PURPOSE:

The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. Activities supported through the program are in all sub-fields of physics within the purview of the Division of Physics: atomic, molecular, optical, plasma, elementary particle, nuclear, astro-, gravitational, and biological physics. Interdisciplinary projects at the interface between these physics areas and other disciplines and physics sub-fields are also included, although the bulk of the effort should fall within one of those areas within the purview of the Physics Division. The successful PFC activity will demonstrate: (1) the potential for a profound advance in physics; (2) creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, diversity, and public outreach; (3) potential for broader impacts, e.g., impacts on other field(s) and benefits to society; (4) a synergy or value-added rationale that justifies a center- or institute-like approach.

ORGANIZATION LIMIT:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

•  Universities and Colleges - Universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions.

PI Limit:  

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:   

 Any one individual may be the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) for only one preliminary proposal. The same limitation applies to full proposals. Individuals may be listed as participating senior investigators on more than one proposal.

BUDGETARY INFORMATION:

• ·         Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

• ·         Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable

• ·         Other Budgetary Limitations:

• ·         Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
  

  Five-year awards are expected to range in size between $1.0 million/year and $5.0 million/year. The total budget for the full proposal may not be larger than the total budget listed in the preliminary proposal.

• •  

  Complete NSF official budget pages for each year of support (1-5) and a five-year summary budget justification (this pertains to both preliminary proposals and full proposals.) A five-year budget summary will be automatically generated by FastLane. Preliminary proposals: NSF budget pages are required for each of the five years. Only the total five-year budget is fixed between the preliminary proposal and full proposal stages of the competition. The budget table described below should be included in the budget justification section. Detailed subaward budgets are not required at the preliminary proposal stage. The subaward totals should be added in line G.2 to the lead institution total. Full Proposals: Provide separate budget pages for the PFC as a whole and for each participating institution. Also, in tabular form as follows, summarize the overall support levels planned for each of the Major Activities of the PFC as a whole (only year 1 and five-year totals are required.) This should be included as part of the budget justification narrative. This information augments, but does not replace the NSF official budget pages.

   

  For each entry in the Table, include indirect costs. Column totals must equal the total budget requested from NSF for the period shown. Include major capital equipment under shared facilities. Support for graduate students should normally be included under Major Activities for research, not under education and human resources.

****Preliminary Proposal due by August, 5, 2013***

Full proosal deadline - January 27, 2013

PURPOSE:

 The program will fund one five-year award (2014-2018) to collect and curate multi-media materials (including research findings, pedagogical materials, and promising practices) for an online, state-of-the-art resource center that will support efforts by scientists and engineers to incorporate ethical issues and reasoning into their pedagogy and research. The online resource center should be creative, comprehensive, accessible, and evolving. The team will incorporate strategies and techniques to keep the Ethics Online Resource Center relevant and up to date.

ORGANIZATION LIMIT:

 The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I, Section E.

PI Limit:

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

 Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 

None Specified

BUDGETARY INFORMATION:

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. 

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable

• Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable

PURPOSE:

 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) provide sustained support of interdisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. MRSECs address research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and interdisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center. They support materials research infrastructure in the United States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors, including industry and international institutions, and contribute to the development of a national network of university-based centers in materials research, education, and facilities. A MRSEC may be located at a single institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership.

ORGANIZATION LIMIT:

 Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

•  Proposals may be submitted by academic institutions in the US with broad programs in materials research and education. Academic institutions, as defined by the GPG, are universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.

PI Limit:

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

Only one MRSEC preliminary proposal may be submitted by any one organization as the lead organization in this competition. An organization proposing research in several groups should submit a single MRSEC proposal with multiple Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs). A MRSEC proposal must contain a minimum of 2 IRGs and a maximum of 5 IRGs. The IRGs in a center may be topically related, or they may address different topical aspects of materials research. A single center at an organization allows efficient usage of resources, including common infrastructure, and better coordination of education and other activities of the center.

