Title: Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS)
Date: 09/30//08



Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS)

Program Solicitation
NSF 08-611



[NSF Logo]  National Science Foundation

            Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering

            Directorate for Engineering



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

     February 27, 2009

     Last Friday in February, Annually Thereafter

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Program Title:

     Cyber-Physical Systems  (CPS)

Synopsis of Program:

     The term cyber-physical systems refers to the tight conjoining of and
     coordination between computational and physical resources.  We envision
     that the cyber-physical systems of tomorrow will far exceed those of
     today in terms of adaptability, autonomy, efficiency, functionality,
     reliability, safety, and usability.  Research advances in
     cyber-physical systems promise to transform our world with systems that
     respond more quickly (e.g., autonomous collision avoidance), are more
     precise (e.g., robotic surgery and nano-tolerance manufacturing), work
     in dangerous or inaccessible environments (e.g., autonomous systems for
     search and rescue, firefighting, and exploration), provide large-scale,
     distributed coordination (e.g., automated traffic control), are highly
     efficient (e.g., zero-net energy buildings), augment human
     capabilities, and enhance societal wellbeing (e.g., assistive
     technologies and ubiquitous healthcare monitoring and delivery).

     Congruent with the recommendations in the August 2007 report of the
     President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST),
     Leadership Under Challenge: Information Technology R&D in a Competitive
     World, NSF's Directorates for Computer and Information Science and
     Engineering (CISE) and Engineering (ENG) are spear-heading the
     Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) program because of its scientific and
     technological importance as well as its potential impact on grand
     challenges in a number of sectors critical to U.S. security and
     competitiveness, including aerospace, automotive, chemical production,
     civil infrastructure, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, materials and
     transportation.  By abstracting from the particulars of specific
     applications in these domains, the CPS program aims to reveal
     cross-cutting fundamental scientific and engineering principles that
     underpin the integration of cyber and physical elements across all
     application sectors.  The CPS program will also support the development
     of methods and tools as well as hardware and software components,
     run-time substrates, and systems based upon these principles to
     expedite and accelerate the realization of cyber-physical systems in a
     wide range of applications.  Furthermore, the program aims to create a
     new research and education community committed to the study and
     application of cyber-physical system innovations, through the
     establishment of a CPS Virtual Organization (CPS-VO) and regular PI
     meetings.

     The CPS program is seeking proposals that address research challenges
     in three CPS themes:  Foundations; Methods and Tools; and Components,
     Run-time Substrates, and Systems.  Foundations research will develop
     new scientific and engineering principles, algorithms, models, and
     theories for the analysis and design of cyber-physical systems.
     Research on Methods and Tools will bridge the gaps between approaches
     to the cyber and physical elements of systems through innovations such
     as novel support for multiple views, new programming languages, and
     algorithms for reasoning about and formally verifying properties of
     complex integrations of cyber and physical resources.  The third CPS
     theme concerns new hardware and software Components, Run-time
     Substrates (infrastructure and platforms), and (engineered) Systems
     motivated by grand challenge applications.

     Three sizes of research and education projects will be considered:

        * Small Projects are individual or small-team efforts that focus on
          one or more of the three defined CPS themes. Funding for Small
          Projects will be provided at levels of up to $200,000/year for up
          to three years.
        * Medium Projects also span one or more CPS themes and may include
          one or more PIs and a research team of students and/or postdocs.
           Funding for Medium Projects will be provided at levels up to
          $500,000/year for up to three years.
        * Large Projects are multi-investigator projects involving teams of
          researchers and their students and/or postdocs representing the
          same or multiple disciplines in computer science, engineering, and
          physical application domains, who together address a coherent set
          of research issues that either cut across multiple CPS themes or
          that explore in great depth a particular theme.  Funding for Large
          Projects will be provided at levels up to $1,000,000/year for up
          to five years.

