Title: Foundations of Data and Visual Analytics   (FODAVA)
Date: 08/28/07
Foundations of Data and Visual Analytics   (FODAVA)
Program Solicitation
NSF 07-583
[NSF Logo]  National Science Foundation
            Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering
                 Division of Computing and Communication Foundations
                 Division of Information & Intelligent Systems
            Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
                 Division of Mathematical Sciences
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
     November 20, 2007
REVISION NOTES
In furtherance of the President's Management Agenda, NSF has identified
programs that will offer proposers the option to utilize Grants.gov to
prepare and submit proposals, or will require that proposers utilize
Grants.gov to prepare and submit proposals. Grants.gov provides a single
Government-wide portal for finding and applying for Federal grants online.
In response to this program solicitation, proposers may opt to submit
proposals via Grants.gov or via the NSF FastLane system. 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.
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
General Information
Program Title:
     Foundations of Data and Visual Analytics  (FODAVA)
Synopsis of Program:
     Those involved with science, engineering, commerce, health, and
     national security all increasingly face the challenge of
     synthesizing information and deriving insight from massive,
     dynamic, ambiguous and possibly conflicting digital data. The
     goal of collecting and examining these data is not to merely
     acquire information, but to derive increased understanding from
     it and to facilitate effective decision-making. To capitalize on
     the opportunities provided by these data sets, a new,
     interdisciplinary field of science is emerging called Data and
     Visual Analytics, which is defined as the science of analytical
     reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces. Data and
     Visual Analytics requires interdisciplinary science, going beyond
     traditional scientific and information visualization to include
     statistics, mathematics, knowledge representation, management and
     discovery technologies, cognitive and perceptual sciences,
     decision sciences, and more. This solicitation is concerned only
     with a subset of the overall problem, namely the creation of the
     mathematical and computational sciences foundations required to
     transform data in ways that permit visual-based understanding.
     To facilitate visual-based data exploration, it is necessary to
     discover new algorithms that will represent and transform all
     types of digital data into mathematical formulations and
     computational models that will subsequently enable efficient,
     effective visualization and analytic reasoning techniques.
     With this solicitation, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and
     the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) invite research
     proposals that capitalize on knowledge and expertise in the
     fields of mathematics, computational science, and intelligent
     systems to produce new data representations and transformations
     to enable data stakeholders to detect the expected and discover
     the unexpected in massive data sets. New mathematical and
     computational algorithms and techniques are sought that will
     fundamentally improve our ability to transform large, often
     streaming data sets into representations that better support
     visualization and analytic reasoning.
     In order to provide a cohesive structure for advancing the
     science of Data and Visual Analytics, two types of proposals are
     sought:
        * FODAVA-Lead proposals will be submitted by research teams
          where all team members belong to a single academic
          institution willing to assume a leadership and coordination
          role.  FODAVA-Lead proposals will compete for a single award
          with the successful institution expected to play a key role
          in the development of FODAVA. In addition to forming the
          lead scientific research team, the FODAVA-Lead organization
          will be responsible for performing a variety of functions as
          defined in Section II of this solicitation in order to
          assure that results are disseminated to the FODAVA
          community, that effective liaison between FODAVA researchers
          and the DHS National Visualization and Analytics Center
          (NVAC) takes place, that testbed data sets are developed and
          disseminated, and that the mathematics and computer science
          research communities become increasingly aware of the need
          for FODAVA-related research
        * FODAVA-Partner proposals will be submissions for
          two-to-three year research grants. Recipients will perform
          fundamental research but will also actively participate with
          the FODAVA-Lead institute in developing FODAVA as a field.
