DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
     DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES
     DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES
     DIVISION OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES

  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

http://www.nsf.gov

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Program Title: Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities

Synopsis of Program: The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) offer Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and related supporting activities in an effort to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in selected areas of science in the U.S. These fellowships support training and research at the postdoctoral level in a host institution in the areas of biology and social, behavioral, and economic sciences supported by NSF. Supporting activities are travel grants to graduate students to visit prospective sponsors, starter research grants for Fellows, and an annual meeting of Fellows and their mentors.

Cognizant Program Officers:
Ms. Carter Kimsey (BIO), Program Officer, DBI, rm. 615, telephone: 703 292-8470, e-mail:ckimsey@nsf.gov
Dr. John Perhonis (SBE), Program Officer, SES, rm. 995, telephone: 703 292-8763, e-mail:jperhoni@nsf.gov.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:
47.074 --- Biological Sciences
47.075 --- Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences

• Organization Limit: NSF postdoctoral fellowships and graduate student travel awards are awards to individuals, and applications are submitted directly by the applicant to the NSF. Fellows must affiliate with institutions (e.g., colleges and universities, government and national laboratories and facilities, and privately-sponsored nonprofit institutes and museums, and, under special conditions, for-profit organizations). Organizations may apply for research starter grants.
• PI Eligibility Limit: Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or legally admitted permanent resident aliens of the United States; have earned the doctoral degree in an appropriate scientific field no more than four years before the deadline date of the application or plan to earn this degree no more than one year after the deadline date; have completed no more than two years of postdoctoral support prior to the deadline for this fellowship application; and propose a research and training plan that falls within the program areas of BIO or SBE and explains how the fellowship award will broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities at the postdoctoral level in the US. The Fellowships are designed to permit Fellows to choose the research and training environment most beneficial to their scientific development. This requires a change from the doctoral institution or a justification if this change is not proposed.
• Limit on Number of Proposals: Applicants may submit only one fellowship application per year. There is no limit on the number of applicants that an institution may host. Travel awards and starter research grants are one-time awards.

• Anticipated Type of Award: Fellowships, travel awards, and starter grants.
• Estimated Number of Awards: 12 fellowships, 7 travel awards, and 6 Research Starter grants per year.
• Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $1,800,000 in each fiscal year through 2005, contingent upon the quality of applications and availability of funds.

• Application Preparation Instructions: Applicants must use FastLane for new fellowships, fellowship extensions, travel awards, and research starter grants. Specific instructions are found in the program announcement and differ from the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full program announcement for further information.

BUDGETARY INFORMATION

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is required only for research starter grants.
• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Fellowships have an institutional allowance in lieu of indirect costs. Graduate Student Travel Awards and Research Starter grants allow no indirect costs.
• Other Budgetary Limitations: The fellowship award amount is $50,000 per year for two or three years. Travel awards are for up to $4,000. For research starter grants, NSF provides up to $50,000 depending on the amount of start-up funds provided by the institution to the former Fellow.

• Complete Application Due Dates: The deadline for FastLane submission of new postdoctoral fellowships is 5 PM local time on the first Monday in December each year. Graduate Student Travel Awards must be received no later than 3 months prior to the proposed travel. Research starter grant proposals may be submitted at any time.

• Complete FastLane submission is required.
  For FastLane user support, call 1-800-673-6188 or contact Joanne Rodewald, Head, IAR, 695, telephone: 703 292-8406, email:biofl@nsf.gov .

• Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full program announcement for further information.

• Award Conditions and Reporting Requirements: Additional award conditions and reporting requirements apply as detailed in the program announcement.

The Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO) and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) jointly sponsor this program of Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and related supporting activities. The term "minority" as used in this announcement refers to those ethnic groups that are significantly underrepresented at advanced levels of science and engineering in the U.S., i.e., Native Americans (including American Indians and Alaskan Natives), African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Pacific Islanders. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. Approximately 12 fellowships are awarded each year. The deadline for submission of fellowship applications is the first Monday in December annually. Graduate Student Travel Award applications may be submitted up to 3 months before the proposed travel. Directions for Research Starter Grants are given to Fellows with the offer of a fellowship and there are no deadlines for research starter grants. The goal of the program is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the program provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent minority doctoral recipients. The program has other special features to address the needs of these young scientists:

• Travel awards for graduate students to meet prospective sponsoring scientists prior to submitting a postdoctoral fellowship application. Travel awards are available to graduate students as they begin planning to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship and allow visits to two or three laboratories to meet prospective mentors, present seminars, discuss mutual research interests, and initiate a working relationship.

• Meeting for Sponsoring Scientists and Fellows. NSF hosts an annual workshop for mentors and Fellows to provide a forum for discussing ways to foster the most productive and supportive training environment during the postdoctoral period and early stages of the scientific career.

• Research starter grant. At the end of the postdoctoral period, the Fellow is eligible to apply for a one-year starter grant to initiate an independent research program.

The Fellow must affiliate with a host institution during the entire tenure of the fellowship. The applicant is responsible for making prior arrangements with the host institution and Sponsoring Scientist(s). Regardless of the number of sponsors or locations, the fellowship application requires a single Sponsoring Scientist statement. If more than one sponsor is proposed, one must be named lead sponsor and information from all must be integrated into a single Sponsoring Scientist statement. Likewise, if more than one site is proposed, the Sponsoring Scientist statement must integrate all sponsors and locations in a single statement. Because of the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of all fields of science, it is expected that dual sponsorship will be common. An important basis for judging the suitability of the host institution is the degree to which the Sponsoring Scientist statement describes and offers a research environment and mentoring opportunity that could be difficult to achieve without fellowship support.

If a fellowship is offered, the applicant may be requested to provide documentation from the host institution that the terms and conditions of the fellowship are acceptable and that the Fellow will be provided adequate space, basic services, and supplies.

Any changes in location or sponsorship after an award is made must be approved in advance in writing by the appropriate Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Officer.

You are eligible to apply for a NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship if you meet all the following criteria.

C. Budgetary Information

D. Deadline Dates

V. APPLICATION PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

1. From the applicant, a complete FastLane postdoctoral fellowship application consisting of:

• The application form;
• Curriculum Vitae (limited to two pages);
• an abstract of the applicant's thesis research;
• an abstract of the proposed research and training; and
• the research and training plan (see requirements detailed below) including a bibliography of cited references.

2. Sponsoring Scientist Statement. A single statement must be provided using FastLane regardless of the number of sponsors and research sites.

3. Two reference reports (one from the doctoral advisor and another from a scientist who knows the applicant well). FastLane submission of the reference reports is required.

The references should include the doctoral advisor but not the proposed sponsoring scientist. The referees should be provided a copy of the research and training plan so they can comment specifically on the proposed fellowship activities in addition to their personal knowledge of the applicant. NOTE: An assigned access code is used to provide secure access to programs for preparing and submitting the reference reports and the Sponsoring Scientist statement. It limits access to only those to whom the applicant gives the access code and links the reference reports and statement to the application.

The research and training plan addresses what the applicant hopes to accomplish during the fellowship period and how it relates to her/his career goals and should be developed in collaboration with the sponsoring scientist. The proposed project should be the independent work of the applicant and not part of ongoing work by the sponsor. The plan must not exceed five pages. A list of cited literature should be included and is not counted as part of the 5-page limit.

The research and training plan consists of: 1) an introduction or background section; 2) a statement of research objectives, methods, and significance; 3) training objectives and a personal statement of career goals; 4) an explanation of how the fellowship activities will enhance the applicant's career development; and 5) a justification of the choice of Sponsoring Scientist(s) and host institution(s). Explicit experimental details need not be given, but rather a clear statement of objectives and approaches to accomplish them, and hypotheses and how to test them. In presenting the training plan, the applicant should set clear training goals and explain how the proposed research and training will help achieve these goals. This can be done by explaining the primary factors in selecting the proposed fellowship institution and sponsoring scientist, and what role the chosen research, sponsoring senior scientist and host institution will play in enhancing the applicant's conceptual approaches and technical skills. NSF encourages Fellows who choose U.S. institutions as hosts to include research experience of 6 months or longer in a foreign laboratory or site. If a foreign activity is proposed, the plan should include details of the visit (where, when, how long), the unique opportunities, the expected outcome, and a letter of endorsement from the host institution. Tenure of 36 months may be requested if at least 12 months will be spent at a foreign institution. If the research is to be conducted at an institution with which the applicant is or has been associated, a justification must be given for not selecting a new institution. Applicants not changing institution are encouraged to develop training goals and short term visits elsewhere to provide new research environments.

Applicants whose research involves human subjects and /or vertebrate animals must indicate in the plan their awareness of regulations and guidelines pertaining to these types of research. Successful applicants must provide NSF with statements that the research has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate institutional committees, giving assurance of compliance with all Federal policies on research using humans and the care and use of animals. These requirements are relevant to both laboratory and field projects.

Special certifications and permits must be provided when projects involve collecting in foreign countries, endangered species, or hazardous materials. Some applications may require other documentation before the final decision can be made, e.g., government permits, letters of collaboration, and commitments from private sources. The research and training plan should provide general information on these matters and address the availability of these documents. Applicants must submit the information when requested by the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Officer.

Color copies: At this time, FastLane cannot accommodate the printing of color images. If you feel that reviewers must receive a color copy of your images, you may send 6 copies of the application page(s) containing color images directly to the fellowship contact persons postmarked no later than the deadline date.

1. Cover page (remember you are the organization and the principal investigator)
2. Supplementary doc(ument)s. Cut and paste or scan Form T (shown below) into the supplementary documents form.
3. Biographical sketch (your CV).
4. Project summary. This is a brief abstract of your request.
5. Project description: Include in one document your personal statement (not to exceed one single-spaced page) describing your career goals and the rationale for selecting the proposed host institutions, your travel plan that describes the purpose of each trip, your itinerary including dates, and a proposed budget;
6. References cited: use this space to scan or transfer statements from the sponsoring scientists at the proposed host institution(s) indicating agreement with the travel plan;
7. Current and pending support: use this space to scan or transfer a letter of recommendation and a statement from the thesis advisor in support of the travel plans.

If you are unable to submit the information in items 6 and 7 using FastLane, you may mail these separately upon request when the Program Officer acknowledges receipt of your application.

Applications for travel awards may be submitted at any time but no later than 3 months prior to the planned travel.

Fellows who elect to pursue an academic career and accept a tenure-track position at a U.S. institution eligible to receive NSF funding immediately following their fellowships may apply for a special one-year, nonrenewable starter grant to assist in establishing an independent research program. Starter grants are not fellowships but research grants made to the employing institution. Proposals for starter grants must be submitted through FastLane and are then assigned to the appropriate research programs for scientific review and decision by the cognizant NSF Program Officer. The starter grant cannot be extended or supplemented. It is for a maximum of $50,000 total costs and requires matching on a 2:1 (institution to NSF) basis. Funds provided by neither NSF nor the matching funds can be used for PI salary, renovations of laboratory or office space, or indirect costs. The funds are to be used for expenses directly related to the conduct of research that falls under the purview of the Directorates for Biological Sciences or Social, Behavior, and Economic Sciences at NSF.

To request a starter grant, you must request a FastLane password from the sponsored research office of your employing institution. Begin the application at www.fastlane.nsf.gov by selecting "proposal processing" (you’ll have to scroll down the page). Then select prepare a proposal. It’s important to update your personal information, with special attention to your institution. Continue with proposal preparation by selecting "create blank proposal." You’ll need to complete the following sections of the proposal:

1. Cover page. Be sure to select program announcement NSF 00-139 from the list and don’t select a closing date. Select "renewal" and give the award number of your fellowship in the space provided. For title, use Research Starter Grant. The award amount depends on the matching funds from your institution and the duration is 12 months. Check all appropriate boxes on the cover sheet, e.g., human subjects, animal welfare. When you click on "OK," the cover sheet will be saved.
2. Project summary. Give an abstract of your proposed project using the text box.
3. Supplementary documents. Give a progress report of your fellowship activities, not to exceed three pages.
4. Project description (no more than three pages plus the bibliography).
5. Biographical sketch.
6. Current and pending support.
7. Budget. Select use, create, and edit. Prepare only year 1. Put the amount of the start up funds from your institution on line M. If needed, give additional information in the budget justification section. Be sure to save the budget.

Now, your sponsored research office can submit the application to NSF.

Proposals will be reviewed against the following general review criteria established by the National Science Board. Following each criterion are potential considerations that the reviewer may employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions and not all will apply to any given application. Each reviewer will be asked to address only those relevant to the application and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

General inquiries should be made to the Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program:

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

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