Conferences, Workshops, and Special Meetings in the Mathematical Sciences
Program Solicitation
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National Science Foundation |
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Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):
April 07, 2005
Special meetings ONLY; see section I. Submit regular proposals according to cognizant program dates.
October 18, 2005
Special meetings ONLY; see section I. Submit regular proposals according to cognizant program dates.
August 24, 2006
Special meetings ONLY; see section I. Submit regular proposals according to cognizant program dates.
August 23, 2007
Special meetings ONLY; see section I. Submit regular proposals according to cognizant program dates.
August 28, 2008
Special meetings ONLY; see section I. Submit regular proposals according to cognizant program dates.
August 27, 2009
Special meetings ONLY; see section I. Submit regular proposals according to cognizant program dates.
Program Title:
Conferences, Workshops, and Special Meetings in the Mathematical Sciences
Synopsis of Program:
For conferences, workshops, and special meetings, the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) invites proposals of two types: (1) regular conference, symposia, and workshop proposals, and (2) proposals for special meetings, which comprise longer-term or larger-scale activities that more widely engage and connect the mathematical sciences community, such as special research years or semesters, multi-institutional regional meetings, and "summer schools." Regular proposals are submitted to the cognizant DMS programs according to those programs' usual deadlines or target dates. These proposals normally request funding in the range of $5,000 to $25,000, although awards of up to $50,000 have occasionally been made. Their duration is normally for one year. Proposals for special meetings are submitted to the cognizant DMS programs but at the common deadline stated in this solicitation. Special meetings proposals may request funding of any amount and for durations of up to three years, but most awards are expected to be in the range of $50,000 to $150,000 per year. This is not a change in the sort of proposals that DMS is willing to accept or to fund; it is simply a reminder to the mathematical sciences research community that this opportunity is available.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
For conferences, workshops, international travel, and special meetings, the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) invites proposals of two types: (1) regular conference, symposia, and workshop proposals, and (2) proposals for special meetings (SM). Special meetings are longer-term or larger-scale conference-like activities that more widely engage and connect the mathematical sciences community, such as special research years or semesters, multi-institutional regional meetings, and summer schools. Regular proposals are submitted to the cognizant DMS programs according to those programs' usual deadlines or target dates. These proposals normally request funding in the range of $5,000 to $25,000, although awards of up to $50,000 have occasionally been made. Their duration is normally for a year. Proposals for special meetings are submitted to the cognizant DMS programs but at the common deadline stated elsewhere in this solicitation. Special meetings proposals may request funding of any amount and for durations of up to three years, but most awards are expected to be in the range of $50,000 to $150,000 per year.
DMS has long supported both regular conference proposals and special meetings proposals (see Section II). This solicitation points out the possibilities of both types of proposals so that the mathematical sciences community can more fully exploit the opportunities they present. Conferences and special meetings provide opportunities to widely disseminate scholarly work, to reveal and plan new directions and opportunities for research, and to engage and encourage students and junior scientists early in their careers.
The National Science Foundation is committed to strengthening and enriching the science personnel base of our nation. Organizers of research workshops, conferences, and special meetings are encouraged to contribute to fulfilling this commitment. Currently, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are under-represented among our nation's science personnel. The Division of Mathematical Sciences expects organizers of conferences and special meetings to be attentive to these concerns. How these human resource issues are addressed in the proposal description is one of the factors used in reaching a recommendation on the proposed project. In addition, NSF requires that conferences or meetings and the facilities in which they are held must be accessible to participants with disabilities if the conferences or meetings are funded in whole or in part with NSF funds.
This section describes proposals for regular conferences, symposia, and workshops as well as proposals for special meetings. Please note that proposals for special meetings must be submitted to a common deadline that is distinct from the target dates or deadlines imposed by DMS programs on the regular conference proposals that are submitted to them. Ordinarily, proposals for conferences, workshops, and symposia, and proposals for special meetings of similar size, will not receive external review.
