Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC)

Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The PFI:BIC program supports academe-industry partnerships, led by an interdisciplinary academic research team with at least one industry partner, to collaborate in building technological and human innovation capacity.

NSF 15-610: Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) | 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 15-610: Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) Posted: September 21, 2015 Download the solicitation (PDF, 1.

5mb) National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering Industrial Innovation and Partnerships Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering Division of Computer and Network Systems Division of Information & Intelligent Systems 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 Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) supports academe-industry partnerships, which are led by an interdisciplinary academic research team collaborating with at least one industry partner in order to carry out research to advance, adapt, and integrate technology(ies) into a specified, human-centered smart service system .

The selected service system should function as a technology test bed. Partnership projects are unrestricted as to domain knowledge and application areas and should be in the translational, pre-commercialization space, building on fundamental research discoveries with the objective of creating or transforming a “smart(er)” service system that has the potential for significant social and economic impact.

This program solicitation is pursuant to program solicitation NSF 14-610 . Proposers should review all solicitation requirements carefully before submitting a proposal. Only major revisions to this solicitation are noted below.

Minimum partnership requirement. One primary partner that is either a for-profit or a not-for profit industrial partner (also known as a corporate or a business partner) that has commercial revenues .

It is essential that a designated minimally-qualifying industrial partner have experience with having brought a product, process, service, or system to the marketplace, thereby providing an informed business perspective to the academe-industry team. Research plan.

In the Project Description, the description of the research plan now must include a discussion of the synergies and new knowledge expected from the interdisciplinary and cross-organizational research involved in the PFI:BIC partnership project. Project framework. The Project Framework, formerly Supplementary Document (1), has been embedded in the Project Description.

Preliminary patent search (optional). The Preliminary Patent Search, formerly Supplementary Document (6), is now optional. For some projects, it may serve as a partial demonstration of knowledge of the competitive landscape and state-of-the-art.

(See Project Description, Part 1A ). Additional merit review criteria. See the " Other Additional Review Criteria " section for changes.

Examine these criteria carefully. 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). NSF anticipates release of the PAPPG in the Fall of 2015 and it will be 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 Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) The Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) program supports academe-industry partnerships which are led by an interdisciplinary academic research team collaborating with a least one industry partner.

In this program, there is a heavy emphasis on the quality, composition, and participation of the partners, including the appropriate contributions for each role.

These partnerships focus on the integration of technologies into a specified human-centered service system with the potential to achieve transformational change, satisfying a real need by making an existing service system smart(er) or by spurring the creation of an entirely new smart service system. The selected service system should function as a test bed.

Service systems are socio-technical configurations of people, technologies, organizations, and information [ 1 ] designed to create value by fulfilling the needs of those participating in the system. A "smart" service system is a system that amplifies or augments human capabilities [ 2 ] to identify, learn, adapt, monitor and make decisions.

The system utilizes data received, transmitted, or processed in a timely manner, thus improving its response to future situations.

These capabilities are the result of the incorporation of technologies for sensing, actuation, coordination, communication, control, etc. PFI:BIC funds research partnerships working on projects that operate in the post-fundamental/translational space; the proposers must be mindful of the state of the art and the competitive landscape, yet recognize that it is not a central task in this proposal to carve out, or be on, a clear path to commercialization.

These projects require additional effort to integrate the technology into a real service system, incorporating human factors considerations to assure the system’s efficacy. The research tasks in turn might spawn additional discoveries inspired by this interaction of humans with the technology.

Partnership activities that drive sustained innovation include the targeted allocation of resources such as capital, time, and facilities; and sharing of knowledge in a cross-organizational and interdisciplinary context.

The research tasks of the project must demonstrate a highly collaborative research plan involving participation of the primary industrial partner(s) as well as of any other primary partners with the academic researcher during the life of the award.

