Hints for Economists in NSF Interdisciplinary Competitions. Nancy Lutz. Resources For the Future March 2011

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1 Hints for Economists in NSF Interdisciplinary Competitions Nancy Lutz Resources For the Future March 2011

2 Outline An Introduction to NSF Opportunities What does interdisciplinary mean? How does the review process work in different kinds of NSF competitions?

3 NSF in a Nutshell Independent federal agency Supports basic research Bottom-up orientation Uses grant mechanism Low overhead; highly automated Discipline-based structure Cross-disciplinary activities and opportunities Use of Rotators/IPAs Usual clients are academics

4 National Science Foundation National Science Board Director Deputy Director Inspector General Staff Offices Biological Sciences Computer & Information Science & Engineering Engineering Geosciences Mathematics & Physical Sciences Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences Education & Human Resources Budget, Finance & Award Management Information Resource Management

5 Office of the Director Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences Social and Economic Sciences Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Science Resources Statistics

6 Opportunities for Funding Unsolicited competitions (standing programs) Special solicitations Dear Colleague Letter Rapid response research (RAPID) Early concept grants for exploratory research (EAGER)

7 Start With Your Idea Use nsf.gov for awards search Check awards by program, keyword, etc. ( Read solicitation and/or DCL carefully (if not unsolicited competition) Check SBE page at nsf.gov for new opportunities.

8 Social and Economic Sciences FY10 Program Allocations (millions of dollars) Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences $7.5 Economics $25.8 Innovation and Organizational Sciences $3.4 Law and Social Science $5.1 Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics $4.0 Political Science $9.9 Science and Society $9.0 Sociology $9.5 Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences

9 SMA MultiDisciplinary Activities Programs and Target Dates Science of Science and Innovation Policy Sept 9, Annually SBE Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Oct 9, Annually Science of Learning Centers Currently accepting Workshop, EAGER and RAPID proposals

10 Add l Opportunities for Environmental SBE Scientists DCL: Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) Program: Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH)

11 Understanding The Target Read the solicitation carefully. Be sure you understand what interdisciplinary means for your target. Contact the program directors ahead of target dates/deadlines Read the Grant Proposal Guide

12 Inquiries to Program Directors 1-2 pages with: Research Question(s) - Theory on which you are building - Methods - Major Citations - We can identify potential fit - We can offer advice on some reviewing pitfalls

13 What is Interdisciplinary? Many Answers Cross-directorate research with team from different disciplines Example: Economists working with hydrologist (geoscience) Research with team from different social/behavioral sciences Example: Economist working with political scientist

14 Types of Review Mail plus Panel the SBE standard Panel Only Other directorates and almost all solicitations

15 Reviewing Criteria Intellectual merit Broader impacts Solicitations: Special Criteria

16 Intellectual Merit? NSF funds basic research Intellectual merit means increasing knowledge through developing and examining basic theories or methods In an interdisciplinary competition, we generally want a basic science contribution in both disciplines.

17 Broader Impacts Promote teaching, training and learning Broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.) Enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks and partnerships Disseminate results broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding Benefit society

18 SBE and Target Dates A Kinder, Gentler Directorate But Not Uniform in our Kindnesses Always contact program BEFORE target date. Especially important for coreview.

19 Reasons for Declinations Trust-me proposal No theory, no methods, or poor match between theory and methods Not feasible Expertise gaps Insufficient funding Too ambitious Incremental contribution Bad luck

20 QUESTIONS?? Nancy Lutz

21 Collaborative Proposals Mechanism for researchers collaborating across institutions Solves many cross-institutional organizational problems for you

22 Rapid Response Research (RAPID) Research when data are ephemeral $200,000 maximum; 1 year 5 page project description Internal review only Contact program officer first

23 Early-concept grants for exploratory research (EAGER) Exploratory work on untested, potentially transformative ideas High-risk, high-potential payoff $300,000 maximum; 2 years Eight page descriptive Internal review or mail review Contact program officer first