Writing Your CAREER Proposal Writing Your CAREER Proposal 2016 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Why Are You Here? Why Are You Here? Writing Your CAREER Proposal Writing Your CAREER Proposal 2016 NSF/CMMI CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop St. Louis, Missouri March 21-22, 2016 CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Workshop Goals Workshop Goals CAREER Program CAREER Program Provide potential CAREER awardees with • “A Foundation-wide activity that offers recommendations on developing a competitive the National Science Foundation’s most CAREER proposal prestigious awards in support of junior – What is a CAREER proposal? Who is eligible ? The faculty who exemplify the role of larger context, DOs and DON’Ts teacher-scholars through outstanding – Setting research and education objectives research, excellent education and the – Finding a home integration of education and research within the context of the mission of – Writing the summary their organizations.” – Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts – The NSF merit review process • “Such activities should build a firm – Ethics foundation for a lifetime of leadership in – Supplements integrating education and research.” – Progress/final reports – Getting involved CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Page 1

Success Success CAREER Award CAREER Award • Funds the academic career development • “Successful Principal Investigators will of new faculty (it is not a research award) propose creative, integrative and effective research and education plans, developed • “The intent…is to provide stable support at a sufficient level and duration to within the context of the mission, goals, enable awardees to develop careers as and resources of their organizations, while outstanding researchers and educators…” building a firm foundation for a lifetime of • Duration: 5 years contributions to research, education and their integration.” • Min amount: $500,000 in ENG • Quality of the proposal is the key • Deadline for Engineering: July 21, 2016 (for other directorates, see solicitation) determinant of award or declination, not the PI’s home institution CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop What’s New for 2016? What’s New for 2016? New GPG Requirements! New GPG Requirements! • Solicitation NSF 15-555 • Failure to submit by 5 PM submitter’s local time will result in the proposal not being accepted • The same as 2015 • Authorized Organizational Rep must provide • Minimum grant size in ENG, $500K certifications concurrent with submission • Letters of intent to collaborate are now to • Collaborators and affiliations must be provided conform to the single-sentence format as a single-copy document, not in the bio described in the Proposal Preparation • Changes to bio sketch instructions • Restrictions to use of pdf for Project Summary • Proposals must be submitted in accordance • “Broader Impacts” section required with the revised Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF16001, Submit early, expect compliance issues, http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.j check your submission and correct sp?ods_key=papp problems before the deadline—no changes allowed after the deadline! CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Page 2

More GPG Requirements More GPG Requirements Caution Caution • Proposal submission may be via Fastlane or • “The Project Description should provide a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and must include the objectives Grants.gov for the period of the proposed work and expected significance; the relationship of this work to the present • Fastlane submission is highly preferred, it state of knowledge in the field, as well as to work in progress has automatic compliance checking for some by the PI under other support.” requirements • “The Project Description should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of activities to be • Beware new automatic compliance checks: undertaken, and, where appropriate, provide a clear – Late submissions are NOT tolerated, even by 0.1 description of experimental methods and procedures. seconds Proposers should address what they want to do, why they want to do it, how they plan to do it, how they will know if – Failure to pass some checks will prevent they succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project submission is successful.” – Non-automatic checks are done manually—you need to meet all GPG requirements CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Eligibility Eligibility You You • PI must be from a university or 2/4-year • Who are you? college, accredited and with campus in US, – Your expertise/interests or non-profit, non-academic organization – Your career/life goals (museum, observatory, research lab) – Your position/resources • Untenured Assistant Professor or • Your proposal should fit into your life equivalent <Oct. 1 plan • Must hold doctorate degree <deadline • No co-PIs allowed What is your life plan? • No citizenship requirements (except Do you need to develop a PECASE) strategic plan? • Employed in tenure track position • Limit 3 applications (RWRs don’t count) CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Page 3

Your Strategic Plan Your Strategic Plan Your Proposal Your Proposal • A strategic plan has three parts: • Should advance you toward your life goals – Where are you today? – Should be a stepping stone to the next – Where do you want to be in the future (5, thing 10, 20 years from now)? • Should be compatible with your – How do you get from here to there? institution’s goals • Questions: What do you want to leave as your career legacy? Do you need to • Should represent a contribution to work on important problems? society at large A strategic plan is a Test: If you accomplish your roadmap for your life objectives, are you better off for the effort? CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop DOs DOs DON’Ts DON’Ts • Have a strategic plan • Rush • Build on your strengths • Wait until last minute (1 month) to • Differentiate this proposal from your Ph.D. contact program directors thesis work and other sponsored work • Make the proposed work (research and • Perform a thorough literature search and education) too broad exploratory research before writing the • Make the proposed work too narrow proposal – Journal articles (update with personal • Ask for too much (or too little) money contacts) • Ignore rules (Grant Proposal Guide) and • Read the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) misc. items – violation of the GPG • Establish and keep your cont acts requirements will result in return without review • Try to submit your proposal late CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Page 4

Proposal Basics Proposal Basics • Write to the reviewers (not to me and Getting a Research Topic Getting a Research Topic not to yourself) • Your proposal will be judged by the reviewers • Reviewers want to know four things: – What is it about (the research objective)? – How will you do it (the technical approach)? – Can you do it (you and your facilities)? – Is it worth doing (intellectual merit and broader impacts)? • This is, basically, all the proposal needs to convey – but it needs to convey this CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Beware! Beware! NSF Funds Fundamental Research NSF Funds Fundamental Research • We look for proposals that – Are innovative and push the frontiers of knowledge The CAREER award is – Contribute to national needs and priorities NOT a research award – Go beyond marginalia – Integrate research and educational goals well The CAREER award is a – Actually involve research, not development career development award • We do not support (except as incidental to the goals of the award) – Developmental efforts Your proposal must – Computer programming – Design of… reflect this focus – Commercialization CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop Page 5