NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

 

Law and Social Science Mid-Career Training Fellowships

Dear Colleague Letter

Dear Colleague:

To facilitate the development of innovative research programs for understanding the law and legal processes, the Law and Social Science program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) invites scholars to submit proposals for Law and Social Science Mid-Career Training Fellowships. This fellowship will provide an award of up to $15,000 for support of law and social science scholars who enroll in advanced methodological or theoretical training (e.g., courses, institutes, workshops, and seminars). The purpose of these awards is to broaden the pool of scholars who are engaged in innovative research in the law and social sciences.

  • Requests for support should be submitted via Fastlane by October 1, annually.
  • The proposal must concretely demonstrate that 1) the proposed fellowship activities will further the development of an innovative research program in law and social science (i.e., the principal investigator must articulate a research question, the relevant explanatory theories, and research design); 2) successful completion of this research program requires further methodological and/or theoretical training (i.e., the choice of training activities must be described and justified in the body of the proposal); 3) the training activity will provide substantial value added to the principal investigator and the research (i.e., information on previous research activities and any relevant methodological or theoretical training in the area to be studied).
  • The proposal must contain an NSF budget page, including information about the proposed use of funds requested for training support. In lieu of indirect costs at a fixed predetermined rate, an administrative allowance limited to 25% of the direct costs may be requested (enter on line I of the budget). Allowable expenses will include the cost of enrolling in the training activity (e.g., courses, institutes, workshops, and seminars) and expenses related to attending the training (e.g., travel, lodging, books, and specialized software).
  • A successful applicant will be required to submit a proposal to the regular Law and Social Science competition within six months of completing the training activity.

I. INTRODUCTION

In order to facilitate the development of innovative research programs for understanding the law and legal processes, the Law and Social Science program announces a competition for a limited number of mid-career training fellowships. As theoretical and methodological advances in the social sciences have accelerated in recent years, many scholars could benefit from additional training in order to engage in innovative research. The purpose of this fellowship is to foster innovative research programs by providing support for advanced training in methodology and theory to law and social science scholars. For example, a scholar might take advantage of training opportunities in advanced statistical methodologies. These training opportunities may be in the form of courses, institutes, or workshops. Awards made from this competition will cover the cost of enrolling in a training activity and the expenses related to attending the training. A successful applicant will be required to submit a proposal to the regular Law and Social Science competition within six months of completing the training activity.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

There have been numerous advances in the methods and theory employed by the social science disciplines that study law and legal processes. Many scholars have not received training needed to take advantage of these advances and could benefit from institutes, seminars, and workshops that provide such training. As law and social science scholars adopt these methodological and theoretical advances, their research programs will become increasingly innovative. Awards made from this competition will cover the cost of enrolling in the training (e.g., courses, institutes, workshops, and seminars) and expenses related to attending the training (e.g., travel, lodging, books, and specialized software). If the training activity requires travel to another institution, the awardee may request a stipend for the time spent in the training activity. Given funding limitations, however, support for course buyouts will be very limited. These fellowships will advance two of NSF's goals: people and ideas. As more scholars become trained in methodological and theoretical advances, the pool of scholars who are engaged in innovative research will become broader. Successful applicants are required to submit a proposal to the regular Law and Social Science competition within six months of completing the training supported by the fellowship.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.
Any qualified researcher may submit a proposal. To be qualified, the researcher must be employed at a U.S. institution and must have earned a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in the social, behavioral, or economic sciences. The researcher's expertise must be in the area of law and social science, as evidenced by prior research and publications. Although applications may be submitted from researchers at any level beyond the Ph.D., NSF especially encourages the submission of proposals from senior (post-tenure) researchers.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

It is estimated that awards will be about $15,000 (training plus administrative fee are included in this amount) and four to ten awards will be made. Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF Web Site at: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
The proposal must concretely demonstrate that 1) the proposed fellowship activities will further the development of an innovative research program in law and social science (i.e., the principal investigator must articulate a research question, the relevant explanatory theories, and research design); 2) successful completion of this research program requires further methodological and/or theoretical training (i.e., the choice of training activities must be described and justified in the body of the proposal); 3) the training activity will provide substantial value added to the principal investigator and the research (i.e., information on previous research activities and any relevant methodological or theoretical training in the area to be studied).
Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (Not Specified) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program Announcement.

Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: In lieu of indirect costs at a fixed predetermined rate, an administrative allowance limited to 25% of the faculty stipend support may be requested. The total amount of the award will not exceed $15,000.

C. Deadline/Target Dates

October 1, annually

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this Program Announcement through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this Program Announcement should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this announcement/solicitation.

Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Proposers are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/.

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Panel Review, using the following general review criteria established by the National Science Board as detailed in the Grant Proposal Guide (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf012a/nsf0102_2.html#IIC).

In addition, special attention will be paid to the following considerations:

-- The scientific merit and the broader impact of the proposed project;

-- The appropriateness and necessity of the proposed training activity; and

-- The likelihood that the scholar, with the benefit of additional training, will successfully complete the proposed innovative project.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Panel Review.
Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.
A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the identities of reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.
NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the closing date of an announcement/solicitation or the date of proposal receipt (whichever is later). The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.
In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at one's own risk.

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF-GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions;* and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Web site at http://www.gpo.gov/.

Special Award Conditions
Scholars who are awarded a training fellowship will be required to submit a proposal to the regular Law and Social Science competition within six months of completing the training activities.

C. Reporting Requirements

There are no special reporting requirements for these supplements beyond the regular reporting requirements that apply to the grant.

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries regarding Law and Social Science Mid-Career Training Fellowships should be made to:

  • Paul J. Wahlbeck, Director, Law and Social Science Program, telephone: 703-292-8762,
    e-mail: pwahlbec@nsf.gov.

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Grantees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 292-6865.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Relay Service (FRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation regarding NSF programs, employment, or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 or through FRS on 1-800-877-8339.

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer; Division of Administrative Services; National Science Foundation; Arlington, VA 22230.

The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information we publish easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about how to improve the clarity of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.
Publication Number: NSF 02-144