>>Grants

SELECTION CRITERIA

TECHNICAL EVALUATION
Research proposals are reviewed by mathematicians at NSA and/or by a Mathematics Review Panel, which is appointed and administered by the American Mathematical Society. The Mathematics Review Panel members choose peer reviewers to evaluate each proposal. Members of the panel meet annually to discuss, rank, and order the proposals according to the scientific merit of the proposed research and the Principal Investigator's ability, utilizing the peer reviews and the expertise of the panel members. If graduate student support is requested, the principal investigator's proven ability at advising graduate students will be considered. The final AMS ordering will be used by the NSA Mathematical Sciences Program Office to make funding decisions.

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
Although it is the intent of the NSA MSP that the research it supports will produce only unclassified results, it should be recognized that research in sensitive areas might produce information where disclosure could harm U.S. national security. Thus, the following disclosure policy is incorporated in each NSA grant:

"It is expected that the recipient may make formal public disclosure of the scientific and technical information resulting from this agreement (e.g., release articles for appropriate professional publications or present papers at scientific meetings or symposia). Such disclosure is authorized as long as a copy of the article, paper, report, etc., shall be provided to the government, preferably in advance, but at least concurrent with public disclosure. It is also understood and agreed that the recipient may utilize the scientific and technical information resulting from this work in consulting or discussing this and related information with other qualified individuals or groups of individuals, where appropriate, for furthering research. In the event that the researcher believes information generated during the research may require classification, the researcher shall notify NSA and request that the information be reviewed for classification prior to further dissemination."

GENERAL RESTRICTIONS
Research proposals should be submitted for no more than two years of support. The Young Investigator Grants are eligible for up to two months of summer salary, and the Standard Grants are eligible for one month of summer salary. Researchers receiving support from another funding agency are not eligible for NSA support for the same research proposal. Awards will be made only to non-profit institutions. Such awards will be based on a formal proposal submitted by an organization on behalf of the principal investigator(s).

WHO MAY SUBMIT
It is NSA's intent to maintain America's high capabilities in mathematics. Therefore, for mathematics grants, the principal investigators supported by the grant must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents; students and postdoctoral researchers supported by the grant must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who fully intend to become U.S. citizens after the requisite waiting period. To be eligible for an award, the organization must have submitted a certificate of Assurance or Compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and be constantly in compliance with the Act.

WHEN TO SUBMIT
The deadline for receipt of research or conference/workshop/special situation grant proposals in the mathematical sciences is OCTOBER 15 of each year. Awards will be made in the fall of the following year.

WHERE TO SUBMIT
An original copy of the grant proposal and 15 copies must be received by the office of the Mathematical Sciences Program no later than October 15 for it to be reviewed in that cycle. Please allow at least 10 days for mailing and use the following address for U.S. mail.

Dr. Michelle D. Wagner, Director
NSA Mathematical Sciences Program
National Security Agency
ATTN: R1, Suite 6557
Ft George G. Meade, MD 20755-6557

For overnight services the address is:
Dr. Michelle D. Wagner
Department of Defense
National Security Agency
ATTN: R1/Suite 6557/301-688-0400
9800 Savage Road/ (SAB 3)
Ft George G. Meade, MD 20755-6557

THE FOUR FUNDING CATEGORIES
The NSA MSP offers four types of grants that shall be described below.

I. The Young Investigators Grant
This award is available to promising investigators within ten years of receiving the Ph.D. The basic award is a bottom line figure of $15,000 per year for each of two years. Awards cover the direct costs of up to two months of summer salary per year plus fringes, a small amount for travel and expenses, and a university payment in lieu of indirect cost of 15% of the direct costs. Young Investigator proposals will be graded more generously than Standard Grant proposals. Subject to the same 15% in lieu of indirect, a young investigator proposal may also ask for graduate student support (other than tuition) not to exceed $5,000 per student per year, as well as limited funds for computer equipment, as long as the total costs of the project fall within $15,000. Please see the Sample Young Investigator’s Title Page and Sample Young Investigator’s Budget Page for more information.

II. The Standard Grant
This type of grant has been in place since the inception of the NSA MSP in 1987. Awards in this category include support for no more than one month of summer salary each year for the principal investigator, financial support of up to $7,000 (including fringes and indirect costs) for a named graduate student who is working for a degree for the investigator, and miscellaneous expenses for supplies, travel, etc. The Standard Grant can also include support for workshops, postgraduate assistants and certain equipment purchases. The section entitled FINANCIAL SUPPORT provides additional information concerning budgets. See also the Sample Standard Grant Title Page and the Sample Standard Grant Budget Page for more details.

