adaptation and Partnership only: August 7, 2023; First Monday in August, Annually Thereafter

Preliminary Proposal: IT-Preliminary: April 28, 2023; Fourth Thursday in April, Annually Thereafter. IT-preliminary proposals are accepted before and after the target date.

External Deadline:

Adaptation and Partnership: November 1, 2023; First Wednesday in November, Annually Thereafter

Institutional Transformation: October 5, 2023; First Thursday in October, Annually Thereafter

Catalyst: August 4, 2023; First Friday in August, Annually Thereafter. Catalyst proposals are accepted before and after the target date. Please contact the program office before submitting a proposal to discuss timing for submission.

Award Information

Award Type: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 18 – 36

Anticipated Amount: The total number of awards to be made under this solicitation is estimated to be between 18 and 36 over two fiscal years.

In each year, NSF expects to make approximately:

six Adaptation awards up to $1,000,000 for three-year long projects
six Partnership awards up to $1,000,000 for up to five-year long projects
four Catalyst awards up to $300K for two years
Additionally, in FY 2021, the program anticipates making up to two Institutional Transformation awards for up to $3,000,000 for five-years.

Who May Serve as PI: No restrictions or limits.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2020/nsf20554/nsf20554.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Purpose

The NSF ADVANCE program goal is to broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM2 faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. The NSF ADVANCE program provides grants to enhance the systemic factors that support equity and inclusion and to mitigate the systemic factors that create inequities in the academic profession and workplaces. Systemic (or organizational) inequities may exist in areas such as policy and practice as well as in organizational culture and climate. For example, practices in academic departments that result in the inequitable allocation of service or teaching assignments may impede research productivity, delay advancement, and create a culture of differential treatment and rewards. Similarly, policies and procedures that do not mitigate implicit bias in hiring, tenure, and promotion decisions could lead to women and racial and ethnic minorities being evaluated less favorably, perpetuating historical under-participation in STEM academic careers and contributing to an academic climate that is not inclusive.

All NSF ADVANCE proposals are expected to use intersectional approaches in the design of systemic change strategies in recognition that gender, race and ethnicity do not exist in isolation from each other and from other categories of social identity. The solicitation includes four funding tracks: Institutional Transformation (IT), Adaptation, Partnership, and Catalyst, in support of the NSF ADVANCE program goal to broaden the implementation of systemic strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. For more information on each category, see the link above.

The Institutional Transformation (IT) track is designed to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative systemic change strategies that promote gender equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education.

The Adaptation track is designed to support the work to adapt, implement, and evaluate evidence-based systemic change strategies that have been shown to promote gender equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. Adaptation projects can either: 1) support the adaptation of evidence-based systemic change strategies to promote equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education; or 2) facilitate national or regional STEM disciplinary transformation by adapting evidence-based systemic change strategies to non-profit, non-academic organizations.

The Partnership track is designed to support the work to facilitate the broader adaptation of gender equity and systemic change strategies. Partnership projects are expected to result in national or regional transformation in STEM academic workplaces and the academic profession and demonstrate significant reach. Partnership projects can focus on the transformation of institutions and organizations and/or the transformation within one or more STEM disciplines.

The Catalyst track is designed to broaden the types of IHEs that are able to undertake data collection and institutional self-assessment work to identify systemic gender inequities impacting their STEM faculty so that these can be addressed by the institution.

Budgetary Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

NSF-22-622: Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES)

Slots: An organization may serve as a lead organization on only one proposal per project type, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the organizational limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: TBA

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: October 24, 2023 for Alliances; October 22, 2024 for Network Connectors, Design and Development Launch Pilots, and Colalborative Charge Consortia;

Recurring Deadlines: Fourth Tuesday in October, Every Other Year Thereafter.

Award Information

Award Type: Standard or Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 10 – 15

Anticipated Award Amount: 5,500,000 for all project types in each competition year.