     In addition, NSF will consider proposals to establish a CPS-VO.  Only
     one award will be made, at annual levels of up to $200,000 for up to
     five years.  It is expected that more modest levels of funding will be
     provided in the first year or two of this award.

     A more complete description of the CPS program is provided in Section
     II. Program Description of this solicitation.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

   * Helen Gill, CISE Point of Contact for the CPS program, telephone: (703)
     292-7834, email: hgill@nsf.gov

   * Scott F. Midkiff, ENG Point of Contact for the CPS program, telephone: (703)
     292-8339, email: smidkiff@nsf.gov

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

   * 47.041 --- Engineering
   * 47.070 --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:    30 to  40   - NSF anticipates making up to 40
awards in the first competition. Three award size classes of research and
education projects will be supported:

   * Small Projects, up to $200,000/year for up to three years;

   * Medium Projects, up to $500,000/year for up to three years; and

   * Large Projects, up to $1,000,000/year for up to five years.

In addition, no more than one CPS Virtual Organization (CPS-VO) award will be
made at a level of up to $200,000/year for up to five years. It is anticipated
that the funding level for the CPS-VO will be more modest in the first year or
two of the award.

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $30,000,000  - Approximately $30 million for the
first annual competition, dependent on the availability of funds. Anticipated
funding levels for future competitions will be in the $20 million - $30 million
range, dependent on the availability of funds.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit:

     Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

        * Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums,
          observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar
          organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research
          activities.
        * 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:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 2

     An individual may participate as PI, co-PI, or Senior Personnel in no
     more than 2 proposals submitted in response to this solicitation in any
     annual competition.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

   * Letters of Intent: Not Applicable

   * Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable

   * 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/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.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

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

          February 27, 2009

          Last Friday in February, Annually Thereafter

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:   Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text
of this solicitation for further information.

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

The term cyber-physical systems refers to the tight conjoining of and
coordination between computational and physical resources.  We envision that the
cyber-physical systems of tomorrow will far exceed those of today in terms of
adaptability, autonomy, efficiency, functionality, reliability, safety, and
usability.  Research advances in cyber-physical systems promise to transform our
world with systems that respond more quickly (e.g., autonomous collision
avoidance), are more precise (e.g., robotic surgery and nano-tolerance
manufacturing), work in dangerous or inaccessible environments (e.g., autonomous
systems for search and rescue, firefighting, and exploration), provide
large-scale, distributed coordination (e.g., automated traffic control), are
highly efficient (e.g., zero-net energy buildings), augment human capabilities,
and enhance societal wellbeing (e.g., assistive technologies and ubiquitous
healthcare monitoring and delivery).  These capabilities will be realized by
deeply embedding computational intelligence, communication, control, and new
mechanisms for sensing, actuation, and adaptation into physical systems with
active and reconfigurable components.

We do not yet have the principles, methodologies, and tools needed to realize our
vision for cyber-physical systems, where physical and software components are
deeply intertwined, each operating on different spatial and temporal scales,
exhibiting multiple and distinct behavioral modalities, and interacting with each
other in a myriad of ways that change with context. Despite the rapid growth of
innovative and powerful technologies for networked computation, sensing, and
control, progress in cyber-physical systems is impeded on several fronts.  First,
as the complexity of current systems has grown, the time needed to develop them
has increased exponentially, and the effort needed to certify them has risen to
account for more than half the total system cost.  Second, the disparate and
incommensurate formalisms and tools used to deal with the cyber and physical
elements of existing systems have forced early and overly conservative design
decisions and constraints that limit options and degrade overall performance and
robustness.  Third, in deployed systems, fears of unpredictable side-effects
forestall even small software modifications and upgrades, and new hardware
components remain on the shelf for want of true plug-and-play infrastructures.
Fourth, current systems have limited ability to deal with uncertainty, whether
arising from incidental events during operation or induced in systems
development.  These problems are endemic to the technology base for virtually
every sector critical to U.S. security and competitiveness, and they will not be
solved by finding point solutions for individual applications.  The solutions
that are needed are central to the gamut of cyber-physical system application
domains.  It is imperative that we begin to develop the cross-cutting fundamental
scientific and engineering principles and methodologies that will be required to
create the future systems upon which our very lives will depend.

