Title: Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)
Date: 10/08/03
Replaced: NSF 02-009



Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)

Program Solicitation
NSF 04-503
Replaces Document NSF 02-009

[NSF Logo]   National Science Foundation
             Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
                   Division of Materials Research



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

     January 08, 2004
          Second Thursday of January thereafter

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Program Title:

     Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)
     Division of Materials Research

Synopsis of Program:

     The IMR Program supports the acquisition and/or development of
     research instruments that will provide new capability and/or
     advance current capability to: (1) discover fundamental phenomena
     in materials; (2) synthesize, process, and/or characterize the
     composition, structure, properties, and performance of materials;
     and (3) improve the quality, expand the scope, and foster and
     enable the integration of research and education in
     research-intensive environments.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

   * Guebre X. Tessema, Program Director (IMR), Directorate for
     Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Division of Materials Research, 1065
     N, telephone: (703) 292-4935, fax: (703) 292-9035, email:
     gtessema@nsf.gov

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

   * 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Eligibility Information

   * Organization Limit: The IMR program accepts proposals from US academic
     institutions of higher education, independent non-profit research
     organizations, research museums, and legally incorporated consortia
     thereof.
   * PI Eligibility Limit: Only one proposal may be submitted by a
     principal investigator, and he/she may collaborate in only one other
     proposal as a co-investigator.
   * Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified.

Award Information

   * Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
   * Estimated Number of Awards: 35 to 40 - Approximately 35 to 40 new
     awards are made each year, depending on the quality of the competing
     proposals and available funds
   * Anticipated Funding Amount: $7,100,000 in FY2004. Subject to change
     annually depending on the availability of funds.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

   * Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains
     information that supplements the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
     proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full text of this
     solicitation for further information.

B. Budgetary Information

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

C. Due Dates

   * Full Proposal Deadline Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
          January 08, 2004
               Second Thursday of January thereafter

Proposal Review Information

   * 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. Eligibility Information

 IV. Award Information

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

 VI. Proposal Review Information
       A. NSF Proposal Review Process
       B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

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

VIII.Contacts for Additional Information

 IX. Other Programs of Interest

I. INTRODUCTION

Observation and discovery of new phenomena are at the heart of our
scientific enterprise. The Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)
program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR) is designed to provide
advanced capability for discovery, observation, characterization,
fabrication and testing to the nation's scientists and engineers who are
endeavoring to conduct research and educational activities in all areas
normally supported by DMR. The Division supports a wide range of programs
addressing fundamental phenomena in materials, materials synthesis and
processing, structure and composition, properties and performance, and
materials education. DMR plays a significant role in various NSF-wide
interdisciplinary initiatives and programs.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The goals of the IMR Program are to support the acquisition or development
of research instruments that will provide new capability and/or advance
current capability to: (1) discover fundamental phenomena in materials; (2)
synthesize, process, and/or characterize the composition, structure,
properties, and performance of materials; and (3) improve the quality,
expand the scope, and foster and enable the integration of research and
education in research-intensive environments.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The IMR program accepts proposals from US academic institutions of higher
education, independent nonprofit research organizations, research museums,
and legally incorporated consortia thereof. Proposals may be submitted in
support of individual investigators or small groups who are endeavoring to
conduct research and educational activities in all areas within the purview
of DMR. Synergistic collaboration among researchers and collaboration or
partnerships with industry or government laboratories is encouraged when
appropriate.

Only one proposal can be submitted by a Principal Investigator. In
addition, he/she may collaborate in only one other proposal as a
co-Investigator. Group and collaborative proposals involving more than one
organization must be submitted as a single administrative package from one
of the organizations involved. Due to the limited availability of funds,
prospective applicants are strongly urged to contact the program officer
listed at the end of this solicitation for guidance. The IMR program
normally considers proposals for single instruments or a single system. If
more than one instrument is requested, the proposal must indicate their
relative priority, and give explanations and scientific justification for
each item requested. A proposal listing assorted instruments without a
focused research or research training program will not be accepted.
Proposers requesting instruments for multidisciplinary use involving other
Divisions within NSF are encouraged to discuss their plans with the
appropriate Program Officers prior to submission (see "Other NSF Programs
of Interest"). Multidisciplinary instrumentation proposals must be
submitted to only one NSF Division. These should include a paragraph in the
first page describing the multidisciplinary nature of the proposal.
Proposals that are multidisciplinary in nature will be co-reviewed by the
appropriate Division(s) within NSF. Proposals submitted to IMR that are
under active review elsewhere in the Foundation are considered
inappropriate and will returned without review. The IMR program accepts
proposals from PhD granting institutions to purchase and/or develop
instruments that cost more than $100,000 (more than $70,000 requested from
NSF). The program accepts proposals from non-PhD granting institutions to
purchase and/or develop instruments that cost more than $50,000. Because of
the high cost and complexity of major instruments, proposals for multi-user
instruments are strongly encouraged. Proposals requesting funds to purchase
and/or develop instruments costing less than $100,000 (less than $50,000
for non-PhD granting institutions) will be returned without review. Such
proposals should be submitted to the appropriate disciplinary program(s)
for review.

