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Researchers and Students The National Science Foundation (NSF) was created by the U.S. Congress in 1950 with the mission to support science and engineering research in non-profit institutions (primarily colleges and universities) and education in science, mathematics, and engineering at all levels. NSF awards grants on the basis of competitive, peer-reviewed proposals submitted by faculty members in US universities, or comparable staff in other qualifying institutions. Once NSF makes a grant, the Principal Investigator at the submitting institution is in charge of the project, and his or her institution is responsible for the use of the funds. |
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| NSF's International Cooperative Activities |
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International projects are an integral part of NSF's portfolio of awards. All proposals to NSF must be submitted by U.S. institutions. However, NSF-supported projects can, and often do, involve non-U.S. partners. Funds awarded for research projects can be used to support travel associated with an international collaboration and the research expenses associated with the U.S. portion of the collaborative effort. In most cases, NSF expects non-U.S. collaborating scientists to have research support from an organization in their own country. Most NSF support for international projects is awarded by one of the Foundation's disciplinary divisions. NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (INT) facilitates international cooperation in all fields of science and engineering supported by NSF. INT's priorities are: (1) to support new types of partnerships between U.S. researchers and their foreign colleagues, most frequently by means of cooperative research projects and joint seminars and workshops; and (2) to provide research and educational opportunities abroad for US scientists and engineers (in many cases including foreign nationals enrolled in U.S. universities) at early stages in their careers. Detailed descriptions of programs to support collaborative projects with researchers in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region can be found by consulting EAP's homepage. |
| Obtaining Information About Grants for International Cooperative Activities |
| Scientists and engineers from the East Asia-Pacific region who are interested in carrying out cooperative activities with U.S. partners should first identify potential US collaborators who are willing to submit proposals to NSF to support the US-side of the proposed activities. NSF's counterpart organizations in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Taiwan [links to be added] can provide detailed information relevant to requirements and criteria for obtaining support for the non-US side of the cooperative work. Scientists and engineers from other countries should advise their U.S. partners to consult with INT's East Asia Pacific Section (EAP) about appropriate procedures (phone: 703-292-8704, e-mail: EAPinfo@nsf.gov). |
| Information for East Asian Students and Post-Docs |
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NSF is an important source of support for non-U.S. graduate students and post-docs in science and engineering working at U.S. universities. Most of this support is in the form of research assistantships that are part of normal research grants. Decisions concerning who receives these assistantships are made by the principal investigator and his or her university, not by NSF. The Foundation places no nationality restrictions on the use of grant funds to support research assistants. Several NSF post-doctoral fellowship programs encourage fellows to spend all or part of their fellowships at non-U.S. research organizations. Laboratories in East Asian and Pacific nations are encouraged to consider hosting NSF-supported post-docs. NSF also supports Graduate Research Fellowships in science, mathematics, or engineering. These three-year fellowships are awarded to college seniors or first-year graduate students at U.S. institutions, or others who have been in graduate school for a limited period of time. |
| Getting More Specific Information About NSF |
NSF is making the transition to all-electronic dissemination of information regarding its activities. NSF's website (http://www.nsf.gov) provides:
Visitors to the NSF website can search through the on-line documents and award abstracts using a variety of search strategies (by discipline, keyword, geographical area). This is an excellent way to identify potential U.S. research partners who already receive NSF support.
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