Opportunity Information: Apply for 14 538
Apply for 14 538
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Geography and Spatial Sciences Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 21, 2015 and posted on Feb 19, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 11, 2016 DDRI Proposal Submission Deadline DDRI Proposal Submission Deadline. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $600,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $16,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Who May Submit Proposals Proposals may only be submitted by the following Universities and Colleges Universities and two and four year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in, the US acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic in Who May Serve as PI DDRI proposals must be submitted with a principal investigator (PI) and a co principal investigator (co PI).br /br /The PI must be the advisor of the doctoral student or another faculty member at the U.S. university where the doctoral student is enrolled. There is no limitation on the number of times that an individual may be the principal investigator on a DDRI proposal submitted to GSS, either during a specific competition or over the course of her/his career.br /br /A doctoral student may submit a DDRI proposal to GSS to support her/his dissertation research only twice during her/his lifetime. A student and her/his advisor therefore should carefully consider what times during the students graduate program are most appropriate forsubmission ofa DDRI proposal.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards (DDRI) opportunity is a discretionary grant program designed to strengthen and enhance the quality of doctoral dissertation research in geography and the spatial sciences at U.S. universities. The core idea is to provide targeted, relatively small awards that materially improve a dissertation project that is already scientifically sound and that has strong potential to generate broader, generalizable scientific knowledge. This opportunity sits within the GSS Program's larger mission to advance geographic and spatial science theory, concepts, and methods, while also supporting work that speaks to real societal challenges.
At the program level, GSS emphasizes research on the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on Earth. Proposed dissertation projects can address the nature, causes, and consequences of human activities and environmental processes across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The solicitation signals openness to many topics, as long as the work contributes meaningfully to scholarship by improving geographic knowledge, concepts, theories, and methods, and where appropriate, connects those advances to societal problems and concerns. A consistent theme is that strong proposals should not only be about a particular place or case, but should use that context to produce insights that travel beyond the immediate study area.
The DDRI mechanism specifically reflects GSS's interest in integrating education and basic research. It supports dissertation projects undertaken by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities, with the goal of improving how the research is conducted. In practice, this often means enabling a student to do something that measurably raises the rigor, reach, or impact of the dissertation work, such as acquiring specialized data, conducting additional fieldwork, improving analytic approaches, or otherwise strengthening the research design in ways that would be difficult to accomplish with standard departmental resources alone.
Funding for this solicitation was listed at an estimated total of $600,000, with an expectation of around 40 awards. Individual awards fall within a relatively modest band, with a stated award floor of $6,000 and an award ceiling of $16,000. The CFDA listing is 47.075 (Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences). The announcement also specifies that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which generally reduces administrative burden for applicants and makes the program more accessible across institutions.
Eligibility is limited to accredited U.S. academic institutions (including two- and four-year colleges and community colleges) that have a campus located in the United States, applying on behalf of their faculty members. While the funding is meant to improve a doctoral student's dissertation research, the proposal must be submitted by the institution rather than by an individual student directly as an independent applicant. The solicitation requires that DDRI proposals include both a principal investigator (PI) and a co-principal investigator (co-PI). The PI must be the doctoral student's advisor or another faculty member at the U.S. university where the student is enrolled, reinforcing that the dissertation committee structure and institutional oversight are central to the award's administration and mentoring expectations.
A key limitation applies to students: a doctoral student may submit a DDRI proposal to GSS only twice during their lifetime. This cap is meant to encourage strategic timing and careful planning, since a student and advisor need to decide when during the graduate program a submission would be most beneficial to the dissertation's research trajectory. In contrast, there is no stated limit on how many times a faculty member may serve as PI on DDRI proposals over their career.
The solicitation laid out recurring proposal deadlines tied to the "second Thursday" pattern: the second Thursday in February and the second Thursday in August each year. The listing also includes historical dates (for example, postings in 2014 and a current closing date shown as February 11, 2016) and indicates an archive date of September 11, 2027. The practical takeaway is that the program operates on a predictable, twice-yearly submission cycle, which helps applicants plan around academic calendars, field seasons, and dissertation milestones.
Finally, the announcement clarifies that this specific solicitation is only for DDRI proposals under GSS. Other types of GSS support, including regular research awards, conference or workshop support, group travel, community development or community-serving activities, Research Coordination Networks (RCN), and RAPID awards, are covered under a separate GSS solicitation (referenced in the text). For access issues, the notice directs applicants to NSF's Grants.gov support (grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov), reflecting the standard federal submission infrastructure and support pathway.