Eligible Project Costs:

Eligible project costs are those total project costs (comprising the NSF
award plus the institution's cost sharing) that are properly and reasonably
allocable to the research instrumentation based on the percentage of time
that it is to be used for research and research training. For instrument
acquisition proposals, eligible project costs include: costs of instrument
purchase, installation, commissioning and calibration. The direct and
indirect cost of operation, maintenance, and other appropriate technical
support during the award period are also eligible. For instrument
development proposals, eligible project costs include all of the items
listed above, as well as the direct and indirect costs associated with
support for personnel engaged in instrument development. Direct and
indirect costs associated with research projects to be conducted using the
requested instrumentation (including researchers' salary and students'
stipends) are not eligible costs under the IMR program.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

Funding for the IMR program is subject to change annually depending on the
availability of funds. It is expected that the support for IMR awards in
fiscal year (FY) 2004 will be at about the same level as in FY 2003. In FY
2003, the program awarded $7.1 million for instrument acquisition and
development, and education and training activities. The minimum award size
in the IMR program is $70,000 (based on a minimum acquisition cost of
$100,000 less the required cost sharing percentage; see section V. B.) for
PhD-granting institutions and $50,000 for non-PhD granting institutions.
The typical award duration is one to three years.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

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 Website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be
obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722
or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

The following instructions supplement the GPG guidelines. IMR proposals
must follow the format of research proposals. An instrumentation proposal
should include a brief description of the proposed instrument and the new
scientific and educational capability it will provide, a statement of the
potential impact it will have on the research and education/training of
students, and the potential impact it is expected to have on one or more
fields of scientific research, education, or infrastructure.

Each potential major user should describe the project(s) for which the
equipment will be used. These descriptions should be succinct, not
necessarily as detailed as in an individual research proposal, and should
emphasize the intrinsic merit of the activity and the importance of the
equipment to it. A brief summary will suffice for auxiliary users. For the
review process, you may suggest the names, affiliations, and e-mail
addresses of six to eight individuals outside the participating
institutions, including women and members of underrepresented groups, who
have expertise in the proposed activities and are not collaborators, and
who could provide an unbiased evaluation, if requested, of your proposal.
Names of individuals who should not be used as reviewers may also be
included. Also provide, through Fastlane, the names and affiliations of all
collaborators over the past four years, and indicate the nature of the
collaboration. This information must be sent via the FastLane System using
the "List of Suggested Reviewers" page within the Proposal Preparation
function. Special attention should be given to the following required
information which is essential for the review and decision making process.

Sections of the Proposal

1. Title. The IMR proposal title should be brief and should not include
abbreviations. It should begin with "Acquisition of ---." or "Development
of ---." and include Education and/or Student Training in the title. For
example: "Acquisition of a Rheometer for Polymer Materials Research and
Education." Another example: "Development of an Ultrahigh Resolution
Photoemission System for Studies of Quantum Structures and Student
Training." The title should not refer to any specific supplier or model
numbers, and must not exceed 15 words.

2. Project Summary. The project summary should include a brief description
of the proposed instrument and the new scientific and educational
capabilities they will provide, a statement of the potential impact it will
have on the research and education/training of students, and the potential
impact it is expected to have on one or more fields of scientific research,
education, or infrastructure. Some examples of broader impact activities
are given in the NSF web site at
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf032/bicexamples.pdf. Proposals that do not
separately address both merit criteria within the one page Project Summary
will be returned without review.

