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December 22, 2005
NICOLAOS ALEXOPOULOS, DEAN OF ENGINEERING
SUSAN BRYANT, DEAN OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
THOMAS CESARIO, DEAN OF MEDICINE
BARBARA DOSHER, DEAN OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
C. RONALD HUFF, DEAN OF SOCIAL ECOLOGY
MICHAEL MARTINEZ, INTERIM CHAIR OF EDUCATION
DEBRA RICHARDSON, DEAN OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
RONALD STERN, DEAN OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES
RE: NSF Informal Science Education (ISE) – NSF 06-520
The ISE program invests in projects that develop and implement informal learning experiences designed to increase interest, engagement, and understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by individuals of all ages and backgrounds, as well as projects that advance the theory and practice of informal science education. NSF anticipates $25M to award an estimated 50 grants. Projects may target either public audiences or professionals whose work directly affects informal STEM learning. Projects are expected to demonstrate strategic impact, innovation, and collaboration. The following types of grants are supported:
- ISE Project Grants. The funding level depends on the nature and scope of the project. Awards may range from $100,000 to $3 million for project durations of one to five years. Projects target either public or professional audiences. Proposals for an Informal Science Education Resource Center may be funded up to $5 million over 5 years.
- Planning Grants. Planning grants are intended for the exploratory phase of highly innovative projects or aspects of complex ISE projects that require resources beyond those usually needed for project development. Project duration is to be no more than two years. The maximum award is $75,000.
- Conference, Symposia, and Workshop Grants. These are intended to assemble experts for purposes of discussing issues of relevance to the informal learning community; the primary target audiences are ISE professionals, not the general public or professionals primarily from other fields. The range for these awards is approximately $50,000 to $250,000 for up to two years and may include publication costs.
- Grant Supplements. For existing ISE awards, provides supplemental funding to ensure completion of the original scope of work based on changes in conditions after the award was made or to take advantage of opportunities to extend further the project impact. The maximum award is $200,000 or 20% of the total original award, whichever is less.
UCI may serve as lead on up to 3 Preliminary Proposals and 3 Full Proposals for Project Grants, and no more than 3 proposals for Planning Grants and/or Conference, Symposia and Workshop Grants. Interested faculty are asked to send a preliminary proposal to my office by February 13, 2006, that provides: a project description (up to 5 pages); preliminary budget and budget justification (up to 2 pages); and biosketches (up to 2 pages) of participating UCI faculty, including current and pending support. The PIs of the selected proposals will be notified to prepare the required preliminary proposal for NSF’s March 21, 2006, deadline. Full proposals are due by June 22, 2006. A new internal deadline for the second round of competition will be announced in the summer.
Please bring this opportunity to the attention of faculty in your school. The full solicitation is on http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06520. Mia Larson, mia.larson@uci.edu or x4-2898, can assist with questions about the internal review procedures.
William H. Parker
Vice Chancellor for Research
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D. Cunningham
J. Levin
J. Muniz
B. Riley
M. Larson
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