broadening participation

Learn more about this new BIO opportunity: Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO) Solicitation NSF 22-500

BRC-BIO is a new solicitation intended to enhance research capacity and broaden participation of new faculty of biology at minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs), and other universities and colleges that are not among the nation’s most research-intensive and resourced institutions.

Some key information from the solicitation:

  • Primary investigators must hold at least a 50% tenure-track (or tenure-track equivalent) position as an assistant professor (or equivalent rank), who are untenured, have both research and teaching components to their appointment, and are within the first three years of their appointment.
  • Proposed projects should enable the establishment of research programs for new faculty to position them to apply for future grants to sustain their research and should also enrich undergraduate research experiences and thereby grow the STEM workforce.
  • Projects can include biology-focused research collaborations among those in academia, or partnerships with industry or other non-academic partners that advance the PI’s research program.
  • Beyond what is typically requested in BIO core proposals, budgets may include up to $50,000 equipment and funds to buy out teaching time in each year of the project.

Upcoming Opportunities to Learn More

Details of this funding opportunity will be featured, along with the new Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences (RaMP) NSF 22-506 opportunity, in the upcoming IOS VOH on November 18, at 1pm ET. Register at https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_QJdSn2DFQUOpIFOu_oW-Cg.

You can also learn more about RaMP on BIO Buzz, the blog of NSF’s Office of the Assistant Director for Biological Sciences.

We also encourage institutions targeted in this solicitation to inquire about scheduling a virtual outreach event for faculty and administrators at your institution or in your region to learn details about this new opportunity. All questions should be directed to BRC-BIO@nsf.gov.  

Note: The initial submission window for BRC-BIO is January 3 through January 31, 2022. Please see the solicitation for subsequent submission windows.

Broadening Participation: New Funding Opportunity

The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) has released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to facilitate cultural changes in the biological sciences to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion: “LEAding cultural change through Professional Societies (LEAPS) of Biology.”

The DCL encourages professional societies to submit proposals to facilitate changes that lead to broader participation at all levels of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce in biology. Such changes are expected to lead to a community of biologists, including those in positions of authority, that more fully reflects the demographic constitution of the US population.

Applicants may submit conference proposals, planning proposals, or proposals to develop a Research Coordination Network (RCN). See the announcement for submission details.

Proposals submitted by May 14, 2021, may be funded during FY 21; proposals submitted after May 14 will be considered for funding in FY 22.

Additionally NSF is offering a webinar for the LEAPS program on March 24th at 2 p.m. EST.  We encourage representatives from societies across the biological sciences and those societies focused on broadening participation (SACNAS, AISES, ABRCMS) and/or from the NSF INCLUDES National Network to participate. Individuals from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other organizations/institutions serving diverse populations are also encouraged to attend.

If interested, please register in advance at:

https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_fMuNjibLT4OZeAq4VLQNCg. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Demographic Information and You

Panel reviewers and anyone submitting a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) via FastLane, grants.gov, or research.gov, are familiar with the routine request to voluntarily supply demographic information. But the reason this information is collected and how it is used is less well understood. Perhaps as a reflection of this uncertainty, a significant number of reviewers and principal investigators (PIs) do not provide this information in their responses to the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB). The editorial team of the MCB Blog interviewed Basil Nikolau, Division Director, MCB, to get a sense of why MCB encourages the community to provide demographic information.

Why is this demographic information collected?
We collect this information on a voluntary basis for two reasons. First, it can help us improve our processes for recruiting and selecting highly qualified reviewers and panelists who reflect the Nation’s diversity – this goal is cited in NSF’s Strategic Plan for FY 2018-2022. Second, the information helps us to accurately report on trends in broadening participation, both internal to NSF, such as our Division and the National Science Board, and externally to Congress and other interested stakeholders.

How is demographic information used?
The information is aggregated to monitor demographic trends in proposal submissions, proposal awards, and review panels. By tracking demographics, we can develop outreach strategies. This information also is used to guide our efforts to broadly engage the entire research community in the proposal and review process.

As mentioned earlier, a significant number of participants choose not to provide demographic information. How big a problem is this, and why?
Recent analyses indicate that nearly 30% of reviewers and funding applicants do not self-identify their demographic information. This makes it difficult for MCB to assess the degree to which communities are or are not proportionately represented. Without this information it’s difficult to identify and address cultural or other barriers to participation in NSF programs. While MCB does engage in outreach projects aimed at broadening participation, diversity, and inclusion, we’d like to be able to take more focused actions and this data is key to that goal.

Any parting thoughts on this topic?
We would like reviewers and applicants to provide the demographic information at every opportunity. This would be very helpful in developing a realistic, quantitative assessment of the MCB community. This would enable the division to formulate actionable strategies for building a community of researchers reflecting the general population.

MCB at Your Meeting: Annual Biomedical Conference for Minority Scientists (ABRCMS)

By Chloe N. Poston, PhD

Program Directors in MCB regularly attend scientific meetings and workshops in an effort to garner input from the community,  spread the word about funding opportunities, recruit panelists, and encourage submissions to our division. Last November, Dr. Suzanne Barbour, Program Director for the Cellular Dynamics and Function cluster traveled to San Antonio, Texas for the 2014 Annual Biomedical Conference for Minority Scientists (ABRCMS). There, she presented the breadth of opportunities at MCB available to biomedical researchers through a very well attended panel hosted by the MCB-funded American Society of Microbiology LINK program.

As a part of the same session, ASM LINK (Leaders Inspiring Networks and Knowledge) representatives presented data outlining their initiatives to improve mentoring through in-person workshops, webinars, and discussion forums known as “Mentoring Mondays”. ASM LINK seeks to build strong “links” between established research investigators and early-career scientists, undergraduate faculty, and trainees (students and fellows). In addition to these on-going activities, ASM LINK also sponsored travel awards for NSF eligible post-doctoral scientists and research faculty to serve as presentation judges at ABRCMS. Travel awardees were invited to participate in a two-day Mentoring Strategies Workshop before the meeting. This workshop focused on tackling the greatest mentoring challenges, especially as they relate to building interdisciplinary research teams and broadening participation in STEM.

Dr. Barbour views attending ABRCMS “a unique opportunity to showcase research/ training opportunities in MCB, with the goal of inspiring underrepresented bioscientists to work on projects in the MCB mission area”. She is optimistic that her presentation in conjunction with the ASM LINK program will lead to a range of positive outcomes especially with respect to broadening the community of applications to MCB.