NSF 98-13 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS (STC): INTEGRATIVE PARTNERSHIPS ______________________________________________________ Program Solicitation Deadlines: Notice of Intent Deadline: January 6, 1998 Preproposal Deadline: February 12, 1998 Full Proposal Deadline: September 3, 1998 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION THE STC INTEGRATIVE PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT The Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnership Program (STC) supports innovation in the integrative conduct of research, education and knowledge transfer. Science and Technology Centers build intellectual and physical infrastructure within and between disciplines, weaving together knowledge creation, knowledge integration, and knowledge transfer. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships of universities, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities. New knowledge thus created is meaningfully linked to society. STCs enable and foster excellent education, integrate research and education, and create bonds between learning and inquiry so that discovery and creativity more fully support the learning process. STCs capitalize on diversity through participation in center activities and demonstrate leadership in the involvement of groups underrepresented in science and engineering. Program Objectives: To support research and education of the highest quality; To exploit opportunities in science, engineering and technology where the complexity of the research agenda requires the advantages of scope, scale, change, duration, equipment and facilities, that a Center can provide; To support frontier investigations at the interfaces of disciplines, and/or fresh approaches within disciplines; To engage the Nation’s intellectual talent, robustly drawn from its full human diversity, in the conduct of research and education activities; To promote organizational connections and linkages within and between campuses, schools and/or the world beyond (state, local, federal agencies, national labs, industry, international); To focus on integrative learning and discovery and the preparation of U.S. students for a broad set of career paths; and To foster science and engineering in service to society especially with respect to new research areas, promising new instrumentation and potential new technologies. CENTER FEATURES STCs should have a unifying research focus involving any area(s) of research supported by the Foundation. STCs can vary in size and exhibit diverse forms of organization, participation, and operation. No single type of Center fits the needs of every field. Rather, the size, structure, and operation of an STC are determined by the proposed research, education, and knowledge transfer activities. While each Center is unique in some respects, each must: Be based in an academic institution; Be directed by a science or engineering faculty member and integrated into academic programs; Reflect a commitment to achieving strategic goals shared by the host and partnering institutions as demonstrated by cost-sharing or other institutional commitments; Provide a variety of education and research opportunities for U.S. students and faculty (e.g., undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, industrial fellows, students from groups underrepresented in science and engineering, K-12 teachers, and visiting participants); Have significant intellectual exchange and resource linkages among various types of institutions (e.g., academic, minority-serving institutions, nonprofit organizations, national laboratories, industry, federal, state, and local governments) to facilitate knowledge transfer; Include industrial, national or international laboratory internships, or other career broadening experiences as appropriate to the research area; and Have annual budgets ranging from $1.5M to $4.0M of NSF support. CENTER LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT The STC Director must have the capacity to develop and lead a team to fulfill a shared vision. The Director should be supported in this role by a management team comprised of, for example, a deputy or co-Director (who will share some of the leadership responsibilities), leaders of research teams, an education coordinator, a knowledge transfer (industrial liaison) coordinator, and an administrative and financial manager. In addition, the Center will maintain and convene annually an external advisory group. The advisors must include representation from those served by the Center (e.g., academic institutions, industry, state and local agencies, national laboratories) and display the diversity of the U.S. citizenry in its membership. The function of the advisory group is to provide guidance and advice to the Center as well as to ensure that the Center’s activities are consistent with its vision, goals, and objectives. The Center Director is responsible for the management, staffing, and resource allocation of the STC; for administering the award in accordance with NSF policies and the terms of the cooperative agreement, and for serving as the liaison between the Center and the National Network of STC Directors. National Network of STC Directors STC Directors will serve as members of a national liaison team for the STC Program. The Directors are responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining a liaison structure with active participation of each Center. This network is charged with addressing common goals, problems and opportunities, and facilitating personnel and resource exchanges as well as integrated partnerships and cooperation among Centers. Annually a chair of this liaison team will be elected by participating members and will serve a one-year term. Typical functions of the National Network of STC Directors include: fostering complementarity and balance among research, education and knowledge transfer activities, and avoidance of duplication of effort; facilitating interactions to address research, education, and management issues and opportunities which transcend individual Center capabilities; liaison with private sector, state, local and national laboratories to identify needs/opportunities and to plan joint implementation strategies, workshops, and other fora; cooperation and liaison with NSF staff in the development and maintenance of databases and other effective metrics in response to the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act; and preparing documents to enhance public understanding about the importance of science, engineering, technology and education advances in service to society. Two-Stage STC Competition Applicants compete for support from the STC program in a two-stage process: in the first stage applicants submit a preproposal that outlines the planned Center activity; in the second, invited applicants submit a full proposal. Invitations to submit a full proposal will be extended on the basis of merit review of the preproposals; only invited full proposals will be accepted. Site visits will be held for a small number of proposers who enter the final consideration process. WHO MAY SUBMIT U.S. academic institutions with significant research and education programs in any area of science and engineering normally supported by NSF may submit preproposals. A single institution may be involved in more than one preproposal, and may submit more than one preproposal. However, the STC Program will not normally provide simultaneous support for more than one STC based at any one institution. Proposals involving integrated partnerships (i.e., multi-institutional arrangements including other universities/colleges, national laboratories, private sector research laboratories, state and local government laboratories, and international collaborations) are encouraged. However, one institution must accept overall management responsibility for the proposed Center. Existing STCs or group members from such STCs who propose to focus on radically different research topics or themes may participate in this open competition. If successful, the new awards will not commence until the end of the Center’s current term of support. The STC Program complements the NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERC), the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC), and other programs that support group research activities. Simultaneous consideration of duplicate center proposals by other NSF programs is not permitted. However, participation in a Center does not preclude individuals from receiving NSF support for their individual research in complementary areas. Notice of Intent Research teams intending to submit a preproposal should submit a notice of intent addressed to the STC Program via e-mail to stc@nsf.gov by January 6, 1998. The subject of the e-mail message should be “Notice of Intent” followed by the university name. The notice should not exceed 500 words, and should give a brief summary of the vision for the Center and the structure of its research, education, and knowledge transfer. The purpose of this notice is to enable NSF to determine the composition of its review panels. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION Formal communications for this program competition will be electronic. Therefore, preproposals and full proposals must be submitted electronically using the NSF FastLane system for electronic proposal submission and review, available through the World Wide Web on the FastLane home page (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). Instructions for electronic submission can be found by accessing (http://www.nsf.gov/od/osti/centers/nsf9813/instruct.htm). In order to use NSF FastLane to prepare and submit a proposal, you must use a browser that supports multiple buttons and file upload (e.g., Netscape 3.0 and above for Windows, UNIX, or Macintosh). In addition, Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to view and print forms. Adobe Acrobat Exchange 2.0 or above, AdobeDistiller 2.0 or above, or Adobe Acrobat 3.X (which includes Adobe Exchange and Adobe Distiller) is needed for creating PDF files. To access the FastLane Proposal Preparation application, your institution needs to be a registered FastLane institution. A list of registered institutions and the FastLane registration form are located on the FastLane home page. For questions or problems concerning submitting a STC proposal via FastLane, please contact a FastLane User Support person at electronic mail: stcflane@nsf.gov or phone (703) 306-1142 {If you reach the automated attendant, please dial extension 4686}. For non-FastLane questions related to the STC competition, please contact the STC program at stc@nsf.gov or at (703) 306-1040. Both preproposals and full proposals must be prepared following margin and other quality requirements described in the NSF’s Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 98-2). Each must contain only the materials requested by this solicitation. PREPROPOSAL CONTENT The preproposal should be submitted with the proposed Center Director as the Principal Investigator and must include only the following: 1) Cover Page (Form 1207). 2) Information about the Principal Investigator (Form 1225) is automatically generated by FastLane. 3) Project Summary: Provide a one-page table of contents for the entire preproposal, and a one page description of the vision and key components of the STC. The names of the principal participating institutions involved in establishing the proposed STC should be included in the one page description. The Project Description must contain the following sections, incorporating items four through nine: 4) Narrative description of the Focus, Research Plans, and Relevance: Develop a research focus that is sufficiently long-term to justify a Center form of organization and broad enough to permit change as the research proceeds. Describe the Center’s rationale, goals and proposed research activities in sufficient detail to allow assessment of their merit and the necessity for the Center mode of operation. Indicate the potential impact the Center’s research will have on the nation’s scientific and/or technological base. 5) A description of proposed activities in: science or engineering education; human resource development, with special emphasis on issues regarding the inclusion of U.S. students and underrepresented groups in the proposed centers activities; collaborations with industry, minority- serving institutions, science museums, K-12 education systems, and/or other sectors; shared experimental facilities, international collaborations. 6) An outline of the proposed arrangements for administration and management of the Center. Note: Items 4, 5, and 6 above are limited to nine pages including tables and illustrations regardless of the number of research groups or themes. 7) List of Academic Participants, Industrial, and Other Partners (two- page limit): Provide two lists: (a) a list of Academic Participants and (b) a list of Industrial and Other Partners. Begin the List of Academic Participants, with the name of the institution which will lead the STC. List the faculty committed to involvement in the STC, with their school, departmental and institutional affiliations. Any affiliation with government laboratories should be included on this list. On the List of Industrial and Other Partners, provide the names of corporate, agency, or other industrial affiliation and personnel who contributed to the development of the preproposal and are interested in joining and supporting the Center through financial and/or other supporting mechanisms. 8) Provide a synopsis (one-page limit) of institutional and other resource commitments and potential funding to the proposed Center. 9) Provide a five-year budget summary (Form 1030) and submit a budget explanation (not to exceed one page); 10) References Cited. Section not to exceed two pages. 11) Biographical sketches. For the Principal Investigator, Co- Principal Investigator(s), and non-Co-PI Senior Personnel, provide a brief biographical sketch or curriculum vitae, including a list of the five most recent or significant publications. This section must not exceed two pages per person. 12) Letters are required from the universities, signed by authorized university officials committing support to the STC during its ten-year life span. These letters are not to be submitted over Fastlane but mailed directly to the address below. No other items are to be included. Preproposals containing items other than those required above will not be reviewed. Preproposal Deadline Preproposals for the Science and Technology Centers Program must be submitted electronically to NSF no later than 5:00 PM EST, on February 12, 1998. A paper copy of the Proposal Cover Sheet, signed Certification Page, and letters of commitment must be mailed to the address below to arrive by February 19, 1998. STC Program National Science Foundation Room 1270 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230 Principal Investigators will be notified of the results of the preproposal competition on or before May 1, 1998. FULL PROPOSAL CONTENT The full proposals must include only the following information: 1) Cover Page (Form 1207). 2) Information about the Principal Investigator (Form 1225) is automatically generated by FastLane. 3) Project Summary (three-page limit): Provide a one-page table of contents for the entire full proposal. At the top of the second page include the title of the STC and the name of the Director. Identify the institution leading the STC as well as the other participating institutions. This summary should provide a clear description of the Center, its distinguishing features, multidisciplinary focus, proposed research and educational activities, integrative components, diversity plan, knowledge transfer strategy, and rationale and vision for the Center. The Project Description must contain the following sections, incorporating items four through thirteen: 4) Narrative description of the Focus, Research Plans, and Relevance (ten-page limit): Develop a research focus that is sufficiently long term to justify a Center form of organization and agile enough to permit change as the research proceeds. Describe the Center’s goals and proposed research activities in sufficient detail to allow assessment of their scientific merit and the necessity for the Center mode of operation. Indicate what impact the Center’s research will have on the nation’s scientific and/or technological base. 5) Education (five-page limit): Provide a summary chart of M.S. and Ph.D. degrees completed during the past three years under the directorship of the proposed Center senior personnel. Also indicate average time to complete degree requirements. Indicate gender, ethnic origin, and nationality of students. Clearly outline plans for: attracting and retaining high quality U.S. students (undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral) in Center activities and for increasing participation of women and members of underrepresented minorities (i.e., Alaskan Native, American Indian, African American, Hispanic, Native Pacific Islander, or persons with disabilities) in Center research and education endeavors. Initiating effective long-term partnerships with minority-serving institutions is strongly encouraged as well as initiating summer internship programs for U.S. students, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (Sites), effective K-12 teacher preparation programs and workshops. The development of hands-on exhibits for science museums and development of courseware that is portable over the Internet are also encouraged. These items are considered effective practices in the area of implementing diversity plans. The education activities undertaken by the STC should be broad and appropriate to the research in question. Also address plans for making time from the baccalaureate to the Ph.D. degree approach 4 to 5 years. Information on the Center’s potential impact on educational activities (e.g., new courses, new degree programs, changed curriculum, new partnerships for delivery) should be included here. 6) Knowledge Transfer (three-page limit): Describe plans for linking appropriate communities and institutions beyond the sponsoring institution--other colleges, universities, disciplinary subfields, other disciplines, nonprofit research organizations, government laboratories, industry, state, local, and/or international entities--to enhance involvement and knowledge transfer. These linkages should involve significant intellectual exchange, internships, and resource commitments (e.g., funds, facilities, and/or people). Partnerships and linkages beyond the university boundaries are to be emphasized here. If a proposal is selected for a site visit, Center staff will be expected to be aware of related state and national research capabilities as well as international programs in their fields of research. 