NSF 16-528: Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN)

NSF 16-528: Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) is sponsored by NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Supports interdisciplinary networks focusing on learning research.

NSF 16-528: Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Archived funding opportunity This solicitation is archived. 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 16-528: Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) Download the solicitation (PDF, 0.

6mb) National Science Foundation Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences Directorate for Education & Human Resources Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering Directorate for Engineering Directorate for Biological Sciences Office of International Science and Engineering Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time): Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.

m. proposer's local time): Important Information And Revision Notes This Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) solicitation seeks to support integrative, interdisciplinary research projects that investigate learning in humans, other animals, and machines. The SL Program follows on the Science of Learning Centers (SLC) Program that held its final competition in 2005; no future SLC competitions are planned.

This solicitation is active for one year, but future SL solicitations are anticipated. This solicitation represents only minor changes from the SL-CN FY 2015 solicitation ( NSF 15-532 ). This new solicitation clarifies program goals and offers revised examples of research topics.

There are two substantive changes in this FY 2016 solicitation. For proposals submitted to this solicitation, proposers must include their Results from Prior NSF Support information as a supplementary document instead of in the proposal's Project Description.

If an individual appears as a principal investigator (PI), Co-PI, Senior Personnel (or any similar designation), or elsewhere in the proposal budget in more than one proposal submitted in response to this solicitation, all proposals submitted with that person will be returned without review. ( No exceptions made ).

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 16-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 25, 2016. Please be advised that proposers who opt to submit prior to January 25, 2016, must also follow the guidelines contained in NSF 16-1.

Summary Of Program Requirements Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) The goals of the Science of Learning (SL) Program are to: advance fundamental knowledge about learning through integrative research; connect the research to specific scientific, technological, educational, and workforce challenges; and enable research communities to capitalize on new opportunities and discoveries.

The program supports projects that emphasize consilience of knowledge, adopting diverse disciplinary approaches to shared research questions. The program seeks to develop robust and integrated accounts of contexts, mechanisms, and effective strategies of learning. This solicitation invites proposals for the creation of new research networks to address important integrative questions in the science of learning.

Each network must identify an integrative research goal involving convergence of evidence from the diverse disciplinary approaches represented by participants in the network. The proposed research must substantially advance understanding of learning in more than a single discipline.

Networks may focus on advancing basic research through experiments and theory, as well as translating findings from basic research on learning to applications in order to benefit society and further inform fundamental theories of learning. This solicitation is for proposals that do not fit into existing NSF programs, by virtue of the emphasis on interdisciplinarity in service of knowledge consilience and integration.

Each network is expected to engage in both of the following activities: Partnership-building activities among the network participants to optimize scientific exchange for the co-design and execution of network goals; and Collaborative, integrative research to be conducted by the network participants. Integrative research must address questions of genuine significance across multiple disciplines, or multiples levels of analysis.

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.

Tatiana Korelsky, CISE/IIS, CISE/CNS, Michelle Elekonich, BIO/IOS, Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering --- Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences --- Education and Human Resources --- Office of International Science and Engineering Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 13 Contingent on the availability of funds and receipt of competitive proposals, NSF expects to make 13 awards under this solicitation.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $9,750,000 Up to $9. 75 million is expected to be available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. Contingent on the availability of funds and receipt of competitive proposals, NSF expects to make 13 awards under this solicitation.

Awards are expected to be up to three years in duration with a maximum award size of $750,000 total costs over the full duration of the project. Who May Submit Proposals: The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I, Section E. 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: 1 An individual may appear as Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI, Senior Personnel (or any similar designation), or elsewhere in the proposal budget in no more than one proposal submitted in response to this solicitation. Proposers are responsible for adhering to this limit.

In cases where an investigator appears in these roles in two or more proposals, all proposals submitted with that person will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions A.

Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Guidelines apply.

The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ.

jsp? ods_key=gpg . 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. Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.

m. proposer's local time): Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p. m.

proposer's local time): Proposal Review Information Criteria National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations 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. Learning is central to advancing performance and capability in humans, other animals, and machines.

It is critical throughout the lifespan, enabling development and adaptation to changing environments. Advances in fundamental knowledge about learning are urgently needed for development of innovative technology, gains in productivity and economic growth, improvement of educational practices, and preparation of a next generation workforce able to meet challenges yet unknown.

Learning is complex, and many investigators from multiple disciplinary perspectives conduct research on this topic. Advances in the integration and accumulation of this knowledge notwithstanding, key knowledge remains fragmented across and within disciplines. Progress is hampered by the jingle of studying different phenomena under the same name, and the jangle of studying the same phenomena under different names.

A deep and comprehensive understanding of learning requires integration across multiple perspectives and levels of analysis. NSF is uniquely positioned to lead efforts towards consilience of knowledge in this area, as the SL Program builds on and further tests the concordance of evidence relevant to learning gained by NSF investments in all of the scientific disciplines, education and engineering.

The full ambition of this Program links the science, engineering and education efforts to achieve NSF’s strategic goals to: 1) transform the frontiers of science and engineering, and 2) stimulate innovation and address societal needs through research and education.

This solicitation is jointly issued and managed by six NSF organizations: Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE); Education & Human Resources (EHR); Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE); Engineering (ENG); Biological Sciences (BIO); and Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).

Its goals are to foster the creation of new networks of investigators who will integrate scientific ideas across disciplines and professions to conduct innovative research that has the potential to provide new linkages, and syntheses of knowledge for transformative advances in our understanding of learning.

This solicitation is designed to support projects that – due to the activities supported and their interdisciplinarity and integrative breadth – do not fit into existing NSF programs. The SL program construes learning broadly, including that of humans, other animals and machines.

Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) invites proposals for the creation of new networks of investigators, each of which will engage researchers from different disciplines to focus on (an) important and integrative question(s) in the SL.

Networks will focus on advancing basic research through integrative, interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies, through integration of theory and experiment, and by translating findings from basic research on learning to applications to benefit society and further inform fundamental theories of learning.

Each network is expected to engage in both of the following activities: Partnership-building activities among the network participants to optimize scientific exchange for the co-design and execution of network goals. Collaborative, integrative research to be conducted by the network participants. The integrative research might be a single project or multiple projects.

To be integrative, the proposed research must address questions of genuine significance across multiple disciplines. The examples below illustrate the idea of integrative interdisciplinary research on learning. Such research involves identifying foundational questions about learning that span disciplines, for which convergence and integration of evidence from diverse disciplinary approaches will lead to new insights/approaches.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive; the solicitation is open to networks focusing on all topics and approaches that address significant questions in the SL. Examples of integrative, interdisciplinary research approaches: Combining experimental, computational, and mathematical modeling approaches to study learning.

For example, developing models of significant learning problems and conducting translational research in educational settings to refine the models and advance basic research on mechanisms of learning. Drawing on research from multiple disciplines to identify important commonalities across seemingly different learning problems or to identify important differences across seemingly similar learning problems.

For example, comparing machine learning algorithms with cognitive theories of human classification and using this comparison to advance work in both disciplines. Using knowledge derived from basic research on how people learn to inform the design of learning technologies and sensors while simultaneously collecting data on the effectiveness/use of technologies to further theory development.

For example, developing innovative assistive technologies, while collecting data to both refine the technologies and to further understand learning disabilities. Examples that would not be considered integrative, interdisciplinary: Using theories, measures, and instruments from one discipline to address research questions in another without reciprocation.

For example collecting neural data to predict who will benefit from an instructional intervention would not be integrative unless the results also fed back such that understanding of the underlying neural or cognitive constructs was informed by research in the educational context. Projects that argue for interdisciplinary significance without directly engaging with other disciplines.

For example, drawing out implications for mathematics instruction based on cognitive theories would not be integrative unless the hypotheses are directly tested in an educational setting. A project developing new computational models of learning inspired by neuroscience must also advance research in neuroscience, or in some other discipline (e.g., lead to development of improved sensors or engineered learning systems).

Conducting parallel studies of related phenomena using approaches from different disciplines. For example, developing cognitive and computational models of the same data would not be integrative unless the models are compared and reconciled.

The scientific directions described above have been informed by the Advisory Committee to the NSF Directorate of Social, Behavioral, & Economic Sciences , and benefited from input by scientific experts and other relevant stakeholders who participated in the following events: the NSF-OECD Conference - Innovation in Education: Connecting How we Learn to Educational Practice and Policy, Research Evidence and Implications (2012) ; Glial Biology of Learning (2013) , and the Physical and Mathematical Principles of Brain Structure and Function Workshop (2013) .

