Opportunity Information: Apply for 13 518
Apply for 13 518
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041 Engineering Grants 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.050 Geosciences 47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering 47.074 Biological Sciences 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 47.076 Education and Human Resources 47.078 Polar Programs 47.079 Office of International Science and Engineering 47.080 Office of Cyberinfrastructure 47.081 Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 28, 2014 and posted on Nov 23, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by This opportunity has been archived.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $63,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 60 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Organization Limit Proposals may only be submitted by the following Non profit, non academic organizations Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. 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 institutions. NSF sponsored Federally Funded Research and Development Centers may submit. Non NSF sponsored FFRDCs are not permitted to submit proposals under this solicitation.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) program (NSF 13-518) was a National Science Foundation grant opportunity designed to push researchers toward high-risk, high-reward projects that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries. The central idea was to create space for bold, unconventional proposals that might be judged as out of place or disadvantaged in standard NSF programs, not because they lack merit, but because they do not fit neatly within a single program area. At the same time, INSPIRE was not meant to be a catch-all alternative route for proposals that could be appropriately submitted through existing NSF mechanisms; it targeted work that truly depends on interdisciplinary integration and has the potential to open up new research directions.
INSPIRE was open to interdisciplinary projects on any topic that NSF supports, spanning areas covered by NSF directorates and offices. Participation across NSF was broad, with all directorates and programmatic offices involved in FY 2012 and continuing into FY 2013. The program operated as invitation-only at the full proposal stage, meaning investigators first had to initiate a preliminary inquiry by submitting a required Letter of Intent. Only after that step, and only by invitation, could a team or investigator submit a full proposal. This structure reflected NSF's intent to manage the pipeline of unusually cross-cutting ideas and to ensure that the proposals entering full review were aligned with INSPIRE's goals.
For FY 2013, INSPIRE offered three pilot funding pathways. INSPIRE Track 1 effectively continued the earlier CREATIV pilot mechanism (referenced in Dear Colleague Letter NSF 12-011), supporting smaller-scale exploratory interdisciplinary concepts. INSPIRE Track 2 supported "mid-scale" research projects at a larger level than Track 1, permitting requests of up to $3,000,000 for durations of up to five years; because of the larger scope and investment, Track 2 placed higher expectations on both cross-cutting intellectual advances and broader impacts, and it used an external review component as part of the evaluation process. The third mechanism, Directors INSPIRE Awards, focused on prestigious individual awards for single-investigator proposals that presented exceptionally strong, exciting, and transformative interdisciplinary ideas, emphasizing unusual potential for major advances rather than incremental progress.
In terms of funding size and overall scale, NSF anticipated making around 60 awards with an estimated total funding level of $63,000,000. The listed award ceiling was $3,000,000 and the award floor was $500,000, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity fell under the "Discretionary" category and used the "Grant" funding instrument type, with activity classified as science and technology and other research and development. The CFDA areas linked to the solicitation showed the wide NSF footprint involved, including Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Biological Sciences, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, Education and Human Resources, Polar Programs, International Science and Engineering, Cyberinfrastructure, and EPSCoR.
Eligibility was geared toward U.S.-based research and education organizations. Eligible applicants included U.S. universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited and having a U.S. campus, submitting on behalf of their faculty. Certain non-profit, non-academic organizations were also eligible, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar U.S. organizations tied to educational or research activities. NSF-sponsored Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) could apply, while non-NSF-sponsored FFRDCs were not permitted. The solicitation indicated that proposal limitations and additional eligibility clarifications were provided in the announcement text.
The solicitation timeline reflected separate full proposal deadlines by mechanism: May 13, 2013 for INSPIRE Track 2 full proposals, and May 29, 2013 for INSPIRE Track 1 and Directors INSPIRE Awards full proposals. The opportunity was posted November 23, 2012, and later archived (archive date August 28, 2014). Overall, INSPIRE 13-518 can be understood as NSF's targeted attempt to nurture interdisciplinary work that is ambitious enough to fall between the cracks of normal program structures, while still requiring strong evidence of transformative potential, clear integration across fields, and meaningful broader impacts commensurate with the requested scale.
INSPIRE (NSF 13-518) Grant Opportunity FAQs
What was the NSF INSPIRE program (NSF 13-518)?
INSPIRE (Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education) was a National Science Foundation grant opportunity created to encourage high-risk, high-reward research and education projects that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. It was designed for bold proposals that might not fit cleanly into a single standard NSF program area.
What kinds of projects was INSPIRE meant to support?
INSPIRE was intended for projects that truly depend on interdisciplinary integration and have the potential to open new research directions. The emphasis was on unconventional, cross-cutting ideas with transformative potential, rather than proposals that simply span multiple areas without deep integration.
Was INSPIRE intended as an alternative submission route for any NSF proposal?
