Grant Opportunity

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NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education and Human Resources (IUSE: EHR)

PROGRAM SOLICITATION: PD 19-601

Application Deadline: NSF has announced multiple deadlines beginning December 2019 and February 2020. Review the full announcement for details on applicable deadlines.

Summary

NSF has announced a new version of its IUSE: EHR grant. The new announcement features two different grant tracks with three levels of grant competition in each track. The tracks and accompanying levels have different deadlines, with annual deadlines noted after the initial 2019 and 2020 deadlines. NSF expects that all grantees receiving awards under these new tracks and levels will increase the knowledge about effective STEM education. Successful applicants will demonstrate how their projects will have a widespread impact in STEM education in the areas of improved diversity among both students and faculty and professional development that meets the changing needs of students and promotes collaboration in research and development. NSF also states in the grant announcement that it welcomes proposals that also align with efforts of the NSF INCLUDES grant.

Tracks/Levels and Funding Amounts

NSF’s IUSE: EHR grant offers funding under two main categories: the Engaged Student Learning track and the Institutional and Community Transformation track. Three different “levels” are available for applicants in each track.

Under the Engaged Student Learning (ESL) track, NSF will award between $300,000 and $2 million over three to five years, depending on the level. Institutional and Community Transformation (ITC) grants will range from $150,000 for capacity building efforts to $3 million for multi-institutional collaborations, again, depending on the level.

Engaged Student Learning (ESL) Track

NSF offers funding under the ESL track to support projects that promote student engagement and learning, either directly or indirectly, in STEM. NSF will consider proposals that cover a wide range of research and development activities that are both evidence-based and knowledge-generating. Among other activities, NSF lists the following items as potential project concentrations:  

  • Innovative pedagogy and multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches,
  • Assessment efforts that track learning outcomes and the effectiveness of teaching methods,
  • Dissemination of information and resources to aid in STEM teaching and learning,
  • Professional development for faculty, and
  • Restructured learning environments.

The three ESL funding levels should reflect the scale (number of students, faculty, departments, institutions, or other groups involved) and scope (range of project components involved) of proposed projects as well as the organizational capacity to conduct the proposed study.

ESL Level 1 Projects

ESL Level 1 grantees can receive up to $300,000 over a maximum of three years. Level 1 projects should focus on early-stage or exploratory research projects or small-scale projects aimed at adapting teaching methods and incorporating novel environments. Under the Level 1 category, NSF will consider proposals from a single institution and projects may focus on small numbers of faculty members in a single discipline or across multiple disciplines. NSF will also consider small projects at this level that involve partnerships. The initial Level 1 deadlines are February 4, 2020, and August 4, 2020. Annual deadlines will be the first Tuesday in February and August moving forward.

ESL Level 2 Projects

The award range for ESL Level 2 project is slightly higher, at $300,001 to $600,000 over a maximum grant period of three years. NSF expects Level 2 projects to have a larger scale and scope than an ESL Level 1 project. For instance, a Level 2 project would support department-wide changes, interdisciplinary or multi-disciplinary collaborations, or multi-institutional partnerships such as partnerships between institutions of higher education (IHE) or between IHEs and industry or community partners. The initial deadline for ESL Level 2 proposal submission is December 4, 2019. After this initial deadline, applicants may submit ESL Level 2 proposals by the first Tuesday in December each year.

ESL Level 3 Projects

Projects that aim to benefit large numbers of students and have a far-reaching impact on large numbers of faulty and/or a large-scale multi-institutional impact are appropriate at this level of funding. In this category, NSF will award between $600,001 and $2 million for projects with a  maximum duration of five years. Proposals at this level should include detailed research plans and large-scale evaluation plans. NSF will consider proposals from single institutions, but anticipates that the scale and scope will likely result in applications at this level that involve multiple institutions. The initial Level 3 deadline is December 4, 2019, with annual proposals accepted yearly by the first Tuesday in December afterwards.

Institutional and Community Transformation (ITC) Track

NSF wants to fund projects under the ITC track that focus on systemic change that have a measurable impact at departmental, institutional, or multi-institutional levels or across larger communities of STEM educators and/or educational researchers. ITC track proposals should include at least one theory of change that guides the project. NSF lists a range of approaches that ITC track proposals might take, including the following items:

  • Including evidence-based teaching practices in high-enrollment, lower-division courses,
  • Developing teaching evaluation rubrics (disciplinary or interdisciplinary) with a common research-based framework,
  • Re-envisioning the learning environment and support networks that best aid faculty and students, and
  • Identifying common methods of supporting students from underrepresented groups to be successful in STEM studies.