The CPS program aims to discover this missing core of fundamental knowledge.
Advances will be achieved by developing deep understanding of specific domains
and technologies and abstracting this knowledge into core principles that can
inform and be informed by other and yet-to-be-thought-of application domains.
Grand challenge applications will inspire researchers to develop a better
understanding of the coupling and interaction between computational and physical
processes, the integration of the discrete with the continuous, and the
synchronous with the asynchronous.  Ensuing core principles will lead to the
development of methods, tools, components, and architectures that will expedite
and accelerate progress in a wide range of application domains.  Rethinking the
fundamental concepts and tools for cyber-physical systems will lead to
possibilities for new systems that cannot be realized - or even envisioned
- using today's methods and technologies.

The CPS program also aims to create a new research community that shares a
commitment to integrate CPS theory and methodology in education.  Through these
investments, NSF seeks to promote increased interest, understanding, and use of
cyber-physical systems through the development of novel educational curricula.

A premium will be placed on research and education innovations that span the
boundaries of engineering and computer science.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The CPS program seeks to establish bold new scientific foundations and
engineering principles to conceptualize, design, analyze, implement, and certify
cyber-physical systems.  Tomorrow's cyber-physical systems will exploit
pervasive sensing, computation, communication, and actuation to infuse engineered
systems with considerably more intelligence and capabilities than is possible
today.  The CPS program will require a comprehensive effort from computer
scientists, engineers, and physical domain experts to develop new theories,
methods, and tools, as well as new hardware and software components, run-time
substrates, and systems that will enable innovative systems for grand challenge
applications.  The research and education outcomes generated are expected to
accelerate and transform our ability to understand and exploit the interfaces
between the cyber and physical worlds and to innovate new behaviors and
capabilities from their seamless integration.

The CPS program aims to develop a unifying theory for the design and
implementation of integrated cyber and physical resources that can be applied
across multiple domains.  Currently, disparate methods are used to separately
develop cyber and physical subsystems.  The differences between the two sides are
manifest at the most fundamental levels: computer science builds upon discrete
mathematics, whereas engineering is dominated by continuous mathematics.  Even
within the broad fields of engineering and computer science, multiple
sub-disciplines use incommensurate concepts and tools.  Consequently, some
systems are over-designed with wide margins to achieve isolation and separation
of component interaction; where this is not possible due to price and performance
concerns, it is difficult to assess the impact of design decisions in
cyber-physical systems due to the lack of proper modeling abstractions for
cross-cutting attributes.  The lack of a unifying or composable theory makes it
impossible to guarantee safety and performance by design.  System verification
requires extensive testing - an approach that is becoming intractable as
systems become more complex.

Despite progress in the development of increasingly powerful technologies for
networked embedded sensing and control, today's embedded computing systems
are point solutions for specific applications.  Current approaches to hardware
and software design, systems engineering, and real-time control need to be
rethought in the unifying context of cyber-physical systems.  For example, open,
flexible, and extensible architectures for cyber-physical systems would enable
and better leverage advances in hardware and software substrates. They should be
analyzable and support principled composition or integration.  Run-time operation
should exploit information-rich environments to enhance performance and
reliability.  In some applications, these systems should be context aware, with
the ability to modify their behaviors to accommodate changing configurations,
adapt to variations in the environment, sustain safe operation, and improve
performance over time.  For many applications, cyber-physical systems must be
certifiable, which means new approaches are needed for the specification,
verification, and validation of tightly integrated cyber and physical elements.

