National Science Foundation enhances support of transformative research

National Science Foundation enhances support of transformative research

Effective October 1, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Grants Proposal Guide incorporates a new revised Intellectual Merit criterion specifically to include review of the extent to which a proposal includes potentially transformative concepts. The National Science Board selected the term “transformative research” to describe a range of undertakings that promise extraordinary outcomes, such as, revolutionizing entire disciplines, creating entirely new fields, or disrupting accepted theories and perspectives. Proposals received at NSF after January 5, 2008, will be subject to the newly revised criterion, which reads as follows:

What is the intellectural merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?

Although the concept of transformative research is not new to NSF, these changes highlight the agency as a preferred funding source for consideration of transformative ideas. To implement the emphasis on transformative research, NSF intends to:

Infuse support of potentially transformative research throughout NSF and all its programs;
Learn how to facilitate potentially transformative research; and
Lead the way for the community through creating opportunities for investigators to submit proposals for potentially transformative research.

Source: NSF, Office of Director – Transformative Research, Notice No. 130