International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP)
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):
October 11, 2005
Second Tuesday in September annually thereafter
The revision clarifies application instructions, increases minimum Fellowship duration from three months to nine months, increases maximum stipend to $5000 per month, and changes deadlines after 2005 to 2nd Tuesday in September. Added Special Award Conditions regarding intellectual property rights and acknowledgment for awards.
Program Title:
International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP)
Synopsis of Program:
The objective of the International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP) is to introduce scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers to research opportunities abroad, thereby furthering NSF's goal of creating a diverse, competitive, and globally-engaged U.S. workforce of scientists, engineers, technologists and well-prepared citizens. These awards are available in any field of science and engineering research and education supported by NSF.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
Susan L. Parris, Program Manager, Office of the Director, Office of International Science and Engineering, 935 N, telephone: (703) 292-8711, fax: (703) 292-9067, email: sparris@nsf.gov
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
Applications are submitted directly by the individual researcher, unlike standard NSF proposals that are submitted through the researcher's U.S. institutional representative. In the IRFP FastLane application process (Section V. D.), the applicant acts as the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR).
If a successful applicant wishes to have his/her award administered by his/her U.S. institution, this modification can be done at the time of award. NOTE: No indirect costs are allowed.
Support of international activities is an integral part of the NSF mission to sustain and strengthen the nation’s science, mathematics, and engineering capabilities, and to promote the use of those capabilities in service to society. In particular, NSF recognizes the importance of enabling U.S. researchers and educators to advance their work through international collaborations, and of helping ensure that future generations of U.S. scientists and engineers gain professional experience beyond this nation’s borders early in their careers.
The IRFP contributes to NSF’s mission by supporting highly meritorious research and education activities that present unique opportunities and offer potentially high benefits because of the vital and integral nature of the foreign collaboration. Fellowship support is intended to both advance the research and develop a cadre of scientists and engineers who will play a leadership role in forging international collaborations of great value to the nation.IRFP awards are available in any field of science and engineering research or education supported by NSF. Applicants are encouraged to consider any site that will provide a unique and beneficial research experience.
Appropriate organizations include institutions of higher education, industrial research institutions/laboratories, government research institutes/laboratories/centers, nonprofit research organizations, and foreign centers of excellence. Applicants should check the IRFP Funding Opportunity page on the OISE website for possible country-specific opportunities.
Eligible applicants, in addition to being citizens or permanent residents of the United States, must have earned a doctoral degree within three years of the deadline date, or expect to receive the doctoral degree by the start of the project. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Support may be requested for residence abroad for nine to 24 months. The 24-month period may include up to one year (or some portion equal to or less than that at the foreign site) as a "re-entry" component in the United States. This period must be specified in the proposal at the time of application.
Awardees are expected to work full time on their research projects.
Applicants are evaluated on their ability, accomplishments, and potential, as evidenced by the biographical sketch/cv/resume and reference letters. The research is evaluated on its scientific merit, its feasibility, its significance in generating new knowledge, and its impact on the career development of the applicant. Other important evaluative factors are the suitability and availability of the host scientist(s) and host institution(s), including colleagues and facilities, and evidence of actual planned collaboration between applicant and host.
Reviewers are most influenced by strong publication records, enthusiastic letters of reference, and clear, detailed, well-written, hypothesis-driven proposals. NOTE: The project description should be written to an expert in the substantive field of research. Detailed and enthusiastic host invitation letters are viewed very positively. Applicants have been faulted for not providing enough detail, and for not being familiar with current literature in their field.
IRFP aims to provide an international experience to those individuals who have never had one previously. Consequently, those applicants who already have international research experience and/or are currently working at the foreign host institution must justify why they should receive fellowship consideration. Applicants who received their Ph.D. at a foreign institution will be given lower priority. Also, priority will be given to those applicants who are not currently in a tenure-track position. Therefore, where reviews and ranking are equal, those with no previous international experience and/or those who have not yet secured a tenure-track position, will take precedence.
As this program is open to all research fields and disciplines supported by NSF, as well as suitable research institutions anywhere in the world, efforts will be made to ensure appropriate distribution of fellowships across disciplinary fields and geographic regions.
Applicants must: 1) be U.S. citizens or permanent residents as of the application deadline date; 2) have been awarded a doctoral degree within three years of the application deadline date or expect to receive the doctoral degree by the start of the project (if the Ph.D. has not been awarded by the time of an award recommendation, a clause will be written into the grant letter stating that no funds will be released until proof of the degree is provided.); and 3) desire to conduct scientific and engineering research at appropriate institutions of higher education, industrial research institutions/laboratories, government research institutes/laboratories/centers, nonprofit research organizations, and foreign centers of excellence located outside of the United States.
Recipients of previous International Research Fellowship awards are not eligible. Each applicant may submit only one application per program year.
