nsf$funding$in$biology:$changes$ and$updates$ · 2012. 12. 7. · evoluonary processes!...
TRANSCRIPT
NSF Funding in Biology: Changes and Updates
Bruce S. Cushing
Division of Integra>ve Organismal Systems Directorate for Biological Sciences
Na>onal Science Founda>on
NSF Mission
• Keeping the United States at the leading edge of discovery in all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences. – High-‐risk high payoff ideas
• Train tomorrow’s scien6sts and engineers – Scien>fic research fully integrated with educa>on
Inspector General
Na/onal Science Board
Staff Offices
Computer & Informa/on Science
& Engineering
Engineering Geosciences Mathema/cal & Physical Sciences
Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
Educa/on & Human Resources
Budget, Finance & Award
Management
Informa/on Resource
Management
Biological Sciences
Na/onal Science Founda/on Director
Deputy Director
Evolu/onary Processes
Directorate for Biological Sciences
(BIO)
Division of Environmental
Biology (DEB)
Popula/on and Community Ecology
Ecosystem Science
Division of Integra/ve Organismal Systems
(IOS)
Behavioral Systems
Developmental Systems
Neural Systems
Research Resources
Human Resources
Division of Biological
Infrastructure (DBI)
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
(MCB)
Cellular Dynamics and Func/on
Gene/c Mechanisms
Molecular Biophysics
Effective October 2012
Emerging Fron/ers (EF)
Plant Genome Research Program
Systema/cs & Biodiversity Science
Physiological & Structural Systems
Systems and
Synthe/c Biology
John Wingfield Asst. Director BIO
Grand Challenges • Synthesizing life-‐like systems • Understanding the brain • Predic>ng organisms’ characteris>cs from their DNA
• Interac>ons of the earth, its’ climate and its biosphere
• Understanding biological diversity
hRp://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12809
• Supports research aimed at understanding life processes at the molecular, subcellular and cellular levels. – Biomolecular dynamics, structure, and function – Cellular processes – Genetic mechanisms – Networks and regulation
• Updated Solicitation coming soon…
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
MCB Core Programs
• Changes: – Full proposal deadline every 8 months instead of every 6 months
– Next deadline is January 28, 2013 – Limit of one proposal per cycle as PI or co-‐PI – RUI proposals must also adhere to these deadlines
• RAPIDs, EAGERs, conference, and workshop proposals s>ll accepted at any >me
• Supports research aimed at understanding the living organism -- plant, animal, microbe -- as a unit of biological organization. – Behavioral Systems – Developmental Systems – Neural Systems – Physiological and Structural Systems – Plant Genome Research Program
• New Solicitation released: NSF 13-506
Division of Integra/ve Organismal Systems (IOS)
• Supports fundamental research on the origins, functions, relationships, interactions, and evolutionary history of populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. – Ecosystems Science – Evolutionary Processes – Population and Community Ecology – Systematics and Biodiversity Science
• New Solicitation released: NSF 13-508
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
IOS & DEB Core Programs • Changes:
– Preliminary proposal deadline in January – Binding Invite/Do Not Invite decision – Full proposal deadline in August – Funding decision in December – Limit of 2 pre-‐proposals per Division per PI – RUI &Long Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) proposals must also adhere to these deadlines
– RAPIDs, EAGERs, conference, and workshop proposals s>ll accepted at any >me
Why Preliminary Proposals? • At NSF…
– The number of proposals was increasing – The funding rates were decreasing – It was harder to find reviewers
• In the community… – PIs are wri>ng more and more proposals to get funded
– Reviewers are being asked to provide more and more ad-‐hoc and panel reviews ( < 14,000)
– PI’s have less >me to actually DO science!
