Setting Priorities for Large Research Facility Projects Supported by the National Science Foundation

National Research Council author Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences author Policy and Global Affairs author Board on Physics and Astronomy author Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy author Committee on Setting Priorities for NSF-Sponsored Large Research Facility Projects author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:National Academies Press

Published:15th Jul '04

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Setting Priorities for Large Research Facility Projects Supported by the National Science Foundation cover

In 1995, the National Science Foundation (NSF) created a special account to fund large (several tens of millions of dollars) research facilities. Over the years, these facilities have come to represent an increasingly prominent part of the nation's R&D portfolio. Recently concern has intensified about the way NSF is selecting projects for this account. In 2003, six U.S. Senators including the chair and ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Appropriations expressed these concerns in a letter to the NRC asking it to "review the current prioritization process and report to us on how it can be improved." This report presents a series of recommendations on how NSF can improve its priority setting process for large research facilities. While noting that NSF has improved this process, the report states that further strengthening is needed if NSF is to meet future demands for such projects. Table of Contents

  • Front Matter
  • Executive Summary
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Description of National Science Foundation's Current Process
  • 3 Concerns About National Science Foundation's Current Priority-Setting Process
  • 4 Recommendations
  • 5 Implementing the Recommendations
  • 6 Conclusion
  • 7 Bibliography
  • Appendix A: Committee and Professional Staff Biographical Information
  • Appendix B: Charge to the Committee and Origins of the Study
  • Appendix C: Histories of Projects Funded by NSF
  • Appendix D: Approval Processes in Other Agencies and Other Countries
  • Appendix E: Examples of Criteria Used to Prioritize or Select
  • Appendix F: NSF Background Materials
  • Appendix G: Executive Summary of COSEPUP Report Major Award Decisionmaking at the National Science Foundation

ISBN: 9780309090841

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

236 pages