Host Site Eligibility: Appropriate host sites are foreign science or engineering centers in all geographical regions. (Applicants should check the IRFP Funding Opportunity page on the OISE website for possible country-specific opportunities.) Appropriate establishments include institutions of higher education, industrial research institutions/laboratories, government research institutes/laboratories/centers, and non-profit research organizations, and foreign centers of excellence located outside of the United States. Applicants who are permanent residents of the United States may not select a host site in their country of origin. Competition is very strong for applicants who wish to conduct research in Western Europe and, in general, in the more developed countries. All proposals are ranked based on scientific merit. However, given two equally ranked proposals, priority will be given to the proposal with research in an underrepresented country. In addition, the number of awards for specific countries may be limited in the interest of widening the geographic scope of the program. A U.S.-affiliated institution outside of the United States, for example the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, would be an acceptable host site, but with equivalent reviews and ranking, would be considered lower priority than a fellowship to be conducted at a non-U.S. affiliated institution.
Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.
Anticipated Type of Award: Fellowship
Estimated Number of Awards: 30-35 - Approximately 30-35 fellowships will be offered each year to U.S. investigators for research abroad. Awards in recent years have ranged in size from $15,000 to $195,000, depending on location of host site, cost of research project, duration and number of dependents.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $3,500,000 - Total program support will be approximately $3.5 million in each fiscal year, contingent upon the quality of applications and availability of funds.
Limitations
Fellowships will provide support for periods of from nine to 24 months. Requests to divide the fellowship term between multiple institutions should be clearly described in the application.
Awardees are encouraged to begin the fellowship within 12 months of notification of an award. Any exceptions, such as a delay in completion of the Ph.D., will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
NOTE: Any requests for a re-entry component must be made within the original application. A re-entry host and project must be included. That component is reviewed along with the foreign component. A request for a re-entry component to write up results back in the United States is not appropriate.
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.
All page limits indicated within this program solicitation include images, figures, graphics, tables, etc. Applicants must adhere to page limitations, font size (no smaller than 10 point), and margins (minimum of 2.5 cm). While specified guidelines establish the minimum type size requirements, PIs are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the proposal. Proposals that do not conform to the requirements will be returned without review. In cases where requirements given in this program solicitation differ from those given in the Grant Proposal Guide, this solicitation takes precedence.
International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP) Application must be submitted electronically using FastLane.
Go to www.nsf.gov, click on FastLane, select Postdoctoral Fellowships on the FastLane navigation bar, select 'I am An Applicant', choose IRFP from list of postdoc programs, and print detailed How to Apply instructions.
The instructions describe how you register as an individual (rather than through your research institution) in order to apply to this program. This registration step must be completed before beginning your actual application. After you have registered, you may begin your proposal application.
Your International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP) application consists of:
The following are NOT included in the seven- page limit: Project Summary, References Cited, Applicant's Biographical Sketch/CV/Resume, Host Scientist's Invitation/Sponsoring Scientist Statement, NSF Budget Data, Budget Breakdown, Timeline, Two Letters of Reference, and any graphics, forms, or images. The seven- page limit applies only to the Project Description.
Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number (05-599) 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.
Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:
Other Budgetary Limitations:
Allowable Expenses for IRFP
Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):
October 11, 2005
Second Tuesday in September annually thereafter
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 ADDITION TO THE REVIEW CRITERIA ABOVE, the reviewers are asked to consider the following criteria:
Prospective benefits to the applicant, the research discipline, and the United States;
Qualifications of proposed host and host institution, and complementarity;
Qualifications of applicant, including applicant's potential for continued growth;
Merit of the proposed international collaboration; and
Expected mutual benefits to be derived from the proposed collaboration of the scientists and engineers in each country.
Applicants are evaluated on their ability, accomplishments, and potential as evidenced by the biographical sketch/curriculum vitae/resume and reference letters. The research is evaluated on its scientific merit, its feasibility, its significance in generating new knowledge, and its impact on the career development of the applicant. Other important evaluative factors are the suitability and availability of the host scientist(s) and host institution(s), including colleagues and facilities, and evidence of actual planned collaboration between applicant and host.
Reviewers are most influenced by strong publication records, enthusiastic letters of reference, and clear, detailed, well-written, hypothesis-driven proposals. Detailed and enthusiastic host invitation letters are viewed very positively. Your proposal should be clearly written and understandable to someone in your area of research. Applicants have been faulted for not providing enough detail and for not being familiar with current literature in their field.
IRFP aims to provide an international experience to those individuals who have never had one previously. Consequently, those applicants who already have international research experience and/or are currently working at the foreign host institution must justify why they should receive fellowship consideration. Applicants who received their Ph.D. at a foreign institution will be given lower priority. Also, priority will be given to those applicants who are not currently in a tenure-track position. Therefore, where reviews and ranking are equal, those with no previous international experience and/or those who have not yet secured a tenure-track position, will take precedence.
All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Ad Hoc and/or panel review.
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.
Special Award Conditions:
Fellows are obligated to include an acknowledgment of NSF support and a disclaimer in any publication arising from the fellowship-supported research.
Fellows are expected to agree to complete and open sharing of data and material in an expeditious manner. By submitting an application, it is understood that all participants agree to NSF guidelines on sharing of findings, data, and other research products. For further information, see the current issuance of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.
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. 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:
Susan L. Parris, Program Manager, Office of the Director, Office of International Science and Engineering, 935 N, telephone: (703) 292-8711, fax: (703) 292-9067, email: sparris@nsf.gov
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
OISE FastLane Contact, telephone: (703) 292-8710, email: oisefl@nsf.gov
FastLane Help Desk, 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.
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.
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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 3145-0023. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 12 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: 3145-0023.
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