National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationNSF_107816f6-b8d3-4192-9b46-22d7180f4b25Advancing discovery, innovation and education beyond the frontiers of current knowledge, and empowering future generations in science and engineering._4c2c9729-9df6-4c1a-b5dd-c0d11fb9fd26To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense_1ce559c3-afeb-463d-a2e2-0a8b1e78dc03VisionaryImagining the future, working at the frontier, realizing the full potential of people, furthering promising ideas wherever and whenever they arise, and encouraging creativity and initiative.Dedicated to ExcellenceContinually improving our ability to identify opportunities; investing optimally the resources entrusted to us; managing a diverse, capable, motivating organization; rewarding accomplishment; and sharing our best insights with others.Broadly InclusiveSeeking and accommodating contributions from all sources while reaching out especially to groups that have been underrepresented; serving scientists, engineers, educators, students and the public across the nation; and exploring every opportunity for partnerships, both nationally and internationally.AccountableOperating with integrity and transparency, maintaining quality and relevance in administration, management and oversight.DiscoveryFoster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the nation as a global leader in fundamental and transformational science and engineering._9b6ae022-33f3-4b5f-9a15-7d90aa53438c1Transformational, Multidisciplinary ResearchPromote transformational, multidisciplinary research. _34986449-aecf-4590-ac95-ef258b6500431.1NSF will emphasize investigations that cross disciplinary boundaries and require a systems approach to address complex problems(e.g., the neural basis of behavior, natural hazards and grid technologies) at the frontiers of discovery.Human and Social DimensionsInvestigate the human and social dimensions of new knowledge and technology. _6a5e0750-2fa0-477a-9ba8-90e4939b680b1.2NSF will integrate research on ethics, safety considerations and virtual communities from the outset in new research and in the applications of emerging technologies.Economic CompetitivenessFurther U.S. economic competitiveness._97b21097-a4d4-4c75-a91d-5cadfc462fd91.3NSF has a major role in the ACI. We will invest in basic research and in the tools of science to focus on fundamental discoveries that could have the potential to produce economically important technologies, processes, and techniques.Sustainable LifeFoster research that improves our ability to live sustainably on Earth._fe81fa55-226d-4b2b-a2d3-75daa51560461.4To strengthen our understanding of the links between human behavior and natural processes, research may range from investigations of deep oceans to urban centers and from basic energy science to climate science.Fundamental ResearchAdvance fundamental research in computational science and engineering, and in fundamental, applied and interdisciplinary mathematics and statistics. _ccfcfee2-2e11-4dd6-9201-e7bc4384056b1.5Beyond accelerating disciplinary progress, investments in these fields are needed to drive discovery in every science and engineering discipline and to power the use of next-generation cyberinfrastructure and networking.Learning Cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens._3b11bada-ccb5-4178-8827-978ecc1509f52K-12Build strong foundations and foster innovation to improve K-12 teaching, learning and evaluation in science and mathematics._9173f6ee-af2e-46a8-8876-df43d5fcc1272.1NSF will support education research, develop model programs and effective assessment methodologies, and disseminate best practices towards helping students achieve and demonstrate proficiency in math and science. NSF will broaden partnerships with others, especially among federal and state agencies.Knowledge BaseAdvance the fundamental knowledge base on learning, spanning a broad spectrum from animals and humans to machines._3175097b-dbf4-4b75-ac9b-2b535359efa72.2Fundamental knowledge—from neuroscience to socio-cultural dimensions—will permit researchers to address a wide range of societal challenges, including understanding how people learn, establishing best educational practices, improving workforce preparation, and facilitating the adoption and integration of new technologies in society.STEM EducationDevelop methods to effectively bridge critical junctures in STEM education pathways._92933bb3-add5-4e34-a742-a05618fb379a2.3Methods will focus on junctures between K-12and undergraduate scientific and technical education and will support continuous pathways to a variety of career options. Prepare a diverse, globally engaged STEM workforce. NSF will focus on broadening participation in STEM disciplines. We will work with academic and industry partners to ensure that STEM education and workforce preparation are broadly available, for the technical workforce as well as for future scientists and engineers, and provide the skills and knowledge needed to flourish in a global knowledge economy.Integration of Research with EducationIntegrate research with education, and build capacity._f67f76d3-d050-4cad-b1fe-c00152f169932.4NSF will develop research and education capacity across the full spectrum of the nation’s educational institutions, and utilize advanced cyber infrastructure to transform the way we learn, teach and prepare an IT-literate workforce. NSF will renew a focus on 2- and4-year colleges and minority-serving institutions, and will promote faculty enrichment programs, curricular improvements and access to research instrumentation. NSF will enhance opportunities for partnerships among community and technical colleges, 4-year colleges, and research-intensive universities.Public EngagementEngage and inform the public in science and engineering through informal education._d902d9e6-eb6e-4d92-9a3c-b3dc2fd8f6512.5NSF will improve STEM literacy by developing new strategies that explicitly encompass both formal and informal education, with a focus on strategies that have an impact on the nation’s critical need for a citizenry literate in science and technology, a skilled workforce, and a vibrant research community. To have the greatest impact, NSF will encourage awardees, especially Centers, to broaden collaborations in order to leverage resources for outreach efforts.Research Infrastructure Build the nation’s research capability through critical investments in advanced instrumentation, facilities, cyber infrastructure and experimental tools._a4a8a52c-c7d4-4be1-850b-ac068fd1339a3Capability GapsFill the gaps in our ability to provide enabling research infrastructure._a6e0d0f7-6c1e-4842-b678-fc7191e5c88f3.1NSF will raise current limits on instrumentation funding opportunities, where