Title:  Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships
Date:   March 10, 2000




SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS (STC): INTEGRATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
______________________________________________________

Program Solicitation

NSF 00-67

OFFICE OF INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITIES

DEADLINE DATES:  Notice of Intent Deadline:  June 15, 2000
Preproposal Deadline: August 11, 2000
Full Proposal Deadline: April 2, 2001

Next Competition Expected to Start:  June 2003

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

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The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants for
research and education in the sciences, mathematics and engineering.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit
the NSF Web site at:

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SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS


GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Name:  Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative
Partnerships

Short Description/Synopsis of Program:

The Science and Technology Centers (STC):  Integrative Partnerships
Program supports innovation in the integrative conduct of research,
education and knowledge transfer.  Science and Technology Centers
build intellectual and physical infrastructure within and between
disciplines, weaving together knowledge creation, knowledge
integration, and knowledge transfer.  STCs conduct world-class
research through partnerships of academic institutions, national
laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private
entities.  New knowledge thus created is meaningfully linked to
society.

STCs enable and foster excellent education, integrate research and
education, and create bonds between learning and inquiry so that
discovery and creativity more fully support the learning process.
STCs capitalize on diversity through participation in center
activities and demonstrate leadership in the involvement of groups
underrepresented in science and engineering.

Contact at NSF:  Contact the Office of Integrative Activities at
(703) 306-1040 or stc@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: *
47.041 Engineering Grants * 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences
* 47.050 Geosciences * 47.070 Computer and Information Science and
Engineering * 47.074 Biological Sciences * 47.075 Social, Behavioral,
and Economic Sciences * 47.076 Education and Human Resources * 47.078
Polar Programs

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

* Limitation on the categories of organizations that are eligible to
submit preproposals and proposals:

Preproposals and proposals may be submitted by U.S. academic
institutions with significant research and degree-granting education
programs in any area of science and engineering normally supported by
NSF.  Preproposals and proposals involving integrated partnerships
(i.e., multi-institutional arrangements including other
universities/colleges, national laboratories, research museums,
private sector research laboratories, state and local government
laboratories, and international collaborations) are encouraged.  Note
that the number of participating institutions is not necessarily a
measure of quality. Preproposals and proposals must make clear that
all institutions involved as partners are necessary to the goals and
function of the Center.  Preproposals and proposals must describe
effective management of all partner institutions. A partner is an
institution or organization that invests intellectual resources in
the Center, backed by financial commitment to the Center to ensure
vital participation in an integrative effort incorporating research,
education, and knowledge transfer.

* PI eligibility limitations:  None

* Limitations on existing STCs:

Existing STCs or group members from such STCs who propose to focus on
radically different research topics or themes from those they are
currently pursuing may participate in this open competition.  To be
radically different, the proposers would need to focus on a different
topic, not simply extend the methods and intent of the current STC to
a slightly larger purview or just incorporate a new geographic area.
If successful, the new awards will not commence until the end of the
Center's current term of support.

The STC Program will not normally provide simultaneous support for
more than one STC led by any one institution from this competition.

The STC Program complements the NSF Engineering Research Centers
(ERC), the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
(MRSEC), and other programs that support group research and education
activities.  Simultaneous consideration of duplicate center proposals
by other NSF programs is not permitted.  However, participation in a
Center does not preclude individuals from receiving NSF support for
their individual research in complementary areas.

* Limitation on the number of preproposals that may be submitted by
an organization:

A single institution may submit no more than five preproposals as
lead institution, and may be involved as a partner in additional
preproposals submitted by other institutions.

* Cost sharing requirements:

For eligibility purposes, cost sharing at a level of at least, but no
more than 30% of the requested total amount of NSF funds is required
for all preproposals and proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation.

* Budgetary limitations:

Proposed STC annual budgets may range from $1.5M to $4.0M per year of
NSF support, but preproposals and proposals outside this range will
be ineligible.

AWARD INFORMATION * Type of award anticipated:  Cooperative Agreement
with an initial commitment of five years and a potential maximum
duration of ten years.

* Number of awards anticipated in FY 02:  8-10 awards.

* Amount of funds available:  Approximately $30 million will be
available for the STC program in FY 2002 pending availability of
funds.

* Anticipated date of award:  August 2002.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

* Proposal Preparation Instructions

* Notice of Intent requirements:

Lead institutions intending to submit a preproposal should submit a
notice of intent through their sponsored research office.  The notice
of intent must be submitted to the STC Program via e-mail to
stc@nsf.gov.  The subject of the e-mail message must be "Notice of
Intent" followed by the name of the academic institution. The notice
must not exceed 500 words, and must give a brief summary of the
vision for the Center and the structure of its research, education,
and knowledge transfer.  The notice must include the name of the
Principal Investigator and a list of all participating institutions
(not included in the 500 word limit).  The purpose of this notice is
to enable NSF to determine the composition of its review panels.

* Preproposal requirements:

Preproposals must be submitted with the proposed Center Director as
the Principal Investigator and must include only the following:  (1)
Cover Sheet; (2) Information about Principal Investigators/Project
Directors; (3) Project Summary (one page); (4) Table of Contents; (5)
Narrative Description of the Focus, Research Plans and Relevance; (6)
Description of Proposed Activities in Science or Engineering
Education, Human Resource Development, and Collaborations; (7)
Outline of Arrangements for Center Administration and Management
(items 5, 6, and 7 are limited to nine pages including tables and
illustrations); (8) Lists of Project Personnel and Institutions (two
pages); (9) Synopsis of Institutional and Other Resource Commitments
and Potential Funding to the Proposed Center (one page); (10) Budget
(NSF Form 1030) and Budget Justification (one page); (11) References
Cited (two pages); (12) Biographical Sketches (two pages per person);
and (13) Letters of Commitment.

