Preparing for the BES Mid-Term Review: What Does NSF Want?
Here are the current expectations as stated by the National Science Science Foundation that will be used in evaluating BES. The Mid-Term Review will take place in October, and this Charge to the Review Team is provided to help the BES community prepare for the review:
NSF Review Criteria
- fulfilling its proposed research goals in a timely manner
- collecting and managing core data sets
- carrying out research at the leading edge of ecology that will advance the field
- managed effectively
- maintaining a unique research focus
- making data and metadata readily accessible
- integrating research with education, training and outreach.
Suggested sections of the report are:
- core data collection
- compelling, site-specific long-term ecological and related research
- cross-site or broader scale synthetic research
- outreach, education, and training
- information management
- project management, including institutional relations, personnel mgt, decision making, diversity, leadership and transitions
Budgets: During each funding cycle, sites receive a fixed, flat budget for each year. As a result, there are multiple and sometimes conflicting demands on the funds received between long-term data collection and new research directions. Most sites obtain significant research funds from other NSF programs, funding agencies or sources, with an average of about 3 non-LTER dollars for every NSF/LTER dollar. It can be difficult to sort out what NSF funds from related projects, but it is important for you to evaluate the ability of a site to retain a clear research focus that addresses important questions. The potential for a site to be come diffuse in its research is obvious when many of the resources obtained are not tied to core LTER goals.