Title : NSF91149--Center for Survey Methods Type : Program Guideline NSF Contact : BBS Date : January 7, 1992 OMB 3145-0058 NSF 91-149 PT 34, 44 KW 0404021 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Washington, D.C. 20550 Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Division of Social and Economic Science Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics in the Social Sciences Program CENTER FOR SURVEY METHODS Solicitation for a Special Competition Proposal Submission Deadline: April 20, 1992 Introduction The Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics in the Social Sciences Program (MMSSS) in the Division of Social and Economic Science (SES) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) will support the establishment of a Center for Survey Methods (CSM). This document solicits proposals for the center. The CSM's establishment responds to interest expressed by federal agencies and members of the academic research community for expansion of educational and training opportunities for people who use survey-based methods to conduct basic and applied research in the social, behavioral, economic, and statistical sciences. The goals of the CSM are to: o advance training and research in survey methods in the social, behavioral, economic, and statistical sciences and o provide graduate-level education and training for current and future employees of federal statistical agencies and for other individuals who will employ survey methods more effectively in survey practice and in the conduct of research at academic, public, and private institutions. The CSM will be established in September 1992. Features of the CSM The Center for Survey Methods should contribute to expanding knowledge about the collection and analysis of data on social and economic phenomena using survey methods. This should be accomplished by the stimulation of multidisciplinary methodological and topical research by faculty and students and through the education and training of students who will become more valuable employees of federal statistical agencies and more effective participants in academic, public, and private research activities employing survey methods. The CSM must: o be based in a U.S. academic institution that grants graduate degrees in the social, behavioral, economic, and statistical sciences; o create new or enhanced interdisciplinary educational and research opportunities at the institution; o be directed by a center director, with appropriate support from institutional administrators and other faculty members in the management of the center and in the conduct of its educational and research programs; and o provide graduate-level instruction and research-skill development opportunities for employees of federal statistical agencies based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In addition to these requirements, the CSM should develop and implement plans for recruitment of women students and students from groups underrepresented in science, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Americans of Pacific Island heritage. Size and Duration of the Award The initial award for the CSM will be for five years. The NSF award will not exceed the following amounts of support for the first five years: Year 1 (using Fiscal Year 1992 funds) $400,000 Year 2 (using FY 1993 funds) $700,000 Year 3 (using FY 1994 funds) $1,000,000 Year 4 (using FY 1995 funds) $1,000,000 Year 5 (using FY 1996 funds) $1,000,000 NSF expects initial support for the CSM to be made through a cooperative agreement for five years starting in September 1992. The CSM's progress and programs will be evaluated annually by reviewers and panelists chosen by NSF. The annual review will determine if the proposed goals and objectives, especially the advancement of training and research on survey-based data collection and analysis in the social, behavioral, economic, and statistical sciences and the provision of graduate-level education and training for current and future employees of federal statistical agencies, are being met by the CSM. A major review of the CSM after every third year of operation will determine the level of NSF support during three-year periods following the initial five years of the CSM's operation. After the CSM is established, other federal agencies may provide additional support for the center through separate arrangements made independently between those agencies and the institution selected to operate the center. Any such independent arrangements may only be made after the NSF award establishing the CSM has been finalized. Who May Submit a Proposal A proposal to establish the Center for Survey Methods may be submitted by any U.S. academic institution that grants graduate degrees in the social, behavioral, economic, and statistical sciences. A proposal may involve a consortium of two or more institutions, but a single institution must accept overall management responsibility, with payments to collaborators handled through subcontracts. Secondary collaborating institutions need not be academic. Federal agencies may not participate as submitting or collaborating institutions. Center Director The center director will have overall responsibility for administration of the center and for contacts with NSF. The director and institutional officials are expected to develop and implement a management plan for staffing, instruction, recruitment, advising, and other activities of the center. If