This document has been archived.

TITLE:  Dear Colleague Letter: Assessing the Impacts of Recent and On-going Changes
        in Federal Science Policy (nsf13104)
DATE:   6/11/2013


   NSF 13-104

Dear Colleague Letter: Assessing the Impacts of Recent and On-going Changes
in Federal Science Policy

   Date: June 11, 2013

   The core mission of the Science of Science and Innovation Policy
   Program (SciSIP) is to advance the scientific basis of science and
   innovation policies.  One important avenue for doing so is the
   scientific analysis of the implementation and impacts of changes in
   federal science policy.  A number of such changes have recently been
   announced or are currently being implemented.  For example, in
   February 2013, the Office of Management and Budget announced plans to
   implement a policy of public access to data and scientific
   publications produced with federal funding.[1]  Another recent
   initiative involves creation of a shared, voluntary researcher profile
   system to facilitate the preparation of research bio sketches.  The
   Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) program is
   scheduled to begin a pilot project later this year.  These and other
   recent initiatives offer an important laboratory for assessing the
   impacts of federal policy on science and innovation.[2]

   The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter is to advise you about
   funding opportunities at the National Science Foundation for the
   research community to propose research projects or workshops that will
   gather data on the implementation and impacts of recent science policy
   initiatives including, but not limited to those noted earlier.
   Especially encouraged are proposals that will:
     * Develop new, or improve existing, analytical frameworks for
       evaluating the impacts of federal science policy initiatives;
     * Explore different agencies' approaches to the implementation of
       particular policies to examine how variations in approach affect
       the achievement of intended policy outcomes;
     * Collect case-study or quantitative data that facilitate
       identification of best practices in science and innovation policy
       implementation.

   Investigators are encouraged to e-mail a SciSIP program officer to
   discuss prospective topics.  This is not a new program.  Investigators
   should follow the guidelines of the SciSIP program description
   ([3]http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501084) to ensure
   eligibility requirements are met.  Proposals are to be submitted to
   and evaluated by SciSIP, which has a September 9 deadline annually.
   For projects that require time-sensitive data collection,
   investigators may also consider submitting proposals using the Rapid
   Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism.  For full details of
   procedures for RAPID submissions, investigators should consult the
   relevant parts of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) available at:
   [4]http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf13001/gpg_2.jsp#IID
   1.

   Sincerely,

   Dr. Myron Gutmann
   Assistant Director, National Science Foundation
   Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
     _________________________________________________________________

   [1] See [5]http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/22/expanding-public-
       access-results-federally-funded-research
   [2] See [6]http://rbm.nih.gov/profile_project.htm

References

   1. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13104/nsf13104.htm#footnote1
   2. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13104/nsf13104.htm#footnote2
   3. http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501084
   4. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf13001/gpg_2.jsp#IID1
   5. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/22/expanding-public-access-
      results-federally-funded-research
   6. http://rbm.nih.gov/profile_project.htm