Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants The Physical Anthropology Program supports research by doctoral students in all the subfields of physical (biological) anthropology - human and general primate biology, anatomy, paleontology, genetics, evolutionary ecology, bioarchaeology, and primate behavior. Who May Submit The Foundation welcomes proposals on behalf of doctoral students at U.S. universities who are about to undertake their dissertation research. The dissertation advisor should be named as the Principal Investigator (PI) and the graduate student the co-PI. The Foundation strongly encourages proposals on behalf of women, minorities and persons with disabilities. The PI's must be affiliated with a U.S. university, but need not be U.S. citizens. In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, gender, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. The Foundation offers Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with disabilities to provide supplemental funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects, including GTR's (see NSF 91-54). Contents Of The Proposal: Dissertation improvement proposals should have the same format as other NSF proposals (see specific guidelines and forms in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide). Where there are differences between this announcement and the GPG, follow the directions on this page. The title should be prefaced with the phrase "Doctoral Dissertation Improvement:" The proposal should include: A 200 to 300 word project summary of the research suitable for a lay reader. As of October 1, 2002 all project summaries MUST include separate paragraphs addressing intellectual merit and broader impact or they will be returned without review. The summary should clearly indicate why this research is interesting and important. A project description of the proposed work and its significance prepared in accordance with the Grant Proposal Guide. However, the text of the proposal is limited to 10 single-spaced pages. Up to 5 additional pages can be used for maps and figures. Maps, figures and tables should be consolidated at the end of the proposal's project description section, after the 10 pages of prose - they should not be interspersed in the text. A detailed budget identifying the items for which funds are requested and their costs. Each item in the budget should be justified in notes. The budget should cover the costs of items necessary to accomplish the specific goals of the research, not items of general need. Costs for transportation, per diem while in the field, sample surveys, informant's fees, computers and research equipment are appropriate if justified and not normally available through the student's university. These grants cannot be used as a stipend for the student, for tuition, textbooks or journals, for travel to scientific meeting, or for typing or reproduction of the dissertation for publication costs. Applicants can contact the Program to determine more specific guidelines. CV's of the PI and the student (co-PI). Do not include letters of reference or grade transcripts. These biosketches are limited to 2 pages each. Other forms as required by the GPG, including IACUC and Human Subjects approval as appropriate. If IRB or IACUC approval has been obtained and is so indicated on the cover sheet, including the date of approval, then it is not necessary to include the actual document. If approval is obtained after the proposals is submitted, then you must send a signed copy of the approval to the program officer before an award can be recommended. Restrictions The maximum award is $12,000. Note: Students doing international research, having a formal affiliation with a foreign research institution, may be eligible for additional funding. Please contact the appropriate program in NSF's Office of International Science (http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/) No indirect costs are allowed. NSF does not support research on the etiology, diagnosis, or treatment of disease. However research that deals with basic biological and behavioral processes that underlie health and disease may be eligible for support. Expenses can not be reimbursed before the start date of the award, except under stringent conditions. (see Grant General Conditions GC-1 Article 3). Other Information As of January 1, 2004, dissertation proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts. It is expected that panels will be convened in the spring and autumn of the year, likely in April and October. In order to be considered at the spring panel, a proposal MUST be received by February 9th of the year (or the first subsequent business day if the 9th falls on a weekend or Federal holiday). In order to be considered at the autumn panel, the proposal MUST be received by August 16th (or the first subsequent business day if the 16th falls on a weekend or Federal holiday). These are firm DEADLINES. The official announcement is contained in the Dear Colleague letter NSF 03-059. For more information, consult the Doctoral Dissertation Program Announcement (NSF 01-113) and the GPG for details of proposal form. For more information, prospective applicants should consult the latest copy of NSF's Guide to Programs. 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. Successful proposals share a number of features. First, they should approach a theoretically interesting question. Purely descriptive research projects rarely are funded. The background and goals should be clearly and concisely presented. The materials and methods need to be well documented. Many proposals fail because of loose ends. For instance, · Do you have access to required museum samples? · Why did you pick the sample sizes mentioned in your proposal? · Are the monkeys you propose to observe habituated? · Do the tests proposed really test your hypotheses? Do you even have hypotheses? The proposals should be carefully prepared. Although misspelling, sloppy citations and the like are not a reason for declination, they certainly do not create a favorable impression. It is always important to have a number of colleagues and professors critically appraise your proposal prior to submission. The more questions you deal with in advance, the fewer that can be pointed to in a review. Many researchers apply to a number of agencies for support of research. You are asked to provide information regarding other proposals in process or anticipated. Should you receive funds from another source while your proposal is under consideration at NSF, please inform the program director. Should NSF then recommend an award, we will discuss other funds. We cannot provide duplicate funding, but we often do coordinate funding with other foundations and agencies. This may require you to provide a new budget prior to an award. Mark Weiss, Program Director Physical Anthropology Program 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington VA 22230 tel 703-292-7321 fax 703-292-9068 email: mweiss@nsf.gov