The CPS program aims to create a new research and education community that shares
a commitment to develop new cyber-physical systems Foundations; Methods and
Tools; and hardware and software Components, Run-time Substrates, and Systems.
Together, this new multidisciplinary community will create unified approaches to
developing and implementing fully integrated, robust, secure, failure-free
cyber-physical systems.  The CPS program will support transformative research
focused on these issues as the principal concern.  The program also encourages
intentional integration of research and education aimed towards preparing a new
cadre of CPS professionals.

All CPS research and education projects should address one or more of the
following CPS themes:

     Foundations: Foundations research will develop new scientific and
     engineering principles, theories, algorithms and models for the design
     and analysis of cyber-physical systems.  Promising new theories will be
     inspired by specific application contexts, leading to new abstractions
     and general solutions, which in turn will be applicable to problems in
     multiple domains.    CPS theories should lead to new techniques for
     assessing and exploiting the trade-offs in design alternatives that
     consider the cyber and physical elements of a system in a unified
     manner, comprehending both the discrete and continuous perspectives.
     New theories are needed to support abstraction, meta-modeling, and the
     integration of multiple models and views, for both discrete and
     continuous systems.  These theories should encompass models and
     abstractions that span different levels of granularity - from
     detailed models (e.g., differential equations and process algebras), to
     reduced-order models for analysis, design, and simulation, to on-line
     models for run-time monitoring and control.  New algorithms are needed
     for real-time coordination, cooperation, and autonomy in networks of
     cyber-physical systems, including systems with mobile resources.  These
     algorithms should enable cyber-physical systems that can operate
     reliably and safely in unpredictable and unstructured environments.
     Comprehensive theories and models for cyber-physical systems should
     also address human interfaces and cognitive issues.

     Methods and Tools: The effective design of cyber-physical systems
     requires research advances in Methods and Tools that support multiple
     views of integrated cyber and physical components.  New programming
     languages are needed to handle complex interactions between cyber and
     physical resources and to deal with unstructured data and stringent
     requirements for responsiveness.  Algorithms for reasoning about, and
     formally verifying properties of, complex integrations of cyber and
     physical resources are needed.  Tools for implementing algorithms to
     support off-line and run-time optimization and control are also
     needed.  Tools should support concurrent engineering of physical
     systems (including materials, devices, and components) with sensing,
     communication, and control architectures. Methods and tools should
     enable new forms of analysis, testing, and validation of integrated
     discrete and continuous dynamics at multiple temporal and spatial
     scales and different levels of resolution.  Tools should be open,
     interoperable, and highly expressive to enhance productivity and enable
     community use.  They should also be extensible to leverage new results
     from the foundations research and accommodate new technologies from the
     Components, Run-time Substrates, and Systems research as they become
     available.

     Components, Run-time Substrates, and Systems: The CPS program will
     support the development of new hardware and software Components,
     Run-time Substrates (infrastructure and platforms), and (engineered)
     Systems motivated by grand challenge applications.  Hardware and
     software components, middleware, and operating systems for
     cyber-physical systems should go beyond today's technology,
     facilitating the deep integration of computation into physical
     processes and engineered systems through novel cyber-physical
     interfaces and innovative mechanisms to deal with complexity, timing,
     distribution, and uncertainty.  Cyber-physical systems hardware and
     software substrates need to be highly dependable, composable, and
     certifiable at all levels, from components to fully integrated systems.
      Proposals addressing grand challenge applications should emphasize
     tightly integrated networks of cyber and physical resources that cannot
     be realized with today's technologies.  Potential grand challenge
     applications can range in scale from networks of implantable biomedical
     devices, to teams of robotic resources for emergency response and
     disaster recovery, to innovations in the monitoring and control of
     future energy systems.  Breakthrough cyber-physical systems should
     exhibit the ability to identify and predict changing contexts and adapt
     to new situations as they emerge.  Cyber-physical system substrates and
     systems should be used to implement, demonstrate, and evaluate the
     Foundations, Methods and Tools also being developed with CPS program
     support.