ITC Capacity-Building Projects

NSF will consider both individual and collaborative projects under this category. Awards can be up to $150,000 for a single applicant or up to $300,000 for a collaborative effort; projects have a maximum duration of two years. This category provides funding for applicants to review previous institutional efforts and gauge institutional needs, develop buy-in across institutional sectors, build relevant partnerships, determine which theories of change are applicable to future work, and articulate plans to transform the institution and/or STEM community. Ideally, capacity-building projects will lead to a subsequent ITC Level 1 or Level 2 proposal. The initial deadlines for capacity-building proposal submission are February 4, 2020, and August 4, 2020. Applicants may submit proposals on an annual basis afterwards with a deadline of the first Tuesday in February and August.

ICT Level 1 Projects

Proposals at this level should involve early exploration or small- to mid-range projects that build on previous institutional work. Grantees can receive up to $300,000 over a maximum grant period of three years. The initial deadlines for Level 1 submissions are February 4, 2020, and August 4, 2020. Annual deadlines after this time frame will be the first Tuesday in February and August.

ICT Level 2 Projects

At this level, NSF expects grantees to carry out projects that include strong research plans with significant research questions or a large-scale evaluation and assessment of results and impact. NSF will fund between $300,001 and $2 million for projects from a single institution or up to $3 million for collaborative projects that involve two or more institutions or from research centers. Projects under this category have a maximum duration of five years. The initial deadline for Level 2 submissions is December 4, 2019. Annual deadlines afterwards will be the first Tuesday in December.

Application Guidelines

Applicants should refer to NSF-published guidelines for instructions on preparing proposals. Pertinent guidelines for submission of a proposal for IUSE: EHR grant funding are included in the NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

NSF Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*)

Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*)

PROGRAM SOLICITATION NSF 19-533

Application Deadline: February 20, 2019

 

Summary

The Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) program supports “coordinated campus-level networking and cyberinfrastructure improvements, innovation, integration, and engineering for science applications and distributed research projects. Learning and workforce development (LWD) in cyberinfrastructure is explicitly addressed in the program.” As with all NSF grants, projects must be focused on science-related improvements and initiatives.

 

The NSF program solicitation outlines a few notable changes to the CC program compared to previous years:

  • NSF has renamed and made some changes to what was previously known as the Network Design and Implementation for Small Institutions program area. The new program name is the Regional Connectivity for Small Institutions of Higher Education program area.
  • NSF has added two new program areas: Campus Computing and the Computing Continuum and Cyber Team-Research and Education CI-based Regional Facilitation.
  • The former Network Performance Engineering and Outreach program area is no longer a funded program area.

 

NSF anticipates awarding between $10 million and $17 million across five program areas:

  1. Data-Driven Networking Infrastructure for the Campus and Researcher awards (5-10 awards anticipated) will be up to $500,000 for a period of up to 2 years;
  2. Regional Connectivity for Small Institutions of Higher Education awards (3-5 awards anticipated) will be up to $800,000 for a period of up to 2 years;
  3. Network Integration and Applied Innovation awards (2-5 awards anticipated) will be up to $1,000,000 for a period of up to 2 years;
  4. Campus Computing and the Computing Continuum awards (5-15 awards anticipated) will be up to $400,000 for a period of up to 2 years, with some exceptions limiting the award total to $100,000; and
  5. Cyber Team–Research and Education CI-based Regional Facilitation awards (3-5 awards anticipated) will be up to $1,400,000 for a period of up to 3 years.

 

 

Program-wide Criteria

All NSF-supported projects are to be science-driven, which includes research and education functions. Successful proposals will demonstrate the project’s science-enabled research and/or educational foundation.

 

NSF views partnerships as a critical component of successful projects. Projects must show collaborative partnerships among campus-level CI experts (including campus Information Technology (IT)/networking/data organization), contributing domain scientists, research groups, and educators. These partnerships will support the ability for stakeholders to engage in and drive new networking capabilities and approaches in support of scientific discovery. NSF will evaluate proposals on the strength of these institutional partnerships since these partnerships are expected to play a central role in developing and implementing the eventual network and data infrastructure upgrades.

