Innovation: Bioinformatics (NSF 23-578)

Innovation: Bioinformatics (NSF 23-578) is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The Innovation: Bioinformatics program supports research on the development of bioinformatics approaches to advance biological research in all areas funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences.

NSF 23-578: Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Active funding opportunity This document is the current version. Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .

All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. NSF 23-578: Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation) To save a PDF of this solicitation, select Print to PDF in your browser's print options.

National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences Division of Biological Infrastructure Full Proposal Deadline(s) : Proposals Accepted Anytime Important Information And Revision Notes Additional proposal preparation instructions are included for PIs who propose, as part of their projects, the collection or generation of specimens that require deposition or curation.

Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork (SAHF) Plans : The Directorate of Biological Sciences requires that proposers who include off-campus or off-site research as part of their project submit, as supplementary documentation, a Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork (SAHF) Plan. For this solicitation, this document replaces the required plan associated with the certification in Chapter II. E.

9 of the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Instructions for inclusion of the SAHF Plan can be found in additional proposal preparation instructions. Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Summary Of Program Requirements Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation) The Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research Program (Innovation) supports research to design novel or greatly improved research tools and methods that advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF.

The Innovation Program focuses on research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to researchers in three programmatic areas: Bioinformatics, Instrumentation, and Research Methods.

Infrastructure supported by this program is expected to advance biological understanding by improving scientists’ abilities to manipulate, control, analyze, or measure critical aspects of biological systems, which can be essential for addressing important fundamental research questions.

Proposals submitted to these programmatic areas can do one of three things to advance or transform research in biology: develop novel infrastructure, significantly redesign existing infrastructure, or adapt existing infrastructure in novel ways. Projects are expected to have a significant application to one or more biological science questions and have the potential to be used by a community of researchers beyond a single research team.

Please refer to the descriptions of individual programmatic areas for detailed guidance on what is supported through this solicitation (see links below). Broadening Participation in STEM: NSF has a mandate to broaden participation in science and engineering, as articulated and reaffirmed in law since 1950.

Congress has charged NSF to “develop intellectual capital, both people and ideas, with particular emphasis on groups and regions that traditionally have not participated fully in science, mathematics, and engineering." 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.

Innovation: Bioinformatics, email: DBIBioinformatics@nsf. gov Innovation: Instrumentation, email: DBIInstrumentation@nsf. gov Innovation: Research Methods, email: DBIInnovationMethods@nsf.

gov Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement Estimated Number of Awards: 20 to 40 Actual number of awards may vary depending on the split of funds across the different programs, which in turn may vary according to submission distribution, individual proposal merits, and budget amounts, and availability of funds.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $16,000,000 to $18,000,000 Approximately $16-18 million is expected to be available for new and continuing awards. The size and duration of any individual request should be justified by the amount and complexity of the work to be accomplished. As a rule, the larger the budget, the greater the expected impact on the biological research community.

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.

Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. There are no restrictions or limits. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: There are no restrictions or limits. 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: Full Proposal Deadline(s) : Proposals Accepted Anytime 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 Additional award conditions apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Standard NSF reporting requirements apply. Transformative discoveries in the biological sciences are often catalyzed by the development and dissemination of new research tools and methods.

For such advancements to take place, research infrastructure needs to be supported at all stages of its life-cycle that include: Innovation (the design of novel or greatly-improved research infrastructure), Capacity (the scaling of or major improvements to infrastructure), and Sustainability (continued operation of existing infrastructure).

The Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) supports this life-cycle of research resources in biology by having three different programs focused on each of these important stages of development of research infrastructure in resources and services.

The goals of the Innovation program are aligned with the first stage in this cycle: to advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. Proposers should review the Introduction section of the PAPPG for a general description of research topics normally outside the scope of NSF funding such as human disease, clinical, or drug design related research.

Proposals to develop or provide infrastructure that is primarily to enable research in these excluded topics are not eligible for support under this solicitation and will be returned without review.

The Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research Program (Innovation) supports research to design novel or greatly improved research tools and methods that advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Biological Sciences Directorate at NSF.

