National Science Foundation &

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Celeste M. RohlfingHead, Office of Multidisciplinary Activities

www.nsf.gov

NSF Vision

To enable America’s future through discovery, learning and innovation

NSF Mission

• Promote the progress of science;

• Advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare;

• Secure the national defense.

• Independent agency

• Supports basic research and education

• Uses grant mechanism in two forms

•Unsolicited: curiosity-driven

•Solicited: more focused

• Review criteria: intellectual merit & broader impact

• No intramural laboratories

• Supports large facilities

• Discipline-based structure

• Supports all fields of science & engineering

• Cross-disciplinary mechanisms (e.g., nanotechnology, cyber-enabled discovery & innovation, climate)

NSF in a Nutshell

Source: AAAS analyses of R&D in AAAS Reports I-XXXI. FY 2007 figures are President’s request. Basic research only. March ’06 © 2006 AAAS.

Billion

s o

f con

sta

nt

FY

2006

dollars

Trends in Basic Researchby Agency: FY 1975-2007

FY 2010 NSF Budget Request

FY 2010 Request

Change over FY 2009

Research & Related Activities $5,733.24 $550.14 10.6%

Education & Human Resources 857.76 12.50 1.5%

MREFC 117.29 -34.72 -22.8%

Agency Operations & Award Management 318.37 24.37 8.3%

National Science Board 4.34 0.31 7.7%

Office of Inspector General 14.00 2.00 16.7%

Total, National Science Foundation $7,045.00 554.60 8.5%

Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences

Assistant Director

Division ofChemistry

Division ofChemistry

Division ofMaterialsResearch

Division ofMaterialsResearch

Division ofMathematical

Sciences

Division ofMathematical

Sciences

Division ofPhysics

Division ofPhysics

Division ofAstronomical

Sciences

Office of Multidisciplinary ActivitiesOffice of Multidisciplinary Activities

In FY2008, MPS provided 44% of federal funding for basic researchat academic institutions in the mathematical & physical sciences, ranging

from 34% for physics to 60% for mathematical sciences

5 Main Features of MPS

• Largest directorate

• Supports over 8,000 university-based PIs, 2,200 post-docs, and nearly 14,000 students

• Broad portfolio from individual PI grants, to centers/institutes, to over a dozen major facilities

• Spectrum of research from fundamental discoveries to marketable technologies

• Strong international ties throughout programs

MPS Funding Modality in FY 2009

Centers and Institutes

11%Facilities

19%

Individual and Group

Investigators70%

Number of People Involved in MPS Activities

FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009Estimate

Senior Researchers 8,212 8,325 9,900 Other Professionals 2,000 2,025 2,400Post-Doctorates 2,171 2,200 2,600Graduate Students 7,720 7,800 9,300Undergraduate Students 6,091 6,150 7,300K - 12 Students 615 625 750K - 12 Teachers 478 485 550

Total Number of People 27,287 27,610 32,800

MPS spends at least $300 million annually on Graduate and Postdoctoral training!

Future MPS FacilitiesFacilities under Construction:

ALMA: Atacama Large Millimeter Array, site construction

IceCube: neutrino telescope, operations initiated Advanced LIGO: construction began FY 2008 LHC: Large Hadron Collider, operations initiated

Design and Development: • DUSEL: R&D• GSMT: R&D• LSST: R&D• ATST: in “readiness” stage• 4th Generation Coherent Light Source

Astronomical Sciences• Astronomy and Astrophysics Grants

– Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology– Galactic Astronomy– Planetary Astronomy– Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics

• Electromagnetic Spectrum Management• Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation• University Radio Observatories• Program for Research and Education with Small Telescopes• Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships• Education and Special Programs

Division of Chemistry

• Mission

To support innovative research in chemical sciences, integrated with education, through strategic investment in a globally engaged workforce reflecting the diversity of America