appropriate, to allow for funding of needed mid-sized instrumentation.Large FacilitiesIdentify and support the next generation of large research facilities._43a7cf52-080f-4629-b3ab-e9fb225b26843.2NSF will work with the science and engineering community to identify the next generation of major equipment and facilities to enable transformational research. We will also fund the development of new capabilities, technologies, and instrumentation that could lead to the establishment of next-generation facilities.Cyber InfrastructureDevelop a comprehensive, integrated cyber infrastructure to drive discovery in all fields of science and engineering. _d07a0ec9-f0e4-4ab6-a7b5-18d56b7801fc3.3NSF will initiate the first steps toward the development of a petascale computing facility; investigate the development of a next-generation Internet; and advance a wide variety of generic and domain specific cyber infrastructure projects to further innovation in the field and to support global scale research and education.National Collaborative AdvantageStrengthen the nation’s collaborative advantage by developing unique networks and innovative partnerships._0726c6c7-c703-49ab-bd22-43423d94469b3.4NSF will connect science and engineering researchers and educators in academic organizations, industry and informal science institutions, both nationally and internationally, to leverage intellectual capabilities.Stewardship Support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization._e1956023-64e9-4aaa-9200-d8427075c6414PartnershipsStrengthen our traditional partnerships and develop new collaborations with other agencies, organizations and corporations, identifying common goals that can unite and focus partnerships._e2bd85c1-b21f-46ff-a877-601e89f5521f4.1DiversityExpand efforts to broaden participation from underrepresented groups and diverse institutions in all NSF activities._fb50d85b-ab7c-49c4-90f2-bfcfe8d520b44.2NSF will continue to enforce its merit review policy and increase the diversity of reviewers; increase its competitive awards investments in the participation of groups, types of institutions, and geographic regions underrepresented in STEM; and continue to increase the diversity of NSF’s STEM workforce.Reviewer RecruitmentImprove our processes to recruit and select highly qualified reviewers and panelists._33acaf02-f1e3-4fff-a087-57c0fd55247c4.3NSF will recruit potential reviewers and automatically add new investigators to an integrated, Foundation-wide database of reviewers, establishing an increasingly diverse pool of highly qualified reviewers for future selection. Reviewers and panelists will reflect the diversity in our community.Staff RecruitmentRecruit, hire and empower highly qualified professional staff members who reflect the diversity of our community._8e9a443d-ac2f-4581-8791-e7296f1d524e4.4Program Officers, Division Directors and other science and engineering professional staff are the principal means by which NSF projects values and receives ideas from the science, engineering and education research communities. We must continue to attract and, for permanent staff, retain scientists, engineers and educators with the necessary expertise, experience and impeccable reputations to act as stewards of national research and education programs.Training and MentoringDevelop mechanisms to improve training and mentoring for Program Officers._fb929d8a-2185-4d5c-80f8-cf905e40ac074.5NSF will increase efforts to identify and disseminate best program management practices. Training and development are particularly important for “rotators” who bring valuable expertise and new ideas to the organization but stay for a limited amount of time, normally less than two years. We expect program officers to exercise their professional judgment.Human Capital ManagementImplement the NSF Human Capital Management Plan._21fa27d9-8193-4847-b78c-c0ceba2038a34.6This plan was developed to strengthen management of the NSF workforce. It includes measures to increase the timeliness of recruitment activities, to improve retention of employees, to enhance recognition of their achievements, and to provide employees with career development opportunities to meet future workforce requirements and challenges.Learning OrganizationEnhance NSF as a learning organization._0bd8c1a3-da5c-4a8c-af68-5fb486dd4f1e4.7NSF will provide continuing education, process enhancements, and opportunities to share best practices to enable continuous improvement. NSF will continue to be a great place to work and a model Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) agency.EthicsContinue as an exemplar in science ethics._e3869491-71df-4631-ba83-f31c4960d3f24.8NSF will utilize standards, establish best practices, and implement institutional changes that maintain and further build public trust in this area.Merit ReviewsImprove the transparency, consistency and uniformity of the merit review process._2596c632-59ea-42d8-b837-ced53bb20c1e4.9NSF will ensure that ad hoc reviewers and panelists have the breadth and expertise for the set of proposals under their consideration, with special attention to the appropriate review of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary proposals. Successful technologies and techniques will be expanded to aid in assigning proposals to the most appropriate panels. NSF will promote ways to boost the identification and funding of projects with the potential to transform fields of science and engineering research.Balance and FlexibilityPromote award balance and flexibility._4e191149-8ce3-4942-9988-98812ca7deeb4.10NSF will identify and implement programmatic process improvements to achieve appropriate balance among proposal success rate, award size and award duration. NSF will encourage proposals with transformational potential, and will provide flexibility to respond to emerging opportunities and needs.Large Facility ManagementEnhance processes for management and oversight of large facilities._939a0a77-43a5-4fc2-a5ce-84e0dd952c184.11NSF will improve its practices in the development, construction and operations of major research equipment and large facilities projects by implementing the revised guidelines outlined in our Large Facilities Manual.OutreachReach out to the various communities we serve, especially through the use of cyber infrastructure-enabled communications._ec57fac3-2b54-43d6-90d2-a818e99754124.12NSF will utilize new information and communications technologies as they become available to achieve our mission and to communicate mission outcomes. NSF will be open and transparent in communications with the public.2006-10-012011-09-302010-02-08http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf0648/nsf0648.jspArthurColman (www.drybridge.com)colman@drybridge.com