The Innovation Program focuses on research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to researchers in three programmatic areas: Bioinformatics, Instrumentation, and Research Methods.

Infrastructure supported by this program is expected to advance biological understanding by improving scientists’ abilities to manipulate, control, analyze, or measure critical aspects of biological systems, which can be essential for addressing important fundamental research questions.

Proposals submitted to these programmatic areas can do one of three things to advance or transform research in biology: develop novel infrastructure, significantly redesign existing infrastructure, or adapt existing infrastructure in novel ways. Projects are expected to have a significant application to one or more biological science questions and have the potential to be used by a community of researchers beyond a single research team.

The innovative nature of the proposed work must be emphasized, and proposals with high-risk/high reward potential are welcome. PIs are encouraged to leverage NSF-supported scientific infrastructure, such as databases, data networks, computational resources, software, and centers. The three programmatic areas of the Innovation Program are described below.

Please see links for further information in each area. PIs are encouraged to contact the program officers using the contact information above if they have questions about where to submit a proposal within this solicitation or if their proposed work cuts across one or more of these programmatic areas.

Bioinformatics Programmatic Area : The Bioinformatics Programmatic Area supports the design of novel and innovative bioinformatics approaches that have the potential to become part of the cyberinfrastructure that will advance or transform biological understanding and that have the potential to be broadly applicable in biology.

Instrumentation Programmatic Area : The Instrumentation Programmatic Area supports the design of novel and innovative instrumentation and associated methods that address a clearly defined gap in biologists’ ability to capture observations of biological phenomena and that have the potential to be broadly applicable in biology.

Research Methods Programmatic Area : The Research Methods Programmatic Area supports the design of novel and innovative laboratory- or field-based methodologies with the potential for a transformative impact, enabling new and important insights into biological processes and to be broadly applicable in biology.

In addition to the regular research proposals sought under this solicitation, the programmatic areas support a variety of other Foundation-wide activities: Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) proposals may be submitted to any of the clusters/programs described in this solicitation but must be submitted by the deadlines listed in the CAREER solicitation and follow the proposal preparation guidance in that solicitation.

Research Coordination Networks (RCN), and Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) proposals may be submitted at any time, to any of the clusters/programs described in this solicitation but must follow the proposal preparation guidance in those solicitations. This solicitation will accept Renewal and Accomplishment Based Renewal (ABR) Proposals.

Information on eligibility, scope, and format for Renewal and ABR submissions can be found in the PAPPG. If you are considering an ABR submission you are strongly advised to contact a Program Officer prior to submission.

Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID), Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE), Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI), and proposals for Travel or Conferences support, including workshops, can be submitted at any time to any of the clusters/programs described in this solicitation.

These types of proposals should be submitted in accordance with the guidance in the PAPPG. Conference and Travel proposals should be submitted at least 6 months before the start date of the conference or workshop; you are strongly advised to contact a Program Officer prior to submission. Note that before submitting RAPID, EAGER, or RAISE proposals you must receive approval from a Program Officer in the area of the proposal.

The Innovation program only considers support for full proposals submitted to the program. Except for Career-Life-Balance supplements, program funds are generally not used to provide post-award supplements to existing awards. If activities that align with REU, RET, and RAHSS educational supplements are planned, these activities should be described and budgeted for in the original proposal submission.

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size and duration are subject to the availability of funds, the quality of submissions, and the anticipated benefits to biology. Both standard and continuing grants will be awarded. Large and complex projects may be awarded as cooperative agreements.

The specific grant type will be determined on a proposal by proposal basis. 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.

Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. There are no restrictions or limits. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: There are no restrictions or limits. 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 . In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following: Collaborative Proposals.

All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research. gov. PAPPG Chapter II. D.

3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals. See PAPPG Chapter II. C.

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. The following information provides instructions that supplement the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Cover Page: The title should be descriptive of the project and avoid acronyms or proper names that merely identify rather than describe the research project. Any relevant prefixes as per PAPPG or other solicitation (e.g., RUI:, RCN:) guidelines should be applied to the title.

Project Summary (1 page): Each Project Summary must include the following sections labelled as they are here: Overview : This section should begin with a comma-separated list of keywords as the first line. It should then provide a brief overview of the proposed activities, planned deliverables, and the anticipated impacts on the research community.

