Dynamics in Many Dimensions - GT IGERT '04 Proposal
CNS Proposal Internal Due Date
current
version of budget
LaTeX Last modified Compiled Description
project.zip 10-Sep-2004 -- (SIMPLEST: download all source files) project.tex 10-Sep-2004 pdf ps LaTeX this one to compile the preproposal
resources.tex 10-Sep-2004 -- (PC) support.tex 10-Sep-2004 -- (RS) budget.tex 10-Sep-2004 -- (RS)
budgetjust pdf 04-Oct-2004 -- (MS)
NSF budget excel 04-Oct-2004 -- budget (MS) NSF budget pdf 04-Oct-2004 -- budget (MS)
Synopsis of Program
Award Information
- Anticipated Funding Amount: $30,800,000
Up to $3.0 M per award over 5 years,
plus, for new awards, up to $200K additional in the first year for
appropriate purposes, and up to $200K total per award for projects that
include strongly integrated international research activities in years
2 - 5.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
IGERT projects are expected to incorporate
and integrate the following features:
A comprehensive interdisciplinary theme,
appropriate for doctoral-level research, that serves as the foundation
for traineeship activities;
Integration of the interdisciplinary
research with innovative graduate education and training mechanisms,
curricula enhancement, and other educational features that foster
strong interactions among participating students and faculty;
An environment that exposes students to a
broad base of state-of-the-art research instruments and equipment and
educational tools and methodologies;
Career development opportunities, provision
for developing professional and personal skills, fostering an
international perspective, and instruction in ethics and the
responsible conduct of research;
Program strategy and plan for recruitment,
mentoring, retention, and graduation of U.S. graduate students,
including efforts aimed at members of groups underrepresented in
science and engineering;
Strategy and methodology for formative
assessments of the project’s effectiveness by individuals internal and
external to the institution and program improvements based on these
assessments;
Administrative plan and organizational
structure that ensures effective management of the project resources;
Plan for dissemination of innovative
graduate education activities both within and outside the institution;
and
Institutional commitment to facilitating and
furthering the plans and goals of the IGERT project, to creating a
supportive environment for integrative research and education, and to
institutionalizing the successful elements of the project after NSF
funding ends.
FULL PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
No additional information may be provided
by links to web pages.
(F) Budget and Allowable Costs:
Provide a FastLane budget for each year of support requested, not to
exceed $600,000 per year for 5 years, with the following two
exceptions: (1) for new awards, the first-year budget may include
up to an additional $200,000 as a special allocation for purposes
discussed below, and (2) if proposed for either new or renewal awards,
proposers may incorporate in Years 2 through 5 a budget for
international collaborative activities not to exceed a total of
$200,000 per award. The FastLane system will automatically
fill out the cumulative 5-year budget for the proposal. Awarded
funds not expended in the specific year requested may be carried
over ONLY with appropriate justification provided in the annual
report to NSF and with the approval of the cognizant program officer.
The major portion of funds must be used for doctoral student stipends
and educational and training activities. A limited amount of
funds may be budgeted for necessary administrative support, support of
short-term visitors, and to partially defray the costs of research and
publication by students. No funds for faculty research or salaries will
be provided, with the following exceptions: (a) one month per year of
salary support for the Principal Investigator for management purposes;
(b) up to 4 months total of faculty salary support for development of
IGERT curricula. The faculty salary support for development of
curricula should be requested from within the first-year special
allocation; however, its expenditure may be extended over the first two
years of IGERT project activity.
Additional funds requested for
international activities should be appropriate to enable the
unique benefits expected for the IGERT graduate students and the IGERT
project. The primary support is intended for graduate students through
internships (university, government, industry), collaborative research
and/or fieldwork with foreign collaborators, or in other settings
abroad appropriate to the research area. The stays should be of
sufficient duration to acculturate the student and provide a meaningful
research and education experience. Limited funds may also be used for
student preparation, administration of the international activities,
and faculty visits to foreign sites for research coordination and
developing communication linkages between institutions. Requests for
travel funds for the sole purpose of attending international
conferences or workshops are not appropriate. Reciprocal visits by
foreign researchers and students to the U.S. institutions are
encouraged, although NSF funds will normally not be used for such
visits. Proposers should consult the Social, Behavioral &
Economic Sciences/Office of International Science and Engineering
member of the IGERT Coordinating Committee, listed in Section VIII,
CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
The NSF contribution to graduate student
stipends is currently $30,000 per year per IGERT trainee for
a 12 month appointment, and budgeting for stipends should be made on
this basis for each year of the award. All IGERT-supported
students are expected to be full-time IGERT trainees. IGERT
support for 2 years (24 months per student) is strongly
recommended. Alternative plans for graduate student support must
be justified in the proposal. NSF also provides a cost-of-education
allowance for tuition, health insurance, and normal fees of $10,500 per
year per student (for 12 months.) If this allowance is not fully
required, then it may be used to support other IGERT student-related
activities. Funds requested for graduate student trainees should be
entered in line F: Participant Support, as stipends (F.1), travel
(F.2), and cost of education (F.4). The number of trainees anticipated,
along with the duration of the appointment, should be listed and
consistent with the requested stipend funds. Undergraduate student
stipends should be consistent with those of the NSF Research
Experiences for Undergraduates program, and postdoctoral stipends may
be determined by the institution. If applicable, these costs should be
listed separately on line G.6. (Other) and described in the budget
justification. At most two half-time postdoctoral positions may be
supported with IGERT funds. All stipend recipients must be citizens or
permanent residents of the U.S., its territories or its
possessions. (NOTE: Entering stipends on Line G6 on the proposal
budget is in variance with Chapter II.C.2.g.v. of the Grant Proposal
Guide. It states that Line F on the proposal budget should be used for
costs of transportation, per diem, stipends and other related costs for
participants or trainees.)
