Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes Program (PASI)

DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES
DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING
DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

DEADLINE(S) :

April 15, 2001

This document is archived and has been replaced. Please see http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf03506

  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

   The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements 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 Title: Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes Program (PASI)

Synopsis of Program: The "Pan American Advanced Studies Institutes" (PASI) Program, is a jointly supported initiative between the Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Pan American Advanced Studies Institutes are short courses of two to four weeks duration, involving lecturers of international standing at the advanced graduate and postgraduate level. PASIs aim to disseminate advanced scientific and engineering knowledge and stimulate training and cooperation among researchers of the Americas in the physical sciences and engineering fields.

• Eduardo Feller, Senior Staff Associate, SBE, Division of International Programs, 935, telephone: 703-292-8710, e-mail: efeller@nsf.gov.
• Harold Stolberg, Program Coordinator, SBE, Division of International Programs, 935, telephone: 703-292-8706, e-mail: hstolber@nsf.gov.
• Richard Kelley, Office of Basic Energy Science, SC-13, Department of Energy, telephone: 301-903-9513, e-mail: richard.kelley@science.doe.gov.
• Don Freeburn, Office of Basic Energy Science, Department of Energy, telephone: 301-903-3156.

• 47.041 --- Engineering
• 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

• Organization Limit: None
• PI Eligibility Limit: None
• Limit on Number of Proposals: None

AWARD INFORMATION

• Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant
• Estimated Number of Awards: 5-6 awards averaging $75,000.
• Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $400,000.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Standard Preparation Guidelines
• Standard GPG Guidelines apply.

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required
• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: No indirect costs are allowed.
• Other Budgetary Limitations: The cost of any one institute may not exceed $100,000. In addition, student participants from industry are expected to cover their own costs. See Program Description section for more details.

• Letter of Intent Due Date(s): None
• Preproposal Due Date(s): None
• Full Proposal Due Date(s):

• FastLane Submission: Full Proposal Required
• FastLane Contact(s):
• Simona Gilbert, Administrative Manager, SBE, Division of International Programs, 935, telephone: 703-292-8708, e-mail: sgilbert@nsf.gov.

PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

• Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further information.

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

• Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the program announcement/solicitation for further information.
• Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. INTRODUCTION

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Approximately 5 to 6 awards will be made yearly to U.S. research institutions or professional societies for the purpose of organizing a PASI. The Principal Investigator (PI) shall be the designated contact person for the Institute and is expected to provide leadership in fully coordinating and integrating its activities. The PI is responsible for (a) the preparation of the scientific and or engineering program, (b) the selection of lecturers and students, (c) the administration of the meeting, and (d) the publication of lectures and proceedings from the meeting.

The PI should be assisted by a small Organizing Committee composed normally of 3 to 4 lecturers from at least 2 countries of the Americas and, if appropriate, from different research sectors. Brief professional background summaries and descriptions of the role to be played by each member of the Organizing Committee should be provided. The rationale for the choice of topics and location should be clearly spelled out. Proposals that are of an applied nature, and especially where relevance to industry is claimed, should include a noted industrial scientist or engineer on the Organizing Committee.

The choice of PASI lecturers and students is the responsibility of the PI assisted by the PASI Organizing Committee, and the procedure for such choices should be clearly outlined in the proposal. PASI lecturers should be chosen on the basis of their scientific, engineering and training qualifications and should include scientists or engineers from at least two countries from the Western Hemisphere. They should be contacted before submission of the proposal. An indication of their degree of commitment to participate is necessary and will be a strong factor in judging the quality of applications. Scientists and engineers from non-Western Hemisphere countries may be selected in the event they bring expertise not available from the other countries of the Americas. For a substantive treatment of each topic, a duration of about two to three weeks is recommended, the minimum being ten working days.

The Institute will be aimed at the postdoctoral level, advanced graduate students, and relevant senior scientists and engineers. PASIs should involve 8 to 12 lecturers and approximately 40 to 50 students from the different countries in the Americas with at least half coming from the United States. In order to preserve balance, PASI students from any single Western Hemisphere country other than the United States should not exceed 25% of the total number. PASI students from non-Western Hemisphere countries may be accepted under special circumstances but in no case should their number exceed 15% of the total number. Non-Western Hemisphere students may not receive financial support from this program.

Appropriate lecture, meeting room, telecommunication facilities, and accommodations for all participants within reasonable proximity are important in order to stimulate informal discussions during leisure periods. It is suggested that a site be chosen well in advance, and that a local scientist or engineer be included in the Organizing Committee.

