NSF Geography and Spatial Sciences Program: New Solicitation with Major Changes
Posted Under: Funding opportunities
The Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the implementation of a new schedule for the submission and evaluation of proposals. GSS also is adopting special merit review criteria in order to better identify potentially transformative research that has larger-scale, longer-term significance. These changes are outlined in a new GSS program solicitation (NSF 12-570) that provides more specific guidance regarding the preparation of proposals for the GSS competition. The new solicitation is accessible via http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=503621&ods_key=nsf12570.
Effective immediately GSS will conduct only one annual competition for new research proposals submitted to its regular competition. The next deadline for submission of these proposals is September 13, 2012. In future years, the proposal-submission deadline will be the first Thursday in September. This new deadline is for all regular research proposals, as well as proposals for conferences, workshops, group-travel, other community-development activities, and research coordination networks (RCNs). Based on merit review, all proposals will be recommended for funding or for declination. Some investigators whose proposals are declined will have an opportunity to submit a revised proposal prior to the next annual deadline, but that opportunity will be limited to investigators who receive explicit invitations to resubmit early from the GSS program officers because of the potential larger-scale, longer-term significance of their projects.
The GSS program will continue to conduct two competitions annually for doctoral dissertation research improvement (DDRI) proposals, although the proposal-submission deadlines will change to the 2nd Thursday of February and the 2nd Thursday of October each year. GSS also will continue to review Faculty Early-Career Development (CAREER) proposals submitted in accordance with the NSF-wide CAREER proposal-submission deadlines. The deadline and frequency for the CAREER competition has not changed.
The changes in the timing of proposal submission and in how proposals are evaluated are designed to enable GSS to maintain the highest quality merit review, to accelerate its support for compelling research projects that exhibit promise of having larger-scale, longer-term significance, and to help reduce costs associated with travel and government operation in accordance with U.S. government guidelines.
For the most up-to-date information about the changes in the GSS program, investigators should consult the GSS website at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503621. Further information also is available from GSS program officers listed on the website.