Title: International Collaboration in Chemistry between US 
       Investigators and their Counterparts Abroad (ICC)
Date: 09/04/08



International Collaboration in Chemistry between US Investigators and their
Counterparts Abroad (ICC)

Program Solicitation
NSF 08-602



[NSF Logo]  National Science Foundation

            Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
                 Division of Chemistry



Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local
time):

     November 04, 2008

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

     January 30, 2009
	
 Revision Notes
 	 
 A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures
 Guide (PAPPG), NSF 09-1, was issued on October 1, 2008 and is
 effective for proposals submitted on or after January 5, 2009.
 Please be advised that the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1 apply
 to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.
 Proposers who opt to submit prior to January 5th, 2009, must also
 follow the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1.

 One of the most significant changes to the PAPPG is implementation
 of the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act. Each
 proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers
 must include, as a separate section within the 15-page project
 description, a description of the mentoring activities that will be
 provided for such individuals. Proposals that do not include a
 separate section on mentoring activities within the Project
 Description will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide
 Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II.C.2.d for further
 information).

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Program Title:

     International Collaboration in Chemistry between US Investigators
     and their Counterparts Abroad  (ICC)

Synopsis of Program:

     Partnering Foreign Agencies

     The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; German Research
     Foundation) of Germany

     The Fonds zur Frderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF;
     Austrian Science Fund) of Austria

     The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of
     the UK

     The National natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

     The Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National Research Agency,
     ANR) of France

     Program Description

     The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to enhance
     opportunities for collaborative activities between U.S. and
     foreign investigators. To realize this goal the Chemistry
     Division at NSF has partnered with the Deutsche
     Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; German Research Foundation), the
     Fonds zur Frderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF;
     Austrian Science Fund) of Austria,  the Engineering and Physical
     Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United Kingdom, the
     National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the
     Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National Research Agency, ANR)
     of France.  NSF Chemistry will accept collaborative research
     proposals in chemistry, written in English, that establish new
     bilateral collaborations between U.S. investigators and
     investigators from Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, China or
     France.  It is envisioned that the program will be expanded to
     include additional partnering foreign agencies in the coming
     years.

     The program seeks new and highly innovative 3-year collaborative
     projects that break new ground and demonstrate high level of
     synergy between the collaborating investigators.  The program
     will not accept proposals for projects that were funded in the
     past or are currently funded by other funding sources. The
     program will also not accept proposals for projects that largely
     overlap or are closely related to research projects that are
     currently carried out in the collaborators' laboratories.
     The proposed 3-year projects must be in areas that are supported
     by the NSF Division of Chemistry programs in Analytical and
     Surface Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry,
     Physical Chemistry and Theoretical and Computational Chemistry.
      The program aims to realize the NSF strategic goal of developing
     a diverse, globally-engaged, U.S. science and engineering
     workforce. The program therfore requires that US applicants will
     allocate significant financial resourses to ensure meaningful
     participation of graduate students, postdoctoral research
     associates and junior investigators,  including those from
     underrepresented groups, in the proposed international research
     collaborations through extended research visits to the
     collaborator's laboratory abroad.   The program also encourages
     the development and use of cyber infrastructure to increase the
     level of synergy of the proposed projects.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

   * Dr. Zeev Rosenzweig, Program Director, telephone: (703) 292-7719,
     email: zrosenzw@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

   * 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:    10 to  30

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $10,000,000  There are no set aside funds for
this solicitation. However, based on results from prior competitions (e.g.,
15 awards out of 60 proposals in FY 2008), we anticipate funding
approximately $10,000,000 in 3-year awards. The exact number of awards and
total funding depend on the quality of proposals and availability of funds.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit:

     Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

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

PI Limit:

       a. A U.S. Investigator  must establish a partnership with an
          investigator in either Germany, Austria, United Kingdom,
          China or France. The collaborating foreign investigator must
          be eligible for funding from the DFG (Germany), FWF
          (Austria), EPSRC (UK), NSFC (China) and ANR (France)
          respectively.

       b. The solicitation calls for new projects in areas that are
          supported by the Division of Chemistry programs in
          Analytical and Surface Chemistry, Inorganic chemistry,
          Organic chemistry, Physical chemistry and Theoretical and
          Computational chemistry. It is generally not the practice of
          the Chemistry Division to make multiple awards to the same
          individual. Therefore, potential applicants are strongly
          encouraged  to choose between submitting  a proposal in
          response to this solicitation and submitting an unsolicited
          proposal to the Chemistry Division. Potential applicants are
          also advised to choose between submitting a proposal in
          response to this solicitation and submitting a proposal to
          the Materials World Network program of the Division of
          Material Research (DMR) of NSF
          (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=
          12820&org=DMR&sel_org=DMR&from=fund).