Institute organizers may find that the PASI grant invokes wider support. In particular, host country contributions as well as contributions from corporate and other sectors are not precluded although they will not be a factor in the review process. Joint sponsorship and support are permissible and welcome provided that the meeting conforms to the prescribed format and is designated a "Pan American Advanced Study Institute."

Proposers should develop a web page to provide up-to-date information on the PASI, with specific details on the activity, including recruitment procedures, meeting topics, links to related activities, and, after its conclusion, provide links to publications, seminars, and collaborative research arising from the PASI. Plans for dissemination of results of the meeting, including lecture notes and web-related instructional materials should be part of the proposal.

A PASI award will cover expenses for the organization of the meeting, and travel and living expenses of lecturers and students. Registration fees should not be charged PASI students. However, student participants from industry will be expected to cover their own costs.

The cost for any one Institute with a reasonable number of 50 to 60 participants, including lecturers and students, is expected to range from $65,000 to $85,000, and may not exceed $100,000, aside from contributions from other sources. The budget should include direct organizational expenses and travel and living expenses for lecturers and students. PIs should ensure that adequate costs are covered to ensure student participation. No indirect costs on awards will be allowed. It is anticipated and encouraged that some students will obtain support from other sources in their home countries. Any contributions for the PASI from institutions or other sources should be described in the proposal.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

The cost for any one Institute is expected to range from $65,000 to $85,000, and may not exceed $100,000, aside from contributions from other sources. Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Full Proposal 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?nsf012. 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 the program solicitation number (NSF 01-48 ) 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.

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

Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: No indirect costs are allowed.

Other Budgetary Limitations: The cost of any one institute may not exceed $100,000. In addition, student participants from industry are expected to cover their own costs. See Program Description section for more details.

Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation must be submitted by 5:00 PM, local time on the following date(s):

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this Program Solicitation 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 1-800-673-6188.

Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. The signed copy of the proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) must be postmarked (or contain a legible proof of mailing date assigned by the carrier) within five working days following proposal submission and be forwarded to the following address:

National Science Foundation

DIS – FastLane Cover Sheet

4201 Wilson Blvd.

Arlington, VA 22230

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or 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 proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

Proposals will be reviewed against the following general 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 proposal. Each reviewer will be asked to address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements.

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 the 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?

Principal Investigators should address the following elements in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both of the above-described NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give these elements 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 learning perspectives.

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.

Additional Review Criteria
In addition to these review criteria, NSF and DOE will take into consideration how the activity is organized and how it will contribute to the enhancement and improvement of scientific, engineering and educational collaborative activities. While host country contributions as well as contributions from corporate and other sectors are not precluded, they will not be a factor in the review process.

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 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.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by a joint working group consisting of representatives from the NSF's Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Directorate of Engineering, the Division of International Programs, and the Office of Basic Sciences of the DOE.

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.

NSF will be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of proposals. The time interval begins on the proposal deadline or target date or from the date of receipt, if deadlines or target dates are not used by the program. 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 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. 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
PASIs should involve 8 to 12 lecturers and approximately 40 to 50 students from the different countries in the Americas with at least half coming from the United States. Students directly supported by PASI from any single Western Hemisphere country other than the United States should not exceed 25% of the total number. PASI students from non-Western Hemisphere countries may be accepted under special circumstances but in no case should their number exceed 15% of the total number. Non-Western Hemisphere students may not receive financial support from this program.

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 the expiration of an award, 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.

General inquiries regarding  Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes Program  should be made to:

Eduardo Feller, Senior Staff Associate, SBE, Division of International Programs, 935, telephone: 703-292-8710, e-mail: efeller@nsf.gov.
Harold Stolberg, Program Coordinator, SBE, Division of International Programs, 935, telephone: 703-292-8706, e-mail: hstolber@nsf.gov.
Richard Kelley, Office of Basic Energy Science, SC-13, Department of Energy, telephone: 301-903-9513, e-mail: richard.kelley@science.doe.gov.
Don Freeburn, Office of Basic Energy Science, Department of Energy, telephone: 301-903-3156.

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

Simona Gilbert, Administrative Manager, SBE, Division of International Programs, 935, telephone: 703-292-8708, e-mail: sgilbert@nsf.gov.

If you have questions or issues you would like to discuss prior to preparing an application, we encourage you to telephone or send an e-mail message to the NSF or DOE staff listed above.

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. Awardees 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/solicitation for further information.

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 about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090, FIRS at 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 proposal 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.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.