7) Rationale for the Center concept (one-page limit): Justify the center mode. Clearly indicate current activities, why a Center is necessary, and what unique opportunities will be provided by the proposed Center. If the proposed Center research is closely related to ongoing research at an existing Center (e.g., STC, ERC, MRSEC, national laboratory), explain how the research activities of this Center complement those of the existing center(s). 8) Management Plan (three-page limit): Provide a clear description of the organizational structure of the Center. Clearly outline mechanisms for focusing Center activities, selecting and integrating related research projects, allocating funds and equipment across all Center activities, and managing the involvement of other groups, scientific and educational. A description of a diverse external advisory body that will provide guidance and advice on all Center activities is required. If a proposal is selected for a site visit, NSF will require additional information on the overall management of the Center. 9) List of Academic Participants, Industrial, and Other Partners (two- page limit): Provide two lists: (a) a list of Academic Participants and (b) a list of Industrial and Other Partners. Begin the List of Academic Participants, with the name of the institution which will lead the STC. Provide a list of faculty committed to involvement in the STC, with their school, departmental and institutional affiliations. Any affiliation with government laboratories should be included on this list. On the List of Industrial and Other Partners, provide the names of corporate, agency, or other industrial affiliations and personnel who are committed to participating in and supporting the Center. 10) Intellectual Property Rights (one-page limit): Provide a concise statement on the proposed Center’s policies on Intellectual Property Rights. If a proposal is selected for a site-visit, a more detailed copy of the home institution’s official policy will be required. 11) Projected Funding by Source (one-page limit): Reproduce Table 1 indicating the expected annual level of total support for five years from each source (i.e., NSF, the university, industry, state and local governments, other federal agencies, and other sources). On this table, split each column, as needed, to indicate whether the support is in cash, or in-kind (space, faculty and staff positions, time of industrial personnel spent in the STC, capital equipment, and other in-kind pledges). It should be clear from the table how much of the support is already committed and how much is projected. A financial plan may be included, which addresses projections or goals for creating a self- sustaining STC in ten years. To this end, NSF expects STCs to develop and implement plans to continue the effective and productive collaborations with other stakeholders in the integrated partnerships when NSF funding ceases. Table 1 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Projected Funding A$ I$ A$ I$ A$ I$ A$ I$ A$ I$ A$ I$ NSF Industry University Other Govt. Other Total Key: A$- Actual $ I$ - In-Kind $ 12) Institutional and other Sector Support (one-page limit): Outline the home institution’s commitment: dollars, space, faculty and staff positions, capital equipment, and access to facilities and instrumentation. Indicate dollar value where possible; otherwise, describe how the commitment contributes to realizing the strategic goals of the Center and associated institutions. Describe possible other- sector support, including space, funds, facilities, and personnel for the center. Major commitments of other closely associated institutions may also be provided here. 13) Shared Experimental Facilities (four-page limit): Where appropriate, describe the shared facilities to be established, including specific major research instrumentation, and plans for the development of instrumentation. Describe plans for maintaining and operating the facilities, including staffing, provisions for user fees, and plans for ensuring access to outside users. Distinguish between existing facilities and those still to be developed. 14) Facilities and Equipment (Form 1363). This form should support the description of the infrastructure of the STC in the body of the proposal by describing the equipment and facilities available to the proposed STC. 15) Budget: Provide a five-year summary budget (Form 1030) and one (first year) annual budget for the Center as a whole. Submit a separate budget for each participating institution in cases where a subcontract exceeds $100,000 per year. Identify items of equipment costing more than $10,000. Full justification for the latter is required and substantial institutional cost-sharing is expected. Undergraduate and graduate stipends must be consistent with NSF policy and postdoctoral fellowships may be determined by the institution. Individual students may not be supported for a period in excess of five years. A budget justification (two-page limit) should be provided. Funds allocated for research, education, and knowledge transfer issues should be discernible. 16) References Cited. Section not to exceed five pages. 17) Biographical Sketches: For the Principal Investigator, Co- Principal Investigator(s), and non Co-PI Senior Personnel, provide a brief biographical sketch or curriculum vitae, including a list of the five most recent or significant publications. This section must not exceed two pages per person. 18) Current and Pending Support (Form 1239): Provide a complete listing of current and pending support for the Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator(s), and non Co-PI Senior Personnel only. 19) Letters of Interest and Support from the Partners of the STC. Letters are required from the university, signed by the authorized university official committing support to the STC during its 10-year life span. Letters committing industrial and/or other partners to involvement and financial or collaborative support are required. (Commitment letters are not included in the page count. They are not to be submitted electronically but mailed directly to the Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure.) Full proposals containing items other than those required above will not be reviewed. Full Proposal Deadline Full proposals must be submitted electronically to NSF no later than 5:00 PM EST, by September 3, 1998. A paper copy of the Proposal Cover Sheet, signed Certification Page, and letters of commitment must be submitted to the same address given above for preproposals to arrive by September 10, 1998. NSF expects to announce the results of the competition no later than August 1999. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Review and Award Selection Process Proposals will be evaluated by a multi-phase merit review process. In order to reduce the cost of proposal preparation and the workload on the scientific community, NSF will utilize a preproposal phase which will include evaluation by a panel of individuals intellectually distinguished in their fields and experienced in integrative science and education, engineering and technology partnerships. The panelists will be asked to base their comments on the merit review criteria below. Entities whose preproposals are judged most promising and are recommended by the panel will be encouraged to submit full proposals that will be evaluated by both ad hoc mail and panel review using the selection criteria below. This panel will identify a small number of full proposals deemed worthy of site-visit reviews; the other proposals will be declined. Although the site visit will cover all aspects of the proposal, Foundation staff will indicate what additional information may be needed in advance of the review. Finally, a comprehensive review will be conducted by an ad hoc STC Advisory Committee that will develop a prioritized recommended funding list. In developing its recommendations for awards, this committee will consider: the relative merit of the STC proposals using the criteria listed below, the balance of awards among scientific fields, and the combined ability of the proposed Centers to meet the objectives of the STC Program. In developing funding recommendations to the Director and the National Science Board, the STC Advisory Committee’s recommendations will be considered. Merit Review Criteria Proposals will be evaluated using standard NSF merit review criteria as well as criteria specific to the STC Program objectives. Preproposals will be evaluated in terms of their potential to meet the criteria for full proposals. Standard Merit Review Criteria: 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? 