• Topic areas

– Chemical Synthesis

– Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms

– Chemical Measurement and Imaging

– Theory, Models and Computational Methods

– Environmental Chemical Sciences

– Chemistry of Life Processes

– Chemical Catalysis

– Macromolecular/Supramolecular/Nanochemistry

• Other

Instrumentation, centers, REU, ACC Fellows

Creating molecules and instruments that are transforming the 21st century

Solid-State & Materials Chemistry

Condensed Matter Physics

Polymers

Metallic Materials and Nanostructures

Ceramics

Electronic and

Photonic Materials

National Facilities and Instrumentation

Materials Research Science and Engineering

Centers

Condensed Matter & Materials Theory

Special Programs

Division of Materials Research

Biomaterials

Experimental, may include Theory

Experimental and/or Theory

>90% Theory

Division of Mathematical Sciences

“Core business”: single investigator & group proposals through targeted solicitations - Covers the entire mathematical spectrum

Institutes:- Visitors to long-term programs,

workshops

Workforce:- Training grants- Postdoctoral fellowships- Research for undergraduates

Advancing the Frontier 74%

Workforce 16%

Institutes/Centers 10%

Division of Physics

Facilities: LHC, LIGO, IceCube, NSCL

Programs:Atomic, Molecular, Optical, and Plasma

PhysicsBiological PhysicsElementary Particle PhysicsGravitational PhysicsNuclear PhysicsParticle and Nuclear AstrophysicsPhysics at the Information FrontierPhysics Frontiers CentersTheoretical PhysicsEducation and Interdisciplinary

Programs

Facilities/Instrumentation

35%

Advancing the Frontier58%

Centers/Institutes

4%

Education/Workforce

3%

Writing Competitive Proposals

• Sign up for NSF email newsletters

• Contact the program officer(s) to discuss your project, and learn of relevant, current opportunities

• Be familiar with projects that have succeeded – search award abstracts at http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch

• Know and follow the current Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) - it changes at least annually

• Know the audience for your proposal’s review - it is a competition

Writing Competitive Proposals

• Explicitly address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact in both the Project Summary and Project Description

• Match and justify the budget to the scope of the proposed work – ask for what you need!

• Special programs/consideration exist for Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), e.g., RUI and ROA

Reasons For FundingA Competitive Proposal

• Special Programmatic Considerations (CAREER/RUI/EPSCoR)

• Broadening Participation

• Educational Impact

• Impact on Institution/State

• Likely High Impact

• PI Career Point(“established” or “young”)

• “Launching” versus“Maintaining” Areas

• Place in Program Portfolio

• Other Support for PI

Merit Review Criteria

Intellectual Merit

• How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields?

• How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project?

• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?

• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?

• Is there sufficient access to resources?

Merit Review CriteriaBroader Impact

• How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning?

• How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups?

• To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?

• Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?

• What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

Supporting Multidisciplinary Research: Solicitation Mechanism

• NSF– STC (not targeted)– CDI– Climate (*expected FY10)

• MPS (targeted topics)– SOLAR (CHE, DMR, DMS)– Complexity (DMS, ENG)– Cultural Heritage (CHE, DMR) (*expected FY10)

Supporting Multidisciplinary Research: MPS Divisional

Mechanisms

• Institutes & Centers (solicited)– DMS, CHE, DMR, PHY

• Focused Research Groups (unsolicited)– DMS, DMR, CHE

• Cross Review– Joint panels, joint program officers

International Research Experiences for Students (IRES)

East Asia Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI)

Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Projects (DDEP)

International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP)

Pan American Advanced Studies Institutes (PASI)

OISE Programs

National Science FoundationOffice of International Science and Engineering

National Science FoundationOffice of International Science and Engineering

Partnerships for International Research & Education (PIRE)

Research excellence through international collaboration

Development of a diverse, globally engaged US science and engineering workforce

Strengthened international engagement by U.S. institutions

Five year awards, no budget ceiling PIRE budget FY10-14: $40,000,000

Planning Visits: Supports travel by small teams of U.S. researchers to plan a new collaboration, up to $20,000

Planning Workshops: Co-organized by U.S and foreign investigator to identify areas of joint research interest and to develop new collaborations, up to $60,000

Intended Outcomes: Proposals to NSF Research Directorate with strong international collaboration

National Science FoundationOffice of International Science and Engineering

Thank Thank You!You!