Nationwide Science Basis
Directorate for Know-how, Innovation and Partnerships
Innovation and Know-how Ecosystems
Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
June 18, 2024
Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
August 06, 2024
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
February 11, 2025
Solely invited groups are eligible to submit full proposals. Groups can anticipate to obtain invites to submit full proposals in mid-October 2024. It is a tentative timeline and is topic to alter based mostly on the quantity and high quality of obtained proposals.
Vital Info And Revision Notes
This solicitation replaces NSF Regional Innovation Engines Broad Company Announcement (BAA), Discover ID – NSFBAA-ENGINES-2022-05-1. The mission of the NSF Engines program stays the identical: to speed up the event of sustainable, inclusive, and geographically various regional innovation ecosystems that advance key applied sciences and tackle urgent regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges.
Invited full proposals submitted in response to this solicitation could also be submitted through Analysis.gov or Grants.gov, nevertheless because of the complexity of this program, use of Analysis.gov is strongly advisable.
This solicitation is just for NSF Engines proposals (beforehand known as Sort-2 proposals). Proposals for NSF Engines Improvement proposals (beforehand known as Sort-1 proposals) won’t be thought of.
Tribal Nations and state and native authorities companies at the moment are eligible to submit proposals because the lead group.
Proposals which will impression the assets or pursuits of a federally acknowledged American Indian or Alaska Native Tribal Nation (Tribal Nation) won’t be awarded by NSF with out prior written approval from the official(s) designated by the related Tribal Nation(s). See NSF PAPPG Chapter II.E.10 for directions.
Proposing groups (lead group and/or core companions) that obtained a number of NSF Engine Improvement Award(s) should establish the event award(s).
Idea Outlines aren’t required. As an alternative, Letters of Intent (LOIs) are required upfront of the submission of a preliminary proposal. To encourage formation of groups inside overlapping areas, LOI info will probably be revealed on the NSF Engines web site.
Preliminary proposals are required previous to the submission of a full NSF Engines proposal to ease the proposer and reviewer burden and supply constructive suggestions earlier within the course of. NSF will choose solely a subset of preliminary proposals to be invited to submit a full NSF Engines proposal.
A company is just permitted to submit one LOI, one preliminary proposal, and one full proposal because the lead group.
Preliminary and full proposals are required to incorporate a letter of dedication from the senior official (e.g., President of establishment of upper training, CEO of for-profit company, Govt Director of no-profit) of the lead group that features a description of the help to be supplied and a dedication to supply such help ought to the proposed NSF Engine ought to it’s funded.
Preliminary proposals are required to incorporate a minimal of 4 however not more than six letters of collaboration from main regional stakeholders verifying the character of their participation and embrace an outline of the useful resource help (money and/or in-kind) to be supplied and a dedication to supply such help ought to the proposed NSF Engine be funded.
Full proposals should embrace a letter of collaboration from every core accomplice and from every stakeholder who will present substantive help, services, gear, and/or different assets (money or in-kind) to the proposed NSF Engine. Letters of collaboration should describe the character of the collaboration and should embrace an outline of the assets (money and/or in-kind) to be supplied and a dedication to supply such help ought to the proposed NSF Engine be funded.
NSF’s definition of a area of service has been clarified, together with issues for geographical dimension. See Part II.B.2 of this solicitation for extra particulars.
This solicitation strengthens the concentrate on engagement of all people inside a area, no matter background, socioeconomic standing, or location. Groups are requested to explain plans to succeed in untapped populations and convey advantages to under-served communities. Proof of significant group engagement and ongoing efforts at inclusive stakeholder alignment are highlighted in lots of sections as vital to the long run success of an Engine.
For each the preliminary and full proposals, this solicitation requires proposing groups to doc the quantity (in {dollars}) of present and new assets (money and/or in-kind) to be made obtainable to the proposed NSF Engine by companions and stakeholders. This info will probably be compiled utilizing the Present and New Assets Spreadsheet Template, and submitted as a supplementary doc. See Part V for submission directions.
This solicitation organizes Engines’ strategic and implementation plans, efforts, and initiatives round seven key drivers of ecosystem change:
Cross-sector Partnerships and Stakeholder Alignment;
Use-inspired Analysis and Improvement (R&D);
Translation of Innovation to Follow;
Workforce Improvement;
Inclusive Engagement;
Strategic Funding; and
Governance and Administration.
For each preliminary and full proposals, proposing groups are required to submit as a part of the proposal and through e-mail three distinct Microsoft Excel spreadsheets as supplementary paperwork: (i) Consolidated Personnel Record Spreadsheet, (ii) Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge, and (iii) a Area of Service Map. For detailed directions, see the Supplementary Paperwork sub-sections of the proposal preparation instruction sections (for each the preliminary and full proposals) on this solicitation.
Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation must be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Insurance policies & Procedures Information (PAPPG) that’s in impact for the related due date to which the proposal is being submitted. The NSF PAPPG is usually revised and it’s the accountability of the proposer to make sure that the proposal meets the necessities specified on this solicitation and the relevant model of the PAPPG. Submitting a proposal previous to a specified deadline doesn’t negate this requirement.
Abstract Of Program Necessities
Normal Info
Program Title:
NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines)
Synopsis of Program:
The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program creates regional-scale, technology-driven, inclusive innovation ecosystems all through the US by accelerating key applied sciences, addressing regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges, driving financial progress, creating and retaining high quality jobs, increasing equitable pathways into careers, and strengthening nationwide competitiveness and safety. Every NSF Engine represents a proper coalition of regional companions, led by a full-time Chief Govt Officer (CEO), tasked to hold out an built-in and complete set of actions spanning use-inspired analysis, translation of innovation to follow, entrepreneurship, workforce growth, group engagement, and ecosystem constructing, to nurture and speed up the expansion of regional innovation ecosystems grounded in technological innovation and regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges. The mission of an NSF Engine should be clearly rooted in regional pursuits and mirror the aspiration {that a} regional innovation ecosystem can assist construct sturdy communities the place all residents can thrive. This consists of the equitable growth of regional expertise, intentional group engagement, and a spotlight to impacts on a area’s identities and cultures. The NSF Engines program is a placed-based innovation funding initiative, the place the emphasis on “areas” expresses NSF’s intention to stimulate innovation-driven financial progress inside a selected place or area of service. The emphasis of the NSF Engines program additional consists of creating new enterprise and financial progress in sectors which are vital to American competitiveness and in these areas of America that haven’t totally participated within the know-how increase of the previous a number of many years.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
Please observe that the next info is present on the time of publishing. See program web site for any updates to the factors of contact.
NSF Engines Program Workforce, phone: (703) 292-7463, e-mail: [email protected]
Relevant Catalog of Federal Home Help (CFDA) Quantity(s):
47.041 — Engineering (ENG)
47.049 — Mathematical and Bodily Sciences (MPS)
47.050 — Geosciences (GEO)
47.070 — Pc and Info Science and Engineering (CISE)
47.074 — Organic Sciences (BIO)
47.075 — Social Behavioral and Financial Sciences (SBE)
47.076 — STEM Schooling (EDU)
47.079 — Workplace of Worldwide Science and Engineering (OISE)
47.083 — Workplace of Integrative Actions (OIA)
47.084 — NSF Know-how, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)
Award Info
Anticipated Sort of Award:
Cooperative Settlement
Estimated Variety of Awards:
The general variety of awards will probably be decided by the variety of high-quality proposals obtained and the supply of funds appropriated by Congress. NSF Engines may be funded for as much as ten years, with an preliminary award for the primary two years and subsequent awards for years 3-5 and 6-10, based mostly on efficiency critiques and evaluations.
Anticipated Funding Quantity:
See Part V (Full Proposal Preparation Directions) of this solicitation for extra details about the allowable most annual funds for years one by way of ten of every award.
Every NSF Engine can obtain funding for as much as 10 years. The preliminary two years of funding will help a ramp-up interval. Continued help for an NSF Engine will probably be contingent upon its total efficiency, together with assembly its annual efficiency targets.
Throughout the ramp-up interval, an NSF Engine may be funded for a complete of $15,000,000 over two years. The overall quantity of an NSF Engine award won’t exceed $160,000,000 from NSF (over a interval not exceeding ten years).
Past 12 months 1, NSF will yearly conduct a complete evaluation of the NSF Engine’s efficiency, which can inform subsequent-year funding. A willpower that the NSF Engine has didn’t carry out throughout an NSF annual evaluation might lead to termination of the award.
The funds distribution among the many lead and core companions must be applicable for the scope of labor and actions deliberate for every of the important thing drivers of ecosystem change, as outlined in Part II.B.3 of this solicitation.
The NSF Engines program retains the precise to fund submitted proposals as NSF Engines Improvement awards – awards designed to allow recipients the extra time and funding to put the extra groundwork wanted to launch a full-scale NSF Engine – based mostly on the outcomes of the benefit evaluation course of. In exercising this proper, NSF reserves the choice to fund solely a subset of actions described within the proposal, together with the funding of solely the partnership growth and/or community formation features of the undertaking.
Co-funding:
NSF might enter into partnerships with different companies, foundations, and organizations eager about co-funding NSF Engines initiatives submitted to this solicitation. A PI recognized on a proposal that meets the overall eligibility necessities of a number of of those companions could also be contacted by the cognizant NSF program director following submission of his/her proposal and be given the choice of getting his/her proposal thought of collectively by NSF and the accomplice(s). If a PI so chooses, a given accomplice’s representatives might have entry to the corresponding proposal, could also be invited to take a seat in on the NSF evaluation panel’s dialogue of that proposal and might be able to focus on the critiques with the NSF Engines program administrators. This consideration by a number of companions will probably be strictly elective; a PI who chooses to not avail themselves of this feature can have his/her proposal reviewed solely by NSF. As soon as NSF’s choices on funding have been made, related accomplice(s) will be capable to select to co-fund any of the awards submitted for his or her consideration.
An up to date listing of companions, together with partner-specific eligibility necessities, will probably be maintained on the NSF Engines program webpage.
Eligibility Info
Who Could Submit Proposals:
Proposals might solely be submitted by the next:
Establishments of Larger Schooling (IHEs) – Two- and four-year IHEs (together with group schools) accredited in, and having a campus positioned within the US, appearing on behalf of their college members. Particular Directions for Worldwide Department Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal consists of funding to be supplied to a global department campus of a US establishment of upper training (together with by way of use of subawards and marketing consultant preparations), the proposer should clarify the profit(s) to the undertaking of efficiency on the worldwide department campus, and justify why the undertaking actions can’t be carried out on the US campus.
Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Unbiased museums, observatories, analysis laboratories, skilled societies and comparable organizations positioned within the U.S. which are immediately related to academic or analysis actions.
For-profit organizations: U.S.-based industrial organizations, together with small companies, with sturdy capabilities in scientific or engineering analysis or training and a ardour for innovation.
Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or group that the Secretary of the Inside acknowledges as a federally acknowledged tribe pursuant to the Federally Acknowledged Indian Tribe Record Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.
State and Native Governments
Who Could Function PI:
The Principal Investigator (PI) should be a senior member of the submitting group’s management and also will function the full-time CEO for the NSF Engine. On the time of proposal submission, this function could also be crammed by an interim CEO till a full-time CEO is known as or recruited. The designation of a full-time CEO should happen throughout the first six months of the beginning date of the award.
People who’re a celebration to a Malign Overseas Expertise Recruitment Program aren’t eligible to function a senior/key individual on an NSF proposal or award.
Restrict on Variety of Proposals per Group: 1
A company might submit no a couple of Letter of Intent (LOI), one preliminary proposal, and one full proposal in response to this solicitation because the lead group. If a company exceeds this limitation, LOIs, preliminary proposals, and full proposals will probably be accepted based mostly on earliest date and time of submission (i.e., the primary proposal will probably be accepted, and the rest will probably be returned with out evaluation). A lead group on a proposal could also be a sub-recipient on a distinct proposal. There isn’t a restrict on the variety of proposals for which a company can function a sub-recipient
Extra Steerage for proposers new to NSF: Any proposer who has not submitted a proposal to NSF throughout the earlier 5 years, should evaluation the steering for brand new and returning proposers within the NSF New Proposer Submission – Supplementary Steerage doc, which gives a timeline and walk-through of the important thing milestones that should be accomplished with the intention to submit proposals to NSF.
The lead group will need to have a Distinctive Entity Identifier (UEI) and be totally registered at SAM.gov on the time of LOI submission. Personnel designated as a PI or co-PI will need to have an NSF ID on the time of LOI submission. The Lead group and all sub-recipients will need to have an lively UEI quantity and should be registered with NSF to submit a Full NSF Engines Proposal. To register your group with NSF, go to https://www.analysis.gov. To search out or request a Distinctive Entity Identifier (UEI), please go to https://sam.gov/content material/residence. Any particular person designated as Senior/Key Personnel is required to have an NSF ID.
Restrict on Variety of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1
A person might function PI or co-PI on no a couple of proposal submitted in response to this solicitation.
People who’re a celebration to a Malign Overseas Expertise Recruitment Program aren’t eligible to function a senior/key individual on an NSF proposal or award.
Proposal Preparation and Submission Directions
A. Proposal Preparation Directions
Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is required. Please see the total textual content of this solicitation for additional info.
Preliminary Proposals: Submission of Preliminary Proposals is required. Please see the total textual content of this solicitation for additional info.
Full Proposals:
B. Budgetary Info
Price Sharing Necessities:
Inclusion of voluntary dedicated value sharing is prohibited.
Oblique Price (F&A) Limitations:
Not Relevant
Different Budgetary Limitations:
Different budgetary limitations apply. Please see the total textual content of this solicitation for additional info.
C. Due Dates
Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
June 18, 2024
Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
August 06, 2024
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
February 11, 2025
Solely invited groups are eligible to submit full proposals. Groups can anticipate to obtain invites to submit full proposals in mid-October 2024. It is a tentative timeline and is topic to alter based mostly on the quantity and high quality of obtained proposals.
Proposal Evaluate Info Standards
Benefit Evaluate Standards:
Nationwide Science Board accepted standards. Extra benefit evaluation standards apply. Please see the total textual content of this solicitation for additional info.
Award Administration Info
Award Circumstances:
Extra award situations apply. Please see the total textual content of this solicitation for additional info.
Reporting Necessities:
Extra reporting necessities apply. Please see the total textual content of this solicitation for additional info.
Desk Of Contents
Abstract of Program Necessities
Introduction
Program Description
Award Info
Eligibility Info
Proposal Preparation and Submission Directions
Proposal Preparation Directions
Budgetary Info
Due Dates
Analysis.gov/Grants.gov Necessities
NSF Proposal Processing and Evaluate Procedures
Benefit Evaluate Rules and Standards
Evaluate and Choice Course of
Award Administration Info
Notification of the Award
Award Circumstances
Reporting Necessities
Company Contacts
Different Info
I. Introduction
The Nationwide Problem. Improvements in science and engineering have enabled the U.S. to grow to be a world-leading financial system, powered by a well-trained scientific and technical workforce. With current advances in a number of areas of science and know-how unleashing waves of innovation across the globe, the U.S. is now dealing with competitors from many nations, with main implications for financial and industrial competitiveness in addition to nationwide safety. To make sure the U.S. stays on the vanguard of competitiveness, the U.S. should quickly increase its innovation capability. At the moment thriving analysis and growth (R&D)-based innovation exercise is extremely concentrated in only some geographic areas of the nation. Whereas these actions have yielded vital financial and societal advantages by way of use-inspired analysis and know-how growth, the U.S. should develop and leverage geographic and demographic range throughout the nation, guaranteeing that each one folks and areas are in a position to flourish – together with guaranteeing equitable pathways and entry for untapped populations which are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields and innovation ecosystems. NSF Engines program uniquely harnesses the nation’s science and know-how analysis and growth enterprise and regional-level assets.
NSF’s Distinctive Position. As a part of its mission, NSF performs a pivotal function in driving the Nation’s scientific and engineering progress from preliminary discovery to innovation. Most of the applied sciences and industries which are the main focus of nationwide conversations round U.S. competitiveness, together with synthetic intelligence (AI), superior manufacturing, superior supplies, superior wi-fi, biotechnology, and quantum info science (QIS), are rooted in sustained NSF help for analysis on the frontiers of science and engineering over many many years. Furthermore, NSF has a confirmed observe report of advancing analysis outcomes to commercialization and societal impression, whereas efficiently bridging the pursuits of academia, authorities, and {industry}, together with startups and small companies. For instance, NSF established the primary Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis (SBIR) program throughout the Federal Authorities in 1977; at present, this program, often called America’s Seed Fund, has been Congressionally mandated throughout 10 different federal companies. NSF additionally pioneered the Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program in 2011; during the last decade, this system has been adopted by different federal companies in addition to state governments. As well as, NSF has been a robust advocate of addressing research-investment gaps throughout areas, establishment sorts, and communities historically under-served in STEM by way of packages such because the Established Program to Stimulate Competitiveness in Analysis (EPSCoR), Rising Analysis Entry for Nationally Transformative Fairness and Variety (GRANTED), and the Eddie Bernice Johnson NSF INCLUDES Initiative (Inclusion Throughout the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science).
In 2022, NSF established the Directorate for Know-how, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) to advance U.S. competitiveness and societal impression by nurturing partnerships that drive and speed up various innovation ecosystems, know-how translation and growth, and workforce growth. NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) signify one of many single largest, broad investments in place-based analysis and growth within the nation’s historical past – uniquely inserting science and know-how management because the central driver for regional financial competitiveness.
Key Definitions for the NSF Engines Program
NSF Program Solicitation
The time period “program solicitation” refers to formal NSF publications that encourage the submission of proposals in particular program areas of curiosity to the Basis. Proposals obtained in response to a solicitation compete immediately with one another for NSF funding.
NSF PAPPG
The Proposal & Award Insurance policies & Procedures Information (PAPPG) is the supply for details about NSF’s proposal and award course of. Every model of the PAPPG applies to all proposals or functions submitted whereas that model is efficient. NSF PAPPG (NSF 24-1) applies to all proposals submitted or due on or after Could 20, 2024, and is the efficient model for this present NSF Engines Solicitation.