  Institutions that were awarded a MRSEC in the FY 2011 competition as the lead institution are not eligible to submit a MRSEC proposal as a lead institution in this competition. Existing MRSECs should have the ability to re-prioritize resources and add new participants through, for example, their seed program.

    Full MRSEC proposals may be submitted by invitation only.

 Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:   

An individual may be the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for only one preliminary proposal.

BUDGETARY INFORMATION:

•   Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

•  Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable

•  Other Budgetary Limitations: Awards are expected to range in size from about $2.0 million/year to a maximum of $5.0 million/year for a MRSEC proposal, depending on the number of IRGs. The budget for the full proposal may not be larger than the preliminary proposal budget.
  

***Preliminary Prosposal Due August 26, 2013****

Full Proposal Due January 10, 2014

PURPOSE:

 This solicitation calls for proposals to establish a Critical Zone Observatory National Office (CZO-NO) to facilitate activities of the network of Critical Zone Observatories (CZO). The CZO-NO will facilitate coordination of research and educational programs of the CZO network and provide a centralized entity, which will represent the CZO network with the scientific community and the public. The CZO-NO will have two main functions: to coordinate the network of CZOs and to disseminate information to a number of audiences. The CZO-NO is expected to work with the CZO community and to share CZO discoveries, data and research opportunities with the broad scientific community capable of using these data and information.

PI Limit:

 Organizations and individuals involved in CZO awards will not be eligible to serve as the CZO National Office awardee.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1 

 Collaborative Proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations are NOT allowed for this competition.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:  1 

BUDGETARY INFORMATION:

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable

• Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable

PURPOSE:

 

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program supports the active involvement of K-12 science, technology, engineering, computer and information science, and mathematics (STEM) teachers and community college faculty in engineering and computer science research in order to bring knowledge of engineering, computer science, and technological innovation into their classrooms. The goal is to help build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 STEM teachers, community college faculty, and the NSF university research community by involving the teachers and community college faculty in engineering and computer science research and helping them translate their research experiences and new knowledge into classroom activities. Partnerships with inner city schools or other high needs schools are especially encouraged, as is participation by underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. This announcement features two mechanisms for support of in-service and pre-service K-12 STEM teachers and community college faculty: RET supplements to ongoing ENG or CISE awards and new RET Site awards. RET supplements may be included in proposals for new or renewed NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) or CISE grants or as supplements to ongoing NSF ENG or CISE funded projects. RET in Engineering and Computer Science Sites are based on independent proposals from engineering or computer and information science departments, schools or colleges to initiate and conduct research participation projects for a number of K-12 STEM teachers and/or community college faculty.

AWARD INFORMATION

 ORGANIZATION LIMIT:

 Organization Limit:

 Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

• ·Universities and Colleges - Universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges)    accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions.
• ·Small businesses with an active SBIR or STTR grant are eligible to apply for an RET supplement

PI Limit:

 The principal investigator of a RET in Engineering and Computer Science Site proposal must have a faculty appointment, within a College/Department of Engineering or Engineering Technology or a College/Department of Computer and Information Science broadly defined (e.g., including HCI, Software Engineering, Networking Science, Informatics) within the submitting U.S. academic institution.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:  3

Three site proposals may be submitted per competition by a U.S. academic institution, College/Department of Engineering, Engineering Technology, or Computer and Information Science as the lead institution.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 1

BUDGETARY INFORMATION:

•  · Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

• ·  Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable
• ·  Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this     solicitation for further information.

Synoposis of Program:

 For many decades, an increasing number of women have obtained STEM doctoral degrees, however, women, particularly women of color, continue to be significantly underrepresented in almost all STEM academic positions. While the degree of underrepresentation varies among STEM disciplines, women's advancement to senior professorial ranks and leadership roles is an issue in all fields. The underrepresentation of women is also a critical issue for the nation, at large, as its need to develop a globally competitive and diverse workforce increases.

