Two programs at the National Science Foundation - Ethics and Values Studies, and Research on Science and Technology, in the Division of Social, Behavioral and Economic Research - are issuing a call for proposals for their February 1, 1997 target date.

If you have ideas that you wish to discuss, contact program directors Rachelle Hollander or John Perhonis, NSF, Room 995, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: 703-306-1743. Fax: 703-306-0485 or 0486. E-mail: rholland@nsf.gov or jperhoni@nsf.gov.

These programs have approximately $2 million to support awards from the proposals submitted.

Program Descriptions

The Ethics and Values Studies (EVS) program focuses on developing and transmitting knowledge about ethical and value dimensions associated with the conduct and impacts of science, engineering, and technology. The Research on Science and Technology (RST) program supports research to improve approaches and information for decision making concerning management and direction of research, science and technology.

Projects might address the following kinds of questions. These descriptions are suggestive, not exhaustive.

In Ethics and Values Studies, projects might address such issues as:

• scientific or professional ethics, and social and organizational values in scientific or engineering practice;
• equity issues in the development, use and effects of science or technology;
• controversy and the resolution of controversy involving science or technology;
• normative issues in decisions involving science or technology, and
• ethical and value issues for organizational policy and practice involving science or technology.

Within these topics can fall a wide range of subjects, from ethical issues for research on vulnerable populations to ethics, values, and the relationship of expertise to democratic decision making; from normative implications of decisions involving scientists and engineers in industry, government or non-profit organizations, to those concerning scientists, engineers and science and engineering students in academia; from ethics and biotechnology to ethics and the information superhighway.

In Research on Science and Technology, projects could address such topics as:

• factors influencing the directions and impacts of scientific and engineering research and technological change, both domestic and international;
• issues of human resources in science and technology; and
• the relationships between individual, organizational and political adaptation and scientific and technological change.

Under these headings can fall research on such questions as: What are the implications of changing sources and modes of support for academic research and science and engineering education? What measures can be used to gauge social or quality-of-life returns to public or private investment in research and science and engineering education? How do legal or political institutions interact with developments in research and innovation?

The programs are also interested in considering proposals for research on the implications of different national strategies towards science and technology questions, on development of models and other approaches with which to gather and interpret information, and on improvement of research resources. Projects to summarize and assess the knowledge base about an important issue can also be considered. The programs welcome inquiries from researchers who are uncertain about whether the topic or method they have in mind is appropriate for consideration.

EVS also supports educational projects on ethics, values, and the works closely with programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) at NSF in the consideration of these proposals. Educational projects use results from research on ethics and the conduct and impacts of science and engineering to develop programs or materials for formal or informal educational settings. Proposals for educational projects should satisfy the criteria in the relevant EHR program announcements, when relevant, and indicate how their efforts will have impacts beyond improving a course or curriculum at a single institution. EVS also provides small supplemental awards for ethics activities in NSF-supported Research Experiences for Undergraduate sites projects.

Target Dates and Program Procedures

All applicants to the program must follow the requirements listed in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (NSF95-27), which contains the forms needed for submission. The GPG is available from Forms and Publications Unit, NSF, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA 22230, 703-306-1130; and can be requested electronically through Internet: pubs@nsf.gov. Applicants can also find this information in the NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/.

For the variety of ways to get information about the NSF, consult NSF 95-64 - Getting NSF Information and Publications or try Text Search for STIS

Proposals are reviewed in accordance with established Foundation procedures. Extramural reviewers as well as a panel of experts generally evaluate proposals. They use the criteria in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide. These criteria include the quality of the investigators and resources for the project, soundness and appropriateness of method or approach, utility and relevance to non-specialists, and contribution to infrastructure needs in science and engineering. Further delineation of these criteria for EVS and RST include: fit of subject with theoretical and empirical issues of importance in the field; grounding in theory and literature; as applicable, methods of reliable empirical research, replicability and generalizability; relevance to policy, practice, or action; potential utility to decision makers or an important spectrum of audiences; and dissemination plan.

The programs have two rounds each year for consideration of proposals. The target dates are February 1 and August 1. Proposals focused on undergraduate education should be submitted for the February closing date of the program, since their review will be coordinated with that in the Division of Undergraduate Education in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources.

Preliminary proposals, giving a description of the project and its suitability for consideration in the programs, can be submitted at any time; the program directors will try to respond with informal suggestions for submission.