Area of Service
Area of Service is the contiguous geographical unit of research to be served by an NSF Engine, i.e., the geographical space impacted by the NSF Engines efforts and actions. At the moment outlined examples embrace commuting zones, labor market areas, metropolitan statistical areas, and ecological or geological boundaries. For the NSF Engines Program, a Area of Service might embrace a number of contiguous geographical models of research (e.g., a number of adjoining commuting zones).
Know-how Readiness Ranges (TRLs)
Know-how readiness ranges (TRLs) are a technique for assessing the maturity degree of applied sciences from preliminary analysis of fundamental technological rules (TRL 1) by way of preparation for commercialization (TRL 9). A know-how undertaking is assigned a TRL score based mostly on know-how necessities, demonstrated know-how capabilities, and progress towards commercialization. TRLs are based mostly on a scale from 1 to 9 with 9 being essentially the most mature know-how.
Use-Impressed R&D
Use-inspired analysis and growth (R&D) is analysis, know-how improvements, and information creation pushed by the will for sensible options to societal challenges and consumer wants. The tip purpose of R&D is to advance merchandise, applied sciences, or providers to TRL maturity ranges that can allow translation of the improvements. NSF Engine-supported R&D actions are anticipated to be based mostly on technical and financial analyses, which must be used to guage financial feasibility, establish and information R&D targets, and quantify technical and financial uncertainty and danger. Use-inspired R&D actions typically are on the maturity ranges of TRL 1-5.
Translation of Innovation to Follow
Translation of Innovation to Follow are actions that help bringing merchandise, applied sciences, or providers to TRL maturity ranges that can result in market, whether or not by way of commercialization or open-source mechanisms. NSF Engine-supported translation actions are anticipated to be based mostly on technical and financial analyses, which must be used to guage financial feasibility, information translation methods and strategies, and quantify technical and financial uncertainty and danger. Translation actions occur at maturity ranges of TRL 6-9.
Workforce Improvement
Workforce growth is coaching, in any respect ranges, that expands alternatives for untapped populations. Proposing groups will need to have an inclusive imaginative and prescient for creating new profession pathways that can help the total vary of technology-driven jobs of an NSF Engine, together with technicians, practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, and past, thereby assembly the calls for of {industry} companions and stakeholder communities within the area of service.
Chief Govt Officer (CEO)
The person serving because the full-time Chief Govt Officer (CEO) of the NSF Engine. For an NSF Engine, the CEO and PI are the identical particular person.
Lead PI (Principal Investigator)
The person designated by the proposing group and accepted by the Federal analysis funding company, who takes direct accountability for NSF Engine operations and targets and reporting on to the funding company. For an NSF Engine, the CEO and PI are the identical particular person.
co-Principal Investigator (co-PI)
A person who contributes in substantive and significant methods to the event and/or operation of the NSF Engine. Co-PIs will usually have a management function throughout the NSF Engine.
Lead Group
The group who submits the proposal and is the award recipient (ought to an award be made). The lead group is totally liable for award administration, together with fiscal compliance and sub-recipients
Core Companions
The coalition of stakeholder organizations who represent the NSF Engine’s administration and governance crew, with authority to make strategic choices and take actions. Core companions contribute vital assets (financial, in-kind, and/or different contributions) and work in collaboration with different members of the stakeholder coalition to have interaction, recruit, develop, and keep the community of companions and taking part organizations. Core companions, together with the lead group, should signal a formalized partnership settlement and use the rules of stakeholder alignment to arrange their shared work.
Different Associate Organizations
Stakeholder organizations (e.g., authorities, {industry}, entrepreneurs, capital buyers, establishments of upper training, non-profit organizations, and group and labor organizations) who: (1) actively take part in or are concerned in a number of NSF Engine programmatic actions; and (2) present financial, in-kind, and/or different contributions in help of NSF Engine actions with the intention of reaching NSF Engine targets, together with innovation productiveness, financial impression, and inclusive alternatives. Companions might not essentially derive rapid industrial advantages from the collaboration. Price-for-service work, the place there isn’t any lively participation and collaboration, won’t be thought to be an NSF Engines partnership.
Taking part Organizations
Organizations that actively take part or collaborate within the NSF Engine’s actions associated to use-inspired R&D, translation of innovation to follow, workforce growth, and/or different NSF Engine programmatic initiatives together with inclusive engagement.
Management Workforce
The crew that oversees the imaginative and prescient, technique, and actions of the NSF Engine. This consists of the full-time CEO and all personnel charged with key management roles, e.g., main a serious initiative, set of actions, or a key ecosystem driver.
Senior/Key Personnel
Particularly for functions of the NSF Engines Program, senior/key personnel contains the PI, co-PIs, and all members of the Management Workforce for the proposed NSF Engine. Every particular person designated as senior/key personnel is required to finish/add a number of paperwork that should be submitted with preliminary and full proposal submissions. See the proposal preparation part of this solicitation for an outline of paperwork that should be submitted by every particular person designated as senior/key personnel.
IHE
An Establishment of Larger Schooling.
Cooperative Settlement
See PAPPG, Introduction, Part D, for additional info.
Approved Organizational Consultant (AOR)
The executive official who, on behalf of the proposing group, is delegated to make certifications and representations and may commit the group to the conduct of a undertaking that NSF is being requested to help in addition to adhere to numerous NSF insurance policies and award necessities.
II. Program Description
II. A. Program Mission and Scope
The mission of the NSF Engines program is to speed up the event of sustainable, inclusive, and geographically various regional innovation ecosystems that advance key applied sciences and tackle urgent regional, nationwide, societal and/or geostrategic challenges. This system is designed to catalyze thriving place-based innovation ecosystems that operate as interdependent networks, characterised by a coalition of stakeholders who profit from their proximity and intentional coordination inside each their matter space and area of service. That is completely different from a set of siloed belongings co-located inside a geographic area.
To perform such an formidable mission and targets, this system is seeking to fund NSF Engines led by a full-time CEO and a multi-sector coalition of accomplice and stakeholder organizations, (e.g., authorities, {industry}, entrepreneurs, capital buyers, tutorial establishments, non-profits, group and labor organizations) with the express purpose of accelerating know-how growth for broad use and societal impression that profit complete areas. Every NSF Engine is anticipated to middle on a robust R&D and know-how matter space and have a coalition in place that can operate as an interdependent community to help R&D and know-how improvements, trusted knowledge-sharing, useful resource enlargement, strategic workforce growth, and steady and rising capital influx. The NSF Engines program is especially eager about growing the nation’s latent capability for innovation by creating new enterprise and financial progress alternatives in areas of America and inside untapped populations and under-served communities that haven’t but totally participated within the know-how increase of the previous a number of many years.
In contrast to conventional NSF funding fashions, the NSF Engines program goals to catalyze and deepen the interactions amongst regional stakeholders with the express purpose of catalyzing the institution of a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem. The NSF Engines program shouldn’t be meant to concentrate on help for particular person investigator-driven analysis initiatives, startup ventures at a selected stage of their entrepreneurial journey, or tutorial analysis infrastructure inside a subject space or state/area. As an alternative, the intent is to create the holistic basis for a place-based innovation ecosystem with a help infrastructure that can leverage key drivers of change to create translation pathways that drive equitable financial and societal impacts.
Every NSF Engine should reveal a robust dedication to inclusively leverage the total spectrum of various expertise that society has to supply alongside a number of dimensions (e.g., views, geographies, race, ethnicity, gender, sorts of organizations, and group sort). In help of those targets, the NSF Engines program seeks to increase the breadth of establishment sorts that tackle management roles and the associated regional-scale actions, equivalent to traditionally Black schools and universities, Tribal schools and universities, minority-serving establishments, group schools, establishments in EPSCoR jurisdictions, for-profit {industry}, state and native governments, Tribal nations, and different organizations not supported by NSF as typically. Efforts pushed by the wants and aspirations of rural-based, rural-focused stakeholder teams are inspired, in addition to initiatives based mostly in metropolitan areas with proof of sturdy management participation from suburban and/or rural companions and buy-in from a spread of communities and industries within the area of service.
Funding for this program will prioritize funding for areas with less-established innovation ecosystems. Of explicit curiosity are the institution of NSF Engines in areas of the nation the place organizations, assets, and capabilities exist, however the place the ecosystem shouldn’t be but functioning as an environment friendly, totally interdependent system. These must be areas that would profit from NSF funding to grow to be a nationwide chief of their matter space with excessive ranges of financial exercise and enterprise creation that in flip appeal to constant and significant help from private and non-private sources of capital. Whereas taking part organizations in every NSF Engine ought to largely comprise organizations from throughout the NSF Engine’s area of service, companions from exterior of that geographical space could possibly be applicable to reinforce the assets obtainable throughout the area of service. All partnerships must be related to the targets of the NSF Engine and their roles within the area of service should be justified. For instance, mentoring from skilled organizations is inspired, and organizations working in present mature innovation ecosystems are welcome to accomplice with lead organizations which are based mostly within the area of service to supply help if the advantages of such partnerships stay throughout the NSF Engine’s area of service.
II. B. The NSF Engines Mannequin and Key Drivers of Change
This part highlights the 10-year funding mannequin for NSF Engines, the foundational parts of an NSF Engine, and the important thing drivers of ecosystem change that every NSF Engine should repeatedly operationalize to attain its purpose – accelerating its area right into a national-leading innovation ecosystem in a proposed matter space. Proposing groups ought to fastidiously contemplate these elements when making ready their proposals.
II. B. 1. The NSF Engines Mannequin
The graphic beneath illustrates the five-phase mannequin that underlies the NSF imaginative and prescient for establishing sustainable NSF Engines and accelerating the expansion of related regional innovation ecosystems over a 10-year interval. All NSF Engines start on the nascent stage and may obtain as much as ten years of funding. The event section corresponds to a two-year planning award interval, the place regional groups solidify their strategic plans and partnerships previous to submission of a full NSF Engine proposal. Improvement proposals aren’t being thought of within the present solicitation and aren’t a prerequisite to be eligible to submit a full NSF Engines proposal.
II. B. 2. Constructing the Basis
Working an NSF Engine and catalyzing a regional innovation ecosystem would require groups to handle many complicated and interdependent challenges. Every proposal ought to spotlight the crew’s present belongings and the regional context that establishes the agency basis for fulfillment. A crew ought to contemplate how one can holistically signify its strengths and regional alignments all through the proposal.
At minimal, the next key foundational parts should be addressed:
Matter Space and Regional Imaginative and prescient: A well-formulated strategic imaginative and prescient for an NSF Engine ought to present route and readability, be formidable and aspirational, align with regional pursuits, cultures, and aggressive benefits, and encourage core companions to put money into reaching the mission and targets. Every NSF Engine should be centered round a transformative, future-oriented matter space and a broader regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem(s), based mostly upon key applied sciences together with, however not restricted to, these areas outlined within the CHIPS and Science Act. The collection of an applicable topical space is a vital step in articulating a proposed NSF Engine’s imaginative and prescient and strategic plans for the proposed area of service. Proposing groups ought to observe {that a} chosen matter space should:
mirror the pursuits and wishes of regional stakeholders;
have the potential to supply disruptive R&D and technological innovation that may result in financial progress by way of the creation of recent startups and the enlargement of present small companies;
have demonstrated potential to function the premise for a financially sustainable innovation ecosystem;
and provide considerably elevated alternatives for the creation and retention of high quality jobs and equitable workforce growth pathways into careers.
The proposal should clearly articulate how the NSF Engine will probably be a regionally pushed effort and what key industries will probably be impacted by the proposed efforts.
Area of Service: The area of service is the contiguous geographical unit of research to be served by an NSF Engine, i.e., the geographical space impacted by their efforts and actions. Examples of how to outline the area of service embrace commuting zones, labor market areas, metropolitan statistical areas, and by ecological or geological boundaries. For the NSF Engines program, a area of service might embrace a number of steady geographical models of research (e.g., a number of adjoining commuting zones, communities inside a regional watershed.) A proposal must reveal that the proposed area of service is tightly interconnected (in imaginative and prescient and stakeholder alignment) and has both expressed clear intent from a multi-sector regional coalition that features regional management or has already beforehand demonstrated the capability to collaborate, align priorities, and coordinate as a cohesive area.
Groups ought to contemplate how the dimensions of the area of service will impression outcomes. Selecting a big area of service (e.g., complete state(s) or a number of high-density metropolitan areas) might elevate severe issues concerning the potential to measure and assess tangible financial impression and meant outcomes as award funds and place-based financial indicators will probably be geographically diluted. A big area of service also can restrict significant collaboration between accomplice establishments and stakeholders.
Strategic Plan: An NSF Engine’s strategic plan should articulate a regionally targeted imaginative and prescient, shared by a cross-sector of regional companions and group stakeholders. The proposed plan ought to join and leverage the important thing drivers of change in a coordinated and intentional option to elevate and remodel a complete area of service into a number one innovation ecosystem in key know-how areas whereas concurrently addressing the chosen regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem. A holistic strategic plan ought to: (1) define the high-level targets and execution methods employed for every of the seven drivers of ecosystem change (see Part II.B.3); (2) describe how the seven key drivers will probably be successfully built-in to attain the NSF Engine’s imaginative and prescient and yield continuous high-impact improvements and outcomes; and (3) summarize methods for the intentional and early engagement of a broad vary of regional stakeholders and companions and the crew’s ongoing communication efforts. The plan ought to combine members with completely different areas of experience and views, i.e. vocabularies, core values, methods of figuring out and creating approaches to issues, and dealing types.
The proposal should additionally tackle these parts of the NSF Engine’s help infrastructure:
Management Workforce: Efficient management is paramount to the success of the NSF Engine and its potential to hold out its mission. As such, the management crew will need to have a transparent and inclusive imaginative and prescient, sturdy regional information, and demonstrable management expertise in the important thing drivers and know-how focus areas of the NSF Engine. The management crew ought to collectively reveal profitable entrepreneurial expertise, a observe report of delivering leads to the area and the confirmed potential to speak clearly and successfully with various audiences equivalent to companions, group stakeholders (together with authorities, {industry}, entrepreneurs, capital buyers, tutorial establishments, non-profits, group and labor organizations), administrative crew members, press and media, and the general public. Moreover, the management crew should embrace an inclusive tradition that seeks to carry a range of views into the ecosystem and deliberately works to succeed in into under-served communities and have interaction untapped expertise. The management crew must be drawn each from inside, and out of doors of, the lead group and contribute views from a broad vary of stakeholders and group teams. The management crew is liable for creating and implementing the required insurance policies, practices, and formal agreements (e.g., partnership, knowledge agreements) to facilitate key partnerships and to create an atmosphere that drives innovation.
Lead Group: The lead group is the NSF award recipient that’s finally liable for oversight of all operational and administration features of the NSF Engine, together with all monetary and reporting obligations of the award. Proposing groups ought to make sure that the chosen lead has the capability to fulfill the broad calls for of a lead group. Furthermore, the lead group must be considered as a “trusted, trustworthy dealer” with the power to carry collectively and encourage regional stakeholders to attain the NSF Engine’s targets. The lead group, the place the NSF Engine will probably be headquartered, will need to have a big presence and vested curiosity within the area of service on the time of the preliminary proposal submission. The proposing PI and the group using the proposing PI should already be based mostly within the area of service and have a observe report of driving impression and collaboration throughout the area of service. It is very important observe that NSF will conduct an in depth evaluation of newly fashioned organizations and potential new recipients to confirm {that a} potential recipient is financially secure, has enough assets to finish its proposed efforts, and has enough funds to pay working bills. Organizations from mature ecosystems that create a brand new entity in a much less mature area with the express function of making use of as a lead group for the NSF Engines program must be conscious that this will probably be thought of opposite to the said targets and mission of this system.
Chief Govt Officer (CEO): Every NSF Engine should be led by a full-time chief govt officer (CEO), who’s liable for managing the Engine and is liable for its total success. The NSF Engine CEO, whose time is 100% allotted to main the NSF Engine, should be employed by the lead group. The CEO may even be the PI on the NSF Engine award.
Core Administration Workforce: Along with the CEO and the Management Workforce, every NSF Engine will need to have a core administration crew liable for all administration capabilities needed to attain the NSF Engine’s targets. The particular group of the core administration crew relies upon upon the wants of an NSF Engine however ought to establish accountability for core Engine capabilities (e.g., administration, use-inspired R&D, translation and commercialization, workforce growth, stakeholder engagement, outreach, communications, and analysis and evaluation). The core administration crew ought to embrace significant illustration from the NSF Engine’s core companions and key stakeholders and mirror the area’s range. The core administration can also embrace governance and exterior advisory boards.
Core Companions: The core accomplice organizations should work with the lead group to help the NSF Engine’s imaginative and prescient and to supply assets to help its actions. The NSF Engine will need to have a proper partnership settlement that features the dealing with of mental property (IP), safety (together with cybersecurity and analysis safety), and mechanisms for including or eradicating companions.
II. B. 3. Key Drivers of Ecosystem Change for NSF Engines
The NSF Engines program is grounded in seven key drivers of ecosystem change. To speed up the area’s progress towards a mature regional financial system, NSF Engines are anticipated to develop an interconnected set of initiatives, efforts, and motion plans, spanning the seven key drivers. The work must be guided by a strategic plan that connects and leverages the important thing drivers in a coordinated and intentional option to elevate and remodel an NSF Engine’s complete area of service into a number one innovation ecosystem in a key know-how space based mostly on an recognized regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem. The place relevant, proposals are anticipated to include moral, social, financial, well being, authorized, security, and environmental issues which are related to proposed actions of the proposed NSF Engine. See Sections II.B.2 and V for extra info on strategic plans and proposal preparation directions.