In addition, the goals of the new SL Program are informed by several recent National Research Council/National Academy of Engineering reports targeting K-16 educational research: STEM Integration in K-12 Education (2014) ; Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards (2014) ; Education for Life and Work (2012) ; and Disciplined-Based Education Research (2012) .

Also informative was Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development . The Guidelines, developed jointly by the NSF and the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education, describe types of research studies and suggest forms of evidence appropriate for claims for each type.

This solicitation complements related, ongoing programs at the NSF, but is expressly designed to support projects that – due to their interdisciplinarity, integrative breadth and range of activities (i.e., partnership-building and collaborative, exploratory research) – do not fit into existing NSF programs.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss with the cognizant Program Directors the suitability of these related programs for the applicant’s proposed project: Cyberlearning and Future Learning Technologies (Cyberlearning) Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) STEM-C Partnerships: MSP (STEM-CP: MSP) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation (PRIME) Developmental and Learning Sciences (DLS) Perception, Action & Cognition (PAC) Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) Energy, Power, Control and Networks (EPCN) Engineering and Systems Design (ESD) The SL goals are congruent with the BRAIN ( Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies ) Initiative, a major investment by the NSF, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and several non-government partners.

As described in its fact sheet (September 30, 2014), “The BRAIN Initiative “will accelerate the development and application of new technologies that will enable researchers to produce dynamic pictures of the brain that show how individual brain cells and complex neural circuits interact at the speed of thought.

These technologies will open new doors to explore how the brain records, processes, uses, stores, and retrieves vast quantities of information, and shed light on the complex links between brain function and behavior.

“ In addition, this solicitation aligns with the National Robotics Initiative , an effort by the NSF, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Defense, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to support the development of robots that work with or beside people to extend or augment human capabilities.

The SL goals are congruent with NSF's continuing interest in increasing diversity and in broadening participation . Networks addressing topics in the Science of Learning relating to issues that affect broadening participation are welcome under this solicitation.

Examples of topics relevant to broadening participation include: what and how social-cultural influence (e.g. gender and racial stereotypes) affect learning in ways that result in under-participation in STEM across demographic groups, and ways in which these effects could be mitigated; and how do stresses from low socio-economic circumstances affect learning, resulting in poor readiness to learn, under-preparation and lack of opportunity to learn meaningful, relevant STEM content.

Up to $9. 75 million is expected to be available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. Contingent on the availability of funds and receipt of competitive proposals, NSF expects to make 13 awards under this solicitation.

Awards are expected to be up to three years in duration with a maximum award size of $750,000 total costs over the full duration of the project. IV. Eligibility Information Who May Submit Proposals: The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I, Section E.

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: 1 An individual may appear as Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI, Senior Personnel (or any similar designation), or elsewhere in the proposal budget in no more than one proposal submitted in response to this solicitation.

Proposers are responsible for adhering to this limit. In cases where an investigator appears in these roles in two or more proposals, all proposals submitted with that person will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

Additional Eligibility Info: If the proposed network is multi-organizational, a single organization must serve as the lead with other organizations as subawardees. Separately submitted collaborative proposals will not be accepted. Organizations ineligible to submit proposals to the NSF may not receive subawards.

If such organizations are proposed as network participants, their participation is expected to be supported by non-NSF sources. V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions A.

Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent (required) : Potential proposers may not submit a proposal to this solicitation without first submitting a corresponding FastLane Letter of Intent (LOI) by the LOI deadline. Submitting a LOI does not obligate potential proposers to submit a full proposal.

NSF will use the LOIs to: 1) gauge the size and range of the proposals that may be submitted in response to this solicitation; 2) enable earlier identification and better management of potential panelists; and 3) assist with identifying potential conflicts of interest that may affect review of proposals.

In addition, NSF anticipates that writing an LOI for this competition will encourage early development of prospective partnerships among prospective network participants. In the “Synopsis” text data field of the LOI, PIs must provide a statement of the purpose and goals (scientific and other) of the proposed network, with sufficient detail to permit an appropriate selection of potential reviewers.

