Title: Scientific Computing Research Environments for the Mathematical
Sciences (SCREMS)--NSF 01-16
Type: Program Solicitation
Subtype: Program Anouncement and Information
Date: November 16, 2000

This document has been archived and replaced by nsf03504.S


Scientific Computing Research Environments for the Mathematical
Sciences (SCREMS)

Program Solicitation
NSF 01-16


DIVISION OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES


DEADLINE(S): January 18




NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

                                
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 Web Site at:

                      http://www.nsf.gov

  -  Location:                     	4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington,
                                        VA 22230
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     Information Center):
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         Send an e-mail to:             pubs@nsf.gov
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                 SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Title: Scientific Computing Research Environments for the
Mathematical Sciences (SCREMS)

Synopsis of Program: The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS)
of the National Science Foundation plans a limited number of
grants for the support of computing environments for research in
the mathematical sciences. SCREMS proposals are for computing
environments dedicated to research in the mathematical sciences.
Proposals may request support for purchase of computing
equipment, and limited support for professional systems
administrators or programmer personnel for research computing
needs. These grants are intended for researchers of high quality
and productivity whose research requires access to suitable
equipment. Awards are made to provide support for specific
research projects rather than to provide general computing
capacity. Proposers are encouraged to include projects involving
symbolic and algebraic computations and graphical representations
(visualization) in aid of the research as well as those
emphasizing traditional numerical computations and simulations.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

  -    Dr. Alvin I. Thaler, Program Director, MPS, DMS, 1025,
     telephone: 703-292-4863, e-mail: thaler@nsf.gov.
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
Number(s):
  -    47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
  -  Organization Limit: Proposals may be submitted by U.S.
     educational institutions with ongoing research programs in
     mathematics, applied mathematics, or statistics. Proposals
     involving inter-institutional or inter-departmental sharing
     arrangements are welcome.
  -  PI Eligibility Limit: None
  -  Limit on Number of Proposals: None
AWARD INFORMATION
  -  Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant
  -  Estimated Number of Awards: 20
  -  Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $1,000,000
     available for this Fiscal Year (subject to availability of funds)
PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
  -  Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Deviations From
     Standard Preparation Guidelines
       -  The program announcement/solicitation contains deviations
          from the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation
          guidelines. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation
          for further information.
B. Budgetary Information
  -  Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is Specialized
  -  Cost Sharing Level/Amount: Please see the full program
     solicitation for further information
  -  Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: 10% (applied only to
     personnel costs, if any). No indirect costs on equipment portion
     of budget.
  -  Other Budgetary Limitations: See the full Program
     Solicitation for further information.
C. Deadline/Target Dates
  -  Letter of Intent Due Date(s): None
  -  Preproposal Due Date(s): None
  -  Full Proposal Due Date(s): January 18
D. FastLane Requirements
  -  FastLane Submission: Full Proposal Required
  -  FastLane Contact(s):
       -  LaVern M. Friels, Computer Specialist, Mathematical
          Sciences, telephone: 703-292-4854, e-mail: dmsfl@nsf.gov.
PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
  -  Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved
     criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please
     see the full program announcement/solicitation for further
     information.
AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
  -  Award Conditions: Standard NSF award conditions apply.
  -  Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements
     apply.

                        TABLE OF CONTENTS


  SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

I.   INTRODUCTION
II.  PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
IV.  AWARD INFORMATION
V.   PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
	A.   Proposal Preparation Instructions
	B.   Budgetary Information
	C.   Deadline/Target Dates
	D.   FastLane Requirements
VI.  PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
	A.   NSF Proposal Review Process
	B.   Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
	A.   Notification of the Award
	B.   Award Conditions
	C.   Reporting Requirements
VIII.     CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
IX.  OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

I. INTRODUCTION

The Division of Mathematical Sciences of the National Science
Foundation plans a limited number of grants for the support of computing
environments for research in the mathematical sciences. This
solicitation provides guidance for the preparation of eligible
proposals.

Who may submit: Proposals may be submitted by U.S. educational
institutions with ongoing research programs in mathematics,
applied mathematics, or statistics. Proposals involving inter-
institutional or inter-departmental sharing arrangements are welcome.

Purpose: SCREMS proposals are for computing environments
dedicated to research in the mathematical sciences. Proposals may request
support for purchase of computing equipment, and limited support for
professional systems administrators or programmer personnel for research
computing needs. These grants are intended for researchers of high quality
and productivity whose research requires access to suitable
equipment. Awards are made to provide support for specific research projects
rather than to provide general computing capacity. Proposers are
encouraged to include projects involving symbolic and algebraic computations
and graphical representations (visualization) in aid of the research
as well as those emphasizing traditional numerical computations and
simulations.

Proposers and institutions may find appropriate other NSF sources
of support for instrumentation, including the Major Research
Instrumentation (MRI) program, most recent Program Announcement
99-34 (for updated information see
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/mri/start.htm ).

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Principal Investigator: Faculty member(s) who are
administratively responsible for the acquisition planning, 
use, and maintenance of the equipment. For convenience the
Department Head may be designated, but this is not required.

Character of requests: This Program is intended to provide for
needs that cannot be met by other research programs of NSF's Division
of Mathematical Sciences. Requests are expected to be for support
that is required jointly by several (two to five) research projects or
difficult to justify for one project alone. Amalgamation of small requests
that could be made to disciplinary research programs is discouraged.


SCREMS proposals may request funding for equipment only, certain
personnel costs only (see Section 6 below), or both equipment and
personnel costs.

When appropriate and cost-effective, requests for group or
departmental servers may be suitable for the SCREMS program.

It is especially important that the proposers make a strong case
for the proposed computing environment as a coherent "computer system"
and be able to describe thoroughly and in detail the impact of the
proposed equipment on the proposed research activities. If this is
intended to be the main computer system for a collection of research 
projects, describe the minimum computing requirements and explain,
if necessary, why a more-than-minimum system might be proposed. If
the proposed equipment includes a "server" and "workstations,"
are the workstations of power equal to or greater than the server?
This would require additional, separate justification.

Budget Request Size: If equipment is requested, the total
discounted cost of the equipment portion should be at least $40,000.
There is no minimum if support is requested only for professional
systems administrators or programmer personnel for research computing
needs. See Section 6 below.

Some awards may be as high as $200,000, provided a case is made
for substantial impact and cost-effectiveness.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Proposals may be submitted by U.S. educational
institutions with ongoing research programs in mathematics,
applied mathematics, or statistics. Proposals involving inter-
institutional or inter-departmental sharing arrangements are welcome.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

The estimated number of awards is 20. Anticipated total funding
amount is $1,000,000. Estimated program budget, number of awards
and average award size/duration are subject to the availability
of funds.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

Proposals submitted in response to this program
announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in
accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant
Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available
electronically on the NSF Web Site at: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-
bin/getpub?nsf012. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from
the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or
by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Proposal Format

Proposals should contain each of the eight parts detailed below,
in the order given. Proposals should not exceed 15 pages in total
length (10 or 12 point font) including any appendices, but excluding
the Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207), Table of Contents, the NSF budget
form, Biographical Sketches, and statement(s) of other support.
Proposals not adhering to the page limitations or to the requirements
of NSF 01-02, or not received by the deadline, will be returned. The
Biographical Sketches (vitae) section has its own page limit; the
entire vitae section must not exceed three pages (see Section 5 below).

1. Completed Cover Sheet

a. Program Solicitation: For consideration by Division of
Mathematical Sciences; Solicitation number NSF01-16.

b. Title: Scientific Computing Research Environments for the
Mathematical Sciences (SCREMS)

2. Project Summary - Proposal Section A

The proposal must contain a summary (200 words overall) briefly
describing the equipment requested and the research projects for
which it is to be used. Suggested format:

The Department(s) of___________________________________at the
University
(Universities) of ________________________ will
purchase__________________________________ equipment which will
be dedicated to the support of research in the mathematical
sciences. The equipment will be used for several research 
projects, including in particular: (etc.).

3. Table of contents - Proposal Section B. NSF Standard FastLane
Form 1359 (10/99). This section will be generated automatically by
FastLane.

4. Project Description - Proposal Section C

This section must consist of the following:

a) Brief description (not to exceed two pages) of minimum user
requirements. Requirements for such items as operating systems,
networking capability, compatibility with existing hardware,
software requirements, speed, internal and external memory, 
resolution and color or monochrome capability, etc., should be
included.

b) Abstracts of individual research projects. For each of the
proposed research projects (usually at least two, and strictly
limited to five) give the project title, name(s) of participating
researchers, and a short summary of the research project (100 words).

c) Detailed explanation of each proposed research project and its
relationship to the requested equipment. This portion of the
proposal must not exceed 3 pages per project. For each project listed
under Section IVb, above, give appropriate scientific justification and
literature references, and explain how the research is dependent
upon the requested equipment.