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Pre-‐proposal Submission
Full-‐proposal review panels
No>fica>on of Award/ Decline
Pre-‐proposal review panels
No>fica>on of Invite / Not Invite
Full-‐proposal Submission
Write full proposal
Annual Cycle of Review and Recommenda>on for IOS and DEB
~ 2,000 4-‐page pre-‐proposals to write and review (no budgets) : 0
ad hoc requests ~ 550 15-‐page full proposals to write and review: ~2500 ad hoc requests
~30% invite rate
Benefits • Benefits to PIs…
– Shorter format, so less >me invested (?) – S>ll get feedback early on – BeRer “odds” for full proposals
• Benefits to Ins/tu/ons… – No budget prepara>on for pre-‐proposals
• Benefits to the community… – Fewer requests for reviews as only full proposals will be ad hoc reviewed
Concerns and Solu/ons • One cycle/year –
• ~80% of PIs submit only once a year and 2 pre-‐proposals are allowed to be submiRed as PI or co-‐PI in IOS + 2 more for DEB + MCB submissions
• Other Opportuni>es – • Mid-‐Career Supplements (See IOS DCL), Interna>onal Collabora>ve Proposals with Israel (iCOB), EAGERS, RAPIDS, CREATIV
• You don’t have to put your whole program in one proposal.
• Other Agencies…must have a diversified research support base!
• Beginning Inves/gators • Addi>onal opportuni>es with the CAREER program
• www.nsf.gov • NSF Updates
Where do I find informa>on about funding opportuni>es?
Enter keywords
Finding Award Informa/on
REPLACES DOCUMENT(S) NSF 11-572
13-506
January 18, 2013 Third Friday in January, Annually Thereafter
August 2, 2013 First Friday in August, Annually Thereafter
Solicita>ons
I. What is the intellectual merit of the proposed ac>vity?
II. What are the broader impacts of the proposed ac>vity?
Preliminary Merit Review Criteria 4 pages – but same criteria as full proposals
Greater Flexibility – New innova/ve, exci/ng, but need /ght package
No ad hocs -‐ No poten6al co-‐review
What makes a successful Preliminary proposal?
What can I do to increase my chances?
Ø Next few slides help give ideas –
Ø Check awards – ask
Ø Talk to a Program Officer – talk to a Program Officer
What is Intellectual Merit? • Quality of the science
– Does it answer a large important ques>on in basic biology?
– Is it novel, crea>ve and exci>ng? – Will it move the field forward? – Is it well conceived and well planned? – Are the inves>gators well qualified? – Do the inves>gators have access to the necessary resources?
What is Intellectual Merit?
• Is it transforma6ve?
– “Transforma/ve research involves ideas, discoveries, or tools that radically change our understanding of an important exis/ng scien/fic or engineering concept or educa/onal prac/ce or leads to the crea/on of a new paradigm or field of science, engineering, or educa/on. Such research challenges current understanding or provides pathways to new fron/ers.”
NIH….transla>onal NSF…transforma>ve
Intellectual Merit Applicants
• Present a NEW idea • Explain the expected results.
• Demonstrate your qualifica>ons. – Preliminary Data (some is a plus)
– Publica>ons
Reviewers • Is it REALLY new? • Will the nega/ve results be important too?
• Can the applicants do the project?
One of TWO merit criteria (Required but not sufficient…)
What are Broader Impacts? Planned integrated ac6vi6es that:
• Promote teaching, training and learning • Broaden par/cipa/on of underrepresented groups • Enhance infrastructure for research and educa/on • Broadly disseminate findings
– Within science – To the public
• Benefit society – Applied uses including human health – New technology – Applica6ons for agriculture, food security and the bio-‐economy
See: hOp://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf
Not a chec
klist!
Broader Impacts Applicants
• Present a clear outreach/impact plan.
• Document a history of outreach/impact.
• Document who (what) you have impacted.
• Describe how you measure your impacts.
Reviewers • Is there enough broader impact?
• Will they really execute the outreach plan?
• Are they targe>ng an appropriate goal/group?
• How good is the impact?