* Proposal preparation instructions:

Standard NSF Grant Proposal Guide instructions apply.  Full proposals
must include only the following information: (1) Cover Sheet; (2)
Information about Principal Investigators/Project Directors; (3)
Project Summary (two pages); (4) Table of Contents; (5) Narrative
Description of the Focus, Research Plans and Relevance (ten pages);
(6) Education and Human Resource Development (five pages); (7)
Knowledge Transfer (three pages); (8) Rationale for the Center
Concept (one page); (9) Management Plan (three pages); (10) Lists of
Project Personnel and Institutions (two pages); (11) Intellectual
Property Rights (one page); (12) Shared Experimental Facilities (one
page); (13) Committed Funding by Source (one page); (14)
Institutional and Other Sector Support (one page); (15) Facilities
and Equipment (NSF Form 1363); (16) Budget (NSF Form 1030) and Budget
Justification (two pages); (17) References Cited (five pages); (18)
Biographical Sketches (two pages per person); (19) Current and
Pending Support (NSF Form 1239); and (20) Letters of Commitment.

* Supplemental preproposal and proposal preparation instructions:
Lists of (1) Project Personnel, (2) Institutions, and (3) Potential
Reviewers with Conflicts of Interest must be submitted via e-mail as
simple ASCII Text Files to stc-coi@nsf.gov with preproposal or
proposal number included in the following subject line:  STC Conflict
Information for Preproposal (or Proposal) No. 00-XXXXX.

* Deviations from standard (GPG) proposal preparation instructions:
FastLane required.  See preproposal and proposal preparation
instructions above for page limitations.

* Budgetary Information

* Cost sharing/matching requirements:

For eligibility purposes, cost sharing at a level of at least, but no
more than 30% of the requested total amount of NSF funds is required
for all preproposals and proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation.  The proposed cost sharing must be shown on line M of
the preproposal and proposal budget (NSF Form 1030).

Preproposals and proposals without the mandated amount of cost
sharing will be ineligible and will be returned without review.

Letters of commitment to cost sharing from the appropriate
institutional officer(s) must be submitted electronically with the
preproposal and proposal.

* Indirect cost (F&A) limitations:  None.

* Other budgetary limitations:

Proposed STC annual budgets may range from $1.5M to $4.0M per year of
NSF support.  Preproposals and proposals outside this range will be
ineligible and will be returned without review.

* FastLane Requirements

* FastLane proposal preparation requirements:  FastLane submission
required for preproposals and proposals.

* FastLane point of contact:  (703) 306-1040 and stcflane@nsf.gov; or
(703) 306-1142 and fastlane@nsf.gov

* Deadlines

* Notice of Intent Deadline:  5:00 PM, local time, June 15, 2000
(e-mail) * Preproposal Deadline:  5:00 PM, local time, August 11,
2000 (FastLane) * Full Proposal Deadline:  5:00 PM, local time, April
2, 2001 (FastLane) * Next STC Competition Expected to Start:  June
2003

PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

* Merit Review Criteria:

Standard National Science Board approved criteria apply.  In
addition, NSF will consider three other factors in making STC awards.
These considerations specific to STCs include:  (1) Value of the
Center-Mode to Research, Education, and Knowledge Transfer; (2)
Integrative Nature of the Proposed Center; and (3) Leadership,
Management Plan, Impact of Institutional Support, and Budget.

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

* Grant Award Conditions:  GC-1 and CA-1

* Special grant conditions anticipated:

Cooperative Agreement will have an extensive section of Special
Conditions relating to period of performance, statement of work &
awardee responsibilities, NSF responsibilities, joint NSF-awardee
responsibilities, funding & funding schedule, reporting requirements,
lead personnel, and other conditions.

* Special reporting requirements anticipated:

Centers selected will be required to submit annual reports on
progress and plans, which will be used as a basis for performance
review and determining the level of continued funding.  To support
this review and the management of a Center, STCs will be required to
develop a set of management and performance indicators for submission
annually to NSF via an NSF evaluation technical assistance
contractor.  Part of this reporting will take the form of a database
which will be owned by the institution and eventually made available
to an evaluation contractor.  This database will capture specific
information to demonstrate progress towards achieving the goals of
the program.  Such reporting requirements will be included in the
cooperative agreement which is binding between the academic
institution and the NSF.

***************************************************************************

I.  INTRODUCTION

The STC Integrative Partnerships Concept

The Science and Technology Centers (STC):  Integrative Partnerships
Program supports innovation in the integrative conduct of research,
education and knowledge transfer.

Science and Technology Centers build intellectual and physical
infrastructure within and between disciplines, weaving together
knowledge creation, knowledge integration, and knowledge transfer.
STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships of academic
institutions, national  laboratories, industrial organizations,
and/or other public/private entities.  New knowledge thus created is
meaningfully linked to society.

STCs enable and foster excellent education, integrate research and
education, and create bonds between learning and inquiry so that
discovery and creativity more fully support the learning process.

STCs capitalize on diversity through participation in center
activities and demonstrate leadership in the involvement of groups
underrepresented in science and engineering.

II.  DESCRIPTION OF STC PROGRAM

STC Program Objectives

The objectives of the STC Program are to:

* Support research and education of the highest quality;

* Exploit opportunities in science, engineering and technology where
the complexity of the research agenda requires the advantages of
scope, scale, change, duration, equipment and facilities, that a
Center can provide;

* Support frontier investigations at the interfaces of disciplines,
and/or fresh approaches within disciplines;

* Engage the Nation's intellectual talent, robustly drawn from its
full human diversity, in the conduct of research and education
activities;

* Promote organizational connections and linkages within and between
campuses, schools and/or the world beyond (state, local, federal
agencies, national labs, industry, international);

* Focus on integrative learning and discovery and the preparation of
U.S. students for a broad set of career paths; and

* Foster science and engineering in service to society especially
with respect to new research areas, promising new instrumentation and
potential new technologies.


