Pepperdine University

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Pepperdine University Sponsored National Science
Foundation Grant Writing Workshop
February 26, 2005
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Funding Opportunities in Biology at the National
Science Foundation
Directorate for Biological Sciences Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Integrative Organismal
Biology Biological Infrastructure Environmental
Biology Emerging Frontiers Directorate for
Education and Human Resources Undergraduate
Education

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Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO)
Information and Automation Resources Unit (IAR)
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)
Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
Division of Molecular and Cellular
Biosciences (MCB)
Ecological Biology
HumanResources
BehavioralSystems
Biomolecular Systems
Ecosystem Science
Developmental Systems
Research Resources
Cellular Systems
Population Evolutionary Processes
Genes and Genome Systems
Environmental Structural Systems
Plant Genome Research Program
Systematic Biology Biodiversity Inventories
Functional Regulatory Systems
Emerging Frontiers (EF)
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Keeping Abreast of NSF Opportunities
My NSF News Service (set your own profile
weekly email update)
http//www.nsf.gov/mynsf/
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Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)

Emphasizes systems critical to the form,
function, development, and evolution of
organisms

• Behavioral Systems Cluster
• Developmental Systems Cluster
• Environmental Structural Systems Cluster
• Functional Regulatory Systems Cluster

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Behavioral Systems Cluster (IOB)
The Behavioral Systems thematic area focuses on
the development, function, mechanisms, and
evolution of behavior, biological rhythms, and
interactions between organisms including animals,
plants, and microbes.
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Developmental Systems Cluster (IOB)
The Developmental Systems thematic area focuses
on the nature, control, and evolution of those
processes that comprise the life cycle of
organisms.  
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Environmental and Structural Systems Cluster (IOB)
The Environmental Structural Systems thematic
area focuses on the function and evolution of
organisms in their physiochemical and biotic
environments.  
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Functional and Regulatory Systems Cluster (IOB)
The Functional Regulatory Systems thematic area
focuses on fundamental physiological mechanisms
and how they have evolved, with emphasis on
organisms as integrated systems.
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Division of Molecularand Cellular Biology (MCB)
Supports research and related activities that
contribute to a fundamental understanding of life
processes at the molecular, sub-cellular, and
cellular levels

• Biomolecular Systems Cluster
• Cellular Systems Cluster
• Genes and Genomes Systems Cluster

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Biomolecular SystemsCluster (MCB)

• The Biomolecular Systems Cluster emphasizes the
  structure, function, dynamics, interactions, and
  interconversions of biological molecules.

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Cellular SystemsCluster (MCB)

• The Cellular Systems Cluster focuses on the
  structure, function, and regulation of plant,
  animal and microbial cells, and their
  interactions with the environment and with one
  another.

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Genes and GenomeSystems Cluster (MCB)

• The Genes and Genome Systems Cluster supports
  studies on genomes and genetic mechanisms in all
  organisms, whether prokaryote, eukaryote, phage,
  or virus.

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Division ofEnvironmental Biology (DEB)
Supports fundamental research on populations,
species, communities, and ecosystems

• Ecological Biology Cluster
• Ecosystem Science Cluster
• Population and Evolutionary Processes Cluster
• Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories
  Cluster

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Ecological BiologyCluster (DEB)

• The Ecological Biology Cluster supports research
  on natural and managed ecological systems,
  primarily in terrestrial, wetland, and freshwater
  habitats.

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Ecosystem ScienceCluster (DEB)

• The Ecosystem Science Cluster supports research
  on natural, managed, and disturbed ecosystems,
  including those in terrestrial, freshwater, and
  wetland (including salt marsh) environments.

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Population and EvolutionaryProcesses Cluster
(DEB)

• The Population and Evolutionary Processes Cluster
  focuses on population properties that lead to
  variation within and among populations.

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Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories
Cluster (DEB)

• The Systematic Biology and Biodiversity
  Inventories Cluster supports the general science
  of systematics, whose three main missions are to
  discover, describe, and inventory global species
  diversity to analyze and synthesize the
  information derived from this global discovery
  effort into predictive classification systems
  that reflect the history of life and to organize
  the information derived from this global program
  in efficiently retrievable forms that best meet
  the needs of science and society.

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Division of BiologicalInfrastructure (DBI)
supports varied activities that provide
infrastructure for contemporary research in
biology including research resources and human
resources

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program
  (REU)
• Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology
  (UMEB)
• Multi-User Equipment Program (MUE) Program
• The Instrument Development for Biological
  Research Program (IDBR)

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Research Experiencesfor Undergraduates

• The REU program provides opportunities for
  undergraduate students to experience hands-on
  participation in research or related scholarly
  activity. BIO provides support to grantees who
  involve students in either ongoing research (REU
  Supplements) or special training programs (REU
  Sites).

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Undergraduate Mentoring inEnvironmental Biology

• The UMEB program is designed to enable
  institutions to create innovative programs that
  will encourage undergraduate students, especially
  those from under-represented groups, to pursue a
  career in environmental biology. UMEB supports
  projects designed to engage undergraduate
  students in year-round research activities and to
  provide sustained mentoring support.

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Multi-User Biological Equipment and
Instrumentation Resources (MUE)

• The MUE program provides support for the purchase
  of major items of instrumentation (funding
  ranging from 40,000 to 400,000) that will be
  shared by a number of investigators having
  actively-funded research projects in areas
  supported by the Directorate for Biological
  Sciences. It is expected that some of the
  identified users have active NSF support. The MUE
  program will give priority to proposals that
  involve multiple identified users with active NSF
  support.