 

 

Proposals must include a Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CI) plan that describes the need for CI improvements and proposed design and implementation that fits within a comprehensive campus-wide strategy and approach to CI that involves horizontal integration on campus and vertical integration with regional and national CI investments and best practices. The Campus CI plan is limited to five pages and should address the following topics:

  • Sustainability of proposed work/ongoing operational and engineering costs
  • Campus-wide approach to cybersecurity including data and privacy issues as well as scientific research and educational infrastructure
  • Campus status and plans with respect to federated identity and specifically InCommon, including: if the campus is registered with InCommon as supporting the Research and Scholarship (R&S) Entity Category to streamline integration with research applications; and if the campus meets the InCommon Baseline Expectations for Trust in Federation
  • The plan should also describe campus IPv6 deployment.

 

NSF provides examples of CI plans from funded proposals.

 

Campus Computing and the Computing Continuum

This program area appears to be the most promising one for smaller institutions. In fact, NSF says that it “encourages proposals in this program area from under-resourced institutions and preference will be given to proposals demonstrating a compelling need for access to campus/cloud resources, including institutions lacking necessary computing and storage resources on campus.”

 

Proposals must address campus-wide computing needs, and NSF will not consider any proposal that focuses on a single science domain or project use.

 

All proposals for this program area must address the following items:

  • Scientific and engineering projects and their research computing needs, describing project-specific scenarios for scientific computing tied to the proposed computing resources;
  • Features, capabilities, and software platforms representing the proposed computing resources; and
  • Scientific computing codes expected to run on the resources.

 

Proposals must also include expected outcomes and make a compelling case for proposed computing resources by describing the current state of available computing resources and the expected benefits of the proposed resources to the identified science drivers and applications.

 

NSF will consider proposals that target one of these three options as described in the program solicitation:

 

  1. Campus Cluster Resource (Requests of up to $400,000)

Campus Cluster Resource proposals request funding for the acquisition of a shared, high-performance, network-connected computing resource available to scientific computing users on campus and outside of campus.

 

Project Descriptions for these proposals must include:

  • A summary table of the science drivers and their computing environments—these requirements may be specified in terms of compute job profile parameter ranges, core count ranges per job, times to completion or as part of a composition or scientific workflow profile;
  • The platform architecture specifying cluster components, including compute node type and count, per-node memory, interconnect fabric, storage, and open source software/platform;
  • An open source-based approach to cluster monitoring, measurement, management, and instrumentation;
  • A sustainability plan addressing the institution’s commitment to providing an ongoing level of sustained access to computational resources;
  • A High-Performance Network Connectivity and Specification—(described below); and
  • A description of the cluster as a Shared Resource Intra-campus and Inter-campus—(details below).

 

NSF encourages consideration of open source virtualization technologies for these proposals.

Itemized vendor quotes accompanying the budget are required for all proposals in this program area.

 

High-Performance Network Connectivity and Specification:

Proposals should describe the network connectivity of the proposed computing resource, both intra-campus and inter-campus. Proposals should include plans for the deployment of a PerfSonar-based network performance measurement capability to initially measure achievable end-to-end network performance for scientific data flows between the resource and relevant end points of researchers.

 

The Cluster as a Shared Resource Intra-campus and Inter-campus:

Proposals should describe (1) their approach to sharing the proposed computing resource across the science drivers and researchers at their institution; (2) how the resource will be accessed by external research groups; and (3) how the resource is coordinated with external resources allowing the institution’s researchers to seamlessly access computing resources at other campuses,

regional and national computing resources, and/or production cloud resources, if appropriate.

 

Proposals should commit to a minimum of 20% shared time on the cluster and describe their approach to making the cluster available as a shared resource external to the campus, with access and authorization according to local administrative policy. Conversely, the proposal should describe the approach to providing on-demand access to additional external computing resources to its targeted on-campus users and projects. One possible approach to

implementing such a federated distributed computing solution is joining the Open Science Grid. Whatever opportunistic, federated, scalable, distributed computing platform is chosen, the proposal is expected to justify the choice by including a discussion on the shared platform’s track record in the community, its current scientific computing production capability, and its scaling properties. Applicants are encouraged to include a letter of collaboration from the selected platform.