STC Center Features

STCs must have a unifying research focus involving any area(s) of
research supported by the Foundation.  STCs can vary in size and
exhibit diverse forms of organization, participation, and operation.
No single type of Center fits the needs of every field.  Rather, the
size, structure, and operation of an STC are determined by the
proposed research, education, and knowledge transfer activities.
While each Center is unique in some respects, each must:

* Be based in an academic institution;

* Be directed by a science or engineering faculty member and
integrated into academic programs;

* Reflect a commitment to achieving strategic goals shared by the
host and partnering institutions as demonstrated by cost sharing and
other institutional commitments;

* Provide a variety of education and research opportunities for U.S.
students and faculty (e.g., undergraduate and graduate students,
postdoctoral researchers, industrial fellows, students from groups
underrepresented in science and engineering, K-12 teachers, and
visiting participants) such that education is infused with the
excitement of discovery and research is enriched through a diversity
of learner perspectives;

* Have significant intellectual exchange and resource linkages among
various types of institutions and organizations to facilitate
knowledge transfer (e.g., schools; colleges and universities such as
minority-serving institutions, community colleges, EPSCoR
institutions, and others; nonprofit organizations; national
laboratories; industry; federal, state, and local governments);

* Include industrial, national or international laboratory
internships, or other career broadening experiences as appropriate to
the research area; and

* Have annual budgets ranging from $1.5M to $4.0M of NSF support.

Center Leadership and Management

The STC Director must have the capacity to develop and lead a team to
fulfill a shared vision.  The Director must be supported in this role
by a management team comprised of, for example, a deputy or
co-Director (who will share some of the leadership responsibilities),
leaders of research thrusts, an education coordinator, a knowledge
transfer (industrial liaison) coordinator, and an administrative and
financial manager.  In addition, the Center will maintain and convene
annually an external advisory group.  The advisors must include
representation from those served by the Center (e.g.,  academic
institutions, industry, state and local agencies, national
laboratories) and display the diversity of the U.S. citizenry in its
membership.  Those with a financial, institutional, or collaborative
connection to the Center may not serve as members of the external
advisory group.  The function of the external advisory group is to
provide guidance and advice to the Center as well as to ensure that
the Center's activities are consistent with its vision, goals, and
objectives.

The Center Director is responsible for the management, staffing, and
resource allocation of the STC; for administering the award in
accordance with NSF policies and the terms of the cooperative
agreement, and for serving as the liaison between the Center and the
National Network of STC Directors.

National Network of STC Directors

STC Directors will serve as members of a national liaison team for
the STC Program.  The Directors are responsible for developing,
implementing, and maintaining a liaison structure with active
participation of each Center. This network is charged with addressing
common goals, problems and opportunities, and facilitating personnel
and resource exchanges as well as integrated partnerships and
cooperation among Centers.

Annually a chair of this liaison team will be elected by
participating members and will serve a one-year term.

Typical functions of the National Network of STC Directors include:
fostering complementarity and balance among research, education and
knowledge transfer activities, and avoidance of duplication of
effort; facilitating interactions to address research, education, and
management issues and opportunities which transcend individual Center
capabilities; liaison with private sector, state, local and national
laboratories to identify needs/opportunities and to plan joint
implementation strategies, workshops, and other fora; cooperation and
liaison with NSF staff in the development and maintenance of
databases and other effective metrics in response to the requirements
of the Government Performance and Results Act; and preparing
documents to enhance public understanding about the importance of
science, engineering, technology and education advances in service to
society.

III.  ELIGIBILITY

Preproposals and proposals may be submitted by U.S. academic
institutions with significant research and degree-granting education
programs in any area of science and engineering normally supported by
NSF.  A single institution may submit no more than five preproposals
as lead institution, and may be involved as a partner in additional
preproposals submitted by other institutions.  Each must demonstrate
the institutional commitment to the area proposed.  However, the STC
Program will not normally provide simultaneous support for more than
one STC led by any one institution from this competition.

Preproposals and proposals involving integrated partnerships (i.e.,
multi-institutional arrangements including other
universities/colleges, national laboratories, research museums,
private sector research laboratories, state and local government
laboratories, and international collaborations) are encouraged.  In
such proposals, one institution must accept overall management
responsibility for the proposed Center and is thus designated as lead
institution.  Note that the number of participating institutions is
not necessarily a measure of quality.  Preproposals and proposals
must make clear that all institutions involved as partners are
necessary to the goals and function of the Center.  Preproposals and
proposals must describe effective management of all partner
institutions.  A partner is an institution or organization that
invests intellectual resources in the Center, backed by financial
commitment to the Center to ensure vital participation in an
integrative effort incorporating research, education, and knowledge
transfer.

Existing STCs or group members from such STCs who propose to focus on
radically different research topics or themes from those they are
currently pursuing may participate in this open competition.  To be
radically different, the proposers would need to focus on a different
topic, not simply extend the methods and intent of the current STC to
a slightly larger purview or just incorporate a new geographic area.
If successful, the new awards will not commence until the end of the
Center's current term of support.

The STC Program complements the NSF Engineering Research Centers
(ERC), the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
(MRSEC), and other programs that support group research and education
activities.  Simultaneous consideration of duplicate center proposals
by other NSF programs is not permitted.  However, participation in a
Center does not preclude individuals from receiving NSF support for
their individual research in complementary areas.

For eligibility purposes, cost sharing at a level of at least, but no
more than 30% of the requested total amount of NSF funds is required
for all preproposals and proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation. Proposed STC annual budgets may range from $1.5M to
$4.0M per year of NSF support, but preproposals and proposals outside
this range will be ineligible.

IV.  AWARD INFORMATION

The amount of funds available for this competition is approximately
$30 million in FY 2002 pending availability of funds and NSF expects
to make about eight to ten awards.  The awards will be made as
cooperative agreements with an initial commitment of five years and a
potential duration of ten years. The amount of the NSF's investment
in each center will depend upon the needs, plans, and opportunities
offered by the Center, as well as the availability of NSF funds.
Proposed STC annual budgets may range from $1.5M to $4.0M per year of
NSF support.  Preproposals and proposals outside this range will be
ineligible and will be returned without review.

The appropriate NSF research directorates will have primary
responsibility in the oversight of individual STCs.  The progress and
plans of each funded STC will be reviewed by NSF annually, prior to
receiving continued NSF support. In the fourth year of operation the
STC may submit a renewal proposal for continued support which will
undergo merit review.  The STC's achievements and future plans will
be evaluated comprehensively.  The review will determine if the STC
is meeting the goals and objectives as originally proposed.  The STC
performance assessment will be guided by the goals and objectives of
the STC Program and the individual goals of the particular STC.

Centers successful in passing the fourth-year review will be renewed
for another five years, commencing at the beginning of the sixth
year, and including a two-year phase-out period.  Centers that pass
the fourth-year review will continue to be reviewed by NSF at least
every 18 months.  Centers that do not pass the fourth year review
will be phased-out over a one-year period at a reduced level of
support.  The NSF will support an STC for a maximum of ten years.

V.  PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A.  Notice of Intent

Lead institutions intending to submit a preproposal should submit a
notice of intent through their sponsored research office.  The notice
of intent must be submitted to the STC Program via e-mail to
stc@nsf.gov by 5:00 p.m., local time, June 15, 2000.  The subject of
the e-mail message must be "Notice of Intent" followed by the name of
the academic institution.  The notice must not exceed 500 words, and
must give a brief summary of the vision for the Center and the
structure of its research, education, and knowledge transfer.  The
notice must include the name of the Principal Investigator and a list
of all participating institutions (not included in the 500 word
limit).  The purpose of this notice is to enable NSF to determine the
composition of its review panels.

B.  Proposal Preparation Instructions

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation must be
prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines
contained in the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), NSF 00-2.  The complete
text of the GPG (including electronic forms) is available
electronically on the NSF Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/.  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.

Proposers are reminded to identify program solicitation number (NSF
00-67) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the NSF Form
1207, "Cover Sheet for Proposal to the National Science Foundation."
Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the
relevant proposal processing guidelines.  Failure to submit this
information may delay processing.

Preproposal Content

The preproposal must be submitted with the proposed Center Director
as the Principal Investigator and must include only the following:

(1)  Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207).

(2)  Information about Principal Investigators/Project Directors (NSF
Form 1225) is automatically generated by FastLane.  (Note:  NSF
limits the number of Principal Investigators (PI) to one PI and four
Co-PIs.  Additional lead personnel can be listed as Senior Personnel
on the Budget [NSF Form 1030] and in the Project Description.  Senior
Personnel must provide biographical sketches.)

(3)  Project Summary.  Provide a one page description of the vision
and key components of the STC.  The names of the principal
participating institutions involved in establishing the proposed STC
must be included in the one page description.

(4)  Table of Contents (NSF Form 1359 cannot be edited and is
automatically generated by FastLane).

The Project Description must contain the following sections,
incorporating items five through nine:

(5)  Narrative description of the Focus, Research Plans, and
Relevance. Develop a research focus that is sufficiently long-term to
justify a Center form of organization and broad enough to permit
change as the research proceeds.  Describe the Center's rationale,
goals and proposed research activities in sufficient detail to allow
assessment of their merit and the necessity for the Center mode of
operation.  Indicate the potential impact the Center's research will
have on the nation's scientific and/or technological base.

(6)  Give an overview of the goals and proposed activities in
education and human resource development.  Discuss how they integrate
strategically with the research and organizational/partnering
opportunities of the Center and will achieve the participation of
highly qualified U.S. students, including underrepresented groups.
Describe knowledge transfer plans and their intended impact across
various types of institutions and organizations from industry to
colleges, the K-12 education system, and public sector.  Describe the
role of international collaborations and shared experimental
facilities, as appropriate.

(7)  An outline of the proposed arrangements for administration and
management of the Center.

Note:  Items 5, 6, and 7 above are limited to nine pages including
tables and illustrations regardless of the number of research groups
or themes.

(8)  Lists of Project Personnel and Institutions (two-page limit).
In addition to providing a comprehensive listing of personnel and
institutions involved in the STC, these lists also are used for
determining conflicts of interest in the review process.  Ensuring
that reviewers do not have conflicts of interest can be difficult
when, as in this case, many preproposals involve multiple
investigators and multiple institutions.  To assist NSF in
identifying conflicts of interest, the following information must be
included in the preproposal and also submitted via e-mail within five
days of FastLane submission as simple ASCII Text Files to
stc-coi@nsf.gov with your preproposal number included in the
following subject line:  STC Conflict Information for Preproposal No.
00-XXXXX.  You can obtain the number of your preproposal from
FastLane as soon as your preproposal has been submitted by your
Sponsored Projects Office.

Provide three lists: a. Project Personnel.  Subdivide the listing of
STC project personnel into the following categories, as applicable:
Academic Institutions (colleges, universities), Federal Government
(national laboratories), Industry, Non-Governmental Organizations,
State and Local Government, International, and Other.  For the
Academic category, list in alphabetical order all project personnel
in the following format:  last name, first name, institutional
affiliation, school, department, role (e.g., Smith, Jane, University
of X, School of Y, Department of Z , team leader).  For all other
categories, list in alphabetical order all project personnel in the
format:  last name, first name, institutional affiliation, role.  The
names included in the non-Academic categories must be personnel who
contributed to the development of the preproposal and are interested
in joining and supporting the Center through financial and/or other
supporting mechanisms.

b. Institutions.  Subdivide the listing of institutions involved in
the STC into the following categories, as applicable:  Academic
Institutions (colleges, universities), Federal Government (national
laboratories), Industry, Non-Governmental Organizations, State and
Local Government, International, and Other.  For each category, list
in alphabetical order all institutions involved in the project.

c. Potential Reviewers with Conflicts of Interest. List in
alphabetical order all persons who have a conflict of interest with
any of the project's senior personnel (PI, Co-PI, other senior
personnel).  In particular, list all persons falling into the
conflict of interest categories specified in Section II.D.6.e.i-iii
of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 00-2).  Provide this information
in the following format: last name, first name, institution, nature
of conflict, project personnel with whom the conflict exists.  For
example, if Thomas Jones of the University of X recently co-authored
an article with Peter Brown, a Co-PI on the proposed project, the
corresponding list entry would read as follows: Jones, Thomas,
University of X, co-author on article, Brown.

(9)  Provide a synopsis (one-page limit) of institutional and other
resource commitments and potential funding to the proposed Center.

(10)  Provide a budget (NSF Form 1030) for each of the five years and
submit a budget justification (not to exceed one page).  Cost sharing
at a level of at least, but no more than 30% of the requested total
amount of NSF funds is required for all preproposals submitted in
response to this solicitation.  The proposed cost sharing must be
shown on line M of the preproposal budget (NSF Form 1030).

(11)  References Cited.  Section not to exceed two pages.

(12)  Biographical sketches (two-page limit per person).  For the
Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator(s), and non-Co-PI
Senior Personnel, provide a brief biographical sketch or curriculum
vitae, including a list of the five most recent or significant
publications.  Any information that is deemed pertinent is allowable
provided that the two page limit is not exceeded.  Do not send copies
of the publications.

(13)  Letters of commitment addressed to the Director, OIA, are
required from the proposing institution and partners, signed by
authorized official(s) committing support (including cash and/or
in-kind cost sharing) to the STC during its ten-year life span.
These letters must be scanned into the Supplementary Documents
section of your FastLane preproposal and submitted electronically as
part of the preproposal.  Hard copies must not be mailed to NSF.

No other items are to be included.  Preproposals containing items
other than those required above will not be reviewed.

Full Proposal Content

The full proposals must include only the following information:

(1)  Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207).  In most cases, August 1, 2002,
should be listed as the start date.

(2)  Information about Principal Investigators/Project Directors (NSF
Form 1225) is automatically generated by FastLane.  (Note:  NSF
limits the number of Principal Investigators (PI) to one PI and four
Co-PIs.  Additional lead personnel can be listed as Senior Personnel
on the Budget [NSF Form 1030] and in the Project Description.  Senior
Personnel must provide biographical sketches and list current and
pending support.)

(3)  Project Summary (two-page limit).  At the top of the first page
include the title of the STC and the name of the Director.  Identify
the institution leading the STC as well as the other participating
institutions.  This summary must provide a clear description of the
Center, its rationale, and vision; its distinguishing features,
multidisciplinary or disciplinary focus, proposed research and
educational activities, integrative components, diversity plan, and
knowledge transfer strategy.

(4) Table of Contents (NSF Form 1359 cannot be edited and is
automatically generated by Fast Lane).

The Project Description must contain the following sections,
incorporating items five through fourteen:

(5)  Narrative description of the Focus, Research Plans, and
Relevance (ten-page limit).  Develop a research focus that is
sufficiently long term to justify a Center form of organization and
agile enough to permit change as the research proceeds.  Describe the
Center's goals and proposed research activities in sufficient detail
to allow assessment of their scientific merit and the necessity for
the Center mode of operation.  Indicate what impact the Center's
research will have on the nation's scientific and/or technological
base.

(6)  Education and Human Resource Development (five-page limit).
Discuss the rationale and goals of the proposed education and human
resource development activities and how they integrate strategically
with the research and organizational/partnering opportunities of the
proposed Center.  Describe the proposed activities in sufficient
detail to allow assessment of their intrinsic merit, potential
effectiveness, anticipated contribution toward a diverse, highly
competent, and globally-engaged technical and instructional workforce
and educated citizenry, and other societal benefits.  Include plans
for attracting and retaining high quality U. S. students
(undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral) in Center activities and
for increasing participation of women and members of underrepresented
minorities in Center research and education endeavors.  Also address
plans for making time from the baccalaureate to the Ph. D. degree
approach four to five years.  Finally, provide a summary chart of M.
S. and Ph. D. degrees completed during the past three years under the
directorship of the proposed Center senior personnel. Also indicate
average time to complete degree requirements.  Indicate gender,
ethnic origin, and nationality of these degree recipients.

(7)  Knowledge Transfer (three-page limit).  Describe plans for
linking appropriate communities and institutions beyond the
sponsoring institution-other colleges, universities, disciplinary
subfields, other disciplines, nonprofit research organizations,
government laboratories, industry, state, local, and/or international
entities-to enhance involvement and knowledge transfer.  These
linkages should involve significant intellectual exchange,
internships, and resource commitments (e.g., funds, facilities,
and/or people) in both directions between the sponsoring institution
and partners.  Partnerships and linkages beyond the boundaries of the
academic institution are to be emphasized here.

If a proposal is selected for a site visit, Center staff will be
expected to be aware of related state and national research
capabilities as well as international programs in their fields of
research.

