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Listserv Message Center
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New funding opportunity in the "SciSIP" |
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| Posted by: | Kellina Craig-Henderson |
| Title/Position: | Program Director |
| School/Organization: | National Science Foundation |
| Sent to listserv of: | SPSP, SESP, SPSSI |
| Date posted: | February 26th, 2007 |
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The Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to foster the development of the knowledge, theories, data, tools, and human capital needed to cultivate a new Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP). SciSIP will underwrite fundamental research that creates new explanatory models and analytic tools designed to inform the nation’s public and private sectors about the processes through which investments in science and engineering (S&E) research are transformed into social and economic outcomes.
SciSIP’s goals are to understand the contexts, structures and processes of S&E research, to evaluate reliably the tangible and intangible returns from investments in research and development (R&D), and to predict the likely returns from future R&D investments within tolerable margins of error and with attention to the full spectrum of potential consequences. Specifically, the research and community development components of SciSIP’s activities will: (1) develop usable knowledge and theories of creative processes and their transformation into social and economic outcomes (2) develop, improve and expand models and analytical tools that can be applied in the science policy decision making process; and (3) develop a community of experts across academic institutions focused on SciSIP. Characterizing the dynamics of discovery and innovation is important for developing valid metrics, for predicting future returns on investments, for constructing fruitful policies, and for developing new forms of workforce education and training.
Accomplishing these goals requires disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding knowledge generation and innovation processes. Collaborative projects are encouraged, including those that build linkages across disciplinary and national borders. Research teams may also focus on specific scientific domains or synthesize elements from disparate disciplines to develop new models or tools. For example, engineers and behavioral scientists could collaborate on projects furthering the understanding of cognitive pathways and interaction strategies that lead to new discoveries, or on optimizing team strategies in the innovative process. Chemists working with social and behavioral scientists might develop theoretical frameworks that explain how chemists achieve new discoveries. Mathematical biologists, behavioral scientists and economists might develop computational models on how social agents might make strategic investments in incremental or large-leap innovations. In a different vein, a multidisciplinary research team might be instrumental in investigating first hand the productivity benefits and costs of interdisciplinary team collaborations.
The FY 2007 competition includes two emphasis areas: Analytical Tools and Model Building. The emergent body of research will develop and utilize techniques for retrospective and prospective analyses. In addition, research will provide insight into factors that propagate new ideas at levels from the molecular functioning of the human brain to the organizational, and at the state, national and international levels. Future solicitations will also target research that would improve and expand science metrics and datasets.
Full proposal deadline: May 22, 2007
For more information, see http://www.nsf.gov
Program Director: Dr. Kaye Husband Fealings (Khusband@nsf.gov) (703)-292-7267
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