NSF Program Attempts To Address Concerns Of Peer Review Critics

For years, critics have argued that the National Science Foundation's system of grant review is not receptive to novel or unorthodox ideas. But NSF has not failed to take notice of this charge. In 1989, spurred by complaints about reviewer conservatism, NSF introduced a new type of award known as Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER). Although still not widely known today, these grants exist expressly for the purpose of supporting speculative research endeavors that might not otherwise r

Written byJeff Seiken

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In discussing the SGERs, Mc-Cullough is careful to point out that they are not a distinct program of their own, but rather "an alternative mechanism [for awarding research grants] that any program officer can use." The money for an SGER, which is nonrenewable and may not exceed $50,000, comes out of the budget of the program issuing it. Program officers in all 28 NSF divisions can award SGERs at their discretion, with the proviso that no more than 5 percent of a program's annual budget may be spent on these grants.

In keeping with the small-scale nature of the awards, the application process is simple and direct. Applications are limited to two to five pages in length--"back-of-the-envelope kinds of proposals," McCullough says. Although principal inves- tigators are required to submit brief bios, no more than five publications or research products may be cited. Proposals are subsequently evaluated by program officers ...

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