Who May Serve as PI: No restrictions or limits.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22622/nsf22622.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Office of Research Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 1-page limit will be excluded from review.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs and Co-PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

With this solicitation, NSF invites proposals for five types of projects (described below) that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Design and Development Launch Pilots, (2) Collaborative Change Consortia, (3) Alliances, (4) Network Connectors, and (5) Conferences. Investigators planning to submit a proposal are strongly encouraged to submit a one-page description of their proposal idea to nsfincludes@nsf.gov at least three months prior to proposal submission. An NSF INCLUDES program director with related expertise will review and provide feedback on the alignment of the idea with the solicitation.

Proposals that address broadening participation challenges not yet represented in the NSF INCLUDES portfolio of projects are encouraged. Proposals that focus on broadening participation in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship are especially encouraged. or more information on funded NSF INCLUDES projects, see: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/simpleSearchResult?queryText=nsf+includes.

1. Design & Development Launch Pilots (DDLPs) explore new strategies and models for collaborative approaches to broadening participation in STEM. Successful proposals will identify a specific broadening participation challenge to address, measurable objectives, and collaborative partners, with explanation of the role of each partnering individual or organization. Successful pilot projects will test and deliver models that enable new collaborative efforts or new approaches to advance equity and broaden participation in STEM.

DDLP activities should engage appropriate communities in testing the feasibility of a process for change, building infrastructure for collaborative change, and identifying potential mechanisms for sustaining the efforts. Teams of organizations might come together locally, regionally, nationally, by disciplinary focus, or by other multi-sector categories. Early in the first year, partners are expected to refine their collective commitment to a common set of objectives and plans to achieve them. No later than the second year, successful teams are expected to carry out and report on results and share findings with the National Network and other stakeholders.

DDLPs should facilitate innovative partnerships, networks, and theories of action for broadening participation in STEM, with the goal of establishing future alliances, centers, or other large-scale networks. DDLPs can explore and build capacity for the development of collaborative infrastructure. Submissions from a broad range of diverse institutional partnerships, principal investigators, and contexts are encouraged.

NSF INCLUDES will not consider “planning grant” proposals in this solicitation, Ideas for projects formerly funded by NSF INCLUDES as planning grants should be submitted as DDLP proposals.

Design and Development Launch Pilot proposals may request up to $300,000 per year for up to two years. Prior NSF INCLUDES support is not required to be eligible for a DDLP award. A DDLP award is not a required prerequisite to a proposal for other NSF INCLUDES project types.

2. Collaborative Change Consortia are networks that implement, study , and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM. Collaborative Change Consortia build the infrastructure necessary to: 1) foster collaboration, 2) broaden participation in STEM at city, state, or regional levels of impact by operationalizing the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure , and 3) contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM, These projects should result in research findings and sustainable , replicable models for city, state, and/or regional implementation and impact.

Consortium partners work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives and use lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based mechanisms, the science of broadening participation, and research and evaluations from past and present efforts to transform systems in order to broaden participation in STEM at scale and provide new research.

Consortium proposals must include:

a shared vision and strategy for broadening the participation of an identified population(s) in STEM, along with relevant metrics of progress and key milestones/goals to be achieved during the funding period and beyond;
multi- sector partnerships and plans to build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project’s goals;
a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network;
a plan for contributing rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
a plan for contributing project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices to the NSF INCLUDES National Network;
planned connections and contributions to the National Network online community and the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub;
a logic model or other heuristic that identifies outcomes reflecting the implementation of systemic change at scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise.

Collaborative Change Consortia may, but are not required to, build on the work of current or previously-funded NSF INCLUDES projects. A Consortium award is not a required prerequisite to a proposal for other NSF INCLUDES project types.

Collaborative Change Consortium proposals may request up to $1,000,000 per year for up to five years.

