[NHCOLL-L:2260] FW: Federal Competition for NSF Grants

[Elaine Hoagland]

Museum scientists may wish to contact the Director of the National Science
Foundation to support the Smithsonian.  See below.  The message from Tom
Jones was distributed to all the members of the Committee for National
Science Funding, a Washington, DC umbrella group of scientific societies and
other organizations who lobby on behalf of funding for NSF.  I replied to
the list to show that the Smithsonian is not a national lab and would not
set a precedent to fund all federal scientists from NSF funds.  

Elaine

-----Original Message-----
From: Elaine Hoagland 
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 2:00 PM
To: 'Tom Jones'; cnsf at ams.org
Subject: RE: Federal Competition for NSF Grants 


The Smithsonian Institution is not a national lab.  It was founded with the
mission of increasing human knowledge, and the research done at the
Smithsonian is nearly all basic research of a kind that is not supportable
by industry.  For example, its research on taxonomy, systematics, human
evolution, and non-oil related paleontology is funded by few sources other
than the NSF.  While the Smithsonian receives some federal support, it is a
hybrid public/private institution.  The public support pays for some of its
infrastructure and most of the salaries of permanent staff, but has been
stagnant or declining in funding research for many years.  Major reports by
several panels have concluded that the step of making its scientists
eligible for NSF support is essential.

Elaine Hoagland
Council on Undergraduate Research
(for identification purposes only)

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Jones [mailto:tjones at coreocean.org]
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:43 AM
To: cnsf at ams.org
Subject: Federal Competition for NSF Grants 


CNSF,

> As some of you may have heard, the National Science Board recently passed
a resolution (below) recommending that the NSF Director enter into an MOU
with the Smithsonian Institution to allow Smithsonian scientists to apply
for NSF awards.     I imagine that there are a number of institutions,
organizations, and disciplines who are concerned that the Foundation would
be departing from its traditional preference for academic researchers, a
model that has served the Foundation extremely well.  Further this could set
a troubling precedent of allowing federal labs (with the attendant benefits
of federal support) to compete for awards from the Foundation, to the
detriment of the academic community.  It is not at all clear that SI would
be last federal entity to request this special dispensation.  Finally it is
unclear why federal labs, who are charged with performing science to support
the mission of their agency, need to look to the Foundation for funding. 
>  
> Senator Bond shares our concerns about this issue and will be sending a
letter expressing his opposition to the proposed MOU within the coming days.
We need to support Mr. Bond on this issue.  It would be helpful if your
institutions /organizations  would send a letter to the Director and Chair
(cc'ing : the relevant committees) expressing your concerns about the
proposed MOU and the precedent it could set.  The Foundation, the Board and
the Hill, needs to know there is a groundswell of opposition to this
proposal.  
> 
> Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
> 
> Thanks
> Tom
  <<fed lab competition (final 04-21-04).pdf>> 
---------

RESOLUTION
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

REVISION TO NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION POLICY 
ON CONSIDERING PROPOSALS FROM, AND MAKING AWARDS TO, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
SCIENTISTS

RESOLVED, that the National Science Board (NSB) directs that the National
Science Foundation (NSF) will modify its current policy on funding other
Federal agencies to acknowledge the unique status of Smithsonian Institution
(SI) and its special contributions to science research and education by
making all full time and post-doctoral scientists of the SI eligible to
apply for NSF grants through the normal merit review process.
The NSF Director is authorized and requested to make such modifications, and
to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the SI Under Secretary
for Science that will provide the specific details and protocol by which NSF
will accept SI proposals and make awards to the SI. The MOU shall be
submitted to the NSB for approval prior to implementation.


> Thomas H. Jones 
> Deputy Director for Congressional Affairs 
> Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education 
> 202-448-1230 
> tjones at coreocean.org 
> AIM: HillStfr 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
>