Dilma Da Silva: Hi Abbey,
Dilma Da Silva: I do. My, how are you? I'm getting ready to hit. Start now.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Hello, everybody, as you're uh entering the Webinar. Just bear with us. We're gonna give it a few seconds here and let people uh finish joining until we get uh sort of a critical mass of people. But in the meantime, thanks. If you're here for the expand Ai program, Webinar, you found the right place,
Jim Donlon | NSF: and it's a Webinar format and zoom meeting, which means your opportunity to submit questions is going to be done through this. Q. A. Module you'll find in your zoom tool. So please feel free to any time during the Webinar to enter any questions you have, I will show you an outline
Jim Donlon | NSF: uh the topics we're going to cover, and after that topic has gone by. If you have questions about that, you might post them uh afterwards.
Jim Donlon | NSF: So again, welcome and just bear with us. We're up to seventy-ish participants,
Jim Donlon | NSF: expecting some more.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Okay, for those just entering the Webinar. Uh again, we'll just like to welcome you and formally here and uh let you know you're in a webinar format, which means, if you want to interact with us, please feel free to enter your questions into the so-called q and a module which you'll find in your zoom toolbar. Um.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Yep. So thanks, Edgar, for your help. With this, and thanks to everybody for joining and putting this webinar on, let's call this a start. Um. My name is Jim Donlin. I'm one of the program. Co-leads in the expand Ai program together with Abi Alamoka, and we are joined by a number of program officers who are part of the Expand Ai program working group, some of whom you may have met before, and some of whom you'll hear from later on, Gabriel and next slide.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Um, just a quick introduction here. Go to the next one. I just um okay. But we had a sort of an agenda slide. We're going to be covering a number of topics in the regarding how to interact with the expand Ai program. Um, How to prepare your proposals and those sorts of things. So, as I mentioned before, please enter any questions you have in the Q. And A. Module, and you might wait to see if that topic's been covered, and then enter any. Follow up questions you have. But before we get into the content of the Webinar,
Jim Donlon | NSF: i'm. Very pleased that we've been joined by our leadership, Dr. Dilma da Silva, Who's Nsf. Assistant director for our Home director of Computer and information science and engineering. So if we go ahead and drop these slides and let them put hers up.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Ah Dilma joined Dennis F. As the division director for Sizes division of computing and communication foundations in June, twenty, two, and since December she's been good enough to step in as our acting assistant director at Nsf. Or, as I said, precise, which is the home of this program, and the Ai Institute's program, and other computational issues related to Ai dome is on rotational assignment to Nsf. From Texas, A. And M. University, where she holds a Ford Motor Company Design professorship and is head of the department of Computer Science and engineering
Jim Donlon | NSF: system software researcher with emphasis and operating systems and distributed computing and broad interest in computer science education. Dr. De Silv is also a distinguished member of the Acm. I'm. Very pleased Doma, that you're joining us today to greet us and to put expand Ai into a broader context of and Nsf Ai strategy. So
Dilma Da Silva: thank you. I'm: so pleased to have the opportunity to talk to you guys. So expand. Ai is an nsf-wide program, one that all of us are very
excited and proud of being part of, but I thought it would be helpful to understand it in the context of size for a little bit. But so, if you look at the director of computer science, information and computer and information, science and engineering
Dilma Da Silva: overall. It's a You can see that we have three teams. One is the usual. Let's get computing better faster and adapt to the technologies. That's the the usual work, then, and let me. I think I may have something on the front of my screen here. Um!
Dilma Da Silva: And then the other one is the transcendence of artificial intelligence. So this is artificial intelligence that we evolved the science, but also thinking how it will it easy back to society, and we like to refer to it as Ai for everyone. And there is also the angle of how all this systems and software, and you know, data that we collect that we develop that we know how they actually impact our society. So Ai is really critical for our dirac.