DMS Priorities and Additional Review Criteria
Proposals for special meetings differ from regular conference, workshop, and symposia proposals in their aim at longer-term or larger-scale activities. They are intended to increase the number of mathematical scientists who participate in NSF-supported activities. For instance, they may describe semester- or year-long activities organized around a common theme, multi-institutional regional meetings, summer schools, and other forms of research connections. While ordinary conference proposals normally seek support for a single, short-term event, special meetings proposals may request longer durations, subject to the usual NSF constraints on duration. However, both regular conference proposals and special meetings proposals will be assessed in light of DMS priorities. These include:
Diversity and breadth of participation should be understood as applying to institutions as well as to individuals. In particular, it includes those institutions and individuals who do not have other Federal support.
As a consequence, all proposals must:
This required information will answer the following questions:
The criterion of overall impact on the US mathematical sciences community will be paramount in making decisions among otherwise equally meritorious proposals submitted in response to this solicitation.
Conferences/Workshops/Symposia
The Division of Mathematical Sciences supports a variety of conferences, workshops, and related activities that are submitted as proposals from principal investigators. These activities will be supported only if equivalent results cannot be obtained at regular meetings of the professional societies. Proposals for these activities ordinarily originate with educational institutions or professional scientific societies. Typical awards range between $5,000 and $50,000, with most awards in the $10,000-$20,000 range. Grant durations are usually no more than one year. Proposals must follow the general format of the latest version of the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and be submitted through FastLane.
For conference, workshop, and symposia proposals, most funds are expected to be devoted to the support of participants who have no other Federal support and to participants who are students, postdocs, women, minorities, or persons with disabilities.
Proposals for regular conferences and workshops should be submitted in accord with cognizant program dates, which may vary from program to program. Programs typically expect proposals to be submitted 8 to 12 months before the date of the proposed activity, although shorter lead times may be possible in some cases. See the DMS Homepage for programs' conference target dates or deadlines and for contact information for cognizant program officers.
Historically, about 100 conferences have been supported each year under these guidelines. These conferences varied widely in size and scope, as did the amounts of the awards.
International Travel
Requests for international travel by groups of mathematical scientists ordinarily originate with educational institutions or professional scientific societies. Shared support by several federal agencies, states, or private organizations is permissible and encouraged. The Division of Mathematical Sciences supports individual requests for international travel as part of regular research proposals, and will not consider separate proposals for support of an individual's international travel.
Proposals for international travel should be submitted in accord with cognizant program dates, which may vary from program to program. Programs typically expect that an international travel proposal will be submitted at least 12 months before the intended travel is to occur, in order that sufficient time is available to make travel plans if a grant is awarded. A shorter lead time may make an award to an otherwise meritorious proposal impossible. See the DMS Homepage for programs' target dates or deadlines and for contact information for cognizant program officers.
The proposal must discuss the scientific merits of the activity for which travel funds are requested, how the availability of travel funds would be announced, how the funds would be allocated, and who would make the allocation decisions. The remaining content of the proposal should conform to that of a conference proposal with the obvious modifications, especially in the budget.
In addition to the NSF merit review criteria, the proposal will be evaluated on the basis of how well it meets DMS priorities described above. Of particular importance is the potential impact that the proposed travel will have on the nation's science personnel base, especially with regard to recent doctoral recipients, students, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
In general, funding to support participation in conferences held abroad has been limited. Historically, relatively few requests for group travel to international conferences or meetings have been funded per year. Other opportunities for cooperation between US mathematical scientists and those of other countries are provided by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) at NSF. For additional detailed information, consult the OISE homepage. See also Section IX of this solicitation.
Special Meetings
Special meetings are intended to substantially increase the number of participants from the mathematical sciences community in NSF-supported activities. Hence proposals that involve multiple institutions are explicitly encouraged.
DMS supports a variety of special meetings that are submitted as proposals from principal investigators. Proposals for these activities ordinarily originate with educational institutions. Typical awards range between $50,000 and $150,000 per year, though requests may be for any amount and both smaller and larger awards have been made. Grant durations may be for up to three years. Proposals must follow the general format of the latest version of the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and be submitted through FastLane.
Proposals for special meetings must be submitted at least 9 months in advance of the proposed starting date; earlier submission is better. Proposals must be submitted by the deadlines listed elsewhere (in 2005, this is the first Thursday in April and third Tuesday in October; in following years it is the fourth Thursday in August). It is advisable to discuss special meetings proposals with the appropriate program officer before submission. See contact information listed on the DMS Homepage.