The scientific merit of the research made possible by the
requested equipment, and the impact of the proposed equipment on the
research activity, are the most important selection criteria.

Proposals will be judged by a panel of mathematical scientists
chosen to provide a wide range of expertise across the
mathematical sciences, but some subareas may not be represented by
specialists. Thus, all proposals must contain descriptions of the
research projects in sufficient detail so that the scientific merit
of each project can be evaluated by qualified reviewers who may or
may not be specialists in the proposed research areas. Particular
emphasis should be given to those unique or new scientific
capabilities which will ensue from the proposed acquisition.

d) Detailed plan for maintenance and operation. Include names of
individuals responsible for the equipment, and the annual budget
that the institution will allocate for these purposes. This plan
should be for a three year period. If personnel support is requested,
please include relevant details, including qualifications and duties of
individuals involved, and an explicit statement of the institution's
agreement to assume personnel costs permanently, after a period
not to exceed two years.

e) Available equipment. This section should include a complete
description of equipment and related supporting personnel
currently available to the Department(s). List the research
computing facilities that are presently available to the
participating researchers, and if appropriate describe the
support staff dedicated to maintenance and operation of the
equipment and system. Make explicit reference to the
current location, condition, and use of any equipment purchased
by your institution under prior SCREMS grants. List current pending
equipment requests to NSF and to other funding sources.

5. Biographical Sketches - Proposal Section E

This section will consist of biographical data and will include
only the academic essentials for the participating researchers listed
under Section IVb above. This may include, for the participating
researchers, a list of up to five publications most closely related to the
proposed equipment acquisition, and up to five other significant recent
publications. This material should appear in the Biographical
Sketches section and will not be counted in the page limitation
requirement. The entire Biographical Sketches section is limited
to no more than 3 pages.

6. Budget, Institutional Commitments and Cost Sharing - Proposal
Section F

Show total costs and all sources of support. The budget should
make reference to a representative manufacturer and model numbers,
with itemized and total costs. If the request includes funding for
equipment, the total discounted cost of equipment should be at least
$40,000. If support is requested only for professional systems
administrators or programmer personnel for research computing
needs, there is no minimum.

The proposal should describe the institution's provisions for
space, installation, maintenance and operation of the requested
equipment. NSF will not provide funds for these items.

Institutions submitting proposals must cost-share 50% of the cost
of the proposed equipment -fifty per cent of the net (after discount)
cost. Eligible cost-sharing is allowed only on the cost of equipment
and not the costs associated with existing or irrelevant equipment, site
preparation, maintenance, or installation costs.

SCREMS proposals may include requests for partial support (salary
and fringe benefits), for up to two years, for professional systems
administrators or programmer personnel for research computing
needs. (Graduate students performing these functions will not be
supported under this program). In each request for such, provision must be
made by the University for cost-sharing half of the personnel costs.
Proposals must also include a statement that the grantee will assume the
full personnel costs after its NSF funding ends.

No indirect costs will be permitted on equipment portions of
grants. The indirect cost rate applied to personnel will be limited to 10%,
with the difference between the actual indirect cost rate and 10%
allocated to the substantial cost-sharing (beyond the 50% personnel match
referenced in the previous paragraph) required on SCREMS awards.
All cost sharing must be shown on Line M of the Budget Form.

7. Refererences Cited.

SCREMS proposals need not have a separate Proposal Section D -
References Cited - as called for in the GPG. References may be
citedwithin Proposal Section C.

8. Current and pending project support - Proposal Section G

This includes all anticipated requests for such, from whatever
source (e.g., Federal, State or local government agencies, private
foundations, industrial or other commercial organizations). See II.C.7 of the
GPG (NSF 01-2).

Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation
number (NSF 01-16 ) in the program announcement/solicitation
block on the proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207). Compliance
with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant
proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this
information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

COST SHARING: 50% of the net (after discount) cost of equipment;
50% of personnel salary and fringe benefits, if requested. See
details in the body of the solicitation. The indirect cost rate
applied to personnel costs (salary and fringe benefits) will be
limited to 10%.

The proposed cost sharing must be shown on Line
M on the proposal budget. Documentation of the availability of
cost sharing must be included in the proposal. Only items which
would be allowable under the applicable cost principles, if
charged to the project, may be included as the awardee's
contribution to cost sharing.

