9/11/23 Virtual Office Hours Recap – DEB Funding forNEON-Enabled Science
The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) held its latest Virtual Office Hour on September 11, 2023. Program officers from the Macrosystems – NEON program provided an overview of NEON and answered questions related to the solicitation. We host these office hours 1-2pm EST on the 2nd Monday of every month. There is a designated theme each time, but attendees are welcome to ask about other NSF-related topics. Program Officers from each of DEB’s clusters are present at each Virtual Office Hour, so a wide range of scientific perspectives are represented.
The presentation and other documents are available here:
If you were unable to attend, here are some of the questions asked during the Q & A section:
Q: Is a Safe and Inclusive Work Environment document required for this year’s MSB-NES proposals?
A: The Safe and Inclusive Work Environment document is not required for MSB-NES proposals. For offsite research, the PAPPG requires that institutions provide certification that they have a plan in place for safe and inclusive work.
Q: How should PIs decide whether to submit directly to MSB-NES versus to a core program (e.g., PCE, ES)?
A: The MSB-NES program specifically considers projects that seek to understand biological phenomena at regional to continental scales. If your project involves NEON data or assets but your focal research questions are well-described by the program description for a core program, then submitting to that core program is probably the better choice. If you still have questions, prepare a 1-page summary for your project, and arrange a time to discuss it with your program officer. They can help you decide the best fit for your project.
Q: If a project proposes to use samples from the NEON biorepository, should PIs get permission or an agreement to use those samples *before* submitting the proposal, especially if it requires destructive sampling? Would a standard letter of support be suitable (or expected)?
A: Yes. Contact the biorepository personnel for more information.
Q: If NEON does not disclose F&A (aka Indirect Costs) to PIs, how do we know if our total budget is within budget limits?
A: NEON will provide an estimate of what the total budget would be that you can add to your proposal. The MSB-NES program has no upper budget limit for Macrosystems Research Awards (MRAs). Macrosystem Small Awards (MSAs) have a limit of $300K. NSF and NEON will work together to decide F&A, but if you have questions about the budget, contact your program officer.
Q: As a point of clarification, does NEON allow sampling on their plots?
A: NEON does not allow sampling on their plots but will allow set up next to their plots.
Q: When sending a 1-2 pager to a Program Officer and there are 4 POs listed, how do we decide who to send inquiry?
A: It is best to send inquiries as a single email that includes all program officers listed for that program area. The program officers will decide who is best poised to assist with your project and get back to you.
Q: What is a “continuing grant”? (The types of awards say “Standard Grant or Continuing Grant”)
A: A standard grant is an award where funds are awarded all at once and a continuing grant is an award where funds are distributed incrementally over the life of the award.
Q: I am involved in sensor/instrumentation/methodological development, and I see a useful role for our new instrument/approaches in the NEON data collection. How might I start this conversation?
A. It is entirely possible to collaborate with NEON to develop and eventually deploy new instrumentation or methods as long as the current measurements and observations are not disrupted. Although the NEON design is somewhat rigid, NEON has adopted new sensors such as phenocams on all sites. NEON management and NSF are also aware that new technologies or methods that will be appropriate for NEON will emerge. You can contact NEON scientists easily. On the NEON website there is a “contact us” form: Contact Us | NSF NEON | Open Data to Understand our Ecosystems (neonscience.org).
There is a core program in the Division of Biological Infrastructure named Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (). The objective of this program is to “Support research to design or improve research tools and methods with a focus on research infrastructure in three program areas: bioinformatics, instrumentation and research methods.” The website has three email aliases to which you can direct inquiries about funding for your ideas. Again, collaboration with NEON is encouraged and NEON scientists can participate in research projects in any capacity if NEON management approves the work.
Please reach out to a Program Officer if you have any questions about the proposal submission and review process in DEB programs. NSF has suggested 5 tips on working with Program Officers as part of the NSF 101 series on our Science Matters blog.
Check out the upcoming office hour topics below and be sure to check back here or on the NSF Events Page for information on how to register. Our next virtual office hours will be held October 16, 2023, from 1-2pm Eastern Time and the topic will be: Welcome to DEB.
Upcoming Office Hours and Topics:
October 16: Welcome to DEB
November 13: Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP) Update
December 11: Introduction to the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)
DEBrief 