.

*ADVANCE*

FAQ\'S for FELLOWS Proposals

+--------------+-------------------------------------------------------+
| **           | []{#eligib .anchor}**Eligibility Criteria**\          |
| Alphabetical | ([Guidelines](ht                                      |
| Listing of   | tp://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf0169/nsf0169.htm#ELIG)) |
| FAQ Topics** |                                                       |
|              | [Postdoctoral Employees](#postdocs)    [Career        |
| [**academic  | Interruption for Family Responsibilities](#family)    |
| research and | [Relocation](#spouse)    [General](#general)          |
| education    |                                                       |
| career       | []{#postdocs .anchor}                                 |
| **](#career) |                                                       |
|              | **POSTDOCTORAL EMPLOYEES**                            |
| [**adjunct   |                                                       |
| positions*   | > **Q. My position is not formally entitled           |
| *](#adjunct) | > postdoctoral, but is similar in all essential       |
|              | > aspects to a typical postdoctoral position. Who can |
| [**career    | > I contact to find out if I am eligible to apply to  |
| interruption | > the Fellows program?**\                             |
| **](#family) | > \                                                   |
|              | > **A.** As this designation varies by discipline,    |
| [**c         | > questions on whether an applicant\'s position is a  |
| o-PI**](#pi) | > \"postdoc equivalent\" position should be directed  |
|              | > to the applicable NSF research directorate. Check   |
| [            | > the ADVANCE website (http://www.nsf.gov/ADVANCE) to |
| **deadline** | > find a list of directorate contacts.                |
| ](#deadline) | >                                                     |
|              | > []{#pi .anchor}**Q. I have not served as a PI on    |
| [*           | > any NSF award; however, I am listed as a co-PI on a |
| *eligibility | > current award. Am I eligible to apply to the        |
| **](#eligib) | > Fellows program?**                                  |
|              | >                                                     |
| [**family    | > **A.** Applicants who have served as co-PIs on NSF  |
| resp         | > awards are eligible to apply for Fellows awards if  |
| onsibilities | > they are currently in a postdoctoral or equivalent  |
| **](#family) | > status, have never held a tenure-track or tenured   |
|              | > position at a U.S. institution of higher learning,  |
| [**full-time | > and meet the other [eligibility                     |
| academic     | > criteria](#eligibility) for Fellows awards.         |
| career**     | >                                                     |
| ](#ftcareer) | > []{#tenure .anchor}**Q. I received my Ph.D. in      |
|              | > 1997. For the past year and a half, I have been a   |
| [**i         | > faculty member in a tenure-track position. I am not |
| nstitutional | > planning to leave this position since my spouse is  |
| support**]   | > also in a tenure-track position at this             |
| (#instsup-1) | > institution. Am I eligible to apply to the ADVANCE  |
|              | > program as a Fellow?**                              |
| [**          | >                                                     |
| institutions | > **A.** You are not eligible to apply for a Fellows  |
| of higher    | > award since you have a tenure-track position. You   |
| lea          | > may wish to apply for NSF research support through  |
| rning**](#in | > the programs in your area of research and also to   |
| stitution-1) | > consider the Faculty Early Career Development       |
|              | > (CAREER) Program, a Foundation-wide activity that   |
| [**research  | > supports junior faculty within the context of their |
| supported by | > overall career development                          |
| NSF**        | > (                                                   |
| ](#research) | <http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/career/start.htm)>. |
|              |                                                       |
| [**permanent | \<div align=\"right\"\>\</div\>                       |
| resident**   |                                                       |
| ](#resident) | []{#family .anchor}**CAREER INTERRUPTION - FAMILY     |
|              | RESPONSIBILITIES**                                    |
| [**          |                                                       |
| postdoctoral | > **Q. Is a person who has been out of the science    |
| or           | > and engineering workforce to attend to a seriously  |
| equivalent   | > ill family member eligible to apply?**              |
| status**     | >                                                     |
| ](#research) | > **A.** Yes**,** persons who have taken 2 to 8 years |
|              | > off to attend to family responsibilities such as    |
| [*           | > child rearing or elder care, or to care for a       |
| *supportable | > spouse or an immediate family member with an        |
| activities*  | > incapacitating illness or injury, are eligible to   |
| *](#support) | > apply.                                              |
|              | >                                                     |
| [**tenure    | > **Q. The ADVANCE guidelines list some possible      |
| status       | > career advancement limitations (child-rearing,      |
| **](#tenure) | > elder care, and spouse relocation). Does an         |
|              | > applicant have to demonstrate such a limitation to  |
| [**U.S.      | > be eligible to apply?**                             |
| National**   | >                                                     |
| ](#national) | > **A.** The ADVANCE guidelines list three categories |
|              | > of eligibility                                      |
|              | > (<ht                                                |
|              | tp://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf0169/nsf0169.htm#ELIG>) |
|              | > for the Fellows awards in addition to the           |
|              | > requirements that all applicants have to hold a     |
|              | > Ph.D. in a field of science or engineering          |
|              | > supported by NSF, be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national  |
|              | > or permanent resident of the United States, and be  |
|              | > establishing a full-time independent academic       |
|              | > research and education career at an institution of  |