NSF recognizes that a highly interdisciplinary collaboration involving many areas of expertise beyond those related to the technology is needed to achieve successful integration into a smart service system. The research components to be included in this project are: 1) engineered system design and integration; 2) computing, sensing, and information technologies; and 3) human factors, behavioral sciences, and cognitive engineering.

The proposer must show how these components will be integrated in the context of the project as part of the research plan in the Project Description. WEBINARS: Webinars will be held to answer questions about the solicitation. Register on the PFI:BIC website where details will be posted ( https://www.

nsf. gov/eng/iip/pfi/bic. jsp ).

Potential proposers and their partners are encouraged to attend.

Also encouraged to attend are the following stakeholders in the successful review of PFI:BIC proposals: Vice Presidents for Research, Vice Presidents for Research and Innovation, and academic personnel concerned with the review of their respective institution’s selection of candidates for submission, individuals from Sponsored Research Offices, and those focused on the identification and understanding of limited application submissions.

[ 1 ] Spohrer, J. , Maglio, P. , Bailey, J.

, Gruhl, D. (2007). Steps towards a science of service systems.

Computer 40(1):71-77. doi:10. 1109/MC.

2007. 33. [ 2 ] Ng, I.

(2015). The Internet of Everything and the Future of Service. Speech, 2015 Frontiers in Service Conference in San Jose, CA.

Accessible online at: http://hubofallthings. com/hat-in-the-usa/ . 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. Alexandra Medina-Borja, ENG/OAD, Hector Munoz-Avila, CISE/IIS, Alexander Leonessa, ENG/CBET, Leon Esterowitz, ENG/CBET, William J. Cooper, ENG/CBET, Jordan M.

Berg, ENG/CMMI, Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 10 Anticipated Funding Amount: $10,000,000 Anticipated Funding Amount is subject to the availability of funds and the quality of proposals received. Awards may be up to $1,000,000 with an award duration of three (3) years.

Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: U.S. universities and two-and four-year colleges (including community and technical colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations are also referred to as academic institutions. The lead (submitting) organization must be an academic institution.

For a single project, only one proposal should be submitted, and the lead academic institution should be the submitter. Additional partners that will be compensated via the grant should participate as subawardees in the proposal (rather than submitting a separate proposal); i.e., no separately submitted collaborative proposals will be accepted. The PI cannot concurrently be a PI on more than one active PFI:BIC award.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2 Academic institutions are limited to participation on two (2) proposals as a lead institution, preferably involving distinct application areas. A lead academic institution that has submitted a proposal has the option to participate as a subawardee on additional proposals submitted under this solicitation.

Lead academic institutions that have submitted a proposal may also provide consultants to other proposals submitted under this solicitation. Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: 1 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. National economic and societal well-being is dependent upon research and technology-based innovation. NSF's role of supporting fundamental research across all fields of science and engineering has become ever more relevant to economic competitiveness and value creation.

The Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) program establishes and expands partnerships, providing the motivation and foundation to build on fundamental research discoveries in technological areas with high potential for effective integration into service systems.

These strategic partnerships, which create an academe-industry collaborative culture, are in a position to advance and adapt technologies elucidated by human factors research in the context of a specified human-centered, smart service system. Other federal programs also contribute to the goal of innovation.

Internal to NSF, there are the following programs: Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research ( PFI:AIR ), Innovation Corps ( I-Corps TM ), Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer ( SBIR/STTR ), Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry ( GOALI ), and Industry University Cooperative Research Centers ( I/UCRC ).

For more information on these programs, go to the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships website: https://www. nsf. gov/div/index.

jsp? org=IIP . The National Science Foundation invites requests for funding in the area of smart service systems under this Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) solicitation.

The hallmark of PFI:BIC is an academe-industry partnership crafted to collaborate on research to advance and adapt key technology(ies) for integration into a specified human-centered smart service system. Sensing, actuating, and computational and communication technologies and their integration into smart service systems have the potential for abundant societal and economic benefits.