RUI Proposals to MUE Program have fewer NSF
support restrictions.
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Instrument Development forBiological Research

• The Instrument Development for Biological
  Research (IDBR) Program supports the development
  of novel or of substantially improved
  instrumentation likely to have a significant
  impact on the study of biological systems at any
  level. The development of new, or substantial
  improvement of existing, software for the
  operation of instruments, analysis of data, or
  the analysis of images is also supported where
  these have the effect of improving instrument
  performance.

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Emerging Frontiers (Cross Directorate)

• Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research
• Large-scale integrative projects - up to 5
  Million for up to five years
• Research Coordination Networks
• Research efforts across disciplinary,
  organizational, institutional, and geographical
  boundaries
• Nanoscale Science Engineering
• Exploitation of physical, chemical, and
  biological properties of systems in the range of
  01. - 100 nanometers nanobiosensors
• Other Programs See EF homepage

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What Other Funding OpportunitiesAre at NSF for
Me?
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Major ResearchInstrumentation Program(Office of
Integrative Activities)

• The MRI Program assists in the acquisition or
  development of major research instrumentation by
  U.S. institutions that is, in general, too costly
  for support through other NSF programs. The
  maintenance and technical support associated with
  these instruments are also supported. Proposals
  may be for a single instrument, a large system of
  instruments, or multiple instruments that share a
  common research focus.

Deadline Date Fourth Thursday in January
Annually Program Solicitation NSF 05-515
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Faculty Early Career Development Program
(CAREER)

• Supports teacher-scholars who will become the
  academic leaders of the 21st century
• Supports plans that effectively integrate
  research and education
• BIO minimum of 100,000 / year for 5 years

Deadline late July (check web site for 2005
date)
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Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)

• Supports research by faculty with active
  involvement of undergraduate students
• Strengthens the research environment in
  departments that are oriented primarily toward
  undergraduate instruction
• Integrates research and education at
  predominantly undergraduate institutions

Target Dates in January and July
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Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER)

• Small-scale, exploratory, high-risk/high-impact
• Contact the NSF program officer(s) most germane
  to the proposal topic before submitting an SGER
  proposal
• Project description 2 to 5 pages, 200,000 budget
  maximum

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Opportunity for Increasing Participation of
Underrepresented Groups
ADVANCE Program
For increasing the participation and advancement
of women in academic science and engineering
careers
Check http//www.nsf.gov for a description of the
2005 program.
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Opportunities for Supplementing Ongoing Awards

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates
• supports undergraduate researchers
• Research Opportunity Award
• for faculty at predominantly undergraduate
  institutions to participate in NSF-supported
  projects
• Research Experiences for Teachers
• builds long term collaborative relationships
  between K-12 teachers of science and mathematics
  and the NSF research community

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Directorate for Education and Human Resources
(EHR)

• Division of Educational System Reform (ESR)
• Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal
  Education (ESIE)
• Division of Experimental Programs to Stimulate
  Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
• Division of Graduate Education (DGE)
• Division of Human Resource Development (HRD)
• Division of Research, Evaluation, and
  Communication (REC)
• Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) (160M)

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Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement
(CCLI)
Directorate for Education and Human Resources
Division of Undergraduate Education

• Objective
• To invigorate and improve the quality of STEM
  undergraduate education obtained by all students
  at all types of institutions.
• Tracks
• Educational Materials Development (EMD)
• National Dissemination (ND)
• Assessment of Student Achievement (ASA)
• Adaptation and Implementation (AI)

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How Do I Get Started?
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Getting Started

• Take your best research ideas for which you have
  some preliminary data
• Develop hypotheses and experiments to take the
  next step(s).
• Consider feasibility in a 36 to 60 month window
• Consider what assistance you will need given
  teaching and other time commitments
• Prepare a plan of attack

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Getting Started

• Communicate with a program officer
• Assist in program selection
• Provide advice about how to proceed
• Examine prior NSF awards in similar areas
• Visit www.nsf.gov.
• Link to award information through
  BIO Award Search
• Search by subject, institution, PI name

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Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)

• GUIDANCE AND REGULATIONS - Preparing and
  submitting proposals
• DESCRIBES PROCESS - for declinations, returns
  withdrawals, and awards significant grant
  administrative highlights.

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NSF Decision-making for Unsolicited Proposals
INSTITUTION
Proposal Submission via Fastlane
Returned Without Review
AWARD
Assignment To Program
Division of Grants and Agreements

Merit Review Process
Mail reviews



Panel review
Division Director Review
DECLINE
Program Officer Recommendation
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What does Merit Review really mean?
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NSF invests in the great ideas from capable
people as determined by competitive merit review.
Merit Review Criteria
Criterion 1 What is the intellectual merit of
the proposed activity? Criterion 2 What are
the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
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Criterion 1 Intellectual Merit

• Potential to advance knowledge and understanding
  within and across fields
• Creativity and originality of ideas
• Conceptualization and organization
• Qualifications of investigators
• Access to resources
• Established expertise or expert collaborations

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Criterion 2 Broader Impacts

• Advancement of discovery and understanding while
  promoting teaching, training and learning
• Participation of underrepresented groups
• Enhancement of infrastructure for research and
  education
• Dissemination of results to enhance scientific
  and technological understanding
• Benefits to society

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How can I be successful in obtaining funding?
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Tips for Success

• Review proposals that have been funded
• Contact PIs
• Have more than one person read your proposal
  prior to submission
• Peers AND scientists not in your area.
• If Rejected Try Again
• Talk with the Program Officer
• Pay attention to Reviewers comments
• Attend a Grant-writing workshop