Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards

Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). This program aims to advance research on the fundamental science processes that cause landsliding, river erosion, debris flows, and flooding, particularly those cascading events that follow natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes.

NSF 24-515: Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Active funding opportunity This document is the current version.

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website . These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements.

Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies On July 10, 2025, NSF issued an Important Notice providing updates to the agency's research security policies, including a research security training requirement, Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program annual certification requirement, prohibition on Confucius institutes and an updated FFDR reporting and submission timeline.

NSF 24-515: Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards Posted: December 14, 2023 Download the solicitation (PDF, 0. 8mb) National Science Foundation Directorate for Geosciences Division of Earth Sciences Full Proposal Target Date(s) : Important Information And Revision Notes Letters of Intent (LOI) are no longer required. This solicitation is only for Center Operation proposals.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted.

The NSF PAPPG is regularly revised and it is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets the requirements specified in this solicitation and the applicable version of the PAPPG. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Summary Of Program Requirements Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards The Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards program supports university-based centers to advance research on the fundamental solid Earth processes that underpin natural hazards.

Centers will catalyze, coordinate, and produce transformative research, lead innovation, and enable convergent approaches for systems-level insights that require the collective efforts of a large group of individuals. Centers focus on addressing major, fundamental science challenges for understanding solid Earth geohazards, primarily those related to faulting, volcanoes, mass movements, and other dynamic processes.

In particular, the Centers will advance understanding in one or more of the priorities outlined in the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine decadal survey report The Earth in Time , including; What is an earthquake ? What drives volcanism ? What are the causes and consequences of topographic change?

and How can Earth science research reduce the risk and toll of geohazards? Centers will also foster different dimensions of community engagement to meaningfully improve the national welfare.

Flagship community engagement activities will take bold and creative action to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in the geoscience workforce and expand the impact of fundamental research in solid Earth geohazards to inform and prepare a broader community. Centers will establish partnerships to enable public outreach, hazard mitigation and other community engagement activities.

In 2024, the Program competition will support Center Operation awards intended to support the operation of a fully developed center addressing topics focusing on the fundamental processes that create solid Earth geohazards, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and/or other solid Earth or tectonic processes. Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing.

See program website for any updates to the points of contact. Luciana Astiz, telephone: (703) 292-4705, email: eargeohazards@nsf. gov Eva E.

Zanzerkia, telephone: (703) 292-4734, email: eargeohazards@nsf.

gov Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): Anticipated Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2 Anticipated Funding Amount: $7,000,000 Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.

There are no restrictions or limits. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1 Only one proposal may be submitted by any Lead institution. Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1 Any one individual may be the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for only one Center Operation proposal.

Individuals may be listed as participating Other Senior/Key Personnel on more than one proposal. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Not required Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required Full Proposals submitted via Research.

gov: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) guidelines apply. The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf.

gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp? ods_key=pappg .

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: https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=grantsgovguide ). Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Full Proposal Target Date(s) : Proposal Review Information Criteria National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review criteria apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Award Administration Information Standard NSF award conditions apply. Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

The Earth's tectonics underpin many of the planet's processes at a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and allied hazards. These solid Earth geohazards are responsible for trillions of dollars in damage and the loss of millions of lives in the history of the U.S., and these risks are anticipated to increase in the future as population increases in hazardous areas.

Major advances in our understanding of the fundamental forces that drive catastrophic events are needed to respond effectively to this risk and to engage a well-informed populace living in the midst of these hazards. The Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards are intended to catalyze, coordinate, and produce transformative research in the Earth processes that lead to solid Earth geohazards.

Centers provide community-scale leadership in two areas: convergence and innovation in systems-level science, and community engagement to develop a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as a well-prepared and informed public. Centers will be built around a compelling research challenge or theme of significant scale and complexity that would require a coordinated approach beyond what can be accomplished by a small team of researchers.

The program will support basic research on Earth processes, as well as the development of new methods needed to advance the science. The program will help facilitate new collaborations within observational, experimental, theoretical and computational domains that will be essential to address the most exciting questions at the cutting edge of Earth science.

This program does not support efforts to operationalize monitoring, forecasting, or prediction of hazards, though partnerships could provide support for these activities. Progress in advancing science requires a diverse and inclusive workforce that is highly skilled.

Centers will meaningfully improve the national welfare through broadening participation activities, including historically underrepresented groups, and advance the geoscience workforce. The program's focus on societally relevant problems provides a platform to engage and train students and postdocs from communities that have been historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Additionally, knowledge-sharing between groups carrying out fundamental research and those focused on mitigating and forecasting future hazards is critical for the health and safety of our country. Consequently, Centers will expand the impact of fundamental research to a wide range of stakeholders.

Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards must have the following attributes: 1) Centers must have a vision for innovative and transformative research that is ambitious in scope .

The complexity of the research would require more extensive resources, such as combinations of talents, skills, and/or disciplines or specialized infrastructure, that would not be feasible with standard support to individual investigators or small collaborative groups, such as is provided through core programs in the NSF Earth Sciences Division (for example, Geophysics, Tectonics, Geomorphology and Land-use Dynamics, Hydrologic Sciences, Petrology and Geochemistry, and others).

While center proposals can be built upon prior support, Principal Investigators should ensure that their proposed project does not significantly overlap with ongoing federally-funded research for themselves or any of their team members. Developing a distinct and distinctive science portfolio is essential for each center.

PIs considering potential projects that cross the shoreline should contact Program Officers in the Marine Geology and Geophysics program in the Division of Ocean Sciences. 2) Centers must have a vision and integrated set of activities for community engagement that places a major emphasis on supporting activities that educate the next generation of researchers .

Centers must provide an exceptionally stimulating and dynamic environment for education in which the needs of students and researchers from all sectors of U.S. society are considered while positioning them to benefit from interactions with a large, interdisciplinary group of scientists at all career levels.

Centers will also prioritize broadening participation of historically underrepresented groups in all facets of center activities, and proposals should demonstrate how this will be accomplished. Centers will be expected to take explicit steps to develop a culture of equity and inclusion at all levels of operation and in all research endeavors. Centers will practice strong project management .

Therefore, centers will align proposed scope with realistic budgets and timelines for achieving those goals. Centers will also identify important milestones within the timeline of their award period that progress to the accomplishment of the Center's goals. Additional information on project management expectations for Center Operation proposals is provided in the proposal preparation guidance below.

5) Centers will be responsible for sound development and management of any shared facilities, infrastructure or cyberinfrastructure required to meet the scientific goals of the center. Centers should demonstrate a plan for equitable development and access to instrumentation, laboratory, and analytical facilities; analysis tools; community models; computing and software resources; and data.

NSF encourages the use and re-use of existing instrumentation, cyberinfrastructure, and facilities, including instrumentation pools, experimental or analytical capabilities, computational resources, software, and data sets.

Centers are expected to deploy modern best practices in cyberinfrastructure development and implementation, including working towards FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) data practices, and data-sharing across collaborative groups, developing open-source and sustainable software and improving access to high performance computing, among others.

New approaches to data management and cyberinfrastructure and innovations in providing support to the scientific community are encouraged. All center researchers are expected to store, access, share, and archive data, with emphasis on data-sharing across collaborative teams.

In FY 2024, the program will consider proposals built around a compelling research challenge or theme related to any solid Earth Geohazard processes, including earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and other solid Earth or tectonic process. The proposal's scope will align with one or more of the priorities outlined in the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine decadal survey report.

The Earth in Time including: What is an earthquake? What drives volcanism? What are the causes and consequences of topographic change?

and How can Earth science research reduce the risk and toll of geohazards? Center Operations proposals are expected to outline broad, strategic, center-scale activities in accordance with the Center Attributes, as described earlier in this section. Centers will be agile structures that respond rapidly to emerging opportunities, promote synergy, enhance collaborations, and engage in potentially transformative research.

Centers will integrate research, innovation, education, science communication, and efforts to broaden participation. Center proposals will organize their scope into Major Activities, which will provide the framework for aligning the proposed scope with realistic budgets and timelines for achieving Center goals.

A Major Activity will most frequently be a major research thrust of the Center but may also be a large-scale effort for workforce development, community-building, broadening participation, or other comparable effort to support broader impacts. Centers may need flexibility to advance Major Activities or to respond quickly and effectively to emerging research and/or broader impact opportunities through subaward seed funding.

These emerging areas may include (but are not limited to): high-risk research projects; emerging areas of interdisciplinary research; development of new cyberinfrastructure to support the Center; support for early-career faculty or for investigators changing fields; and innovative educational, diversity-promoting, or outreach ventures.

Seed funding is not intended to provide a substitute for NSF individual investigator funding, nor should it be used to fund foundational operational support for the Center. Proposals should describe the criteria and mechanisms for selecting and evaluating projects that may require seed funding. Key milestones will include periodic site visits and other oversight by NSF staff.

The initial Center Operation awards will be made for up to five years (contingent on acceptable progress). Additional information is provided in the proposal preparation guidance for Center Operation full proposal. In FY 2024, NSF anticipates making up to two new Center Operation awards (up to $3,000,000 per year for up to 5 years) as cooperative agreements.

Plans for anticipated awards are pending availability of funds and submission of sufficient quality proposals. IV. Eligibility Information Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.

