Antarctic Integrated System Science

PROGRAM GUIDELINES


09-536  Program Solicitation

As announced on May 21st, proposers must prepare and submit proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF) using the NSF FastLane system at http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/. This approach is being taken to support efficient Grants.gov operations during this busy workload period and in response to OMB direction guidance issued March 9, 2009. NSF will continue to post information about available funding opportunities to Grants.gov FIND and will continue to collaborate with institutions who have invested in system-to-system submission functionality as their preferred proposal submission method. NSF remains committed to the long-standing goal of streamlined grants processing and plans to provide a web services interface for those institutions that want to use their existing grants management systems to directly submit proposals to NSF.

Please be advised that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) includes revised guidelines to implement the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act (ACA) (Pub. L. No. 110-69, Aug. 9, 2007.) As specified in the ACA, each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. Proposals that do not comply with this requirement will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II for further information about the implementation of this new requirement).

SYNOPSIS

The discoveries of disciplinary science increasingly highlight the need for integrative approaches to forge new understanding of the complex interactions that govern Antarctica and its past, present and future roles in the earth system. To respond to this need and foster progress on some of societies’ most pressing issues on a planet subject to potentially accelerated change, the Antarctic Integrated System Science (AISS) program was established in 2007.  An initial vision for the AISS program is outlined in the executive committee synthesis of a June 2007 community-based workshop that is available at: http://cresp.tamu.edu/AISSWorkshop.  The synthesis includes examples of cross-cutting integrated system science questions that are not meant to be exhaustive.  Initial activities funded under the IPY call can be found on the IPY award list (http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/ipy/ipy_awards_list.jsp).

In general terms, the AISS program administers projects that transcend disciplinary boundaries, are highly integrated and address questions broader in scope than those typically supported by the disciplinary programs described above.  AISS projects must have compelling intellectual merit, broad impact and expand the frontiers of our knowledge.  AISS does not fund programs that recast disciplinary questions into a form requiring minimal expertise from other disciplines when progress is possible within a discipline.  Projects must not be so broad in scope that tractable research strategies are not practical.  It is recognized that integrated system proposals can be challenging to review.  At this juncture in accordance with existing NSF guidelines, proposers may choose to submit single collaborative proposals or multiple related proposals that share some common text.  Proposals will be reviewed by both ad-hoc mail reviews and a combination of panelists from the disciplinary panels as appropriate.  Those considering submission to AISS are encouraged to contact the program director in advance.                

RELATED URLS

Setting a Course for Antarctic Integrated System Science (NSF-supported workshop held 13-15 June 2007)

THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF

Antarctic Research

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

News