Cross-sector Partnerships and Stakeholder Alignment. An efficient NSF Engine will recruit and maintain an interdependent innovation ecosystem that pulls in experience, involvement, and synergy throughout a variety of companions, stakeholder teams, and communities. Companions and stakeholders might embrace establishments of upper training (IHEs), for-profit {industry} together with small companies, capital buyers, entrepreneurs, native and state governments, Tribal nations, nationwide laboratories, labor and workforce growth organizations, non-profits, and community-based organizations. Groups are inspired to incorporate companions that use the humanities, tradition, design, or humanities to have interaction various communities round envisioning what it means to be an inclusive innovation ecosystem and in creating inventive options to the big selection of know-how and analysis challenges NSF Engines will face. The NSF Engine ought to construct on the strengths and capabilities of its partnership community and work to align the pursuits of the NSF Engine with its regional stakeholders and communities by inviting them to take part in setting targets for use-inspired R&D, translation, and workforce growth. The expectation is that the core partnerships and alignment with regional pursuits and group wants will probably be deep and significant in methods that may be demonstrated, when requested, in the course of the benefit evaluation course of.
Use-inspired Analysis and Improvement (R&D). A driving pressure behind a profitable NSF Engine will probably be its use-inspired R&D, which refers to analysis, know-how improvements, and information creation pushed by the will for sensible options to societal challenges which will have vital potential to help downstream technological developments, new improvements, and financial and societal impacts for the area of service. NSF Engine-supported R&D actions should be impressed by the present regional calls for (i.e., market or societal “pull”) and future forecasts of wants in {industry} and/or for finish customers. Preliminary R&D can span Know-how Readiness Ranges (TRLs) 1-5, with the intention of advancing additional on the TRL scale with the help of an NSF Engines award. The tip purpose of R&D and translation actions is to carry merchandise, applied sciences, or providers to market, whether or not by way of commercialization or open-source mechanisms. Given this system targets, use-inspired R&D actions which have already superior past fundamental or utilized analysis must be most popular within the preliminary two-year interval of a proposed NSF Engine. Nevertheless, proposing groups have the required flexibility to suggest formidable initiatives, unbiased of the know-how readiness degree, which have the potential to rework their know-how space and area of service inside a 10-year timeline. Finally, for long-term sustainability and continued innovation outcomes, the NSF Engine might want to foster a steady move of revolutionary concepts, use-inspired R&D, and innovations that span the TRL spectrum and may be sustained past the 10-year award interval. Proposing groups are inspired to anticipate the know-how wants throughout the area past present capacities and envision new disruptive applied sciences, i.e., transformative, future-oriented applied sciences and never simply the mixing of present applied sciences into new industries or areas.
Translation of Innovation to Follow. A profitable NSF Engine will lead to tangible translational outcomes equivalent to new merchandise in addition to new and expanded companies and providers throughout the interval of the award. Outcomes can also inform the event of recent insurance policies and laws put ahead by regional or nationwide entities. Every NSF Engine should set up the experience, construction, and processes required to help steady and well timed identification and implementation of translation alternatives. This could embrace analyses of financial and environmental elements that would have an effect on prices and competitiveness. Profitable translation requires ongoing engagement and alignment amongst stakeholders and with communities within the area of service. Additional, it’s anticipated that NSF Engines will create a number of entrepreneurial pathways and these pathways won’t be restricted to the work of a single incubator/accelerator or ventures rising from a single group.
Workforce Improvement. A sturdy innovation ecosystem requires a various, expert, and adaptable workforce pushed by its labor market wants. NSF Engines ought to due to this fact help the creation and implementation of recruitment, training, coaching, retention, {and professional} growth packages in any respect ranges related to the proposed R&D matter space. Plans ought to emphasize overcoming the precise limitations to inclusive workforce growth which are current presently within the area of service. Alternatives for skilled growth must be made obtainable to all contributors, together with management, college students, college researchers, entrepreneurs, group members, and {industry} and authorities personnel. Good jobs, which pay family-sustaining wages and advantages, can function a foundational part of an equitable financial system and spur regional financial progress and shared prosperity. Workforce growth plans ought to describe how efforts of the proposed NSF Engine will result in the creation and retention of high quality jobs accessible to employees from all communities, as outlined by the Good Jobs rules revealed collectively by the Division of Commerce (DOC) and Division of Labor (DOL). Plans ought to embrace proof of the dedication by the NSF Engine and its companions, e.g., industry-aware and industry-funded coaching and certification packages within the matter space, particular accomplice commitments to fund internships, co-ops, and summer season youth employment, a plan to fund supportive providers for employees dealing with limitations to employment, employer commitments to rent a share of contributors who full NSF Engine-supported workforce growth packages, and registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship packages. Packages funded by the NSF Engine should develop a proactive technique to stop office discrimination and harassment, together with gender-based violence and harassment, prohibited by relevant federal, native, state, and Tribal labor legal guidelines.
The next sources could also be useful to proposing groups as they outline a workforce growth framework: GoodJobs.gov, DOL’s Infrastructure Workforce Framework and steering on Rising Entry to Good Jobs, Apprenticeship readiness packages (or “pre-apprenticeships”), Registered Apprenticeship Packages (registered through the DOL Workplace of Apprenticeship or State Apprenticeship Company) and sector methods, and labor-management coaching partnerships. DOL has developed a useful resource that may help their candidates in figuring out high-road coaching packages. This solicitation highlights these assets as examples that could be helpful as proposing groups develop strategics plans. All proposed plans must be written based mostly on undertaking targets, obtainable partnerships, and particular regional wants for inclusive workforce growth.
Inclusive Engagement. A key purpose of the NSF Engines program is for every NSF Engine to catalyze the creation of an innovation ecosystem that delivers financial progress for everybody within the area of service, no matter background, socioeconomic standing, location, or some other elements. NSF Engine management and stakeholders must be broadly consultant of the area of service, together with throughout the buildings of management, administration, R&D, translation, and workforce growth. A various vary of stakeholders and communities must be thought of within the growth of the NSF Engine’s targets and will profit from the outcomes at every undertaking stage. Groups are anticipated to periodically assess how its efforts are bettering range and enabling equitable prosperity (with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, individuals with disabilities, socioeconomic standing, and group sort). As a part of this focus, every NSF Engine should develop a method to make sure that R&D, translation, academic, and workforce alternatives supported by this award are equitably obtainable and have a proactive plan to take away limitations for under-served populations to completely taking part in its packages.
The above engagement should transcend perfunctory outreach initiatives that merely function an introduction to NSF Engine actions and as a substitute present a deep, intentional, and protracted strategy to constructing inclusive groups and broadening entry. The brand new contributors shouldn’t solely be consultant of particular person identities, but in addition present an enlargement of the interdependent regional community into new communities and geographies.
Strategic Regional Funding and Demonstrable Sources of Sustainable Capital. A profitable NSF Engine requires significant new funding within the area from regional and nationwide stakeholders AND funding directed particularly for the NSF Engine’s proposed matter space and actions. At every evaluation stage (starting with the preliminary proposal), NSF would require documented proof of and progress of an NSF Engine’s (and its area’s) capital stack. New and vital regional co-commitments from a various set of stakeholders must be in place on the time of full proposal submission. Regional investments ought to embrace, however not be restricted to, working and project-specific funds from state and native governments, Tribal nations, {industry}, philanthropy, anchor establishments, together with universities, and different key stakeholders within the area and nationally. Groups ought to develop plans for securing particular, actionable, and time-bound commitments from a range of capital co-investors, together with federal, state, native, and Tribal, philanthropic, company, establishments of upper training, and capital markets (e.g., enterprise capital, personal fairness). Lastly, proposing groups ought to embrace particular plans for the way the proposed NSF Engine will develop fashions that harness licensing money flows, fairness stakes, co-ownership of belongings, and different shared income fashions that complement the proposed technique. As a place to begin on how to consider constructing a sustainable capital stack and sustainability technique, proposing groups might discover the next article helpful in creating its sustainability framework: Past federal grants: Sustaining place-based financial growth.
Governance and Administration. Participation by a cross-section of stakeholders is vital to efficient ecosystem constructing. The NSF Engine should work to carry the companions collectively and create alignment in setting targets to maximise the impression and advantages for all regional stakeholders. The management crew is liable for creating and implementing the required insurance policies, practices, and formal agreements (e.g., partnership, knowledge, and IP agreements) to facilitate key partnerships and, finally, to create an atmosphere that drives innovation. An efficient management crew will want the experience and area people standing to supply imaginative and prescient, administration, and oversight of the NSF Engine’s operations and all key parts of constructing an inclusive innovation ecosystem (see key foundational parts in Part II.B.2). Members of the management crew are anticipated to take part in NSF-organized convenings for coaching and cross-team collaboration. This coaching will probably be a big time funding. Particulars will probably be supplied to groups chosen to obtain awards after the completion of the benefit evaluation course of.
Groups don’t want to position the identical degree of emphasis on every driver. For instance, through a niche evaluation led by the lead group with its regional companions and group stakeholders, a area might decide that it has sufficiently sturdy use-inspired R&D belongings however lacks the required ranges of capital investments or partnerships with group organizations in its area of service. Within the proposal, groups ought to spotlight their present aggressive benefits and strengths among the many key drivers and clarify how they plan to completely develop all drivers with explicit consideration to these areas that would profit most from the NSF Engines award.
Proposing groups ought to fastidiously contemplate the guarantees and challenges dealing with regional innovation ecosystems as they assess their capabilities and wishes vis-à-vis these drivers. The important thing dependencies for place-based innovation coverage interventions described within the following article may show precious for this function: Accelerating Innovation Ecosystems: The Promise And Challenges Of Regional Innovation Engines.
II. C. Analysis Plan
Every NSF Engine should develop a complete Analysis Plan containing baselines; benchmarks; Particular, Measurable, Achievable, Related, and Well timed (SMART) targets; and targets particular to its area of service in addition to matter space, together with key know-how focus space(s). The plan ought to embrace strategies to evaluate the progress made towards reaching the targets and milestones of the programmatic actions happening inside an NSF Engine in addition to the general targets of the NSF Engine. By way of the analysis course of, profitable groups will at a minimal reveal:
The “added worth” of being funded as an NSF Engine (moderately than a set of individually funded initiatives);
Advantages to the area of service by way of creation and retention of high-quality jobs with family-sustaining pay and good advantages and different inclusive financial alternatives;
Effectiveness of partnerships with various stakeholders;
Achievement of strategic targets shared by the lead and partnering organizations;
Integration of a significant tradition of inclusion throughout all features of the NSF Engine, together with the management crew, key drivers of ecosystem change, and operations;
Efficient implementation of academic and workforce coaching alternatives, equivalent to registered apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, summer season youth employment, labor-management coaching partnerships, profession and technical training, internships, co-ops, vocational coaching, joint appointments, and different high quality work-based studying and experiential studying alternatives;
Profitable attraction, leveraging, and efficient utilization of complementary funding from different sources past NSF; and
Hyperlinks and synergistic collaborations with present innovation ecosystems and different hubs and belongings throughout the area, together with federally funded R&D facilities and Nationwide Labs.
NSF Engines are anticipated to repeatedly monitor and assess their efficiency towards established targets, milestones, and related targets. Such assessments are anticipated to contain lively participation and enter from all stakeholders engaged in or impacted by the Engine’s actions. Along with programmatic parameters, NSF may even contemplate an NSF Engine’s personal parameters for measuring efficiency in figuring out eligibility for continued funding.
The proposal should describe the method by which the Analysis Plan will probably be utilized by the NSF Engine crew all through the 10-year period of this system. Analysis ought to concentrate on outcomes that reveal achievement of its targets and will additional present indicators that seize the standard, depth, and impression of the NSF Engines actions, moderately than merely uncooked numbers.
NSF Engines ought to use the analysis plans and related quarterly and annual undertaking stories not solely as a reporting mechanism for NSF to trace progress versus particular metrics, but in addition as a software for stakeholders within the NSF Engine to see progress towards outcomes of worth to them. See Sections III and VII for extra info on how the Analysis Plan will probably be used in the course of the post-award evaluation course of.
III. Award Info
NSF intends to fund all high-quality NSF Engines proposals to increase the geography of American innovation. The general variety of awards will probably be decided by the variety of high-quality proposals obtained and the supply of funds appropriated by Congress. NSF Engines may be funded for as much as ten years, with an preliminary award for the primary two years and subsequent awards for years 3-5 and 6-10, based mostly on efficiency critiques and evaluations.
Awards can obtain funding for as much as 10 years. The preliminary two years of funding will help a ramp-up interval. Continued help for the NSF Engine will probably be contingent upon the NSF Engine’s total efficiency, together with assembly its annual efficiency targets.
The NSF Engine may be funded for as much as a complete of $15,000,000 in Years 1-2.
The NSF Engine may be funded at as much as $15,000,000 per yr in Years 3-5.
The NSF Engine may be funded at as much as $20,000,000 per yr in Years 6-10.
The overall quantity of an award won’t exceed $160,000,000 from NSF (over a interval not exceeding ten years).
The NSF Engines program retains the precise to fund submitted proposals as NSF Engines Improvement Awards – awards designed to allow recipients extra time and funding to put the extra groundwork wanted to launch a full-scale NSF Engine – based mostly on the outcomes of the benefit evaluation course of. In exercising this proper, NSF reserves the choice to fund solely a subset of actions described within the proposal, together with funding solely the partnership growth and/or community formation features of the undertaking.
Continued Funding Selections for NSF Engine Awards: Past 12 months 1 of an award, the NSF Engine is liable for offering an annual complete evaluation of the Engine’s efficiency, which can inform subsequent-year funding. As well as, NSF will conduct extra critiques involving NSF Program Administrators and/or a Website Go to Workforce to evaluate the NSF Engine’s accomplishments and future duties, with an emphasis on tangible outcomes, total societal and financial impacts, and progress towards reaching long-term targets and milestones.
Continued funding will probably be based mostly on a mixture of the annual reporting by the award recipients and usually scheduled analysis and evaluation cycles (on the instances to be outlined within the cooperative settlement) and can also embrace enter from an exterior evaluator. The cognizant program officer, working with the NSF Engines post-award administration crew, will log off on the duty of funds on an annual foundation. Continued funding shouldn’t be assured and requires the award recipient to fulfill all efficiency necessities described and agreed to within the cooperative settlement. If NSF determines throughout any evaluation that the NSF Engine has didn’t carry out, extra funding could also be withheld. NSF Engine recipients must be conscious that continued funding additionally will depend on the supply of funds to the NSF Engines Program.
If an NSF Engine shouldn’t be assembly efficiency necessities, NSF will work with the recipient to mitigate the problems. Throughout this mitigation interval, NSF might interact in additional frequent assessments, together with website visits, as needed. If the NSF Engine is unable to resolve efficiency points inside a specified time interval, NSF funding will probably be discontinued. The NSF Engines program crew might proceed to work with the Engine to fulfill its total targets for the proposed area of service. The main points of a mitigation interval and/or ramp-down will probably be topic to negotiation between NSF and the recipient below the phrases of the cooperative settlement.
NSF Submit-Award Oversight Together with Website Visits of Engines: NSF will negotiate the ultimate Analysis Plan for the preliminary award with the recipient within the fourth quarter of yr 1, based mostly on the anticipated NSF Engine maturity traits and outcomes. As outlined within the cooperative settlement, NSF will assess post-award outcomes towards this plan at evaluation checkpoints. Useful resource contributions made by taking part organizations and companions of an NSF Engine and the efficient utilization of such assets in advancing the mission will probably be an vital issue within the post-award administration and evaluation course of.
IV. Eligibility Info
Who Could Submit Proposals:
Proposals might solely be submitted by the next:
Establishments of Larger Schooling (IHEs) – Two- and four-year IHEs (together with group schools) accredited in, and having a campus positioned within the US, appearing on behalf of their college members. Particular Directions for Worldwide Department Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal consists of funding to be supplied to a global department campus of a US establishment of upper training (together with by way of use of subawards and marketing consultant preparations), the proposer should clarify the profit(s) to the undertaking of efficiency on the worldwide department campus, and justify why the undertaking actions can’t be carried out on the US campus.
Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Unbiased museums, observatories, analysis laboratories, skilled societies and comparable organizations positioned within the U.S. which are immediately related to academic or analysis actions.
For-profit organizations: U.S.-based industrial organizations, together with small companies, with sturdy capabilities in scientific or engineering analysis or training and a ardour for innovation.
Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or group that the Secretary of the Inside acknowledges as a federally acknowledged tribe pursuant to the Federally Acknowledged Indian Tribe Record Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.
State and Native Governments
Who Could Function PI:
The Principal Investigator (PI) should be a senior member of the submitting group’s management and also will function the full-time CEO for the NSF Engine. On the time of proposal submission, this function could also be crammed by an interim CEO till a full-time CEO is known as or recruited. The designation of a full-time CEO should happen throughout the first six months of the beginning date of the award.
People who’re a celebration to a Malign Overseas Expertise Recruitment Program aren’t eligible to function a senior/key individual on an NSF proposal or award.
Restrict on Variety of Proposals per Group: 1
A company might submit no a couple of Letter of Intent (LOI), one preliminary proposal, and one full proposal in response to this solicitation because the lead group. If a company exceeds this limitation, LOIs, preliminary proposals, and full proposals will probably be accepted based mostly on earliest date and time of submission (i.e., the primary proposal will probably be accepted, and the rest will probably be returned with out evaluation). A lead group on a proposal could also be a sub-recipient on a distinct proposal. There isn’t a restrict on the variety of proposals for which a company can function a sub-recipient
Extra Steerage for proposers new to NSF: Any proposer who has not submitted a proposal to NSF throughout the earlier 5 years, should evaluation the steering for brand new and returning proposers within the NSF New Proposer Submission – Supplementary Steerage doc, which gives a timeline and walk-through of the important thing milestones that should be accomplished with the intention to submit proposals to NSF.
The lead group will need to have a Distinctive Entity Identifier (UEI) and be totally registered at SAM.gov on the time of LOI submission. Personnel designated as a PI or co-PI will need to have an NSF ID on the time of LOI submission. The Lead group and all sub-recipients will need to have an lively UEI quantity and should be registered with NSF to submit a Full NSF Engines Proposal. To register your group with NSF, go to https://www.analysis.gov/. To search out or request a Distinctive Entity Identifier (UEI), please go to https://sam.gov/content material/residence. Any particular person designated as Senior/Key Personnel is required to have an NSF ID.
Restrict on Variety of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1
A person might function PI or co-PI on no a couple of proposal submitted in response to this solicitation.