(8)  Rationale for the Center concept (one-page limit).  Justify the
center mode.  Clearly indicate current activities in research,
education, and knowledge transfer, why a Center is necessary, and
what unique opportunities will be provided by the proposed Center.
If the proposed Center research is closely related to ongoing
research at an existing Center (e.g., STC, ERC, MRSEC, national
laboratory), explain how the research activities of this Center
complement as well as differ from those of the existing center(s).

(9)  Management Plan (three-page limit).  Provide a clear description
of the organizational structure of the Center.  Clearly outline
mechanisms for focusing Center activities, selecting and integrating
related research projects, allocating funds and equipment across all
Center activities, and managing the involvement of other groups,
scientific and educational.  A description of a diverse external
advisory group that will provide guidance and advice on all Center
activities is required.

If a proposal is selected for a site visit, NSF will require
additional information on the overall management of the Center.

(10)  Lists of Project Personnel and Institutions (two-page limit).
The Lists of Project Personnel and Institutions required as part of
the preproposal (see Preproposal Preparation Instructions) must be
revised to reflect any changes occurring since the time of
preproposal submission. These lists, whether they have been revised
or not, must be included in the proposal and also submitted via
e-mail as simple ASCII Text Files to stc-coi@nsf.gov by April 4,
2001. The e-mail message must contain the proposal number obtained
from FastLane embedded in the following subject line:  STC Conflict
Information for Proposal No. 00-XXXXX.

(11)  Intellectual Property Rights (one-page limit).  Provide a
concise statement on the proposed Center's policies on Intellectual
Property Rights. If a proposal is selected for a site-visit, a more
detailed copy of the home institution's official policy will be
required.

(12)  Shared Experimental Facilities (four-page limit).  Where
appropriate, describe the shared facilities to be established,
including specific major research instrumentation, and plans for the
development of instrumentation. Describe plans for maintaining and
operating the facilities, including staffing, provisions for user
fees, and plans for ensuring access to outside users.  Distinguish
between existing facilities and those still to be developed.

(13)  Committed Funding by Source (one-page limit).  Reproduce Table
1 indicating the annual level of total committed support for five
years from each source (i.e., NSF, the academic institution,
industry, state and local governments, other federal agencies, and
other sources).  On this table, split each column, as needed, to
indicate whether the support is in cash, or in-kind (space, faculty
and staff positions, time of industrial personnel spent in the STC,
capital equipment, and other in-kind pledges).  NSF expects STCs to
develop and implement plans to continue the effective and productive
collaborations with other stakeholders in the integrated partnerships
when NSF funding ceases.

Table 1

              Year 1        Year 2      Year 3       Year 4       Year 5
Committed  Cash In-Kind Cash In-Kind Cash In-Kind Cash In-Kind Cash In-Kind
Funding      $     $      $     $      $     $      $     $      $     $
____________________________________________________________________________
NSF
______________________________________________________________________
Industry
______________________________________________________________________
Academic
Institution
______________________________________________________________________
Other Govt.
______________________________________________________________________
Other
______________________________________________________________________

Total



(14)  Institutional and other Sector Support (one-page limit).
Outline the home institution's commitment: dollars, space (new space
and/or renovations to existing facilities), faculty and staff
positions, capital equipment, and access to facilities and
instrumentation.  Indicate dollar value where possible; otherwise,
describe how the commitment contributes to realizing the strategic
goals of the Center and associated institutions.  Describe
other-sector support that has been committed, including space, funds,
facilities, and personnel for the center.  Major commitments of other
closely associated institutions may also be provided here.

(15)  Facilities and Equipment (NSF Form 1363).  This form must
support the description of the infrastructure of the STC in the body
of the proposal by describing the equipment and facilities available
to the proposed STC.

(16)  Budget and Budget Justification.  Provide a budget (NSF Form
1030) for each of the five years.  (FastLane will automatically fill
out a cumulative budget for your proposal.)  Cost sharing at a level
of at least, but no more than 30% of the requested total amount of
NSF funds is required for all proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation.  The proposed cost sharing must be shown on line M of
the proposal budget (NSF Form 1030).

Submit a separate budget for each participating institution in cases
where a subcontract exceeds $100,000 per year.  Identify items of
equipment costing more than $10,000.  Full justification for the
latter is required.  Individual students may not be supported for a
period in excess of five years.  A budget justification (two-page
limit) must be provided.  Funds allocated for research, education,
and knowledge transfer issues must be discernible.

NSF will not provide salary support for scientists, engineers, or
educators employed by Federal agencies or Federally Funded Research
and Development Centers.  For participants at foreign organizations,
NSF will consider support only for the U.S. portion of the
collaborative projects involving U.S. and foreign institutions.

(17)  References Cited.  Section not to exceed five pages.

(18)  Biographical Sketches (two page limit per person).  For the
Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator(s), and non Co-PI
Senior Personnel, provide a brief biographical sketch or curriculum
vitae, including a list of the five most recent or significant
publications.  Any information that is deemed pertinent is allowable
provided that the two page limit is not exceeded.  Do not send copies
of the publications.

(19)  Current and Pending Support (NSF Form 1239).  Provide a
complete listing of current and pending support for the Principal
Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator(s), and non Co-PI Senior
Personnel only.  Thus, if their biographical sketch was included in
#18 above, then you must include a statement about their current and
pending support.  Please note on the top of the form if the
individual is affiliated with a Government Laboratory, Industry, or
other institutions that are not eligible for other support.

(20)  Letters of commitment addressed to the Director, OIA, are
required from the proposing institution and partners, signed by the
authorized official(s) committing support (including cash and/or
in-kind cost sharing) to the STC during its 10-year life span.
Letters committing industrial and/or other partners to involvement
and financial or collaborative support are required. (Commitment
letters are not included in the page count.  These letters must be
scanned into the Supplementary Documents section of your FastLane
proposal and submitted electronically as part of the proposal.  Hard
copies must not be mailed to NSF.)

