NSF-funded Research Collaborations with SubSaharan
AfricaPresented at a Workshop on “Enhancing Research and Education Network Connectivity to and within Africa”
May 5, 2005
Elizabeth E. Lyons, Ph.D.NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering
NSF Basics
Independent federal agency$5.47B budget in FY05Organized by disciplineUses peer review to make awardsIncludes Social Science and EngineeringIntegration of Research and Education is a hallmark
NSF’s International Activities
International activities are a key part of NSF’s mission.
“Discovery is a global enterprise. For the U.S. to remain in the forefront of world science and technology, it needs scientists and engineers from all disciplines who can operate and lead international teams and track international discoveries in some of the most challenging research areas.”
» NSF Director Arden Bement, 2004
International Research and Education
International research and education proposals are funded both by NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and by the Research DirectoratesApproximately 20% of all NSF awards involve international collaboration
Office of International Scienceand Engineering (OISE)
Promote research excellence through international collaborationForge partnerships with scientists & engineers throughout the world in all NSF subjects & priority areas Manage international programs that are catalytic & innovative, develop new models in developed & developing countriesPromote access to unique research facilities and opportunitiesPromote international experiences for junior researchers
NSF - Frame of ReferenceNSF is proposal-driven; it is enabling and bottom-up, rather than directive and top-downNSF is fundamentally a domestic agency, with constraints on funding of salaries and equipment for foreign counterpartsNSF funds fundamental research, so proposals must demonstrate how science advanced, not how applied problem to be solved (exceptions often in Engineering and CISE)Governing body, National Science Board, charged NSF to work more in developing countries, by forming partnerships with groups that can fund foreign side
NSF’s SubSaharan Africa Portfolio 1999-2004 Trends
Number of awards and total funding have both increased steadily ($23M, 154 awards in FY04 vs. 80 awards, $15M in FY99). Geographic distribution greatly increased. South Africa no longer dominates. Most awards still in southern and eastern Africa; language an issue. In FY03, top 4 countries had 65% proposals, in FY04, top 4 countries had 47%.Disciplinary breadth increasing. Majority still in field sciences – BIO, GEO, Social Science, but other disciplines increasing.
NSF’s SubSaharan Africa Portfolio 1999-2004 DetailsTypes of proposals – small dissertation projects, workshops, regular research awards, very large projects (each year at least 4 projects >$1M)Includes projects from some of NSF’s most competitive programs – e.g, Biocomplexity, ITR, CAREER/PECASE, Ecology of Infectious DiseaseGrowing number of projects give young scientists and engineers international research experience (e.g., Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship, Post-Doctoral fellowships).
NSF’s SubSaharan Africa Portfolio 1999-2004 Details
Most awards are in geosciences, biology and social sciences (anthropology and geography)Awards in other disciplines are on the increase– US/Africa Materials Institute at Princeton University, 5
US universities and researchers and students in 16 African countries ($2.85M)
– Power Engineering group at Howard U, Washington State and RPI working with Nigeria and Ghana
– Southern Africa Large Telescope
PI meeting – Research on Environment in SubSaharan AfricaJanuary 2005 meeting at NSF – 50-60 US PI’s, 15 graduate students and post-docs, 20 Africans who collaborate on NSF projects, other agencies who can fund – USAID, Carnegie, Kellogg, Fulbright, etc.Build a community, strengthen all activities, seek other partners so that these projects are sustainable, with true intellectual partnership with foreign collaborators; report forthcoming.Also had a one-day satellite meeting on the IT challenges of doing this researchHow to build and sustain international networks? IT is essential!!
International CyberinfrastructureNSF’s role – link US scientists with their colleagues- particularly where there are data-intensive activities – e.g., physics, astronomy – but also environmental, atmospheric, global change, seismic, genomic, museumRight now, Africa, Middle East, South Asia not well connectedHow to rectify – learn from experience of other regionsNeed regional cooperation, so that US can link to regional academic networks as International Research Networks Connections. Archived program announcement: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04560/nsf04560.htm
More informationVisit OISE homepage
http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=OISE ---overseas research institutions, foreign research
funding counterparts, and international science and engineering organizations
---helpful information on research & study abroad (e.g., visas, permits, customs regulations, & travel warnings)Contact OISE program manager and disciplinary program officer with questions Search awards on NSF website
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6Start.htm