There are no restrictions or limits. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1 Only one proposal may be submitted by any Lead institution. Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1 Any one individual may be the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for only one Center Operation proposal.

Individuals may be listed as participating Other Senior/Key Personnel on more than one proposal. 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 Research. gov or Grants. gov. Full Proposals submitted via Research.

gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf.

gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp? ods_key=pappg .

Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf. gov . The Prepare New Proposal setup will prompt you for the program solicitation number.

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: ( https://www. nsf.

gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp? ods_key=grantsgovguide ).

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) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf. gov . See PAPPG Chapter II.

D. 2 for guidance on the required sections of a full research proposal submitted to NSF. Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the PAPPG instructions.

Collaborative proposals should be submitted as a single proposal with subawards administered by the lead organization as described in Chapter II. D of the PAPPG. Separately submitted collaborative proposals are not permitted.

In addition to the guidance in the PAPPG and NSF Grants. gov Application Guide, the following items should be included and/or addressed in the proposal: Type of Proposal. The "Center" type of proposal should be selected.

Title . Provide a short informative title for the proposed project. To assist NSF staff in sorting proposals for review, proposal titles must include "Center Operations:".

Please note that if submitting via Research. gov, the system will automatically insert the prepended title "Center". Project Summary .

The Project Summary consists of an overview, a statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity, and a statement on the broader impacts of the proposed activity.

Include a description of proposed activities in education and human resource development; specific details for activities to promote the participation of groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences and outreach to both the scientific community and the general public. Project Description .

The Project Description comprises of the following sections and is limited to no more than 50 pages, regardless of the number of Major Activities described. This section should be completed according to the general guidelines detailed in the NSF PAPPG, including the requirement for a separate section labeled "Broader Impacts." Executive Summary .

Provide a clear rationale for and description of the proposed Center and its potential impact.

Briefly describe the institutional setting of the Center, its proposed scope and organization, activities in research and education and their integration, specific efforts to promote diversity and outreach activities to the scientific community and the general public, any shared experimental facilities, any collaborative activities with industry or other sectors, links with related major research centers on or off campus, and a concise summary of the management plan.

List of Participants . List the PI, any co-PIs, and each participating senior personnel (faculty level or equivalent) by full name, and his or her institutional and departmental affiliation (Additional biographical information should be inserted in the Biographical Sketch section.) Results from Prior NSF Support.

Describe achievements under prior NSF support that pertain to the present proposal. This should include both research results and the results of activities that pertain to broader impacts. Research plan and Major Activities (MAs).

Describe proposed Center activities, in sufficient detail for reviewers to be able to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed work and its potential for transformative impact. The scope of the Center should be broken into high-level Major Activities, which will provide the framework for aligning the proposed scope with realistic budgets and timelines for achieving Center goals.

For each proposed MA that involves a research thrust, provide a concise description of the long-term research goals and intellectual focus, and describe the planned research activities in sufficient detail to enable assessment of their scientific merit and significance.

For an MA that involves workforce development, community-building, or other similar activities, the need for the activity should be clearly established, including justification for the approach, arguments for why the proposed Center is the appropriate vehicle for the activity, and the expected impacts on science and the community.

In all cases, describe the role and intellectual contribution of each senior participant in the MA, and briefly outline the available or planned resources to accomplish the stated goals. The need for a center- or institute-like approach involving several investigators and the means of achieving this should be clearly established.

The role of the MA in the context of the Center as a whole should be outlined, and connections between MAs making up the unit should be sufficiently articulated to justify their inclusion within the Center. Interactions with partners and other groups should be described.

At the beginning of each MA section, name the senior personnel who will participate (these participating senior personnel also should be included in the overall List of Participants) and state the proposed number of postdoctoral, undergraduate student, and graduate student participants. Shared Facilities or Infrastructure to be established .

Describe the shared facilities and infrastructure, including cyberinfrastructure, to be established. Also include specific plans for the development of instrumentation. Describe plans for maintaining and operating the facilities, including staffing, and plans for ensuring access to the facilities by outside participants.

Distinguish clearly between existing facilities and those still to be acquired or developed. Partnerships . Describe any proposed partnerships, interactions, and collaborations with other institutions and sectors, including other federal agencies, national laboratories and industry, as appropriate.

Define the goals of the collaborations and activities that would involve the partners. Describe the roles in these collaborations of any participants that have been listed as participating senior investigators.

List the senior collaborating participants (Note that a statement of intent to participate is required from external collaborators as a Supplementary Document), the mechanisms planned to stimulate and facilitate knowledge transfer, and the potential long-term impact of the collaborations. Management Plan.

Describe the plans for administration of the Center, including the functions of key personnel and the role of any advisory committee, executive committee, program committee, or their equivalent. Describe the procedures and criteria used to select, administer, and evaluate the Major Activities of the Center, and collaborative programs with other groups and institutions.

Plans for administering shared facilities should be described in this section. Describe plans for administering the educational programs and outreach activities of the Center, as appropriate. References Cited .

List only references cited in the Project Description. See PAPPG for format instructions. In addition to the requirements specified in the PAPPG, the following Supplementary Documents should be included: A one-paragraph statement (not to exceed one-half page) from each of those listed as participating senior investigators outlining how they view their role in the Center.

This must be specific and not a general letter of support. Letters of Collaboration. Include only official letters of collaboration verifying specific collaborations and/or commitments of non-financial resources from participating institutions.

Letters of collaboration must follow the single-sentence format: "If the proposal submitted by Dr. [insert the full name of the Principal Investigator] entitled [insert the proposal title] is selected for funding by the NSF, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the Project Description." Data Management Plan not to exceed two pages and follow EAR Data Policy Guidelines.

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Other Budgetary Limitations: Awards are up to $3,000,000 per year for up to five years. These proposals should include funds in the budget for personnel to participate in oversight events (site visits or reverse site visits) in the second, fourth and fifth years of the project.

Provide separate budget pages for the Center as a whole and for each participating institution. In the summary budget table, as described below, provide the overall support levels planned for each of the Major Activities of the Center (only year 1 and five-year totals are required.) This should be included as part of the budget justification narrative.

This information augments but does not replace the NSF official budget page. Summary Table of Requested NSF Support Major Activity (MA) 1 (Title) MA 2 (title) (repeat for each MA) Shared Facilities or Infrastructure Management and Administration For each entry in the Table, include indirect costs. Column totals must equal the total budget requested from NSF for the period shown.

Include major capital equipment under shared facilities. Full Proposal Target Date(s) : D. Research.

gov/Grants. gov Requirements For Proposals Submitted Via Research. gov: To prepare and submit a proposal via Research.

gov, see detailed technical instructions available at: https://www. research. gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?

_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=research_node_display&_nodePath=/researchGov/Service/Desktop/ProposalPreparationandSubmission. html . For Research.

gov user support, call the Research. gov Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or e-mail rgov@nsf. gov .

The Research. gov Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the Research. gov 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. 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.

Comprehensive information about using Grants. gov is available on the Grants. gov Applicant Resources webpage: https://www.

grants. gov/web/grants/applicants. html .

In addition, the NSF Grants. gov Application Guide (see link in Section V. A) provides instructions regarding the technical 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 Research. gov for further processing.

The NSF Grants. gov Proposal Processing in Research. gov informational page provides submission guidance to applicants and links to helpful resources including the NSF Grants.

gov Application Guide , Grants. gov Proposal Processing in Research. gov how-to guide , and Grants.

gov Submitted Proposals Frequently Asked Questions . Grants. gov proposals must pass all NSF pre-check and post-check validations in order to be accepted by Research.

gov at NSF. When submitting via Grants. gov, NSF strongly recommends applicants initiate proposal submission at least five business days in advance of a deadline to allow adequate time to address NSF compliance errors and resubmissions by 5:00 p.

m. submitting organization's local time on the deadline. Please note that some errors cannot be corrected in Grants.

gov. Once a proposal passes pre-checks but fails any post-check, an applicant can only correct and submit the in-progress proposal in Research. gov. Proposers that submitted via Research. gov may use Research.

gov to verify the status of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted via Grants. gov, until an application has been received and validated by NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative may check the status of an application on Grants.

gov. After proposers have received an e-mail notification from NSF, Research. gov should be used to check the status of an application. VI.

NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program for acknowledgement and, if they meet NSF 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 either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists, or both, who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with 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 of interest with the proposal. In addition, Program Officers may obtain comments from site visits before recommending final action on proposals. Senior NSF staff further review recommendations for awards.

A flowchart that depicts the entire NSF proposal and award process (and associated timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1. A comprehensive description of the Foundation's merit review process is available on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf.

gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/ . One of the strategic objectives in support of NSF's mission is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions must recruit, train, and prepare a diverse STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and participate in the U.S. technology-based economy.

NSF's contribution to the national innovation ecosystem is to provide cutting-edge research under the guidance of the Nation's most creative scientists and engineers. NSF also supports development of a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by investing in building the knowledge that informs improvements in STEM teaching and learning.

NSF's mission calls for the broadening of opportunities and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which 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. A.

Merit Review Principles and Criteria The National Science Foundation strives to invest in a robust and diverse portfolio of projects that creates new knowledge and enables breakthroughs in understanding across all areas of science and engineering research and education.

To identify which projects to support, NSF relies on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to advancing NSF's mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense;