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e-Gov Content
Inventory
INTRODUCTION/NSF MISSION
Created in 1950, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent U.S.
government agency responsible for advancing science and engineering (S&E)
in the United States across a broad and expanding frontier. NSF plays a critical
role in supporting fundamental research, education and infrastructure at colleges,
universities, and other institutions throughout the country.
Unlike most other federal research agencies, NSF does not operate
its own laboratories or research facilities (with the exception
of operations in the polar regions). Instead, NSF’s role
is that of a catalyst, seeking out the best Ideas, providing state-of-the-art
Tools and facilities, and identifying the most capable People and
allowing them to pursue innovation. NSF directly supports scientists,
engineers, and educators through their home institutions, usually
colleges and universities, throughout the United States.
The NSF mission is set out in the preamble to the National Science
Foundation Act of 1950 (Public Law 810507):
To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health,
prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for
other purposes.
Ninety percent of NSF funding is allocated through a merit-based
competitive process. On average, NSF receives 40,000 research proposals
and makes nearly 10,000 awards to 1,700 colleges, universities,
and other public institutions throughout the country annually.
In addition to authorizing support of basic scientific research,
the Act makes NSF responsible for an information base on science
and engineering appropriate for development of national and international
policy, including facilities for S&E research, and for addressing
issues of equal opportunity in science and engineering.
WEB CONTENT AND THE NSF MISSION
The NSF website provides information that is targeted to four primary
user groups: the research and education community that competes
for NSF research awards; the public, including K-12 educators;
public information/media professionals; and those who use NSF statistical
information on science and engineering.
- The Research & Education Community
Our primary audience is the research and education community. Potential applicants
for NSF support use the Web site for information on sources of funding,
procedures for application, and how to manage an award. Most of the information
on these pages is posted automatically to the Web from program and funding
databases to present the most current information possible.
- The Public
The NSF mission includes improving public understanding of public
policy issues involving science and technology through support
for programs of informal science and engineering. This is accomplished
primarily through awards for media projects, museum exhibitions,
and curriculum support. The NSF Website presents a changing
array of stories and images about discoveries related to NSF
supported projects, along with links to science stories in
the media, and on-line curriculum resources for teachers and
students.
- Public Information Professionals
While some Web content is designed for the public to search and
use directly, some content is designed to make information
on recent discoveries highly accessible to public information
professionals, to encourage its use in media beyond the Web.
This includes images and films packaged for professional use
as well as contact information for the public information office
at NSF.
- Science and Engineering Statistics
The NSF Act calls on the agency to collect and present data on
U.S. science and engineering. In the last 10 years the NSF
has placed a library of detailed S&E statistical data on
line, from detailed statistical tables to current topical updates.
Thousands of pages of data on measures of science and engineering
activity are available to researchers and analysts from the
NSF Web site.
- About NSF
Many pages on the Web site are maintained for the convenience of unanticipated
users: information for visitors, those looking for job or contracting opportunities,
and those who need information on the agency itself, related to such topics
as budget, organization, performance assessment or policy. In addition,
there are Web pages maintained independently by the National Science Board
and the NSF Office of Inspector General, both of whom post some regular
public reports.
PRIORITIES AND SCHEDULES
The tables of Web content, below, use the following definitions
for priorities:
- Priority 1: Required by Law, regulation, Presidential Directive
or other official directive or to ensure national security.
- Priority 2: Mission-critical and essential for program operations,
but not required by law, regulation, or Presidential Directive.
- Priority 3: Frequently requested information or services that
would improve business processes and/or customer service to the
public.
- Priority 4: Other information.
Information on schedules refers to due dates for mandated reports,
periodicity of updates (if applicable), or (in the case of statistical
data) the most current existing data.
CURRENCY AND SEARCHABILITY
NSF uses two methods to maximize the usability of the Web site
for users: maintaining up-to-date information, and making the content
conveniently searchable.
To maintain currency, major Web content areas are updated automatically.
These include program information, information on existing awards
and funding, staff contact information, and lists of available
publications. When any office in NSF takes formal action to update
information on programs or staff, the same data automatically updates
the external Web site. Updated internal records of award status
and funding actions are available to the Web site daily. And when
a publication is prepared, the approval system also makes that
publication available to the Web site.
To ensure that information for potential awardees is never out
of date, NSF requires that all program information is reviewed
and updated annually. In addition, the process of approving new
program information includes an automated check to ensure that
potential applicants have a minimum of 90 days prior to the proposal
deadline or target date. As a result, the information on the external
NSF Website is both up-to-date and highly usable for potential
award applicants.