3. Table of Contents. This section is automatically prepared by the
fastlane system.

4. Project Description (including Results from Prior NSF Support). The
Project Description must clearly justify the instrument requested in terms
of the scientific research and educational activities that are being
proposed. The new measurement capability that the new instrument will
provide should be clearly described. The following items are required as
part of the Project Description (limited to 15 pages):

a. Instrument Development/Construction Projects: If
development/construction of a new instrument is proposed, the design must
provide sufficient detail for reviewers to assess its feasibility.
Reviewers will be asked to comment on the potential impact that the
proposed instrument will have on research and the education/training of
students. A brief statement of the anticipated impact of the proposed
project is required. The following must be provided:

   * An analysis of the need and broad applicability of the proposed
     instrument, including potential uses and users in the field of
     materials research and education;
   * A description of specific initial research plans for the instrument,
     and plans for long-range future usage;
   * Plans for the construction of the instrument;
   * A description of preliminary work completed;
   * An analysis of potential problems/issues, and proposed solutions;
   * An estimated timeline for completion within the requested duration of
     support;
   * A plan to evaluate the performance of the instrument; and
   * A description of industrial or national laboratory collaborations or
     links during the development stages and subsequent to
     development/construction completion, if appropriate;

b. Instrument Acquisition Projects: If purchase of a new instrument is
proposed, the following information must be provided:

   * A technical description of the proposed instrument, including the
     specific model(s) chosen, in sufficient detail for reviewers to
     evaluate the essential need and appropriateness of the instrument for
     the research and educational activities proposed; and a paragraph
     indicating whether the instrument will be used for new research
     project(s) or existing research project(s);
   * A discussion of the research project(s) and educational activities for
     which the instrument will be used in sufficient detail for reviewers
     to evaluate its scientific merit. For multi-user instruments, no more
     than four or five major research projects (projects utilizing 20% or
     more of the instrument time) may be described in succinct form,
     emphasizing the intrinsic scientific and educational merit of the
     activities and the importance of the equipment to them;
   * A brief summary of all additional projects, i.e., those involving less
     than 20% of the instrument time, is sufficient;
   * In the event the instrumentation proposal is linked to a research
     proposal under review in any of the disciplinary NSF programs, a clear
     statement of this link must be made. A summary of the research and
     educational goals contained in the proposal must be given, as well as
     the complementarity of the proposals. However, it is not necessary to
     duplicate the scientific sections of the research proposal in the
     instrumentation proposal;
   * If the instrument is to be used for existing research projects, a
     discussion of the new capability the proposed instrument will provide,
     and how the new instrument will significantly impact the project(s)
     must be given. If comparable equipment to that requested is already at
     the proposing institutions, or if replacement of existing equipment is
     requested, rationale must be provided. This includes comparable
     government-owned equipment that is on-site; and
   * Plans for implementing the proposed research and educational
     activities.

Instrumentation proposals must discuss arrangements for Acquisition,
Maintenance, Operation, Use Plans, and Shared Use of the instrument
including:

   * Overall acquisition plan;
   * Biographical sketch of the person(s) who will have overall
     responsibility for maintenance and operation and a brief statement of
     qualifications;
   * Description of the physical facility, including floor plans or other
     appropriate information, where the equipment will be located;
   * Statement of why the equipment is severable or non-severable from the
     physical facility;
   * Plans for the allocation of time on the instrument and the criteria
     used for allocation;
   * An estimate of the fraction of time the instrument will be used by the
     various local and other potential users;
   * A detailed plan of how use charges will be assessed (if applicable);
   * Annual budget for operation and maintenance of the proposed equipment,
     indicating source of funds; and
   * Brief description of other support services available for this
     instrument, and the annual budget for their operation, maintenance and
     administration.

In addition to the above requirements, the Project Description within its
15-page limitation should also provide, if applicable, results from Prior
NSF Support in the past five years.

5. References Cited. References are required with the names of all authors,
the article title, journal title, book title, volume number, page number(s)
and the year of publication.

6. Biographical Sketch(es). A biographical sketch (limited to two pages) is
required for each individual identified as senior project personnel. The
biographical sketch should provide professional preparation, appointments,
publications, synergistic activities, collaborators and other affiliations
including names of PhD and postdoctoral advisors.

7. Budget. Each proposal must contain a budget for each year of support
requested. A budget justification of up to three pages is authorized to
provide necessary justification and documentation for the total cost of the
proposed project or instrumentation, the itemized cost of each
instrument/component, and the proposed level of cost sharing from all
non-Federal sources. Only equipment funds requested from NSF (the net
amount after subtracting the institutional cost sharing amount from the
total equipment cost) should be given in the line D of the proposal budget.

a. Cost Sharing Requirements: The IMR program has specific cost sharing
requirements. See Section V. B. "Budgetary Information" below for
additional information. For more details about cost sharing requirements,
please refer to the NSF web site NSF Cost Sharing Policy: Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) (http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dga/policy/docs/csfaqs03_1.pdf).
Letters of support for cost sharing and price quotes from equipment
manufacturers/suppliers should be submitted in the supplementary
documentation section of the FastLane Proposal Preparation module.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation
number (04-503) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the
proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to
determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit
this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

For non-PhD granting institutions, there is no cost-sharing requirement.

