(FOA)-Limited Submission – National Science Foundation – Ethical and Responsible Research (NSF 19-609); February 24, 2020

Purpose: The NationalScience Foundation invites applications for the Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) opportunity. ER2 funds research projects that identify (1) factors that are effective in the formation of ethical STEM researchers and (2) approaches to developing those factors in all STEM fields that NSF supports. ER2 solicits proposals for research that explores the following:

·         What constitutes responsible conduct for research (RCR), and which cultural and institutional contexts promote ethical STEM research and practice and why?

·         Do certain labs have a "culture of academic integrity'?

·         What practices contribute to the establishment and maintenance of ethical cultures and how can these practices be transferred, extended to, and integrated into other research and learning settings?

 

Factors one might consider include: honor codes, professional ethics codes and licensing requirements, an ethic of service and/or service learning, life-long learning requirements, curricula or memberships in organizations (e.g. Engineers without Borders) that stress responsible conduct for research, institutions that serve under-represented groups, institutions where academic and research integrity are cultivated at multiple levels, institutions that cultivate ethics across the curriculum, or programs that promote group work, or do not grade. Successful proposals typically have a comparative dimension, either between or within institutional settings that differ along these or among other factors, and they specify plans for developing interventions that promote the effectiveness of identified factors.

 

ER2 research projects will produce knowledge about what constitutes or promotes responsible or irresponsible conduct of research, and how to best instill this knowledge into researchers and educators at all career stages. In some cases, projects will include the development of interventions to ensure ethical and responsible research conduct. Types of proposals include the following:

·         Standard Research Grants and Institutional Transformation Research Grants - Proposed research should seek to provide answers to the questions above. For Institutional Transformation Research Grants, investigators are expected to gather and report baseline data in the first annual report.

·         Conference Proposals - The ER2 program supports thematic conferences designed to bring together researchers and students to foster new ER2 research, synthesize results across previously funded ER2 projects, and develop new ethical standards for STEM research. 

·         Project Incubation Proposals – These funds are for STEM research and administrators from multiple organizations to collaborate to develop and submit a full ER2 Standard Research Grant

 

Funding Amount/Funding Period: up to $600,000 over 5 years; $30,000 direct costs for conference proposals; $60,000 directs costs for up to 1 year for ER2 Project Incubation Grants

 

Institutional Limit: 1 (as lead organization)

Link to Funding Opportunity Announcement

Internal Competition:  To participate in the university’s selection process, please upload the following, assembled into a single PDF file, to the Office of the Vice President for Research via this portal with a copy to your Associate Dean for Research by December 10, 2019:

·         Names and departments of the PI and Senior Project Personnel;

·         Title of the program and/or solicitation number;

·         Type of proposal being proposed;

·         Brief project description (2 pages max.), including the type of proposal as outlined above;

·         Brief biographical sketch.

A committee will be convened to review the material and make a recommendation.

For questions or issues with submission through the portal, email the limited submission mailbox (limitedsubmissions@uky.edu) or call 257-2861.

NSF Deadline: February 24, 2020