          Division of Chemistry grantees who wish to add  an international
          collaboration component to their currently funded projects are
          advised to submit supplemental funding requests to their existing
          awards rather than to respond to this solicitation.



Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 1

     A U.S. Investigator may participate (as a PI, Co-PI or other
     senior research associate) in only one proposal which is
     submitted in response to this solicitation. There are no limits
     on the number of proposals an organization may submit.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

   * Letters of Intent: Not Applicable

   * Preliminary Proposals: Submission of Preliminary Proposals is
     required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further
     information.

   * Full Proposals:

        * Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award
          Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
          Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available
          electronically on the NSF website at:
          http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.

        * Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov
          Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of
          NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF
          Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov
          website and on the NSF website at:
          http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/grantsgovguide607.pdf)

B. Budgetary Information

   * Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this
     solicitation.

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

   * Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

   * Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's
     local time):

          November 04, 2008

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

          January 30, 2009

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:   National Science Board approved criteria.
Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of
this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:   Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:   Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

     Summary of Program Requirements

  I. Introduction

 II. Program Description

III. Award Information

 IV. Eligibility Information

  V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
       A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
       B. Budgetary Information
       C. Due Dates
       D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements

 VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures
       A. NSF Merit Review Criteria
       B. Review and Selection Process

VII. Award Administration Information
       A. Notification of the Award
       B. Award Conditions
       C. Reporting Requirements

VIII.Agency Contacts

 IX. Other Information

I. INTRODUCTION

Recognizing the importance of international collaborations in promoting
scientific discoveries, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its
counterpart agencies in Germany (DFG), Austria (FWF),  UK (EPSRC), China
(NSFC) and France (ANR) seek to enhance opportunities for collaborative
activities in chemistry between U.S. and foreign investigators. The NSF
Chemistry division will accept new bilateral collaborative research
proposals, which are not currently funded by other sources, with each of
the partnering agencies. The proposals should establish new partnerships
between US researchers and researchers from either Germany, Austria, UK,
China or France. The proposed projects must have clear relevance to areas
supported by Division of Chemistry at NSF and by the following divisions in
the partnering countries:

For German investigators the relevant DFG organization is the DFG's
Division of Chemistry and Process Engineering. For inquiries please contact
Dr.-Ing. Georg Bechtold, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Chemie und
Verfahrenstechnik Polymerwissenschaft, D-53170 Bonn, Tel. +49 (228)
885-2818, e-mail: Georg.Bechtold@dfg.de

For Austrian Investigators the relevant FWF organization is the FWF
Chemistry and Nano-Sciences program.  For inquiries please contact Dr.
Bettina M. Lscher, Scientific Administrator for Chemistry and
Nano-Sciences, The Fonds zur Frderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung
(FWF; Austrian Science Fund), Sensengasse 1 A-1090 Wien, Phone: +43 1 505
67 39 8405, Fax +43 1 505 67 40, e-mail: loescher@fwf.ac.at

For UK investigators the relevant EPSRC organization is the Physical
Sciences Programme. For inquiries please contact Katie Daniel, EPSRC,
Polaris House, North Star Ave, Swindon SN2 1ET, Tel: 01793 442895,, e-mail:
katie.daniel@epsrc.ac.uk

For Chinese investigators the relevant NSFC organization is the Department
of Chemical Sciences. For inquiries please contact Dr. Qiankun Zhuang,
NSFC, 83 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, Tel:
0086-10-62327075, e-mail: :zhuangqk@mail.nsfc.gov.cn

For French investigators the relevant ANR organization is the Department of
Chemistry and Processes for Sustainable Development. For inquiries please
contact Dr. Marie-Louise Saboungi, 212, rue de Bercy  F-75012 Paris,
Tel: +33-1 78 09 80 58
e-mail: Marie-Louise.Saboungi@agencerecherche.fr

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to enhance opportunities for
collaborative activities between U.S. and foreign investigators. To realize
this goal the Chemistry Division at NSF has partnered with the Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; German Research Foundation), the Frderung der
wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF, Austrian Science Fund) of Austria,  the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United
Kingdom, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the
Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National Research Agency, ANR) of
France.  NSF Chemistry will accept collaborative research proposals in
chemistry that establish new bilateral collaborations between U.S.
investigators and investigators from Germany, Austria,United Kingdom, China
and France.  The proposals will be written in English.

