NATIONAL
SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NSF 02-018
DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
DIRECTORATE FOR COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING
DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM
NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
LETTER OF INTENT DUE DATE(S) (required): December 14, 2001
FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE(S): February 4, 2002
NATIONAL
SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
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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Program Title: Joint NSF/NIH Initiative to Support Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS)
Synopsis of Program: The most exciting and difficult challenge facing neuroscientists is to understand the functions of complex neurobiological systems. Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation and set of technological approaches that may enhance our understanding of nervous system function by providing analytical and modeling tools that describe, traverse and integrate different levels of organization, spanning vast temporal and spatial scales. Computational approaches are needed in the study of neuroscience as the requirement for comprehensive analysis and interpretation of complex data sets becomes increasingly important. Collaborations among computer scientists, cognitive scientists, engineers, theoreticians and neuorobiologists are imperative to advance our understanding of the nervous system.
Participating Directorates of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the
Institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (see cover list) plan
to support interdisciplinary research in computational neuroscience. Both agencies
recognize the need for research that focuses on integrating computational models
and methods with neuroscience. This solicitation is designed to encourage new
and existing collaborations at this interface.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
B. Budgetary Information
C. Deadline/Target Dates
D. FastLane Requirements
Revolutionary opportunities have emerged for computationally driven advances in neuroscience research. These opportunities are recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research supported by the NSF in the computational and biological sciences and engineering, along with their ties to related research communities, and by the NIH in biological and biomedical fields make computational neuroscience an area where cooperation between the two agencies is appropriate.
The most exciting and difficult challenge facing neuroscientists is to understand the functions of complex neurobiological systems, i.e., how the elements of the nervous system execute computational tasks, integrate multiple inputs, and produce complex outputs. These elements and subsystems exist at all levels of organization, from the genetic determinants of protein structure to the complex interplay of individual neurons, neural circuits and systems in orchestrating behavior. Disorders of the nervous system are also associated with diverse and complex neurobiological changes leading to profound alterations at all levels of organization. We have seen a recent and dramatic increase in our knowledge of the genes, molecules and patterns of neural activity that control key biological events, but similar advances have not yet come about in our understanding of the computational principles that govern these dynamic changes in the nervous system.
Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation and set of technological approaches that may enhance our understanding of nervous system function by providing analytical and modeling tools that describe, traverse and integrate different levels of organization, spanning vast temporal and spatial scales. Computational approaches are needed in the study of neuroscience as the requirement for comprehensive analysis and interpretation of complex datasets becomes increasingly important. Collaborations among computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians, theoreticians and neuroscientists, are imperative to advance our understanding of the nervous system.
Under this solicitation, the participating NSF Directorates and NIH Institutes (here in called NSF/NIH units in this document) request applications for research projects in computational neuroscience. In general, appropriate scientific areas of investigations are those that are currently supported by or related to the participating NSF and NIH units. Some specific examples are given below. Questions concerning a particular project’s focus, direction and relevance to a participating funding unit should be addressed to the appropriate person in the list of NSF and NIH contacts.
Each of the NSF/NIH units participating in this solicitation has a commitment to developing and supporting computational neuroscience research for the purpose of advancing the understanding of the biomedical questions relevant to the missions of the agencies.
Assurance of Collaborative Research Effort Across Scientific Disciplines
The driving principle behind this program solicitation is the recognition that projects crossing traditional academic interdisciplinary boundaries often bring about increased productivity and creativity when collaborative efforts include participation by scientists and engineers bringing their experience and training from widely varying backgrounds. Such interdisciplinary collaborations are required and should be demonstrated in the grant proposal, for example, by naming a co-investigator with academic credentials and appointment in an area different from that of the principal investigator, or by other means. A typical research collaboration might include a computer scientist and a neurobiologist. This interdisciplinary approach can also be demonstrated by a single investigator with appropriate multidisciplinary expertise. Proposals should describe interdisciplinary work to be done. Applications that are not clearly collaborative and/or interdisciplinary in nature will be returned without review.
The computational research that will be supported under this initiative must impact on, and relate to biological processes, and optimally provide hypotheses testable in biological studies. It is expected that: 1) applications will include collaborations between computational and/or modeling experts, and neuroscientists; 2) the collaboration will involve a dynamic and, possibly, a protracted period of model development and refinement, and intense interaction between computational and theoretical modelers and experimentalists; 3) there will be a need for continued and sustained interaction as new experimentally based information becomes available, and as models begin to shape future experimentation; and 4) the development and testing of new models will provide a framework for the design of experiments and the generation of new hypotheses that can help to reveal functional mechanisms underlying both normal and diseased states of the nervous system.
The following is a list of example areas of research that are appropriate under this solicitation. Research activities and computational approaches are supported at all levels of organization including molecular, cellular, systems, behavior and theory-based development studies. These examples are illustrative of areas of research that would be appropriate under this solicitation.
• Develop explanatory, predictive and informative models and simulations of normal and abnormal functions of the nervous system and related disorders.
• Develop and improve mathematical, statistical and other quantitative analyses of research related to behavioral and cognitive neuroscience.
• Develop theoretical and computational approaches to delineate and understand neural circuits.
• Develop and improve algorithms for designing of experiments and analyzing data related to genomic and proteomic and other high-throughput technologies.
• Develop and improve algorithms for designing of experiments and analyzing data related to structural and functional brain mapping technologies.
• Develop and improve algorithms for designing of experiments and analyzing data related to normal biological rhythms and time courses of pathophysiological processes.
Examples of topics amenable to these approaches include but are not limited to the following:
• Structural and functional relationship of neuronal specific molecules, such as ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors, neural trophic factors;
• Neurotransmission, neuromodulation, and neural plasticity;
• Mechanisms underlying neuronal cell growth, cell death, and neurodegenerative disorders;
• Neurodevelopment and regeneration;
• Normal and abnormal sensory processing (vision, audition, olfaction, taste, balance, proprioception and somatosensation);
• Motor control mechanisms and motor integration;
• Neurological disorders;
• Mental health related disorders;
• Alcohol and drug abuse related disorders;
• Aging related disorders; and
• Cognitive functions and dysfunction.
The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.
It is estimated that approximately $7.0 Million ($3.0 Million from NSF and $4.0 Million from NIH) will be available for this competition. Award sizes are expected to range from $100,000 to $500,000 per year with durations of 3-5 years. Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.
Upon conclusion of the review process, meritorious applications may be recommended for funding by either the participating NSF Directorates or NIH Institutes, at the option of the agencies, not the applicant. Subsequent grant administration procedures will be in accordance with the individual policies of the awarding agency.
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
Letters of Intent: Should be submitted via email at crcns@nsf.gov by December 14, 2001.
Letters of intent should be sent from the prospective PI by email to crcns@nsf.gov, and should contain the PI and the co-PI’s names, a list of possible participating institutions, a possible title, and not more than 500 words to describe the work enough to permit intelligent choice of reviewers. Letters of intent will not be evaluated or used to decide on funding. They are requested to assist NSF and NIH in planning the review process. The submission of letters of intent enables NSF to begin choosing panelists before the proposal submission deadline.
Full Proposal: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?gpg. 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.
Proposal Titles: To assist NSF staff in sorting proposals for review, proposal titles should begin with “CRCNS:”
Proposers must must select the CISE Directorate/ EIA Division for consideration of your proposal.
Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (NSF 02-018) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207). 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: None
Other Budgetary Limitations: Budget requests are limited to $500,000 per year.
Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):
Letters of Intent (required): December 14, 2001Proposers 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 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov.
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 certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov.
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. Proposers are reminded that both the intellectual merit and the broader impacts of the work to be accomplished should be addressed. While reviewers are expected to address both merit review criteria, each reviewer will be asked to address only considerations that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements.
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.
• How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?
• 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.) Investigator: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers (if any)?
• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? Innovation: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Approach: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?
• Is there sufficient access to resources? Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
Where relevant, applications will also be reviewed with respect to the following:
• The adequacy of the plans to include both genders, minorities and their subgroups, and children as appropriate to the scientific goals of the research.
• NIH requirements for projects involving research with human subjects and plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects should also be included. (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm)
• The reasonableness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the proposed research.
• The adequacy of the proposed protection of humans, animals, or the environment, to the extent that they may be adversely affected by the project proposed in the application.
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.
B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
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 Mail 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.
NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 70 percent of proposals. The time interval begins on the date of receipt. 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.
The NSF/NIH program officers will meet as soon as possible after the applications are submitted to determine participating unit interest in specific applications. After the applications have been reviewed, the NSF and NIH program officers will meet again to formulate, by consensus, a set of funding recommendations consistent with the goals of the initiative. In doing so, the program officers will consider panel recommendations and other appropriate concerns such as program relevance and breadth of impact.
This section provides an overview of the award administration policies and process for the NSF. The NIH has similar procedures and requirements with some differences in details and deadlines. For more information on NIH policy and requirements for grants, see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm. Specific questions on NIH and specific Institute policies can be addressed to the appropriate person in the list of NSF/NIH contacts.
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 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 ConditionsFor 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.
Grants made by NSF will be subject to NSF's reporting requirements. Grants made by NIH will be subject to NIH's reporting requirements. The following information is for NSF grants only. (For information about NIH reporting requirements, contact the cognizant NIH Program Director in the list of NSF/NIH contacts.)
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.
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact: