COVs also report on the noteworthy achievements of each year, ways in which projects have collectively affected progress, and expectations for future performance. The recommendations of COVs are reviewed by management and taken into consideration by NSF when evaluating existing programs and future directions for the Foundation. COV reports are public documents, available upon request. Directorate Assessment by Advisory Committees Directorate Advisory Committees, composed of external experts who have broad experience in academia, industry, and government, annually review the COV reports, available external assessments, and directorate annual reports, judging program effectiveness, and describing strengths and weaknesses. Directorate annual reports are a balanced representation of the directorate s activities for the fiscal year, including results of COV reports and results from programs not reviewed by COVs in the fiscal year.
Advisory committees have full access to a variety of data sources.
Advisory committees use the combined COV reports and directorate annual reports as the basis for a strategic planning discussion. NSF management reviews the advisory committee reports and integrates the assessments into the NSF Annual Performance Report. The COV reports and advisory committee reports form the basis for reporting outcome goal results. Examples of outcomes are also selected from directorate annual reports, and other sources such as project reports, newspaper articles, publications, or other reports. NSF management integrates the results of the investment process goals and management goals with the outcome goals to produce this report.