One of TWO merit criteria (Required but not sufficient…)
PROGRAMS BY CAREER STAGE
Graduate Students • Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP)
– Educa>on and Human Resources (EHR) MS award will affect doctoral eligibility
Doctoral Disserta>on Improvement Grants (DDIG)
• DEB and only the Behavioral Systems Cluster in IOS – Due third Friday in November – Funds an addition to the dissertation – No stipend just materials, travel etc. – **Now must include indirect costs (No Cost
Sharing allowed) • hRp://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5234
Postdoctoral Fellows (limited) • hRp://www.nsf.gov/funding/educa>on.jsp?fund_type=3
Early Career Faculty
• Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) – Aunnual - Deadlines in July; exact date varies by program – For untenured assistant professors seeking to integrate
research and teaching in innovative ways. – Submit to core programs; no preliminary proposal
required – minimum $500K+ for 5 years. – Seek input – in development – http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?
pims_id=503214
Recent Changes in BIO • Proposals to MCB, IOS, and DEB must be submiRed to the Core Program Solicita>ons, not to the GPG
• Upcoming deadlines: – DEB: January 23, 2013 – IOS: January 18, 2013 – MCB: January 28, 2013
• RAPIDs, EAGERs, conference, and workshop proposals s>ll accepted at any >me
SUPPLEMENTS, CONFERENCES AND SMALL GRANTS
Supplements and Conference Support
• REU Supplement – support an undergraduate student researcher – $6000-‐10,000 (amount varies by program)
• RET supplement – enable K-12 science educators to participate in
projects funded by BIO. • ROA Supplement
– enable faculty at undergraduate institutions to pursue research as visiting scientists with NSF-supported investigators at other institutions.
– $25,000 max
Supplements and Conference Support
• Research Assistantships to High School Students (RAHSS): ~$6,000 per student up to one year in BIO
• Other Supplemental Requests-‐ – Total of all supplements to an award over the life>me of the award is limited to 20% of the total award
• Conferences and Seminar Requests • Speak to your program officer before submiOng!
Small Grants • In Jan. 2009 NSF went “SGER-‐free”
– No more SGER (Small Grants for Exploratory Research) program
• Replaced by: – RAPID (Grants for Rapid Response Res.)
• 2-‐5 pp; 1 yr, up to $200K; internal review only • Time sensi>ve projects
– EAGER (EArly-‐concept Grants for Exploratory Res.) • Must be risky and likely to re-‐write the textbooks!
– Tools or data – Does not fund pilot data!
• 5-‐8 pp; up to 2 yr, $300K (may be less in your program) • internal review only
• Conversa>on followed by 2 page summary before permission to submit in Fastlane
• Speak to your program officer before submiOng!
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AND NEW PROGRAMS
Research Coordina>on Networks • Bring unconnected communi>es together • Venturesome • “Open”
– everyone can get info and can join • Common theme across Network • Can’t be used for research-‐ just logis>cs to make the interac>ons possible – Can include coordina>on of training such as a post doc visi>ng a lab to learn a new technique, etc.
– Can include workshops, mee>ngs, web etc. – Usually 5 years
NSF 10-‐566
– Co-‐funds awards to U.S. scien>sts through regular NSF programs that meet these criteria:
• True intellectual collabora/on with foreign research partner • New interna>onal collabora>ons • Clear benefit to U.S. science/engineering community from exper/se, facili/es, or resources of the foreign collaborator
• Ac>ve research engagement of U.S. students and junior researchers at the foreign site
– Maintains 3 overseas offices: • Paris: all of Western & Eastern Europe and central Asia • Tokyo: all of Eastern Asia & the Pacific (incl. Australia), except China
• Beijing: China only
Office of Interna>onal Science and Engineering (OISE)
Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)
• NSF and US-‐AID collabora>on • Awarded to scien>sts in developing countries who work with NSF
funded scien>sts at U.S. Ins>tu>ons • PEER funding may be used to train students and faculty, equip
laboratories and field sta>ons, and fund research, building scien>fic networks to address global challenges.
