OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES

EPSCoR Project Directors and Project Administrators MeetingMay, 2012

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SBE IN A NUTSHELL

• Annual budget of approximately $254 million

• Funds more than 50% of federally funded basic research in SBE fields in academic institutions

• Most of the funds go to peer-reviewed grants to individuals and small groups – approximately 4800 proposals and 1,200 awards in a typical year, including dissertation improvement grants

• Also provide funding to major surveys; collect data on the science and engineering enterprise10/24/112 |

SBE STRUCTURE

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• Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences

• Division of Social and Economic Sciences• National Center for Science and

Engineering Statistics• SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities

NSF FY’13 MAJOR INVESTMENTS & SBE

• Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES)

• Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21)

• Expeditions in Education (E2)• Comprehensive National

Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI)• Innovation Corps Program (I-Corps)• Integrated NSF Support Promoting

Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE)

• Build on Core Programs to Support Innovative Science

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NSF FY’12 APPROPRIATION REPORT: AN INTERESTING TWIST“NSF is uniquely positioned to advance the non-medical aspects of cognitive sciences and neurosciences, particularly through interdisciplinary science … and the conferees encourage NSF to sustain and expand its investments in these areas. In addition, to better focus the agency’s efforts and guide future budget submissions, NSF is encouraged to establish a cognitive sciences and neurosciences crosscutting theme.”

• Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference, November 2011

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SBE 2020

• 252 white papers from diverse group of authors on a broad range of topics

• Coding and analysis• Consultation• A Report

THE CENTRAL FINDING

Research in the SBE sciences is increasingly collaborative, multi- or interdisciplinary, data intensive, and frequently problem-oriented.

FY13 SBE 2020 INVESTMENTS

• Interdisciplinary research and training:– New Interdisciplinary

Program– Continue Supplementary

DCL– Post-Doctoral Fellows

• Data and Infrastructure (linked to CIF21):– Updated Data Communities– “Big Data”

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INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE: FOUR TOPICS • Population change• Disparities: health,

civic engagement, income and wealth….

• Communication, language, brain, behavior

• New technology, social media, and social networks

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MORE FY 2013 POSSIBILITIES

• Enlarged international partnerships, specifically with European funding agencies

• Possible second round of NSF-Census Research Network activities

• Science of Learning Center Workshops & Review

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Thank You!

mgutmann@nsf.gov11 |

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BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES• Archaeology &

Archaeometry• Cognitive

Neuroscience • Cultural Anthropology• Developmental &

Learning Sciences• Documenting

Endangered Languages

• Geography & Spatial Sciences

• Linguistics

• Perception, Action, & Cognition

• Physical Anthropology

• Social Psychology

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES• Decision, Risk, & Management Sciences• Economics• Science of Organizations • Law and Social Science • Methodology, Measurement & Statistics• Political Science • Science, Technology and Society• Sociology

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NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING STATISTICS• Nation’s primary source of data and

analysis on the science & engineering enterprise

• Designs, supports, and directs about 11 periodic surveys, other data collections & research projects– Major surveys on innovation in business

• 30 publications yearly• Congressionally-mandated publications:– Science & Engineering Indicators– Women, Minorities, and Persons with

Disabilities in Science and Engineering

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SBE OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES• Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP)• Science of Learning Centers (SLC)• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU Sites)• SBE Postdoctoral Fellowships• Funding for interdisciplinary work

SBE FY’13 INVESTMENTS in SEES• Water Sustainability

and Climate• Coupled Natural and

Human Systems• Research Networks• SEES Fellows• Sustainable Energy

Pathways• Decision making,

coastal communities, vulnerability, resilience

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SBE CONNECTIONS TO STATES WITH SEES-RELATED THEMES• Alaska – Adapting to Changing

Environments• Hawaii – Evolutionary Biogeography• Idaho – Water Resources and Climate

Change• Iowa – Sustainable Energy and Biofuels• Kansas – Climate Change and Energy• Maine – Sustainability Sciences Initiative

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SBE CONNECTIONS TO STATES WITH SEES-RELATED THEMES• Montana – Enhanced Science and Technology

Partnerships• Nevada – Climate Change• New Hampshire – Climate, Land Use,

Ecosystem Services and Society• New Mexico – Climate Change and Mountain

Water• Utah – Urban transitions and hydro-

sustainability • Vermont – Climate Change and Complex

Systems Models10/24/1118 |

CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE FRAMEWORK FOR 21ST CENTURY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING-CIF21

• Community Development

• Access to SBE-supported surveys

• Advanced Computing Infrastructure

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EXPEDITIONS IN EDUCATION (E2)• Focus Topics:– Transforming Learning for

STEM Undergraduates– People and the Planet– Cyberlearning and Big Data

• SBE involvement:– Make targeted research

data available for educational uses

– Provide scientists better access to scientific data for learning and instruction

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COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY INITIATIVE• Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC): – Fund research to enable a cybersecure

society via the production of high-quality digital systems and a well-trained workforce

• SBE focus: To understand and, if possible, predict:– Prevention, attack, and/or defense

behaviors– Design of incentives, markets, or institutions– Motivations of individuals

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INNOVATION CORPS (I-CORPS)• Assesses the readiness of emerging

technology concepts to transition into new products

• Brings together technological, entrepreneurial, and business know-how to move discoveries towards commercializationSBE focus:

• Strengthen collaboration between social scientists and practitioners

• Improve social science students’ understanding of innovation22 |

• CREATIV (pilot program)– Interdisciplinary and potentially transformative– Internal merit-reviewed by program directors– Open to all NSF-supported fields—no favored topics– Substantial funding; not limited to exploratory

stage• SBE Focus:– Support interdisciplinary research and training

aligned with the SBE Transformed Portfolio, SBE 2020

Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research & Education (INSPIRE)

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