NSF funding: Overview and updates

Diane Pataki Program Director Ecosystem Science Cluster NSF DEB

Discussion topics

•  NSF overview •  Proposal writing tips •  NSF budgeting process •  FY 2016 budget request •  News from the Bio Directorate •  Other topics?

NSF Tidbits

•  Reports to the executive branch •  $7.3 billion budget in 2015 •  11,000 awards in 2015 (48,000 proposals) •  24% of federally supported basic science

research •  66% in biology (non-medical) •  Staff of 2,100, including 200 rotators

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (BIO)

James L. Olds, Assistant Director

Jane Silverthorne, Deputy AD 703.292.8400

DIRECTORATE FOR EDUCATION & HUMAN RESOURCES (EHR)

Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Assistant Director

W. James Lewis, Deputy AD

703.292.8600

DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE (DBI)

Scott Edwards, Division Director

703.292.8470

DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY (DEB)

Alan Tessler, Acting Division Director

703.292.8480

DIVISION OF INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL SYSTEMS (IOS)

William Zamer, Acting Division Director

703.292.8420

DIVISION OF MOLECULAR & CELLULAR BIOSCIENCES (MCB)

Gregory Warr, Acting Division Director

703.292.8440

OFFICE OF EMERGING FRONTIERS (EF) Charles Liarakos,

Acting Division Director 703.292.8508

DIRECTORATE FOR COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCE & ENGINEERING (CISE)

James F. Kurose, Assistant Director

Suzanne Iacono,Deputy AD

703.292.8900

DIVISION OF CHEMICAL, BIOENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL &

TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (CBET) JoAnn Lighty,

Division Director 703.292.8320

DIVISION OF CIVIL, MECHANICAL & MANUFACTURING

INNOVATION (CMMI) Deborah Goodings,

Acting Division Director 703.292.8360

DIVISION OF ELECTRICAL, COMMUNICATIONS & CYBER

SYSTEMS (ECCS) Samir El-Ghazaly, Division Director

703.292.8339

DIVISION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION & CENTERS (EEC)

Don L. Millard, Acting Division Director

703.292.8380

DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS (IIP)

Joseph Hennessey,Acting Division Director

703.292.8050

OFFICE OF EMERGING FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH &

INNOVATION (EFRI) Sohi Rastegar, Senior Advisor703.292.8301

DIRECTORATE FOR GEOSCIENCES(GEO)

Roger Wakimoto, Assistant Director

Margaret Cavanaugh, Deputy AD

703.292.8500

DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL &PHYSICAL SCIENCES (MPS)

Fleming Crim,Assistant Director

&HOHVWH�0��5RKO¿QJ�Deputy AD 703.292.8800

DIVISION OF ASTRONOMICAL SCIENCES (AST) James Ulvestad, Division Director

703.292.8820

DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY (CHE) Steven Bernasek, Division Director

703.292.8840

DIVISION OF MATERIALS RESEARCH (DMR)

Mary Galvin-Donoghue,Division Director

703.292.8810

DIVISION OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES (DMS)Michael Vogelius,Division Director

703.292.8870

DIVISION OF PHYSICS (PHY)Denise Caldwell,Division Director

703.292.8890

OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES (OMA)

Clark Cooper,2I¿FH�+HDG

703.292.8800

DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, & ECONOMIC SCIENCES (SBE)

Fay L. Cook, Assistant Director

Clifford Gabriel, Deputy AD (Acting)

703.292.8700

DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL & COGNITIVE SCIENCES (BCS)

Mark Weiss, Division Director

703.292.8740

DIVISION OF SOCIAL & ECONOMIC SCIENCES (SES)

Jeryl Mumpower,Division Director

703.292.8760

NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

STATISTICS (NCSES) John Gawalt,

Division Director 703.292.8780

National Science Foundation4201 Wilson BoulevardArlington, Virginia 22230TEL: 703.292.5111 | FIRS: 800.877.8339 | TDD: 800.281.8749 February 2015

DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING (ENG)

Pramod P. Khargonekar, Assistant Director

Grace Wang,Deputy AD

703.292.8300

DIVISION OF GRADUATE EDUCATION (DGE)

Valerie Wilson,Acting Division Director

703.292.8630

DIVISION OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (HRD)