Types of Proposals

  i. Research and Education Proposals

     Three sizes of research and education proposals will be accepted for
     Small, Medium, and Large Projects.

     Small Projects are individual or small-team efforts that focus on one
     or more of the three defined CPS themes. Funding for Small Projects
     will be provided at levels of up to $200,000/year for up to three
     years, although it is expected that the majority of Small Project
     awards will not exceed $150,000/year for three years.  Small Projects
     may be submitted as collaborative proposals (see NSF Grant Proposal
     Guide for definition), but the total budget for one set of
     collaborative proposals should not exceed $200,000 per year.

     Medium Projects also span one or more CPS themes and may include one or
     more PIs and a research team of students and/or postdocs.  Funding for
     Medium Projects will be provided at levels up to $500,000/year for up
     to three years.  Medium Projects may be submitted as collaborative
     proposals (see NSF Grant Proposal Guide for definition), but the total
     budget for one set of collaborative proposals should not exceed
     $500,000 per year.

     Large Projects are multi-investigator projects involving teams of
     researchers and their students and/or postdocs representing the same or
     multiple disciplines in computer science, engineering, and physical
     application domains, who together address a coherent set of research
     issues that either cut across multiple CPS themes or that explore in
     great depth a particular theme.  Funding for Large Projects will be
     provided at levels up to $1,000,000/year for up to five years.  Large
     Projects involving multiple institutions must be submitted as a single
     proposal from the lead institution, with subcontracts to the partner
     institutions.

     Proposals submitted in each of these size classes must:

        * describe how the project goals and research and education outcomes
          will contribute to the realization of the CPS program vision;
        * focus on research contributions in one or more of the three CPS
          themes; innovative research that spans the boundaries of
          engineering and computer science is strongly encouraged;
        * present a plan to integrate research outcomes into education;
        * describe how the backgrounds of the proposer or proposing team
          cover the set of skills needed to realize the project goals; and
        * provide plans for disseminating the research and education
          outcomes in a manner that helps scientists and engineers use the
          results in ways that go beyond traditional academic publications.

     In addition, Large Project proposals must include:

        * An Education and Outreach Plan describing: a) educational
          approaches that overcome traditional stove-piped curricula and
          better prepare students for careers in cyber-physical systems
          practice and research (new ideas for introducing prerequisites
          for, and stimulating interest in, cyber-physical systems in K-12
          education are encouraged but not required); and b) one or more
          community-extending concepts, for example, programs to address the
          under-representation of women and minorities, or links to
          institutions with strong traditions of teaching, mentoring, and
          workforce development.
        * A comprehensive Management Plan, detailing: a) the roles of the
          PIs and senior researchers in the project and how their activities
          will contribute to the project objectives; b) the mechanisms that
          will be used throughout the duration of the project to coordinate
          and integrate the activities of the participants, including a
          time-line for these coordination activities; and c) the management
          structure for the project, including identification of the
          individual who will be responsible for executing the management
          plan and the amount of the budget that will be allocated for
          project administration.

     More information on the preparation of Large Project proposals is
     provided in Section V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
     of this solicitation.

 ii. CPS Virtual Organization (CPS-VO) Proposals

     Proposals are sought to establish a CPS Virtual Organization (CPS-VO).
     CPS-VO proposals should describe innovative and effective strategies
     and mechanisms to: (i) facilitate and foster interaction and exchanges
     among CPS PIs and their teams; (ii) enable sharing of artifacts and
     knowledge generated by the projects with the broader engineering and
     scientific communities; and (iii) facilitate and foster collaboration
     and information exchange between CPS researchers and industry.
     Strategies and mechanisms could include, but are not limited to:

        * creating and maintaining a web-based repository and collaborative
          platform to facilitate the open exchange of research results,
          tools, and educational materials among CPS researchers and the
          broader community;
        * hosting tutorials and workshops to promote community interest,
          understanding, and the use of new methods;
        * identifying effective mechanisms for technology transfer;
        * creating a consortium of small businesses with interests in
          cyber-physical system innovations;
        * collecting and disseminating cyber-physical system challenge
          problems from industry.