3. Alliances are large-scale networks that implement, study, and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM, Like Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances build the infrastructure necessary to foster collaboration and broaden participation in STEM, but for Alliances, the level of impact should be national and supported by a backbone organization, Alliance s engage partners to operationalize the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure; work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives; contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM; leverage NSF’s broadening participation investments; and use lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based mechanisms, the science of broadening participation, and research and evaluations from past and present efforts to transform systems and broaden participation in STEM at scale. Alliances are required to:

Develop a shared vision and strategy for broadening the participation of an identified population(s) in STEM, along with relevant metrics of progress and key milestones/goals to be achieved at a national level, during the funding period and beyond;
Establish multi-sector partnerships and build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project’s goals;
Contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
Establish a “backbone” (i.e., support) organization that provides a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network beyond a single city, state, or region;
Advance a logic model or other heuristic that identifies Alliance outcomes, reflecting the implementation of change at a national scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise;
Collaborate with the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub to share project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices with the NSF INCLUDES National Network and build critical knowledge that enables measurable progress toward NSF INCLUDES goals;
Participate in a network of peer alliances and the NSF INCLUDES National Network to achieve NSF INCLUDES goals; and
Work to build connections to other organizations and broadening participation stakeholders to join in and expand the NSF National Network.

Alliance proposals may request up to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years.

4. Network Connectors initiate or maintain linkages to the NSF INCLUDES National Network for projects or partnerships that are not currently funded by NSF INCLUDES. Network connector proposals may be submitted by existing NSF-funded and non-NSF funded projects seeking funding to provide or participate in:

new collaborations that expand the impact of active or previously-funded NSF INCLUDES projects;
new opportunities for collaboration across the NSF INCLUDES National Network;
novel ideas to bring a community of NSF-funded projects into the NSF INCLUDES National Network;
efforts to equitably scale up innovative and evidence-based approaches to broadening participation in STEM;
NSF-funded research activities with the goal of broadening participation in STEM;
development of shared goals, measures, and mutually reinforcing activities to build collaborative infrastructure for broadening participation in STEM;
communicating knowledge and results from the NSF broadening participation portfolio of programs and projects, NSF Center-scale activities, or other major Foundation investments ; or
communicating findings from the science of broadening participation research community to the NSF INCLUDES National Network, especially pertaining to new efforts to translate basic research into practice.

Network Connectors implement connections to NSF-funded or other existing projects and evidence-based approaches. A letter of collaboration from a leader of the existing project is needed. Institutions and organizations that are new to the National Network who are looking to adopt or adapt evidence-based practices that emerged from current or previously-funded NSF INCLUDES projects are encouraged to apply.

Network connector proposals may request up to $250,000 per year for up to two years. Requests that exceed $250,000 may be considered, depending on the description of need in the proposal and the proposed activities.

5. Conferences provide platforms for new collaborations or exchange of ideas that strengthen the NSF INCLUDES National Network. Conference proposals may be submitted by current or former NSF INCLUDES awardees or organizations that are not currently part of the NSF INCLUDES portfolio.

NSF INCLUDES will consider conference proposals on an ongoing basis. Please note that although Conference proposals may be accepted at any time during the year-long submission window, a due date of October 30^th is displayed in Research.gov. You must choose the “October 30, 202x (Window) from the Due Date drop down window to submit a Conference proposal.

Conference proposals may request up to $100,000 for one year. Please refer to the instructions in Section V.A. and in PAPPG Chapter II.E.9 for additional guidance on preparing conference proposals.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

(CLOSED) NSF-23-519: NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

Slots: The NSF MRI program is an institutionally limited funding opportunity. Eligible institutions may submit up to 4 proposals total (no more than two in Track 1, no more than one in Track 2, and no more than one in Track 3).

Track 1: Proposals that request total funds from NSF between $100,000 and $1,400,000.
Track 2: Proposals that request total funds from NSF between $1,400,000 and $4,000,000.
Track 3: MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,000¹ and less than or equal to $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to conserve or reduce the consumption of helium. Institutions may submit no more than one Track 3 proposal. Submission of a Track 3 proposal does not impact limits that apply for Track 1 and Track 2 proposals.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: ~~Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, 5pm PT~~ Under review.

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: Submission Window is October 16 through November 15, 2023

Recurring Deadlines: November 15, 2024; November 14, 2025; November 16, 2026.