     Awards made are expected to develop the mathematics and
     computational science required to transform data in ways that
     will better enable the visual-based analysis of massive data
     sets. The solicitation's goal is to develop new data reduction
     and transformation algorithms that will be applicable across
     broad application areas, laying the scientific base for systems
     of the future. Proposals should focus on fundamental research
     advances that will be widely applicable across scientific,
     engineering, commercial, and governmental domains that utilize
     visualization and analytics to gain insight and derive knowledge
     from massive data sets.  FODAVA is focused on highly innovative,
     transformational research that offers the potential to
     fundamentally change data transformation algorithms. Proposals to
     extend ongoing research thrusts should be directed elsewhere.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
   * Lawrence Rosenblum (CS Contact), Program Director, Directorate for
     Computer & Information Science & Engineering, CCF Division, 1115 N,
     telephone: (703) 292-8910, email: lrosenbl@nsf.gov
   * Tie Luo (Math Contact), Program Director, Directorate for Mathematical
     and Physical Sciences, DMS Division, 1025 N, telephone: (703)
     292-8448, email: tluo@nsf.gov
   * Sankar Basu, Program Director, Directorate for Computer & Information
     Science & Engineering, CCF Division, 1115N, telephone: (703) 292-7843,
     email: sabasu@nsf.gov
   * Ephraim Glinert, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, IIS Division, 1125 N, telephone:
     (703) 292-8930, email: eglinert@nsf.gov
   * Leland Jameson, Program Director, Directorate for Mathematical and
     Physical Sciences, DMS Division, 1025N, telephone: (703) 292-4883,
     email: ljameson@nsf.gov
   * Maria Zemankova, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, IIS Division, 1125 N, telephone:
     (703) 292-8930, email: mzemanko@nsf.gov
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
   * 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences
   * 47.070 --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Award Information
Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant or Continuing Grant
Estimated Number of Awards:    5 to  7   - This will consist of one
five-year FODAVA-Lead award totaling $3,000,000; four to six two to three
year FODAVA-Partner awards totaling $300,000 to $500,000 each.
Anticipated Funding Amount:   $2,250,000  per year for 5 years. NSF will
provide $1,500,000 per year for up to five years. DHS will provide $750,000
per year for up to five years. Awards may be standard or continuing grants.
The anticipated funding amount is subject to availability of funds.
Eligibility Information
Organization Limit:
     None Specified
PI Limit:
     FODAVA-Lead proposals must be from a team of computer scientists
     and mathematicians residing at a single institution, and should
     be led by a computer scientist.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
     None Specified
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 2
      An individual may appear as PI, co-PI, Senior Personnel, or
     Consultant on no more than one FODAVA-Lead proposal and one
     FODAVA-Partner proposal.
Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
   * Letters of Intent: Not Applicable
   * Full Proposals:
        * Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: 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 by NSF.   0.00
   * 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):
          November 20, 2007
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
There was a time when lack of data was a problem in many fields. Today, the
contrary is true &ndash; to make progress in science, engineering,
commerce, medicine, and homeland security researchers and other data
stakeholders face the difficult task of deriving increased understanding
and facilitating effective decision making from extremely large, often
dynamic, digital data sets. The interdisciplinary field of Data and Visual
Analytics is emerging to address this challenge.  Defined as the science of
analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces, Data and
Visual Analytics is the synthesis of ideas from otherwise disparate fields
including scientific and information visualization, statistics,
mathematics, knowledge representation, management and discovery
technologies, cognitive and perceptual sciences, decision sciences, and
more. This solicitation is concerned with developing novel data modeling
and reduction techniques that will facilitate subsequent visual-based data
analytics.
II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Providing better data and visual analytics systems requires solving
numerous underlying scientific issues. The different representations of raw
data (e.g., numeric, text, audio, image, and geometric) have many
characteristics (e.g., heterogeneous, multimodal, dynamic, uncertain, and
high dimensional) that make effective analysis difficult. The focus of this
solicitation is the development of the mathematical and computational
science foundations required to transform data into representations that
are more suitable for visual-based analytics. The techniques that can be
applied to the various data types include computational statistics, data
mining, geospatial techniques, machine learning, and mathematical modeling.
These in turn draw upon many areas of mathematics and computer science.
