Below is a new Dear Colleague Letter that some of you might find of
interest.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Brian Humes
([log in to unmask]), Brian Schaffner ([log in to unmask]) or Julia Lane
([log in to unmask]).
Yours,
Brian

Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 
Dear Colleague: 
People will ask important questions over the next one to two years about
the success and the impact of the economic stimulus. The Science of
Science & Innovation Policy (SciSIP) Program
<http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501084&org=SBE> ,
within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences,
can be a vehicle for mobilizing research capacity to respond to these
questions and to assess the effects on both the ecology of innovation
and on the science and engineering enterprise. 
The SciSIP program will take advantage of NSF's Rapid Response Research
(RAPID) funding mechanism to accept short (two to five pages) RAPID
proposals that attempt to answer many of the outcome questions that will
be asked about the impact of the stimulus package as well as to advance
the scientific understanding of science policy. These would include, but
not be limited to, such questions as:
*	What was the contribution of the science investment to the
creation and retention of jobs? 
*	What was the contribution of the science investment to science
and technology industries? 
*	What scientific or technological advances were achieved? 
*	What was the impact on the scientific workforce? 
In keeping with the Presidential focus on openness and transparency in
government, proposals might also examine and evaluate different
approaches to building appropriate platforms for tracking and assessing
science investments across the federal government as well as ways to
visually convey the information to policy makers and the American
public.
Proposals must conform to the Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
Guidelines
<http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf09_1/gpg_2.jsp>
specified in the Grant Proposal Guide and may be submitted
electronically at any time to the Science of Science and Innovation
Policy announcement (PD 09-7626) via FastLane
<http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/>  or Grants.gov <http://www.grants.gov/> .
The SciSIP program director, Julia Lane ([log in to unmask]), should be
contacted for assistance and advice prior to proposal submission.
Sincerely,
David Lightfoot
Assistant Director
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences




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