The perspectives, competencies, and commitments of both academe and industry are needed to address the central issue of advancing and adapting technology to interact with humans in order to create or add value in a service system. Knowledge gained in the course of the integration process may generate additional research activities and additional discoveries that will become essential part(s) of the system.

A clear understanding of the state of the art of the technologies and the competitive landscape of the proposed service system should help not only to guide project activities, but also to act as a filter when a proposer and his/her institution is deciding whether a project is a viable candidate for submission.

Service systems are socio-technical configurations of people, technologies, organizations, and information [ 1 ] designed to create value by fulfilling the needs of those participating in the system. A "smart" service system is a system that amplifies or augments human capabilities [ 2 ] to identify, to learn, to adapt, to monitor and to make decisions.

The system does so through self-detection, self-diagnosing, self-correcting, self-monitoring, self-organizing, self-replicating, or self-controlled functions. The system utilizes data received, transmitted, or processed in a timely manner, thus improving its response to a future situation.

These capabilities are the result of the incorporation of technologies for sensing, actuation, coordination, communication, control, etc. These technologies are inspired by fundamental research discoveries and should have the potential to achieve transformational change in an existing service system or to spur the creation of entirely new systems.

The technologies themselves may or may not be considered “smart”; however, the creative way in which they are designed, configured, and integrated into a service system makes the system exhibit smart behavior.

For example, research in cyber-physical systems (CPS), has enabled creation of systems that collect large amounts of data, analyze them in conjunction with historical data, and control/actuate the physical components in real-time. CPS research can be effectively leveraged in the creation of smart services in PFI:BIC partnership projects.

Proposals must specify a service system to function as a technology test bed and include activities for testing and evaluating the system’s efficacy in this real life service environment. First and foremost, a signature characteristic of service systems in the NSF context is a smart service system that is human-centered.

Human interaction with technologies and with physical and virtual realities can produce and deliver service(s) never before imagined. A human-centered service system involves stakeholders (e.g., users, recipients, beneficiaries, providers, and/or decision makers) utilizing the information and capability provided by the service system.

Additionally, the interactions need to add value to a human or group(s) of humans who ultimately benefit from the interactions. Smart cities, smart transportation, precision agriculture, smart healthcare, and smart infrastructure are all examples of service systems with the potential to improve quality of life.

Solutions to improve government services, including self-service and customized service technologies, are also likely to improve efficacy and quality. Examples of other service systems where smart technologies could make a difference include disaster mitigation and humanitarian services, communication services, and utilities, to name a few [3] .

In addition, with more frequent and ubiquitous use of networks that link information, people, processes, and products, manufacturing firms are increasingly developing service solutions [4] [5] . Smart technology will undoubtedly be needed to adapt supply chains to this new manufacturing paradigm shift where again, the human element will be central [6] .

Academe-Industry Partnerships Strong PFI:BIC partnerships are characterized by the partners' expertise, experience, and significant measurable commitment to the project, with clear contributions as well as technical and/or economic "takeaways" [7] for all parties involved.

The partnership should be crafted to achieve research accomplishments that would not have been possible without the interdisciplinary expertise and the joint perspectives of academe and industry at a formative stage. Moreover, it should be clear how the partners specifically complement each other in the context of the project.

It follows that it is very important that the partners (each and every one of them) have vetted the proposal and are clear about where they each fit in the larger collaborative research effort. The primary members of a partnership are an academic research team and at least one industry partner.

At least one industry partner or appropriate entity in a support role is expected to contribute understanding of the state of the art and the competitive landscape. Individual projects might require different configurations of partners, depending on the position of potential partners with regard to the final users, and the nature of the service system. Therefore, variation in the numbers and types of partners is anticipated.

For the purposes of submitting a proposal to this solicitation, partners can be placed in the following broad categories. Minimally qualifying primary partner. A minimum of one (1) industry partner of any size is required.