Full proposals containing items other than those described above will
not be reviewed.

C.  Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing Requirements

For eligibility purposes, cost sharing at a level of at least, but no
more than 30% of the requested total amount of NSF funds is required
for all preproposals and proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation.  The proposed cost sharing must be shown on line M of
the preproposal and proposal budget (NSF Form 1030).  Preproposals
and proposals without the mandated amount of cost sharing will be
ineligible and will be returned without review.

The amount of cost sharing must be shown in the proposal in enough
detail to allow NSF to determine its impact on the proposed project.
Documentation of availability of cost sharing must be included in the
proposal.

Only items which would be allowable under the applicable cost
principles, if charged to the project, may be included as the
grantee's contribution to cost sharing.  Contributions may be made
from any non-Federal source, including non-Federal grants or
contracts, and may be cash or in-kind (see OMB Circular A-110,
Section 23).  It should be noted that contributions counted as cost
sharing toward projects of another Federal agency may not be counted
towards meeting the specific cost sharing requirements of the NSF
grant.

All cost sharing amounts are subject to audit.  Failure to provide
the level of cost sharing reflected in the approved grant budget may
result in termination of the NSF grant, disallowance of grant costs
and/or refund of grant funds to NSF.

Budgetary Limitations

Proposed STC annual budgets may range from $1.5M to $4.0M per year of
NSF support.  Preproposals and proposals outside this range will be
ineligible and will be returned without review.

D.  Preproposal and Proposal Due Dates

Preproposal Deadline

The preproposal MUST be submitted via FastLane by 5:00 PM, local
time, August 11, 2000.

Full Proposal Deadline

The full proposal MUST be submitted via FastLane by 5:00 PM, local
time, April 2, 2001.

A preproposal or proposal is considered complete when the preproposal
or proposal, including the Project Description, has been submitted to
NSF.  The receipt date will be the date the sponsored projects office
transmits the preproposal or proposal to NSF.

The next STC competition is expected to start June 2003.

E.  FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all preproposals and
proposals for this Program Solicitation through the FastLane system.
Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via
FastLane are available at:
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/al/newstan.htm.

VI.  PREPROPOSAL AND PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A.   NSF Preproposal and Proposal Review Process

Reviews of preproposals and proposals submitted to NSF are solicited
from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed
research and education project.  These reviewers are selected by
Program officers charged with the oversight of the review process.
NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the
names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers.  Care is taken to
ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposing team.
Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic
institutions, minority serving institutions or adjacent disciplines
to that principally addressed in the preproposal or proposal.

Preproposals and proposals will be reviewed against the following two
general merit 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 preproposal or proposal.  Each
reviewer will be asked to address only those that are relevant to the
preproposal or proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make
judgments.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

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?  (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality
of prior work.)  To what extent does the proposed activity suggest
and explore creative and original concepts?  How well conceived and
organized is the proposed activity?  Is there sufficient access to
resources?

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

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 (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?  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?

PIs must also address the following elements in their preproposal and
proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to
respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria.  NSF staff will give
these factors careful consideration in making funding decisions.

Integration of Research and Education

One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to
foster integration of research and education through the programs,
projects and activities it supports at academic and research
institutions.  These institutions provide abundant opportunities
where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as
researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in
joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery
and enrich research through the diversity of learner perspectives.

For STCs, integrating research and education also requires the
ability to develop effective educational programs that will broaden
the career paths of involved students; and includes plans for
fostering a climate of interaction and effective knowledge transfer
both among diverse departments of the academic institution and
between the academic institution and its partners in industry and/or
other sectors.

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities

Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
citizens-women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with
disabilities-is essential to the health and vitality of science and
engineering.  NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and
deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it
considers and supports.

For STCs, developing human resources also requires the ability to
increase participation by U.S. citizens, particularly women and
underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities, in
research and education; and includes plans for forming substantive
and long-term partnerships and collaborations with minority-serving
institutions and/or women's colleges.

In addition to the evaluation criteria stated above, NSF will
consider the following factors in making STC awards.  Excellence must
be demonstrated in all criteria (general merit review criteria above
and considerations specific to STCs below) for STC support to be
recommended:

Value of the Center-Mode to Research, Education, and Knowledge
Transfer

Are the identified science and technology challenges of sufficient
import, scale, and complexity to justify a center-mode investment?
Will the Center's educational programs make a special contribution to
the achievement of a diverse, highly competent, and globally-engaged
technical and instructional workforce and of an educated citizenry?
Will any proposed new instruments, shared experimental facilities,
and/or databases be of significant value to a broad community of
users?  Will the Center's partnerships achieve significant
intellectual exchange with the school, public, industry, federal,
and/or international sectors and thereby foster science and
technology in service to society?

Integrative Nature of the Proposed Center

Are the research, educational, and knowledge transfer activities
strategically integrated such that the whole is greater than the sum
of the parts?  Are the partners vital participants in an integrated
whole?

Leadership, Management Plan, Impact of Institutional Support, and
Budget

Do the center director and the center leadership team convincingly
demonstrate the vision, experience, and capacity to manage a complex,
multi-faceted, and innovative research, education, and knowledge
transfer enterprise?  What is the likely effectiveness of the
proposed management plan, including the mechanisms for topic
selection, resource allocation, progress evaluation, and project
termination?  Is there documentation of institutional and other
commitments to the proposed Center?  Is the requested budget
appropriate?

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and
signed by each reviewer.  In all cases, reviews are treated as
confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the
names of the reviewers, are mailed 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.