     CPS-VO proposals do not need to identify the industry participants, but
     proposals may include a list of potential industry participants with
     accompanying letters of support.  Note that NSF will not provide
     funding to industry participants through the CPS-VO award; industry
     participants will be expected to cover their own time and expenses to
     participate in teleconferences, meetings, and other activities
     organized by the CPS-VO.

     No more than one CPS-VO proposal will be funded.  Funding of up to
     $200,000/year for up to five years may be requested, although funding
     provided is likely to be more modest in the CPS-VO's first year
     or two.  The CPS-VO will be funded as a continuing grant, with an
     annual review.

     CPS PI Meetings

     The CPS program aims to build a new research and education community,
     including computer scientists, engineers, and experts in physical,
     chemical, biological, and social systems.  To help establish this
     community, the CPS program will host annual meetings with participation
     from all funded projects and other representatives from government,
     industry, and the research community to facilitate the exchange of
     concepts, ideas, and outcomes and to encourage collaborations that cut
     across projects and the three CPS themes.  Industry participants will
     provide perspectives on emerging cyber-physical systems applications
     and identify opportunities for industrial collaboration and technology
     transfer.

     CPS Industry Participation

     Through the CPS-VO described above, industry will frame key industrial
     cyber-physical systems challenges and emerging application domains and
     track progress in relevant projects in the CPS program.  These
     challenges and application domains will be presented to CPS PIs to
     inform and motivate research projects in all three CPS themes.  PIs
     will be encouraged to work with industry through the CPS-VO to develop
     the aspects of target applications that will serve best to demonstrate
     and evaluate their research results.  To accelerate knowledge transfer
     developed in the CPS program, NSF will consider providing support
     through other existing programs, such as the Small Business Innovation
     Research (SBIR) program, the Industry/University Cooperative Research
     Center (I/UCRC) program, and the Grant Opportunities for Academic
     Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program.

III. AWARD INFORMATION

Approximately $30,000,000 will be available for the first annual competition,
pending the availability of funds. Anticipated funding levels for future
competitions will be in the $20 million - $30 million range, dependent on the
availability of funds.NSF anticipates making up to 40 awards in the first annual
competition.

Three award size classes of research and education projects will be supported:
Small Projects, up to $200,000/year for up to three years; Medium Projects, up to
$500,000/year for up to three years; and Large Projects, up to $1,000,000/year
for up to five years.

In addition, one CPS Virtual Organization (CPS-VO) will be funded at a level of
up to $200,000/year for up to five years. It is anticipated that the funding
level for the CPS-VO will be more modest in the first year or two of the award.

Budgets for all projects must include funding for project representatives
(PI/co-PI/senior researchers and graduate students) to attend the annual CPS PI
Meetings. Budgets may also include support for Ph.D. students to visit other
institutions, government labs, or industry to engage in collaborative research.

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Organization Limit:

     Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

        * Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums,
          observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar
          organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research
          activities.
        * 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:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 2

     An individual may participate as PI, co-PI, or Senior Personnel in no
     more than 2 proposals submitted in response to this solicitation in any
     annual competition.

Additional Eligibility Info:

     These eligibility constraints will be strictly enforced in order to
     treat everyone fairly and consistently.  Any individual listed as a
     PI/co-PI or whose biographical sketch is provided as part of the
     proposed activity will be considered Senior Personnel in the
     activity.   If a person appears on more than two proposals, all
     proposals in which that individual is participating will be returned
     without review.  No exceptions will be made.

     The limit on the number of proposals per PI, Co-PI, or Senior Personnel
     applies only to this solicitation.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

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/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.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.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and
submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate
submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via the NSF FastLane
system. Chapter II, Section D.3 of the Grant Proposal Guide provides additional
information on collaborative proposals.