 

The proposal is expected to document campus IT and research leadership commitment to operations and maintenance (O&M) given that the proposal budget is expected to be dominated by equipment, with some travel and project coordination staff time. Costs associated with software license fees are not allowed.

 

  1. Cloud Computing Resources (Requests of up to $100,000 in the NSF budget and up to $100,000 in cloud credits/resources in the supplementary document)

Cloud Computing Resource proposals include a technical justification for use of cloud resources coupled with the cost computation used to arrive at the requested amount of credits/resources as well as the detailed annual plan for usage of these credits/resources over the duration of the project. Amazon Web Service and Google Cloud Platform are participating in the CC* program to provide cloud credits/resources to campuses whose scientific research requires additional and external computational and storage resources. These providers are also expected to provide support and training to those campuses. If additional cloud providers join the program, resources/credits from those providers will be available under the same terms and conditions as described in this solicitation, and will be added to the NSF CC* program webpage.

 

While the technical description and justification for use of cloud resources are expected to be part of the Project Description, details of the cloud resource costing and annual cloud resource usage should be included in the Supplementary Documents section of the proposal. Note that cloud providers participating in this program have explicitly waived ingress data charges and most educational and non-profit institutions are eligible for waiver of egress data charges.

 

Applicants must include a plan addressing the institution’s commitment to providing an ongoing level of sustained access to computational resources.

 

  1. Hybrid (Requests of up to $400,000 in the NSF budget and up to $100,000 in the supplementary document)

Hybrid proposals describe an approach that uses both Campus Cluster Resource and Cloud Computing Resources. For proposals using a hybrid approach, follow the guidance included in the Campus Cluster Resource category for the justification and specification of a shared

local compute cluster.

 

The Project Description must include the following items:

  • A summary table of the science drivers and their computing environments – these requirements may be specified in terms of compute job profile parameter ranges, core count ranges per job, times to completion or as part of a composition or scientific workflow profiles;
  • The platform architecture specifying cluster components, including compute node type and count, per-node memory, interconnect fabric, storage, and open source software/platform;
  • An open source-based approach to cluster monitoring, measurement, management, and instrumentation;
  • A sustainability plan addressing the institution’s commitment to providing an ongoing level of sustained access to computational resources;
  • A High-Performance Network Connectivity and Specification (details below) and;
  • A description of the cluster as a Shared Resource Intra-campus and Inter-campus (details below).

 

NSF encourages proponents to consider open source virtualization technologies.

Proposals must include itemized vendor quotes.

 

High-Performance Network Connectivity and Specification:

Proposals should describe the network connectivity of the proposed computing resource, both intra-campus [for example, the campus network path(s) connecting the resource with the

researchers and driving science applications on campus], and inter-campus (for example, showing the network path connecting with the regional exchange point or Internet2). Proposals should include in their plans the deployment of a PerfSonar-based network performance measurement capability to initially measure achievable end-to-end network performance for scientific data flows between the resource and relevant end points of researchers.

 

The Cluster as a Shared Resource Intra-campus and Inter-campus:

Proposals should describe (1) their approach to sharing the proposed computing resource across the science drivers and researchers at their institution; (2) how the resource will be accessed by external research groups; and (3) how the resource is coordinated with external resources allowing the institution’s researchers to seamlessly access computing resources at other campuses, regional and national computing resources, and/or production cloud resources, if appropriate.

 

Proposals should commit to a minimum of 20% shared time on the cluster and describe their approach to making the cluster available as a shared resource external to the campus, with access and authorization according to local administrative policy. Conversely, the proposal should describe the approach to providing on-demand access to additional external computing resources to its targeted on-campus users and projects. One possible approach to implementing such a federated distributed computing solution is joining the Open Science Grid. Whatever opportunistic, federated, scalable, distributed computing platform is chosen, the proposal is expected to justify the choice by including a discussion on the shared platform’s track record in the community, its current scientific computing production capability, and its scaling properties. Proponents are encouraged to include a letter of collaboration from the selected platform.

 

The proposal is expected to document campus IT and research leadership commitment to O&M given that the proposal budget is expected to be dominated by equipment, with some travel and project coordination staff time. Costs associated with software license fees are not allowed.