|              | > higher learning in the U.S., its territories or     |
|              | > possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.    |
|              | > You must meet one of the eligibility requirements   |
|              | > to apply for a Fellows awards, and when you submit  |
|              | > your proposal you will have to certify which of the |
|              | > three criteria you meet. []{#adjunct .anchor}In     |
|              | > your proposal, you will need to provide a brief     |
|              | > narrative of your career history and                |
|              | > accomplishments to date and describe the likely     |
|              | > impact of a Fellows award on your career.           |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **Q. I am currently an adjunct faculty member and I |
|              | > have not been a full-time researcher due to family  |
|              | > considerations since 1998. However, I have never    |
|              | > held a tenure-track position. Am I eligible to      |
|              | > apply?**                                            |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** There is no requirement under this part of   |
|              | > the Fellows program for an applicant to have had a  |
|              | > tenure-track position. It appears that you have     |
|              | > been out of the full-time science and engineering   |
|              | > (S&E) workforce for 2 to 8 years to attend to       |
|              | > family responsibilities and will be out of this     |
|              | > workforce on the proposal due date. Therefore, you  |
|              | > may be eligible to apply if you meet other          |
|              | > eligibility requirements for the Fellows awards.    |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **Q. I left my planned career path as an assistant  |
|              | > professor in 1995 in order to raise my children. I  |
|              | > am currently employed in a \"soft money\" position  |
|              | > in a nearby university. Though my position could be |
|              | > considered as in the \"full-time science and        |
|              | > engineering workforce,\" it is a significant        |
|              | > diversion from my planned career path and does not  |
|              | > involve research or teaching. I would like to apply |
|              | > for the ADVANCE Fellows program to reestablish my   |
|              | > research and teaching experience so that at the end |
|              | > of the program I am in a position to once again     |
|              | > secure an academic position at an undergraduate     |
|              | > institution. Am I eligible to apply?**              |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** You would not be eligible for the ADVANCE    |
|              | > program under the criterion you mentioned because   |
|              | > the program solicitation says that the applicant    |
|              | > \"on the proposal due date, be out of the full-time |
|              | > science and engineering workforce and have been out |
|              | > of this workforce for 2 to 8 years to attend to     |
|              | > family responsibilities\". Since your position is   |
|              | > full-time, you wouldn\'t qualify under that         |
|              | > criterion.                                          |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **Q. I received my Ph.D. in 1993 and worked in a    |
|              | > full-time position at a national laboratory from    |
|              | > 1994-1998. I resigned my position in 1998 for my    |
|              | > husband\'s relocation. A year later, I started work |
|              | > as a research assistant professor (a                |
|              | > non-tenure-track position). The appointment ends    |
|              | > this year. Am I eligible to apply?**                |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** You would not be eligible under the          |
|              | > relocation of a spouse criterion, as your           |
|              | > resignation from full-time employment was more than |
|              | > 24 months ago.                                      |
|              |                                                       |
|              | \<div align=\"right\"\>                               |
|              |                                                       |
|              | []{#spouse .anchor}**RELOCATION - FOLLOWING SPOUSE**  |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > **Q. I am writing to ascertain whether applicants   |
|              | > for a \"Fellows Award\" can be male. I relocated    |
|              | > (leaving behind a tenure-track appointment) so that |
|              | > my wife could accept a tenure-track appointment. I  |
|              | > accepted a temporary visiting position, at          |
|              | > significantly lower rank and wages, and with a      |
|              | > significantly higher teaching load than my          |
|              | > counterparts who were recently hired in my          |
|              | > department with tenure-track status. Indeed, my     |
|              | > salary dropped significantly relative to my         |
|              | > previous position. On the ADVANCE web page, the     |
|              | > word \"spouse\" (rather than \"husband\") is used   |
|              | > throughout, which leads me to believe that it might |
|              | > also be your intention to support men who have      |
|              | > delayed their own careers to support their wives.   |
|              | > Please let me know.**                               |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** Yes, you are eligible **if** your wife is in |
|              | > a science or engineering field that is supported by |
|              | > NSF and your resignation from the tenure track      |
|              | > position occurred in the 24 months preceding the    |
|              | > proposal due date. You must also hold a Ph.D. in a  |
|              | > field of science or engineering supported by NSF;   |
|              | > be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or permanent       |
|              | > resident of the United States; and, at the time of  |
|              | > award, be establishing a full-time independent      |
|              | > academic research and education career at an        |
|              | > institution of higher learning in the U.S., its     |
|              | > territories or possessions, or the Commonwealth of  |