NSF and DHS will support research exploring novel algorithms and methods
that will (1) fundamentally advance the theory and practice of transforming
discrete data into new scalable representations suitable for computer
manipulation that faithfully represent the content of the underlying data,
and (2) synthesize information of different types and from different
sources into a unified data representation.
Within the above guidelines, topics of interest include:
   * Synergistic combinations of data transformation techniques to create
     more meaningful representations with semantic richness and validity
   * Approaches that will tightly couple novel data transformations with
     visualization systems, including methods to capture and represent
     information quality and uncertainty
   * Novel transformations to facilitate dynamic identification of new or
     unanticipated events which may also include measures of usefulness
   * Computational and mathematical algorithms that will enable the unified
     representation of dynamic data of multiple types and sources
   * Fundamentally new approaches to identifying changes in massive data
     sets
This solicitation is concerned with developing data transformation
algorithms for Data and Visual Analytics that will be applicable across
broad application areas of science, engineering, health, commerce, and
homeland security and will lay the scientific base for the systems of the
future. While testbed data from specific application areas will likely be
needed, proposals should focus on fundamental research advances and not
specific application domains. However, background on some research issues,
oriented specifically to homeland security, can be found in Chapter 4 of
Illuminating the Path &ndash; The Research and Development Agenda for
Visual Analytics (J. Thomas and K. Cook, editors), DHS National
Visualization and Analytics Center (http://nvac.pnl.gov).
The intention of this solicitation is to fund one large, five-year
FODAVA-Lead award and several smaller, two-to-three-year FODAVA-Partner
awards as described in Section III.  The organization receiving the
FODAVA-Lead award will serve a central, coordinating role for this effort.
In addition to research, the FODAVA-Lead organization will integrate the
overall effort by coordinating activities with the recipients of the
smaller grants and with the DHS National Visualization and Analytics
Center. The recipients of the smaller FODAVA-Partner grants will be
required to interact with the FODAVA-Lead organization and to participate
as appropriate in events arranged by this organization and/or by the DHS
NVAC. Proposal budgets should include travel funding for this purpose.
This section pertains to proposers for the one FODAVA-Lead award:
The proposal must be from a team of computer scientists and mathematicians
residing at a single institution, and should be led by a computer
scientist. In addition to describing the technical merit and broader
impacts of the proposed activities, the proposers must describe how they
plan to accomplish the following required tasks:
  1. Serve as a central facility that will involve all FODAVA awardees in a
     common effort to develop the scientific foundations for data and
     visual analytics in data representations and transformations.
  2. Interface with the DHS NVAC (http://nvac.pnl.gov) in order to provide
     training opportunities in Data and Visual Analytics including
     participation in NVAC-sponsored workshops and consortiums, obtain test
     data for awardees, disseminate results to the user communities with
     activities such as joint NVAC/FODAVA-Lead workshops, and perform other
     interactions that will benefit the program.
  3. Provide a plan for a series of workshops, including dissemination of
     the results, which will expose additional research communities to Data
     and Visual Analytics. These need not be limited only to topics covered
     by this solicitation.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to expand with appropriate in-house expertise
     if additional funding becomes available to cover such topics as
     human-computer-interaction.
  5. Organize and participate in the program's kick-off meeting, annual
     reviews, and educational events. Host the kick-off meeting, annual
     reviews, and educational meetings if so requested.
  6. Plan for research results dissemination and sustainability.
This section pertains to proposers for the two-to-three-year FODAVA-Partner
awards:
The proposal may come from either single investigator or collaborative
teams. In addition to describing the intellectual merit and broader impacts
of the proposed activities, proposers must describe how they will
accomplish the following tasks:
  1. Obtain and utilize testbed data sets such as those provided by the DHS
     NVAC (http://nvac.pnl.gov), the FODAVA-Lead institution, and/or other
     sources.
  2. Interact with the successful proposer for FODAVA-Lead to advance the
     solicitation&rsquo;s goals.