the person who would ultimately be expected to serve as the center director is not presently affiliated with the submitting institution, the proposal should outline the procedures that will be used to recruit and select that individual, including a recruitment and selection schedule and specification of the qualifications that will be listed in job announcements. Additional Personnel The proposal may list and provide pertinent biographical information about additional faculty and other personnel who would be affiliated with the center, provided that those individuals already are formally associated with one or more of the institutions involved in the proposal. If formal associations have not been finalized, names of individuals should not be listed in the proposal. If specific individuals who might fill anticipated teaching, research, and/or administrative positions are not known, the proposal should outline procedures that will be used to recruit and select those individuals, including specification of the qualifications that will be listed in job announcements. Proposal Deadline Proposals for the CSM must be postmarked by Monday, April 20, 1992. NSF expects to announce the award by September 1992. Proposal Format and Content Proposals for the Center for Survey Methods should be prepared and submitted in accordance with procedures outlined in Grants for Research and Education in Science and Engineering (GRESE; NSF 90-77). GRESE contains all forms needed for submission of proposals. GRESE is available from: NSF Forms and Publications Unit 1800 G Street, N.W.; Room 232 Washington, DC 20550 Telephone: 202/357-3619 E-Mail: pubs@nsf (Bitnet) or pubs@nsf.gov (Internet) CSM proposals must be typed or printed single-spaced on a single side of the page using 2.5-cm (1-inch) margins on all sides. The typeface or font used for printing the proposal should not be smaller than 5 characters per cm (12 characters per inch) nor should more than 54 lines appear on a page. Each proposal must contain the following information in the order specified: 1. Cover Page. (NSF Form 1207; Specify "Social and Economic Science" in the upper left box and "Center for Survey Methods" in the upper right box) 2. Table of Contents. 3. Summary. (200 words maximum) 4. Description of the Planned Education and Training Program. This section should include specification of the general curricula, courses, other research and training opportunities for students (including internships, practicums, etc.), and information on the number of and types of students expected to matriculate in the program. The section should provide readers with a clear understanding of how students will proceed through the program and what knowledge, skills, and experience students will have after they have completed their contact with the center. (Eight pages maximum.) 5. Description of Research Program. This section should describe how basic research on survey methods will be conducted by faculty and students under the auspices of the CSM. The section should include reference to special topics and lines of inquiry that will be encouraged, and it should describe how research activities will relate to the educational and training activities of the center. Media for disseminating research results also should be described. (Three pages maximum.) 6. Description of Faculty. This section should describe how specific individuals and/or unknown individuals filling specific positions will teach, oversee, and advise students in the program. (Two pages maximum.) 7. Description of Logistics, Operations, and Management. This section should describe logistical, operational, and management aspects of the center, including descriptions of the specific site(s) where the center will function or the type(s) of site(s) where the center is expected to function and explanations of how the institution(s) will administer the center. (Two pages maximum.) 8. Brief Biographical Descriptions of the Center Director, Faculty, and Senior Managers. Each description should include specification of relevant research, teaching, and advising experience and qualifications of the individual. No more than five relevant publications per individual should be listed. If individuals who would serve in any senior position in the center are not currently known, a description should outline the procedures that will be used to recruit and select one or more appropriate individuals. The description should include specification of the qualifications that will be listed in job announcements and, in the case of the center director, a recruitment and selection schedule. (Two page maximum for center director; one page maximum for all others.) 9. Budget. NSF Form 1030 should be prepared for each year and for the total duration of the request. These forms should be followed by an explanation of proposed expenditures. If secondary institutions are participating through subcontracts, separate budgets and explanations should be submitted describing their proposed expenditures. The budget explanations may also indicate cost-sharing that will be undertaken by the institution(s). 