The following information supplements guidelines provided in the NSF Grant
Proposal Guide (GPG) and the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide:

Proposal Titles: Proposal titles must indicate the CPS program, followed by a
colon, then the project type, followed by a colon, then the title of the project.
For example, a Large Project proposal title would be CPS:Large:Title, and a
CPS-VO proposal title would be CPS:VO:Title. Titles of collaborative proposals
should be prepared as above, but should also include "Collaborative Research"
followed by a colon before the title of the project. For example, the title of
each proposal for a collaborative set of proposals for a Medium Project would be
CPS:Medium:Collaborative Research:Title. Proposals from PIs in institutions that
have RUI (Research in Undergraduate Institutions) eligibility should also include
"RUI" followed by a colon as the last identifier before the project title, for
example, CPS:Small:RUI:Title.

In Research and Education Proposals, identify the CPS theme(s) being addressed in
the proposed project (i.e., Foundations; Methods and Tools; and/or Components,
Run-time Substrates, and Systems) in both the Project Summary and in the Project
Description.

     Proposals submitted in each of the Small, Medium, and Large Project
     size classes must:

        * describe how the project goals and research and education outcomes
          will contribute to the realization of the CPS program vision;

        * focus on research contributions in one or more of the three CPS
          themes;

        * present a plan to integrate research outcomes into education;

        * describe how the backgrounds of the proposer or proposing team
          cover the set of skills needed to realize the project goals; and

        * provide plans for disseminating the research and education
          outcomes in a manner that helps scientists and engineers use the
          results in ways that go beyond traditional academic publications.

     In addition, Large Project proposals must include an Education and
     Outreach Plan within the 15-page Project Description that describes: a)
     educational approaches that overcome traditional stove-piped curricula
     and better prepare students for careers in cyber-physical systems
     practice and research (new ideas for introducing prerequisites for, and
     stimulating interest in, cyber-physical systems in K-12 education are
     encouraged but not required); and b) one or more community-extending
     concepts, for example, programs to address the under-representation of
     women and minorities, or links to institutions with strong traditions
     of teaching, mentoring, and workforce development.

     Further, Large Project proposals must also include a Management Plan
     detailing: a) the roles of the PIs and senior researchers in the
     project and how their activities will contribute to the project
     objectives; b) the mechanisms that will be used throughout the duration
     of the project to coordinate and integrate the activities of the
     participants, including a time-line for these coordination activities;
     and c) the management structure for the project, including
     identification of the individual who will be responsible for executing
     the management plan and the amount of the budget that will be allocated
     for project administration. Proposals involving researchers from more
     than a single institution must provide a compelling rationale for the
     multi-institutional structure of the project and a well-constructed
     Management Plan that assures effective collaboration. The Management
     Plan should not exceed 5 pages and should be uploaded into the
     Supplementary Docs section in FastLane or Grants.gov.

     Remember that Large Projects involving multiple institutions must be
     submitted as a single proposal from the lead institution, with
     subcontracts to the partner institutions.

In CPS-VO Proposals, describe innovative and effective strategies and mechanisms
to: (i) facilitate and foster interaction and exchanges among CPS PIs and their
teams; (ii) enable sharing of artifacts and knowledge generated by the projects
with the broader engineering and scientific communities; and (iii) facilitate and
foster collaboration and information exchange between CPS researchers and
industry.

Supplementary Documents for Institutions that have RUI Eligibility

PIs from predominantly undergraduate institutions should also include a Research
in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Impact Statement and Certification of RUI
Eligibility in the Supplementary Documents section.

