NSF ANNOUNCES FY 2003 BIOCOMPLEXITY IN THE ENVIRONMENT SPECIAL
COMPETITION
The announcement can be accessed on line at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02167/nsf02167.htm
The National Science Foundation has posted an announcement for the FY
2003 special competition on Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE). That
announcement can be accessed on line at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02167/nsf02167.htm
The FY 2003 competition will be similar to the two previous
competitions, with a set of focused competitions providing an
opportunity for multidisciplinary teams to conduct comprehensive,
integrated investigations of environmental systems using advanced
scientific and engineering methods. The concept of biocomplexity
stresses the richness of biological systems (including human systems)
and their capacity for adaptation and self-organizing behavior. By
placing biocomplexity studies in an environmental context, this
competition emphasizes research with the following characteristics: (a)
a high degree of interdisciplinarity; (b) a focus on complex
environmental systems that include interactions of non-human biota or
humans; and (c) a focus on systems with high potential for exhibiting
non-linear behavior.
The Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH) is the focused
competition that likely will draw the greatest interest from social and
behavioral scientists. The CNH competition focuses on the complex
interactions among human and natural systems at diverse spatial,
temporal, and organizational scales. To be competitive for support,
teams of investigators drawn from relevant natural, social, and
mathematical sciences, engineering, and education must examine the
dynamics of appropriate natural and human systems as well as the
interactions that link those human and natural systems. Most CNH funds
will support awards that range up to five years in duration and up to
$2.0 million in total value, although a few developmental awards of up
to two years in duration and $100,000 will also be made. The deadline
for submission of CNH proposals is Tuesday, November 19, 2002.
Social and/or behavioral scientists played central roles in the
investigative teams undertaking projects that were supported by all
eight major CNH awards during FY 2001 and by seven major awards being
funded based on the FY 2002 competition. A list of all FY 2001 CNH
awards is accessible at:
http://www.geo.nsf.gov/ere/BE_competitions/be_01_cnh_awards.htm
A comparable list of FY 2002 awards will be posted soon after the final
awards are made in September 2002.
Other focused BE competitions include Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles
(CBC); Genome-Enabled Environmental Science and Engineering (Gen-En);
Instrumentation Development for Environmental Activities (IDEA); and
Materials Use: Science, Engineering, and Society (MUSES). The
deadlines for those competitions are November 19, 2002, for IDEA;
December 17, 2002, for Gen-En; January 28, 2003, for CBC, and March 4,
2003, for MUSES.
For more information about the BE competitions, consult with a relevant
program officer for a specific competition. Their names and contact
information can be accessed at:
http://www.geo.nsf.gov/be-03.htm