B.  Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All preproposals and proposals are carefully reviewed by at least
three other persons outside NSF who are experts in their fields and
knowledgeable of partnerships that integrate science, mathematics,
engineering, and technology research and education. A panel will be
asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each
preproposal or proposal.  Preproposals and proposals submitted in
response to this solicitation will be reviewed as follows:


STC Review and Award Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated in a multi-phase merit review process.
In order to reduce the cost of proposal preparation and the workload
on the scientific community, NSF will utilize a preproposal phase
which will include evaluation by panels of individuals intellectually
distinguished in their fields and experienced in integrative science,
mathematics, engineering and technology research and education
partnerships.  The panelists will be asked to base their comments on
the merit review criteria listed above.  NSF will notify applicants
of the results of the preproposal competition on or before December
15, 2000.

Proposing institutions whose preproposals are judged most promising
and are recommended by the panel will be encouraged to submit full
proposals that will be evaluated by both ad hoc mail and panel review
using the selection criteria listed above; only invited full
proposals will be accepted.  This panel will identify a small number
of full proposals deemed worthy of site-visit reviews; the other
proposals will be declined.  NSF will notify all proposers as to
whether they will be declined or site-visited by August 2001.
Although the site visit will cover all aspects of the proposal,
Foundation staff will provide additional information that may be
needed in advance of the site visit.

Finally, a comprehensive review of those activities site-visited will
be conducted by an ad hoc STC Advisory Committee that will develop a
prioritized recommended funding list.  In developing its
recommendations for awards, this committee will consider: the
relative merit of the STC proposals using the criteria listed above,
the balance of awards among scientific fields, geographical
distribution, and the combined ability of the proposed Centers to
meet the objectives of the STC Program.  In developing funding
recommendations to the Director and the National Science Board, the
STC Advisory Committee's recommendations will be considered.  NSF
expects to announce the final results of the STC competition around
March 2002.

In all cases, after National Science Board 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 cooperative agreement.  Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants
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
an NSF Program Officer.  A principal investigator or organization
that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a
cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants Officer does so at its
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 (DGA).
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 to the Principal
Investigator.


B. Grant Award Conditions

An NSF grant consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any
special provisions applicable to the grant 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 grant conditions, such as Grant General
Conditions (NSF GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership Phase III
(FDP) Terms and Conditions* and (5) any NSF brochure, program guide,
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 grants 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/.  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, (NSF 95-26)
available electronically on the NSF Web site.  The GPM also is
available in paper copy by subscription from the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402.
The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Web site at:
http://www.gpo.gov. The telephone number at GPO for subscription
information is (202) 512-1800.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing
grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant
Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget
period.

Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is required
to submit a final project report.  Approximately 30 days before
expiration, NSF will send a notice to remind the PI of the
requirement to file the final project report.  Failure to provide
final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending
proposals for that PI.  PIs should examine the formats of the
required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

NSF has implemented an electronic project reporting system, available
through FastLane. This system permits electronic submission and
updating of project reports, including information on: project
participants (individual and organizational); activities and
findings; publications; and other specific products and
contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information
previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates
using the electronic system.

Additional Reporting Considerations for STCs

Centers selected will be required to submit annual reports on
progress and plans, which will be used as a basis for performance
review and determining the level of continued funding.  To support
this review and the management of a Center, STCs will be required to
develop a set of management and performance indicators for submission
annually to NSF via an NSF evaluation technical assistance
contractor.  These indicators are both quantitative and descriptive
and may include, for example, the characteristics of center personnel
and students; sources of financial support and in-kind support;
expenditures by operational component; characteristics of industrial
and/or other sector participation; research activities; education
activities; knowledge transfer activities; patents, licenses;
publications; degrees granted to students involved in Center
activities; descriptions of significant advances and other outcomes
of the STC effort.  Part of this reporting will take the form of a
database which will be owned by the institution and eventually made
available to an evaluation contractor.  This database will capture
specific information to demonstrate progress towards achieving the
goals of the program.  Such reporting requirements will be included
in the cooperative agreement which is binding between the academic
institution and the NSF.

VIII.  CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries about the NSF Science and Technology Centers (STC):
Integrative Partnerships Program should be addressed to:

       Office of Integrative Activities Science and Technology
       Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships Program
       National Science Foundation Room 1270
       4201 Wilson Boulevard
       Arlington, VA 22230
       (703) 306-1040
       E-Mail:  stc@nsf.gov (Internet)

IX.  OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research
and education in science, mathematics, and engineering.  General
descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility
information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.
Many NSF programs offer announcements concerning specific proposal
requirements.  To obtain additional information about these
requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices listed in
Appendix A of the GPG.  Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs
occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be
announced in the NSF Bulletin, available monthly (except July and
August), and in individual program announcements.  The Bulletin is
available electronically via the NSF Web Site at http://www.nsf.gov.
The direct URL for recent issues of the Bulletin is
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/publicat/bulletin/bulletin.htm
Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service to find
out what funding opportunities are 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)
306-1636.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf
(TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) 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) 306-0090 or through FIRS on
1-800-877-8339.

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.

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.

Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or sponsor,
and a person is not required to respond to an information collection
unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number
for this collection is 3145-0058. 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 Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Information
Dissemination Branch, Division of Administrative Services, National
Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, or to Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National
Science Foundation (3145-0058), 725 - 17th Street, N.W. Room 10235,
Washington, D.C. 20503.

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers:

* 47.041 Engineering Grants * 47.049 Mathematical and Physical
Sciences * 47.050 Geosciences * 47.070 Computer and Information
Science and Engineering * 47.074 Biological Sciences * 47.075 Social,
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences * 47.076 Education and Human
Resources * 47.078 Polar Programs

OMB# 3145-0058

NSF 00-67

[IDB/PSS/cjg]