Impact Statement. All RUI proposals must include a RUI Impact Statement (maximum
length 5 pages). The statement is an opportunity to provide information that a
reviewer will find helpful in assessing the likely impact of the proposed
research activity on the research environment of the predominantly undergraduate
institutions(s), on the career(s) of the faculty participants, and on the ability
of the involved department(s) to prepare students for entry into advanced-degree
programs and/or careers in science and engineering. An enhanced departmental
environment may be reflected in direct student training in research and in
increased involvement of the faculty in competitive research, which in turn leads
to improved student preparation. It may also be reflected in curricular impact
and faculty development.

The RUI Impact Statement should highlight the record of the department(s) and
institution(s) in educating undergraduates for science and engineering careers;
the plans to attract qualified undergraduate students to the project, including
the criteria for their selection; provisions that will increase the participation
of groups underrepresented in science and engineering; and any plans for
measuring the effect of participation in the project on the participating
students both during and after their undergraduate years. Also of interest is the
anticipated contribution of new research tools (instrumentation, databases, etc.)
to both educational and research opportunities for students and faculty.

The Impact Statement may include information on factors affecting research
productivity such as teaching loads, availability (or lack) of support personnel,
nature of experimental and computational facilities, and features of the student
population. It may also describe institutional support for research activity by
faculty and students and the anticipated impact of that support on the proposed
project.

Certification of RUI Eligibility. The following Certification, executed by an
Authorized Institutional Representative, must be provided in RUI proposals. The
signed Certification should be scanned and included in the proposal as
Supplementary Documentation. Institutions are allowed some leeway in the period
over which the number of doctorates is averaged, in order to avoid negative
effects of short-term anomalies in the number of doctorates awarded.

-----------------Certification of RUI
Eligibility---------------------------------------

"By submission of this proposal, the institution hereby certifies that the
originating
and managing institution is an institution that offers courses leading to a
bachelor's or
master's degree, but has awarded an average of no more that 10 doctoral degrees
per year in
NSF-supported disciplines over the 2-to-5-year period preceding proposal
submission."

Authorized Institutional Representative

_______________________________________________________

Typed Name and
Title............................Signature..............................Date.....

B. Budgetary Information

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

Budget Preparation Instructions:

Budgets for all projects must include funding for project representatives
(PI/co-PI/senior researchers and graduate students) to attend the annual CPS PI
Meetings.  Budgets may also include support for students and postdocs to visit
other institutions, government labs, or industry for collaborative research.

C. Due Dates

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

          February 27, 2009

          Last Friday in February, Annually Thereafter

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:

     All proposals will be evaluated with respect to their emphasis on holistic,
     integrative approaches to cyber-physical systems and the extent to which
     they address specific CPS theme(s).  Large Project proposals will also be
     evaluated on the strength of their education and outreach programs and
     management plans.

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. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's
review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of
appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division
Director 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
deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later.  The interval ends
when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's 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 Officer.  In addition, the
proposer 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.

Special Award Conditions:  Special award conditions will require that designated
CPS project representatives (PI/co-PI/senior researchers and graduate students)
attend annual CPS PI meetings, and participate in collaborative activities with
the CPS-VO.

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:

   * Helen Gill, CISE Point of Contact for the CPS program, telephone: (703)
     292-7834, email: hgill@nsf.gov

   * Scott F. Midkiff, ENG Point of Contact for the CPS program, telephone: (703)
     292-8339, email: smidkiff@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

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

Drs. Gill and Midkiff will be assisted by the following CISE-ENG Program Officer
team:

   * Dr. Kishan Baheti, ENG, email: rbaheti@nsf.gov, telephone: (703) 292-8339

   * Dr. Michael Branicky, CISE, email: mbranick@nsf.gov, telephone: (703)
     292-8950;

   * Dr. Paul Oh, CISE, email: poh@nsf.gov, telephone: (703) 292-8930;

   * Dr. Usha Varshney, ENG, email: uvarshne@nsf.gov, telephone: (703) 292-8339;
     and

   * Dr. Lenore Zuck, CISE, email: lzuck@nsf.gov, telephone: (703) 292-8910.

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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