NSF Ethical and Responsible Research: Harvard Internal Pre-Proposal Deadline

NSF Ethical and Responsible Research
Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: November 30, 2020Sponsor Deadline (if nominated): February 22, 2021
Award Amount: $600,000 maximum for 5-year awards; $400,00 maximum for 3-year awards

The Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) program 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.

Types of proposals:

1. Standard Research Grants and Institutional Transformation Research Grants: ER2 research projects will use basic research to 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. Proposals including international collaborations are encouraged when those efforts enhance the merit of the proposed work by incorporating unique resources, expertise, facilities or sites of international partners. For Institutional Transformation Research Grants, investigators are expected to gather and report baseline data in the first annual report. Both Standard and Institutional Transformation Research Grant proposals can be collaborative.
2. 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. Conference proposals should generally be submitted a year in advance of the proposed event. ER2 conference support is typically around $30,000 in direct costs.
3. Project Incubation Proposals: ER2 supports small Project Incubation proposals that provide funds for STEM researchers and administrators from multiple organizations to collaborate to develop and submit a full ER2 Standard Grant. Proposers must span at least two organizations. Those who intend to submit a Project Incubation proposal must consult with a cognizant NSF Program Officer before submitting to ascertain the suitability of the envisioned activity. Project Incubation proposals provide only one year of support, typically around $60,000 in direct costs.

The ER2 program will not consider proposals focused on ethics for medical students or in medical education. Proposals that address medical informatics, biomedical engineering, systems engineering and social scientific studies in health and medicine will be considered.

This is a limited submission opportunity. Harvard University, as a single institution, is limited to submitting one proposal as the lead organization. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research will administer the internal competition to select the Harvard nominee. To be considered for the Harvard nomination, potential applicants must submit an internal pre-proposal.