 

This area supports the campus integration of commercial cloud computing and storage resources while challenging institutions to define a multi-layer resource strategy in meeting the needs of their scientific communities. Proposals are expected to address their approach to using cloud resources in combination with campus resources as well as the national shared distributed computing fabric chosen. Amazon Web Service and Google Cloud Platform are participating in the program to provide cloud credits/resources, as well as support and training, to campuses whose scientific research requires additional and external computational and storage resources, for example, to provide on-demand bursting capability during peak aggregate demand times. If additional cloud providers join the program, resources/credits from those providers will be available under the same terms and conditions as described in this solicitation, and will be added to the CC* Program Page.

 

While the technical description and justification for use of cloud resources are expected to be part of the Project Description, details of the cloud resource costing and annual cloud resource usage should be included in the Supplementary Documents section of the proposal. Note that cloud providers participating in this program have explicitly waived egress data charges. The request for cloud credits/resources must adhere to a maximum of $100,000 and cannot exceed 50% of the overall proposed budget. The proposal is expected to document campus IT and research leadership commitment to O&M given that the proposal budget is expected to be dominated by equipment, with some travel and project coordination staff time.

NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions  (HSI Program)

Program Solicitation: NSF 19-540

Application Deadlines: March 6, 2019 and September 18, 2019

Annually in September (third Wednesday) moving forward

 

Eligible Applicants:

Accredited higher education institutions that offer undergraduate educational programs in STEM and that meet the definition of an HSI as specified in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

 

Webinar Dates:

Monday, December 17, 2018

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

Click for registration information.

 

Thursday, January 10, 2019

3:00 – 4:00 pm ET

Click for registration information.

 

Summary

NSF’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) has a goal of increasing retention and graduation rates for undergraduate students at HSIs who are working toward degrees in STEM studies. Notably, NSF desires to partner with HSIs that may not typically receive NSF grant funding in order to build undergraduate STEM educational capacity at these institutions.

 

The HSI grant program has two tracks: building capacity and HSIs new to NSF.

 

  1. The Building Capacity track is open to all eligible HSIs and focuses on three areas: Critical Transitions, Innovative Cross-Sector Partnerships, and Teaching and Learning in STEM. NSF will award up to $2.5 million over 5 years under this track.
  2. The HSIs New to NSF track has limited eligibility. Only HSIs that have never received NSF funding or have not received funding in the five years prior to the grant deadline (based on award end date) are eligible to apply under this track. NSF will award up to $300,000 over 3 years. Institutions eligible for this track may submit only under this category, may elect to submit a proposal for building capacity funds, or may submit under both tracks.

 

Application Guidelines

Applicants should refer to NSF-published guidelines for proposal preparations. Pertinent guidelines for submission of a proposal for this grant are included in Chapter II of the NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Trade School and Community College Scholarship Program

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Scholarship and Fellowship Education Grant, Faculty Development Grant, and Trade School and Community College Scholarship Grant, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

Application Deadline: 11-30-2018—this grant is usually announced annually

Estimated Award Date: 6-30-2019

 

Summary of Trade School and Community College Grant Track

Funding and Time Frame

This is a two (2) year program. Trade School and Community College funds may be requested for up to $150,000.00 total costs (direct costs and associated facilities and administrative costs) for the project period.

 

A scholarship student may not receive more than $5,000.00 per year or exceed $10,000.00 over a 2-year period. Students have up to 6 months after graduation to secure nuclear related employment. If a student does not obtain nuclear related employment in the 6 month timeframe, a waiver can be requested or the NRC will seek repayment of funds.

 

Trade schools and community colleges may only apply to the Trade School and Community College Scholarship Grant program. Trade schools and community colleges are not eligible for Scholarship, Fellowship, or Faculty Development tracks.

 

FOA notes that cost-sharing is not required, but is encouraged.

 

Funding Objective

The primary objective is to support scholarships for nuclear science, engineering, technology, and related disciplines to develop a workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation, and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear materials. The nuclear-related discipline supported by this funding is intended to benefit the nuclear sector broadly.

 

Trade Schools and Community Colleges Scholarship Criteria/Eligibility

The Trade School and Community College scholarship program provides funding to institutions to award scholarships to individuals pursuing certifications or associate degrees in disciplines that may be beneficial in developing and maintaining a nuclear workforce. Institutions receiving NRC grants must establish programs to monitor the academic progress of the scholarship recipients. The application must clearly state how the funds will be applied.

