NSF's
Directorate for Engineering (ENG) seeks to improve the quality of
life and the economic strength of the Nation by fostering innovation,
creativity, and excellence in engineering education and research.
Specifically, ENG enables the Nation's long- term capacity to perform
by: (1) Investing in the creation of new engineering knowledge and
the development of human capital within disciplines and at their
interfaces; (2) making critical investments to enable an intelligent,
agile and adaptable physical infrastructure for engineering education
and research; (3) improving the quality and effectiveness of engineering
education and research through the integration of and systemic reform
of these processes; and (4) enabling knowledge transfer connections
among diverse constituencies and communities. Areas of research
include: tissue engineering; metabolic pathway engineering; bioinformatics;
protein drug processing, fluid flow; combustion; heat transfer;
fuel cells; sensors; integrated modeling of the behavior of materials
and structures; civil infrastructure; structures and mechanical
systems; engineering in geologic materials; reducing risks of natural
and technological hazards; enterprise-level integration technologies;
innovative design strategies; manufacturing processes and materials;
production systems; microelectronic, nanoelectronic, micromagnetic,
photonic, and electromechanical devices and their integration into
circuits and microsystems; design and analysis of systems and the
convergence of control, communications and computation; Engineering
Research Groups; Engineering Research Centers; Industry/University
Cooperative Research Centers; Engineering Education; Human Resources
Development; cross cutting activities and special studies and analyses.
Support is also provided for undergraduate student research, graduate
research fellowships, research equipment and instrumentation, Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Innovation and Organizational
Change and Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry
(GOALI). ENG also provides support for Foundation-wide programs
including the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program
and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT)
Program.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Funds
may be used for paying costs to conduct research, such as salaries
and wages, equipment and supplies, travel, publication costs, other
direct costs, and indirect costs. This program does not provide
support for inventions, product development, marketing, pilot plant
efforts, technical assistance, or research requiring security classifications.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Public and private colleges and
universities, nonprofit institutions, profit-making institutions
including small businesses, State, and local government agencies
and unaffiliated individuals.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Public and private colleges and
universities; nonprofit institutions; profit organizations, including
small businesses; State, and local government agencies; and unaffiliated
individuals.
Credentials/Documentation:
The proposal must be signed electronically by an official authorized
to commit the institution or organization in business and financial
affairs and who can commit the organization to certain proposal
certifications. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB
Circular Nos. A-21 for colleges and universities and A-122 for
nonprofit organizations. This program is excluded from coverage
under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Pre-application
Coordination: None required for unsolicited
proposals, but preliminary discussions with relevant National Science
Foundation program officer, by telephone or mail, is encouraged
if specific program information is needed. Special proposal competitions
may specify preapplication requirements. This program is excluded
from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded
from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: Proposals must be submitted electronically
via FastLane to the Engineering Programs and should follow the
general instructions and guidelines in the NSF "Grant Proposal
Guide," NSF 03-2. Research proposals for support under the Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program must be submitted
in response to an annual solicitation. All proposals are acknowledged.
These programs are subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No.
A-110.
Award
Procedure: NSF staff members review and evaluate
all proposals with the assistance and advice of scientists and
engineers who are specialists in the field covered by the proposal,
of prospective users of research results when appropriate, and
of specialists in other Federal agencies when appropriate.
Deadlines:
See Division web pages for deadlines for unsolicited research
proposals. Some programs and special proposal competitions have
target dates for receipt of proposals. Applicants should contact
the program officer listed under the Information Contacts section
of this program for dates on specific programs.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Approximately
3 to 7 months.
Appeals:
The Principal Investigator may request, in writing, that the Foundation
reconsider its action in declining any proposal application, renewal
application, or continuing application.
Renewals:
NSF awards the following types of grants: 1) Standard Grants,
in which NSF agrees to support a specified level of effort for
a specified period of time, with no statement of NSF intent to
provide additional future support. Proposals for renewal of a
Standard Grant compete with all other pending proposals. 2) Continuing
Grants, in which NSF agrees to support a specified level of effort
for a specified period of time, with a statement of intent to
provide additional support for the project, provided funds are
available and the results achieved warrant further support. Funding
is normally in one-year increments. Some awards are made as cooperative
agreements when substantial NSF involvement is required during
the project performance period. Renewals are not allowed for the
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: Cost-sharing may
not apply to solicited proposals, or to conferences and symposia,
publication, travel, or logistic support. A minimum cost-sharing
of one- third of total costs is required for equipment grants. Some
cost-sharing is also expected for Engineering Research Centers and
Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers. The Grant Proposal
Guide (GPG)(Chapter II) and the Grant Policy Manual (Sec. 330) provide
additional information on the general NSF policy on cost-sharing.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a phased
project program. Phase I is a feasibility study up to 6 months.