No. INSPIRE was not meant to be a catch-all backup option for proposals that could be appropriately submitted through existing NSF programs. It targeted work that would be disadvantaged in standard programs primarily because it does not fit neatly into one program area, not because it lacks merit.
What research topics were eligible under INSPIRE?
INSPIRE was open to interdisciplinary projects on any topic that NSF supports. It spanned areas covered by NSF directorates and offices, reflecting broad participation across NSF.
Which NSF organizations participated in INSPIRE?
Participation across NSF was broad. All NSF directorates and programmatic offices were involved in FY 2012 and continued involvement into FY 2013.
How did the INSPIRE submission process work?
INSPIRE operated as invitation-only at the full proposal stage. Investigators first initiated a preliminary inquiry by submitting a required Letter of Intent (LOI). Only after that step, and only if invited, could a team or investigator submit a full proposal.
Was a Letter of Intent required?
Yes. A Letter of Intent was required as the first step to initiate a preliminary inquiry. Full proposals were accepted only by invitation following that step.
Could applicants submit a full proposal without an invitation?
No. Full proposals were invitation-only under this program.
Why did INSPIRE use an invitation-only full proposal process?
The invitation-only structure reflected NSF's intent to manage the pipeline of unusually cross-cutting ideas and to help ensure that proposals entering full review aligned with INSPIRE's goals.
What funding pathways (tracks) were available in FY 2013?
For FY 2013, INSPIRE offered three pilot funding pathways: INSPIRE Track 1, INSPIRE Track 2, and Directors INSPIRE Awards.
What was INSPIRE Track 1?
INSPIRE Track 1 effectively continued the earlier CREATIV pilot mechanism (referenced in Dear Colleague Letter NSF 12-011). It supported smaller-scale exploratory interdisciplinary concepts.
What was INSPIRE Track 2?
INSPIRE Track 2 supported mid-scale research projects at a larger level than Track 1. It allowed larger budgets and longer durations and carried higher expectations for cross-cutting intellectual advances and broader impacts. Track 2 also used an external review component as part of the evaluation process.
What were the maximum budget and duration for INSPIRE Track 2?
Track 2 permitted requests of up to $3,000,000 for durations of up to five years.
Did INSPIRE Track 2 have any special review features?
Yes. Track 2 used an external review component as part of the evaluation process.
What were Directors INSPIRE Awards?
Directors INSPIRE Awards were prestigious individual awards for single-investigator proposals presenting exceptionally strong, exciting, and transformative interdisciplinary ideas. The emphasis was on unusual potential for major advances rather than incremental progress.
Were Directors INSPIRE Awards limited to single investigators?
Yes. The solicitation described Directors INSPIRE Awards as focusing on single-investigator proposals.
How many awards did NSF anticipate making under INSPIRE?
NSF anticipated making around 60 awards in total.
What was the estimated total funding level for INSPIRE?
The estimated total funding level was $63,000,000.
What were the award floor and award ceiling?
The listed award floor was $500,000 and the award ceiling was $3,000,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement listed for this opportunity.
What type of funding instrument did INSPIRE use?
INSPIRE used a grant as the funding instrument type.
What was the funding category for this opportunity?
The opportunity fell under the "Discretionary" category.
How was the activity classified?
The activity was classified as science and technology and other research and development.
Which CFDA areas were associated with the solicitation?
The CFDA areas reflected a wide NSF footprint and included Engineering; Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Geosciences; Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Biological Sciences; Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences; Education and Human Resources; Polar Programs; International Science and Engineering; Cyberinfrastructure; and EPSCoR.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was geared toward U.S.-based research and education organizations. Eligible applicants included U.S. universities and accredited two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) with a U.S. campus, applying on behalf of their faculty.
Were any non-academic organizations eligible?
Yes. Certain U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations were eligible, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations associated with educational or research activities.
Could Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) apply?
NSF-sponsored FFRDCs could apply. Non-NSF-sponsored FFRDCs were not permitted.
Were there proposal limitations or additional eligibility rules?
Yes. The solicitation indicated that proposal limitations and additional eligibility clarifications were provided in the announcement text.
What were the full proposal deadlines for FY 2013?
INSPIRE Track 2 full proposals were due May 13, 2013. INSPIRE Track 1 and Directors INSPIRE Awards full proposals were due May 29, 2013.
When was the opportunity posted and when was it archived?
The opportunity was posted on November 23, 2012, and later archived with an archive date of August 28, 2014.
What was the overall purpose of INSPIRE within NSF's portfolio?
INSPIRE was NSF's targeted attempt to nurture ambitious interdisciplinary work that could fall between the cracks of normal program structures, while still requiring strong evidence of transformative potential, clear integration across fields, and meaningful broader impacts commensurate with the requested scale.
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