Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants

Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (DDIG):

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

November 21, 2008

Third Friday in November, Annually Thereafter

REVISION NOTES

1. In the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, only the Behavioral Systems Cluster participates in this competition.
2. The upper limit of the budget per award has been increased from $12,000 to $15,000.

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Program Title:

Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (DDIG)

Synopsis of Program:

The National Science Foundation awards Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in selected areas of the biological sciences. These grants provide partial support of doctoral dissertation research to improve the overall quality of research. Allowed are costs for doctoral candidates to participate in scientific meetings, to conduct research in specialized facilities or field settings, and to expand an existing body of dissertation research.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

• DEB Program Officer, telephone: (703) 292-8480, email: ddig-deb@nsf.gov

• IOS Program Officer, telephone: (703) 292-8423, email: ddig-ios@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

• 47.074 --- Biological Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 100 to 120

Anticipated Funding Amount: $1,600,000 - Approximately $1.6 million annually, pending availability of funds.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

• U.S. institutions and organizations that are eligible for awards from the National Science Foundation, including colleges, universities, and other nonprofit research organizations such as botanical gardens, marine and freshwater institutes, and natural history museums may submit proposals. See Chapter I, Section E of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) for specific definitions of these categories of proposers. The NSF encourages collaborations with scientists at foreign organizations; however, primary support for any foreign participants' activities must be secured through their own national sources.

PI Limit:

A student must have advanced to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree before the submission deadline to be eligible to submit a proposal. A statement that the student has advanced to candidacy for a Ph.D., signed and dated by the department chairperson, graduate dean, or similar administrative official is required (see "Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions"). The proposal must be submitted through regular organizational channels by the dissertation advisor(s) on behalf of a graduate student who is at the point of initiating or is already conducting dissertation research. The student must be enrolled at a U.S. institution, but need not be a U.S. citizen. Organizations should limit applications to outstanding dissertation proposals with unusual financial requirements that cannot be met otherwise. Preference may be given to projects that are underway and for which feasibility is demonstrated.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

An organization may submit only one proposal per student in a given year. A student may receive only one DDIG award.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:

None specified

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Letters of Intent: Not Applicable

• Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable

• Full Proposals:

  • Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.

  • Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.pdf)

B. Budgetary Information

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this solicitation.

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Indirect costs not allowed.

• Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

C. Due Dates

• Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

  November 21, 2008

  Third Friday in November, Annually Thereafter

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions: Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements: Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

For more detail : http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08564/nsf08564.htm?govDel=USNSF_25