Intellectual Merit : This section should include a brief description of the proposed activities and the anticipated impacts on basic biological research. Broader Impacts : This section should include a brief description of the potential impacts beyond the targeted research community, including general science, educational, or public audiences.

Project Description (maximum length 15 pages): The first paragraph of the project description should provide a concise, clear description of the proposed infrastructure innovation that will be developed under this award.

It should describe, using a minimum of specialized language, what the infrastructure will consist of, how the proposed innovation will provide unique infrastructure or significantly improve upon existing infrastructure, and what science will be advanced through this infrastructure innovation. Specific attention should be paid to the anticipated impact on the community served by the proposed innovation.

In addition to these general guidelines, Innovation proposals must contain the following specific sections labeled as shown: Project Relevance to Advancing Basic Biological Research. This section of the project description should address the biological user community impacted by the proposed effort and provide evidence of the need for the proposed innovation as compared to existing capabilities.

Proposals should also explicitly state how the proposed work will advance the capabilities of the biological research community as it specifically relates to the research as supported by the divisions within the NSF’s Directorate for Biological Sciences.

This section should describe the planned activities, including the design of the proposed innovation, performance metrics, the biological research motivations for performance criteria, and how the design plan derives from these motivations. This section should also include a discussion of the expected results and a risk assessment with alternative approaches should the proposed favored approach fail.

The development plan should contain sufficient detail to allow assessment of the feasibility of the innovation and the potential success of the project. Included in this section should be details of a timeline for assessing development objectives. This section should present a task analysis description that justifies the requested personnel funding over the duration of the proposed project.

Included in this section should be details on project management including annual milestones for judging productivity and progress, roles and responsibilities of all key personnel, risk assessment, means of communication and data management within the project team, and integration of new team members. General guidance is provided in the NSF PAPPG, Chapter II. D.

2. d(i). For all activities or outcomes described under broader impacts, demonstrate how they will benefit from proposed infrastructure.

Communication and Dissemination. Describe how knowledge obtained through support of this work will be disseminated to its target audience and to the broader biological, interdisciplinary, and other audiences. When appropriate, describe how the products (instrumentation, software, research methods) of this work will be accessible to its target audience and to the broader biological, interdisciplinary, and other audiences.

Provide a clear statement of relevant intellectual property considerations and any constraints these may place on access to the proposed resource. Identify what metrics will be used to measure success toward the stated goals of the project (both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts) and by what process the projects will collect and evaluate them.

Note : Inclusion of URLs linking to external resources for the purpose of providing additional description of the proposed project is not allowed, but citations are permitted. Reviewers will be advised to review what is presented in the 15 pages and not to consider additional information provided on a web site. Additional guidance on page limitations and inclusion of uniform resource locators is provided in the NSF PAPPG.

Results from Prior NSF Support. The Project Description must contain, as its own distinct element within the narrative, a section labeled "Results from Prior NSF Support". General guidance is provided in the NSF PAPPG, Chapter II.

D. 2. d(iii).

Where appropriate, distinguish between the proposed resource and any existing infrastructure resulting from prior NSF support. When appropriate, this section must include evidence of deposition of samples, data and/or data products in recognized, accessible, community-accepted repositories by listing such repositories and, if practical, metadata.

All publications, data, data products, programs and/or scripts that are specifically mentioned in the Results from Prior NSF Support section must be referenced in the References Cited section and must provide unique, resolvable and persistent identifiers (such as Digital Object Identifiers [DOIs]; Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), or similar).

Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources (Maximum length 2 pages): The purpose of the facilities section is to document those existing resources, including laboratory space, instrumentation, computational equipment, or effort that will contribute to the project goals. List only those resources that will be used by the project and understand that listing them implies a commitment that they will be available.

No dollar amounts may be referenced for any resource discussed in the Facilities section. If the budget requests funds for equipment, materials, or resources identified in the facilities section, the budget justification should clearly account for the duplication.