People who’re a celebration to a Malign Overseas Expertise Recruitment Program aren’t eligible to function a senior/key individual on an NSF proposal or award.
Extra Eligibility Data:
Proposals should be submitted by a single lead group with any accomplice organizations listed as sub-recipients Individually submitted collaborative proposals won’t be accepted. (See PAPPG Chapter II.E.3 for additional info)
Along with the organizational sorts eligible to submit proposals, the next extra organizational sorts are eligible to obtain NSF funds by way of subawards below this solicitation:
Federally Funded Analysis and Improvement Facilities; and
Nationwide Laboratories.
Worldwide companions aren’t permitted to be included as a part of a proposal submitted to NSF pursuant to this solicitation. After an award has been made, nevertheless, a global accomplice/collaborator could also be added in accordance with the procedures established in Part VII. No worldwide companions might obtain funding from the NSF award.
NOTE: All submitting organizations ought to evaluation the obligations of the Lead Organizations, outlined in Part II.B.2. Lead organizations are inspired to fastidiously contemplate whether or not their mission aligns with the mission, targets, and operational necessities of an NSF Engine. Regional groups ought to choose a lead that has the required operational capability and regional belief wanted to steer an NSF Engine and catalyze a vibrant and inclusive regional innovation ecosystem.
Who Can’t Function an NSF Engine Associate
The next aren’t eligible to function companions or in any other case take part below this solicitation:
Organizations on the Division of Commerce’s Bureau of Business and Safety (BIS) Entity Record;
Any entity recognized below part 1260h of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021 (10 U.S.C. 113 observe; Public Legislation 116-283). The latest listing of entities could also be discovered at: https://www.federalregister.gov/paperwork/2021/06/28/2021-13753/notice-of-designation-of-chinese-military-companies-under-the-william-m-mac-thornberry-ndaa-for-fy21;
Any “international entities of concern” as outlined in part 10638(3) of the Chips and Science Act of 2022 (Public Legislation 117-167, Division B), which incorporates, amongst others, entities owned by, managed by, or topic to the jurisdiction or route of the federal government of the Democratic Individuals’s Republic of North Korea, the Individuals’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, or the Islamic Republic of Iran; and
Unaffiliated people.
A company that isn’t eligible to be an Engine accomplice or to obtain NSF funds shouldn’t be eligible to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation or to in any other case take part on this program.
Who Could Function CEO
The CEO should be employed by and based mostly on the lead group. On the time of proposal submission, this function could also be crammed by an interim CEO till a full-time CEO is known as or recruited. Designation of a full-time CEO, whose time is 100% allotted to main the Engine, should happen throughout the first six months of the beginning date of the award.
People who’re a celebration to a Malign Overseas Expertise Recruitment Program aren’t eligible to function a senior/key individual on an NSF proposal or award.
V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Directions
A. Proposal Preparation Directions
Letters of Intent (required):
A Letter of Intent (LOI) is required to be eligible to submit a preliminary proposal. The LOI should be submitted through Analysis.gov no later than the LOI deadline date.
Please observe the next situations:
LOIs should be submitted by way of Analysis.gov, which requires that every LOI has an LOI Title, a Challenge Synopsis, and an related PI/CEO.
A Minimal of 1 PI/CEO and as much as 4 co-PIs are allowed.
A company might submit no a couple of LOI in response to this solicitation as a lead group.
Title: The title ought to start with “NSF Engine:”.
NSF Engine CEO and Level of Contact for NSF Inquiries: Please embrace the PI/CEO’s title, Group, telephone quantity, and e-mail tackle.
Anticipated Engine co-PIs: Embrace as much as 4 co-PIs. Embrace their title, group, and site (metropolis, state). The co-PIs might come from the Lead group and any of the core accomplice organizations taking part in proposal growth. The PI/CEO doesn’t rely in direction of the minimal/most requirement.
Anticipated Core Associate Organizations: The Handle Taking part Organizations (in Analysis.gov) part can embrace a minimal of 1 and a most of 4 taking part organizations. As much as 4 dedicated core accomplice organizations must be listed right here.
Synopsis (to not exceed one web page, in a single PDF file to not exceed 10 MB in dimension): The synopsis should embrace temporary descriptions of the next parts: (1) the proposed imaginative and prescient; (2) the area of service together with the area’s aggressive benefit, because it pertains to the proposed matter space(s); (3) regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges(s), together with key know-how areas that will probably be superior; (4) targets of the proposed Engine; and (5) the potential for high-impact outcomes.
After the abstract statements, the one-page synopsis should additionally embrace the next required info on this order and utilizing these headings:
Area of Service: Embrace the state (two-letter abbreviations solely) that encompasses the meant area of service. If the proposed area of service consists of a number of states, listing the state names (utilizing the two-letter abbreviations solely), listing the state of the Lead org first, adopted by different states in alphabetical order. After itemizing the states, please additionally embrace all related Core-based statistical areas (CBSAs). CBSAs embrace each Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. A listing of CBSAs may be discovered right here. Use the CBSA title and actual spelling present in column D of the downloadable excel spreadsheet. In case your area of service doesn’t embrace a number of CBSA, listing the CBSA heading solely.
Instance:
Area of Service
State(s): ND
CBSA(s): Fargo, ND; Wahpeton, ND, Bismarck, ND; Minot, ND; Grand Forks, ND; Williston, ND; Dickinson, ND; Jamestown, ND.
Overarching Problem: Problem 1, Problem 2, Problem 3: In lowering emphasis, listing as much as three key phrases or phrases that establish the overarching societal, regional, nationwide, and/or geostrategic challenges (s) that will probably be addressed by this proposal.
Instance:
Overarching Problem(s): Resilient Meals Programs
Key phrases: Key phrase-1, Key phrase-2, Key phrase-3, Key phrase-4, Key phrase-5: So as of lowering emphasis, listing as much as 5 key phrases that signify the important thing know-how focus space(s) to be addressed by this proposal. Discover examples of key know-how areas right here.
Instance:
Key phrases: Biotechnology, superior computing and semiconductors, superior supplies, superior communications, synthetic intelligence.
Business Sectors: Business 1, Business 2, Business 3: So as of lowering emphasis, listing as much as three {industry} sectors that will probably be impacted by the developments and know-how outcomes ensuing from the proposed Engine’s efforts. Use the four-digit North American Business Classification System (NAICS) code for every sector from the 2022 NAICS Handbook.
Instance:
Business Sectors: 1111 (Oilseed and Grain Farming), 5417 (Scientific Analysis and Improvement Providers)
NSF Engine Improvement Award(s): If the lead group and/or a core accomplice group obtained an NSF Engine Improvement Award(s), embrace this info as the ultimate strains of the synopsis:
NSF Engine Improvement Award Title(s): Embrace the total title of the event award, separated by a semi-colon if the proposing crew included a couple of growth award (e.g., two or extra growth award recipient groups have merged).
NSF Engine Improvement Award ID (s): Embrace solely the 7-digit award ID, separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Identify of PI for the Improvement Award (s): PI Final Identify, PI First Identify
Lead Group for the Improvement Award (s): Group Identify
Different Feedback (The “Different feedback” characteristic is a textbox within the LOI module that may accommodate an extra max 2,500 characters together with any clean areas): The Different Feedback part should embrace the required disclosure assertion described beneath.
Necessary Disclosure: NSF reserves the precise to publish or in any other case make obtainable a abstract of a subset of, or all, the submitted LOIs, the related preliminary and/or full proposal info at any time between the time of submission of the LOI and the time of announcement of NSF Engines awards. Such summaries might embrace the next details about every proposal: (1) submission title, (2) lead group title and group sort, (3) geographical info supplied by proposers concerning the area of service, (4) title and call info of the CEO (or present PI, if a CEO has not but been decided), (5) matter space, (6) key know-how areas, and (7) a short description of the proposal, to not exceed 5 sentences. NSF additionally reserves the precise to announce these summaries for a subset of proposals which are into consideration in the course of the completely different phases of the benefit evaluation course of, together with, however not restricted to, the pre-proposal stage and the positioning go to stage.
For Privateness Act Functions, proposers are required to incorporate the next assertion on the finish of the “Different Feedback” textbox. “I, [insert PI’s name], hereby consent to the disclosure of a abstract of my NSF Engines proposal as described within the NSF Engines solicitation.”
Letter of Intent Preparation Directions:
When submitting a Letter of Intent by way of Analysis.gov in response to this Program Solicitation please observe the situations outlined beneath:
Submission by an Approved Organizational Consultant (AOR) is required when submitting Letters of Intent.
A Minimal of 0 and Most of 4 Different Senior Challenge Personnel are permitted
A Minimal of 0 and Most of 4 Different Taking part Organizations are permitted
Submission of a number of Letters of Intent shouldn’t be permitted
Preliminary Proposals (required): Preliminary proposals are required and should be submitted through Analysis.gov, even when full proposals will probably be submitted through Grants.gov.
Preliminary proposals are required and should be submitted through Analysis.gov, no later than the preliminary proposal deadline date.
Preliminary proposals will probably be evaluated utilizing NSF benefit evaluation processes and submitting groups will both be invited or not invited to submit full proposals based mostly upon this evaluation.
The aim of the preliminary proposal is to supply a compelling overview of and imaginative and prescient for the proposed NSF Engine and area of service. The preliminary proposal should reveal alignment with the mission and targets of the NSF Engines program and an applicable scope and scale to justify the necessity for a 10-year NSF Engine funding. A proposed area of service will need to have the regional help needed to construct a self-sustaining inclusive regional innovation ecosystem. Moreover, the important thing know-how R&D focus space(s) ought to have the potential for vital regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic impacts. The preliminary proposal must also describe the management crew and embrace a dialogue of why this crew and the core companions are certified to steer the Engine and regional efforts.
The required sections of a preliminary proposal are as follows. Submissions which are incomplete, materially missing, or not attentive to the technical or administrative necessities of this solicitation will not be reviewed or could also be evaluated as-is with out additional alternative for revision on the discretion of NSF’s evaluation course of.
Cowl Sheet
Challenge Abstract
Challenge Description (as much as 10 pages)
NOTE: The Challenge Description additionally should include, as a separate part throughout the narrative, a piece labeled “Broader Impacts”, and “Broader Impacts” should seem as a heading by itself line, with no different textual content on the road, together with heading quantity. See the Challenge Description define beneath for directions on the place to incorporate the “Broader Impacts” part.
References Cited
Senior/Key Personnel Paperwork
Biographical Sketches
Present and Pending (Different) Help
Collaborators and Different Affiliations Info
Supplementary Paperwork
Consolidated Personnel Record Spreadsheet
Area of Service Map
Present and New Assets
NSF Engines Improvement Award Recipient Info
Letters of Dedication and Collaboration
Extra Single Copy Paperwork
Necessary Disclosure
Preliminary Proposal Set-Up: Choose “Put together New Preliminary Proposal” in Analysis.gov. Seek for and choose this solicitation title in Step One of many Preliminary Proposal wizard. In Step Three, choose “Single proposal (with or with out subawards).” Individually submitted collaborative proposals aren’t permitted. The title ought to start with “NSF Engine:”. The title can change from the LOI to the submitted preliminary proposal. The title ought to mirror the subject space focus and area of service.
Cowl Sheet: Choose the proposed begin date and enter a proposed period of 120 months.
Challenge Abstract (1 web page): Every preliminary proposal should include a abstract of the proposed undertaking not a couple of web page in size. The Challenge Abstract should embrace three separate sections labeled with the next headers: “Overview,” “Mental Benefit,” and “Broader Impacts.” To be legitimate, a heading should be by itself line with no different textual content on that line. The Challenge Abstract must be written in third individual and informative to different folks working in the identical or associated fields. It shouldn’t be an summary of the proposal. Don’t embrace proprietary info within the Challenge Abstract. Extra directions for preparation of the Challenge Abstract can be found in Analysis.gov.
Proposals missing an entire Challenge Abstract will probably be Returned With out Evaluate. An entire Challenge Abstract consists of info in all three sections:
Overview
The Overview part ought to embrace a concise assertion of function with respect to the overarching regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem(s), key know-how R&D focus space(s), and anticipated regional significance and financial impression. The Overview ought to describe the potential key outcomes of the proposed Engine, e.g., when it comes to use-inspired R&D, translation of innovation outcomes (e.g., merchandise, startups, processes, or providers), and inclusive regional workforce and financial growth. The Overview part must also define the important thing industries and know-how areas that will probably be superior and impression nationwide competitiveness.
Mental Benefit
This part should start with “This proposed NSF Engine…” The part should tackle the mental deserves of the proposed NSF Engine. Briefly describe the targets, broad challenges, and scientific and engineering hurdle(s) that will probably be addressed by the proposed use-inspired R&D, know-how growth and commercialization, and a high-level abstract of the strategic plan to construct a sustainable innovation ecosystem to succeed in these targets.
Broader Impacts
This part should focus on the anticipated measurable outcomes when it comes to how the proposed Engine will construct and catalyze an inclusive innovation ecosystem throughout the area of service and the anticipated regional impression and advantages to stakeholders and communities.
After the required sections above, the one-page undertaking abstract should additionally embrace the next required info on this order and utilizing these headings. Whereas it’s anticipated that the overall theme of the proposed Engine is anticipated to stay as outlined within the LOI, these descriptors may be revised/up to date (from what was submitted with the LOI).
Overarching Problem: Problem 1, Problem 2, Problem 3: In lowering emphasis, listing as much as three key phrases or phrases that establish the overarching societal, regional, nationwide, and/or geostrategic challenges (s) that will probably be addressed by this proposal.
Instance:
Overarching Problem(s): Resilient Meals Programs
Key phrases: Key phrase-1, Key phrase-2, Key phrase-3, Key phrase-4, Key phrase-5: So as of lowering emphasis, listing as much as 5 key phrases that signify the important thing know-how focus space(s) to be addressed by this proposal. Discover examples of key know-how areas right here.
Instance:
Key phrases: Biotechnology, superior computing and semiconductors, superior supplies, superior communications, synthetic intelligence.
Business Sectors: Business 1, Business 2, Business 3: So as of lowering emphasis, listing as much as three {industry} sectors that will probably be impacted by the developments and know-how outcomes ensuing from the proposed Engine’s efforts. Use the four-digit North American Business Classification System (NAICS) code for every sector from the 2022 NAICS Handbook.
Instance:
Business Sectors: 1111 (Oilseed and Grain Farming), 5417 (Scientific Analysis and Improvement Providers)
Challenge Description: The undertaking description shouldn’t exceed 10 pages. All figures and tables should be included throughout the 10-page restrict. Preliminary proposal analysis will contemplate the belongings presently within the area of service that can contribute to constructing the interdependent ecosystem and the potential of the transformative, future-oriented R&D matter, and translation efforts to function the premise for a nationwide main innovation ecosystem.
The Mental Benefit and Broader Impacts of the proposed Engine should be addressed and described all through the narrative as an integral a part of the Challenge Description. A separate part for Broader Impacts is required within the undertaking description for the preliminary proposal on the finish of the “Imaginative and prescient and Scope” part. Outcomes from Prior Help shouldn’t be a required part for the preliminary proposal.
Define for the Preliminary Proposal Challenge Description (as much as 10 pages)
The undertaking description should include the next sections with these headings:
Imaginative and prescient and Scope: This part ought to introduce the shared imaginative and prescient for the proposed NSF Engine and regional innovation ecosystem, together with the overarching regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem(s), the important thing know-how space(s) that will probably be superior, potential industries that will probably be impacted, innovation ecosystem targets, and the potential high-impact outcomes. This part ought to listing the core accomplice organizations of the proposing crew and describe every group’s main contributions to reaching the Engine’s targets.
Broader Impacts
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Challenge Description additionally should include, as a separate part throughout the narrative, a piece labeled “Broader Impacts”, and “Broader Impacts” should seem as a heading by itself line, with no different textual content on the road, together with heading quantity. This part ought to present a dialogue of the broader impacts of the proposed actions. Proposals ought to embrace the required Broader Impacts part on the finish of the “Imaginative and prescient and Scope” part of the undertaking description for the preliminary proposal.
Know-how Innovation Plans: This part ought to element how the proposed NSF Engine addresses present technical and scientific use-inspired R&D and translation challenges, pursues know-how growth and future-oriented improvements, and leverages financial and use-inspired alternatives. This part ought to describe an built-in strategy to creating a seamless move of improvements alongside TRL maturity ranges that can have vital financial and societal impacts. This part must also embrace proof that this proposal comes on the proper time and is in the precise place, based mostly on belongings already current within the area, to make it seemingly that this NSF Engine and its area of service will grow to be a nationwide chief within the proposed R&D matter space.
Area of Service: This part ought to describe the proposed geographical area of service to be impacted by the NSF Engine’s efforts, ought to clearly articulate the area’s aggressive benefit throughout the proposed matter areas, and will reveal that the geographical dimension of the proposed area of service is in step with the purpose of reaching measurable financial change. Present a short assertion on why you imagine the NSF Engine’s efforts will probably be profitable in accelerating your entire area’s innovation ecosystem and constructing inclusive group wealth.
Technique to Handle Ecosystem Gaps: This part ought to establish the gaps within the present innovation ecosystem within the area of service with respect to the seven key drivers of ecosystem change described earlier on this solicitation. Summarize an built-in strategic plan that addresses the recognized gaps and describes the crew’s imaginative and prescient to create a sustainable innovation ecosystem that could be a nationwide chief within the NSF Engine’s proposed R&D matter space.
Key Companions and Stakeholders within the Area of Service: This part ought to establish key companions and stakeholder teams already dedicated to working with the Engine and describe plans to develop and strengthen an inclusive and interdependent innovation ecosystem that builds on the strengths and capabilities of the partnership community and a cross-section of regional stakeholders and communities. The plans ought to focus on particular methods for inclusive engagement throughout the area of service, together with advantages to under-served communities and untapped populations historically underrepresented in STEM.
References Cited: Record solely references cited within the Challenge Description. See PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.e for detailed directions.
