Environmental Synthesis Center | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Environmental Synthesis Center (NSF 10-521)

1) What is the NSF Environmental Synthesis Center funding opportunity (NSF 10-521)?

NSF 10-521 is a National Science Foundation funding opportunity to create a single, new Environmental Synthesis Center focused on global environmental change. The center is intended to integrate research, education, and outreach and to operate at the intersection of biological, geological, and social sciences with a strong emphasis on synthesis (integrating existing knowledge, data, and methods across fields).

2) What does NSF mean by "synthesis" in this solicitation?

In this opportunity, "synthesis" emphasizes integrating and combining existing knowledge, datasets, and methods across disciplines to generate broader insights. The center is not described as funding isolated, single-discipline projects; instead, it is designed to bring diverse fields together to create integrated understanding and decision-relevant outputs related to environmental change.

3) What is the main purpose of the center?

The center is intended to improve understanding and prediction of how ecological systems and human systems interact. It is expected to address complex linkages among populations, communities, and ecosystems; the geophysical settings that influence them (such as climate, hydrology, soils, and other Earth system processes); and human decisions that drive or respond to environmental change (including land use, resource management, policy choices, and economic behavior).

4) What types of environmental change questions is the center expected to address?

The center is expected to tackle global environmental change questions that involve coupled human-natural systems. This includes how ecological and human systems influence one another, how geophysical processes constrain or shape outcomes, and how human actions and responses contribute to change.

5) Is forecasting a required theme?

Forecasting is presented as a major theme. The center is expected to help anticipate adaptive responses to environmental change and improve understanding of sudden shifts in dynamic systems, including regime changes or tipping points where ecosystems and coupled systems can rapidly reorganize.

6) What makes this solicitation distinct from typical NSF research awards?

The solicitation is designed around creating a single, flagship center with a strong emphasis on cross-disciplinary collaboration, synthesis across existing knowledge and data, and direct connections between science and real-world decision-making. Education and outreach are central expectations, and the center is intended to have international scope.

7) How is the center expected to connect science to action?

The center is expected not only to convene researchers from multiple fields, but also to directly involve policy makers, managers, and conservation practitioners so that synthesis outputs can inform real-world decisions related to environmental change.

8) Are education and outreach optional components?

No. Education and outreach are described as central elements of the center rather than optional add-ons. The center is expected to help build an informed citizenry by translating scientific synthesis into accessible knowledge, training opportunities, and communication that broad audiences can use.

9) Is the center expected to be international in scope?

Yes. NSF states the center will be international in scope, reflecting that urgent environmental problems and their solutions often cross national boundaries and benefit from global perspectives, partnerships, and comparative work.

10) How many awards did NSF anticipate making under this opportunity?

NSF anticipated making one award. The solicitation was structured around a single large center award rather than multiple smaller awards.

11) What is the estimated funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount listed is $30,000,000. The award floor is also listed as $30,000,000, consistent with a single center-sized award.

12) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity explicitly states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

13) What type of award mechanism is used?

The opportunity uses a Cooperative Agreement. This typically indicates substantial NSF involvement during the award period, such as oversight, coordination, or partnership, compared to a standard grant.

14) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based organizations tied to education or research activities. Eligible applicants include accredited U.S. universities and colleges (including two- and four-year institutions and community colleges with a U.S. campus) applying on behalf of their faculty, as well as certain non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar U.S. entities associated with educational or research work.

15) Are for-profit organizations eligible?

The eligibility description provided focuses on U.S.-based organizations associated with education or research activities and lists non-profit, non-academic organizations and accredited U.S. colleges/universities. No for-profit eligibility is stated in the information provided.

16) Can an organization outside the United States apply as the lead?

The information provided limits eligibility to U.S.-based organizations associated with education or research activities. International scope is an expectation for the center's work, but lead eligibility is described as U.S.-based.

17) What are the proposal leadership rules for this solicitation?

The rules are unusually strict: only a single investigator may appear on the proposal cover sheet for both preliminary and full proposals, and that person must be the intended center director (or provisional director). Co-PIs are not allowed.

18) Does the "no co-PIs" rule prevent collaboration?

No. While only one investigator can be listed on the cover sheet (as the center director/provisional director), the solicitation emphasizes broad collaboration across disciplines and engagement with policy makers, managers, and practitioners as part of the center's design.

19) Was there a preliminary proposal stage?

Yes. The solicitation used a two-stage submission process with a required preliminary proposal, followed by a full proposal stage.

20) What were the key due dates listed?

The preliminary proposal due date was March 23, 2010 (by 5 p.m. local time of the proposer). The full proposal deadline was July 14, 2010.

21) When was the opportunity posted, and which NSF unit issued it?

The opportunity was posted on December 23, 2009. It was issued by NSF's Biological Sciences Directorate.

22) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 47.074 (Biological Sciences).

23) Is this opportunity intended to extend prior NSF synthesis programs?

NSF frames this center as a next-step investment building on earlier NSF-supported synthesis activities, but it is not intended to extend or duplicate those earlier activities.

24) What kinds of disciplines are expected to be integrated?

The center is intended to operate at the intersection of biological, geological, and social sciences, integrating across fields to address global environmental change.

25) What kinds of real-world decisions are mentioned as relevant to the center's work?

The solicitation references decisions people make that drive or respond to environmental change, including land use, resource management, policy choices, and economic behavior.

26) Where can applicants find the official announcement and complete requirements?

NSF directed applicants to NSF Publication 10-521 for the official announcement and complete requirements.

27) Who should be contacted for technical assistance with access or submission issues?

For grants.gov access and submission issues, NSF provided the contact email grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

28) What is the intended practical outcome of funding this center?

In practical terms, the opportunity is designed to fund one flagship environmental synthesis hub that convenes diverse expertise, integrates data and theory across disciplines, produces decision-relevant insights about global environmental change, and serves as a focal point for collaboration among scientists, policy communities, managers, conservation efforts, and the public.