NSF Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) DDRI: Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the NSF GSS Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards (DDRI) opportunity?
The NSF Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program DDRI opportunity is a discretionary grant program intended to strengthen and enhance doctoral dissertation research in geography and the spatial sciences at U.S. universities. It focuses on providing targeted, relatively small awards that materially improve a dissertation project that is already scientifically strong and has clear potential to generate broader, generalizable scientific knowledge.
2) What is the main purpose of a DDRI award?
The main purpose is to improve how a dissertation research project is conducted by enabling enhancements that would be difficult to accomplish with typical departmental resources. Examples described in the opportunity include acquiring specialized data, conducting additional fieldwork, improving analytic approaches, or strengthening the research design in ways that raise the rigor, reach, or impact of the dissertation.
3) What kinds of research topics does the GSS program emphasize?
GSS emphasizes research on the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on Earth. Dissertation projects may address the nature, causes, and consequences of human activities and environmental processes across a range of spatial and temporal scales, as long as the work contributes meaningfully to scholarship by improving geographic knowledge, concepts, theories, and methods.
4) Does the dissertation research need to connect to societal challenges?
The opportunity indicates that GSS supports work that speaks to real societal challenges. Proposals are expected to advance geographic and spatial science theory, concepts, and methods, and where appropriate, connect those advances to societal problems and concerns.
5) Do proposals need to be generalizable beyond a single case study or place?
A consistent theme in the opportunity is that strong proposals should not only focus on a particular place or case, but should use that context to produce insights that travel beyond the immediate study area.
6) Who is the intended beneficiary of the DDRI mechanism?
The DDRI mechanism supports dissertation projects undertaken by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities, with the goal of integrating education and basic research by improving the dissertation research process and outcomes.
7) Who is eligible to submit an application?
Eligibility is limited to accredited U.S. academic institutions (including two- and four-year colleges and community colleges) that have a campus located in the United States, applying on behalf of their faculty members. The proposal must be submitted by the institution, not by an individual doctoral student as an independent applicant.
8) Can a doctoral student apply directly as the principal applicant?
No. While the funding is meant to improve a doctoral student's dissertation research, the opportunity specifies that the institution submits the proposal rather than the student applying independently.
9) Are specific roles required on the proposal (PI and co-PI)?
Yes. DDRI proposals under this solicitation must include both a principal investigator (PI) and a co-principal investigator (co-PI).
10) Who must serve as the PI?
The PI must be the doctoral student's advisor or another faculty member at the U.S. university where the student is enrolled. This reflects the solicitation's emphasis on dissertation committee structure, institutional oversight, and mentoring expectations.
11) Is there a limit on how many times a student can submit a DDRI proposal to GSS?
Yes. A doctoral student may submit a DDRI proposal to the GSS program only twice during their lifetime. The opportunity frames this as a reason to be strategic about timing and planning.
12) Is there a limit on how many times a faculty member can serve as PI?
The opportunity states there is no stated limit on how many times a faculty member may serve as PI on DDRI proposals over their career.
13) How much funding is available overall for this solicitation?
The solicitation lists an estimated total of $600,000 in funding, with an expectation of around 40 awards.
14) What is the typical award size for an individual DDRI grant?
Individual awards fall within a relatively modest range, with a stated minimum (floor) of $6,000 and a maximum (ceiling) of $16,000.
15) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity specifies that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
16) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA listing provided is 47.075 (Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences).
17) When are proposals due?
The solicitation uses a predictable twice-yearly cycle: proposals are due on the second Thursday in February and the second Thursday in August each year.
18) Are specific historical dates mentioned, and what do they imply?
The listing includes historical dates (such as postings in 2014 and a closing date shown as February 11, 2016) and indicates an archive date of September 11, 2027. The practical takeaway emphasized is that the program runs on a recurring, twice-yearly submission schedule.
19) Does this solicitation cover other types of GSS funding besides DDRI?
No. The announcement clarifies that this solicitation is only for DDRI proposals under GSS. Other GSS support mechanisms (including regular research awards, conference or workshop support, group travel, community development or community-serving activities, Research Coordination Networks (RCN), and RAPID awards) are covered under a separate GSS solicitation referenced in the text.
20) Where should applicants go for help with access or submission issues?
For access issues, the notice directs applicants to NSF's Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
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