The proposal contents, evaluation criteria, and priorities are the same as those listed for ordinary research conferences, symposia, and workshops. Proposals for special meetings should begin their titles with the phrase "SM:" or "Special meeting:" in order to expedite the orderly review of these proposals.
Investigators should take special care to justify budget items. Salary support and honoraria for participants are not allowed in special meetings proposals. Other costs not related to participant support or dissemination of project results are unlikely to be allowed. Historically, several special meetings have been supported each year. The size of the award depends upon the scope of the activities. Special meetings often include a research conference or workshop that involves individuals who are not participants in the longer-term activities of the project; this can be valuable for broadening the scientific impact of the project and extending its reach into the mathematical sciences community.
The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.
Under this solicitation, DMS anticipates funding about 100 regular conference proposals annually in the range of $5,000 to $50,000, with most in the range of $10,000 to $20,000. DMS also anticipates funding about 20 special meetings annually in the range of $50,000 to $150,000 per year. As with all NSF programs, the number and size of awards depend on the availability of funds.
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 Website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
This solicitation contains information that supplements the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Investigators are directed to pay particular attention to the contents of DMS Priorities and Additional Review Criteria in Section II. Proposals that do not provide the necessary information will be returned without review. Proposals for special meetings should begin their titles with the phrase "SM:" or "Special meeting:" in order to expedite the orderly review of these proposals.
Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number (05-540) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.
Cost Sharing:
Cost sharing is not required by NSF in proposals submitted under this Program Solicitation.
Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):
Regular conference, symposia, and workshop proposals must be submitted to the cognizant programs in accord with the programs' target dates or deadlines for conference proposals. Proposals for special meetings must be submitted to the cognizant programs AT THE COMMON DEADLINE listed above; such proposals would normally be submitted more than nine months before the date of the proposed activities. Proposals must be submitted through FastLane and must comply with the requirements of the Grant Proposal Guide.
Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this announcement/solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this program announcement/solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this announcement/solicitation.
Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Proposers are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov
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.
The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.
On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127, Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making funding decisions.
In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January 2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators (PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.
Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.
The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information). The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments.
NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:
In decisions about proposals submitted for this solicitation, DMS program officers will consider carefully how well proposals meet the DMS Priorities and Additional Review Criteria described in Section II. These are:
Diversity and breadth of participation by individuals and institutions.
Involvement of participants from under-represented groups and of students and junior investigators.
Connection to frontiers of mathematical sciences and between mathematical sciences and other science and engineering disciplines.
Overall impact on the US mathematical sciences community.
All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Decisions about conference and workshop proposals and special meeting proposals of similar size are usually made by programs without external review. Larger special meeting proposals normally will receive ad hoc mail or panel review or both .
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.
A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted 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.
NSF is striving to be able to tell proposers whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the closing date of an announcement/solicitation, or the date of proposal receipt, whichever is later. 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 their own risk.
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.)
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 are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC). 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 Website at http://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/. Paper copies of these documents may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 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 Website at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=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 Website at http://www.gpo.gov.
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.
Investigators are reminded to include with their final reports lists of participants, brief reports of the forward-looking sessions, and a statement about steps taken to disseminate the results of their conferences, workshops, symposia, or special meetings. For projects of more than a year's duration, annual reports should include these items also; they are significant measures of how effectively the project is meeting DMS priorities.
Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all Co-PIs. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.
PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. 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 this program should be made to:
Appropriate Program Officer (see DMS Homepage http://www.nsf.gov/mps/dms/start.htm).
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:telephone: (800) 673-6188, email: fastlane@nsf.gov
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 Website at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's MyNSF News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/mynsf/) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.
NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) supports several kinds of opportunities for international travel, collaboration, and education. See the OISE homepage http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/start.htm and recent NSF publications:
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, although some programs may have special requirements that limit eligibility.
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 GPG Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.
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 Website at http://www.nsf.gov
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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.
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, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.
OMB control number: 3145-0058.
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