Dilma Da Silva: And what happened is that Nsf. Is very well aligned with the National Ai strategy. So the National Ai strategy has been developed to
Dilma Da Silva: make sure that it can really benefit the country society in general, and we do have the core missions about advancing the science. You know the foundational knowledge, the user-inspired work that really addresses societal challenges and to grow the Us. Ai work. So the the thing the reason that i'm like telling you this is that for? And a sap? And maybe that was not that clear to me before I joined, And I said, a year a half ago,
Dilma Da Silva: it's really about the science, saying how the science is impacting society. But the workforce, the workforce is really important to us. Ah's mission. It really important to all the programs that we have, and with expanding Ah, you you will see that very clear.
Dilma Da Silva: Ah, a really important aspect of our National Ai strategy is the twenty five artificial research institutes that we have funded as of now, and they cover a very broad spectrum of themes, addressing many things. And you can see that This is a lot of institutes geographically covering a really good part of the Us. And it could be an overwhelming sense.
Dilma Da Silva: But we also have this virtual organization, this community, Hub, that is helping all of us to be able to really connect and leverage. The learning that we get from one is each with the order, and now it expand. Ai! You know the awards that we already made, and and and all the details that Jim is going to be telling us very soon. Ah! This virtual organization really helps all of us navigate. Ah, the ah Institutes and ah!
Dilma Da Silva: And it will be really critical. We're getting the sum of those twenty five institutes to be much more than each one separately.
Dilma Da Silva: Ah! Last fall we had a very exciting day when we went to the Hill with representatives for all those thirty five Ai Institutes, and we could then really have them engaging with Congressional staff and connecting the science with the societal challenges was really amazing.
Dilma Da Silva: Ah! And then, ninety days ago,
Dilma Da Silva: more or less, we had the Ai executive order. So this is really getting the whole Government all the agencies to really focus on safe and secure Ai
Dilma Da Silva: in ways that you know it depends. Our society and Nsf. Has a list of tests that it is ah, you know, designated to do, and one that I want to talk to you about that we're really excited is the National Ai Research Resource pilot. So the vision for the National Ai research resource is to have this infrastructure that can be widely accessible
Dilma Da Silva: by researchers, students, educators, where discovery and innovation can help. So this is about having computing data sets, software libraries, test beds, educational materials, all the ecosystem to get the ability to be innovating and pursuing ai to be democratized, so
Dilma Da Silva: we will be. Ah, continue to evolve this vision, and we launched the pilot yesterday at eleven Am. So this pilot has eleven Federal agencies. So Nsf. Is leaning with then other research agencies providing resources, data, knowledge. We have twenty five partners
Dilma Da Silva: from industry, non-profit organizations, and the goal of This particular pilot is to enable right now research into safe, secure interest worth Ai.
Dilma Da Silva: Ah! Addressing Ai challenges in health care and ah, and also environmental and infrastructure sustainability. We have a We have a lot of things out as of yesterday. I hope that you get a chance to take a look at it, and because we do have a port where you can find a survey where, as a researcher, educator, or a student, you can tell us, What would you like to do
in such an infrastructure, and we also have an initial call for access to actually be using it, and a lot of more to come,
Dilma Da Silva: and I. I try to be really quick a gym, so that we can focus on what really goes. But let me just emphasize here that exped Ai is one of the favorite programs for all of us here. I think everyone every well they. When the the group was putting this together and going around to find the resources and and and and and to do. We are all in all the divisions across all the directors. We're really either, because we see that that's the way to get innovation done is that you get,
Dilma Da Silva: You know, a lot of people there already, and you connect with other institutions where the talent resides? May not They may not have the direct access to the infrastructure, to the research, to the ideas, into the venues, to get those ideas? Or did we think expend Ai can trade that back.
Dilma Da Silva: Thanks, Jim
Jim Donlon | NSF: Theoma. Thank you. Anytime you bring that much value. There's no need to be quick. We really appreciate you coming in and visiting with us and getting your painting the picture on it strategically.
