NSF
NSF Announces Research and Innovation Partnership with Canadian Counterpart
On June 15, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its first formal partnership with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the major Canadian federal agency for funding natural science and engineering research. The partnership is stated to focus on emerging technologies as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion within the research enterprise. NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, who has frequently cited partnerships as a priority for his tenure, stated “this partnership with our counterpart Canadian funding agency opens doorways to new possibilities for international collaboration between U.S. and Canadian researchers in areas of mutual interest and national…
Social Scientist Nicholas Carnes Named Co-Winner of NSFās Waterman Award
On May 11, the National Science Foundation (NSF) named two co-winners of the 2021 Alan T. Waterman Award, the agencyās highest honor for early-career scientists. One of the co-winners, Dr. Nicholas Carnes, is a social scientist from Duke University who was recognized for research on the social determinants affecting peopleās pursuit of public or community service. The Waterman Award was presented to the winners at the National Science Board (NSB) meeting on May 18-19. āGetting involved in public service is a really time-consuming and really complicated process. The challenge for scientists is understanding all the links in the chain,ā Carnes…
COSSA Joins Science Organizations Highlighting Diversity in STEM on āWMPD Dayā
On May 12, scientific organizations, including COSSA, the Federation of Associations in Behavioral Brain Sciences, and SAGE Publishing, will observe āUnderstanding Diversity in STEM: WMPD Day.ā The event takes its name from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statisticsā (NCSES) biannual report: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. Organizations will hold events throughout the day to recognize, celebrate, and build on the contributions of women, minorities, and person with disabilities in the STEM enterprise. Scheduled activities include a kickoff event with experts from NCSES to discuss the most recent WMPD report (11 AM ET), a…
Appropriators Hold Hearings on NSF Budget for FY 2022 & Potential New Research Funding
This month, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees held hearings to address the Biden Administrationās proposed budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in fiscal year (FY) 2022. In addition to the budget, both hearings addressed the possibility of significant funding increases for the agency through a new technology directorate as proposed in the Endless Frontiers Act (S. 1260) (see related article). NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan was the sole witness at both hearings, voicing strong support for the Biden Administrationās proposed increases to the NSF budget. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) held its…
SBE Calls for Proposals for International Collaborative Research to Aid Pandemic Recovery
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) has announced that it is participating in the Trans-Atlantic Platform Call for Proposals: Recovery, Renewal, and Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World (T-AP RRR). T-AP RRR is a grant competition that will support international collaborative research projects that address gaps in our understanding of the complex and dynamic societal effects of COVID-19. Proposals are asked to address one or more of the following challenges: reducing inequalities and vulnerabilities; building a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable society; fostering democratic governance and participation; advancing responsible and inclusive digital innovation; and/or…
NSB Seeks Nominations for 2022 Vacancies
Nominations are being sought for to fill eight upcoming vacancies on the National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The Board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms, with the NSF director serving as a 25thĀ ex officio member. Nominations are considered by the NSB, which makes recommendations to the White House and new members of the Board are appointed by the President. For the incoming class of 2022-2028, the NSB is particularly interested in individuals with…
Biden Preliminary FY 2022 R&D Proposals Rely on āDARPAā Model
On April 9, the Biden Administration released preliminary, high-level details of its fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget request, referred to as a āskinny budget.ā At this stage, details are only available for Cabinet-level departments and a handful of other āmajorā agencies, with limited details about some agencies within the departments. For example, it includes preliminary details for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but not for the Census Bureau. Full budget details will be released in the coming months. In the meantime, however, Congress is proceeding with the FY 2022 appropriations process without the Administrationās full proposals. Appropriators in both…
Bidenās Infrastructure Proposal Includes $250 Billion in Research Funding
On March 31, the White House issued a fact sheet detailing many of the spending priorities in President Joe Bidenās proposed infrastructure initiative, the American Jobs Plan. The proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill addresses a wide range of pressing needs related to infrastructure and economic revitalization. Included is $180 billion to āInvest in R&D and Technologies of the Futureā and an extra $70 billion for research-related priorities such as pandemic preparedness and innovation in rural communities, totaling $250 billion specifically for the U.S. research enterprise. Many of the details are still unclear, although the fact sheet names where much of…
NSF Webinar Will Highlight Cross-Agency Funding Opportunities for Social Scientists
The National Science Foundationās (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) will hold a webinar on April 15 to highlight the opportunity for social scientists to participate in several major NSF-wide initiatives, including Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems, Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks, mid-scale research infrastructure and others. Featured speakers will include NSF Assistant Director Arthur Lupia, head of the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate, and Douglas Maughan, head of NSFās Convergence Accelerator Program. Information on registering is available here. Additional information about the webinar is available on the NSF website.
NSF Issues New Framework for Identifying Broader Impacts; NSB Seeks Additional Guidance
On March 18, the National Science Foundationās (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) released a Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 21-059) offering guidance to proposal writers for shaping their broader impacts arguments. The notice makes no changes to NSFās existing merit review criteria, which currently considers a projectās intellectual merit and broader impacts potential. Rather, it offers a framework for SBE researchers to consider āto develop and communicate their projectsā broader impacts more effectivelyā and āfor connecting fundamental research outcomes to quality of life improvements for others.ā The framework includes three guiding questions for principal investigators to consider: Who…
NSF Releases Annual Call for Advisory Committee Nominations
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued its annual call for recommendations for membership to its various advisory committees and technical boards. These committees advise NSFās offices and directorates on program management, research direction, and policies impacting the agency.Ā Committees of particular interest to the COSSA community include the Advisory Committee for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Advisory Committee for Education and Human Resources. Guidelines for recommendations and committee contact information can beĀ found in the Federal Register. Recommendations for membership are maintained for 12 months.
Biden Signs American Rescue Plan, with Funding for NSF, IES, Universities
On March 11, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319). As previously reported, the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill includes $600 million in funding to support research related to the pandemic at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and $100 million to support research related to K-12 learning loss at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The bill also includes $39.9 billion in funding to support colleges and universities. Now that this major piece of legislation has been enacted, lawmakersā attention will turn to appropriations for the coming fiscal year. In addition, discussions will…
House Passes Funding for NSF, Higher Ed, and IES in $1.9 trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill
The House of Representatives passed a massive relief bill on February 27 that aims to bring financial support to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319, committee report) includes direct payments to individuals, expansion of unemployment assistance, and an increase to the national minimum wage, among many other provisions. It also includes several notable provisions of interest to the science community, including $39.9 billion in funding for colleges and universities, with half to be used for student aid, as laid out in the CARES Act (see COSSAās previous coverage). The bill also…
Lawmakers Reintroduce RISE Act
On February 5, a bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act. As previously reported, the RISE Act seeks to provide funding relief to federal science agencies impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would authorize $25 billion in emergency relief, including $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health and $3 billion for the National Science Foundation. Funding would be used to support non-COVID-related research that has been impacted or shuttered by the closure of labs resulting from the pandemic. This legislation is different from the $1.9 trillion COVID package discussed elsewhere in…
NSF Releases New āUnderstanding the Rules of Lifeā Solicitation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting applications for a new program within the Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL) Big Idea. The new program, Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks, seeks to support convergent research to understand the āārules of emergenceā for networks of living systems and their environments,ā described as the āinteractions among organismal, environmental, social, and human-engineered systems that are complex and often unexpected given the behaviors of these systems when observed in isolation.ā More information is available in the full solicitation. The deadline for proposals is May 20, 2021.