Quick References

Research Funding Update

Research Funding Update is published monthly by the office of Research Administration to notify the campus community about potential sources of external support for their research and scholarly activities.

Additional information about opportunities listed in the update can be obtained by clicking on the given link or by contacting your Sponsored Research Officer.

October 2012

FEATURE ARTICLE

NSF Geosciences Directorate Makes Changes and Invites Input

The NSF Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) has issued a Dear Colleague Letter to notify the geoscience education and research communities of changes to its education-related programs, and to invite community input to help shape future priorities for programs that encourage broader participation in the geosciences.

The Geoscience Teacher Training (GEO-Teach) program was retired as of August 1, 2012. NSF does not expect to issue a new program solicitation for this program.

The Geoscience Education (GeoEd) is undergoing significant review and restructuring. The current solicitation (NSF 10-512) has been archived.

The Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) program solicitation has also been closed, pending revision. During the next few months, NSF will work with the geoscience education and research communities to synthesize insights gained through the past ten years' worth of OEDG investments, identify additional needs and opportunities related to broadening participation of underrepresented groups in the geosciences, and develop a new program solicitation that reflects emerging priorities related to diversity in the geosciences and has a scope that is consistent with budgetary constraints.

At this time, NSF anticipates that a revised OEDG solicitation will be issued in Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 2013). In order to shape the direction of a revised OEDG program, NSF seeks community input in two areas: (1) identifying the critical needs regarding efforts to engage, recruit, and retain underrepresented students in the geosciences and broaden public Earth System Science literacy among diverse communities; and, (2) contributing ideas for how best to engage relevant stakeholders and communities for addressing those needs, given budgetary constraints. Modest proposals to support community workshops that focus on identifying needs or best practices regarding broadening participation in the geosciences will also be entertained at any time, if submitted in accordance with the NSF Grant Proposal Guide.

This DCL is not a request for submission of a single research proposal idea; rather, it is meant to generate potential topic areas that are forward-looking, innovative, and potentially transformational over significant scales. You may submit your comments and ideas through brief (less than one-page) descriptions by visiting http://www.nsf.gov/geo/oedg/index.cfm. Please follow the instructions provided. The deadline for submission of comments is November 1, 2012.

Receipt of these short statements does not signify adoption, endorsement, or approval of the content by NSF. The content remains the property and opinion of the contributor. No personally identifiable information will be collected and no awards will be made for these submissions. NSF will not be able to send individual feedback to those submitting comments.

SPIN – Your Online Funding Database

As you begin thinking about your next research project, consider utilizing SPIN. SPIN is an extensive research funding opportunity database which contains over 40,000 opportunities from more than 10,000 federal, private and corporate sponsors.

With SPIN, you can:

Access funding information online, from any browser
Locate funding information for Fellowships, Scholarships, Research Grants, Publication support, Sabbatical support, Request for Applications (RFAs), Curriculum Development funding, Conference support, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and more.
Organize grant information in one convenient place
Filter results by categories such as type of funding, project type, project location, or citizenship status of PI
Quickly locate limited submission opportunities, and Federal or non--Federal programs

To access SPIN, visit www.infoedglobal.com and click on the SPIN link at the top of the page. Note that SPIN is a subscription service and is limited to the Sacramento State domain. To access from off-campus, login in with your GENIUS/SMARTS username and password.

A Quick Reference Guide (PDF) is available to help you get started using SPIN.

If you have any questions about SPIN, please contact your Sponsored Research Officer.