NSF Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service (SFS)

WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the National Science Foundation Federal Cyber Service:  Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program.

WHO:  Texas A&M University faculty, including TAES, TEES and TTI personnel.

WHY:  NSF anticipates Scholarship Track awards involving undergraduate students with academic-year stipends of $8,000 and $12,000 per year for graduate students.  Capacity Building Track awards are for up to $150,000 per year for two years.

WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of January 28, 2008.

HOW:  Faculty should submit an internal proposal to via email for review by the internal selection committee.   

THE FINE PRINT:

The funding agency below has limited the number of preliminary proposals to one Scholarship Track and one Capacity Building Track proposals per institution. If the number of faculty wishing to submit a proposal exceeds the number allowed by the agency, we will conduct an internal selection process. Below are due dates for the program, including the due date of the internal proposal for review by the internal selection committee, the date for announcement of the internal selection, and the due date for submission to the agency.                                                       

AGENCY:  National Science Foundation (NSF)

AGENCY PROGRAM TITLE:  Federal Cyber Service:  Scholarship for Service (SFS)

BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  The  Federal Cyber Service:  Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program seeks to increase the number of qualified students entering the fields of information assurance and computer security and to increase the capacity of the United States higher education enterprise to continue to produce professionals in these fields to meet the needs of our increasingly technological society. 

Expected outcomes of the SFS Program include:  new entrants to the federal workforce with the education and training that will enhance the security of critical federal information infrastructure; an increased national capability for the education of IT professionals in critical information infrastructure protection disciplines; increased national research and development capabilities in critical information infrastructure protection and; strengthened partnerships between institutions of higher education and relevant employment sectors. 

The Scholarship Track involves scholarships to students in the information and computer security fields.  Students shall pursue academic programs in information assurance for the final two years of undergraduate study or for two years of master’s-level study or for the final two years of Ph.D.-level study.  In return for their scholarship and stipend, scholarship recipients must agree to work after graduation for two years as an information assurance specialist in the Federal Government. 

The principal investigator and the grantee institution are expected to have or to develop an administrative structure that enables faculty, academic administrators, scholarship recipients and others involved in the project to interact productively during the award period.  Within the grantee institution, the departments making up the Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education or equivalent are expected to collaborate in implementing the project plan. 

The Capacity Building Track should involve an increase in the production of high quality information assurance and computer security professionals by providing support for efforts within the higher education system.  These efforts must be designed to:  increase national capability for the high-quality education of information technology professionals in critical information infrastructure protection disciplines or strengthen partnerships between institutions of higher education, government and relevant employment sectors leading to improved educational opportunities in information assurance studies. 

Projects in the Capacity Building Track which may be applicable include:  institutional faculty development, technical experiences for faculty, adaptation and implementation, laboratory development and technical experiences for students.   

More information can be found here.       

AGENCIES ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT:  The  Federal Cyber Service:  Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program is open to accredited U. S. universities and colleges that have been designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.  Texas A&M University is designated as a Center of Academic Excellence. 

AWARD INFORMATION:  The  Scholarship Track awards involve academic-year stipends of $8,000 for undergraduate students and $12,000 per year for graduate students.  Capacity Building Track awards are for up to $150,000 per year for two years and additional funding of up to $150,000 per year for two years for partnerships that include minority institutions as recognized by the

U.S. Department of Education’s list. 

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS COSTS:   Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:   In Scholarship Track proposals, proposers may request up to 15% of the total budget as partial reimbursement of indirect costs to address the management and administrative costs directly associated with operating the SFS scholarship program and may request up to 5% as partial reimbursement of direct or indirect costs of the total budget to address curriculum, laboratory and faculty development in support of the SFS program.  Full indirect costs may be charged in Capacity Building Track proposals, except for participant support and equipment costs.  Further, funds requested for equipment or other technology may not exceed $100,000 or 10% of the total budget, whichever is larger, for both tracks. 

COST SHARING:  NONE.    

INTERNAL SELECTION PROCEDURES AND DEADLINES:

January 25, 2008:  Deadline for an email of intent, including the name of the PI and co-PIs, title of internal proposal, whether it is a Scholarship Track or Capacity Building Track and a 1-3 sentence description of the project.  Send email of intent.

January 28, 2008:  Deadline to obtain approval from your department head and college dean to submit an internal proposal to the Office of Sponsored Projects for review by the internal selection committee.  The internal proposal should include:

• An executive summary, up to three pages, based on the proposal description as described in the NSF program announcement;
• Summary budget;
• Project and Management Plans (including team members).

The form for completing the internal proposal is here.

This completed form should be submitted electronically for review by the internal selection committee.

Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements here.   

Selection of a proposal will be based on NSF guidelines.  Meeting the needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account.

During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments.  They may also request additional information from PIs.

February 8, 2008: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.

March 20, 2008:   NSF deadline for full proposal: (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time).