10. Information on Current and Pending Support. NSF Form 1239 should be completed for the center director and for all senior faculty. Proposals that do not conform to the instructions in this statement and in GRESE will not be considered. Principal investigators and authorized officials at their institutions are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the proposal. Proposal Submission The copy of the formal proposal bearing the title page with original signatures should be accompanied by the following items: 1. Information About Principal Investigators/Project Directors (NSF Form 1225), 2. A copy of the page titled "Certification Regarding Lobbying" from GRESE, and 3. A list of current and past collaborators for each senior investigator. This list should include all persons with whom each individual has actively collaborated since 1987. It should include the names of each individual's graduate advisors and all persons that the individual formally has advised during the individual's professional career. These items are only for NSF internal use and will not be sent to reviewers. Do not provide additional copies of these materials with the other copies. The original copy and 17 additional copies should be mailed in a single package clearly marked "Center for Survey Methods/SES" to: NSF Proposal Processing Unit 1800 G Street, N.W.; Room 223 Washington, DC 20550 Proposals may also be submitted electronically. For information about electronic submission, contact the Electronic Proposal Submission Program Director, Office of Information Systems (OIS) by telephone at 202/357-9767 or via electronic mail at eps@nsf.gov (Internet) or eps@nsf (Bitnet). Evaluation of Proposals The evaluation of CSM proposals will be based on written reviews and panel discussions of all eligible proposals by knowledgeable scientists and on site visits by external experts and NSF staff to institutions submitting the most competitive proposals. General criteria used in the evaluation of CSM proposals are described in GRESE. Proposals also will be examined in light of the specific goals of the CSM to: o advance training and research on survey methods, and o provide graduate-level education and training for current and future employees of federal statistical agencies and for other individuals who will employ survey methods more effectively in the conduct of research at academic, public, and private institutions. Other Information Inquiries regarding the CSM competition should be directed to: CSM Coordinator c/o MMSSS Program Division of Social and Economic Science/NSF 91-149 National Science Foundation 1800 G Street, N.W.; Room 336 Washington, D.C. 20550 Telephone: 202/357-7966 Fax: 202/357-0357 E-Mail: ses@nsf (Bitnet) or ses@nsf.gov (Internet) Representatives of all institutions planning to submit a CSM proposal are encouraged to make sure that their names are on a mailing list compiled by the MMSSS Program. This mailing list will be used to provide all interested parties with additional information and with answers to questions that have been asked during the proposal-preparation process. Prospective applicants should be aware that the Committee on National Statistics of the National Academy of Sciences conducted a workshop in September 1991. Representatives of government agencies, private firms, and academic institutions discussed training and research needs and opportunities regarding survey methods at that workshop. A report of the workshop is available from: Committee on National Statistics National Academy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418 Telephone: 202/334-3096 General Information About the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists and engineers at U.S. institutions, and it strongly encourages women, minorities, and the disabled to compete fully in any of the research and research-related programs described in this document. Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities are available on research grants for special assistance or equipment to enable physically disabled scientists or students to participate in the research. See the announcement (NSF 91-54) or contact the Social and Economic Science Program Officers for more information. In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations and NSF policies, no person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation on the grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability. NSF has TDD (Telephone Device for the Deaf) capability that enables individuals with hearing impairment to communicate with the Division of Personnel and Management for information on NSF programs, employment, or general information. This number is 202/357-7492. NSF awardees are wholly responsible for the preparation of the results of their research for publication. NSF does not assume responsibility for such findings nor for their interpretation. The Division of Social and Economic Science has a data archiving policy for data produced under its awards. The purpose of this policy is to advance the social sciences and openness in science through an organized mechanism of data sharing. The policy requires researchers to commit themselves to placing their data sets in fully cleaned and documented form in a data archive or library within one year of the expiration of an award. Copies of most program announcements are available electronically using the Science and Technology Information System (STIS). The full text can be searched on-line and copied from the system. Instructions for use of the system are in "STIS Flyer" (NSF 91-10). A printed copy is available from the Forms and Publications Unit. An electronic copy may be requested by sending a message to "stis@nsf" (Bitnet) or "stis@nsf.gov" (Internet). 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