Submission Guidelines

PIs may submit proposals in PDF format online at the Submission page. Please consult the Online Submission Instructions page for detailed information on submitting a proposal through the online system.

Grants for Research in Mathematics

The NSA MSP supports self-directed, unclassified research in the areas of Algebra, Number Theory, Discrete Mathematics, Probability, and Statistics. The program does not support research in cryptology.

Selection Criteria

Awards for all four types of grants: Young Investigators, Standard, Senior, and Conferences/Workshops/Special Situations (including Research Experiences for Undergraduates, REUs) will be made on the basis of factors that demonstrate the scientific merit of the proposal, including:

1. The prospect that the research will lead to important discoveries.

2. The prospect that the research will produce innovations or significant improvements in investigative methods, including methods of computation.

3. The investigator's scientific qualifications and accomplishments.

4. The investigator's demonstrated awareness of previous approaches to the problem.

The NSA MSP attempts to have a wide geographic and institutional distribution of support, and NSA encourages proposals from traditionally underrepresented groups.

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 (AMS). 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
Awards will be made only to non-profit institutions. Awards will be based on a formal proposal submitted by an organization on behalf of the principal investigator(s). Research proposals should be submitted for no more than two years of support. The Young Investigator Grants provide up to two months of summer salary, and the Standard Grants provide one month of summer salary. Researchers receiving support from another funding agency are normally not eligible for NSA support while receiving the other support. In special situations, decisions by the MSP will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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 AND HOW TO SUBMIT
The NSA MSP no longer accepts hard-copy submissions. Please submit proposals using the electronic submission system. The deadline for receipt of research or conference/workshop/special situation grant proposals in the mathematical sciences is 6pm (PST) on October 17, 2011. Selection notifications will be sent to the PI in the summer of 2012, and awards will be made when NSA receives its grant allocation during fall 2012. Therefore, it is anticipated that grant awards will occur between February 2013 and May 2013

I. The Young Investigators Grant
This award is available to promising investigators within ten years after receiving the Ph.D. The basic award is a bottom line figure of $20,000 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. Subject to the same 15% in lieu of indirect, a Young Investigator proposal may also request 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 $20,000. Please see the 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 (PI) and miscellaneous expenses for supplies, travel, etc. The Standard Grant may also include financial support for a named graduate student who is working with the principal investigator toward a degree in addition to one postgraduate assistant. The PI can request up to $7,000 each for these individuals to include fringes and indirect costs but their summer support cannot exceed two summer months. 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 ten years. An applicant for a Standard Grant may not also submit a proposal for a Young Investigators Grant or a Senior Investigators grant. Any Young Investigator proposal that is in substantial violation of the program description in I above is likely to be considered a Standard Grant proposal. The section entitled FINANCIAL SUPPORT provides additional information concerning budgets. See also the Sample Standard Grant Budget Page for more details.

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 PI, but will provide partial support of up to $7,000 each for two graduate students. Support for travel for the PI and graduate students (not to exceed $3,000 per year), equipment, and other miscellaneous expenses may 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 Budget Page for more information.

IV. Conferences, Workshops and Special Situations
Proposals for conferences or workshops or to mark special events may be for up to two-years of support. These types of grants can also fund other innovative programs at a university in one of the five designated research areas. Efforts to promote attendance by minorities and women are highly encouraged. It is expected that conference proposals will be submitted to and may be partially funded by other agencies as well as by NSA. 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 to pay for coffee breaks or refreshments; 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 must not include any salary reimbursement. Therefore, it is inappropriate that any university indirect costs be incurred in this category. Conferences, Workshopsand Special Situations proposals are reviewed by either the NSA and/or the AMS. Grants must be submitted by October 17, 2011 and awarded by late spring 2012. The MSP does not authorize Pre-award spending and thus PIs of spring conferences need to apply for funding two years prior to the conference

WHAT TO SUBMIT
PIs should be prepared to submit PDF files for each separate part of the proposal listed below. The proposal must contain the following:

Summary: A one-page summary of the work being proposed. The summary should be self-contained, avoid symbols, and be expressed in language understandable to a scientifically literate reader.

Description of Proposed Research: A detailed description (no more than 20 pages) 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. Include a listing of pertinent literature citations to provide references for the description of research proposed.

Budget Page: For all proposals, a budget must be submitted for each academic year of the proposed time period. See the links to sample budgets at the bottom of this page and in the grant descriptions given above.

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 the NSA does not pay tuition expenses. The NSA only supports graduate assistants who are working toward a degree under the direction of the PI. Persons for whom support is requested, if not named in the proposal, must be identified to the Program Director before funding can commence.

• At most $7,000 for up to two months 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 and/or software of up to $2,500 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 $3,000 for travel expenses per year (Foreign + Domestic Travel).

Each grant application must 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.

Additional Considerations and Reminders:

1. Collaborators/Consultants: The MSP recognizes collaborative efforts of the PI and his/her colleagues when performing math research. Travel arrangements that are made to cover the travel expenses of a collaborator/consultant must come from the PI's travel allocation, which is $3,000 per year. Note that the MSP will NOT pay for any Collaborators'/Consultants' salary. As with all persons benefiting from the grant, the collaborator/consultant must be either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

2. Travel: The total travel budget (domestic + foreign) per year is $3,000. The MSP requires that all foreign travel (defined as any travel outside of the United States to include Canada and Mexico) receive prior approval a month before the travel occurs.

3. Technology Budget: Note that the budget for technology expenses such as computers, software, etc. is $2,500. All technology purchases must have appropriate documentation justifying the purchase.

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.

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. State whether the principal investigator or other key personnel have applied for or received support from other agencies for this or for other research.

List (by name if possible) postdoctoral, student, or other research assistants, and their training and experience.

Give the names of other technical personnel who will be working on the research, and describe their association with the project.

Privacy Act Statement: Authority for collecting the requested information is 10 U.S.C. §2358. DoD's Blanket Routine Uses (found at Appendix C of 32 CFR Part 310) apply to this information. The information provided will be used to evaluate the qualifications of those persons who will perform the proposed research. This information may be disclosed to the American Mathematical Society and to U.S. Government Agencies as appropriate. Disclosure of the requested information is voluntary; however, failure to provide the requested information will delay or prevent evaluation of the proposal.

Bibliography: Include a complete bibliography for each individual. 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.

Facilities and Equipment Available: Facilities and existing equipment available for the research should be described on this page. Indicate N/A if this does not apply to the proposal.

Proprietary Data: Identify any proprietary data within the proposal that is to be used for evaluation purposes only. Indicate N/A if this does not apply to the proposal.

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. Indicate N/A if this does not apply to the proposal.

Confirmation of Indirect Rates: Include the name, address, and phone number of the federal government audit agency that will confirm the indirect rates proposed in the budget, and 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.

Additionally, you will be asked to provide the following basic information in the screens in the electronic system. For detailed instructions about the online submission process and more information about these items, please go to the Online Submission Instructions page.

• Title of Proposed Research

• Mathematics Subject Classification code(s)

• Number of PIs working on the proposed research: Please be aware that if you are doing the proposed research with a co-PI from a different institution, then each PI will have to apply and submit his/her proposal separately. Indicate the co-PI's name in the proposal as this will enable the panelists to conduct reviews of the proposals at the same time. If you are submitting a proposal with a co-PI from the same institution, then only one of the PIs needs to apply and submit the proposal.

• PI first name, middle name (or initial), last name

• PI Contact Information

• Area of Proposed Research

• Type of Proposal

• Starting Date and Time Period of the proposed research

• Suggested Reviewers/Suggested Non-reviewers

• Organizational Endorsement and Approval Section: The investigator will be asked to provide the full name, postal address, e-mail address, and the office phone and FAX numbers for the official authorized to endorse and approve proposals for your institution.

GRANT ADMINISTRATION

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

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dr. Floyd B. Cole, Director
NSA Mathematical Sciences Program
Email: fbcole1@nsa.gov
Phone: 301-688-0400
Fax: 301-688-0697

Ms. Barbara Johnson, Program Administrator
NSA Mathematical Sciences Program
Email: bajohn1@nsa.gov
Phone: 301-688-0400
Fax: 301-688-0697

Mailing Address:
Mathematical Sciences Program
National Security Agency
ATTN: R1, Suite 6557

9800 Savage Road
Ft. George G. Meade, MD 20755-6557

SAMPLE 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