The program seeks new and highly innovative 3-year collaborative projects
that break new ground and demonstrate high level of synergy between the
collaborating investigators.  The program will not accept proposals for
projects that were funded in the past or are currently funded by other
funding sources. The program will also not accept proposals for projects
that largely overlap or are closely related to research projects that are
currently carried out in the collaborators' laboratories.   The
proposed 3-year projects must be in areas that are supported by the NSF
Division of Chemistry programs in Analytical and Surface Chemistry,
Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Theoretical
and Computational Chemistry.  The program seeks to realize the NSF
strategic goal of developing a diverse, globally-engaged, U.S. science and
engineering workforce. The program therefore requires that U.S.
investigators will allocate significant financial resources to ensure
meaningful participation of graduate students, postdoctoral research
associates and beginning investigators, including those from under
represented groups,  in the proposed international research collaborations
through extended research visits in their collaborator's laboratory abroad.
The program also encourages the development and use of cyber infrastructure
to increase the level of synergy of the proposed projects.

U.S. investigators will submit their proposals to NSF through Fastlane or
Grants.gov. Foreign investigators will submit an identical proposal to the
partnering international agency if required. NSF and the partnering
international funding agencies will co-review and make joint funding
decisions on these proposals. NSF awards will support the research of U.S.
Investigators while the partnering international funding agencies will
support the research of the collaborating foreign investigators.

III. AWARD INFORMATION

Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant or Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 10 to 30

Anticipated Funding Amount: There are no set aside funds for this
solicitation. However, based on results from prior competitions (e.g., 15
awards out of 60 proposals in FY 2008), we anticipate funding approximately
$10,000,000 in 3-year awards.

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average size/duration are
subject to the availability of funds.

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Organization Limit:

     Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

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

PI Limit:

       a. A U.S. Investigator  must establish a partnership with an
          investigator in either Germany, Austria, United Kingdom,
          China or France. The collaborating foreign investigator must
          be eligible for funding from the DFG (Germany), FWF
          (Austria), EPSRC (UK), NSFC (China) and ANR (France)
          respectively.

       b. The solicitation calls for new projects in areas that are
          supported by the Division of Chemistry programs in
          Analytical and Surface Chemistry, Inorganic chemistry,
          Organic chemistry, Physical chemistry and Theoretical and
          Computational chemistry. It is generally not the practice of
          the Chemistry Division to make multiple awards to the same
          individual. Therefore, potential applicants are strongly
          encouraged  to choose between submitting  a proposal in
          response to this solicitation and submitting an unsolicited
          proposal to the Chemistry Division. Potential applicants are
          also advised to choose between submitting a proposal in
          response to this solicitation and submitting a proposal to
          the Materials World Network program of the Division of
          Material Research (DMR) of NSF
          (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=
          12820&org=DMR&sel_org=DMR&from=fund).  Division of Chemistry
          grantees who wish to add  an international collaboration
          component to their currently funded projects are advised to
          submit supplemental funding requests to their existing
          awards rather than to respond to this solicitation.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 1

     A U.S. Investigator may participate (as a PI, Co-PI or other
     senior research associate) in only one proposal which is
     submitted in response to this solicitation. There are no limits
     on the number of proposals an organization may submit.

Additional Eligibility Info:

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Preliminary Proposals (required): Preliminary proposals are required and
must be submitted via the NSF FastLane system, even if full proposals will
be submitted via Grants.gov.

Preliminary Proposal Submission Requirements
Preliminary proposals must be submitted to NSF through FastLane. The same
preliminary proposals must be submitted to the foreign funding agency by
the foreign investigator unless noted othervise in the foreign agency call
for this program. Foreign investigators are advised to follow the
instructions for preliminary proposal and full proposal preparation and
submission that are given in the foreign agencies' separate calls for this
collaborative program.

Preliminary Proposal Content and Page Limit
Preliminary proposals must adhere to the general guidelines described in
NSF's Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), except as specified below. One
preliminary proposal per project should be submitted.

Cover Page: List the names and affiliations of US Investigators, a
tentative title for the proposed collaborative project, and the Division of
Chemistry program that should consider the application. The PI must select
the option indicating that this is a preliminary proposal. For correct
FastLane processing, enter $2 as the requested amount.