Senior/Key Personnel Paperwork:
Biographical Sketches: A biographical sketch should be supplied individually for every particular person designated as a senior/key individual by way of use of SciENcv (Science Consultants Community Curriculum Vitae). SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF model of the biographical sketch. Senior/key personnel should put together, save, certify, and submit these paperwork as a part of their preliminary proposal. See PAPPG directions in Chapter II.D.2.h(i) for extra detailed info, together with directions requiring people are required to reveal contracts related to participation in packages sponsored by international governments, instrumentalities, or entities, together with international government-sponsored expertise recruitment packages.
Present and Pending (Different) Help: Present and pending (different) help info should be supplied individually for every particular person designated as a senior/key individual by way of use of SciENcv (Science Consultants Community Curriculum Vitae). SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF model of present and pending (different) help. Senior/key personnel should put together, save, certify, and submit these paperwork as a part of their preliminary proposal. Proposers should comply with the directions in Chapter II.D.2.h(ii) of the NSF PAPPG.
Collaborators and Different Affiliations Info (Required): Collaborators and different affiliations (COA) should be individually supplied for every particular person recognized as a senior/key individual on the undertaking. The COA info should be supplied by way of use of the COA template. Proposers should comply with the steering laid out in Chapter II.D.2.h(iii) of the NSF PAPPG.
Supplementary Paperwork:
Consolidated Personnel Record Spreadsheet (Click on right here to entry the required spreadsheet template): See directions in Particular Info and Supplementary Documentation of the Full Proposal Preparation Directions beneath.
Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge: See directions in Particular Info and Supplementary Documentation of the Full Proposal Preparation Directions beneath.
Area of Service Map: See directions in Particular Info and Supplementary Documentation of the Full Proposal Preparation Directions beneath.
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS: These directions beneath apply solely to the above three supplementary paperwork.
Previous to submission of the preliminary proposal:
Convert every of the three information right into a separate PDF doc utilizing these file names:
“Consolidated Personnel Record”
“Present and New Assets Spreadsheet Template”
“Area of Service Map”
As soon as accomplished, the information must be uploaded as three separate supplementary paperwork and MUST be submitted with the preliminary proposal through Analysis.gov.
Vital reminders, when importing PDF paperwork through Analysis.gov.
The information shouldn’t be protected or encrypted;
The information shouldn’t be an image-only doc (i.e., ought to include editable textual content to permit software program readability); and
Not one of the information must be a Portfolio PDF.
After submission of the preliminary proposal (as soon as a proposal ID has been assigned):
Rename the three Excel spreadsheets utilizing the next naming conventions (these naming conventions MUST be used):
[Proposal ID#]_[PI’s last name]_Consolidated Personnel Record
[Proposal ID#]_[PI’s last name]_Existing and New Assets Spreadsheet Template
[Proposal ID#]_[PI’s last name]_Region of Service Map
In a single e-mail message, ship the three Excel spreadsheets named as indicated above (as attachments) to [email protected]. That’s, ship a single e-mail message with three attachments.
The topic line for the e-mail MUST be [Proposal ID#]: NSF Engines Proposal
NOTE: Groups should full the above directions inside 24 hours of submitting the preliminary proposal. Proposals that fail to submit the above supplementary paperwork through Analysis.gov and through e-mail could also be returned with out evaluation.
NSF Engine Improvement Award Info: If the proposing crew and/or a core accomplice group obtained an NSF Engines Improvement Award(s), the next info should be submitted as a supplementary doc. If there was a couple of award, please listing them consecutively within the doc.
NSF Engine Improvement Award Title(s): Embrace the total title of the event award, separated by a semi-colon if the proposing crew included a couple of growth award (e.g., two or extra growth awardee groups have merged).
NSF Engine Improvement Award ID (s): Embrace solely the 7-digit award ID, separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Identify of PI for the Improvement Award (s): PI Final Identify, PI First Identify; separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Lead Group for the Improvement Award (s): Group Identify; separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Letters of Dedication (1) and Collaboration (4-6) An NSF Engine should signify a regional initiative that goes nicely past the mission of any single stakeholder (e.g., IHE, main company). The preliminary proposal should reveal a transparent regional focus with vital buy-in and help from key regional stakeholders. Preliminary proposals should embrace a letter of dedication from the lead group and a minimal of 4, and not more than six, letters of collaboration from key regional stakeholders as described beneath. The lead group’s letter is proscribed to 2 pages; the opposite 4 to 6 letters are restricted to 1 web page in size.
A letter of dedication from a senior official of the lead group (e.g., IHE President, CEO for-profit {industry}) should be submitted which describes the help for and dedication to the proposed NSF Engine ought to it’s funded (together with bodily house for the Engine headquarters and different assets). The aim of this letter is to reveal the lead group’s full help for the proposed Engine and its dedication to maximizing the proposed Engine’s impression within the area. This letter ought to NOT embrace any monetary commitments. As an alternative, the senior official ought to make a press release as to how the proposed NSF Engine and the important thing drivers of ecosystem change align with the strategic instructions of the Lead group and description demonstrable methods by which the lead group will help the NSF Engine’s mission of catalyzing an inclusive sustainable innovation ecosystem throughout the area of service. The letter of dedication can also describe particular useful resource commitments or examples of how the lead group will help the event of the total NSF Engine proposal. Proposals submitted with no letter of dedication from the senior official of the lead group will probably be returned with out evaluation. This letter is proscribed to 2 pages.
Along with a letter of dedication from the lead group, letters of collaboration from no less than 4 (however not more than six) main regional stakeholders should be submitted with the preliminary proposal. Proposing groups are inspired to acquire letters from a spread of stakeholder organizations that reveal a dedication to actively interact within the NSF Engine’s management, operations, governance and/or programmatic actions. These letters must be signed by a senior official (or his/her designee) of the stakeholder group and will define particular useful resource commitments (in-kind and/or money) ought to the proposal be awarded. The letters ought to reveal help for the proposed NSF Engine within the area of service and describe how the stakeholder group’s strategic instructions align with the important thing drivers of ecosystem change and regional priorities. These 4 to 6 letters of collaboration are restricted to 1 web page.
Every letter of dedication or collaboration should finish with the next textual content:
By signing beneath, I acknowledge that I, or my group, will collaborate and/or commit assets as detailed within the proposal, entitled “______________________”. I, or my group, conform to undertake the duties described, and decide to contribute or make obtainable the assets described within the Challenge Description or the Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge part of the proposal.
Signed: ___________________ Print Identify: ____________________
Date: ________ Group: _________________________________
Letters of help or endorsement for the undertaking aren’t accepted.
Extra Single Copy Paperwork:
Necessary Disclosure: NSF reserves the precise to publish or in any other case make obtainable a abstract of a subset of, or all, the submitted LOIs, the related preliminary and/or full proposal info at any time between the time of submission of the LOI and the time of announcement of NSF Engines awards. Such summaries might embrace the next details about every proposal: (1) submission title, (2) lead group title and group sort, (3) geographical info supplied by proposers concerning the area of service, (4) title and call info of the CEO (or present PI, if a CEO has not but been decided), (5) matter space, (6) key know-how areas, and (7) a short description of the proposal, to not exceed 5 sentences. NSF additionally reserves the precise to announce these summaries for a subset of proposals which are into consideration in the course of the completely different phases of the benefit evaluation course of, together with, however not restricted to, the pre-proposal stage and the positioning go to stage.
For Privateness Act Functions, proposers are required to submit a disclosure assertion with solely the next textual content: “I, [insert PI’s name], hereby consent to the disclosure of a abstract of my NSF Engines proposal as described within the NSF Engines Solicitation.”
Proposals submitted with out this disclosure assertion uploaded as a Single-Copy Doc will probably be returned with out evaluation.
Full Proposal Preparation Directions: Proposers might decide to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation through Analysis.gov or Grants.gov.
Full Proposals submitted through Analysis.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation must be ready and submitted in accordance with the overall tips contained within the NSF Proposal and Award Insurance policies and Procedures Information (PAPPG). The whole textual content of the PAPPG is accessible electronically on the NSF web site at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. Paper copies of the PAPPG could also be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, phone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from [email protected]. The Put together New Proposal setup will immediate you for this system solicitation quantity.
Full proposals submitted through Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation through Grants.gov must be ready and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov Utility Information: A Information for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Functions through Grants.gov. The whole textual content of the NSF Grants.gov Utility Information is accessible on the Grants.gov web site and on the NSF web site at: (https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide). To acquire copies of the Utility Information and Utility Varieties Package deal, click on on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov website, then click on on the Apply Step 1: Obtain a Grant Utility Package deal and Utility Directions hyperlink and enter the funding alternative quantity, (this system solicitation quantity with out the NSF prefix) and press the Obtain Package deal button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Utility Information additionally could also be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, phone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from [email protected].
See PAPPG Chapter II.D.2 for steering on the required sections of a full analysis proposal submitted to NSF. Please observe that the proposal preparation directions supplied on this program solicitation might deviate from the PAPPG directions.
Because of the complexity of this program, proposers are strongly inspired to make use of Analysis.gov for the preparation and submission of invited full proposals.
Please observe that the proposal preparation directions supplied on this NSF Engines Solicitation might deviate from the PAPPG directions. The solicitation addresses deviations from the PAPPG, addressing program-specific issues for sure sections. The place not in any other case addressed, proposals should conform totally with the steering contained in Chapter II.D.2 of the PAPPG.
Vital Directions
Full proposals will probably be accepted provided that they’re invited based mostly on a preliminary proposal submitted to this program. When making ready a full proposal for this competitors, proposers are suggested to evaluation the Program Description and the Proposal Evaluate Info discovered on this solicitation for common info pertinent to this program.
As a multi-organization exercise, the proposal should be submitted as a single, built-in proposal by a lead group, with proposed subawards to the opposite accomplice organizations. Individually submitted collaborative proposals from a number of organizations will probably be returned with out evaluation.
For proposals submitted through Analysis.gov, the system will mechanically paginate a proposal. Every part of the proposal that’s uploaded as a file ought to miss web page numbering except in any other case directed inside Analysis.gov.
The required sections of a Full Proposal are as follows. Submissions which are incomplete or not attentive to the technical or administrative necessities of this Solicitation will not be reviewed or could also be evaluated as-is with out additional alternative for revision on the discretion of NSF’s evaluation course of.
Cowl Sheet
Challenge Abstract
Desk of Contents
Challenge Description
NOTE:The Challenge Description additionally should include, as a separate part throughout the narrative, a piece labeled “Broader Impacts”, and “Broader Impacts” should seem as a heading by itself line, with no different textual content on the road, together with heading quantity. See the Challenge Description define beneath for directions on the place to incorporate the “Broader Impression” part throughout the narrative of your Engine Proposal.
References Cited
Finances and Finances Justification
Services, Gear, and Different Assets
Senior/Key Personnel Paperwork
Biographical Sketches
Present and Pending (Different) Help
Collaborators and Different Affiliations Info
Synergistic Actions
Particular Info and Supplementary Documentation
Consolidated Personnel Record Spreadsheet
Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge
Area of Service Map
NSF Engines Improvement Awardee Info
Searching for and Acquiring Tribal Nation Approval for Proposals that Could Impression Tribal Assets or Pursuits
Letters of Dedication and Collaboration
Knowledge Administration and Sharing Plan
Invitation to submit full proposal
Mentoring Plan (if relevant)
Shared Infrastructure (if relevant)
Extra Single Copy Paperwork
Necessary Disclosure
Proprietary Knowledge Restrictions (if relevant)
Full Proposal Set-Up: Choose “Put together New Full Proposal” in Analysis.gov. Seek for and choose this solicitation title in Step One of many Full Proposal wizard. Within the proposal particulars part, choose “Single proposal (with or with out subawards).” Individually submitted collaborative proposals will probably be returned with out evaluation.
Challenge Title: The title ought to start with “NSF Engine:”.
Nature and sort of proposal: Throughout completion of the proposal setup wizard in Analysis.gov, the PI will probably be prompted to pick out the relevant response that describes the character and sort of proposal being developed. For the Engines Full Proposal, it’s essential to choose “Heart.”
The required sections of an Engine Full Proposal are as follows:
Cowl Sheet:
Requested Begin Date and Proposal Period: Enter March 1, 2026 as the beginning date. The proposed period must be 120 months.
Associated Letter of Intent (LOI): Enter the LOI ID quantity that was issued upon submission of the associated LOI.
Associated Preliminary Proposal: Present the Preliminary Proposal Variety of the associated preliminary proposal. Solely organizations that submitted a preliminary proposal and have been invited to submit a full proposal are eligible to submit a full proposal.
Challenge Abstract (restricted to 1 web page): Every proposal should include a abstract of the proposed undertaking not a couple of web page in size. The Challenge Abstract should embrace three separate sections labeled with the next headers: Overview, Mental Benefit, and Broader Impacts. To be legitimate, a heading should be by itself line with no different textual content on that line. The Challenge Abstract must be written within the third individual, informative to different individuals working in the identical or associated fields. It shouldn’t be an summary of the proposal. Don’t embrace proprietary info within the Challenge Abstract.
Overview
The Overview part ought to embrace a concise assertion of function with respect to the overarching regional, nationwide, societal and/or geostrategic, technical R&D space(s) of focus and anticipated regional significance and financial impression. The Overview ought to describe the potential key final result(s) of the proposed Engine, e.g., when it comes to use-inspired R&D, innovation actions, translation outcomes (e.g., merchandise, startups, processes, or providers), and inclusive regional workforce and financial growth. The overview must also define the important thing industries and know-how areas that will probably be superior and impression nationwide competitiveness.
Mental Benefit
This part should start with “This proposed NSF Engine…” The part should tackle the mental deserves of the proposed NSF Engine. Briefly describe the targets, broad challenges, and scientific and engineering hurdle(s) that will probably be addressed by the proposed use-inspired R&D, know-how growth and commercialization, and a high-level abstract of the strategic plan to construct a sustainable innovation ecosystem to succeed in these targets.
Broader Impacts
This part should focus on the anticipated measurable outcomes when it comes to how the proposed Engine will construct and catalyze an inclusive innovation ecosystem throughout the area of service and the anticipated regional impression and advantages to stakeholders and communities. Additionally describe the potential impression that the proposed NSF Engine can have on accelerating regional financial growth and supporting broad and inclusive group wealth constructing.
After the required sections above, the one-page undertaking abstract should additionally embrace the next required info on this order and utilizing these headings.
Overarching Problem: Problem 1, Problem 2, Problem 3: In lowering emphasis, listing as much as three key phrases or phrases that establish the overarching societal, regional, nationwide, and/or geostrategic challenges (s) that will probably be addressed by this proposal.
Instance:
Overarching Problem(s): Resilient Meals Programs
Key phrases: Key phrase-1, Key phrase-2, Key phrase-3, Key phrase-4, Key phrase-5: So as of lowering emphasis, listing as much as 5 key phrases that signify the important thing know-how focus space(s) to be addressed by this proposal. Discover examples of key know-how areas right here.
Instance:
Key phrases: Biotechnology, superior computing and semiconductors, superior supplies, superior communications, synthetic intelligence.
Business Sectors: Business 1, Business 2, Business 3: So as of lowering emphasis, listing as much as three {industry} sectors that will probably be impacted by the developments and know-how outcomes ensuing from the proposed Engine’s efforts. Use the four-digit North American Business Classification System (NAICS) code for every sector from the 2022 NAICS Handbook.
Instance:
Business Sectors: 1111 (Oilseed and Grain Farming), 5417 (Scientific Analysis and Improvement Providers)
Desk of Contents: A Desk of Contents is mechanically generated for the proposal. The proposer can not edit this manner.
Challenge Description(as much as 30 pages): Challenge descriptions should embrace the clearly labeled sections described beneath. NOTE: Per the PAPPG, hyperlinks (URLs) should not be used within the Challenge Description.
Overview, Imaginative and prescient, and Rationale. Describe the general function and imaginative and prescient of the NSF Engine to develop a sustainable and inclusive regional innovation ecosystem and the precise regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem(s) to be addressed. Describe how the proposed area is well-positioned to grow to be a nationwide chief within the proposed use-inspired R&D matter space and why that is the precise time and place to create the proposed NSF Engine. Focus on the present state of follow and the main gaps that the NSF Engine is aiming to handle in its R&D know-how focus space. Describe how the proposed NSF Engine will operate as an interdependent regional community.
Broader Impacts
IMPORTANT: The Challenge Description additionally should include, as a separate part throughout the narrative, a piece labeled “Broader Impacts”, and “Broader Impacts” should seem as a heading by itself line, with no different textual content on the road, together with heading quantity. This part ought to present a dialogue of the broader impacts of the proposed actions. Proposals ought to embrace the required Broader Impacts part on the finish of the “Overview, Imaginative and prescient, and Rationale” part of the undertaking description.
Proposing Workforce and Organizational Construction. Describe the general organizational construction, which must be illustrated with a company chart. The part should embrace no less than one desk that lists all dedicated NSF Engine organizations, the core administration/management crew, and any advisory or governance boards. Personnel fulfilling core administration capabilities must be recognized together with their {qualifications} for these roles. Proposals should additionally describe the function(s) of core companions and stakeholder organizations (e.g., authorities, {industry}, entrepreneurs, capital buyers, tutorial establishments, non-profits, group, and labor organizations) throughout the NSF Engine together with their related experience or organizational focus. This part ought to elaborate on governance and administration, described as a key driver in Part II.B.2.
Strategic and Implementation Plans. Embrace an total strategic plan that describes the NSF Engine’s high-level targets and targets to be completed by the top of years 2, 5, and 10 of the proposed Engine (comparable to the phases proven in Part II.B.1). See Part II.B.2, which describes the strategic plan as a basis component for an NSF Engine. The proposed plan ought to join and leverage the NSF Engine’s key drivers of ecosystem change in a coordinated and intentional option to elevate and remodel a complete area of service into a number one innovation ecosystem in key know-how areas whereas concurrently addressing the chosen regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic problem(s).
The next six labeled sub-sections are required (see Part II.B.3 for descriptions):
Cross-sector Partnerships and Stakeholder Alignment.
Use-inspired Analysis and Improvement (R&D).
Translation of Innovation to Follow.
Workforce Improvement.
Inclusive Engagement.
Strategic Regional Funding/Capital Funding.
