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National Science Foundation Home National Science Foundation - Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE)
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Special Announcements

SBE is participating in the third round of the Open Research Area (ORA), an international funding opportunity to support research projects across all areas of the social and behavioral sciences. Partners in ORA include Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, UK), and the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO, Netherlands).  The Call for Proposals and further information on ORA, including an FAQ, is available at: http://www.nwo.nl/ora. The deadline for proposals is February 15, 2013. 

Stimulating Research Related to the Science of Broadening Participation. Building on the previous investments of the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) to stimulate research related to the Science of Broadening Participation (SBP), SBE and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) have now decided to partner with each other to support SBP research. For complete details concerning this endeavor, see the Dear Colleague Letter.

Workshop for Engaging Social, Behavioral, and Economic Scientists through Social and Policy Entrepreneurship.  The Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) seeks to explore possible avenues for guiding scientific discoveries closer to the development of public policy and social ventures. To this end, SBE would like to invite proposals that should have as their goal the development of high quality collaborations to advance social science engagement with public policy and social ventures via a workshop. For more details concerning this funding opportunity, please see its Dear Colleague Letter

Building Community and Capacity for Data-Intensive Research in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences and in Education and Human Resources  (BCC-SBE/EHR) - As part of NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21) activity, the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure seek to enable research communities to develop visions, teams, and capabilities dedicated to creating new, large-scale, next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research for the SBE and EHR areas of research. For more information about this funding opportunity including a link to its solicitation, see the BCC-SBE/EHR Program Web Site. 

Interdisciplinary Research Across the SBE Sciences, Including a New Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences (IBSS) Competition.  Based on feedback gathered during the SBE 2020 visioning process and presented in Rebuilding the Mosaic, the Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) encourages investigators to submit proposals that go beyond the boundaries of traditional disciplines, span across the existing core SBE programs, or extend outside the SBE sciences.  A new Dear Colleague Letter outlines a range of options for pursuing support for interdisciplinary research that bridges the social, behavioral, and economic (SBE) sciences.  Among these options is a new competition for Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (IBSS).  Consult the IBSS website and the IBSS solicitation for more information.

The Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program has implemented a new schedule for the submission and evaluation of proposals. For additional information, see the Dear Colleague Letter:  Proposal Solicitation and Evaluation Changes for the GSS Program  

SBE 2020 Update.   The SBE 2020 Report, Rebuilding the Mosaic: Fostering Research in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation in the Next Decade is now available.  A webcast on this report was released on December 1, 2011.

International Collaboration

As scientific research becomes more global in scope and significance, fostering the expansion of interdisciplinary research endeavors and international collaborations is of increasing importance. The Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate encourages research that brings U.S. scientists together with scientists from other countries to work on common projects.  Consequently, the SBE Directorate and The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) of the UK have been collaborating in support of research of mutual interest for several years.  A Memorandum of Understanding is in place to encourage interdisciplinary research and facilitate the peer-review and joint-funding of US-UK collaborative research in areas at the intersection of the two agencies' missions.  Prospective Principal Investigators (PIs) should review the programs supported through SBE's two research divisions, the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences and Division of Social and Economic Sciences, as well as the AHRC for further information on each of the agency's areas of support.  Researchers are also encouraged to discuss topics for possible joint support with agency personnel.

If you are interested in US-UK collaborative research opportunities, please review the special guidelines to learn more about the review process and criteria established under the MOU.

Data Management Plan for SBE Proposals
All proposals submitted to NSF must now include a Data Management Plan. Please see SBE's Guidance on Data Management Plans for detailed information concerning this policy.
Recently Announced Funding Opportunities See All

Enhancing Access to the Radio Spectrum
(NSF  13-539) Posted February 13, 2013

Water Sustainability and Climate
(NSF  13-535) Posted February 1, 2013

Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation - SSE & SSI
(NSF  13-525) Posted December 19, 2012

Next-Generation National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
(NSF  13-521) Posted December 12, 2012

Research Coordination Networks
(NSF  13-520) Posted November 30, 2012

Upcoming Due Dates See All

SBE Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
(NSF  11-547) Full Proposal: February 15, 2013, Sociology

Sociology
(PD  98-1331) Full Proposal: February 15, 2013, Dissertation Research

Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education
(NSF  13-518) Letter of Intent: February 20, 2013, INSPIRE Track 2 Inquiries

Major Research Instrumentation Program:
(NSF  13-517) Full Proposal: February 21, 2013

Building Community and Capacity for Data-Intensive Research in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences and in Education and Human Resources
(NSF  13-519) Full Proposal: February 27, 2013

Funding Rates
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News See All
Graphic illustration showing folders,pencil and notepad with drawings and the text pat pending NSF Survey: 20 Percent of U.S. Businesses Performing or Funding R&D Applied for U.S. Patents in 2008
Released February 15, 2013
Press Release
Digging into data logo Ten International Research Funders Announce Round Three of 'Digging into Data' Challenge
Released February 6, 2013
Press Release
Kyle Irwin Going Along Means Getting Along--and That's Not Always Good, Baylor Study Finds
Released February 6, 2013
News From the Field
people and society graphic Preserving Biodiversity Can Be Compatible With Intensive Agriculture
Released February 6, 2013
News From the Field
Image of three students at a university Academic Institutions Added More Science and Engineering Research Space in Last Several Years
Released February 1, 2013
Press Release
Discoveries See All
Woman cooking over an open fire Cooking Up Clean Air in Africa
Reducing air pollution and meningitis risk in Ghana
Released  January 3, 2013

Photo of a father holding a baby. Six-month-old Word Learners
Study of infants challenges developmental sequence of human language learning
Released  March 8, 2012

Image of a wolf howling in the forest. Studying Nature's Rhythms: Soundscape Ecologists Spawn New Field
Listen to biophony, geophony, anthrophony: the 'music' of Planet Earth
Released  February 6, 2012

Photo of a hunter enlarging a burrow and his dog at other burrow end and the words Photo Gallery. Older Is Better for Hunting Dogs
Research examines key demographic variables of Nicaraguan canines
Released  January 17, 2012

Image of seated child with three cyberbullies each with belt lock rising from her laptop. Foiling the Plan of a Cyberbully
Researchers suggest listening to students to craft prevention policies
Released  November 22, 2011

Events Calendar See All

February 22, 2013
Climate Change Symposium at Cosmos Club
Symposia

February 26, 2013
HPC Acquisition Webcast
Webcast

March 5, 2013
Science: Becoming the Messenger
Workshop

March 13, 2013  - March 14, 2013
Advisory Commitee for Environmental Research and Education
Advisory Committee Meeting

March 14, 2013  - March 15, 2013
Advisory Committee for International Science and Engineering
Advisory Committee Meeting

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Featured Programs
SBE Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
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Advisory Committee Members Only
Social, Behavioral and Economic Research in the Federal Context Report
Expedited Review of Social and Behavioral Research Activities Report
Publications See All
Dear Colleague Letter: Interdisciplinary Research across the SBE Sciences
Dear Colleague Letter - Issuance of a new NSF Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide
Dear Colleague Letter - Stimulating Research Related to the Science of Broadening Participation
Dear Colleague Letter -Workshop for Engaging Social, Behavioral, and Economic Scientists through Social and Policy Entrepreneurship
Large Facilities Manual, January 4, 2013
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