  3. Participate in the kick-off meeting, annual program reviews, and
     educational events.
The solicitation seeks to develop data transformations leading to the
development of new tools and techniques for Data and Visual Analytics.
Topics that will not be considered under this solicitation include visual
interfaces and visualization algorithms (except as needed to demonstrate
how the novel transformations can impact visual interfaces), data
transformation algorithms that emphasize automated approaches to analytics
or otherwise fail to demonstrate their applicability to visual analytics
systems, geometric transformations such as mesh simplification, and
(because of funding limitations) image and video processing and
transformations. These areas are supported by other CISE and Division of
Mathematical Sciences (DMS) programs. For computer science, visualization
algorithms are supported by the Computing and Communication Foundations
(CCF) Division's Foundations of Computing Processes and Artifact Cluster,
visual interfaces by the Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS)
Division's Human-Centered Computing Cluster, automated approaches to
analytics by the Information Integration and Informatics Cluster in the IIS
Division, mesh simplification in the Theoretical Foundations Cluster in the
CCF Division, and image and video processing in the Robust Intelligence
Cluster in the IIS Division. Mathematics proposals on these topics are
supported by the DMS Cluster that contains the underlying mathematical
topic area of the proposal. This list of topics that will not be supported
is non-inclusive and potential proposers are encouraged to discuss ideas
with a cognizant program officer prior to submission.
III. AWARD INFORMATION
Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration
are subject to the availability of funds. The estimated number of awards is
one five-year FODAVA-Lead award totaling $3,000,000 and four to six two- to
three-year FODAVA-Partner awards totaling $300,000 to $500,000 each.
IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Organization Limit:
     None Specified
PI Limit:
     FODAVA-Lead proposals must be from a team of computer scientists
     and mathematicians residing at a single institution, and should
     be led by a computer scientist.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
     None Specified
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 2
      An individual may appear as PI, co-PI, Senior Personnel, or
     Consultant on no more than one FODAVA-Lead proposal and one
     FODAVA-Partner proposal.
Additional Eligibility Info:
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.
B. Budgetary Information
Cost Sharing:   Cost sharing is not required by NSF in proposals submitted
to the National Science Foundation.
C. Due Dates
   * Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
     November 20, 2007
     Deadline Date
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 and,
if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements, for review. 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 with the
proposer.
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 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:
     Advancing the FODAVA Research Community
     The degree to which proposed activities will help to develop FODAVA as
     an interdisciplinary research community, both for required tasks (see
     Section II) and for additional plans presented, will be part of  the
     decision process. FODAVA-Lead proposals will also be evaluated based
     on proposed activities to integrate FODAVA research with the FODAVA
     user communities over a five-year period.
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 date of receipt.  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 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
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/general_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:  PIs are required to attend an annual program
review at a location and time to be determined by NSF and DHS.
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:
   * Lawrence Rosenblum (CS Contact), Program Director, Directorate for
     Computer & Information Science & Engineering, CCF Division, 1115 N,
     telephone: (703) 292-8910, email: lrosenbl@nsf.gov
   * Tie Luo (Math Contact), Program Director, Directorate for Mathematical
     and Physical Sciences, DMS Division, 1025 N, telephone: (703)
     292-8448, email: tluo@nsf.gov
   * Sankar Basu, Program Director, Directorate for Computer & Information
     Science & Engineering, CCF Division, 1115N, telephone: (703) 292-7843,
     email: sabasu@nsf.gov
   * Ephraim Glinert, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, IIS Division, 1125 N, telephone:
     (703) 292-8930, email: eglinert@nsf.gov
   * Leland Jameson, Program Director, Directorate for Mathematical and
     Physical Sciences, DMS Division, 1025N, telephone: (703) 292-4883,
     email: ljameson@nsf.gov
   * Maria Zemankova, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, IIS Division, 1125 N, telephone:
     (703) 292-8930, email: mzemanko@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.
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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