Sylvia James,Division Director

703.292.8640

DIVISION OF RESEARCH ON LEARNING IN FORMAL &

INFORMAL SETTINGS (DRL)Sarah McDonald,

Acting Division Director703.292.8620

DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION (DUE)

Susan Singer,Division Director

703.292.8670

DIVISION OF ATMOSPHERIC & GEOSPACE SCIENCES (AGS)

Paul Shepson Division Director

703.292.8520

DIVISION OF EARTH SCIENCES (EAR)

Carol Frost, Division Director

703.292.8550

DIVISION OF OCEAN SCIENCES (OCE) Richard Murray,Division Director

703.292.8580

DIVISION OFPOLAR PROGRAMS (PLR)

Kelly Falkner, Division Director

703.292.8030

DIVISION OF COMPUTER & NETWORK SYSTEMS (CNS)

Keith Marzullo,Division Director

703.292.8950

OFFICE OF INFORMATION & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT(OIRM)

Joanne S. Tornow,+HDG���&KLHI�+XPDQ�&DSLWDO�2I¿FHU

Amy Northcutt, &KLHI�,QIRUPDWLRQ�2I¿FHU 703.292.8100

OFFICE OF BUDGET, FINANCE, & AWARD MANAGEMENT (BFA)

Martha A. Rubenstein, +HDG���&KLHI�)LQDQFLDO�2I¿FHU

Joanna E. Rom, 'HSXW\�+HDG�

703.292.8200

BUDGET DIVISION (BUD)Michael Sieverts,Division Director

703.292.8260

DIVISION OF ACQUISITION AND COOPERATIVE SUPPORT (DACS)

Jeffery Lupis,Division Director

703.292.8240

DIVISION OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (DFM)

6KLUO�5XI¿Q�'LYLVLRQ�'LUHFWRU���'HSXW\�&)2

703.292.8280

DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES (DAS)

Mercedes Eugenia, Division Director

703.292.8190

DIVISION OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS (DIS)

Dorothy Aronson,Division Director

703.292.8150

DIVISION OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM)

Judy Sunley,Division Director

703.292.8180

DIVISION OF GRANTS & AGREEMENTS (DGA)

Karen Tiplady,Division Director

703.292.8210

DIVISION OF INSTITUTION & AWARD SUPPORT (DIAS)

Mary Santonastasso,Division Director

703.292.8230

LARGE FACILITIES OFFICEMatthew Hawkins,

Acting Deputy Director703.292.4416

DIVISION OF COMPUTING & COMMUNICATION

FOUNDATIONS (CCF) Rao Kosaraju, Division Director

703.292.8910

DIVISION OF ADVANCEDCYBERINFRASTRUCTURE (ACI)

Irene Qualters,Division Director

703.292.8970

DIVISION OF INFORMATION & INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS (IIS)

Lynne E. Parker, Division Director

703.292.8930

Richard Buckius &KLHI�2SHUDWLQJ�

2I¿FHU

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL (OGC)

Lawrence Rudolph, *HQHUDO�&RXQVHO��

Peggy Hoyle��'HSXW\�*&703.292.8060

OFFICE OF DIVERSITY &INCLUSION (ODI)

Vacant,�+HDG���703.292.8020

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE &PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OLPA)

Dana Toupousis��$FWLQJ�+HDG�703.292.8070

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL & INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITIES (OIIA)

Wanda Ward, +HDG703.292.8040

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG)

Allison C. Lerner, ,QVSHFWRU�*HQHUDO 703.292.7100

NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARDOFFICE

Michael Van Woert([HFXWLYH�2I¿FHU

703.292.7000

NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD (NSB)

Dan E. Arvizu&KDLU

Kelvin K. Droegemeier9LFH�&KDLU�

703.292.7000

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR703.292.8000

VacantDeputy Director

France A. CórdovaDirector

Evolutionary Processes

Directorate  of  Biological  Sciences  (BIO)    

(Postdoctoral  Research  Fellowships  in  Biology:  underrepresented  groups,  mathemaAcal  or  physical,  plant  genome)  

   

Division  of  Environmental    Biology  (DEB)  

 (Dimensions  of  Biodiversity,  

LTER)    

Population and Community Ecology

Ecosystem Science

Division  of  IntegraAve  Organismal  Systems  

(IOS)    

Behavioral Systems

Developmental Systems

Neural Systems

Research Resources

Human Resources

Division  of  Biological  Infrastructure  

(DBI)  

Division  of  Molecular  and  Cellular  Biosciences  

(MCB)  

Biomolecular Dynamics, Structure

and Function

Cellular Processes

Genetic Mechanisms

Emerging  FronAers  (EF)  

Plant Genome Research Program

Systematic & Biodiversity Science

Physiological & Structural Systems Networks and

Regulation

James  Olds  Director  

Note  also  naAonal  centers  such  as  SESYNC.  

NSF Merit Review Criteria

From the National Science Board:

– Intellectual Merit

– Broader Impacts

The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-507):

To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense....

Proposal  Review  Criterion:    Intellectual  Merit  

"   Potential to advance knowledge and understanding within and across fields

"   Qualifications of investigators

"   Creativity and originality

"   Conceptualization and organization

"   Access to resources

Proposal  Review  Criterion:    Broader  Impacts  

"   Advances discovery while promoting teaching, training and learning

"   Broadens the participation of underrepresented groups

"   Enhances infrastructure for research and education: facilities, instrumentation, networks and partnerships

"   Disseminates results broadly

"   There are potential benefits to society

Proposal  prepara8on  8ps  •  Talk to your program officer •  Consider panel service appropriate for your

career stage •  Read the solicitation •  Read the solicitation •  Read the solicitation •  Use the award search to read the abstracts

of successful proposals

What  Makes  a  DEB  Proposal  Compe88ve?    

•  Likelihood of high impact on the field •  Novel, original ideas •  Question or hypothesis driven •  Linked to a broader conceptual framework or

theory •  Methods are well connected to the questions •  Knowledge of subject area or published,

relevant work •  Experience in essential methodology •  Realistic amount of work •  Sufficient detail

DEB  and  IOS:  Why  did  they  introduce  a  preproposal  system?  

Proposals  

Success  Rate  

Awards  

ARRA  

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 Year

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600 N

umbe

r of p

ropo

sals

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Success rate (%

) DEB  

Preproposal tips

•  Reviewers must be excited about new ideas that have potential to significantly advance the field.

•  The questions, hypotheses, or concepts must be very well framed, justified, and testable.

•  Detailed methods are not necessary BUT reviewers must be convinced that you have a feasible approach.

NSF wants to communicate your results

Contact your program officer

For NSF-funded research: news releases in advance of publication or presentation; discovery articles on projects in progress

The Budgeting Process (part 1)

•  NSF is part of the President’s Budget Request to Congress.

•  The budget is formulated 2 years in advance, eg. this spring for FY17 (Oct 1 – Sept 30 2017).

•  This is done in consultation with OSTP and OMB.

•  The budget request is justified in congressional hearings (going on now for FY16).

The Budgeting Process (part 2)

•  After congressional appropriation, NSF asks OMB to authorize the funds.

•  NSF must develop a Current Plan within 30-60 days.

•  Congress then has 30 days to respond to the Current Plan.

•  NSF then creates its Final Operating Plan.

What does it all mean?

•  Both the White House and Congress influence NSF budget priorities

•  Programs rarely have a final budget until late in the fiscal year

•  It takes at least 3 years to get new funding priorities into the budget

•  The NSF budget request may bear little resemblance to the final appropriation

Bio Blogs

https://nsfbiobuzz.wordpress.com/ https://nsfdeb.wordpress.com/ https://nsfiosinfocus.wordpress.com/ https://nsfmcb.wordpress.com/

NSF FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

NSF FY 2016 Budget Total: $7.72 billion

Increase: $379.34 million 5.2% over FY 2015

National Science Foundation FY 2016 Budget Request to Congress

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2014 Actual

FY 2015 Estimate

FY 2016 Request

FY 2016 Request Change over

FY 2015 Estimate

Biological Sciences $720.84 $731.03 $747.92 $16.89 Computer & Information Science & Engineering 892.60 921.73 954.41 32.68

Engineering 833.12 892.31 949.22 56.91

Engineering Programs 673.12 715.20 754.86 39.66 SBIR/STTR 159.99 177.11 194.36 17.25 Geosciences 1321.32 1304.39 1365.41 61.02

Mathematical & Physical Sciences 1267.86 1336.72 1366.23 29.51

Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences 256.84 272.20 291.46 19.26

Office of International Science & Engineering 48.31 48.52 51.02 2.50

Office of Integrative Activities 433.12 425.34 459.15 33.81

U.S. Arctic Research Commission 1.30 1.41 1.48 0.07

Total, Research and Related Activities 5,775.32 5,933.65 6,186.30 252.66 Totals may not add due to rounding

BIO FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST Biological Sciences Funding

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2014 Actual

FY 2015 Estimate

FY 2016 Request

Change over FY 2015 Estimate

Amount Percent Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)

$129.32 $134.16 $136.21 $2.05 1.5%

Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) 215.21 213.71 215.40 1.69 0.8%

Environmental Biology (DEB) 138.70 143.49 144.76 1.27 0.9% Biological Infrastructure (DBI) 131.81 142.60 145.41 2.81 2.0% Emerging Frontiers (EF) 105.79 97.06 106.14 9.08 9.4% Total, BIO $720.84 $731.03 $747.92 16.89 2.3% Totals may not add due to rounding.

BIO’S EMERGING FRONTIERS (EF)

Why +9.4% ($9.08 Million) over FY2015?

• Synthetic Biology: $5 Million total across BIO; $2 Million in EF

• BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative

Neurotechnologies): +$5.63 Million

• Macrosystems / Early NEON Science: +$5.00 Million

FIVE GRAND CHALLENGES FOR 21ST CENTURY BIOLOGY

Biological Diversity Earth, Climate, & Biosphere

Research at the Intersection of the Physical and Life Sciences

(2010 NRC Report)

The Brain Synthesizing Life

Genomes to Phenomes

UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN / BRAIN

Optogenetics High Resolution Imaging

Computational Neuroscience

Species Comparisons

$143.93M, NSF $43.40M*, BIO

Fundamental research to understand the neural circuitry and neural activity that underlies cognition, behavior and thought. BIO will focus on the genetics, and the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for brain evolution, development, and function. FY 2015 Hold an Ideas Lab FY 2016 Planning activities for a National Brain Observatory *Increase of $5.63M over FY 2015 Estimate

RESEARCH AT THE INTERFACE OF BIOLOGICAL, MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING (BIOMAPS)

Synthetic  “right-handed”  Anti  Microbial  Peptides  (AMP)  are  as  effective  as  natural  “left-handed”  AMPs  against  antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, and also kill cancer cells (award to Rice University Center for Theoretical Biological Physics)

$32.81M, NSF $16.81M*, BIO

New topics for FY 2016 : • Understanding the environmental impacts of

synthetic organisms • Integration of evolutionary thinking into design-

build-test cycles used in synthetic biology • Application of synthetic biology tools and

approaches in environmental research

*Increase of $2.5M over FY 2015 Estimate

P. vortex: drug-resistant, pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that causes pneumonia,

sepsis and other deadly diseases.

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY $60.00M, NSF

+$5M, BIO +$5M, ENG

• A convergent area at the intersection of biology, engineering, and the physical sciences that informs our ability to design and build novel biological functions and systems using engineering principles.

• Research focus in FY 2016 will include metabolic engineering and other engineering applications, and using synthetic biology to understand the rules that govern life processes.

• BIO, ENG and SBE will also support research into the risks and benefits of synthetic biology including its societal implications and impact on ecosystems and the environment.

Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS)

• The food-energy-water emphasis will be stressed in NSF-wide and BIO specific programs, such as CNH, and MSB.

• NEON contributions to INFEWS include:

• Stream ecology experiment (STREON) • Multiple fresh-water aquatic observatory sites • Data streaming from the NEON related to aquatics will inform this NSF-wide activity

$74.96M, NSF $7.50M, BIO

BIOData FY 2016 Activities: • Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2) • Cyberinfrastructure in the Life Sciences • BIO cyber facilities; e.g., iPlant , iDigBio • Networking Activities; e.g., GoLife, Arabidopsis

$8.39 M

IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION (IUSE)

Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE)

$134.58 million

EHR $120.08 million

BIO $2.50 million

GEO & ENG $6.00 million each

• Rapidly and dramatically improve U.S. undergraduate STEM education through coherent, agency-wide investment to: • increase numbers • broaden diversity • Improve preparation of STEM professionals

• Common system of assessing the impact of the collective investment