• Administered by the Na>onal Academies, contact [email protected] • Topics
– Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics
– Global health issues such as ecology of infec>ous disease, biomedical engineering, and natural/human system interac>ons
– Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidifica>on, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering
– Other development topics including disaster mi>ga>on, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy
Science, Engineering and Educa>on for Sustainability (SEES)
• The SEES effort focuses on interdisciplinary topics that will advance sustainability science, engineering and educa>on as an integra>ve approach to the challenges of adap>ng to environmental, social and cultural changes associated with growth and development of human popula>ons, and aRaining a sustainable energy future.
• Programs: – BIO core research programs – Coupled Natural and Human Systems – Dimensions of Biodiversity – Ocean Acidifica>on – Sustainability Research Networks – SEES Research Coordina>on Networks – SEES Fellows – PIRE
SEES Fellows • Interdisciplinary research • Systems approaches to sustainability, • Building bridges between academic inquiry, economic growth, and societal
needs. • Required to have a research partnership that would broaden the scope
– E.g. par>cipa>on in an RCN, research center, na>onal laboratory or industry – E.g. involvement of a state, regional or local management agency – Two mentors-‐ one from the academic ins>tu>on and one from the partnership
• To be eligible applicants must: – Be United States ci>zens or na>onals, or permanent residents of the United States (by the
applica>on deadline). – Have received the doctorate within 4 years of the applica>on deadline.
• Talk to the cognizant program officer about excep>ons – Propose research that is in the broadly defined area of sustainability sciences, beyond the
applicant's current area of core exper>se. – An applicant may submit a proposal as an individual or through an ins>tu>on but, before
the grant is awarded, must affiliate with a US university, college, or non-‐profit, non-‐academic organiza>on, which will administer the award.
• NSF 11-‐575
Partnerships for Interna>onal Research and Educa>on (PIRE)
• NSF wide; this year focused on SEES • Projects in which advances in research and educa>on could not occur without interna>onal collabora>on
• Ins>tu>on may submit only one preliminary proposal
• Co-‐funding from a limited list of interna>onal agencies
• NSF 11-‐564 • BIO contact: Cynthia Sagers: [email protected]
INSPIRE: CREATIV • DCL: NSF 12-‐011 and FAQ: NSF 12-‐012 • “super” EAGERs • Goals (well suited for Akron IB program)
– Create new interdisciplinary opportuni>es that are not perceived to exist presently. Ideas beyond the scope of one program or discipline
– ARract unusually crea>ve high-‐risk / high-‐reward interdisciplinary proposals.
– Provide substan>al funding, not limited to the exploratory stage of the pursuit of novel ideas.
– Designate no favored topics; be open to all NSF-‐supported areas of science, engineering, and educa>on research.
• Requests up to $1,000,000 and 5 years dura>on • Must be supported by at least two programs-‐ co-‐funded by the
programs and the CREATIV working group
Science Across Virtual Ins>tutes (SAVI) • Promote forma>on of research teams/networks across interna>onal
boundaries to create virtual ins>tutes and facilitate partnerships among exis>ng centers/ins>tutes (virtual and real)
• Provide students, postdocs and junior faculty opportuni>es for research experiences abroad that lead to long las>ng collabora>ons
• Strengthen connec>ons between NSF and counterpart STEM funding organiza>ons around the globe by leveraging each other’s investments.
• Possible ac>vi>es: – Joint research ac>vi>es that will advance science, engineering, and STEM
learning more effec>vely than individual na>onal teams working independently;
– Joint mee>ngs of SAVI team members that promote synergy; – Workshops, advanced study ins>tutes, and symposia; – Joint seminar series, college-‐level courses; – Co-‐mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows; – Long-‐term research exchange visits for junior faculty – Focused summer research experiences abroad for undergraduates.
NSF 11-‐087
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