Every subsection ought to describe the trail to reaching the proposed targets by way of particular actions, timelines, and milestones. The plans ought to describe how the crew will tackle gaps within the present ecosystem associated to the important thing drivers of ecosystem change. As related, describe the state of follow and supply baseline knowledge that characterize the ecosystem gaps within the area of service in addition to particular actions and initiatives that the NSF Engine intends to help to handle gaps with respect to the important thing drivers. Observe, the seventh driver, governance and administration, ought to have been coated within the above part b – Proposing Workforce and Organizational Construction.
Analysis Plan: Describe the analysis plan for the varied actions undertaken by the Engine. See Part II.C for info requested.
The undertaking description shouldn’t include web page numbers, as they are going to be added mechanically by the Analysis.gov proposal consumption system. The undertaking description file has a most file dimension restrict of 10 MB.
References Cited: Record solely references cited within the Challenge Description. See PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.e for directions.
Finances and Finances Justification: The utmost annual budgets permitted for NSF Engines awards are specified within the desk beneath. See Part V.B beneath for particulars on the preparation of the funds and funds justification.
Funding 12 months
Most Allowable Finances
1
$7,500,000
2
$7,500,000
3
$15,000,000
4
$15,000,000
5
$15,000,000
6
$20,000,000
7
$20,000,000
8
$20,000,000
9
$20,000,000
10
$20,000,000
Whole
$160,000,000
The NSF Engine CEO is required to be working full-time on the undertaking. NSF acknowledges that to completely interact in an NSF Engine, compensation for another senior/key personnel might require funding past the overall NSF restrict of two months of standard wage in anyone yr. NSF strongly encourages proposing groups to include such wants inside their budgets and actions, with sufficient details about the reasoning within the funds justification. For instance, this might embrace tutorial yr help for college or different personnel at non-R1 establishments of upper training to carry-out particular NSF Engine actions or help for senior /key personnel at startups or non-profit organizations offering technical help or engineering providers.
See Part V.B for extra particulars relating to funds and funds justification preparation directions.
Services, Gear and Different Assets: The Services, Gear and Different Assets doc, as described in PAPPG Chapter II.D.g, shouldn’t be required for the NSF Engines Program. On the time of proposal submission, proposers ought to enter a single doc with the title of Lead group and the phrases “Not Relevant.” As an alternative, “Services, Gear and Different Assets” info describing present assets, as described within the PAPPG, should be supplied within the “Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge” template as a supplementary doc (See #9b beneath). Observe that the template is requesting each present and new assets (money or in-kind).
Senior/Key Personnel Paperwork:
Biographical Sketches: A biographical sketch should be supplied individually for every particular person designated as a senior/key individual by way of use of SciENcv (Science Consultants Community Curriculum Vitae). SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF model of the biographical sketch. Senior/key personnel should put together, save, certify, and submit these paperwork as a part of their proposal. See PAPPG directions in Chapter II.D.2.h(i) for extra detailed info, together with directions requiring people are required to reveal contracts related to participation in packages sponsored by international governments, instrumentalities, or entities, together with international government-sponsored expertise recruitment packages.
Present and Pending (Different) Help: Present and pending (different) help info should be supplied individually for every particular person designated as a senior/key individual by way of use of SciENcv (Science Consultants Community Curriculum Vitae). SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF model of present and pending (different) help. Senior/key personnel should put together, save, certify, and submit these paperwork as a part of their proposal. Proposers should comply with the directions in Chapter II.D.2.h(ii) of the NSF PAPPG.
Collaborators and Different Affiliations Info: Collaborators and different affiliations (COA) should be individually supplied for every particular person recognized as a senior/key individual on the undertaking. The COA info should be supplied by way of use of the COA template. Proposers should comply with the steering laid out in Chapter II.D.2.h(iii) of the NSF PAPPG.
Synergistic Actions: Every particular person recognized as a senior/key individual should present a doc of as much as one-page that features a listing of as much as 5 distinct examples that demonstrates the broader impression of the person’s skilled and scholarly actions that concentrate on the mixing and switch of data in addition to its creation. Proposers ought to comply with the steering laid out in Chapter II.D.2.h(iv) of the NSF PAPPG.
Particular Info and Supplementary Documentation:
The proposal ought to embrace relevant supplementary paperwork as instructed within the PAPPG. The necessary Knowledge Administration and Sharing Plan must be uploaded to the Knowledge Administration and Sharing Plan part and the Mentoring Plan, if relevant, must be uploaded to the Mentoring Plan part. The next gadgets are to be supplied as extra supplementary paperwork and don’t rely towards the 30-page restrict for the undertaking description.
Consolidated Personnel Record Spreadsheet: (Click on right here to entry the required spreadsheet template): The Consolidated Personnel Record is a spreadsheet itemizing all key personnel, subaward and collaborations. Utilizing the Excel spreadsheet template, compile info for all individuals recognized within the proposal as CEO/PI, co-PI, Different Senior/Key Personnel, Different Personnel, who’ve a biographical sketch included within the proposal together with Sub-recipient personnel and Collaborators for people who formally submitted a Letter of Collaboration. The aim of this doc is to help this system in managing reviewer choice. If you’re uncertain of whether or not to incorporate somebody within the Personnel Record Spreadsheet, err on the aspect of together with the individual. Just one spreadsheet must be submitted per proposal.
Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge: This part is used to evaluate how the proposed NSF Engine will leverage present and new assets for the undertaking. Proposers ought to describe solely these tangible assets (e.g., money, services, gear, human capital, datasets) which are immediately relevant to the proposed NSF Engine in its first two years of operation, ought to it’s funded. Such info should be supplied on this part, and never in different elements of the proposal (e.g., Finances Justification, Challenge Description). Proposing groups should use the Present and New Assets Spreadsheet Template to report assets dedicated to the proposed Engine. See the directions throughout the template.
Though the assets described aren’t voluntary dedicated value sharing as outlined in 2 CFR §200.1, the Basis does anticipate that the assets recognized on this part will probably be supplied, or made obtainable, ought to the proposal be funded. PAPPG Chapter VII.B.1 specifies procedures to be used by the recipient when there are post-award adjustments to targets, scope, or strategies/procedures.
Inside this part, proposers ought to describe the assets within the following two distinctly labeled classes. In each classes, embrace solely these useful resource contributions (e.g., money, services, gear, human capital, datasets) that can help and advance the NSF Engine’s strategic targets.
At the moment Accessible Assets: Present info on the related presently present assets obtainable to the proposing crew from inside and exterior sources, together with all accomplice organizations. If a useful resource has already been contributed to an ongoing collaboration amongst a subset of the NSF Engine’s taking part organizations and companions, describe what share of that useful resource will probably be obtainable solely for the Engine’s actions. Proposers ought to briefly summarize how these assets will probably be allotted to particular actions described within the Challenge Description.
New Useful resource Contributions: Present info on new useful resource contributions dedicated by exterior sources, as said of their letters of collaboration. New useful resource contributions that aren’t documented in a letter of collaboration shouldn’t be included right here. Proposers ought to briefly summarize how these new assets will contribute to actions described within the Challenge Description. Proposing groups will probably be requested to supply an in depth itemizing of dedicated contributions (together with money and an correct valuation of in-kind commitments) at numerous phases of the evaluation course of. Extra particulars will probably be supplied in the course of the benefit evaluation course of. Proposers will probably be requested to supply an in depth set of precise contributions previous to receiving an award.
NSF expects that the inner and exterior assets supplied to the NSF Engine will enhance over the period of the award thereby demonstrating elevated partnership engagement, regional dedication to the long-term sustainability of the NSF Engine, and continued progress of the innovation ecosystem. Throughout the post-award analysis course of, NSF will assess how the dedicated assets are contributing to the execution Engine actions and development of the NSF Engine’s targets within the award interval.
Area of Service Map: As a supplementary doc, every proposing crew should present a area of service map that defines the area of service by state(s) and counties coated in an inventory format. Counties must be recognized by each title and 5-digit FIPS codes. NSF is requesting this info to realize a extra exact description of every applicant’s Area of service and a extra detailed view of the geographic distribution of the NSF Engines applicant pool. To facilitate a uniform course of and comparable maps, the NSF Engines crew has compiled a set of assets and a map builder software that can assist you construct out this Area of service doc on your proposal. These assets embrace: 1) a how-to instruction information; 2) a step-by-step video tutorial; and three) an excel template “Area of Service Map Builder Software-REQUIRED” with net hyperlinks to the map builder software. By following the step-by-step directions on how one can use the map builder software, the requested knowledge will mechanically populate within the excel file template. The excel file should be transformed to a PDF file and submitted within the supplementary doc part of your proposal inside Analysis.gov.
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS: These directions beneath apply solely to the above three supplementary paperwork.
Previous to proposal submission:
Convert every of the three information right into a separate PDF doc utilizing these file names:
“Consolidated Personnel Record”
“Present and New Assets Spreadsheet Template”
“Area of Service Map”
As soon as accomplished, the information must be uploaded as three separate supplementary paperwork and MUST be submitted with the total proposal.
Vital reminders, when importing PDF paperwork through Analysis.gov.
The information shouldn’t be protected or encrypted;
The information shouldn’t be an image-only doc (i.e., ought to include editable textual content to permit software program readability); and
Not one of the information must be a Portfolio PDF.
After proposal submission (as soon as a proposal ID has been assigned):
Rename the three Excel spreadsheets utilizing the next naming conventions (these naming conventions MUST be used):
[Proposal ID#]_[PI’s last name]_Consolidated Personnel Record
[Proposal ID#]_[PI’s last name]_Existing and New Assets Spreadsheet Template
[Proposal ID#]_[PI’s last name]_Region of Service Map
In a single e-mail message, ship the three Excel spreadsheets named as indicated above (as attachments) to [email protected]. That’s, ship a single e-mail message with three attachments.
The topic line for the e-mail MUST be [Proposal ID#]: NSF Engines Proposal
NOTE: Groups should full the above directions inside 24 hours of submitting their proposal. Proposals that fail to submit the above supplementary paperwork as a part of the proposal and through e-mail could also be returned with out evaluation.
NSF Engine Improvement Award Info: If the proposing crew and/or a core accomplice group obtained an NSF Engines Improvement Award(s), the next info should be submitted as a supplementary doc. If there was a couple of award, please listing them consecutively within the doc.
NSF Engine Improvement Award Title(s): Embrace the total title of the event award, separated by a semi-colon if the proposing crew included a couple of growth award (e.g., two or extra growth awardee groups have merged).
NSF Engine Improvement Award ID (s): Embrace solely the 7-digit award ID, separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Identify of PI for the Improvement Award (s): PI Final Identify, PI First Identify; separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Lead Group for the Improvement Award (s): Group Identify; separated by a semi-colon if there may be a couple of.
Lead Group for the Award Searching for and Acquiring Tribal Nation Approval for Proposals that Could Impression Tribal Assets or Pursuits: Proposals which will impression the assets or pursuits of a federally acknowledged American Indian or Alaska Native Tribal Nation (Tribal Nation) won’t be awarded by NSF with out prior written approval from the official(s) designated by the related Tribal Nation(s). Proposers should comply with the steering laid out in Chapter II.E.10 of the NSF PAPPG.
Letters of Dedication and Collaboration
Letter of Dedication from the Lead Group: A letter of dedication from a senior official of the lead group (e.g., IHE President, CEO for-profit {industry}) should be submitted which describes the help for and dedication to the proposed NSF Engine ought to it’s funded (together with bodily house for the Engine headquarters and different assets). For this requirement, the letter of dedication from the lead group that was submitted as a requirement with the preliminary proposal could also be resubmitted with a brand new date and signature, and must be up to date to mirror any needed adjustments, together with these in response to the benefit evaluation course of. The aim of this letter is to reveal the Lead Group’s full help for the proposed Engine and its dedication to maximizing the proposed Engine’s impression within the area. This letter ought to NOT embrace any monetary commitments. As an alternative, the senior official ought to make a press release as to how the proposed NSF Engine and the important thing drivers of ecosystem change align with the strategic instructions of the Lead group and description demonstrable methods by which the lead group will help the NSF Engine’s mission of catalyzing an inclusive sustainable innovation ecosystem throughout the area of service. Proposals submitted with no letter of dedication from the senior official of the Lead group will probably be returned with out evaluation. This letter is proscribed to 2 pages.
Letters of Collaboration: Full proposals should embrace letters of collaboration from all core companions and from all different stakeholders who’re offering substantive help, assets, or collaboration to the proposed Engine undertaking. Letters of collaboration from core companions should be signed by the senior official of the lead group (e.g., IHE President, CEO for-profit {industry}) and should reveal the core accomplice’s full help for the proposed Engine and its dedication to maximizing its impression within the area of service. Letters of collaboration from core companions and key stakeholder organizations are anticipated to reveal a dedication to actively interact within the NSF Engine’s management, operations, governance and/or programmatic actions. Letters of collaboration must be signed by a senior official (or his/her designee) of the accomplice or stakeholder group and will confirm the character of accomplice’s or stakeholder’s participation and specify the assets (money and/or in-kind) that they’re committing to or will make obtainable to the proposed Engine, ought to the proposal be awarded. The letters ought to reveal help for the proposed NSF Engine within the area of service and describe how the stakeholder group’s strategic instructions align with the important thing drivers of ecosystem change and regional priorities. Letters of collaboration are restricted to 1 web page. There isn’t a restrict on the letters of collaboration that may be submitted with a full proposal.
The letter of dedication and all letters of collaboration should finish with the next textual content:
By signing beneath, I acknowledge that I, or my group, will collaborate and/or commit assets as detailed within the proposal, entitled “______________________”. I, or my group, conform to undertake the duties described, and decide to contribute or make obtainable the assets described within the Challenge Description or the Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge part of the proposal.
Signed: ___________________ Print Identify: ____________________
Date: ________ Group: _________________________________
There isn’t a limitation on the variety of letters of collaboration. If relevant, the 4-6 letters of collaboration submitted with the preliminary proposal must also be included and must be up to date if applicable.
Letters of help or endorsement for the undertaking aren’t accepted.
Knowledge Administration and Sharing Plan (as much as two pages): Inside the Knowledge Administration and Sharing Plan, proposing groups should tackle their plans for data-sharing throughout their crew, throughout the subject areas with different groups, and with the general public, in the course of the undertaking and after its completion. See PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.i(ii) for extra steering.
Invitation to submit Full Proposal: Full proposals should embrace an invite e-mail from an NSF Engines Program Officer inviting submission after the evaluation of the preliminary proposal. Proposals submitted with out this letter will probably be returned with out evaluation.
Mentoring Plan: (if relevant, as much as one web page) As described in PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.i(i), every proposal that requests funding to help postdoctoral students or graduate college students should add an outline of the mentoring actions that will probably be supplied for such people. Observe that the NSF Engines program differs in period and targets from conventional tutorial analysis efforts. The Mentoring Plan ought to mirror how mentoring will probably be applicable for the precise roles of postdoctoral students or graduate college students on this undertaking effort.
Shared Infrastructure: (if relevant, as much as three pages) If the NSF Engine plans embrace the event of shared analysis services (i.e., any facility that won’t be used solely for NSF Engine actions), then embrace a Shared Infrastructure doc that describes plans to construct, handle, and maintain such services.
Extra Single Copy Paperwork for Full Proposals
The next paperwork should be marked with a header “Single Copy Doc.” These paperwork won’t be shared with the reviewers of the proposal.
Necessary Disclosure: NSF reserves the precise to publish or in any other case make obtainable a abstract of a subset of, or all, the submitted LOIs, the related preliminary and/or full proposal info at any time between the time of submission of the LOI and the time of announcement of NSF Engines awards. Such summaries might embrace the next details about every proposal: (1) submission title, (2) lead group title and group sort, (3) geographical info supplied by proposers concerning the area of service, (4) title and call info of the CEO (or present PI, if a CEO has not but been decided), (5) matter space, (6) key know-how areas, and (7) a short description of the proposal, to not exceed 5 sentences. NSF additionally reserves the precise to announce these summaries for a subset of proposals which are into consideration in the course of the completely different phases of the benefit evaluation course of, together with, however not restricted to, the pre-proposal stage and the positioning go to stage.
For Privateness Act Functions, proposers are required to submit a disclosure assertion with solely the next textual content: “I, [insert PI’s name], hereby consent to the disclosure of a abstract of my NSF Engines proposal as described within the NSF Engines Solicitation.”
Proposals submitted with out this disclosure assertion uploaded as a Single-Copy Doc will probably be returned with out evaluation.
Proprietary Knowledge Restrictions: (if relevant) Proposers are suggested that proposals for all or any sorts might include knowledge the proposer doesn’t need disclosed to the general public for any function or utilized by the Federal Authorities aside from analysis and evaluation functions. If the proposer needs to limit such knowledge, the quilt web page of all such paperwork should be submitted as a single copy doc, marked with the next legend:
This proposal consists of knowledge that shall not be disclosed exterior the Authorities and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed – in complete or partly – for any function apart from to guage this proposal. Nevertheless, if an award is awarded to this proposer because of – or in reference to – the submission of those knowledge, the Authorities shall have the precise to duplicate, use, or disclose the info to the extent supplied within the ensuing award. This restriction doesn’t restrict the Authorities’s proper to make use of info contained in these knowledge if they’re obtained from one other supply with out restriction. The information topic to this restriction are contained in Sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets].
Every restricted knowledge sheet shall be marked as follows:
Use or disclosure of knowledge contained on this sheet is topic to the restriction on the title web page of this doc. To the extent that such restrictions on proprietary knowledge or info wouldn’t intrude with the intent of the Authorities to make the outcomes of the work and initiatives awarded below the Solicitation obtainable to all events, and if in conformance with the Freedom of Info Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended), the Authorities will honor these wishes.
B. Budgetary Info
Price Sharing:
Inclusion of voluntary dedicated value sharing is prohibited.