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? Additional Merit Review Criteria specific to the STC Program: 1. Value added by Center: Ability to stimulate interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary interaction and/or collaboration across a novel research area. Relationship to existing and planned institutional programs and capabilities in research and education. Potential for institutional, national and international impact. 2. Integrating research and education: Ability to develop effective educational programs that will broaden the career paths of involved students. Plans for fostering a climate of interaction and effective knowledge transfer both among diverse university departments and between the university and its partners in industry and/or other sectors. 3. Developing human resources: Ability to increase participation by U.S. citizens, particularly women and underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities in research and education. Plans for forming substantive and long-term partnerships and collaborations with, minority-serving institutions, and/or women’s colleges. 4. Partnerships and knowledge transfer: Ability to develop trusted partnerships and maintain active collaboration with industry, public, and/or international sectors. Plans to stimulate and facilitate knowledge transfer and to strengthen the linkages between university-based research and its application and implementation. 5. Shared experimental facilities (when appropriate): Ability to develop, establish, operate, and maintain new instrumentation or shared experimental facilities (including databases.) Plans to provide appropriate access to users from the home institution, other academic institutions, and other sectors. 6. Leadership, Management Plan, Institutional Support, and Budget: Vision, experience, and capacity of the center director and the center leadership team to manage a complex, multi- faceted, and innovative research, education, and knowledge transfer enterprise. Likely effectiveness of the proposed management plan, including the mechanisms for topic selection, resource allocation, progress evaluation, and project termination. Documentation of institutional and other commitments to the proposed Center. Appropriateness of the requested budget. STC AWARDS The amount of funds available for this competition is approximately $25 million in FY 2000 and NSF expects to make about eight to ten awards. The awards will be made as cooperative agreements with an initial commitment of five years and a potential duration of ten years. The amount of the NSF’s investment in each center will depend upon the needs, plans, and opportunities offered by the Center, as well as the availability of NSF funds. Proposed STC annual budgets may range from $1.5M to $4.0M per year of NSF support. Proposals outside this range will be ineligible and will be returned without review. The appropriate NSF research directorates will have primary responsibility in the oversight of individual STCs. The progress and plans of each funded STC will be monitored annually, prior to receiving continued NSF support. Towards the end of the fourth year of operation the STC must submit a renewal proposal for continued support which will undergo merit review. The STC’s achievements and future plans will be evaluated comprehensively. The review will determine if the STC is meeting the goals and objectives as originally proposed. The STC performance assessment will be guided by the goals and objectives of the STC Program and the individual goals of the particular STC. Centers successful in passing the fourth-year review will be renewed for another five years, commencing at the beginning of the sixth year, and including a two-year phase-out period. Centers that pass the fourth- year review will continue to be monitored at least every 18 months. Centers that do not pass the fourth year review will be phased-out over a one-year period at a reduced level of support. The NSF will support an STC for a maximum of ten years unless it competes successfully in an open competition with new research ideas, new concepts, and fresh approaches to major scientific, engineering and education problems. Reporting Requirements Centers selected will be required to submit annual reports on progress and plans, which will be used as a basis for performance review and determining the level of continued funding. To support this review and the management of a Center, STCs will be required to develop a set of management and performance indicators for submission annually to NSF via an evaluation technical assistance contractor. These indicators are both quantitative and descriptive and may include, for example, the characteristics of center personnel and students; sources of financial support and in-kind support; expenditures by operational component; characteristics of industrial and/or other sector participation; research activities; education activities; knowledge transfer activities; patents, licenses; publications; degrees granted to students involved in Center activities; descriptions of significant advances and other outcomes of the STC effort. Part of this reporting will take the form of a database which will be owned by the institution and eventually made available to an evaluation contractor. This database will capture specific information to demonstrate progress towards achieving the goals of the program. Such reporting requirements will be included in the cooperative agreement which is binding between the university and the NSF. The Foundation provides awards for research and education in the sciences and engineering. The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of the results for publication. The Foundation, therefore, does not assume responsibility for the research findings or their interpretation. The Foundation welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists and engineers and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the research and education related programs described here. 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 subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. 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 projects. See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636. Privacy Act. The information requested on proposal forms is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. It will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals and may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the review process; to applicant institutions/grantees; to provide or obtain data regarding the application review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers, and researchers as necessary to complete assigned work; and to other government agencies in order to coordinate programs. See Systems of Records, NSF 50, Principal Investigators/Proposal File and Associated Records, and NSF- 51, 60 Federal Register 4449 (January 23, 1995). Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records, 59 Federal Register 8031 (February 17, 1994). Public Burden. Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of your receiving an award. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Gail A. McHenry, Reports Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination Branch, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 245, Arlington, VA 22230. The National Science Foundation has TDD (Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capability, which enables individuals with hearing impairment to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment, or general information. To access NSF TDD, dial (703) 306-0090; for FIRS, 1-800-877-8339. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 47.073 Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure OMB 3145-0058 PT 18 NSF 98-13 Instructions for Preparing and Submitting an Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships Preproposal via FastLane NOTE: Because FastLane is fairly new to users, it is advised that proposal preparation be done early. INDEX 1. Using FastLane 2. Accessing STC Forms 3. Completing Forms 4. Submitting Preproposals 5. Saving a Copy of Prepoposal 6. Detailed FastLane Instructions INTRODUCTION The required content of an STC preproposal is described in the STC program announcement (NSF 98-13). The preproposal must be prepared and submitted via FastLane, NSF’s system for electronic proposal submission, tracking and review. The FastLane system uses the World Wide Web to exchange information between NSF and its external community, including proposers and reviewers. The instructions provided in the first three pages of this document generally assume knowledge of the use of FastLane to prepare an NSF proposal. Following these, a set of more detailed instructions are provided. The detailed instructions include information about registering to use FastLane for proposal preparation and about acquiring the software necessary for this use of FastLane. USING FASTLANE AND GETTING HELP To use FastLane to prepare a preproposal, you must be registered with NSF as a Principal Investigator (PI), your institution must be a registered FastLane Institution, and you must have a FastLane personal identification number (PIN) which you obtain from your institution’s Sponsored Research Office (SRO), or equivalent. If you are not familiar with FastLane, including its software and user registration requirements, you may want to access the FastLane homepage or to go directly to the detailed instructions below (Detailed Instructions for Use of FastLane). You may send technical questions and comments to the FastLane staff using the 'Send Comments to NSF' feature on each FastLane screen. If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact a FastLane User Support person at stcflane@nsf.gov, or phone (703) 306- 1142 (If you reach the automated attendant, please dial extension 4686). Questions concerning content of the preproposal should be addressed to the Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure at stc@nsf.gov or (703) 306-1040, not to FastLane staff. ACCESSING STC FORMS 1. Access the NSF FastLane Home Page (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov) and select Proposal Preparation. Enter your required login information (last name, SSN and the PIN provided by your SRO), and then select the Proposal Preparation button. This will take you to the “PI Information” section. Please verify that the information is correct. If not, click on the Edit Information button, change the information and click OK. Then scroll down to the “Proposal Actions” section, select the Standard Proposal option and click on the OK button. 2. If you have never started a standard proposal on FastLane, you will get a screen entitled “New Proposal Information.” Click on the Create New Proposal button and the “Proposal Actions” screen will appear. If you have previously used FastLane for proposal preparation, you will go directly to the “Proposal Actions” screen. 3. Scroll down to “New Proposals” and select the STC: Integrative Partnerships Program button, and then scroll up to the list of “Proposals in Progress” where you will now see a proposal entitled “STC:”. 4. Select “STC:” and click on the Edit button. This moves you to the “Form Selector” screen, which lists and provides access to the forms needed to prepare the preproposal. COMPLETING THE FORMS 5. Entering Information. Select the form and click on Go to Form. To save a partially or fully completed form, click on OK. This saves the form and returns you to the “Form Selector” screen. To edit a partially completed form that you have previously saved, follow the same steps used to access a blank form. Once a Co-PI has been added to the Cover Sheet, the Co-PI can access the proposal by entering his/her last name, SSN, and FastLane PI PIN. You can allow other authorized FastLane users to enter and edit information by creating a specific PIN for the preproposal (see providing access to an “In Progress” Proposal). 6. Completing the Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207). The “Program Announcement/Solicitation No.” field has been filled; this field cannot be altered. The awardee and performing institution fields are already filled using the institution and institution code from the PI’s record in the NSF PI database. Verify that the awardee and performing institutions are correctly shown. Changes may be made by selecting the Awardee Institution Search or Performing Institution Search button. Please enter requested information in the other fields as appropriate. 7. “PI /Co-PI Information” Form (NSF Form 1225). This form is automatically completed by FastLane using information from the PI’s and Co-PI’s records in the NSF PI database. Please verify that the information in the fields is correct. The information can be corrected, but only by the named individual. If correction is needed, follow the steps to edit information as described in Instruction #1 above. NOTE: The following three ways can be used to prepare the Project Summary, References Cited and Biographical Sketches: The user can cut and paste text from a word processed document. However, doing so will only transfer text. Special formatting such as bold-facing, italicizing, and underlining will be lost in the cut-and-paste process. The user can type text directly into the form using the interface provided. Special formatting such as bold-facing, italicizing, and underlining cannot be included in a web text block. When the Project Summary is complete, choose OK to save the data. The user can upload the Project Summary as a Portable Data Format (PDF) file which the user creates by saving a file to disk using PDF Writer as the printer driver. Doing so will preserve the exact formatting created by the user. To use the PDF file upload capability or the automatic word wrap for text blocks, you must use a browser which supports these capabilities (Netscape 3.0 or later). See below for more details about “Converting Files to PDF and Uploading PDF Files.” PDF Writer is a commercial product provided with Adobe Exchange, Adobe Distiller, and Adobe Acrobat 3.X (see Adobe’s Website for information (http://www.adobe.com). 8. Project Summary. 9. Preparing the Project Description. This section of the preproposal must be prepared and uploaded as a single PDF file. The Project Description must contain the following six sections of the preproposal: a) Narrative description of the Focus, Research Plans, and Relevance; b) Description of proposed actives in science or engineering; c) An outline of proposed administration and management arrangements; d) List of academic and industrial partners; and e) Summary of institutional and other resource commitments. 10. References Cited. 11. Completing Biographical Sketches. In order to prepare and save a sketch for anyone not listed on the cover page as PI or Co-PI, you must access the “Form Selector” screen, select Add/Modify Non Co-PI Senior Personnel and click on the Go To Form button. When all names have been entered, select Return to Kit Index. This returns you to the “Form Selector” screen. As with the project summary and references cited, any of the three methods may be used to enter information. If the PDF upload method is followed, a separate PDF file will have to be created and uploaded for each individual. After you save an individual form, you may complete another sketch, or else you may return to the “Form Selector” screen by clicking on Return to Kit Index. 12. Preparing the Summary preproposal Budget (NSF Form 1030). The Cover Sheet must be accessed and saved at least once before the budget form can be accessed. The budget form has been modified for STC preproposals so that only the five-year total budget is prepared, and a budget justification can be provided. The Calculate button calculates all figures on the form. If you change the awardee institution on the Cover Sheet after doing your budget, verify that the awardee institution named on the Cover Sheet matches the institution named on the budget. You may change the awardee institution by clicking on the Change Inst. ID button while working on the budget form. SUBMITTING THE STC PREPROPOSAL Your SRO (or equivalent) submits the STC preproposal to NSF electronically and also prints a copy of the submitted Proposal Cover Sheet and Certification Page. The printed copy and letters of support must be signed and mailed to NSF. To allow your SRO access to the preproposal, you access the Proposal Forms Preparation function, select the desired proposal and then click on the Allow SRO Access button. This informs your SRO that it can now access the preproposal. After you select the Allow SRO Access button, but before the preproposal is submitted, you can still edit the preproposal. For further information on submission by the SRO, see the detailed instructions (Submitting the STC preproposal). The Preproposal must be submitted electronically no later than 5 PM, EST, on February 12, 1998. A signed paper copy of the Proposal Cover Sheet and Certification Page, and letters of support must be mailed to the address below in time to arrive by February 19, 1998, a week after the electronic submission of the preproposal. Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure STC Program National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1270 Arlington, VA 22230 USING A COPY OF YOUR SUBMITTED PREPROPOSAL TO PREPARE A FULL STC PROPOSAL You can save a copy of your submitted preproposal which will allow you to use your preproposal to prepare a full STC application. In order to save a copy of your submitted preproposal, access the FastLane Homepage. Select proposal preparation and enter the required login information. After clicking the proposal preparation button the next screen to appear will be the “PI Information” screen. Scroll down to the “Proposal Action Box” and under View, click on Submitted and then OK. Under submitted proposals, select the desired proposal and click on the Copy button. This will add a copy of the submitted proposal to the “Proposals in Progress” list on the “Proposal Action” screen. You can then select it and click on the Edit button to start your full proposal. Detailed Instructions for Use of FastLane to Prepare and Submit an STC Preproposal INDEX 1. Overview of FastLane 2. Registering as a FastLane Institution 3. Getting Help With FastLane 4. Requirements for Accessing FastLane Proposal Preparation 5. Software Requirements 6. Accessing FastLane to Prepare an STC Preproposal 7. Providing Access to an “In Progress” Proposal 8. Working on an “In Progress” Proposal 9. Converting Files to PDF and Uploading PDF Files 10. Printing the Preproposal 11. Submitting the Preproposal 12. Saving a Copy of Prepoposal OVERVIEW OF FASTLANE Both STC preproposals and full proposals must be submitted via FastLane, NSF’s system for electronic proposal submission and review, available through the World Wide Web at (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). Your preproposal must be submitted via FastLane by 5:00 pm EST February 12, 1998. Please note that your signed cover sheet, certification page, and letters of commitment must arrive at NSF by February 19, 1998. No additional information is permitted; preproposals containing items other than those required will not be reviewed. For questions concerning FastLane, please send an e-mail to stcflane@nsf.gov. The FastLane project, in existence since February 1995, uses the Internet and World Wide Web to exchange information between NSF and its external community. FastLane consists of eleven applications located on the FastLane Home Page (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). Principal Investigators (PIs) at Registered FastLane institutions can use the NSF FastLane Proposal Preparation application located at (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov) to prepare their proposal and allow their Sponsored Research Office (SRO) access to the proposal. Once the SRO is granted access to a proposal, the SRO can submit the proposal to NSF using the “Submit Proposal” module found within the Institutional Management of FastLane application. After a proposal is submitted, the cover sheet and certification page must be printed, signed, and mailed to NSF. REGISTERING AS A FASTLANE INSTITUTION To have access to the various FastLane applications, your institution must register with NSF as a FastLane institution. Registration is required for several reasons including: NSF’s assurance that the proper individual from each institution is identified as the primary institutional user, the ability to notify PIs whether or not their institution is a FastLane institution, and to assure that the necessary instructions and documents are received by the primary institutional user. The primary institutional user should be someone from the sponsored research office who will be the NSF’s primary contact person and who will be responsible for initializing FastLane access. In many institutions, the primary institutional user is the Authorized Organizational Representative or a designee. To register, access the FastLane Homepage (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov), and click on FastLane Registration Information. Scroll down to the section entitled: “FastLane Registration Form - Conditions of Registration”. The designated primary user will be notified by NSF once registration is completed. GETTING HELP WITH FASTLANE Users may send technical questions and comments to the FastLane staff using the 'Send Comments to NSF' feature on each FastLane screen. If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact a FastLane User Support person at stcflane@nsf.gov or at (703) 306-1142 (If you reach the automated attendant, please dial extension 4686). REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSING FASTLANE PROPOSAL PREPARATION The following are required in order to access the FastLane Proposal Preparation application. 1. To access the FastLane proposal preparation application as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI, you have to be known to NSF as a PI. PIs/Co-PIs who have never submitted a proposal to NSF cannot use the FastLane Proposal Preparation application until their information is provided to NSF. To provide information on first-time PIs or Co-PIs, send an e-mail message to stc@nsf.gov with the following information about each individual: Name Highest Degree and Year Conferred Present Institution Department Street Address City, State, Zip Social Security Number E-mail Address Business Phone Fax Number An e-mail message confirming that the data have been entered will be sent to the individual who initiated the request. The PI will be able to prepare the proposal on the following business day after the request has been submitted. 2. To access the FastLane proposal preparation application, you have to be at a Registered FastLane Institution. 3. To access the FastLane proposal preparation application, you have to have a FastLane PI PIN. Your institution’s Sponsored Research Office (SRO), or equivalent, is responsible for creating a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for each individual FastLane user. This PIN will be required each time that an individual wishes to make FastLane transactions. SRO officials should read the instructions on adding FastLane users and initializing and changing user PINs which is located in the Institutional Management (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a0/instructions/insappin.htm) of FastLane Instructions section of the Information About FastLane (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a0/instructions/welcome.htm) document. Note: After being entered on the cover sheet, the Co-PI can access the FastLane proposal by entering his/her last name, SSN, and PIN. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS To work with the FastLane Proposal Preparation application, you will need: Netscape Navigator 3.0 or above Adobe Acrobat Reader 2.1 or above Either of these following three products include the PDF Writer which is needed to create PDF Files. * Adobe Acrobat 3.X ( which includes Adobe Exchange and Adobe Distiller) or * Adobe Acrobat Exchange 2.0 or above or * Adobe Acrobat Distiller 2.0 or above Note: You will need Netscape 3.0 or above because it is the only browser which supports file upload at this time. If you have Netscape 3.0 or above, do not click on a word wrap button {Netscape 3.0 and above include automatic word wrap capability which FastLane employs.} Downloading Netscape Navigator 3.01 Standard from the Web 1. Go to the FastLane home page (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). 2. Click on the How to Use FastLane button. This will take you to a page labeled Using NSF’s World Wide Web Applications. 3. Scroll down, if necessary, to find the heading Recommended Client Capabilities, and click on the bulleted Netscape link. Downloading Acrobat Reader 3.0 from the Web This program is needed for viewing and printing forms exactly like NSF will view and print them. 1. Go to the FastLane home page (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). 2. Click on the How to Use FastLane button. This will take you to a page labeled Using NSF’s World Wide Web Applications. 3. Click on the Free Software from Adobe link in the first paragraph of text. PDF Writer This product is needed for converting files prepared on your word processor (e.g., Project Summary, Project Description) to PDF files for uploading to NSF. To submit a project description via FastLane, PDF Writer is required. PDF Writer is a commercial product provided with Adobe Acrobat 3.0, Adobe Exchange, and Adobe Distiller. The Project Description can only be submitted as a PDF file, and conversion to PDF is the only way to preserve formatting such as bold, underline, and italics. See below for more details about Converting Files to PDF and Uploading PDF Files. Instructions on “Launching Adobe Reader from within FastLane to View/Print forms” are available on (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a0/instructions/fladobe.htm.) Obtaining PDF Writer PDF Writer is a commercial product provided with Adobe Exchange, Adobe Distiller, and Adobe Acrobat 3.X (but not with the free Acrobat Reader). Adobe Exchange and Adobe Distiller have been incorporated into Adobe Acrobat 3.0, and are no longer being sold individually. Adobe Acrobat 3.0 is not available for download on the web, but can be purchased at nearly all larger computer stores or by mail-order. Information about the product can be obtained from Adobe’s website at (http://www.adobe.com) (click on Products, then on Adobe Acrobat). Another option is to contact the sponsored projects office at your institution or your department’s administrative staff. They may have PDF Writer. ACCESSING FASTLANE TO PREPARE AN STC PRE-PROPOSAL To prepare an STC pre-proposal, the PI accesses the NSF FastLane Home Page and selects Proposal Preparation. After entering his or her login information (last name, SSN and the PIN provided by his or her Sponsored Research Office), the PI selects the Proposal Preparation button. At this point the PI should check the accuracy of his or her PI information. An individual may modify only his or her own PI information. If any of the information is incorrect, select the Edit Information button and make the necessary changes. {If the proposal has a Co-PI, at some point in the proposal preparation process, the Co-PI should follow this same procedure to check his or her information and make any necessary corrections. The Co-PI can only do this if they have a FastLane PIN and are on the NSF mainframe as a PI or Co-PI.} After the PI information has been verified, the PI should scroll down to the “Proposal Actions” section and select the Standard Proposal option and click on the OK button. NOTE: Throughout FastLane the OK button means save and/or continue and the Cancel button means do not save any changes. If the PI has never started a standard proposal on FastLane, the PI will get a screen entitled “New Proposal Information”. The PI clicks on the Create New Proposal button and then the “Proposal Actions” screen will appear. On the Proposal Actions screen you then select the “STC: Integrative Partnerships Program“ button to create an STC Pre-Proposal. In the list of work in progress proposals, you will now see a proposal entitled “STC:” Select that proposal and click on the Edit button. Note: There is an index at the top of the “Proposal Actions“ screen (and subsequent screens) that allows the user to move quickly within a page without scrolling. PROVIDING ACCESS TO AN “IN PROGRESS” PROPOSAL The forms of an “in progress” proposal may be accessed and modified by the PI or Co-PI of the proposal or by any other authorized FastLane user to whom the PI has given authority to access the proposal. The PI provides the Co-PI access to the proposal by adding the Co-PI to the cover sheet. The PI or Co-PI can provide access authority to another individual by creating a proposal PIN {this PIN is different than the PI PIN} for an “in progress” proposal. Creating a proposal PIN is an option available to the PI or Co-PI on the “Proposal Actions” screen. The PI/Co-PI can assign his/her proposal a PIN by clicking on the Proposal PIN button and then typing a proposal PIN of his/her choice, retyping it, and then clicking on the OK button. An authorized FastLane user other than the PI or Co-PI can then access an “in progress” application by entering his/her login information and the Proposal ID {this is the number assigned by FastLane to the work in progress proposal} and PIN associated with that proposal. Unlike when the PI or Co-PI accesses his or her “in progress” proposal, another authorized user would bypass the “Proposal Actions” screen and would proceed directly to the “Form Selector” screen. WORKING ON AN “IN PROGRESS” PROPOSAL The following information must be provided in the preproposal including these NSF Proposals forms: found in NSF’s Grant Proposal Guide (GPG; NSF Publications 98-2) and can be prepared using FastLane: Information About Principal Investigators/Project Directors (NSF Form 1225) Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) Project Summary Project Description References Cited Biographical Sketches Summary Proposal Budget (NSF Form 1030) In subsequent FastLane sessions, the PI can modify an STC pre-proposal that is “in progress” by selecting the proposal and clicking on Edit. This selection will take the user to the “Form Selector“ screen that allows the user to work on any of the proposal forms. To work on a form, select the form to be filled out and click on Go to Form. The user can save a partially completed form by clicking on OK and editing it at a later time. The steps used to access and edit a partially completed form are the same steps used to begin filling out a blank form. (Note: “Information About Principal Investigators and Project Directors” (NSF Form 1225) can only be edited by clicking on the “Edit Information” button immediately after logging into the FastLane system. The Table of Contents form cannot be edited by the user. It is automatically completed by FastLane.) 1. Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207). Awardee and Performing Institution. The institution and institution code from the PI’s record in the NSF PI database will be used to fill in the awardee and performing institution fields on the cover sheet. Verify the awardee and performing institutions. Changes may be made by selecting the Awardee Institution Search or Performing Institution Search button. Co-PIs. A Co-PI is added to a proposal by typing in that individual’s Social Security Number on the cover sheet. If the Co-PI has not previously been a PI or Co-PI on an NSF proposal, then he or she must be entered in the NSF PI database before being assigned to the proposal (see instructions for first-time NSF PIs and Co-PIs, above). If the Co-PI has been on an NSF proposal, the Co-PI will appear on the cover sheet the next time the cover sheet is accessed or printed. Also, once the Co-PI has been added to the cover sheet and the Co-PI has been assigned a FastLane PIN by his/her Sponsored Research Office, he or she will be able to access and modify the proposal by entering his/her log-on information and clicking the Proposal Preparation button. NOTE: The Co-PI must be added to the cover sheet before being added to the Budget. Certification for Authorized Organization Representative or Individual Applicant. This information is filled out by the Sponsored Projects Office within the “Submit Proposal” module; before submitting the proposal. When the Cover Sheet is complete, choose OK to save the data entries and return to the “Form Selector” screen. NOTE: The following three ways can be used to prepare the Project Summary, References Cited and Biographical Sketches: The user can cut and paste text from a word processed document. However, doing so will only transfer text. Special formatting such as bold-facing, italicizing, and underlining will be lost in the cut-and-paste process. The user can type text directly into the form using the interface provided. Special formatting such as bold-facing, italicizing, and underlining cannot be included in a web text block. When the Project Summary is complete, choose OK to save the data. The user can upload the Project Summary as a Portable Data Format (PDF) file which the user creates by saving a file to disk using PDF Writer as the printer driver. Doing so will preserve the exact formatting created by the user. To use the PDF file upload capability or the automatic word wrap for text blocks, you must use a browser which supports these capabilities (Netscape 3.0 or later). See below for more details about “Converting Files to PDF and Uploading PDF Files.” PDF Writer is a commercial product provided with Adobe Exchange, Adobe Distiller, and Adobe Acrobat 3.X (see Adobe’s Website for information (http://www.adobe.com). 2. Project Summary 3. Project Description The Project Description must contain the following six sections of the preproposal: a) Narrative description of the Focus, Research Plans, and Relevance; b) Description of proposed actives in science or engineering; c) An outline of proposed administration and management arrangements; d) List of academic and industrial partners; and e) Summary of institutional and other resource commitments. The only way a Project Description can be submitted via FastLane is as a PDF file. The user can submit a Portable Data Format (PDF) file which the user creates by saving a file to disk using PDF Writer as the printer driver. Doing so will preserve the exact formatting created by the user. To use the PDF file upload capability you must use a browser which supports this capability (Netscape 3.0 or later). See below for more details about “Converting Files to PDF and Uploading PDF Files.” PDF Writer is a commercial product provided with Adobe Exchange, Adobe Distiller, and Adobe Acrobat 3.X (see Adobe Website for information (http://www.adobe.com). 4. Add/Modify Non Co-PI Senior Personnel. In order to save biographical sketches for Non Co-PI senior personnel and to add Non Co-PI senior personnel to the budget, you first need to access the “Add/Modify Non Co-PI Senior Personnel” function found on the “Form Selector” screen. Select Add/Modify Non Co-PI Senior Personnel and click on the Go To Form button. You can add a non Co-PI senior person to the proposal by entering his/her first name, middle initial, and last name and clicking on the “Add non Co-PI Senior Person to Proposal” button. You must ensure that the name is spelled correctly. You can delete a non Co-PI senior person by selecting the Delete button. Once non Co-PI senior personnel are added to the proposal, you can prepare biographical sketches for non Co-PI senior personnel, and add non Co-PI senior personnel to the budget. 5. References Cited 6. Biographical Sketches 7. Summary Proposal Budget (NSF Form 1030). To begin preparing the estimated five year total budget summary, the user selects Budgets on the “Form Selector” screen and then clicks on the Go To Form button. This will take the user to the budget form. If a budget has already been saved, that budget will come up. The user can print out the estimated five year total budget summary by selecting the Print button on the “Form Selector” screen. Use the Budget Justification Box to prepare the budget justification. The budget form can be saved as a work in progress by selecting the OK button. The Calculate button calculates all figures on the form. To add a Note, click on the appropriate Note button. When you hit a button, you will be taken to the top of the form. All “notes” for a budget year will be printed on a Budget Comments page. Note: The cover sheet must be accessed and saved at least once before the FastLane budget form can be accessed. Note: If you change the awardee institution on the Cover Sheet after doing your budgets, make sure that the awardee institution on the cover sheet matches the institution on the proposal’s budget. If they do not match, go to the budget and change the previous awardee institution to the new awardee institution by clicking on the Change Inst. ID button. Once you change the institution name of the budget to the name that appears on the cover sheet, the correct total requested amount will print on the cover sheet. CONVERTING FILES TO PDF and UPLOADING PDF FILES You can convert your files to PDF using Adobe Exchange, Distiller, or Adobe Acrobat 3.X. At this time most of our users have Adobe Acrobat 3.X or Adobe Exchange. The first step is to install the software. After that you can open your document in your word processor, spreadsheet etc. and select File/Print, and then select the Adobe PDF Printer Driver. Instead of printing the document to a printer, this procedure converts the file to PDF format. Now that the file is on your hard drive, you can upload the file to FastLane. For the forms that can be uploaded as a PDF file, you will see a Transfer PDF button. To upload your file, type in the location and name of the file {if you do not know this, use the Browse button}, and select the Transfer PDF button. This will upload your file to the FastLane server. You must have Netscape 3.0 or above to upload a file to the FastLane server. You can then view and print your file by clicking on the Display PDF file button which now appears. PDF files cannot be altered. Thus, if you want to change your file, you will need to change your source file, convert it to PDF, and then upload it. The second file that is uploaded replaces the first. NOTE: The PDF file you upload will be printed out at NSF as is. The PDF file is NOT imported into the NSF form. Thus, for example, if you plan to upload a Project Summary as a PDF file within your word processor, you should type “Project Summary” at the top of your project summary and then convert it to PDF and upload it to FastLane. Note: Upon start-up, users of Adobe Acrobat 3.0’s Adobe Distiller are given the option of creating Adobe 2.1 compatible files and Adobe 3.0 compatible files. If you choose Adobe 3.0 compatible files, reviewers using Adobe 2.1 are unlikely to be able to view your proposal on FastLane. Thus, you should choose to create Adobe 2.1 compatible files (reviewers using Adobe 3.0 will be able to view your Adobe 2.1 files) PRINTING THE PROPOSAL To print a proposal from the “Proposal Actions” screen, select the proposal, and click on the Print button. Then select the form that you want and click on the OK button. Adobe Reader will be launched with the form including your data. Then print out the form by selecting File/Print from Adobe’s menu. To print out the entire proposal, select the Print Entire Proposal option and click on the OK button. To print the proposal from the “Forms Selector” screen, click on the Print button and follow the same procedure. SUBMITTING THE STC PREPROPOSAL The Sponsored Research Office or equivalent submits the STC pre-proposal to NSF electronically, prints a copy of the submitted Proposal Cover Sheet and Certification Page. The cover sheet and certification page must be mailed to NSF. NSF will make the appropriate number of copies of the STC pre-proposal. If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact stcflane@nsf.gov. 1. In order to submit a proposal via FastLane, a PI/Co-PI must allow his/her SRO access to the proposal. This is done in the Proposal Forms Preparation function by selecting the desired proposal and then clicking on the Allow SRO Access button. Clicking on the Allow SRO Access button sends an e-mail to the SRO(s), who have been given the FastLane permission to submit proposals, saying that the SRO can now access the proposal using the Submit Proposals to NSF function. After the PI/Co-PI selects the Allow SRO Access button, the PI/Co-PI can still edit the proposal. 2. To submit the proposal to NSF, the SRO must access the Submit Proposals to NSF function of the “Institutional Management of FastLane” application found on the FastLane Home Page. In order for an SRO official to access the Proposal Submission function, he/she must have been granted the permission to “Submit Proposals“. To initiate a submission, the SRO selects the Submit Proposals to NSF function and clicks on the OK button. The proposals that have been “Allowed SRO” access will be displayed in the “Proposals in Progress” list. The SRO official can check the proposal to be sure all required forms are completed, by clicking on the Check button. The SRO can view the individual proposal forms by clicking on the View button. To submit the proposal, the SRO selects the proposal and clicks on the Submit button. When the SRO official clicks on the Submit button, the Certification for Authorized Institutional Representative will be displayed. The SRO official must complete this information as a part of the submission process. After typing in the information, the SRO will be prompted with the question: “Submit Proposal # to NSF? “question. The SRO clicks on Yes to submit the proposal to NSF and an official NSF proposal number is generated. 3. After clicking on the OK button from the submission verification screen, the system will return to the list of proposals screen. The newly submitted proposal will now be in the lower portion of the screen in the list labeled “Submitted Proposals”. The Proposal Cover Sheet and Certification Page then need to be printed, signed, and mailed to NSF. To print the Proposal Cover Sheet, the SRO selects the proposal in the Submitted Proposals list and clicks on the View button. The system will display the various proposal forms that can be printed for this proposal. The Proposal Cover Sheet and Certification have to be printed. The SRO may optionally print the other proposal forms. To print both the Proposal Cover Sheet and Certification Page, the SRO selects the Proposal Cover Sheet form and clicks on the OK button. The Proposal Cover Sheet, signed Certification Page, and letters of commitment have to be mailed to the following address: Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure STC Program National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1270 Arlington, VA 22230 USING A COPY OF YOUR SUBMITTED PREPROPOSAL TO PREPARE A FULL STC PROPOSAL You can save a copy of your submitted preproposal which will allow you to use your preproposal to prepare a full STC application. In order to save a copy of your submitted preproposal, access the FastLane Homepage. Select proposal preparation and enter the required login information. After clicking the proposal preparation button the next screen to appear will be the “PI Information” screen. Scroll down to the “Proposal Action Box” and under View, click on Submitted and then OK. Under Submitted proposals, select the desired proposal and click on the Copy button. This will add a copy of the submitted proposal to the “Proposals in Progress” list on the “Proposal Action” screen. You can then select it and click on the Edit button to start your full proposal.