PIs should also include a description of nodes of expertise that would be harnessed to achieve the network’s goals. LOIs must include, in the “Other Comments” text data field, full names, institutional affiliations, and disciplines for all project Senior Personnel (including subawardees), and a rationale for their selection relative to the network’s goals.

This section should also include examples of the kinds of collaborative activities that would be undertaken to promote meaningful intellectual integration and synergy of efforts among members of the network. Estimated total funding request is required when submitting LOIs. A maximum of $750,000 total costs (i.e., direct plus indirect costs) over the full duration of the project may be requested.

Letter of Intent Preparation Instructions : When submitting a Letter of Intent through FastLane in response to this Program Solicitation please note the conditions outlined below: Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) Submission is not required when submitting Letters of Intent.

Submission of multiple Letters of Intent is not allowed Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Grants. gov or via the NSF FastLane system.

Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf.

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

Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf. gov . Proposers are reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation.

Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing. 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) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf. gov .

See Chapter II. C. 2 of the GPG 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 GPG instructions. The full proposal must include only the main documents and supplementary documents described in Sections 1-10e below. Proposals that exceed the specified page limitations or that include documents other than those specified below will be returned without review.

Cover Sheet: The proposal should have a short informative title that begins with “SL-CN:” For planning purposes, use September 30, 2016 as the award start date.

Project Summary (1-page limit): Provide a clear and concise description of the network including its purpose and goals, relating these to the SL Program goals and identifying the specific integrated interdisciplinary research question to be addressed by the proposed network.

The summary should be written in the third person, and be informative to persons working in the same or related fields, and understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader. Both of the NSF merit review criteria (intellectual merit and broader impacts) must be addressed in separate statements (see NSF Grant Proposal Guide for additional instructions).

Table of Contents: A table of contents is automatically generated for the proposal by FastLane or Grants. gov and cannot be edited. Project Description: The Project Description must contain only Sections 4a through 4d described below and cannot exceed 15 pages, including tables and illustrations: Note: Results from Prior NSF Support should be part of the List of Participants Supplement (see section 10.

a). Purpose, Goals, and Research Plan: Each network should have a statement of purpose that makes clear the network’s focal scientific questions about learning, and the integrative, interdisciplinary approaches that will be used to address the questions. The significance of the SL questions to be addressed by the collaborative network should be described in the context of current national (and if relevant, international) activity.

Proposers should describe the network’s goals and the research projects that capitalize on the combination of expertise in the proposed network to achieve those goals and make transformative advances in our understanding of learning.

Each proposal should describe a shared conceptual framework that enables research that will produce results that will enhance theories and methodological approaches or other positive impact across a range of disciplinary fields that participate in the SL.

For example, what new thinking and/or solutions to problems will be enabled, through the application and testing of new theoretical frameworks, or the use of new methods or novel combinations of methods that capitalize on new institutional/investigator partnerships?

Management Plan for Network Structure, Interdisciplinarity and Integration: Proposals must include a plan for how the network will be managed, including a description of network-wide procedures, practices, infrastructure, and other resources that will foster meaningful collaborations and enable the network to achieve its goals.

Mechanisms for planning, decision making, conflict resolution, and allocating funds should be clearly articulated. The proposal should identify innovative activities that will be employed to facilitate collaborations among partners (e.g., exchange of graduate students or postdoctoral researchers; webinars, team-taught or distance-learning courses; shared access to data/cyberinfrastructure, facilities, and equipment).

Each proposal should describe the key nodes of expertise represented by the network participants and how these will be harnessed to integrate scientific ideas across disciplines/professions and achieve the network’s goals. Proposers should include a time-line for expected outcomes and milestones.

Although collaborative networks may include multiple Co-PIs and/or different institutions, a single organization must serve as the submitting organization for each proposal. The PI is the designated contact person for the project and is expected to provide leadership in fully coordinating and integrating the activities of the network.

In addition to investigators, network participants may include stakeholders from relevant organizations such as informal and formal educational institutions, family/preschool/workplace settings, defense/security agencies, non-profit organizations, and private industry, as appropriate.

For projects with international partners, proposers should describe the mutual benefits that will accrue as a result of intellectual collaboration with foreign partner(s) that bring particular expertise, skills, facilities, sites and/or resources to the network, including the active engagement of U.S. students and early-career researchers in the international aspects of the collaborative network activities.