Contributions may be made from any non-Federal source, including
non-Federal grants or contracts, and may be cash or in-kind (see
OMB Circular A-110, Section 23). It should be noted that
contributions counted as cost-sharing toward projects of another
Federal agency may not be counted towards meeting the specific
cost-sharing requirements of the NSF award. All cost-sharing
amounts are subject to audit. Failure to provide the level of
cost-sharing reflected in the approved award budget may result in
termination of the NSF award, disallowance of award costs and/or
refund of award funds to NSF.

Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: 10% (applied only to personnel
costs, if any). No indirect costs on equipment portion of budget.

Other Budgetary Limitations: See the full Program Solicitation
for further information.

C. Deadline/Target Dates

Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation
must be submitted by 5:00 PM, local time on the following
date(s):
January 18      
 

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for
this Program Solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed
instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane
are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For
FastLane user support, call 1-800-673-6188.

Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. The signed copy of the
proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) must be postmarked (or
contain a legible proof of mailing date assigned by the carrier)
within five working days following proposal submission and be
forwarded to the following address:


National Science Foundation
DIS - FastLane Cover Sheet
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230


VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION


A. NSF Proposal Review Process

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

Proposals will be reviewed against the following general review
criteria established by the National Science Board. Following
each criterion are potential considerations that the reviewer may
employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions and not all will
apply to any given proposal. Each reviewer will be asked to
address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for
which he/she 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?

Principal Investigators should address the following elements in
their proposal to provide reviewers with the information
necessary to respond fully to both of the above-described NSF
merit review criteria. NSF staff will give these elements careful
consideration 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 &ndash; women and men, underrepresented minorities,
  and persons with disabilities &ndash; is essential to the
  health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is
  committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central
  to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and
  supports.

  Additional Review Criteria

  In addition to the above, proposals will also be evaluated on
  the following:

       -  Scientific merit of the research made possible by the
          requested equipment,
       -  Impact of the proposed equipment on the research activity,
       -  Qualifications and productivity of researchers,
       -  Justification of need for proposed equipment,
       -  Choice and appropriateness of equipment,
       -  Appropriateness of personnel support,
       -  Plan for maintenance and operation, and
       -  Impact of the proposed equipment and environment on the
	  department and institution.

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

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

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

NSF will be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have
been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95
percent of proposals. The time interval begins on the proposal
deadline or target date or from the date of receipt, if deadlines
or target dates are not used by the program. The interval ends
when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's
recommendation.

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

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

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

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes
any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered
amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts,
by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or
otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of
proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award
letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant
General Conditions (NSF-GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration
Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement
or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in
the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are
administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms
and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the
preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have
electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification
from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

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

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

C. Reporting Requirements

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

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is
required to submit a final project report. Approximately 30 days
before expiration, NSF will send a notice to remind the PI of the
requirement to file the final project report. Failure to provide
final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of
pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of
the required reports in advance to assure availability of
required data.

NSF has implemented an electronic project reporting system,
available through FastLane. This system permits electronic
submission and updating of project reports, including information
on project participants (individual and organizational),
activities and findings, publications, and other specific
products and contributions. PIs will not be required to
re-enter information previously provided, either with a
proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries regarding  Scientific Computing Research
Environments for the Mathematical Sciences  should be made to:

  -    Dr. Alvin I. Thaler, Program Director, MPS, DMS, 1025,
     telephone: 703-292-4863, e-mail: thaler@nsf.gov.

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

  -    LaVern M. Friels, Computer Specialist, Mathematical
     Sciences, telephone: 703-292-4854, e-mail: dmsfl@nsf.gov.

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

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

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

Proposers and institutions may find appropriate other NSF sources
of support for instrumentation, including the Major Research
Instrumentation (MRI) program, most recent Program Announcement
99-34 (for updated information see
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/mri/start.htm ).

              ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

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

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

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with
Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or
equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and
other staff, including student research assistants) to work on
NSF-supported projects. See the program announcement/solicitation
for further information.

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, FIRS
at 1-800-877-8339.

The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the
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            PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports
is solicited under the authority of the National Science
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal
forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified
proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for
program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and
to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to
qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal
review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or
obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award
decisions, or the administration of awards; to government
contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as
necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies
needing information as part of the review process or in order to
coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or
party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the
government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators
may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential
candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee
members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal
Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal
Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal
File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5,
1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to
provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the
possibility of receiving an award.

Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an
information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time
for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne
Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination
Branch, Division of Administrative Services, National Science
Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, or to Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National
Science Foundation (3145-0058), 725 17th Street, N.W. Room 10235,
Washington, D.C. 20503.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.