NSF seeks to stimulate Partnerships for Innovation among colleges and universities, state and local governments, the private sector and other relevant organizations, emphasizing productive links among relevant parties to enable innovation.

Innovation in science and technology has been the dominant source of productivity gains, and new enterprises in the U.S. economy, accounting for as much as fifty percent of U.S. economic growth over the last fifty years. Technological innovation is the transformation of knowledge into new products, processes, systems and services. It is grounded in science and technology, but has implications well beyond both, having created astonishing, tangible benefits to society through engineering and astute management, including improved healthcare, transportation and computer-communications capacities.

Key factors in the innovation enterprise include creation of and access to new knowledge; a scientifically and technologically literate workforce prepared to capitalize on new knowledge; and an infrastructure that enables innovation. For the purposes of this program, innovation explicitly extends both to developing the people and tools and to creating the necessary organizational conditions to foster the transformation of knowledge into the products, processes, systems and services that fuel economic development, create wealth and generate improvements in the national standard of living.

Academic institutions play an essential role in generating new knowledge, creating a scientifically and technologically literate workforce and providing an environment critical to nurture innovation. However, the presence and strength of these key factors varies dramatically by type and location of institution. For example, some of the nation's colleges and universities have a long tradition of active research and education programs and strong connections to the private sector, and many have offices responsible for enabling knowledge transfer and stimulating the growth of new businesses. Much of this capacity for innovation stems from federal funding provided for research activities. Institutions that have not participated as actively in federal R&D; programs may not have capabilities and infrastructure that are as finely honed.

Likewise, many states have taken action to develop programs that facilitate innovation. Colleges and universities in some states have access to an infrastructure that allows them to tie their research emphases to areas the state regards as important. This infrastructure enables innovation at the state and local level where innovation generally happens; at the same time it enhances the institutions' ability to conduct research. States without this infrastructure may find it more difficult to take full advantage of innovation opportunities.

Partnerships are an important means for developing an innovation capability that links new knowledge and a knowledge-rich workforce to economic growth and other societal benefits. Partnerships involving various combinations of colleges and universities, private sector firms, and local, state, and federal government, have the potential to increase the value of each of the partners' portfolios, and to mobilize innovation in a systemic manner. For example, private sector firms gain access to new knowledge and a workforce that can capitalize on it; academe gains financial support, the ability to capitalize on intellectual property, and access to real-world problems for field training; and local and state governments gain sustainable regional and local economic development activities. The innovation process is facilitated by students moving into the workplace as the ultimate knowledge transfer mechanism.

For 50 years, NSF has enabled innovation through discovery and the production of a scientifically and technologically knowledgeable workforce second to none. Since businesses and industries today are more dependent on research and technology advances and since the product development cycle in all industry sectors is more rapid than before, NSF's traditional roles are more proximate and relevant to economic development than at any other time in our past.

The Partnerships for Innovation Program is of considerable strategic importance to NSF, forging connections between new knowledge created in the discovery process to learning and innovation. At the same time, it addresses NSF's strategic intention to broaden the participation of people and institutions in NSF activities. The goals of the Program are to:

• Catalyze Partnerships for Innovation that will enable the transformation of knowledge created by the national research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth, build strong local, regional and national economies and improve the national well-being;
• Broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in NSF activities to more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and
• Create enabling infrastructure necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term.

Partnerships for Innovation might include the planning and/or implementation of new models for innovation that connect discovery to use through knowledge transfer; education and training activities that explicitly address the workforce needs of the innovation enterprise; and the development and deployment of new tools or mechanisms that support the innovation infrastructure. They may focus on creating a critical level of innovation activity in a technology area, in an industry sector, or in a geographical region.

Partnerships involving colleges and universities, private sector firms, and local, state, and federal government entities, have the potential to mobilize innovation in a systemic manner. In all Partnerships, NSF seeks to optimize the participation of the private sector both to ensure appropriate workforce development activities, as well as to foster innovation-driven growth per se. Since innovation occurs first as a localized phenomenon, partnerships involving regional, state or local governments are strongly encouraged. At a minimum, proposed Partnerships must include academic institution(s) and private sector organizations and/or academic institution(s) and state/local government entities.

Since innovation is critically dependent upon a diverse workforce poised to innovate, partnerships led by and involving academic institutions of all types are essential for the program's success. The participation of institutions that serve groups currently underrepresented in the science, engineering and technological workforce, as well as those institutions that serve regions and or sectors not yet fully participating in the innovation enterprise, is strongly encouraged. NSF seeks to enhance the roles such institutions play in contributing to and participating in innovation.

Partnerships for Innovation may:

• capitalize upon the shared interests of regional academic institutions, local and state governments and the private sector to contribute to the innovation enterprise;
• create new models that integrate research and education capacity to create a critical level of technological innovation in a state or a region;
• enable small- and medium-sized businesses to utilize the resources and capabilities of academic institutions;
• promote and enable innovation by increasing the scientific and technological capabilities of the workforce;
• strengthen the capabilities of all academic institutions to contribute to the innovation process; and
• enable technological innovation through the synergistic development, integration and transfer of new knowledge.

This competition will support the planning and early implementation of new activities designed to support and sustain innovation in the long-term; activities undertaken by promising partnerships among academe, government, and the private sector. Through a diverse set of awards, NSF seeks to identify best practices for enabling innovation that in the future might be replicated on a national scale. NSF will make 15-25 awards totaling $8 million. Proposed Partnerships may request from NSF total budgets ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 for award durations of two or three years.

Proposing Partnerships:  Each proposed Partnership must designate a lead organization; the lead organization must be a degree-granting academic institution of higher learning. Partners may include, but are not limited to, not-for-profit institutions, private sector firms, state and local government entities, trade and professional associations, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and federal laboratories. At a minimum, proposed Partnerships must also include private sector organizations or state/local government entities. Proposals must be submitted as a single administrative package by the lead institution, which is responsible for overall management of the Partnership activity and has administrative responsibility for the proposed effort.

PI Eligibility Limit:  A senior institutional administrator (Dean or higher) in the lead institution must serve as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator.

Limit on Number of Proposals:  Degree-granting academic institutions of higher learning may participate in no more than two Partnership proposals. Such institutions may submit only one Partnership proposal as the lead institution.

Budget Limitations:  Proposed Partnerships may request from NSF, total budgets ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 for award durations of two or three years. Proposals requesting budgets outside this range will be ineligible and will be returned without review.

Cost Sharing:  For eligibility purposes, cost sharing is required at a level of 10% of the requested NSF budget. Cost sharing is defined in OMB Circular A-110, Section 23, and may be cash or in-kind. This cost sharing must be shown on line M of the budget.

NSF will make 15-25 awards totaling $8 million. Proposed Partnerships may request from NSF total budgets ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 for award durations of two or three years. It is anticipated that award decisions will be announced by November 2000.