Conference: Expanding Geographic and Institutional Diversity in CISE

The Computing Research Association seeks to increase the representation of NSF Computer and Information and Science and Engineering (CISE) awards to organizations across the twenty-eight (28) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) eligible jurisdictions. While there is significant funding available to computing researchers in EPSCoR jurisdictions, there have been historically lower than desired submission rates of grant proposals to the National Science Foundation. This project seeks to ensure that research and innovation are not confined to geographical boundaries but are inclusive and collaborative across the nation by involving EPSCoR jurisdictions in more NSF CISE grants, and building partnerships with institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions. This project will provide travel stipends to computing research leaders in EPSCoR jurisdictions who would otherwise be unable to attend the planned program. The goal of this project is to host a 3-hour session in advance of the 2024 CRA Conference at Snowbird where (1) computing research leaders at institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions learn about NSF funding opportunities from NSF Division Directors and (2) Division Directors learn from these research leaders about barriers their computing research faculty face in submitting proposals for funding. Attending computing research leaders at institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions will then share what they learn with their computing research faculty in their institutions. We expect to learn the barriers that computing faculty from institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions have in submitting proposals to NSF CISE. We also expect to learn strategies or actions to reduce these barriers. The ultimate goal of this project is an increase in the number of proposal submissions to NSF from institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions in future years. Increasing the number of proposals submitted from EPSCoR jurisdictions (and, presumably, the number of funded grants to EPSCoR jurisdictions) will advance computing research in EPSCoR jurisdictions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.