National Science Foundation (NSF 08-526) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

Please distribute this information to your faculty to determine if they have an interest in submitting a proposal to this program.

WHAT:  Limited Submission Proposal for the National Science Foundation (NSF 08-526) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

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

WHY:  NSF anticipates making Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) project awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $200,000.

WHEN:  Internal proposal deadline of February 4, 2008.

HOW:  Faculty should submit internal proposal to osppc@tamu.edu for review by the internal selection committee.   

THE FINE PRINT:

The funding agency below has limited the number of preliminary proposals to one per institution for the Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) project.  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:  NSF 08-526 Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Program is designed to enhance participation in the U.S. STEM and information and communication technology (ICT) workforce, through the design, implementation, scale-up and testing of strategies for students and/or teachers, as well as through research studies that deepen understanding of issues related to STEM workforce participation.

Goals of the ITEST program include:  developing, implementing, studying and evaluating strategies that encourage K-12 students to be intellectually prepared for careers in information technology and STEM fields and considering careers in those fields; developing strategies that equip teachers with the resources to ensure that their students consider and are prepared for choosing to enter the STEM workforce; and producing research tools and research findings that build the knowledge base about approaches, models and interventions with K-12 aged children and teachers that are most likely to increase U.S. capacity in the STEM workforce, including ICT fields.

Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) projects are designed to enable institutions to think and act strategically about the creative integration of NSF-funded awards towards a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts, with particular emphasis on awards managed through programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHN), but not limited to those awards.  The PI for an I3 project must be the university provost or equivalent, unless the proposal is exclusively for I3 STEM educational or related research.

Five specific goals of I3 projects include:  increasing synergy and collaboration across NSF-funded projects and within/between institutions, towards an educational environment where artificial boundaries are significantly reduced and the student experience is more fully integrated; expanding and deepening the footprints of NSF-funded projects and enhancing their sustainability; promoting innovative programming, policies and practices to encourage the integration of STEM research and education; providing additional avenues to broaden participation by those underserved in STEM research and education, especially underrepresented minorities, women and persons of disabilities, as well as attending to seamless transitions across critical educational junctures, and/or providing more effectively for a globally engaged workforce; and encouraging STEM educational or related research in domains that hold promise for promoting intra- or inter-institutional integration and broader impacts.

In addition, all I3 projects should include a management/governance plan, details on capabilities of the submitting team and an evaluation plan.  I3 awardees will be required to participate in an NSF data collection system (to be developed) that will track outcomes and impacts over time, as well as in an independent, multi-method program-level evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the I3 investment.

More information can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08526/nsf08526.htm                

AGENCIES ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT:  The ITEST Program is open to institutions of higher education, including two- and four-year colleges, located and accredited in the U.S.

AWARD INFORMATION:  NSF anticipates making Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $200,000.

ELIGIBLE PROJECT COSTS:  Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  Major research equipment purchases are not supported.  Personal and laptop computers, servers and other hardware may not be purchased.  Conversely, software, probes and general equipment needed to implement the ITEST program are permitted.

COST SHARING: NONE.     

Internal Selection Procedures and Deadlines

February 1, 2008:  Deadline for an email of intent, including the names of the PI and co-PIs, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project.  Send email of intent to osppc@tamu.edu

February 4, 2008: Deadline to obtain signatures of 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 outlined 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 to osppc@tamu.edu for review by the internal selection committee.

Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08526/nsf08526.htm    

Selection of a proposal will be based on NSF guidelines. 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 15, 2008: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.

April 10, 2008:  Deadline for full proposal for Innovation through Institutional

Integration: (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time).