Project Description, limited to 2 pages, should include

   * Names, affiliations and contact information (phone number and e-mail
     address) of the foreign investigator.
   * The proposed research problem, key preliminary results and an outline
     of the research plan.
   * The role of each collaborative investigator and relevant expertise.
   * The collaborative approach to be used and the expected synergy.
   * A plan to facilitate meaningful involvement of students in the
     proposed project including international training experience.

References Cited may contain up to 10 leading references to provide context
for the proposed research. The reference section will not count against the
2-page limit of the preliminary proposal project description.

For the US Investigator, a Biographical Sketch should be submitted using
the NSF standard format specified in the GPG. For the foreign investigator,
the biographical sketch should be limited to 2 pages and be a part of a
FastLane supplementary document.

For the US Investigator, a Current and Pending Support statement should be
submitted using the NSF standard format specified in the GPG. For the
foreign investigator the information about current and pending support
should be a part of a FastLane supplementary document.

The remaining standard proposal sections (Budget, Budget Justification,
Facilities and Equipment) are not permitted in this preliminary proposal.
Other supporting documentation including preprints or reprints and letters
of support or collaboration are not permitted in this preliminary proposal.

Preliminary Proposal Review Procedure
The preliminary proposals will be reviewed by NSF and the partnering
foreign agencies. At NSF, the preliminary proposals will be reviewed for
their programmatic fit to the Division of Chemistry,  the anticipated
benefits of the international collaboration and for the involvement of
students and beginning researchers in the proposed projects. NSF will
review the preliminary proposals internally. The partnering agencies will
review the preliminary proposal using their standard review procedures or
rely on the NSF review when possible.  Upon completion of the review of the
preliminary proposals, NSF and the appropriate partnering agency will make
a joint decision whether to encourage or discourage submission of full
proposals to the program.  Investigators will be notified of the decision
60 days prior to the full proposal submission deadline whenever possible.

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions:  Proposers may opt to submit
proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Grants.gov or via
the NSF FastLane system.

   * Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response
     to this program 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 website at:
     http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies
     of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
     telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov. Proposers are
     reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program
     solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National
     Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to
     determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to
     submit this information may delay processing.

   * Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in
     response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be
     prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov
     Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF
     Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov
     Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the
     NSF website at:
     (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/grantsgovguide607.pdf). To
     obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package,
     click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply
     Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application
     Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the
     program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the
     Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application
     Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
     telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Full proposals will be submitted by the U.S. organizations through Fastlane
or Grants.gov. The following guidelines, in addition to those in the GPG or
NSF Grants.gov Application Guide, should be followed when preparing the
proposal to NSF:

   * The title of the proposal to NSF should begin as: "International
     Collaboration in Chemistry:..."
   * The duration of the project would typically be 3 years for the U.S.
     and foreign side of the collaboration.
   * The project Summary, which is limited to 1 page, must address in
     separate statements the intellectual merit and the broader impacts of
     the proposed activity and the value added by the proposed
     international collaboration.
   * The project description may not exceed 15 pages.
   * As indicated in the NSF Grant Proposal Guidelines (GPG) and NSF
     Grants.gov Application Guide, the project description must include a
     section on Results from Current/Prior NSF Support, which is limited to
     a maximum of 5 pages.  Potential applicants are advised that proposals
     that will not have a section describing results from current/previous
     NSF support will be returned without review.
   * The project description should clearly state the need and anticipated
     scientific benefits of the proposed international collaboration and
     clearly describe the intellectual contribution of each collaborator to
     the proposed project along with a timelineof their proposed research
     work.
   * Information pertinent to the foreign investigator should be organized
     in an electronic file that will be submitted as a single supplementary
     document through NSF FastLane or Grants.gov.  For proposals with FWF,
     EPSRC, NSFC and ANR, the supplementary document should contain the
     foreign investigator budget request from the partnering agency, a
     current and pending support list, and a 2-page biographical sketch,
     which includes a list of collaborators, doctoral and postdoctoral
     advisors, and current and former students and postdoctoral fellows.
   * For proposals with the DFG, the German applicants should prepare the
     supplementary document following the DFG guidelines as published the
     DFG call. The supplementary document should contain the following
     information about the German collaborator:  General Information (whole
     section), State of the art preliminary work (only description of
     preliminary work of the German applicant is required, i.e. section
     2.2),  Funds requested (whole section),  Preconditions for carrying
     out the project (whole section), Declarations (whole section) and a
     List of appendages.
     Investigators from the China and France should submit an identical
     proposal to the NSFC and ANR respectively with forms required by these
     agencies.
   * UK investigators are required to make a submission to EPSRC and should
     consult the EPSRC call document for further information .
   * German and Austrian investigators do not need to submit the proposal
     to the DFG and FWF respectively.
   *  Foreign investigators should contact their corresponding agencies to
     make sure that their submission meets their agency guidelines for this
     solicitation.  This will prevent lengthy delays in proposal processing
     or even the return of the proposal without review. The foreign agency
     call can be found at:

     DFG - http://www.dfg.de/aktuelles_presse/information_fuer_die_wissenschaft
	 /ausschreibungen_mit_internationalem_bezug/info_wissenschaft_58_08.html
     EPSRC -
     http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/CallsForProposals/default.htm
     NSFC -
     http://www.nsfc.gov.cn
     FWF -
     http://www.fwf.ac.at/de/internationales/foerderkategorien_
     bilaterale_abkommen.html
     ANR -
     http://www.agence-nationale-recherche.fr/?NodId=17&lngAAPId=148

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:   Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.

C. Due Dates

   * Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's
     local time):

          November 04, 2008

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

          January 30, 2009

D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements

   * For Proposals Submitted Via FastLane:

     Detailed technical instructions regarding the technical aspects of
     preparation and submission via FastLane are available at:
     https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user
     support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail
     fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical
     questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific
     questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to
     the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this
     funding opportunity.

     Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized
     Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the
     proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications
     (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing
     of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic
     certifications within five working days following the electronic
     submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this
     process are available on the FastLane Website at:
     https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.

   * For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:

     Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must
     register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the
     applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the
     Grants.gov website. The Grants.gov's Grant Community User Guide is a
     comprehensive reference document that provides technical information
     about Grants.gov. Proposers can download the User Guide as a Microsoft
     Word document or as a PDF document. The Grants.gov User Guide is
     available at: http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport. In addition, the
     NSF Grants.gov Application Guide provides additional technical
     guidance regarding preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For
     Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at
     1-800-518-4726 or by email: support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact
     Center answers general technical questions related to the use of
     Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation
     should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in
     Section VIII of this solicitation.

     Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the
     Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the
     application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity
     and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then
     sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed
     application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further
     processing.

VI. NSF PROPOSAL PROCESSING AND REVIEW PROCEDURES

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program where
they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements.
All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator
serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other
persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular fields represented by
the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with
the oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names
of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the
proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These
suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at
the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is
optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of
interest with the proposal.

A. NSF Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science
Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the
broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF
will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific
objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. 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 the reviewer 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, original, or
     potentially transformative 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?

Examples illustrating activities likely to demonstrate broader impacts are
available electronically on the NSF website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf.

NSF staff also 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.

     Additional Review Criteria:

          In addition to the two NSB-approved merit review
          criteria, the reviewers will be asked to specifically
          comment on whether the researchers demonstrated a clear
          need for international collaboration, the synergy
          between the collaborating groups, the collaboration
          plan between the investigators, and whether the
          proposed project provides meaningful international
          training experience to students and junior researchers.
          Foreign investigators will need to address the review
          criteria of their partnering agency.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be
reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or
decline each proposal. NSF Program Officers will utilize the ad-hoc review
to evaluate the proposals. The partnering agency may also utilize a panel
to review the proposals. The program officers in charge from NSF and the
partnering agency will consider the advice of reviewers and panel to
formulate a joint recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of
appropriate factors, Program Officers  in charge from NSF and the
partnering agency recommend to the cognizant NSF Division Director and the
decision making bodies of the partnering agency whether the proposal should
be declined or recommended for award. NSF is striving to be able to tell
applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for
funding within six months. The time interval begins on the date of
receipt.  The interval ends when the NSF Division Director and the decision
making bodies of the partnering agency accept the Program Officers'
recommendation. A proposal can only be funded if both NSF and the foreign
partnering agency agree to fund it.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted
by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential
documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the
reviewers, are sent to the US Principal Investigator/Project Director by
the NSF Program Officer.  In addition, the investigators will receive an
explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals
recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and
Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and
the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are
cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments,
obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of
funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical
or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal
Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments
in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants
and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a
Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations
whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the
cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of
reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided
automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for
additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special
provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2)
the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which
NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals
or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in
the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant
General Conditions (GC-1); * or Research Terms and Conditions * and (5) any
announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in
the award letter. Cooperative agreements also are administered in
accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative
Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and
Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and
Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via
e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper
copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone
(703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important
information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF
Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on
the NSF Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the
cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current
budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project
reports). Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is
required to submit a final project report.

Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports will delay
NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any
pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of the
required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system,
available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and
final project reports.  Such reports provide information on activities and
findings, project participants (individual and organizational)
publications; and, other specific products and contributions.  PIs will not
be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a
proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.  Submission of
the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the
contents of the report are accurate and complete.

VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

   * Dr. Zeev Rosenzweig, Program Director, telephone: (703) 292-7719,
     email: zrosenzw@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

   * FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail:
     fastlane@nsf.gov.

   * Paul Spyropoulos, Computer Specialist, 1055 S, telephone: (703)
     292-4968, fax: (703) 292-9037, email: pspyropo@nsf.gov

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

   * Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational
     Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from
     Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please
     contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: support@grants.gov.

CONTACTS AT INTERNATIONAL PARTNERING AGENCIES

Germany (DFG)
Dr-Ing. Georg Bechtold
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Chemie und Verfahrenstechnik-
Polymerwissenschaft
D-53170 Bonn
Tel: +49 (228) 885-2818
e-mail: georg.bechtold@dfg.de

Austria (FWF)
Dr. Bettina M. Lscher
Scientific Administrator for Chemistry and Nano-Sciences
Fonds zur Frderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF, Austrian Science
Fund)
Sensengasse 1 A-1090 Wien
Phone: +43 1 505 67 39 8405
e-mail: loescher@fwf.ac.at

UK (EPSRC)
Katie Daniel
Senior Physical Sciences Manager
EPSRC
Polaris House, North Star Ave, Swindon SN2 1ET
Tel: 01793 442895
e-mail: katie.daniel@epsrc.ac.uk

China (NSFC)
Dr. Qiankun Zhuang
Program manager Environmental Chemistry
Department of Chemical Sciences
NSFC
Tel: 0086-10-62327075
e-mail: zhuangqk@mail.nsfc.gov.cn

France (ANR)
Dr. Marie-Louise Saboungi
212, rue de Bercy  F-75012 Paris, France
Deaprtment of Chemistry and Processes for Sustainable Development
The Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)
Tel: +33-1 78 09 80 58
e-mail: Marie-Louise.Saboungi@agencerecherche.fr


IX. OTHER INFORMATION

The NSF Website provides the most comprehensive source of information on
NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding
opportunities. Use of this Website by potential proposers is strongly
encouraged. In addition, MyNSF (formerly the Custom News Service) is an
information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other
interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and
publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and
procedures, and upcoming NSF Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are
informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new
publications are issued that match their identified interests. MyNSF also
is available on NSF's Website at http://www.nsf.gov/mynsf/.

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for
Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may
be accessed via this new mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may
be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency
created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC
1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress
of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare
by supporting research and education in all fields of science and
engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering.
It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000
colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science
organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The
Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic
institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research,
education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded.
In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for
graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories
itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain
oceanographic vessels and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also
supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US
participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and
educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provide
funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide
Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these
types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD)
and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable
individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation
about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed
at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703)
292-5111.

 The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
 progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
 cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
 mathematics, and engineering.

 To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
 copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the
 NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov

        * Location:                       4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington,
                                          VA 22230
        * For General Information         (703) 292-5111
          (NSF Information Center):
        * TDD (for the hearing-impaired): (703) 292-5090

        * To Order Publications or Forms:

              Send an e-mail to:          pubs@nsf.gov

                 or telephone:            (703) 292-7827

        * To Locate NSF Employees:        (703) 292-5111

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is
solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of
1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in
connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports
submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting
within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may
be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the
proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or
obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the
administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers
and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to
other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding
applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in
order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency,
court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the
government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be
added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve
as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records,
NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 69
Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File
and Associated Records, " 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004).
Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and
complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an
award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this
collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the
time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden
estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to:

Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Division of Administrative Services
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230


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