This partner (i.e., either a for-profit or not-for-profit entity that fulfills the minimum requirement) must be U.S.-based and have commercial revenues that include sales, services, or licensing. Grants and government contracts may contribute to its revenues but may not constitute the entirety of its revenues.

It is essential that the minimally qualifying industrial partner has experience with bringing a product, process, service or system to the marketplace in order to ensure that the team incorporates an “empirically-based” business perspective. Note: In regard to industrial partners, subawards can only be allocated to small businesses that meet the SBIR program eligibility requirements: ( http://sbir.

gov/sites/default/files/elig_size_compliance_guide. pdf ). See the Additional Eligibility Information section for details.

Note also that in regard to academic partners, subawards may be allocated to other academic institutions. Additional primary partner(s).

When the requirement of a minimum of one (1) primary industrial partner has been met, other partners, such as academic institutions, non-profit organizations including foundations, public sector organizations, and additional industry partners, including start-ups as well as other “qualifying” partners, can be selected as additional primary partners at the discretion of the PI.

In short, the choice of other partners is essentially wide open. Partners should be chosen with care so as to include explicit knowledge about “smart” service systems and/or to cover the areas of expertise required in addition to those related to the technology to be included in the project. Broader context partner(s).

Broader context partners belong to all of the same categories as primary partners. They are unlikely to appear as participating in the project tasks as presented in the Project Description. Nonetheless, each broader context partner has a role and is required to supply a Partner Letter with a statement of explicit commitment.

The role of a broader context partner , while meaningful, is not as central as the role of a primary partner, and no Cooperative Research Agreement may be needed.

To facilitate the partners' collaboration in an open innovation context, NSF will require signed written cooperative research agreements (CRAs) between the lead institution and the primary industrial partner(s) and other applicable partners at the time of the PFI:BIC Program’s consideration for recommendation for an award.

It is anticipated that PI typically will be notified that he/she is being considered for an award within one to two months after the last panel of the cycle has been convened. Note that the lead institution and all partners must understand that this event occurs prior to the NSF grants office issuing an award letter. See the Supplementary Documents section for more details.

[ 1 ] Spohrer, J. , Maglio, P. , Bailey, J.

, Gruhl, D. (2007). Steps towards a science of service systems.

Computer 40(1):71-77. doi:10. 1109/MC.

2007. 33. [ 2 ] Ng, I.

(2015). The Internet of Everything and the Future of Service. Speech, 2015 Frontiers in Service Conference in San Jose, CA.

Accessible online at: http://hubofallthings. com/hat-in-the-usa/ . [ 3 ] Note that examples have been provided in this solicitation to offer a sense of the variety of possibilities across types of service systems and the forefront technologies that would allow them to achieve their apex of effectiveness and efficiency, but they are not intended to represent program emphases or priorities.

[ 4 ] Vandermerwe, S. and Rada, J. (1988).

Servitization of business: Adding value by adding services, European Management Journal, Volume 6, Issue 4, Winter, pp. 314-324. [ 5 ] Turunen, T.

(2013). Organizing Service Operations in Manufacturing. Aalto University publication series, Doctoral dissertations, 4/2013.

Permanent link: http://urn. fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-60-4962-5 [ 6 ] Georgia Tech. "Research @ Tech."

Supply chains and logistics make room for 3D printing. December 11, 2013. http://www.

research. gatech. edu/news/supply-chains-and-logistics-make-room-3d-printing (accessed June 11, 2014).

[ 7 ] "Takeaways" are defined as capabilities, competencies, or more tangible items that one can take possession of and can move forward with (versus a benefit that may be merely received and enjoyed). Takeaways are for the primary partners--academe, business, and other--and also include the strategy that has the potential to build innovation capacity.

The growth and development of students in the context of being integral to the PFI:BIC partnership project are also considered to have the potential to build innovation capacity. Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds. NSF will make awards subject to the availability of funds and quality of proposals.

