NSF / SBE

Research Opportunity Awards

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE)announces a special emphasis on Research Opportunity Awards (ROAs). ROAs are a component of the Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) program. ROAs enable faculty members at predominantly undergraduate institutions to pursue research as visiting scientists with NSF-supported investigators at other institutions. The spirit of the ROA is to allow for more interchange between all researchers and to provide for special collaborations. The Cross-Directorate Activities Program in SBE has set aside funds specifically for this special emphasis and is accepting ROA supplement requests.

There are two deadlines: May 15, 2001 and January 15, 2002.

For specific information abut the goals of this special emphasis, and preparing an application, go to http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0174.

Applications must follow the guidelines in the RUI Program Announcement, NSF 00-144
(http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf00144). The guidelines in the RUI program announcement should be reviewed carefully. In general, if an institution awards an average of no more than ten doctorates per year in disciplines that NSF supports, and if the Principal Investigator of the proposal is from a department that does not grant any doctorate degrees, then a proposal can be submitted under the RUI title.

As stated in the RUI Program announcement, requests for ROA supplements are submitted to NSF by the host institution. Faculty members interested in becoming ROA visiting researchers make their own arrangements with NSF-supported investigators. Alternatively, the PI of an ongoing NSF research grant may initiate an ROA collaboration. For additional information on how to find a collaborator please see the section "Finding a Collaborator."

Please refer to the RUI Program Announcement for information regarding RUI eligibility. Faculty members who wish to become ROA visiting researchers must be from RUI-eligible institutions. Any institution with an SBE-funded principal investigator (RUI or non-RUI) is eligible to be a host institution. Finding a Collaborator

The NSF RUI website (http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/crssprgm/rui/connections.shtm) contains information, summarized below, on how to find a collaborator.
First, potential host researchers can be found by searching the NSF award abstracts https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6AwardSearch.htm). Use keywords from your research area to pull up a list of awards relevant to your research. To get additional information about the award, click on the title of the award. Be sure to check the dates of the award, as some awards may have expired. Second, you may to wish to contact the Program Officer(s) in disciplines relevant to your research area.