Phase II is the principal research program for up to 24 months.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Normally 6
months to 3 years, occasionally longer.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing
grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant
program office at least 90 days before the end of the current budget
period. Within 90 days after the expiration of a grant, the PI is
required to submit a final project report. Quarterly Federal Cash
Transaction Reports are required. Other reporting requirements may
be imposed via the grant instrument.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133.
Records:
Grantees are expected to maintain separate records for each grant
to ensure that funds are used for the general purpose for which
the award was made. Records are subject to inspection during the
life of the award and for 3 years thereafter.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 49-0100-0-1-251.
Obligations:
(Grants and Contracts) FY 01 $433,370,000; FY 02 est $472,320,000;
and FY 03 est $487,980,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
$5,000 to $4,000,000; Averaage: $99,000.
In fiscal year 2001, 7,480 proposals were received and 2,911 awards
were made. In fiscal year 2002, approximately 7,800 proposals will
be received and about 3,100 awards will be made, and in fiscal year
2003 approximately 7,800 proposals will be received and about 3,100
awards will be made.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
45 CFR Chapter VI; 48 CFR Chapter 25; "NSF Guide to Programs, Fiscal
Year 2003," NSF 03-009 (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf03009);
and "Grant Proposal Guide,"NSF 03-2, (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf032);
selected solicitations include "Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STIR) Programs Phase
I Solicitation," NSF 02-056; "Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER),"
NSF 02-111; "Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry
(GOALI)," NSF 98-142; "Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)," NSF
01- 171. For descriptions of ENG program announcements, please check
the following Electronic source: ENG Home Page on Internet World
Wide Web (WWW). URL Address is: http://www.eng.nsf.gov/.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: None.
Headquarters
Office: For information and publications:
Dr. Donald Senich, Program Director, Grant Opportunities for Academic
Liaison with Industry, Directorate for Engineering, National Science
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone:
(703) 292-7082. E-mail: dsenich@nsf.gov., NSF World Wide Web site,
URL: http//www.nsf.gov/. For general inquiries: enginfo@nsf.gov.
Web
Site Address: http://www.eng.nsf.gov
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
(1) Design and Evaluation of Artificial Retina Device to Benefit
the Visually Impaired. (2) Scalable Enterprise Systems. (3) Solid
Modeling and its Applications (4) Free- Radical Reactions in Supercritical
Fluids. (5) Engine Heat Transfer and Combustion Studies. (6) Signal
Processing for Acoustic Emission and Ultrasonic Testing. (7) Enhanced
Ultrafast X-Ray Generation using Pulse Shaping. (8) Accelerator-Based
Fast Neutron Brachytherapy. (9) Undergraduate Research in Solid
Freeform Materials and Technology. (10) Faculty Early Career Development:
Developing Engineering Criteria for the Inclusion of Disabled Employees
(DECIDE) in the Workplace. (11) Communication and Control of Integrated
Manufacturing Systems. (12) SBIR Research: Thallium Bromide X-ray
Photocathodes.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating
proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF
proposals are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria.
In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria
as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs
and activities. On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important
Notice 127, Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements
Related to the Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice
reinforces the importance of addressing both criteria in the preparation
and review of all proposals submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen
its internal processes to ensure that both of the merit review criteria
are addressed when making funding decisions. In an effort to increase
compliance with these requirements, the January 2002 issuance of
the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation guidelines relating
to the development of the Project Summary and Project Description.
Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators (PIs)
must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within
the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that
broader impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed
in the Project Description and described as an integral part of
the narrative. Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without
review proposals that do not separately address both merit review
criteria within the Project Summary. It is believed that these changes
to NSF proposal preparation and processing guidelines will more
clearly articulate the importance of broader impacts to NSF-funded
projects. The two National Science Board's approved merit review
criteria are listed below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter
III.A for further information). The criteria include considerations
that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and
not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address
both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only
those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered
and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements. What is the
intellectual merit of the proposed activity? How important is the
proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within
its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is
the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate,
the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To
what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative
and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed
activity? Is there sufficient access to resources? What are the
broader impacts of the proposed activity? How well does the activity
advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training,
and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation
of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability,
geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure
for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation,
networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly
to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may
be the benefits of the proposed activity to society? NSF staff will
give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:
Integration of Research and Education. One of the principal strategies
in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and
education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports
at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide
abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume
responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where
all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement
of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning
perspectives. Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects,
and Activities. Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation
of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and
persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality
of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of
diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities
it considers and supports.
