Toward
a Globally Engaged Workforce
A Vision for the Office
of International Science and Engineering:
NSF’s current strategic plan describes its vision
as “advancing discovery, innovation and education
beyond the frontiers of current knowledge, and empowering
future generations in science and engineering.” Because
science and engineering are increasingly global, NSF’s
Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)
seeks to ensure that U.S. institutions and researchers
are globally engaged, are able to advance their research
through international collaboration, and will maintain
U.S. leadership within the global scientific community.
OISE focuses on two parts of the NSF vision: discovery
and learning. To pursue its goals in these areas, OISE
develops international programs that are innovative,
catalytic, and responsive to the broad range of NSF
interests. Consequently, OISE’s portfolio of
activities employs three approaches:
- supporting planning visits and workshops that are
expected to lead to international collaborative projects
(Planning Visits and Workshops);
- providing international research opportunities
for U.S. students and early-career scientists and
engineers (Global Scientists and Engineers); and
- funding international partnerships with larger,
longer-term awards in which research and educational
activities build on institutional strengths. These
partnerships expand global networks to create lasting
international linkages with foreign institutions,
leverage international investments and provide collaborative
experiences involving U.S. researchers at all career
levels (Partnerships for International Research and
Education).
These three approaches are designed to capitalize
on unique opportunities afforded by international collaboration
and to enhance broad-based NSF support for international
collaborative research throughout NSF. Mutually beneficial
and sustainable collaborations yield high benefits
because of the vital and integral nature of the foreign
collaboration and investment. OISE also seeks to increase
NSF support for collaborative research with developing
countries, and to broaden the participation of the
U.S. science, mathematics, and engineering communities
in international collaborative research by partnering
with other agencies and NGOs.
To encourage increased international investments by
NSF research directorates, OISE co-funds international
collaborative activities with NSF’s disciplinary
programs. Cyberinfrastructure and cyber-enabled discovery
and innovation are a special priority for OISE co-funding
because they provide essential framework to facilitate
greater international collaborations.
OISE supports
its goal of providing international research experiences
for U.S. students by actively
co-funding international Research Experiences for
Undergraduates sites (including a Research Experience
for Teachers
component). OISE supplements add an international
dimension to domestic research projects and usually
require international
research experiences for students to develop the
global scientists and engineers of the future.
OISE is an interface for NSF’s directorates,
offices, divisions, and programs with multi-national
organizations, international science organizations,
and national funding agencies and ministries in other
countries. The three overseas Offices in Paris, Tokyo,
and Beijing foster closer linkages with national agencies
in the Europe and Eurasia and the East Asia- Pacific
regions. In addition, they assist senior government
officials by informing NSF about the S&T policies,
funding priorities, and investments in these regions.
Back to OISE Home page.
General questions about OISE may be directed to OISEwebmaster@nsf.gov.
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