DBI expects that institutions suitable for the development of advanced infrastructure will typically have adequate computing and equipment resources as well as appropriate support staff to facilitate the proposed research. Special Information and Supplementary Documents: Letters of Collaboration . All proposed activities must be documented in the Project Description.

Statements from individuals whose role is discussed in the Project Description as providing assistance or collaboration to the project must follow the NSF PAPPG, Chapter II. D. 2.

i(iv). No other letters will be accepted. Inclusion of other letters will be cause for return without review.

Quotes, estimates or price lists that verify the basis for budget estimates for any capital equipment and contracted or consultant services. These may include plans, drawings, or other graphical content provided with those estimates.

Memoranda of Understanding, permits, licenses, agreements, or other documents as appropriate that demonstrate that the awardee institution has the appropriate authority to carry out proposed activities on property or resources owned by other organizations. For example, permits allowing a university to improve a facility on federally owned land. Data Management and Sharing Plan .

For proposals that include specimen collection or generation: Reproducibility of research and reuse of biological specimens and data can be enabled by long-term accessibility to reference samples with verified identification records.

It is expected that some biological research projects will include the collection and creation of biological specimens and associated metadata, some, or all of which will be essential for reproducibility, reuse, and/or vouchering according to accepted community norms, best-practices, or standards.

Examples include, but are not limited to, organisms, parts of organisms, fossils including trace fossils, microbial or other living isolates, and environmental samples.

Therefore, PIs who propose to generate and/or collect specimens in the execution of their research that will be vouchered or deposited into some type of resource designed for enabling their reuse are required to include in the Data Management Plan a section titled "Specimen Management Plan," which should include a description of which specimens and associated data will be permanently accessioned into and maintained in an established repository or other similar resource.

PIs planning to deposit specimens, as well as those who do not, should indicate how their plans are consistent with community norms, best-practices, or standards.

Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork (SAHF) Plan All proposals submitted to this solicitation that include research that will be conducted off-campus or off-site must submit a plan for safe and harassment-free fieldwork as a supplemental document that will be considered under the broader impacts review criterion. This supplemental document is in lieu of the required plan associated with the certification called for in Chapter II. E.

9 of the PAPPG. More information regarding review of the plan is provided under Solicitation Specific Review Criteria. It is NSF policy to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted.

Work conducted off-campus or off-site should be an enriching experience for everyone and help draw researchers to biological sciences research. By requiring advanced planning and attention to maintaining a harassment-free environment, NSF is working to ensure that off-campus or off-site research is safe for all participants.

Off-campus or off-site research is defined as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft. The plan must be no longer than two pages.

The SAHF Plan must include: a brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team; the steps the proposing organization will take to nurture a harassment-free off-campus or off-site working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events; communication processes within the off-site team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone);and the organizational mechanisms that will be used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment if they arise.

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Budget Preparation Instructions: Budget Guidance: Budgets must be well justified according to the effort required to carry out the proposed work. Typical award budgets vary widely depending on the nature of the innovation and the resources and effort required to implement them.

Proposers are advised to pay close attention to the following guidelines: For proposals requiring substantial PI and/or senior personnel effort to carry out the proposed aims and activities, proposers should carefully read the NSF PAPPG section II. D. 2.

f(i)(a) concerning Senior Project Personnel Salaries. The budget justification should clearly identify how the NSF funds will be allocated to the major activities and deliverables identified in the project description. It must be clear how the effort requested for each individual is apportioned to the activities they will be doing.

For major equipment or software purchases, a vendor, model, and price quote should be included or referenced with a catalog citation. Travel requests must be justified in reference to specific activities described in the proposal’s scope of work. Foreign travel must identify the destination country or countries.

Costs for the use of independent resources such as computational services, data acquisition, repositories, sample processing, or other services may be allowable budget items and should be documented with confirmation of costs and availability.

If there is an institutional policy setting direct cost fees for the use of internal computational facilities by sponsored projects, then funds for these fees should be included on line G4 Computer Services as per the NSF PAPPG section II. D. 2.

f(vi)(d) Budgets must not include costs on other lines that are redundant with the services provided by these fees. Full Proposal Deadline(s) : Proposals Accepted Anytime 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 1-800-673-6188 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.

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/ . 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;