|              | > Puerto Rico.                                        |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **Q. My husband is planning a sabbatical in the     |
|              | > year 2002. We have both received invitations to     |
|              | > spend the year at the national laboratory where I   |
|              | > was formerly employed. The ADVANCE Program would be |
|              | > an ideal opportunity for me to initiate a new       |
|              | > program with the laboratory and perhaps continue it |
|              | > with a student when I return to my institution.     |
|              | > Would I be eligible for funding to cover a portion  |
|              | > of my salary plus the \$25K in ancillary            |
|              | > expenses?**                                         |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** If you are taking a leave of absence, and    |
|              | > you plan to return after your husband\'s            |
|              | > sabbatical, you would not be eligible.              |
|              |                                                       |
|              | \<div align=\"right\"\>                               |
|              |                                                       |
|              | []{#general .anchor}**GENERAL ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS** |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > **Q. I am a young, female Assistant Professor with  |
|              | > a Ph.D. in chemistry. I am interested in applying   |
|              | > for the affiliated PI, Fellows award but I am not   |
|              | > certain I would qualify since I am not a postdoc    |
|              | > anymore.**                                          |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** Since you are not longer in postdoctoral or  |
|              | > equivalent status and do not meet the other         |
|              | > eligibility criteria, you would not be eligible to  |
|              | > apply for a Fellows award. You may wish to apply    |
|              | > for NSF research support through the programs in    |
|              | > your area of research and also to consider the      |
|              | > Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program,  |
|              | > a Foundation-wide activity that supports junior     |
|              | > faculty within the context of their overall career  |
|              | > development                                         |
|              | >                                                     |
|              |  (http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/career/start.htm). |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **Q. I received my DVM in 1971 and practiced for    |
|              | > many years. In 1994, I received a PhD in Veterinary |
|              | > Medicine. I am currently employed as Research       |
|              | > Associate Professor. I need to establish my own     |
|              | > research funding. Am I eligible to apply?**         |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** The date of your PhD would make you          |
|              | > ineligible for a Fellows post-doc award. You might  |
|              | > be eligible for support in one of the other Fellows |
|              | > eligibility categories, but we would need more      |
|              | > information to determine that. There are also       |
|              | > restrictions on the type of research NSF supports.  |
|              | > For example, research with disease-related goals,   |
|              | > including work on the etiology, diagnosis or        |
|              | > treatment of physical or mental disease,            |
|              | > abnormality, or malfunction in human beings or      |
|              | > animals, is normally not supported. Animal models   |
|              | > of such conditions or the development or testing of |
|              | > drugs or other procedures for their treatment also  |
|              | > are not eligible for support. This is obliquely     |
|              | > referenced in the solicitation: \"Proposals         |
|              | > submitted in response to this program               |
|              | > announcement/solicitation should be prepared and    |
|              | > submitted in accordance with the general guidelines |
|              | > contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG).    |
|              | > The complete text of the GPG is available           |
|              | > electronically on the NSF Web Site at:              |
|              | > http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf012.\"\        |
|              | > \                                                   |
|              | > However the GPG clarifies that research in          |
|              | > bioengineering, with diagnosis or treatment-related |
|              | > goals that applies engineering principles to        |
|              | > problems in biology and medicine while advancing    |
|              | > engineering knowledge is eligible for support.      |
|              | > Bioengineering research to aid persons with         |
|              | > disabilities also is eligible, as is research on    |
|              | > the ecology of infectious disease.                  |
|              |                                                       |
|              | []{#national .anchor}**U.S. National**                |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > **Q. What is meant by U.S. national?**              |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** The term \"nationals of the United States\"  |
|              | > designates citizens of the United States or native  |
|              | > residents of a possession of the United States such |
|              | > as American Samoa. It does not refer to citizens of |
|              | > another country who have applied for U.S.           |
|              | > citizenship.                                        |
|              |                                                       |
|              | []{#resident .anchor}**Permanent Residents**          |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > **Q. I applied for a green card some time ago and   |
|              | > have been assured that I will have it by the end of |
|              | > the calendar year. Am I eligible to apply for a     |
|              | > Fellows award?**                                    |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** In order to qualify as a permanent resident, |
|              | > Fellows applicants must have their green card in    |
|              | > hand at the proposal deadline date.                 |
|              |                                                       |
|              | **Institutions of Higher Learning**                   |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > []{#institution-1 .anchor}**Q. Do 2-year            |
|              | > (community) colleges that award A.A.S. degrees      |
|              | > qualify as \"academic institutions of higher        |
|              | > learning\" for purposes of the ADVANCE program?**   |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** Yes.                                         |
|              |                                                       |
|              | **Institutional Support**                             |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > []{#instsup-1 .anchor}**Q. Must supporting          |
|              | > institutions guarantee a tenure-track or \"hard     |
|              | > money\" position at the end of an ADVANCE           |
|              | > fellowship (as in NSERC Women\'s Fellowships)?**    |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** No, there is no requirement that             |
|              | > institutions offer a tenure track position at the   |
|              | > end of an ADVANCE fellowship.                       |
|              |                                                       |
|              | []{#support .anchor}**Supportable Activities**        |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > **Q. Can fellowships be used to allow a scientist   |
|              | > to re-tool her research and teaching expertise?**   |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** Yes, if the fellow meets the eligibility     |
|              | > criteria and makes a good case for the proposed     |
|              | > career development plan.                            |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > []{#career .anchor}**Q. Must an \"independent       |
|              | > academic research and education career\" involve    |
|              | > undergraduate teaching, or may it involve only      |
|              | > supervision of graduate theses?**                   |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** There is no requirement that undergraduate   |
|              | > teaching be part of the independent academic        |
|              | > research and education career.                      |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > []{#ftcareer .anchor}**Q. Can fellowships be used   |
|              | > to establish a part-time academic career to         |
|              | > accommodate family obligations?**                   |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** No. In order to be eligible for a Fellows    |
|              | > award, a PI must, at the time of award, be          |
|              | > establishing a **full-time**, independent academic  |
|              | > research and education career.                      |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **Q. I am very interested in research questions     |
|              | > related to mechanisms underlying brain injury and   |
|              | > recovery and have been working in the area of       |
|              | > somatosensory physiology, specifically the neural   |
|              | > control of active touch. However, I am not sure     |
|              | > that this research is in field of science supported |
|              | > by NSF.**                                           |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** NSF does not support research with           |
|              | > disease-related goals, including work on the        |
|              | > etiology, diagnosis or treatment of physical or     |
|              | > mental disease, abnormality or malfunction in human |
|              | > beings or animals. For such research, the National  |
|              | > Institutes of Health and private foundations would  |
|              | > be the most likely sources of support. However,     |
|              | > research in normal somatosensory physiology, is     |
|              | > supported by NSF\'s Sensory Systems Program and     |
|              | > would be supportable research under the ADVANCE     |
|              | > guidelines. You can obtain more detailed            |
|              | > information on the types of research supported by   |
|              | > the NSF through the NSF Guide to Programs at        |
|              | > http://w                                            |
|              | ww.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/publicat/nsf013/how-to/toc.htm |
|              | > and the NSF directorate Web pages.                  |
|              |                                                       |
|              | \<div align=\"right\"\>                               |
|              |                                                       |
|              | []{#deadline .anchor}**Deadline**\                    |
|              | ([Guidelines](htt                                     |
|              | p://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf0169/nsf0169.htm#DATES)) |
|              |                                                       |
|              | > **Q. What if my proposal arrives after the          |
|              | > directorate deadline for proposal submissions?**    |
|              | >                                                     |
|              | > **A.** Only proposals submitted by your institution |
|              | > through FastLane before 5:00 p.m. (your local time) |
|              | > on or before the Directorate/Office deadline will   |
|              | > be accepted. Because the volume of ADVANCE Fellows  |
|              | > may be quite large and individuals who are not      |
|              | > submitting through an institution must register as  |
|              | > a FastLane organization before submitting a         |
|              | > proposal, you are encouraged to start your FastLane |
|              | > proposal submission well before the ADVANCE Fellows |
|              | > deadline. Refer to the ADVANCE Guidelines for       |
|              | > Submission and the FastLane Web page for more       |
|              | > details. Any proposal received after the            |
|              | > Directorate/Office deadline will be returned to the |
|              | > preparer without review. Please note that NSF       |
|              | > program officers are not authorized to grant        |
|              | > extensions to the deadline for the ADVANCE program. |
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------------+

[]{#research .anchor}