Awards may be up to $1,000,000, with an award duration of three (3) years. In other words, the total budget request to NSF for the lead institution and all others participating in the project cannot exceed $1,000,000. Ten awards of $1,000,000 each are anticipated.

As appropriate, awardees have the option to allocate funds for the participation of those primary industrial partners that are small businesses and meet the SBIR program eligibility requirements: ( http://sbir. gov/sites/default/files/elig_size_compliance_guide. pdf ) as well as for academic partners in the project research activities in the form of subawards.

Whether or not the option to allocate funds to the partners is exercised, it should be clear how the funds and other resources of the project (e.g., special facilities, equipment, and students) are shared by the partnership. IV.

Eligibility Information Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: U.S. universities and two-and four-year colleges (including community and technical colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations are also referred to as academic institutions. The lead (submitting) organization must be an academic institution.

For a single project, only one proposal should be submitted, and the lead academic institution should be the submitter. Additional partners that will be compensated via the grant should participate as subawardees in the proposal (rather than submitting a separate proposal); i.e., no separately submitted collaborative proposals will be accepted. The PI cannot concurrently be a PI on more than one active PFI:BIC award.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2 Academic institutions are limited to participation on two (2) proposals as a lead institution, preferably involving distinct application areas. A lead academic institution that has submitted a proposal has the option to participate as a subawardee on additional proposals submitted under this solicitation.

Lead academic institutions that have submitted a proposal may also provide consultants to other proposals submitted under this solicitation. Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: 1 Additional Eligibility Info: Minimally Qualifying Industrial Partner. A minimum of one (1) minimally qualifying U.S.-based industrial partner organization must participate on the PFI:BIC proposal.

The partner must have commercial revenues that include sales, services, or licensing. Grants and government contracts may contribute to its revenues but may not constitute the entirety of its revenues. Subawards or Direct Funds from the Grant.

Only those industrial partners that are small businesses and meet the SBIR program eligibility requirements: ( http://sbir. gov/sites/default/files/elig_size_compliance_guide. pdf ) can receive subawards.

Note that the lead institution may also allocate funds for subawards to academic institutional partners. Project Team. Because service systems are socio-technical systems requiring understanding of people, organizations, and information, the team and the project must contain expertise and activity that reflect these requirements.

Note that in addition to the discipline or disciplines related to the technology, there is also a range of other expertise based on multiple disciplines and comprising the three components needed to achieve successful integration into a smart service system that must be included in this project.

They are as follows: 1) engineered service system design and integration; 2) computing, sensing, and information technologies; and 3) human factors, behavioral sciences, and cognitive engineering. Teams not experienced with service engineering might benefit from consulting with an individual with expertise in service operations or service systems.

NSF recognizes that the labels for the aforementioned disciplines may vary in different institutions and organizations. Thus, it is important to demonstrate the equivalence of the representation of these disciplines to the required components of the project.

NSF also recognizes that expertise and experience can be demonstrated in myriad ways, including teaching assignations, degrees, publications, and other professional activities and accomplishments. The proposer will be asked to show how the three components will be integrated in the context of the project as part of the research plan in the Project Description. Human Subjects.

Because of the necessity for the service system to be human-centered, research activities that focus on human beings are essential, while those that involve “Human Subjects” are likely to be necessary. PIs must consult with their Institutional Review Board (IRB) about their research in regard to human subjects, needed authorizations, and irrespective of the determined status, must provide documentation. See GPG, Chapter II.

D. 8 for more information. Note that Chapter II.

D. 8, Proposals Involving Human Subjects, has been supplemented to clarify that the only acceptable IRB approval documents are those that approve a human subjects research protocol, and approvals "in concept" or conditional IRB documents are not acceptable.

Guidance also is provided on the procedure to follow if IRB approval cannot be obtained at the time of the award action because the development of a human subjects research protocol requires preliminary or other conceptual work to take place. This includes cases where the research plan involves substantial allocation of time to device development before the design of the experimentation with humans can proceed.