WEB CONTENT FOR USER AUDIENCES
The index page for the NSF Web site allows users to select content
organized for their needs: as applicants for funding, as educators
or students, as the press, or as the interested public. The “MyNSF” feature
allows users to create a personalized NSF Web page by selecting
topics/information that is most important to them. The “MyNSF” functionality
provides e-mail alerts to subscribers when new information is posted
in the categories they select.
NSF developed this inventory of website content as required
by Section 207 (f)(2) of the E-Government Act of 2002.
NSF WEBSITE INFORMATION INVENTORY TABLE
Information for the Research and Education Community (including University
Sponsored Research Offices)
| Information |
Priority |
Schedule |
| Funding
Opportunities. The
website presents a browsable, searchable catalog of NSF’s
funding opportunities with links to Grants.gov. |
3 |
Automatically updated from
funding database |
|
Awards. NSF’s past awards are made available to the public
for searching through our Awards Search application. |
3 |
Automatically updated from
awards database |
|
Application
Information. The website contains a central repository of
information for researchers on how to apply for funding,
including information about how to use Grants.gov. |
2 |
NSF’s
Grant Proposal Guide is updated each year, and other information
in this area is updated as needed. |
|
Information
for Awardees: The website contains a central repository of
information for awardees, to help them find answers to questions
about managing their awards |
3 |
as needed |
Information for the Public (including Educators)
| Information |
Priority |
Schedule |
| Research
Overviews: These
are high-level summaries of the major areas of science that
NSF supports, as well as overviews of the current priority
funding areas. |
3 |
As needed |
 |
| Discoveries: This section
of the website is an ongoing series of articles describing
notable results from NSF funded research. The articles are
posted and managed from a central database. |
3 |
As posted |
|
| NSF
in TV & Film: includes
films & TV, museum exhibits, radio, Web and life-long learning. |
3 |
As posted |
|
| Classroom
Resources: includes
links to National Science Digital Library, and by research
area. |
3 |
As posted |
|
| Publications: All of NSF’s
official publications--including policy documents, job announcements,
budget submissions, Congressional reports, newsletters, and
statistical releases--are organized in a central database so
visitors can easily browse or search to find a specific document. |
3 |
Updated as new documents
are published. |
|
| Overview
of NSF: includes ‘what
NSF does’ and “how NSF works,’ history of
NSF, and ‘visiting NSF’ |
3 |
As needed |
|
| Staff
Directory: includes
organization chart, executive staff, staff list and search
for staff. |
3 |
Updated automatically from
staff list database |
|
| Career Opportunities |
3 |
Updated automatically from
approved vacancy announcements |
|
| Contracting Opportunities
|
3 |
As posted |
|
| NSF
Organizations: The website
contains information describing the mission, structure, and
programs for each NSF organization. |
3 |
As needed |
Information for Public Information Professionals
| Information |
Priority |
Schedule |
|
| News
releases. The news release
section of the site is managed by a central database, and includes
a searchable archive of previous releases. |
3 |
As posted |
|
| Speeches
and Presentations. NSF makes public
speeches and presentations by its top executives available
on the website. |
3 |
As posted |
|
| Multimedia
Gallery. This
is a growing collection of images, audio, and movies pertinent
to the work of NSF. |
3 |
As posted |
Information on Science and Engineering Statistics
| Information |
Priority |
Schedule |
|
| SRS
Publications: NSF’s
Science Resources Statistics (SRS) Division produces a series
of publications presenting science statistics that NSF collects. |
1 |
NSF publishes a schedule
of releases at http://www.nsf.gov
/statistics
/release.cfm |
Information for Congress and Oversight Agencies
| Information |
Priority |
Schedule |
|
| NSF Budget Request |
2 |
Annually |
|
| NSF Performance and Accountability
Report |
1 |
Annual |
|
| Women, Minorities & Persons
with Disabilities in S&E |
1 |
Biennial Report to Congress
(Most
recent edition 2004) |
|
| S&E Research
Facilities Series |
1 |
Biennial Report to Congress |
|
Required
Reports:
Federal
Activities Inventory (FAIR)
Committee on Equal Opportunity
in S&E (CEOSE)
Science & Engineering Indicators
Inspector
General’s Semi-Annual Report |
1 |
Annual Report
Biennial Report
to Congress
Biennial Report to Congress
Semi-Annual Report to
Congress |
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