Student applicants must meet the following criteria to receive a scholarship:

  1. Maintain satisfactory academic progress in the student’s field of study.
  2. Maintain a course load of at least 12 credit hours per semester or be classified as a full-time student as defined by the recipient.
  3. Be matriculated in a certificate or associate degree program for the field of study for which the scholarship was approved.
  4. Must be United States citizens or a noncitizen national of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or other legal verification of such status).

 

Allowable Costs

Allowable costs include, but are not limited to, the following items:

  • Materials
  • Supplies
  • travel to professional meetings
  • support to defray student participation expenses such as student compensation (when appropriate) and other student costs (e.g., fees, books, tuition and lab fees) for no more than the amounts specified in the section entitled “Budget and Project Period.”

The recipient must provide documentation of tuition rates, if included in the application. Grant funds may not be used to supplant funds otherwise available at the applicant institution.

 

Application Requirements

  • Executive Summary of no more than half a page
  • Project Description of no more than five pages (specifics for Trade Schools and Community Colleges program are listed below)
    • Describe the proposed program including the number and size of the scholarships and any associated institutions. State the management structure and the capability for administering the program. Provide a schedule of tuition fees and other pertinent costs for students who would participate in this program.
    • Describe the recruitment activities and specific marketing strategies designed to attract a large and diverse pool of student applicants. Describe the selection process that will ensure the most qualified student applicants are selected based on academic merit, with consideration given to financial need and the goal of promoting the participation of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.
    • Identify an evaluation plan that will provide information on the effectiveness of the project in attracting, preparing and retaining individuals in nuclear careers. This plan should include methodologies for measuring the effectiveness of the program. The evaluation plan should include a mechanism for tracking the trade school and community college scholarship students as they fulfill their academic obligation and for reporting to the NRC.
    • State whether or not these scholarships are contemplated as an integrated element of a State or regional strategic plan including innovative approaches covering such arrangements as consortia, partnerships with other institutions (including Minority Supporting Institutions), shared or distance learning programs, etc. Post-Secondary Minority Institutions are listed at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html.
    • State any arrangements with other non-federal entities that provide additional support, usually in the form of cost sharing or matching, to the goals of this grant (a written agreement or letter is required with the application).
    • Institutions must agree to require individual trade school and community college scholarship students to accept the service agreement terms as defined in this FOA. (See http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/grants/trade-svc-agreement.pdf at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/grants.html ).
  • Summary of Current and Pending Support (projects that are or could impact PI’s time)
  • Curriculum Vitae of two-page maximum for each PI or senior personnel
  • Detailed Budget Narrative
  • A current copy of the institution’s A-133 audit report

 

Scoring Criteria for Trade Schools and Community College Scholarship Program

  1. Capacity and ability of the institution to effectively conduct the program including quality and feasibility of the recruitment and marketing strategies. (25 points)
  2. Type and degree of proposed student support (i.e., mentoring or advisor assistance). Including quality of technical programs for scholars. (25 points)
  3. Feasibility and completeness of an evaluation plan to measure the effectiveness of the scholarship program. (15 points)
  4. Institutional support for the program and plans for sustainability as well as number and quality of students that will be served by the program. (25 points)
  5. Innovation demonstrated through establishment of consortia or partnerships with other institutions to increase the universe of students reached through distance learning, shared courses, facility sharing, etc. (10 points)

NSF Community College Cyber Pilot Program (C3P)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Community College Cyber Pilot Program (C3P)

PROGRAM SOLICITATION: PD 18-1668

Application Deadline: Rolling Basis

 

Summary

NSF has established this pilot program to support cybersecurity education initiatives in order to build a stronger cybersecurity workforce and a cybersecurity-literate citizenry. The grant targets community colleges that offer degrees and industry-recognized credentials that prepare students to fill high-demand cybersecurity jobs.

 

In particular, this grant seeks innovative cybersecurity educational programs serving military veterans and/or individuals who have already attained a bachelor’s degree. The pilot program also follows criteria and requirements established under CyberCorps® SFS: graduates must work in a cybersecurity-related position for federal, state, local, or tribal government organizations for a time frame equal to the length of any scholarship.

 

Projects should produce information that bolsters effective cybersecurity education and should focus on the following issues:

  • reskilling workers who can meet the nation’s cybersecurity needs;
  • helping nontraditional students enter or re-enter the educational system;
  • increasing diversity among the cybersecurity workforce;
  • using applied research to build real-world skills and competencies; and
  • collaborating with other stakeholders, including IHEs, businesses, industry, and government.

