Title: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding: "Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI)" (NSF 07-603) Date: 03/12/08 NSF 08108 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding: "Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI)" (NSF 07-603) Q: Are preliminary proposals and full proposals reviewed by the same panelists? A: No. However, there is nothing prohibiting a reviewer from serving on both preliminary proposal and full proposal review panels. Q: Do the full proposal panels have access to the preliminary proposals, their reviews and panel summaries? A: No. Preliminary proposal and full proposal stages are treated as independent competitions. Q: We are invited to submit a full proposal. Can we make changes to the scope, team composition, or budget we submitted in the preliminary proposal? A: As indicated in the "Proposal Preparation Instructions" section of the CDI solicitation, under "Additional Full Proposal Preparation Instructions," no change in CDI award Type will be permitted between preliminary proposal and full proposal submission. Any deviations from the research team cited in the preliminary proposal, deviations from the scope of the preliminary proposal, or deviations from the preliminary proposal budget by more than 10%, must be approved by NSF prior to full proposal submission. If such a change is needed, please send your request to the CDI mailbox at cdi@nsf.gov.  Describe what you want to change, and why. The CDI Working Group (CDI WG) will evaluate such requests on a case-by-case basis. Any such request has to be approved by the NSF-wide CDIWG, to assure equal treatment of all requests. Q: Are there any other additional full proposal preparation instructions? A: In addition to the usual 15-page limit for project description, each proposal must contain a coordination plan, which includes 1) the specific roles of the PI, co-PIs, other senior personnel and paid consultants at all institutions involved, 2) how the project will be managed across institutions and disciplines, 3) identification of the specific coordination mechanisms  that will enable cross-institution and/or cross-discipline scientific integration (e.g., yearly workshops, graduate student exchange, project meetings at conferences, use of the grid for videoconferences, software repositories, etc.), and 4) pointers to the budget line items that support these coordination mechanisms. The coordination plan can be up to 3 pages in length. Q: How do CDI proposals get assigned to divisions or directorates within NSF? How do I know which NSF directorate or division will handle my proposal? A: All CDI proposals (preliminary and full, alike) are handled by teams of Program Directors from multiple directorates and reviewed by multidisciplinary panels with appropriate expertise for the group of proposals in the respective panels. When you submit a CDI proposal, the division that you see associated with your proposal in FastLane simply indicates the division that is handling it for administrative purposes. The division does not indicate the specific expertise involved in the review process.  Q: How can I participate in the CDI review process? A: Please register as a reviewer-volunteer at http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/cdi/form.cfm If you are selected as a panelist, you will be notified four weeks before the panels at the latest.