February 12, 2016

Dear Colleague:

To advance the integration of research and education, the Cultural Anthropology program of the National Science Foundation invites researchers holding existing NSF awards to request a Research Experience for Graduates (REG) or Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Supplement. This supplemental funding will provide up to $6,000 per REG student or $5,000 per REU student to support the cost of a Cultural Anthropology student's closely mentored but independent research experience. Whether a REG or REU supplement request, the student's research should be his/her own research project; supplements are not intended to support clerical or research assistants to the PI. Supplements are also not intended to support language training except in the context of a research project. REG supplements are not intended to support dissertation fieldwork, nor will they be granted to support preliminary dissertation site visits in the absence of an independent research project. The purpose of the REG and REU supplements is to provide promising students in cultural anthropology opportunities for independent research while also encouraging PIs to mentor students in cooperative, collaborative activities.

SUPPLEMENT REQUEST TARGET DATE

Requests for REG and REU support are due by March 1, annually. Supplemental funding requests may also be accepted at other times of the year by contacting the appropriate NSF Program Officer in advance.

ELIGIBILITY

REG and REU supplemental funding requests may be submitted by U.S. universities and colleges on behalf of faculty members with an existing NSF award. The Principal Investigator (PI) must be currently serving as PI or co-PI on an NSF grant.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING REQUESTS

REG and REU supplemental support must be submitted through FastLane in accordance with Chapter I.E.4 of the Award and Administration Guide (https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag). The request should articulate in 2-3 pages the form and nature of the student's research project; the student should write these pages. This information should be included in the Summary of Proposed Work section of the Supplemental Funding Request. Additionally, the faculty member (PI) should provide a 1-2 page endorsement of the student, identifying the grounds for the student's selection as well as the PI's plans for mentoring the student. This information should be included in the Justification for Supplement section of the Supplemental Funding Request. For REG supplemental funding request, the request should also include a 1-2 page biographical sketch for the graduate student researcher. This information should be included in the Supplementary Documents section of the proposal. The proposed budget should include a research stipend of up to $6,000 per REG student and up to $5,000 per REU student. All student costs should be entered as Participant Support Costs (Line F) on the FastLane budget. Normally, funds may be available for one student; rarely, for two students; but exceptions will be considered for training additional qualified students. Proposers considering requesting funds for more than one student should contact the NSF program officer to discuss. Students conducting research involving the use of human subjects should either have approval from their university to conduct their research or have an application pending to their university's Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the time of submitting the Supplemental Funding Request. Further details about NSF's REU program can be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&org=BCS.

REVIEW OF SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING REQUESTS

Supplemental Funding Requests will be reviewed internally by NSF program staff using NSF merit review criteria; see Chapter III.A of the Grant Proposal Guide (https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg). Special attention will be paid to the appropriateness and value of the educational experience for the student participants, particularly the independence and theoretical significance of the student's activities and the quality of the supervision. All supplement awards are subject to (a) the availability of funds, and (b) review of the quality of proposals.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

There are no special reporting requirements for these supplements beyond the regular reporting requirements that apply to the grant.

CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries should be made to the: Cultural Anthropology Program (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5388).

Sincerely,

Dr. Fay Lomax Cook
Assistant Director
Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences