NSF CAREER Program & CAREER Proposals

Claudia RankinsProgram Director, Directorate of Education and Human Resources

crankins@nsf.gov

NSF CAREER Program

CAREER

Faculty Early Career Development ProgramNSF 15-555

• NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty exemplifying the role of teacher-scholar

• Enhances and emphasizes the importance of balanced academic careers

• Career development plan to integrate research and education

• http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=503214&ods_key=nsf15555

NSF CAREER Program

CAREER

ELIGIBILTY:• As of Directorate Deadline

– Hold doctorate in field supported by NSF– Be untenured until Oct 1 following the deadline– Have not previously received an NSF CAREER award– Have not competed more than two times in NSF CAREER Program

• As of October 1 of submission year be employed:– In a tenure-track (or equivalent) position at US academic institution

or US non-profit, non-degree granting organization– As an Assistant Professor (or equivalent)– ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS WITH or WITHOUT TENURE ARE NOT

ELIGIBLE

NSF CAREER Program

NSF CAREER Program

CAREER

• Tenure-Track Equivalency - For a position to be considered a tenure-track-equivalent position, it must meet all of the following requirements: (1) the employing department or organization does not offer tenure-track positions to any new hires; (2) the employee is engaged in research in an area of science or engineering supported by NSF; (3) the employee has a continuing appointment that is expected to last the five years of the grant; (4) the appointment has substantial educational responsibilities; and (5) the proposed project relates to the employee's career goals and job responsibilities as well as to the goals of the department or organization.

CAREER

• SIZE– Lower Limit $400K (total of direct and indirect costs)

• BIO and ENG Directorates and PLR: $500K (minimum total)

– Upper Limit - none specified• DURATION– 5 Years

• PECASE– HONORARY ONLY

NSF CAREER Program

CAREER

• DEPARTMENTAL ENDORSEMENT LETTER: (Up to two pages)– Proposal is returned without review if missing– Solicitation lists required elements of letter

• LETTERS OF COMMITMENT/COLLABORATION (if needed – see solicitation for new restrictions):– These letters need to follow a single sentence format – Please note that letters of recommendation for the PI are

not permitted.NSF CAREER Program

CAREER

• DEADLINES:– July 21, 2015 for BIO, CISE, EHR– July 22, 2015 for ENG– July 23, 2015 for GEO, MPS, SBE

• FASTLANE Submission– FastLane Help desk: 1-800-673-6188– E-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov

• GRANTS.GOV Submission– Grants.gov User Support: 1-800-518-4826– E-mail: support@grants.gov

NSF CAREER Program

Additional NSF Requirements

• Cost-sharing: Inclusion of voluntary cost-sharing is prohibited. – In order to assess the scope of the project, all organizational

resources necessary for the project must be described in the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section of the proposal. The description should be narrative in nature and must not include any quantifiable financial information.

• Post-doc Mentoring Plan:– Required whenever a postdoc is to be supported through the award

• Data Management Plan:– All proposals must describe plans for data management and sharing

of the products of research, or assert the absence of the need for such plans.

NSF CAREER Program

Merit Review Principles• Reviewers are asked to evaluate all proposals against

two criteria:– Intellectual Merit: this criterion encompasses the potential

to advance knowledge; and – Broader Impacts: this criterion encompasses the potential

to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

• Both criteria are to be given full consideration during the review process; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient.

NSF CAREER Program

Merit Review CriteriaThe following five elements should be considered in the review for both Merit Review Criteria: • What is the potential for the proposed activity to:– Advance knowledge and understanding within its own

field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and– Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes

(Broader Impacts)?

NSF CAREER Program

Merit Review Considerations• To what extent do the proposed activities suggest

and explore creative, original or potentially transformative concepts?

• Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?

NSF CAREER Program

Merit Review Considerations

• How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?

• Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

NSF CAREER Program

CAREER Proposals

• There are requirements for CAREER proposals that hold across the Foundation; however, there is no centralized reviewing process or budget for CAREER awards.

• CAREER proposals are reviewed by the disciplinary program(s) that provide the best fit with the topic of the proposal.

• CAREER awards are made using the budget resources of the reviewing program(s).

NSF CAREER Program

CAREER Proposals

• There is some variation across the Foundation (and even within the Divisions of individual Directorates) in:– How proposals are reviewed (panel types, source of

reviews)– Funding Rates– Recommendations about budgets – Expectations for the education & outreach component

• Find best research placement for your proposal • Find out how CAREER proposals are handled in the

Program or Division you are applying to

NSF CAREER Program

Contact the Program Director

• Send an email to the director(s) of the disciplinary program(s) to ask about the fit of your proposal– If there are multiple directors in a single program, send

one e-mail addressed to all directors (not a separate email to each director)

– Include a one to two page project summary that discusses:• What big issue your project will address; • What hypotheses you will test, what methods you’ll use, how

you plan to analyze your data;• How you plan to integrate your research with educational /

outreach activities.

NSF CAREER Program

Contact your Program Director

• Other topics you may wish to raise with your program director (either by email or in a follow-up phone

conversation):– Is co-review with another program appropriate?

If so, which program(s)?– Are there any program- or division-specific

recommendations

NSF CAREER Program

Things to Consider

• Bear in mind the limit on submitting CAREER proposals (1 per year, 3 times total)

• Become familiar with the NSF Merit Review Process– Volunteer to serve as an ad hoc reviewer– If consistent with the practices of your disciplinary program,

consider submitting proposals for regular research projects (or smaller, proof of concept projects) before submitting a CAREER proposal

• Ask previous CAREER awardees (or your Michigan colleagues) if they are willing to share their project descriptions with you.

NSF CAREER Program