For Ph.D. granting institutions a cost sharing amount, which is exactly at
30% (no more, no less) of the total equipment acquisition cost, is
required. For example, if the total equipment acquisition cost is $100,000,
the institutional cost sharing will be $30,000 (enter on line M of the
proposal budget) and $70,000 will be requested from NSF (enter on line D of
the proposal budget).

If acquisition of major equipment is requested as part of an instrument
development proposal, the same 30% cost-sharing requirement applies to the
acquisition cost of the major equipment.

Equipment funds requested from NSF (the net amount after subtracting the
institutional cost sharing amount from the total equipment cost) should be
given in the line D of the proposal budget.

The proposed cost sharing must be shown on Line M on the proposal budget.
Documentation of the availability of cost sharing must be included in the
proposal. Only items which would be allowable under the applicable cost
principles, if charged to the project, may be included as the awardee's
contribution to cost sharing. Contributions may be made from any
non-Federal source, including non-Federal grants or contracts, and may be
cash or in-kind (see OMB Circular A-110, Section 23). It should be noted
that contributions counted as cost-sharing toward projects of another
Federal agency may not be counted towards meeting the specific cost-sharing
requirements of the NSF award. All cost-sharing amounts are subject to
audit. Failure to provide the level of cost-sharing reflected in the
approved award budget may result in termination of the NSF award,
disallowance of award costs and/or refund of award funds to NSF.

Other Budgetary Limitations:
Minimum equipment cost of $50,000 for proposals from non-PhD granting
institutions; minimum equipment cost of $100,000 ($70K requested from NSF)
for proposals from PhD granting institutions.

C. Due Dates

Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):

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

     January 08, 2004
          Second Thursday of January thereafter

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this
announcement/solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed
instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are
available at: http://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 announcement/solicitation should be referred to the
NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this
announcement/solicitation.

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. Proposers
are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover
Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on
the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with
expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education
project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the
oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at
the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate
reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with
the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from
non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent
disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating
proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals
are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some
instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to
highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127,
Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the
Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance
of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals
submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to
ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making
funding decisions.

In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January
2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation
guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project
Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators
(PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within
the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader
impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the
Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.

Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do
not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project
Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and
processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of
broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.

The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed
below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information).
The criteria include considerations that help define them. These
considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given
proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria,
reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are
relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified
to make judgments.

     What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
     How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
     understanding within its own field or across different fields? How
     well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the
     project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of
     the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
     explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and
     organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to
     resources?

     What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
     How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while
     promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed
     activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g.,
     gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will
     it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as
     facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the
     results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and
     technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed
     activity to society?

NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making
funding decisions:

     Integration of Research and Education
     One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster
     integration of research and education through the programs, projects,
     and activities it supports at academic and research institutions.
     These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals
     may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators,
     and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse
     education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through
     the diversity of learning perspectives.

     Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
     Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
     citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons
     with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of
     science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of
     diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and
     activities it considers and supports.

     Additional Review Criteria:

          1. Essential need for the instrument. The utility, impact or
          potential impact that the instrument will have on the proposed
          research and/or training/educational activities, or on a field of
          research.

          2. Impact on Infrastructure. How the instrument will contribute
          to broader long-range goals of the institution, fields of
          science, and education.

          3. The ability of the applicants to operate and maintain the
          instrument. Evaluation of the qualifications of the person(s)
          responsible for the instrument, allocation of time on the
          instrument, and provisions for operation and long-term
          maintenance of the instrument over its expected lifetime.

          4. Appropriateness of development plans. For instrument
          development/construction, an assessment of feasibility, costs and
          schedule for completion, and plans for integration and use of the
          instrument in the research and educational activities described
          subsequent to the completion of the development/construction
          phase.

          5. Relevance to research and education. The proposed
          instrumentation acquisition/development should be relevant to the
          research and educational activities. Potential toward achieving
          national goals of strategic importance and impact on all sectors
          of materials research community should be detailed in the
          proposal.  The expected impact on all sectors of the materials
          research community and potential for enhancing linkages between
          sectors should be significant.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons
outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the
proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation
will be reviewed by Ad Hoc and/or panel review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or
decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the
proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate
a recommendation.

