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Grant Community.com Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Descriptions |
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC
ASSISTANCE
47.041: Engineering Grants
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| PROGRAM AND AWARD | FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS |
| ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS | FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO. |
| APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS | INFORMATION CONTACTS |
| RELATED PROGRAMS | ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS | POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS |
Applicant Eligibility: Public and private colleges and universities, nonprofit institutions, profit-making institutions including small businesses, Federal, State, and local government agencies.
Beneficiary Eligibility: Public and private colleges and universities; nonprofit institutions; profit organizations, including small businesses; Federal, State, and local government agencies; and individuals.
Credentials/Documentation: The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to commit the institution or organization in business and financial affairs, and by the Principal Investigator. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular Nos. A-21 for colleges and universities and A-122 for nonprofit organizations. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Preapplication Coordination: None required for unsolicited proposals, but preliminary discussions with relevant National Science Foundation program officer, by phone or mail, is encouraged if specific program information is needed. Special proposal competitions may specify preapplication requirements. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: Proposals being directed to any of the Engineering Programs should follow the general instructions and guidelines in the NSF brochure "Grant Proposal Guide," NSF 00-2. Research proposals for support under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program must be submitted in response to an annual solicitation. All proposals are acknowledged. These programs are subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure: NSF staff members review and evaluate all proposals with the assistance and advice of scientists and engineers who are specialists in the field covered by the proposal, of prospective users of research results when appropriate, and of specialists in other Federal agencies when appropriate.
Deadlines: None for unsolicited research proposals. Some programs and special proposal competitions have target dates for receipt of proposals. Applicants should contact the program office listed under the Information Contacts section of this program for dates on specific programs.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: About 3 to 7 months.
Appeals: The Principal Investigator may request, in writing, that the Foundation reconsider its action in declining any proposal application, renewal application, or continuing application.
Renewals: NSF awards the following types of grants: 1) Standard Grants, in which NSF agrees to support a specified level of effort for a specified period of time, with no statement of NSF intent to provide additional future support. Proposals for renewal of a Standard Grant compete with all other pending proposals. 2) Continuing Grants, in which NSF agrees to support a specified level of effort for a specified period of time, with a statement of intent to provide additional support for the project, provided funds are available and the results achieved warrant further support. Funding is normally in one-year increments. Some awards are made as cooperative agreements when substantial NSF involvement is required during the project performance period. Renewals are not allowed for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals: The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals submitted to NSF at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB97-72). The revised criteria are designed to be useful and relevant across NSF's many different programs, however, NSF will continue to employ special criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities. The revised merit review criteria are listed below. 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. Each reviewer will address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments. Criterion 1: What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity? How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources? Criterion 2: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity? How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while Promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed Activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society? In addition, consideration will also be given to the following: (a) Integration of Research and Education: One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learner perspectives. Principal Investigators should address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions. (b) Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities: Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens - women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities - are essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports. Principal Investigators should address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions.
Examples of Funded Projects: (1) Design and Evaluation of Artificial Retina Device to Benefit the Visually Impaired. (2) Scalable Enterprise Systems. (3) Solid Modeling and its Applications (4) Free-Radical Reactions in Supercritical Fluids. (5) Engine Heat Transfer and Combustion Studies. (6) Signal Processing for Acoustic Emission and Ultrasonic Testing. (7) Engineering Microsystems: "XYZ" on a Chip. (8) Committees on Earthquake Engineering. (9) Communication and Control of Integrated Manufacturing Systems. (10) SBIR Research: Thallium Bromide X-ray Photocathodes.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: From $5,000 to $3,000,000; $110,000.
In fiscal year 1999, 8,032 proposals were received and 2,981 awards were made. In fiscal year 2000, about 8,100 proposals will be received and about 3,050 awards will be made, and in fiscal year 2001 about 8,400 proposals will be received and about 3,150 awards will be made.
Federal Agency: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Type of Assistance: Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).
Obligations: (Grants and Contracts) FY 99 $370,130,000; FY 00 est $381,840,000; and FY 01 est $456,500,000.
Budget Account Number: 49-0100-0-1-251.
Authorization: National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, Public Law 103-327, 42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature: 45 CFR Chapter VI; 48 CFR Chapter 25; "NSF Guide to Programs, Fiscal Year 2000," NSF 00-65 (www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0065); and "Grant Proposal Guide," NSF 00-2, (www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf002); "Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STIR) Programs Phase I Solicitation and Phase II Instruction Guide," NSF 99-57; "Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER)," NSF 99-110; "Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)," NSF 98-142; "Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)," NSF 99-168. For descriptions of ENG program announcements, please check the following Electronic source: ENG Home Page on Internet World Wide Web (WWW). URL Address is: www.eng.nsf.gov/.
Regional or Local Office: Not applicable.
Headquarters Office: For information and publications: Jo Culbertson, Acting Senior Advisor for Planning and Evaluation, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230. Phone: (703)306-1303. Fax: (703)306-0292 E-mail: jculbert@nsf.gov., NSF World Wide Web site, URL: http//www.nsf.gov/. For general inquiries: enginfo@nsf.gov.
(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)
Formula and Matching Requirements: This program has no statutory formula. Institutions are required to share in the cost of each research project resulting from an unsolicited proposal by a contribution to any cost element in the project, direct or indirect. Cost-sharing may not apply to solicited proposals, or to conferences and symposia, publication, travel, or logistic support. A minimum cost-sharing of one-third of total costs is required for equipment grants. Some cost-sharing is also expected for Engineering Research Centers and Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a phased project program. Phase I is a feasibility study up to 6 months. Phase II is the principal research program for up to 24 months. The Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)(Sec. II.D.7.1) and the Grant Policy Manual (Sec. 330) provide additional information as to these requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Normally 6 months to 3 years, occasionally longer. Assistance is disbursed by letter of credit or as required.
Uses and Use Restrictions: Funds may be used for paying costs to conduct research, such as salaries and wages, equipment and supplies, travel, publication costs, other direct costs, and indirect costs. This program does not provide support for inventions, product development, marketing, pilot plant efforts, technical assistance, or research requiring security classifications.
Reports: For multi-year grants, annual technical progress reports are required. Within 90 days after the expiration of a grant, the grantee is required to submit final expenditure information and a final project report. Quarterly Federal Cash Transaction Reports (SF 272) are required. Other reporting requirements may be imposed via the grant instrument.
Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records: Grantees are expected to maintain separate records for each grant to ensure that funds are used for the general purpose for which the award was made. Records are subject to inspection during the life of the award and for 3 years thereafter.
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