Projects that address these issues and offer innovative educational programming for targeted students may have a broader impact.

 

Application Guidelines

Applicants should refer to NSF-published guidelines for proposal preparations. Pertinent guidelines for submission of a proposal for this pilot project are included in Chapter II of the NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

NEH Dialogues on the Experience of War

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

Dialogues on the Experience of War

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.163

Funding Opportunity Number: 20181115-AV

 

Submission Deadline: November 15, 2018—stay tuned for a grant announcement in 2019!

Summary

NEH offers the Dialogues on the Experience of War (Dialogues) program as part of its current initiative, Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War, which aims to use the humanities as a means of encouraging open discussion and “helping Americans to understand the experiences of service members and in assisting veterans as they return to civilian life.” Dialogues supports the study and discussion of important humanities sources about war because these materials can help U.S. military veterans and others consider issues that their wartime and military service raise. The program’s goal is to reach veterans, but programs should also be open to active military service members, their families, and the public at large.

Projects may being as early as May 1, 2019, but must begin no later than September 1, 2019.

Applications have a 15-page limit (double-spaced) with font of at least 11 points.

 

Eligibility

Any U.S. nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. Eligible organizations include institutions of higher education.

 

Awards

Up to $100,000 over 12 to 24 months for

  • conducting at least two sustained discussion programs for no fewer than fifteen participants; and
  • creating a preparatory program to recruit and train program discussion leaders

 

Unallowable Expenditures

  • preparation of courses for high school students, undergraduates, or graduate students (other than those designed to train undergraduates or graduate students—in particular, veterans who are undergraduates or graduate students—as NEH Discussion Leaders);
  • commercial, for-profit, or proprietary textbook research or revision;
  • doctoral dissertations, theses, or research pertaining to a graduate degree program;
  • promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view;
  • advocacy for a particular program of social or political action;
  • support of specific public policies or legislation;
  • psychological therapy, medical treatment, and career counseling;
  • lobbying; or
  • projects that fall outside the humanities; the creation or performance of art; creative writing, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; and empirically based social science research or policy studies.
  • costs related to social events such as banquets, receptions, and entertainment;
  • tuition or enrollment fees for participants (participation in the discussion groups must be made available free of charge); and
  • the cost of travel associated with scholarly research unrelated to the project.

 

“Musts”

Preparatory Training Requirement

Applicants must demonstrate their ability to create a program that will train discussion facilitators (NEH Discussion Leaders). Applicants will need to demonstrate they can put together a team to develop this training portion of the grant. The training program should include the following:

  • close study of the humanities sources at the heart of the discussions;
  • modeling and practice in leading humanities discussions (for example, posing questions designed to explore texts and elicit discussion of the texts’ contemporary relevance; articulating rules of civil discourse; encouraging group inquiry; moderating disagreements);
  • developing the discussion leaders’ knowledge and awareness of the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of military veterans and service members; and
  • building a virtual or actual network of discussion leaders and resources for future versions of the program and/or new programs.

Successful applicants will show a commitment to thorough and sustained discussion.

Suggestions regarding the format and methodology for the training program include items like these: lectures with break-out discussion groups, how-to demonstrations on the art of close reading, modeling how to conduct fruitful conversations or moderate online forms, the creation of videos, and practice in facilitating sample discussion sessions.

 

Discussion Programs

For the discussion portion of the grant, discussions must include the following items:

  • treat at least two historically distinct conflicts in depth: one from the earliest wars through World War I, and a second from the wars after World War I;
  • focus on the close study of sources drawn from at least two distinct genres (such as historical writings, memoirs, military biographies, speeches and letters, philosophical writings, documentaries, fiction, and artworks); and
  • engage participants in sustained dialogue about the selected humanities sources and the issues that they raise.

All discussions should encourage participants to seriously explore questions about war and military service. Topics for discussion may include the ethics of war, ideals of military service, the place of veterans in society, heroism, suffering, loyalty, and patriotism.

Discussion programs should involve multiple meetings of a sufficient duration to allow participants to engage in deep and inclusive discussion.

 

Evaluation

Proposals are evaluated based on grant announcement criteria and focus on these three areas:

  • Intellectual quality (incorporation of humanities sources),
  • Feasibility of preparatory training program and discussion sessions, and
  • Impact.