NSFBAA-CA22-02 Questions and Answers.pdf

NSF Convergence Accelerator 2022 Cohort Phases 1 and 2 for Tracks H, I, and J Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) NSFBAA-CA22-02 Questions and Answers

1. Are Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plans mandatory from non-academic institutions?

If your organization will not be utilizing postdoctoral researchers, you may include a statement to that effect in your proposal.

2. Does this BAA require subawardees’ budget and budget justifications?

The BAA requires the following for subcontracts: “Breakdown of individual subcontracts. State the amounts of time of subcontractor/consulting services to be devoted to the project, including the cost to be charged to the proposed contract/agreement.” It also states that the information included in the entire budget estimate should allow for a “meaningful evaluation and determination of price reasonableness and cost realism.”

3. This is my understanding that this BAA does not require documents of Current and Pending Support (CPS), and Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources. Is that right?

The BAA does not reference these items. If your proposal makes use of particular facilities or equipment, reference to these items should be included.

4. For the Broadening Participation section (pages 3 & 4), the first item in the list that that the plan must include is: “Context: Does the plan describe a goal using institutional or local data?”

Can you expand on this requirement and these types of data? Is this requiring that the broadening participation goal be developed using only institutional or local data?

The broadening participation goal does not require institutional or local data. However, it is more likely that a broadening participation is successful if it can show measurable goals that are tied to the institution or the locality. Usually, the PI and their team can have the most impact with local/regional/institutional activities that will be undertaken to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the project's research efforts. If that is their plan, we and the panelists would like to know what institutional or local data, if any, they may utilize to gauge need and success.

5. On page 18 the BAA states: “It is expected that the Phase 1 full proposal contents described in section 5.1.1 through 5.1.6 shall be submitted as a single .pdf document. It is also expected that the document responding to 5.1.8 shall be submitted as a single .xls document.” However, sections 5.1.4 (resumes), 5.1.5 (letters of collaboration) and 5.1.6 (data management plan) each state that these sections should be submitted as a single PDF. How should these sections be submitted?

The system of submission (BAAM) will provide prompts on how to submit each section of the proposal.

6. Is there an existing template for Section 5.1.9 Cost/Price Proposal Budget (Page 21)?

No.

7. Can there be more than one Co-PI?

Yes.

8. I see ‘substantial’ time commitment for the curriculum participation. Is there a good way to estimate this commitment? For example, the Wednesday classes are 1.5 hrs each. Assuming 12 months, that’s about 72 hrs for the classes. Perhaps another 1.5 hrs/week for prep? Should we assume pitch days are full day commitments?

We anticipate the PI and two additional team-members will spend up to 5 hours a week on curriculum related activities (in-person as well as activities in preparation for the curriculum sessions). The curriculum is actually only covering 8 months of the 12 months Phase 1 award.

9. Looking at the Consolidated personnel list, can you help us differentiate senior and other personnel from subawardee personnel, and collaborator personnel? What is the difference between a subawardee and a collaborator?

A subawardee is an institution/organization that receives funding through the main award. NSF allows for collaborators that are not asking for or receiving funding. This distinction permits the listing of senior and other personnel from such institutions/organizations involved in the research project.

Any substantial collaboration with individuals not included in the budget should be described in the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section of the proposal and documented in a letter of collaboration from each collaborator. This BAA has specific requirements for the letters of collaboration listed in 5.1.5.

10. Will NSF require disclosure and disaggregation of rates?

The BAA states that for labor, a breakdown of direct labor and hourly rates, identifying the labor categories and individuals and projected our and their associated subtotals is required. The BAA also requires overhead and/or fringe rates, the cumulative effect on labor costs, and the G&A rate and base are required.

11. If other federal agencies participate in projects funded under this solicitation, how should their participation be budgeted? Will NSF directly pay the other agencies?

No, NSF is will not directly pay other agencies that partner with offerors whose proposals are funded under this Broad Agency Announcement.

12. It was stated that profits and fees are allowed, but subject to applicable statutory limitations during the webinar. What policy/statute dictates these profit ceilings? Also, can you please provide these specific ceiling figures as interpreted by NSF under such policy/statute?

The limits on profits and fees are not NSF policy, but Federal statute. Please review FAR 15.404- 4 and associated statutes for additional information.

13. The BAA for NSFBAA-CA22-02 (NSF Convergence Accelerator 2022 Cohort Phases 1 and 2 for Tracks H, I, and J) states that Biographical Sketches / Resumes are limited to 3 pages each.

However, the BAAMS upload site specifies they should be 2 pages each. Which is correct?

Follow the requirements outlined in the BAA (three pages)

14. Also, can proposers use their own biosketch/resume format, or must they use the NSF format?

The BAA does not state that biographical sketches must follow NSF format.

15. Can offerors or their partners change the language in the template for Letters of Collaboration?

No.

16. Is it necessary that the partners be NSF preferred partners? If so, could we align and pick them upon granting or do we need to pick them prior to submission?

The BAA does not require that project partners be NSF preferred partners. It is expected that subawards will be identified in proposals.

17. Can we utilize European personnel/organizations in the proposal?

In cases where the proposer considers the foreign organization or foreign individual’s involvement to be essential to the project and proposes to provide funding through the NSF budget (through a subaward or consultant arrangement), the proposer must explain why support from the foreign counterpart’s local sources is not feasible and why the foreign organization or foreign individual can carry out the activity more effectively than a U.S.

organization or U.S. individual. In addition, the proposed activity must demonstrate how one or more of the following conditions have been met:

• The foreign organization or foreign individual contributes unique expertise, organizational capability, facilities, data resources, and/or access to a geographic location not generally available to U.S. investigators (or which would require significant effort or time to duplicate); and/or

• The foreign organization or foreign individual offers significant science and engineering education, training, or research opportunities to the U.S. Such information must be included in any proposal to NSF, including new and renewal proposals. The information must be included in the project description section of the proposal.

18. How should we spend the 9 + 3 months? Would the accelerator program guide us?

The Convergence Accelerator will provide guidance on performance during phase I. Section 1.3 “Convergence Research Phase 1 and Phase 3” of the BAA provides information on how this guidance is formatted and how it will be provided.

19. Would we do some dispersion production, paper coatings application lab work, and end-of-life product testing?

In Phase 1, we anticipate only minimum amounts of testing activities to be done. Early-stage proof-of-concept or prototypes might be accomplished during Phase 1 but it is not required.

20. Many potential partners and collaborators require confidentiality agreements since their applications and their materials construction are proprietary. Would the NSF grant us or our partners confidentiality on such matters?

In Phase I we do not anticipate the distribution of any confidential information. In Phase 2, we will require an IP Management Plan (explained in detail under 6.3 in the BAA) in which the team is supposed to explain to the NSF how it will manage intellectual property.

21. How much time can we expect or ask Senior personnel to dedicate to the project? Are there any standards?

That BAA states that “The Phase 1 innovation curriculum is a significant time investment with weekly participation of all partners under the guidance of coaches.”

22. How do we allocate funds to sub awardees vs. the prime?

The allocation of funds between prime and subawards is up to the discretion of the offeror.

23. Are there any templates for Letters of Collaboration from Sub awardees or senior personnel?

The template for letters of collaboration is included in the BAA.

24. Are templates available for the Project Description section of the proposal?

No.

25. Can offerors submit a separate attachment to list references/citations made in in the Project Description?

All references cited in the Project Description should be listed in a separate document.

References cited in a separate document will not count towards the 15-page limit for the Project Description. While there is no page limitation for references, this section must include bibliographic citations only and must not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the Project Description page limitations. The References Cited must be emailed to BAAMSupport@nsf.gov, by the submission deadline.

mailto:BAAMSupport@nsf.gov