An applicant for a Standard Grant may not also submit a proposal for a Young Investigators Grant or a Senior Investigators Grant. However, the review panel may recommend that a Standard Grant proposal be switched to one of the other categories. A proposal for a Standard Grant may list support for a graduate student. In this case, in addition to describing the proposed research, the individual should list the names of any graduate students who have received degrees under his or her direction in the last 10 years. Each graduate student to be supported should be identified. Any Young Investigator proposal that is in substantial violation of the program description in I. is likely to be considered a Standard Grant proposal.

III. The Senior Investigators Grant
The purpose of this program is to support mathematical scientists who have demonstrated their effectiveness in the supervision of graduate students and who are actively pursuing research in one of the areas of mathematics funded by the NSA MSP. The grant will pay no salary to the principal investigator but will provide partial support for up to two graduate students. Support for travel for the PI and graduate students, equipment, and other miscellaneous expenses can also be requested. In addition to describing the proposed research, the applicant should list the names of all graduate students who have received degrees under her or his direction in the last ten years. Each graduate student to be supported should be identified. Please see the Sample Senior Grant Title Page and the Sample Senior Grant Budget Page for more information.

IV. Conferences, Workshops and Special Situations
These are single year awards to fund conferences on mathematical research, or that mark special events. These grants may also be used to fund other innovative programs at a university in one of the five designated research areas. Efforts to promote attendance by minorities and women are encouraged. It is expected that conference proposals will be submitted to other agencies as well as NSA, and the stipend awarded by NSA will normally range between $10,000 and $15,000. The budget may include travel expenses and honoraria for principal speakers, and travel, meals, and housing expenses for participants. Registration fees should be set at a level to encourage the participation of students. Grant funds cannot be used directly to pay for coffee breaks or refreshments, so we recommend using registration fees to pay for these items (please see the Conferences, Workshops and Special Situations Grant Budget Page for an example of how to write this into the budget). The budget for this category should not include any salary reimbursement. Therefore, it is inappropriate that any university indirect costs be incurred. For more information please see the Conferences, Workshops and Special Grant Title Page.

WHAT TO SUBMIT
It is important for a principal investigator to read this section very carefully and follow all instructions. The signed original proposal and fifteen (15) copies of the signed original proposal should be furnished. The proposal must contain the following:

1. Title Page: The principal investigator should refer to the appropriate SAMPLE TITLE PAGE (see the links referenced above or at the bottom of this page) and fill in all the required information, especially indicating on all copies whether a list of Reviewers/Non-reviewers is enclosed. The NSA MSP will not accept for review any proposal whose title page does not conform to these samples. For each category, the following information must be contained on the title page:
   1. Name and Address of Organization: This should be the legal name and address of the organization that is printed on the letterhead of the institution.
   2. Organizational Endorsement and Approval: This section should contain the name, email address, phone numbers, and mailing address of the principal investigator(s), and an official authorized to sign for the institution. At least one copy of the proposal must carry their original signatures. Home phone numbers for the principal investigators(s) are very useful when the terms of the grant must be negotiated.
   3. Title of Proposed Research: The title of the proposed research should be brief but properly descriptive and should use keywords suitable for indexing and retrieval. It should use alphabetical letters, and avoid symbols and mathematical or scientific notation.
   4. Starting Date and Time Period: The length of time for which support is requested should not exceed two years.
   5. Reviewers/Non-reviewers: The investigator may include potential reviewers and non-reviewers on a separate sheet directly preceding the title page of the original copy of the proposal only. Every attempt will be made to conform to the requests if these instructions and the title page instructions have been followed.
   6. Other Agency Submissions: If this or a similar proposal is being submitted to other funding agencies, please check the appropriate spaces.
2. Table of Contents
3. Summary: A one-page summary of the work being proposed must be the first section following the table of contents. The summary should be self-contained, avoid symbols, and be expressed in language understandable to a scientifically literate reader.
4. Description of Proposed Research: Submit a detailed description of the research to be undertaken, its objectives and approach, and its relationship to the state of knowledge in the field and to comparable work in progress elsewhere.
5. Budget Page: For all proposals, a budget should be submitted for each academic year of the proposed time period. Please read the section FINANCIAL SUPPORT for more details. See also the links to sample budgets at the bottom of this page and in the grant descriptions given above.
6. Personnel: The qualifications of the principal investigator(s) and the time the principal investigator(s) will devote to the research are important factors in the selection of proposals for NSA support. See the section entitled WHO MAY SUBMIT for citizenship/immigration requirements.
   1. For the principal investigator and the senior staff, include
      • a short biography and a selective list of major and/or current publications;
      • information on other commitments of time, such as sabbatical or extended leave; and
      • proportion of time to be devoted to this and other research.
   2. State whether the principal investigator or other key personnel have applied for or received support from other agencies for this or other research.
   3. List (by name if possible) postdoctoral, student, or other research assistants, and their training and experience.
   4. Give the names of other technical personnel who will be working on the research, and describe their association with the project.
   5. Relevant information regarding the Privacy Act: This information about an individual is subject to the requirements of the Privacy act of 1974(5 USC 552a). The information is requested under the authority of Title 10, U.S. Code Sections 2358. The principal purpose of the requested information is for the evaluation of the qualifications of those persons who will perform the proposed research. NSA's Blanket Routine Uses, found at 50 Fed. Reg. 22,584 (1985) apply. The information may be disclosed to the American Mathematical Society. Disclosure of the requested information is voluntary, but failure to provide such will prevent evaluation of the proposal.
7. Bibliography: Include a complete bibliography for each individual as well as a listing of pertinent literature citations to provide references for the description of proposed research. When relevant to the proposed research or indicative of the applicant's ability, include summaries of these and preprints or reprints of research not yet available in readily accessible journals.
8. Facilities and Equipment Available: Facilities and existing equipment available for the research should be described on this page.
9. Proprietary Data: Identify any proprietary data within the proposal that is to be used for evaluation purposes only.
10. Other Sponsors: Provide the names of other parties that have funded, are funding, or have been asked to fund proposed research by any of the investigators during the period of time covered by this proposed grant. Please use the format provided in the sample Current and Pending Support Title Page.
11. Confirmation of Indirect Rates: Include either the name, address, and phone number of the federal government audit agency that will confirm the indirect rates proposed in the budget, or a copy of the latest rate agreement (usually with the Department of Health and Human Services) covering at least the requested starting date of the grant.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
MSP Young Investigator, Standard Research, and Senior Investigator grants allow grant recipients to distribute their funding across various categories, such as summer salary, travel, equipment, and graduate student support. Similarly, recipients of Conference, Workshop, and Special Situation grants may allocate their funds to pay for the travel of plenary speakers, advertising costs, and registration fees.