Different Budgetary Limitations:
Infrastructure: Not more than 25% of the overall NSF funds for the award efficiency interval could also be used to assemble or improve infrastructure belongings, together with any related oblique prices (F&A). These prices, if included, ought to embrace all constructing development in addition to design and engineering providers, and on-site prices, e.g., prep prices together with cleanup, authorized providers, and many others. Area outfitting gadgets for present or new areas, equivalent to furnishings, must also be included within the whole. If any portion of the funds is allotted for infrastructure, then the proposal should embrace, within the funds justification, a plan for supporting operations and upkeep of the asset(s) utilizing funds apart from from the NSF Engines award. Any request for funds contingency should adjust to paragraph § 200.433 of the Uniform Steerage. and comply with the rules in essentially the most present model of the NSF Analysis Infrastructure Information (RIG). This features a separate contingency funds that’s justified and totally supported by way of a proper danger evaluation and a Threat Administration Plan. An allowance in lieu of funds contingency could also be extra applicable.
Oblique Price (F&A) Calculations: The relevant U.S. federally negotiated oblique value price(s) should be utilized in computing oblique prices (F&A) for the proposal. Proposers should comply with the directions in Chapter II.D.2.f.viii of the NSF PAPPG, which gives directions on how one can calculate the quantity of the oblique value for organizations with or with no present negotiated oblique price settlement.
Finances Preparation Directions:
Proposers are required to submit budgets with their full proposals, together with particular greenback quantities by funds class, for the lead and all proposed sub-recipients The quantities for every funds line merchandise requested MUST be documented and justified within the funds justification as specified within the PAPPG. The proposed funds ought to mirror the wants of the proposed NSF Engine. The funds must be ready in accordance with the steering in PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.f, which requires every proposal to incorporate a funds for every year of help requested.
For this solicitation, an in depth funds is required for the primary two award years solely. No prices must be entered on the funds kinds in Analysis.gov for years 3-10. As a part of this detailed funds for years 1 and a pair of, separate budgets and funds justification paperwork should be supplied for subawards to the core accomplice organizations and any affiliated organizations whose technical personnel, consultants, administrative employees, college, and/or college students can be supported by the funds.
Different Budgetary Necessities:
Budgets for all initiatives should embrace funding for the CEO and a restricted variety of Senior/Key Personnel to attend no less than two conferences per yr organized by the NSF Engines program at areas throughout the U.S. It must also be famous that the NSF Engines program will host a number of coaching actions targeted on catalyzing and rising thriving regional scale innovation ecosystems. Members of every NSF Engine’s management crew should attend all required coaching actions, which can embrace digital and in-person occasions. Particulars on the anticipated time dedication and participation ranges will probably be supplied by NSF to award recipients after the completion of the benefit evaluation course of.
Though many proposals submitted in response to this solicitation will embrace the participation of for-profit organizations, NSF proposal budgets might not embrace revenue or charges.
The general NSF Engine funds must be developed to make sure that funding is enough to attain the Engine targets. Budgets must also embrace needed assets for reporting, and journey for Engine-wide collaboration and NSF conferences. The funds submitted to NSF ought to solely mirror NSF funding for the Engine.
C. Due Dates
Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
June 18, 2024
Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
August 06, 2024
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting group’s native time):
February 11, 2025
Solely invited groups are eligible to submit full proposals. Groups can anticipate to obtain invites to submit full proposals in mid-October 2024. It is a tentative timeline and is topic to alter based mostly on the quantity and high quality of obtained proposals.
D. Analysis.gov/Grants.gov Necessities
For Proposals Submitted Through Analysis.gov:
To organize and submit a proposal through Analysis.gov, see detailed technical directions obtainable at: https://www.analysis.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=research_node_display&_nodePath=/researchGov/Service/Desktop/ProposalPreparationandSubmission.html. For Analysis.gov consumer help, name the Analysis.gov Assist Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or e-mail [email protected]. The Analysis.gov Assist Desk solutions common technical questions associated to using the Analysis.gov system. Particular questions associated to this program solicitation must be referred to the NSF program employees contact(s) listed in Part VIII of this funding alternative.
For Proposals Submitted Through Grants.gov:
Earlier than utilizing Grants.gov for the primary time, every group should register to create an institutional profile. As soon as registered, the applicant’s group can then apply for any federal grant on the Grants.gov web site. Complete details about utilizing Grants.gov is accessible on the Grants.gov Applicant Assets webpage: https://www.grants.gov/net/grants/candidates.html. As well as, the NSF Grants.gov Utility Information (see hyperlink in Part V.A) gives directions relating to the technical preparation of proposals through Grants.gov. For Grants.gov consumer help, contact the Grants.gov Contact Heart at 1-800-518-4726 or by e-mail: [email protected]. The Grants.gov Contact Heart solutions common technical questions associated to using Grants.gov. Particular questions associated to this program solicitation must be referred to the NSF program employees contact(s) listed in Part VIII of this solicitation.
Submitting the Proposal: As soon as all paperwork have been accomplished, the Approved Organizational Consultant (AOR) should submit the applying to Grants.gov and confirm the specified funding alternative and company to which the applying is submitted. The AOR should then signal and submit the applying to Grants.gov. The finished utility will probably be transferred to Analysis.gov for additional processing.
The NSF Grants.gov Proposal Processing in Analysis.gov informational web page gives submission steering to candidates and hyperlinks to useful assets together with the NSF Grants.gov Utility Information, Grants.gov Proposal Processing in Analysis.gov how-to information, and Grants.gov Submitted Proposals Continuously Requested Questions. Grants.gov proposals should cross all NSF pre-check and post-check validations with the intention to be accepted by Analysis.gov at NSF.
When submitting through Grants.gov, NSF strongly recommends candidates provoke proposal submission no less than 5 enterprise days upfront of a deadline to permit sufficient time to handle NSF compliance errors and resubmissions by 5:00 p.m. submitting group’s native time on the deadline. Please observe that some errors can’t be corrected in Grants.gov. As soon as a proposal passes pre-checks however fails any post-check, an applicant can solely right and submit the in-progress proposal in Analysis.gov.
Proposers that submitted through Analysis.gov might use Analysis.gov to confirm the standing of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted through Grants.gov, till an utility has been obtained and validated by NSF, the Approved Organizational Consultant might examine the standing of an utility on Grants.gov. After proposers have obtained an e-mail notification from NSF, Analysis.gov must be used to examine the standing of an utility.
VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Evaluate Procedures
Proposals obtained by NSF are assigned to the suitable NSF program for acknowledgement and, in the event that they meet NSF necessities, for evaluation. All proposals are fastidiously reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and often by three to 10 different individuals exterior NSF both as advert hoc reviewers, panelists, or each, who’re consultants within the explicit fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are chosen by Program Officers charged with oversight of the evaluation course of. Proposers are invited to counsel names of individuals they imagine are particularly nicely certified to evaluation the proposal and/or individuals they would favor not evaluation the proposal. These strategies might function one supply within the reviewer choice course of on the Program Officer’s discretion. Submission of such names, nevertheless, is elective. Care is taken to make sure that reviewers haven’t any conflicts of curiosity with the proposal. As well as, Program Officers might get hold of feedback from website visits earlier than recommending ultimate motion on proposals. Senior NSF employees additional evaluation suggestions for awards. A flowchart that depicts your entire NSF proposal and award course of (and related timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1.
A complete description of the Basis’s benefit evaluation course of is accessible on the NSF web site at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/coverage/merit_review/.
Proposers must also pay attention to core methods which are important to the success of NSF’s mission, as articulated in Main the World in Discovery and Innovation, STEM Expertise Improvement and the Supply of Advantages from Analysis – NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 – 2026. These methods are built-in in this system planning and implementation course of, of which proposal evaluation is one half. NSF’s mission is especially well-implemented by way of the mixing of analysis and training and broadening participation in NSF packages, initiatives, and actions.
One of many strategic targets in help of NSF’s mission is to foster integration of analysis and training by way of the packages, initiatives, and actions it helps at tutorial and analysis establishments. These establishments should recruit, prepare, and put together a various STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and take part within the U.S. technology-based financial system. NSF’s contribution to the nationwide innovation ecosystem is to supply cutting-edge analysis below the steering of the Nation’s most inventive scientists and engineers. NSF additionally helps growth of a robust science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic (STEM) workforce by investing in constructing the information that informs enhancements in STEM instructing and studying.
NSF’s mission requires the broadening of alternatives and increasing participation of teams, establishments, and geographic areas which are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which is crucial to the well being and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is dedicated to this precept of range and deems it central to the packages, initiatives, and actions it considers and helps.
A. Benefit Evaluate Rules and Standards
The Nationwide Science Basis strives to put money into a strong and various portfolio of initiatives that creates new information and allows breakthroughs in understanding throughout all areas of science and engineering analysis and training. To establish which initiatives to help, NSF depends on a benefit evaluation course of that comes with consideration of each the technical features of a proposed undertaking and its potential to contribute extra broadly to advancing NSF’s mission “to advertise the progress of science; to advance the nationwide well being, prosperity, and welfare; to safe the nationwide protection; and for different functions.” NSF makes each effort to conduct a good, aggressive, clear benefit evaluation course of for the collection of initiatives.
1. Benefit Evaluate Rules
These rules are to be given due diligence by PIs and organizations when making ready proposals and managing initiatives, by reviewers when studying and evaluating proposals, and by NSF program employees when figuring out whether or not or to not advocate proposals for funding and whereas overseeing awards. On condition that NSF is the first federal company charged with nurturing and supporting excellence in fundamental analysis and training, the next three rules apply:
All NSF initiatives must be of the best high quality and have the potential to advance, if not remodel, the frontiers of data.
NSF initiatives, within the mixture, ought to contribute extra broadly to reaching societal targets. These “Broader Impacts” could also be completed by way of the analysis itself, by way of actions which are immediately associated to particular analysis initiatives, or by way of actions which are supported by, however are complementary to, the undertaking. The undertaking actions could also be based mostly on beforehand established and/or revolutionary strategies and approaches, however in both case should be nicely justified.
Significant evaluation and analysis of NSF funded initiatives must be based mostly on applicable metrics, preserving in thoughts the seemingly correlation between the impact of broader impacts and the assets supplied to implement initiatives. If the dimensions of the exercise is proscribed, analysis of that exercise in isolation shouldn’t be more likely to be significant. Thus, assessing the effectiveness of those actions might greatest be executed at a better, extra aggregated, degree than the person undertaking.
With respect to the third precept, even when evaluation of Broader Impacts outcomes for explicit initiatives is finished at an aggregated degree, PIs are anticipated to be accountable for finishing up the actions described within the funded undertaking. Thus, particular person initiatives ought to embrace clearly said targets, particular descriptions of the actions that the PI intends to do, and a plan in place to doc the outputs of these actions.
These three benefit evaluation rules present the premise for the benefit evaluation standards, in addition to a context inside which the customers of the standards can higher perceive their intent.
2. Benefit Evaluate Standards
All NSF proposals are evaluated by way of use of the 2 Nationwide Science Board accepted benefit evaluation standards. In some cases, nevertheless, NSF will make use of extra standards as required to spotlight the precise targets of sure packages and actions.
The 2 benefit evaluation standards are listed beneath. Each standards are to be given full consideration in the course of the evaluation and decision-making processes; every criterion is important however neither, by itself, is enough. Subsequently, proposers should totally tackle each standards. (PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.d(i). incorporates extra info to be used by proposers in growth of the Challenge Description part of the proposal). Reviewers are strongly inspired to evaluation the standards, together with PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.d(i), previous to the evaluation of a proposal.
When evaluating NSF proposals, reviewers will probably be requested to contemplate what the proposers need to do, why they need to do it, how they plan to do it, how they may know in the event that they succeed, and what advantages might accrue if the undertaking is profitable. These points apply each to the technical features of the proposal and the way in which by which the undertaking might make broader contributions. To that finish, reviewers will probably be requested to guage all proposals towards two standards:
Mental Benefit: The Mental Benefit criterion encompasses the potential to advance information; and
Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to profit society and contribute to the achievement of particular, desired societal outcomes.
The next parts must be thought of within the evaluation for each standards:
What’s the potential for the proposed exercise to
Advance information and understanding inside its personal subject or throughout completely different fields (Mental Benefit); and
Profit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
To what extent do the proposed actions counsel and discover inventive, unique, or probably transformative ideas?
Is the plan for finishing up the proposed actions well-reasoned, well-organized, and based mostly on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to evaluate success?
How nicely certified is the person, crew, or group to conduct the proposed actions?
Are there sufficient assets obtainable to the PI (both on the residence group or by way of collaborations) to hold out the proposed actions?
Broader impacts could also be completed by way of the analysis itself, by way of the actions which are immediately associated to particular analysis initiatives, or by way of actions which are supported by, however are complementary to, the undertaking. NSF values the development of scientific information and actions that contribute to achievement of societally related outcomes. Such outcomes embrace, however aren’t restricted to: full participation of ladies, individuals with disabilities, and different underrepresented teams in science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic (STEM); improved STEM training and educator growth at any degree; elevated public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and know-how; improved well-being of people in society; growth of a various, globally aggressive STEM workforce; elevated partnerships between academia, {industry}, and others; improved nationwide safety; elevated financial competitiveness of the US; and enhanced infrastructure for analysis and training.
Proposers are reminded that reviewers may even be requested to evaluation the Knowledge Administration and Sharing Plan and the Mentoring Plan, as applicable.
Extra Solicitation Particular Evaluate Standards
3. Extra Evaluate Standards for Preliminary Proposals
Preliminary proposals will probably be reviewed by advert hoc reviewers and/or exterior panel. Reviewers of preliminary proposals will probably be requested to contemplate the next standards.
Imaginative and prescient and Scope: The crew’s shared imaginative and prescient for the proposed Engine and inclusive regional innovation ecosystem will probably be evaluated with respect to the programmatic targets and the way the proposed Engine suits with the capability, assets, and wishes of the area of service.
Know-how Innovation Plans: The chosen matter space, the proposed innovation in key know-how focus areas, and the interpretation plans which are the inspiration of the Engine’s actions will probably be evaluated with respect to their potential regional, nationwide, societal, and/or geostrategic impacts in addition to their potential to catalyze inclusive financial progress.
Area of Service: The area of service will probably be evaluated for its aggressive benefit and the rationale for its geographic boundaries with respect to the subject space, the dimensions of its service space and inhabitants density, the probability of constructing a sustainable innovation financial system within the area, and the area’s potential for transformative outcomes, throughout all drivers of ecosystem change, that may be measured and assessed by way of the 10-year interval of the award.
Key Companions and Stakeholders: The important thing partnerships will probably be evaluated based on their capability to fulfill the said wants for the proposed matter space that might result in a profitable ecosystem in a selected area of service, together with the extent of the cross-sector engagement, commitments made and techniques for participating and creating an interdependent community of companions and stakeholders.
Technique to Handle Ecosystem Gaps: The technique to handle present gaps within the area’s present innovation ecosystem will probably be evaluated for its probability of leading to an interdependent community and the realism of danger mitigation methods together with how the crew would pivot if wanted.
4. Extra Evaluate Standards for Full Proposals
Groups invited to submit a full proposal ought to observe that full proposals should be self-contained paperwork. Full-proposal reviewers won’t have entry to the beforehand submitted preliminary proposals. The preliminary proposal evaluation can have evaluated the Engine’s know-how innovation, the area’s aggressive benefit, and the proposing crew’s {qualifications} to steer. The complete proposal should increase on the preliminary proposal submission and tackle how the crew will obtain its targets and drive ecosystem change within the area of service. Full proposals will probably be evaluated independently of the preliminary proposals by a brand new set of reviewers. Along with mental benefit, broader impacts, and the 4 standards from the evaluation of preliminary proposals, full proposals will probably be evaluated on how they tackle the next 5 extra standards:
Management Workforce: The management crew will probably be evaluated for its expertise, imaginative and prescient, plans for inclusion, and enough authority for decision-making and implementing key drivers of ecosystem change throughout the Engine and amongst its core companions and regional stakeholders.
Workforce Improvement: The imaginative and prescient for workforce growth and plans for related workforce growth actions within the area of service will probably be evaluated based mostly on high quality of partnerships, useful resource allocations, plans to succeed in various untapped populations, co-design efforts that interact with regional stakeholders and communities, and a plan for recruiting, coaching, and retaining various employees.
Assets and Funding Capital: Assets and the plan to draw extra exterior funding capital to the area and the Engine’s particular {industry} throughout and after the interval of the award will probably be evaluated on the standard and variety of the stakeholder coalition, the capability for progress within the area of service, proof of recent assets already dedicated, and plans for sustaining the Engine into the long run.
Inclusive Tradition: The dedication to foster an inclusive tradition in all Engine actions will probably be evaluated on the technique for constructing a management crew, inclusive engagement of stakeholders, the realism of the plans to broaden participation and convey untapped expertise into the innovation ecosystem, and clear plans and useful resource allocations to increase the interdependent regional community into new communities and geographies throughout the area of service.
Threat Evaluation and Mitigation: Analysis will concentrate on the approaches to danger evaluation and danger mitigation for the Engine past the interval of NSF funding, together with the present aggressive panorama in {industry} and the area of service for the chosen matter and help buildings to permit crew management to maneuver rapidly at velocity and scale to adapt to evolving situations.
B. Evaluate and Choice Course of
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will probably be reviewed by Advert hoc Evaluate and/or Panel Evaluate, Website Go to Evaluate, or Reverse Website Evaluate.
The NSF Engines competitors will embrace a four-stage benefit evaluation course of:
Stage 1: Preliminary Proposal Evaluate
Stage 2: Full Proposal Panel Evaluate
Stage 3: Reverse Website Go to
Stage 4: Website Go to
At every stage, a subset of essentially the most meritorious proposals will transfer to the following stage. The aim of the Reverse Website Visits will probably be to realize additional understanding of the regional coalition, the alignment of the management crew and core companions, the imaginative and prescient for R&D and translation actions, and to debate any proposal-specific issues that stay after the panel evaluation in stage two. The groups that advance to the Website Go to stage will probably be requested to carry their accomplice coalition collectively and spotlight regional belongings for an on-site evaluation performed by NSF personnel and exterior evaluation panelists. Primarily based on the quantity and high quality of proposals, NSF reserves the precise to switch the variety of evaluation phases.