Research has shown that women's representation and advancement in academic STEM positions are affected by many external factors that are unrelated to their ability, interest and technical skills (Spencer, et al, 1999; Halpern and Tan, 2001; Hyde, 2005; National Academy of Sciences, 2007). Such factors include, but are not limited to: stereotype threat, societal impacts, organizational constraints of academic institutions; differential effect of work and family demands; implicit and explicit bias; and lack of women in academic leadership and decision-making positions. The cumulative effect of such diverse factors has been to create infrastructural barriers that impact the number of women entering, persisting and advancing in STEM careers.

Thus, the goal of the ADVANCE program is to develop systemic approaches to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic STEM careers, thereby contributing to the development of a more diverse science and engineering workforce. ADVANCE also has as its goal to seminally contribute to and inform the general knowledge base on gender equity in the academic STEM disciplines.

To this end, ADVANCE will support the following types of projects:

Institutional Transformation (IT)  (One submssion per organization) 

 Institutional Transformation awards are expected to include innovative and systemic organizational approaches to transform institutions of higher education in ways that will increase the participation and advancement of women in STEM academic careers. These awards support comprehensive programs for institution-wide change. Additionally, IT projects must include a supplementary 5-page research study designed to investigate theory-driven models and innovations related to the participation and advancement of women in the academic STEM disciplines. It is expected that the research study will inform institutional transformation, or other relevant areas of academic investigation. Research that investigates novel aspects of the proposal is especially encouraged.

Previous or current funding from ADVANCE is not a prerequisite for submitting an IT proposal. Any institution meeting the minimum eligibility requirements may apply for an IT award (see Eligibility Information below).

Proposals for IT awards from community colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, minority-serving institutions (e.g. Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions), women's colleges, and institutions primarily serving persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged. It is anticipated that there may be significant differences in the issues facing faculty in these institutions, compared to faculty in other types of institutions, which will warrant development of unique strategies and/or adaptation of proven strategies in a unique way to achieve ADVANCE Program goals.

Institutional Transformation Catalyst (IT-Catalyst, formerly IT-Start) (One submssion per organization)

IT-Catalyst awards are designed to support historically resource-challenged institutions in their efforts to conduct institutional self-assessment activities (i.e., data collection, data analysis, policy review) in order to identify specific issues in the recruitment, retention and promotion of women faculty in STEM disciplines. This area of work is considered fundamental for all institutions of higher education that plan to undertake institutional transformation.

The institution's need for external resources to undertake institutional self assessment and policy review will, specifically, be evaluated using additional ADVANCE merit review criteria. Institutions applying for IT-Catalyst awards are expected to demonstrate institutional need within the proposal. Such need should be unrelated to recent national or state occurrences (e.g., decreased state funding, national economic disaster, etc.) unless an institution is disproportionately impacted by such circumstances. Institutions that are particularly encouraged to apply for the ADVANCE IT-Catalyst award include: primarily undergraduate institutions; institutions that have historically received lesser amounts of NSF research funding; minority serving institutions (e.g. Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions); women's colleges; institutions primarily serving persons with disabilities; and institutions that have a Carnegie classification of master's colleges and universities, baccalaureate colleges, associate colleges or tribal colleges. Further, it is anticipated that there may be significant differences in the issues facing faculty in these institutions, compared to faculty in other types of institutions, which will warrant development of unique strategies and/or adaptation of proven strategies in a unique way to achieve ADVANCE Program goals.

Previous or current funding from ADVANCE is not a prerequisite for submitting an IT-Catalyst proposal. Any institution meeting the minimum eligibility requirements may apply for an IT-Catalyst award (see Eligibility Information below).

ORGANIZATION LIMIT: 

 The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I, Section E.

 Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:  None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1  

Proposer organizations may submit only one Institutional Transformation proposal or one IT-Catalyst proposal. 

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: None Specified

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

 ·         Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

BUDGETARY INFORMATION:

• ·         Cost Sharing: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited

•  ·         Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable

• ·         Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable

Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

      October 04, 2013 Required for  

• Institutional Transformation (IT) and Institutional Transformation Catalyst (IT-Catalyst)

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

•  November 12, 2013

  Institutional Transformation (IT) and Institutional Transformation Catalyst (IT-Catalyst)