Additional guidance concerning research involving human subjects can be found here: https://www. nsf. gov/bfa/dias/policy/human.

jsp . Animal Studies. In some contexts, animal studies are an important prelude to, and/or may be needed in addition to, the involvement of human subjects.

(See Human Subjects above.) PIs should be knowledgeable about whether they will need to seek Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval. See GPG, Chapter II.

D. 7 . Any project proposing use of vertebrate animals for research or education shall comply with the Animal Welfare Act [7 U.S.C.

2131, et seq.] and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the Secretary of Agriculture [9 CFR 1. 1-4.

11] pertaining to the humane care, handling, and treatment of vertebrate animals held or used for research, teaching or other activities supported by Federal awards. In accordance with these requirements, proposed projects involving use of any vertebrate animal for research or education must be approved by the submitting organization's IACUC before an award can be made.

For this approval to be accepted by NSF, the organization must have a current Public Health Service (PHS) Approved Assurance. V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions A.

Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent (required) : To submit a proposal for this opportunity, the submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) by the lead institution (i.e., the proposing institution) is required. LOIs are to be submitted via FastLane at http://fastlane. nsf.

gov/ . The LOI is a pre-requisite to proposal submission. LOIs are necessary to help NSF prepare and deliver the best review process possible, including assembling panels with appropriate reviewer expertise that encompasses all the research components of the project.

LOIs provide the NSF with an opportunity to examine proposed projects with respect to some eligibility requirements and, in some instances, to identify correctible issues in terms of focus and eligibility. The LOI will NOT be used as a screening device; that is, it will not be used to disallow the submission of a full proposal.

In the event that there are changes regarding the LOI prior to submission of the proposal, it is important to communicate those changes to the Program Director (Dr. Sara Nerlove, telephone: (703) 292-7077, email: snerlove@nsf. gov ). Up to two (2) LOIs per institution can be submitted.

Letters of intent have length limitations.

The first two sections, Synopsis and Other Comments (each 2500 characters maximum, including spaces), should be used to convey important aspects of the project, such as information about the areas of expertise that comprise the three required components of this project: 1) engineered service system design and integration; 2) computing, sensing, and information technologies; and 3) human factors, behavioral sciences, and cognitive engineering.

Under Additional Information , three (3) data fields are provided. Each data field can contain a maximum of 255 characters or approximately 30 words for each section. For PFI:BIC, these are as follows: Test Bed for Technology Integration: Briefly describe the technology-based “smart” service system and how the technology will contribute to its efficacy.

Primary Industrial Partner(s): Provide for each: Name, Founding Date, Number of Employees, Location (City & State), Commercial Revenues for the preceding calendar year, and Project Role (s). Reasonable abbreviations can be used. If you cannot accommodate the information, include the rest of the information under Other Comments (see above).

Human Factors Research Tasks to be carried out which are essential to the operation of the smart service system. List a few major research activities which illustrate inclusion of human-centered considerations If the limited spaces designated for Primary Industrial Partners and/or Human Factors Research Tasks are not sufficient, the Other Comments section may be used to describe these aspects of the project.

Under Point of Contact for NSF Inquiries , place the name of the PI, a phone number (preferably a direct line to the PI, for further inquiry), his/her e-mail address, and the submitting department or unit. Under Submitter Information , place the information for the Sponsored Research Office/Sponsored Program Offered (SRO/SPO) individual who submitted the LOI Under Senior Project Personnel , list up to 4 official Co-PIs first.

Note that the maximum number of individuals appearing on the NSF Cover Page is 5, which includes the PI; note that the PI has already been listed as the point of contact. Instead of listing the department of these Senior Project Personnel, list their respective fields of science and engineering expertise represented on this project in order to convey the maximum amount of information about the areas of expertise to be included