The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a United States government agency responsible for promoting basic research and education in science and engineering. NSF provides more than $5 billion per year in grants to U.S. institutions, primarily to universities, for research and education in science and engineering. NSF's broad support for basic research provides crucial underwriting for discovery in many fields and supports the development of the next generation of scientists and engineers. NSF awards research funding based on the merits of the proposed activities, including their potential impact on society. NSF ensures quality in its programs by using competitive merit review of grant proposals, coupled with periodic external review of its research and education programs that approve those grants. The Foundation has no research institutes and conducts no research of its own.

An integral part of NSF's mission is support of international cooperation in science and engineering. International activities are supported throughout the NSF portfolio. The Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) has a leadership role in promoting and coordinating international cooperation. OISE also funds specific program activities. NSF currently maintains two field offices, one in Europe and one in Asia, to advance its international activities. These offices are part of the Foundation's OISE.

The NSF Europe Office is located in the American Embassy in Paris and facilitates NSF activities in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. The Office does not review proposals or administer awards. The NSF Europe Office has three major roles:

1. Facilitation: The Office works to promote collaboration between the U.S. and European science and engineering communities.
2. Representation: The Office represents NSF to national and multi-national science organizations throughout Europe.
3. Reporting: The Office monitors and reports on developments in the European scientific community.

The head of the NSF Europe Office is Dr. Mark Suskin (msuskin@nsf.gov). For further information or inquiries, please contact the Office by telephone at +33 1-4312-2108, or by FAX at +33 1-4312-2904.