As an example, a standard research grant supported by the NSA MSP for a single investigator might include funding for the following items in a single year:
   * One month of summer salary support for the principal investigator, including fringe benefits.
   * At most, $7,000 per year to support a graduate student (including fringes and indirect). Please note that NSA does not pay tuition expenses. NSA only supports graduate assistants who are working on a degree under the direction of the principal investigator. The person for whom support is requested, if not named in the proposal, must be identified to the Program Director before funding can commence.
   * Up to one month of support for a postdoctoral research assistant; as with graduate assistants, the person for whom support is requested, if not named in the proposal, must be identified to the Program Director before funding can commence.
   * Computer support required by the research with justification. Matching dollars are often available from special institution funds for purchase of equipment such as computers and software.
   * Up to $2,500 for travel expenses.

Each grant application should include a Budget Page, which is an itemized estimate of the total cost of the research project. The Budget Page is a breakdown of funds by category and year, and must follow the format given in the sample pages. Budgets given in narrative format will not be accepted. Links to the various types of sample budget pages may be found at the bottom of this web page and in the above descriptions of the four types of grants. If a portion of the total research cost is to be furnished by the proposing institution, or another funding agency, then the source and amount should be set forth separately from that money requested from NSA and should be indicated in a “cost share” column on the Budget Page.

The cost principals of OMB Circular A-21 will be applicable to agreements with educational institutions and the cost principals of OMB Circular A-122 shall be applicable for nonprofit organizations. For projects of more than one (1) year duration, separate estimates are required for each year.

GRANT ADMINISTRATION
The NSA Office of Contracting administers the non-technical aspects of grants. Further details, including General Provisions for NSA Grants and Cooperative Agreements, may be obtained from the following address.

National Security Agency
Maryland Procurement Office
9800 Savage Road, Suite 6508
Ft George G. Meade, MD 20755-6508
Telephone Number: 301-688-1944

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dr. Michelle D. Wagner, Director
NSA Mathematical Sciences Program
Email: mdwagn4@nsa.gov
Phone: 301-688-0400
Fax: 301-688-0697

Ms. Rosalie J. Smith, Program Administrator
NSA Mathematical Sciences Program
Email: rjsmit2@nsa.gov
Phone: 301-688-0400
Fax: 301-688-0697

Mailing Address:
Mathematical Sciences Program
National Security Agency
ATTN: R1, Suite 6557
Ft. George G. Meade, MD 20755-6557

SAMPLE TITLE PAGES
Sample Young Investigator’s Title Page
Sample Standard Grant Title Page
Sample Senior Grant Title Page
Conferences, Workshops and Special Grant Title Page
Current and Pending Support Title Page

SAMPLE BUDGET PAGES
Sample Young Investigator’s Budget Page
Sample Standard Grant Budget Page
Sample Senior Grant Budget Page
Conferences, Workshops and Special Situations Grant Budget Page