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 Principal Investigator/Project Director by the
Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of
the decision to award or decline funding.

In most cases, proposers will be contacted by the Program Officer after his
or her recommendation to award or decline funding has been approved by the
Division Director. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an
eventual 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 Division
Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

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 Division 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.A. 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 (NSF-GC-1); * or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that
may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement
awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement
Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred
way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail
capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of
Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained
from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by
e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the
NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the
NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for
sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office
(GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription
information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO
Website at http://www.gpo.gov.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program
Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to
submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports
delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all
Co-PIs. 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. This system permits electronic submission and
updating of project reports, including information on project participants
(individual and organizational), activities and findings, 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.

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

   * Guebre X. Tessema, Program Director (IMR), Directorate for
     Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Division of Materials Research, 1065
     N, telephone: (703) 292-4935, fax: (703) 292-9035, email:
     gtessema@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

   * Maxine E. Jefferson-Brown, Computer Specialist, Directorate for
     Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Division of Materials Research, 1065
     N, telephone: (703) 292-4918, fax: (703) 292-9035, email:
     mjeffers@nsf.gov

   * Florence Rabanal, Electronic Business Coordinator, Directorate for
     Mathematical & Physical Sciences, 1005 N, telephone: (703) 292-8808,
     fax: (703) 292-9151, email: frabanal@nsf.gov

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and
education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to
Programs is available electronically at
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs,
research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are
provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific
proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these
requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in
NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to
Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on
the NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual
program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's
Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified
of new funding opportunities that become available.

Related Programs:

Related NSF programs for research instrumentation and instrument
development are listed below. In NSF divisions that have no separate
instrumentation program, needs are provided for in regular research grant
programs.

Program Title              Brochure                     Telephone

Instrumentation   http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003         (703)-292-4920
For Materials     /nsf03604/nsf03604.htm
Research- Major
Instrumentation
Projects
(IMR-MIP)

Chemistry         http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/che/ 703-292-4953
Research          news/c_notices.htm#program
Instrumentation
and Facilities

Advanced          http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ati.htm    703-292-4892
Technologies and
Instrumentation
Program, Division
of Astronomical
Sciences

Major Research    http://www.inside.nsf.gov/od/oia/     703-292-8040
Instrumentation   programs/mri/start.htm

Scientific        http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/dms/ 703-292-4879
Computing         news/c_notices.htm#program
Research
Environments for
the Mathematical
Sciences (SCREMS)

Earth Sciences    http://www.geo.nsf.gov/EAR/IF         703-292-8558
Instrumentation   /facil.htm
and Facilities

Ocean Technology  http://www.geo.nsf.gov/oce/ocefac     703-292-8580
and               _over.htm
Interdisciplinary
Coordination
Program (OTIC)

Oceanographic     http://www.geo.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/geo/   703-292-8580
Instrumentation   showprog.plid=39&div=oce
and Technical
Services Program

Polar             http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub. 703-292-8030
Instrumentation   cfm?nsf0025
and Technology
Development

Improvements in   http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub. 703-292-8470
Facilities,       cfm?nsf02040
Communications,
and Equipment at
Biological Field
Stations and
Marine
Laboratories
(FSML)

Instrument        http://www.nsf.gov/bio/progdes        703-292-8470
Development for   /nsf98119.htm
Biological
Research

Multi-user        http://www.nsf.gov/bio/dbi/dbi        703-292-8470
Biological        _instrument.htm
Equipment and
Instrumentation
Resources

Computer          http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/         703-292-8980
Information       nsf005/nsf005.htm
Science &
Engineering
Research
Infrastructure

Instrumentation   http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998          703-292-8980
Grants for        /nsf98132/nsf98132.htm
Research in
Computer and
Information
Science and
Engineering

Social,           http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1995      703-292-8759
Behavioral, and   /nsf9513/nsf9513.txt
Economic Science
Instrumentation
(contact Dr. John
Yellen)

Small Business    http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001          703-292-8330
Innovation        /nsf0128rev/nsf0128rev.htm
Research (SBIR)

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most
fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for
conducting their project activities and preparing the results for
publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such
findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and
educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons
with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with
Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of
race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance
from NSF, although some programs may have special requirements that limit
eligibility.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research
assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the GPG Chapter II,
Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of
proposals.

 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:             (301) 947-2722

        * 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; 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 applicant 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 needing information as part of the review process
or in order to coordinate programs; 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," 63 Federal
Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and
Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). 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 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 this burden estimate and any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden,
to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative
Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.


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