Reviewers will probably be requested to guage proposals utilizing two Nationwide Science Board accepted benefit evaluation standards and, if relevant, extra program particular standards. A abstract score and accompanying narrative will typically be accomplished and submitted by every reviewer and/or panel. The Program Officer assigned to handle the proposal’s evaluation will contemplate the recommendation of reviewers and can formulate a advice.
After scientific, technical and programmatic evaluation and consideration of applicable elements, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether or not the proposal must be declined or advisable for award. NSF strives to have the ability to inform proposers whether or not their proposals have been declined or advisable for funding inside six months. Giant or notably complicated proposals or proposals from new recipients might require extra evaluation and processing time. The time interval begins on the deadline or goal date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director acts upon the Program Officer’s advice.
After programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals advisable for funding will probably be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements or the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Help for evaluation of enterprise, monetary, and coverage implications. After an administrative evaluation has occurred, Grants and Agreements Officers carry out the processing and issuance of a grant or different settlement. Proposers are cautioned that solely a Grants and Agreements Officer might make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No dedication on the a part of NSF must be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or group that makes monetary or personnel commitments within the absence of a grant or cooperative settlement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their very own danger.
As soon as an award or declination resolution has been made, Principal Investigators are supplied suggestions about their proposals. In all circumstances, critiques are handled as confidential paperwork. Verbatim copies of critiques, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying info, are despatched to the Principal Investigator/Challenge Director by the Program Officer. As well as, the proposer will obtain an evidence of the choice to award or decline funding.
VII. Award Administration Info
A. Notification of the Award
Notification of the award is made to the submitting group by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer. Organizations whose proposals are declined will probably be suggested as promptly as potential by the cognizant NSF Program administering this system. Verbatim copies of critiques, not together with the identification of the reviewer, will probably be supplied mechanically to the Principal Investigator. (See Part VI.B. for extra info on the evaluation course of.)
B. Award Circumstances
An NSF award consists of: (1) the award discover, which incorporates any particular provisions relevant to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the funds, which signifies the quantities, by classes of expense, on which NSF has based mostly its help (or in any other case communicates any particular approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced within the award discover; (4) the relevant award situations, equivalent to Grant Normal Circumstances (GC-1)*; or Analysis Phrases and Circumstances* and (5) any announcement or different NSF issuance that could be integrated by reference within the award discover. Cooperative agreements are also administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Settlement Monetary and Administrative Phrases and Circumstances (CA-FATC) and the relevant Programmatic Phrases and Circumstances. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the group through e-mail.
*These paperwork could also be accessed electronically on NSF’s Web site at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper copies could also be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, phone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from [email protected].
Extra complete info on NSF Award Circumstances and different vital info on the administration of NSF awards is contained within the NSF Proposal & Award Insurance policies & Procedures Information (PAPPG) Chapter VII, obtainable electronically on the NSF Web site at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.
Administrative and Nationwide Coverage Necessities
Construct America, Purchase America
As expressed in Govt Order 14005, Making certain the Future is Made in All of America by All of America’s Employees (86 FR 7475), it’s the coverage of the manager department to make use of phrases and situations of Federal monetary help awards to maximise, in step with regulation, using items, merchandise, and supplies produced in, and providers supplied in, the US.
In keeping with the necessities of the Construct America, Purchase America Act (Pub. L. 117-58, Division G, Title IX, Subtitle A, November 15, 2021), no funding made obtainable by way of this funding alternative could also be obligated for an award except all iron, metal, manufactured merchandise, and development supplies used within the undertaking are produced in the US. For added info, go to NSF’s Construct America, Purchase America webpage.
Particular Award Circumstances:
Submit-Award Evaluation
NSF might elect to nominate an exterior evaluation crew to help NSF with monitoring and evaluation of an NSF Engine awardee’s efficiency.
For an award, NSF expects to evaluate the NSF Engine’s operations on the finish of Years 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 from the beginning date of the award. The evaluation will assess progress relative to the targets specified within the cooperative settlement. Every evaluation will embrace a evaluation of the progress report submitted by the NSF Engine and should embrace a website go to from NSF and/or an exterior evaluation committee. Extra NSF Engine funding for the years after an evaluation is contingent upon its efficiency. NSF reserves the pliability to require extra intermediate assessments.
For awards, useful resource commitments made by taking part organizations and different companions of an NSF Engine and the utilization of such assets will probably be an element within the evaluation course of. The place relevant, evaluation may even embrace the extent to which an NSF Engine has integrated moral, social, financial, well being, authorized, security, and environmental issues which are related to actions of the NSF Engine.
Continued Funding Selections for NSF Engine Awards: Continued funding will probably be based mostly on a mixture of the annual reporting by the awardees, analysis and evaluation on the set instances famous above, and can also embrace enter from an exterior evaluator. The cognizant program officer, working with the NSF Engines post-award administration crew, will log off on the duty of funds on an annual foundation. Continued funding shouldn’t be assured and requires the awardee to fulfill all efficiency necessities described and agreed to within the cooperative settlement. NSF Engine awardees must be conscious that continued funding additionally relies upon closely on the supply of funds to the NSF Engines Program.
If an NSF Engine shouldn’t be assembly efficiency necessities, NSF will work with the awardee to mitigate the problems. Throughout this mitigation interval, NSF might interact in additional frequent assessments, together with website visits, as needed. If the NSF Engine is unable to resolve efficiency points inside a specified time interval, NSF funding will probably be discontinued. The NSF Engines Program crew might proceed to work with the Engine to fulfill its total targets for the proposed area of service. The main points of a mitigation interval and/or ramp-down will probably be topic to negotiation between NSF and the awardee below the phrases of the cooperative settlement.
Mental Property Rights
Awards will typically include detailed provisions regarding patent rights, rights in technical knowledge and laptop software program, knowledge reporting necessities, and different phrases and situations which can be negotiated as a part of the award course of.
For an award, the awardee group should submit an Mental Property (IP) Administration Plan to NSF inside 9 months of award date. IP Administration Plans are to not be submitted on the time of proposal submission. All awardees will probably be required to submit a proper IP Administration Plan inside six months of the award date.
Partnerships that facilitate the analysis effort and transition of analysis outcomes to follow are key parts of the NSF Engines Program. As such, a transparent IP Administration Plan is crucial for present and future partnerships. Each possession and administration of IP must be addressed within the IP Administration Plan. The plan ought to embrace (1) IP contributed by companions included on this proposal, (2) IP that could be developed in the course of the undertaking, and (3) a plan for entry to IP from (1) and (2) by potential future companions. All applicable agreements will probably be required no later than six months after award date. Whereas IP Administration plans aren’t required on the time of proposal submission, NSF acknowledges that finishing such agreements typically requires vital time, and strongly encourages proposing groups to start fleshing out the main points of all applicable agreements early of their teaming course of to make sure that the crew can meet the six-month deadline.
Commitments from accomplice organizations for sharing of assets (equivalent to knowledge, analysis instrumentation, or some other required parts for finishing up the proposed work) may be described throughout the Present and New Assets to be Made Accessible for the Challenge Part; Formal agreements are required inside six months of the award date.
Overseas Collaboration Concerns
Consideration of recent collaborations with worldwide organizations. The awardee will probably be required to supply the cognizant NSF Program Officer and Grants and Agreements Officer with superior written notification of any potential collaboration with worldwide organizations or governments in reference to its NSF-funded award scope. The awardee will then be required to await additional steering from NSF previous to additional contacting the proposed worldwide group relating to this potential collaboration or negotiating phrases of any potential settlement. Advance notification to NSF would require the inclusion of an outline of the meant scope of the potential collaboration; the way it contributes to the mission of the NSF Engine; the organizations proposed to be concerned; the period of the hassle; any potential NSF Engine entry or change of private knowledge; provisional ideas of governing buildings; the related profit to the U.S. scientific group; or different factor of worth. Following preliminary NSF steering, if negotiations start, the awardee will probably be required to inform NSF of any adjustments that weren’t integrated when NSF supplied its unique steering and await additional steering earlier than reaching ultimate settlement.
Present collaborations with worldwide organizations. The awardee will probably be required to supply the cognizant NSF Program Officer and Grants and Agreements Officer with a written listing of all present international collaborations by which it has entered in reference to its NSF-funded award scope, detailing the scope of the settlement, contributors thereto, period, location, and the worth or degree of effort supplied by the awardee. The awardee will probably be required to supply NSF with discover of any pending adjustments or developments that modify the knowledge on this listing.
Description of collaborations that must be reported: Usually, a collaboration will contain some provision of a factor of worth to, or from, the NSF facility or awardee. A factor of worth consists of however will not be restricted to all assets made obtainable to, or from, the awardee in help of and/or associated to the NSF award, no matter whether or not or not they’ve financial worth. Issues of worth additionally might embrace in-kind contributions (equivalent to workplace/laboratory house, knowledge, gear, provides, workers, college students). In-kind contributions not meant for direct use on this award however leading to provision of a factor of worth from or to this award additionally should be reported. Collaborations don’t embrace routine workshops, conferences, use of the awardee’s providers and services by international investigators ensuing from its customary revealed course of for evaluating requests for entry, or the routine use of international services by awardee employees in accordance with the awardee’s customary insurance policies and procedures.
Analysis Safety
Awardees will probably be liable for establishing and sustaining oversight over the safety of the NSF Engine’s analysis actions, outcomes, and shared assets. Inside six months of the award, the awardee group should submit a complete analysis safety plan for evaluation by the NSF Chief of Analysis Safety Technique and Coverage. The analysis safety plan should embrace, at a minimal, the next parts:
Cybersecurity protocols, procedures, and coaching;
Overseas journey safety insurance policies and processes;
Analysis safety coaching; and
Export management coaching.
The awardee should designate a member of the NSF Engine’s management crew because the analysis safety level of contact with accountability for implementation and oversight of the analysis safety plan.
Following approval of the analysis safety plan, NSF will conduct common critiques of the analysis safety efforts of the NSF Engines and their taking part organizations.
C. Reporting Necessities
For all multi-year grants (together with each customary and persevering with grants), the Principal Investigator should submit an annual undertaking report back to the cognizant Program Officer no later than 90 days previous to the top of the present funds interval. (Some packages or awards require submission of extra frequent undertaking stories). No later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, the PI is also required to submit a ultimate annual undertaking report, and a undertaking outcomes report for most of the people.
Failure to supply the required annual or ultimate annual undertaking stories, or the undertaking outcomes report, will delay NSF evaluation and processing of any future funding increments in addition to any pending proposals for all recognized PIs and co-PIs on a given award. PIs ought to look at the codecs of the required stories upfront to guarantee availability of required knowledge.
PIs are required to make use of NSF’s digital project-reporting system, obtainable by way of Analysis.gov, for preparation and submission of annual and ultimate annual undertaking stories. Such stories present info on accomplishments, undertaking contributors (particular person and organizational), publications, and different particular merchandise and impacts of the undertaking. Submission of the report through Analysis.gov constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are correct and full. The undertaking outcomes report additionally should be ready and submitted utilizing Analysis.gov. This report serves as a short abstract, ready particularly for the general public, of the character and outcomes of the undertaking. This report will probably be posted on the NSF web site precisely as it’s submitted by the PI.
Extra complete info on NSF Reporting Necessities and different vital info on the administration of NSF awards is contained within the NSF Proposal & Award Insurance policies & Procedures Information (PAPPG) Chapter VII, obtainable electronically on the NSF Web site at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.
NSF Engines Extra Reporting Necessities
Topic to the suitable approvals, the NSF Engines program would require interim stories at numerous phases of an NSF Engine award. The reporting necessities will embrace: (1) Quarterly Experiences; (2) a 5-year strategic and implementation plan; and (3) annual analysis stories. The anticipated content material of the above reporting necessities and some other reporting necessities will probably be specified within the cooperative settlement of the award.
Useful resource Dedication and Utilization Reporting
As a part of every NSF Engine’s annual undertaking report, the lead group ought to replace the assets contributed by inside and exterior sources in direction of its actions. Particularly, for every contribution, the lead group should specify the supply, nature of the contribution (e.g., funds, experience, entry to testbeds, knowledge units), estimated whole quantity of contribution so far, whole utilization of contributed assets so far, new contributions made throughout essentially the most lately accomplished yr, and utilization of assets in the course of the most-recently accomplished yr. This breakdown of contributions ought to point out progress towards reaching the contributions anticipated within the unique proposal, plus extra contributions past these. NSF considers rising contributions to the NSF Engine over time as a vital indicator of the Engine’s success, reflecting the value-add of the NSF Engine to its area and long-term sustainability.
Program Earnings Reporting Necessities
On an annual foundation, the lead group will probably be required to submit a “program revenue reporting worksheet” to NSF with the intention to report program revenue earned and expended for his or her award or to validate that the undertaking didn’t earn and expend program revenue in the course of the relevant interval. Extra info relating to this requirement is accessible in PAPPG Chapter VIII.D.4.
Failure to report program revenue or to validate that no program revenue was earned/expended might lead to suspension of future cooperative settlement funds.
VIII. Company Contacts
Please observe that this system contact info is present on the time of publishing. See program web site for any updates to the factors of contact.
Normal inquiries relating to this program must be made to:
NSF Engines Program Workforce, phone: (703) 292-7463, e-mail: [email protected]
For questions associated to using NSF programs contact:
NSF Assist Desk: 1-800-381-1532
Analysis.gov Assist Desk e-mail: [email protected]
For questions referring to Grants.gov contact:
Grants.gov Contact Heart: If the Approved Organizational Representatives (AOR) has not obtained a affirmation message from Grants.gov inside 48 hours of submission of utility, please contact through phone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: [email protected].
IX. Different Info
The NSF web site gives essentially the most complete supply of knowledge on NSF Directorates (together with contact info), packages and funding alternatives. Use of this web site by potential proposers is strongly inspired. As well as, “NSF Replace” is an information-delivery system designed to maintain potential proposers and different events apprised of recent NSF funding alternatives and publications, vital adjustments in proposal and award insurance policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Grants Conferences. Subscribers are knowledgeable by way of e-mail or the consumer’s Net browser every time new publications are issued that match their recognized pursuits. “NSF Replace” additionally is accessible on NSF’s web site.
Grants.gov gives an extra digital functionality to seek for Federal government-wide grant alternatives. NSF funding alternatives could also be accessed through this mechanism. Additional info on Grants.gov could also be obtained at https://www.grants.gov.
About The Nationwide Science Basis
The Nationwide Science Basis (NSF) is an unbiased Federal company created by the Nationwide Science Basis Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the aim of the NSF is “to advertise the progress of science; [and] to advance the nationwide well being, prosperity, and welfare by supporting analysis and training in all fields of science and engineering.”
NSF funds analysis and training in most fields of science and engineering. It does this by way of grants and cooperative agreements to greater than 2,000 schools, universities, Ok-12 faculty programs, companies, casual science organizations and different analysis organizations all through the US. The Basis accounts for about one-fourth of Federal help to tutorial establishments for fundamental analysis.
NSF receives roughly 55,000 proposals every year for analysis, training and coaching initiatives, of which roughly 11,000 are funded. As well as, the Basis receives a number of thousand functions for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The company operates no laboratories itself however does help Nationwide Analysis Facilities, consumer services, sure oceanographic vessels and Arctic and Antarctic analysis stations. The Basis additionally helps cooperative analysis between universities and {industry}, US participation in worldwide scientific and engineering efforts, and academic actions at each tutorial degree.
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) present funding for particular help or gear to allow individuals with disabilities to work on NSF-supported initiatives. See the NSF Proposal & Award Insurance policies & Procedures Information Chapter II.F.7 for directions relating to preparation of most of these proposals.
The Nationwide Science Basis has Telephonic System for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Info Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that allow people with listening to impairments to speak with the Basis about NSF packages, employment or common info. TDD could also be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.
The Nationwide Science Basis Info Heart could also be reached at (703) 292-5111.
The Nationwide Science Basis promotes and advances scientific progress in the US by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for analysis and training within the sciences, arithmetic, and engineering.
To get the most recent details about program deadlines, to obtain copies of NSF publications, and to entry abstracts of awards, go to the NSF Web site at https://www.nsf.gov
2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314
For Normal Info(NSF Info Heart):
(703) 292-5111
TDD (for the hearing-impaired):
(703) 292-5090
To Order Publications or Varieties:
Ship an e-mail to:
or phone:
(703) 292-8134
(703) 292-5111
Privateness Act And Public Burden Statements
The data requested on proposal kinds and undertaking stories is solicited below the authority of the Nationwide Science Basis Act of 1950, as amended. The data on proposal kinds will probably be utilized in reference to the collection of certified proposals; and undertaking stories submitted by proposers will probably be used for program analysis and reporting throughout the Govt Department and to Congress. The data requested could also be disclosed to certified reviewers and employees assistants as a part of the proposal evaluation course of; to proposer establishments/grantees to supply or get hold of knowledge relating to the proposal evaluation course of, award choices, or the administration of awards; to authorities contractors, consultants, volunteers and researchers and educators as needed to finish assigned work; to different authorities companies or different entities needing info relating to proposers or nominees as a part of a joint utility evaluation course of, or with the intention to coordinate packages or coverage; and to a different Federal company, courtroom, or social gathering in a courtroom or Federal administrative continuing if the federal government is a celebration. Details about Principal Investigators could also be added to the Reviewer file and used to pick out potential candidates to function peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See System of Report Notices, NSF-50, “Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Related Data,” and NSF-51, “Reviewer/Proposal File and Related Data.” Submission of the knowledge is voluntary. Failure to supply full and full info, nevertheless, might scale back the potential for receiving an award.
An company might not conduct or sponsor, and an individual shouldn’t be required to reply to, an info assortment except it shows a legitimate Workplace of Administration and Finances (OMB) management quantity. The OMB management quantity for this assortment is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this assortment of knowledge is estimated to common 120 hours per response, together with the time for reviewing directions. Ship feedback relating to the burden estimate and some other facet of this assortment of knowledge, together with strategies for lowering this burden, to:
Suzanne H. Plimpton
Experiences Clearance Officer
Coverage Workplace, Division of Establishment and Award Help
Workplace of Finances, Finance, and Award Administration
Nationwide Science Basis
Alexandria, VA 22314
