Title
Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3)
Agencies
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Description
Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) challenges faculty, administrators, and others in institutions to think strategically about the creative integration of NSF-funded awards towards a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts. Although there is particular emphasis in I3 on awards managed by programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), institutional integration is not limited only to EHR awards but can include other NSF awards with a STEM educational focus. Two or more institutions in geographic proximity might, for example, partner to bridge existing NSF-funded awards on their campuses (e.g., RDE, IGERT, LSAMP, ATE, CREST, REU) to broaden participation in STEM fields and enhance undergraduate research opportunities. Additional connections might be made internationally with faculty or students outside the United States who would add their considerable intellectual and cultural perspectives. As another example, an institution might implement new policies, procedures, or mechanisms that encourage and value synergistic efforts among existing NSF-funded awards (e.g., GK-12, MSP, Noyce, REESE, DRK-12) and with other institutional units to better understand and enhance seamlessness across critical educational junctures, perhaps infusing innovative approaches to cyber-learning.
This effort has the following interrelated goals:
Increase synergy and collaboration across NSF-funded projects and within/between institutions, towards an educational environment where artificial boundaries are significantly reduced and the student experience is more fully integrated;
Expand and deepen the impact of NSF-funded projects and enhance their sustainability;
Provide additional avenues to broaden participation through workforce development, especially for those underrepresented in STEM research and education; attend to seamless transitions across critical educational junctures; and/or provide more effectively for a globally engaged workforce;
Promote innovative programming, policies, and practices to encourage the integration of STEM research and education; and
Encourage STEM educational or related research in domains that hold promise for promoting intra- or inter-institutional integration and broader impacts.
Proposals that facilitate either (a) inter-institutional or (b) intra-institutional efforts are encouraged. Proposals may be submitted by (a) a single institution to address intra-institutional goals only or (b) an institution acting on behalf of an institutional partnership to address inter-institutional goals.
Proposals are expected to incorporate a depth and quality of creative, coherent, and strategic actions that extend beyond commonplace approaches to normal institutional operations. Proposals may also be submitted for research on institutional integration or other closely related themes articulated in the goals above.
I3 is a cross-divisional effort in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). For Fiscal Year 2009, proposals are being solicited in nine EHR programs that advance I3 goals: CREST, GSE, HBCU-UP, ITEST, LSAMP, MSP, Noyce, RDE, and TCUP. All proposals submitted to I3 through these programs have a common due date and will be reviewed in competition with one another.
More Information
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09511/nsf09511.pdf
Submission Limits
For Fiscal Year 2009, proposals are being solicited in nine EHR programs that advance the goals of Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3 ): CREST, GSE, HBCU-UP, ITEST, LSAMP, MSP, Noyce, RDE, and TCUP. Given the focus on institutional integration, an institution may submit only one proposal to the I3 competition for each deadline.
Deadlines
Internal Notice of Intent |
May 14, 2009 |
Notification of Internal Competition |
May 15, 2009 |
Internal Pre-proposal |
Jun 18, 2009 |
Results of Internal Competition |
Jul 10, 2009 |
Agency Notice of Intent/Pre-proposal |
N/A |
Agency Proposal |
Aug 25, 2009
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