Purchase of shared research equipment,
special-purpose research materials, software and databases that
cost $5,000 or more per item may be requested within the
first-year special allocation, and should be listed under
Equipment on line D. Any of those items that cost less
than $5,000 per item should be listed under Materials and Supplies on
line G1. Personnel and shop costs for developing and constructing
special instruments may be requested within the regular yearly budget.
Funds for facility renovation or for equipment installation or
maintenance are not allowed. Awards will carry an 8% allowance for
indirect costs based on the total direct cost, excluding equipment and
cost-of-education allowances, but not excluding participant
support. This is in variance with Chapter II.C.2.g.v. of
the Grant Proposal Guide.
For multi-institution projects, the lead
institution shall submit the proposal, with other participating
institutions included under subawards. Budgets shall be provided for
the overall project as well as individually for the lead institution
and for each participating institution/organization that receives a
subaward.
Budget Justification (3-page limit):
Provide a justification for the funds requested for the overall project
in each budget category of Section (F) and line G.6. Describe the
proposed allocation of funds in the major budget categories with
sufficient clarity to show how resources will be utilized in carrying
out the planned IGERT project activities. Indicate the total number of
graduate students to be supported and the staging and duration and FTE
level of their support on IGERT funds. If the first-year special
allocation of funds for new awards is requested, describe in a separate
table how the funds are to be used. If additional funds are requested
for international activities, describe in a separate table the
requested amount and allocations over the project duration, beginning
with Year 2 of the award. Provide details of anticipated resource
commitments of any other organizations expected to participate in the
IGERT project, such as government, industry, non-U.S. institutions, or
private foundations. Appropriate letters of commitment from
participating organizations should be included in Supplementary
Documentation (below). Cost sharing is not required
under this solicitation. Any information provided here and in similar
places in this solicitation will not be auditable as cost sharing.
(G) Facilities, Equipment and Other
Resources (1-page limit): Provide a description of facilities and
major instruments that are available to the project and require no
additional support from NSF.
(H) Supplementary Documentation: Up
to eight supporting letters, including one that must be from the
senior administration of the submitting institution, may be
provided as part of the proposal, with up to four additional letters
when international activities are proposed. Letters of endorsement from
foreign counterparts should discuss the benefits and foreign commitment
to the project.
B. Budgetary Information
Cost Sharing:
Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this
Program Solicitation.
Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:
Other Budgetary Limitations:
NSF PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS
NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of
submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care
is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer.
Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic
institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to
that principally addressed in the proposal.
What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well
qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project?
(If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior
work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore
creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the
proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?
What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while
promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed
activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g.,
gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will
it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as
facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the
results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological
understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to
society?
NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in
making funding decisions:
Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster
integration of research and education through the programs, projects,
and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These
institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may
concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and
students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse
education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through
the diversity of learning perspectives.
Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and
Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens
-- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with
disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and
engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems
it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and
supports.
Additional Review Criteria:
In responding to the standard NSF
review criteria, reviewers will be asked to place emphasis on the
following additional criteria in furthering IGERT program objectives:
Integration and coherence of the
interdisciplinary theme in its effectiveness as an intellectual focus
for all participating scientists, engineers, and educators;
Quality of the proposed research efforts,
and their appropriateness to the interdisciplinary theme;
Quality and innovation in the planned
graduate education and training mechanisms, and in their integration
with the research;
Quality of outcomes of prior IGERT
project, value-added aspects of new IGERT project, and potential for
adding to the knowledge base in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics) graduate education, if applicable;
Effectiveness of career development
opportunities, provision for developing professional and personal
skills, fostering an international perspective and ability to work in
diverse teams, and instruction in ethics and the responsible conduct of
research;
Effectiveness of the strategy for
recruitment, mentoring, retention, degree completion, and career
progression of U.S. graduate students, including those from groups
underrepresented in science and engineering;
Quality of the international collaborative
activities and benefits to the U.S. participants, if proposed;
Appropriateness of the plans for
assessment of project performance in meeting objectives and expanding
the knowledge base in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) graduate education and disseminating results to
appropriate professional communities;
Appropriateness of the administrative plan
and organizational structure in assuring effective allocation of
project resources and participation by project members;
Appropriateness of the budget; and
Commitment of the institution to
facilitating and furthering the plans and goals of the IGERT project,
to creating a supportive environment for integrative research and
education, and to sustaining the successful elements of the project
after NSF funding ceases.
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