Award Information

Award Type: Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 150

Anticipated Award Amount: $75,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: Applicants to the NSF MRI program must be full-time faculty at USC; visiting and adjunct faculty are not eligible. The program especially seeks broad representation of PIs, including women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities. Since demographic diversity may be greater among early career researchers, the program also encourages proposals by early career PIs and those that benefit early career researchers.

As this is a limited submission competition, all proposals must be submitted for review by Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) for selection of final candidates.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23519/nsf23519.htm

Cost Sharing: Cost sharing requirements for new awards in the MRI Program are waived for a period of 5 years beginning with the FY 2023 MRI competition. Institutional submission limits for Track 1, Track 2 and Track 3 proposals remain.

Purpose

The goal of the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program is to increase access to shared-use/multi-user instrumentation for scientific and engineering research and training. NSF MRI awards are intended to be a capacity-building program and to enhance research training of students who will become the next generation of instrument users, designers, and builders. The program supports three different types of proposals, as described here: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23519/nsf23519.htm.

Internal Proposal Review Process: The internal NSF MRI proposals will be reviewed by faculty and relevant Research and Innovation staff, who will provide reviews to the proposers and a prioritized list of recommendations to the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation.

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application through the “NSF MRI” link listed under “Institutionally Limited External Competitions” through https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Regarding the Proposal template, please use the template provided here.

PROPOSAL COMPONENTS

Cover page information (to be filled out on-line)

Principal Investigator contact information and 10-digit USC ID number;
Proposal title and type;
Brief description (not to exceed 60 words): A succinct description of the proposed work.
Instrument/dataset/repository name and manufacturer/provider;
Link to instrument website and cost of instrument;
Link to external sponsor Request for Proposals (as applicable);
Core information name, URL, Core Director, and Core Manager contact information and 10-digit USC ID number (as applicable);
Co-PI information and 10-digit USC ID number (as applicable).

Sections to be uploaded: It is requested that applicants follow instructions carefully and do not submit additional materials not requested by this RFP. Information that is uploaded beyond what is requested will not be included in the proposal package provided to reviewers. Please upload each of the sections below as PDF documents.

Abstract: (not to exceed 20 lines of text) A stand-alone succinct description of the proposed work.
Proposal Narrative: (not to exceed 2 pages) (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Please use the template provided here.

Manufacturer Quote

List of Core Users: provide the name and email address of at least 5 expected users of the proposed equipment/dataset/repository.
Letter(s) of Support: Provide a letter of support from the unit(s) that has(have) committed to ongoing maintenance and operation of the requested equipment.

Curriculum Vitae: (not to exceed 5 pages): Provide a brief CV or biosketch of the PI (and Co-PI, as applicable).

Note: The portal requires information about the PI in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

For questions about the application submission process, please contact Mike Yarsky at rii@usc.edu.

Good luck on your proposal application!

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

NSF-23-577: Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS)

Slots:

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: TBA.

LOI: Not required.

External Deadline: March 3, 2025

Recurring Deadlines: ; March 1, Every Other Year Thereafter

Award Information

Award Type: Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 2 to 4

Anticipated Award Amount: $6,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: Principal Investigators should be someone at the IHE with the authority to implement the proposed FDSS program and select and hire the new faculty member. These may be, but are not limited to, a dean, provost, director of a university associated research institute, department chairperson, or a senior tenured faculty member.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23577/nsf23577.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Purpose

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation will have as their principal objective the creation and support of one tenure-track faculty position bearing research, teaching, service, and educational outreach responsibilities in geospace science at the submitting IHE. The FDSS faculty position may reside within one department or be shared among several departments at the IHE.

The proposal must clearly identify which NSF AGS Geospace program(s) the hire is relevant to and what research priorities of the program(s) will be addressed. NSF AGS Geospace programs/priorities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Aeronomy: research on the mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere of the Earth, and the phenomena of ionization, recombination, chemical reaction, photo emission, and the transport of energy and momentum within and between these regions;
Geospace Facilities: research areas that rely upon existing facilities or develop new instrumentation for geospace observations;
Magnetospheric Physics: research on the magnetosphere, coupling of the magnetosphere with the solar wind, ionosphere, and atmosphere; development of ground-based observations and lab-based plasma physics;
Solar-Terrestrial: development of U.S. ground-based solar observation, lab-based solar plasma physics, and instrumentation capabilities, including polarimetry techniques, and new modeling and theoretical research that connects to current or future NSF solar observatories;
Space Weather Research: system-of-systems research on the physical processes in the integrated Sun-Earth system that underlie space weather and space climate, and characterizing space weather impacts on critical infrastructure and technological systems.

The proposal must not designate any candidate for the new FDSS faculty position, but should include a description of the desired skills, background, and training of the desired candidate. Candidates already in tenured or tenure track positions or those whose research interests are not or only marginally related to geospace science are not eligible for FDSS support.

The proposal must contain details of how an open and inclusive job search would be carried out. Consonant with the stated policies of the National Science Foundation, members of underrepresented and under-served communities should be strongly encouraged to apply.

The proposal must state how topics in geospace science will be integrated into the undergraduate and/or graduate courses offered by the department(s) supporting the FDSS hire.

The proposal must clearly state how the position will be integrated into the institution’s overall strategic plan and the measures taken to ensure the successful integration of the faculty position into the institution.

It must include specific objectives and milestones for the hiring, and for the research, curriculum development, and educational outreach activities. It must also include specific evaluation plans to gauge the overall efficacy of the hiring process and the development of geospace science at the institution.

Important aspects to emphasize in the project description are the following:

Clear articulation of how the FDSS faculty position will be integrated into the IHE’s program of education, research, service, and outreach;
Relevant NSF Geospace program research area(s) that will be addressed by the new faculty member;
Plan for geospace science curriculum development;
Potential for the faculty position to attract diverse students and train future scientists in geospace science;
Plan for developing partnerships both within the university and with the broader geospace science community;
Plan to support the success of the FDSS hire (including but not limited to reasonable teaching and service expectations, professional development in pedagogy, mentoring, assistance with proposal preparation, etc.);
Metrics to ascertain the success of the FDSS hiring and related activities of the hire;
Activities to foster participation by underrepresented and under-served groups in FDSS projects.

Principal Investigators should be someone at the IHE with the authority to implement the proposed FDSS program and select and hire the new faculty member. These may be, but are not limited to, a dean, provost, director of a university associated research institute, department chairperson, or a senior tenured faculty member.

NSF funding will support the academic year (9-month) salary, benefits, and training of the newly recruited tenure-track faculty for the duration of the award. For Track 2 (MSIs and ERIs), the FDSS grant may also support up to 2 months of summer salary for the first three years after hire.

To allow sufficient time for the FDSS hire to stand for tenure review or at least complete a pre-tenure review at or before the end of the award period, it is expected that the award duration will be 5 years. The maximum total award size will be $1,500,000 over this duration.

Collaborative proposals or subawards are not allowed.

Continuation of the FDSS award beyond the first year is contingent on the successful hiring of a new tenure-track faculty member who meets the intent of this solicitation. As soon as a specific candidate accepts the FDSS tenure-track offer from the IHE, NSF must be notified, including the qualifications of the candidate and their proposed research and teaching plans that address the stated objectives of this solicitation. The cognizant NSF Program Officer may request information about the candidate to confirm that the intent of this solicitation is being met. Such information may include but is not limited to:

A description of the search including details of efforts undertaken to broaden participation;
A curriculum vitae, including a publication list, for the FDSS hire;
A statement of research interests and proposed educational outreach and teaching plans of the successful FDSS candidate.

When the FDSS hire formally joins the IHE, the institution must submit a formal request for the hire to be added to the grant award as a Co-Principal Investigator. It is expected that the majority of the first year’s budget costs, e.g., faculty salary and benefits, lab equipment (if needed), etc., will be associated with the new hire and will not be spent until that individual is in place. The FDSS award must be acknowledged by the FDSS hire in all their publications and presentations. See the special award conditions for more information.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

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