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NSF has issued a new solicitation for its , which includes some changes to the requirements and restrictions. Some of these changes are highlighted below and a complete checklist and synopsis is available from the Office of Contracts and Grants.

New eligibility requirements/restrictions

• The PI on a CAREER proposal now “must be engaged in research in an area of science, engineering, or education supported by NSF”.
• Adjunct faculty (or those with equivalent appointments) are no longer eligible to apply.

Change on budget restrictions

• While the primary focus of the project (and the bulk of the budget) should still be on the PI and his/her research, NSF will now allow limited funding for other senior personnel and consultants, primarily for projects that involve cross-disciplinary collaborations. Such funding “must be commensurate with [the] limited role in the project” of these personnel. Inclusion of co-PIs is still prohibited, and doing so will result in the proposal being returned without review.

Changes with regard to allowable activities

• The work proposed should “aim to advance the [PI’s] career goals and job responsibilities as well as the mission of the department or organization.”
• Educational activities may now build on or otherwise meaningfully participate in NSF-funded or ongoing campus projects (such as an REU site, for example, an NRT, Upward Bound, etc.)
• Research and education plans may be enhanced “through an additional activity such as entrepreneurship, industry partnerships, or policy.” If these are considered critical for the project, PIs may include associated costs for these activities on their budget or on a subaward to another institution.
• Proposed research activities may now involve the development of “innovative scientific software” along with studies about reproducibility, provenance, usability, security, adoption, and sustainability of such software. If the PI intends to create a software artifact as part of the project, they must state and justify which software license(s) will be used for it upon release.

Deadlines for this year’s competition

BIO, CISE, and EHR directorates: July 19

Engineering: July 20

GEO, MPS, and SBE directorates: July 21