Broader Impacts: The Project Description must contain, as a separate section within the narrative, a section labeled "Broader Impacts." This section should provide a discussion of the broader impacts of the proposed activities. For further information see the Grant Proposal Guide .

Biographical Sketches: A maximum of 10 biographical sketches (two-page limit per person) should be provided, including those for the PI, Co-PIs and other Senior Personnel. Biographical sketches for any international partners (limited to three) should be included and count towards the 10 biographical sketch limit. Budget and Allowable Costs: Proposers should provide annual budgets for up to three years.

The proposed budget can be up to $750,000 total costs over the full duration of the project and should be consistent with the costs for the network’s partnership building and exploratory research activities. For proposals involving multiple organizations, a budget on the standard NSF budget form and corresponding budget justification should be submitted for each subawardee.

Since this program does not accept separately submitted collaborative proposals, the submitting organization will manage funds allocated to other participating organizations as subawards. FastLane or Grants. gov will automatically generate cumulative budgets for the primary and subaward organizations.

See the Grant Proposal Guide for additional requirements regarding subawardees. Organizations ineligible to submit to this program solicitation may not receive subawards. If they are part of the proposed network, their participation is expected to be supported by non-NSF sources.

Funds may be requested to promote collaborative activities, such as short visits among member laboratories, exchange visits of students, sharing of unique facilities, establishment of a public web site, network retreats, partial support of workshops uniquely tied to the network activities, etc. Any well-justified activity that fulfills the goals of the program will be considered.

Funds may also be used to support collaborative, exploratory research projects among the participants. Applicants should budget funds for the network Leaders (PIs and up to two Co-PIs) to attend a PI meeting at NSF headquarters in Arlington, VA, during year 1 of the project.

Note that funds requested to support activities of the network participants, such as participant travel, materials and supplies for the network projects, and network retreats should be listed as "participant support" in the proposed budget, and managed by the submitting organization. Please refer to the Grant Proposal Guide for guidance regarding any proposed international travel.

Budget Justification (up to 3 pages for the Lead and 3 pages for each subawardee): The Budget Justification must clearly explain how funds will be used in carrying out the project. International participation: NSF funds may not be used to support the expenses of the international scientists and students at their home organization.

For projects that involve international partners, NSF funds may be used for the following: 1) Travel expenses for U.S. scientists and students participating in exchange visits integral to the SL collaborative network project; 2) Expenses for international partners to participate in SL collaborative networking activities while in the US; and 3) Expenses for U.S. participants to conduct SL collaborative networking activities in the international partner's home laboratory.

SL Network participants from institutions outside the U.S. should obtain support from their respective funding organizations for other expenses related to their participation in the network. Current and Pending Support: Proposers should provide current and pending support information for the PI and Co-PIs only (i.e., only those persons listed on the cover sheet of the proposal).

Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources (1-page limit): Proposers should provide a description of the facilities and major instrumentation that are available.

Special Information and Supplementary Documentation: In addition to the applicable items described in the Grant Proposal Guide , proposers should include the following information, clearly labeled, in the Supplementary Documentation section of the proposal (No other material will be allowed): List of Participants(4-page limit): For up to 10 participants, including the PI, Co-PIs and Senior Personnel, provide: name; project role; departmental and institutional/organizational affiliation; discipline(s).

Significant results from prior NSF support for each participant may be included in this supplement. The participants listed should be the same ones for whom biographical sketches are included in the proposal.

Conflicts of Interest list: Provide a list, in a single alphabetized table, with the full names and institutional affiliations of all people with conflicts of interest for the PI, Co-PI(s), other Senior Personnel, and any named personnel whose salary is requested in the project budget.

Conflicts to be identified are: 1) PhD thesis advisors or advisees; 2) collaborators or co-authors, including postdocs, for the past 48 months; and 3) any other individuals or organizations with which the investigator has financial ties. Data Management Plan: All proposals must include a two-page (maximum) Data Management Plan as a Supplementary Document.

This plan should describe issues related to information exchange, intellectual property rights, derived products, databases, software, model output, and materials sharing. For example, if the proposed activity is expected