Jim Donlon | NSF: And I think I, you know a quick, quick. It has already been almost ten minutes. So you know our professors real. I love Tt: So you I have to try to be quick. Otherwise it becomes a long lecture.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Delightful. Thanks so much.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Okay, Gabriel, If we could have the main slides back up.
Jim Donlon | NSF: And so thanks. We just go on to the next one, and um, Dom has done a really good job of helping us launch the context for the program next slide, please. Um. She has already situated for you the idea that expand. Ai sits in this broader ecosystem of Ai investments to include the Ai Institute's program Um, and because expand Ai is closely affiliated with the institutes expanding. I is also served by that virtual organization that deliver mentioned Avo.
Jim Donlon | NSF: So please, when it comes to your proposal, plans for expand Ai,
Jim Donlon | NSF: especially concerning the partner track. Consider avo to be a facilitator and a resource center for questions you might have about. Who are the Institutes? What do they do? And who in the Institute Should I talk to about potential partnerships, And you'll see more about that in the partnership section. But just so you know what A Ai institutes are are major investments, twenty million dollars a year for five years in their initial reward, and they have a focus on those areas that Delta said must be done in a kind of
Jim Donlon | NSF: of combination, foundational and use inspired. Ai research,
Jim Donlon | NSF: innovation and education and workforce development and the kind of partner development that's illustrated in the Expand Ai program, and of course Nsf's joined by a number of external partners, are making that program and the expand Ai program happen. So we're really grateful to all of our external partners as well.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Next slide.
Jim Donlon | NSF: So Dilma showed you some. Ah, some ah logos of the Active Institutes here sort of a full accounting of the current Logos we have. Um, We've stood these Institutes up over the course of years, and we're Ah! We have a solicitation now for our next round of institutes as well. So ah! Strategic Ai. Investments and ands are certainly continuing to grow, and we can expect that to provide an increasingly robust context within which you can think about
Jim Donlon | NSF: developing your own Ai programs and developing new partnerships.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Ah! And next slide, please. So with that background out of the way. We're going to dive now into the main meat of the matter, which is details about the expand Ai program and how to engage with it. I think i'm turning over to Dylan
Jim Donlon | NSF: Or, said Abby,
Jim Donlon | NSF: it's up. May I be? Yep.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Abby Ilamoka and I am holy. One of two co-leads in the Expand Ai program.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: I work in the education director at Edu. For short, my disciplinary background is electrical and computer engineering, and I have the
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: honor of having used Ai to optimize uh chips during my days when I wore the professor hat. So i'm very pleased to bring you information on the Expand Ai program next slide, please.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So an overview of the program. What is this program about? Well, when the Ai Institute programs had taken off. We basically took a good look at who was involved in Ai nationally speaking,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and it was very very clear that a lot of the minority-serving institutions were not as involved as they should be. Now there's a couple of different reasons for this, but after much discussion we came to the conclusion that one way to
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: effectively involve Msi's minority-serving institutions in the ai enterprise
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: would be to number one either build their capacity their ability to do Ai research through education and workforce development in Ai,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: or to give them an opportunity to scale up whatever research they had in progress by partnering with an Ai Institute
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: that was already a hug for research in Ai. And so those discussions give rise to the expand Ai program. And as you see on this slide the program goals to diversify participation
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: in Ai research, education and workforce development, either through building capacity for institutions that have very little or no capacity
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: or for institutions that have significant capacity already giving them an opportunity to partner with one or more of the National Ai Research Institutes.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: And this is because there. There is recognition that there is a lot of talent at the msis that needs to be tapped into, and a lot of the talent may be outside of stem fields, and this is an opportunity to draw in. Folks who want to experiment with who want to do work with Ai in whatever field of study they are engaged in.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Ah! On the bottom of the slide we stress the capacity building the partnership, but the third check the checkmark on the bottom. Here also reminds us that Msis have some unique situations that perhaps you don't find in other institutions. And so we worked hard
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: to lower barriers to success for these institutions, by
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: first of all requesting submission of two page concept outlines, having very ah flexible submission windows, and having those submission windows run a year round. So we put in a couple of
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: things to ease the process for minority-serving institutions. If you want to put it that way next slide, please
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: this slide summarizes what we have experienced so far. The program is about a year and three months or four months old. It was launched back in October of two thousand and twenty two.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Ah! The solicitation number is twenty, three, five, six. Ah! If you look on the right, there is a diagram there that gives you a summary of the number of proposals we received thirty, two in total we awarded eleven. This is in Fy. Twenty, three.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: We have twelve pending, and we declined eight proposals.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So that gives you a a snapshot of what has happened in the first year. So once again to ease the burden on faculty. At Msi we have flexible submission windows. There is not a single date deadline, and these windows are contiguous. So when one window ends the next window starts on the next day.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Ah! The two-page concept outline is is a is a low-level. Ah, barrier in the sense that you can put together your ideas in two pages.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Uh, very quickly, and you can send it off to program officers, and they can take a look at it, and typically within two to three weeks we'll give feedback.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: I do this in, and the other programs that I work in. Anyway. When when a Pi wants to figure out whether or not. They're on the right track for the program. I'll say, send me a one or two page summary of your idea. So this is the principle behind the concept of my.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: We do lots of outreach. Ah, live webinars like this happen maybe once or twice a year, but they are recorded, and they are placed on the website for folks to access at any point in time. We have office hours every month
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: currently. On Monday afternoon, at three o'clock Pm. The third Monday of each month, and if the third Monday is a holiday, we'll push it to the to the next Monday. Ah, let's see. We do presentations at events outreach events, such as P. I. Meetings, conferences,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and we do one-on-one virtual meetings with program with The Ti is that should say, P is,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: we've had an enthusiastic response. Well, over one hundred concept outlines submitted. Ah, forty! Five of those resulted in proposal invitations, and we've actually had thirty two proposals submitted next slide, please.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So back to the operational aspects of the program. So one track is the cap track.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: This track is for institutions that have zero capacity or very little capacity in Ai, and we truly mean that
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: many pis have come and said, Well, I have no faculty, no courses. I have no curriculum. Am I eligible? Yes, you are the type of candidate that we're looking for In the
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: we need to see enthusiasm, creative, transformative ideas for institutional change in Ai. So we're looking for folks who have creative ideas about how to establish either Ai research activity,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: ai education, including courses, certificates, training of any type and infrastructure. Obviously, you will need infrastructure to be able to do anything.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So these are planning and road efforts based on started starting up Ai activity in any field uh business health care. So not necessarily. The traditional Nsf stem fields cuts across all fields stem and non-step,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So that's track one, and that is four hundred thousand, for up to four hundred thousand for two years
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: you can come back for multiple caps if you need to do scaling up to prepare for partner. For example, if if after the first track you have, you're not quite ready to partner, you can come back for another cap
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: opportunity.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: The other track is the partner track, and this is for Msis that have significant capacity Here and there are quite a few of these. Um! And the idea is to encourage these msis to partner with an Ai Institute that is doing research in an area that is related to the work that is happening at the Msi. And so if your Msi is focused on cyber security
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: or health care, signal analysis for disease, prevention, disease, prediction it,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: You can partner with an Ai Institute that is working in a related area, and in that way you can scale up
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: your research activity at the Msi, and at the same time also probably scale up your education at your educational activities. Ah! And form this this rich
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: uh partnership with one or more Ai institutes that will enable faculty to
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: move their research, move their teaching, move their activities to the next step.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So that's the ah partner track and the ah award for that is two point. Eight million ah maximum over a period of four years. Seven hundred thousand per year Next slide, please,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: keeping an eye on time here. Uh
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: you can click through so that we see everything.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So this slide actually ah summarizes what has gone on, and what the status is. Sixteen point three million in awards in Fy, two thousand and twenty three. We had six cap awards and five partner, and they spanned
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: from Ai research to Ai education and workforce development. I can click again and again.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: The awards were quite widespread. They were spread across six States to A
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: for Hbc. Use. So two awards went to institutions, Msis in ebbs for States, Tennessee and Puerto Rico uh two went to Hbc. Use Tennessee and Texas and nine went to Hsi.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: They were funded by five or six different directories across Nsf: next slide, please,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: he becoming to the last one.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Click again, please.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Yeah, I just keep clicking.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Okay. So this slide summarizes the different topics covered by the awards that have already gone out to give you some idea. Remember, we've had
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: five partner awards and six capacity-building awards. So Wind farm grid connection is an example. Yeah. Infrastructure, Ai curriculum development. Many of the proposals have this component included security cybersecurity, primarily medical systems,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: postal and atmospheric modeling. So you see that there's a broad range of different fields, some of them non-stem. We have social media for juvenile justice ah as a topic from Ah, I believe it was a business from a business. So there's a range of different ah application areas that that we have funded so far. Next slide, please.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: This last last slide. I keep clicking until we have the whole picture basically takes you through the process, so that you have a picture in your mind. Starting on the left.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: We want your bright ideas, your creative, transformative ideas. Ah! Put together in a short concept outline to no more than two pages.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Send those to the expand Ai program, and we will review in about two weeks, Sometimes three weeks takes a little longer. This is the Nsf Internal review that you see over here on the right.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Ah! Based on that review, two things can happen. We can either invite you to submit a full proposal If your concept outline is well aligned with the goals of it or the expand Ai program,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: or if it's not
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: quite well aligned or needs a little work, we will send back your concept outline with a do not invite with feedback to help you revise the concept, outline and resubmit. You will agree that this is a relatively light lift in terms of work
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: two pages relative to a fifteen-page proposal that is declined. And so the whole idea is that you can traverse this loop many times hopefully, not too many. But you can traverse this loop until you have a concept outline that is ready to be invited to the full,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and once you are at that point you're welcome to submit a full proposal within twelve months of the invitation to submit. Now, if you do one or two more clicks. I think that will complete the picture here.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Yes, once you submit the full proposal. Ah, new Research Gov: It will then go through the and Nsf. Merit review process, and we will either run panels or do ad hoc review
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: it's it's convenient for a cap proposals. Sometimes we'll do ad hoc, but in most cases we will try and do a panel for the partner.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Ah, but really it's a timing, if it depends on how many proposals we have in hand, and whether it makes sense to put a panel together at that point in time.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: But regardless your proposal will be reviewed will be peer-reviewed,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and we will then, uh give you feedback. I think there's one more click to complete the picture. Thank you uh two option two possibilities uh coming out of the Nsf Review process, you are either awarded. It's a nice one that we all look forward to,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: or the proposal is declined, which means it's not quite ready to be funded. And one thing I will say is that with the decline you will get plenty of feedback from reviewers and from and Nsf. Program offices.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Consider going back
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: reviewing your concept outline because it could be that some of the fault, some of the weaknesses actually happen because of the weakness and the concept outline. Go back and revise your concept, outline, resubmit the concept outline for review.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Get your invitation for a full proposal, so that you can submit another proposal
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: so hopefully. This slide gives you a picture of the process, and if you have questions we will take them, as Jim said in the Q. And a next slide, please. I think that's my last. Okay.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Next would be Dylan, I believe.
Dillon Watring: Yeah, that's correct. Thanks. Ivy. Um. So yeah, Dillon monitoring uh, i'm a a a a fellow at the Nsf. Working with the expand Ai program. Um. So just real quickly going to go through some of the eligibility requirements for both the cap and the partner proposals uh next slide.
Dillon Watring: Um. So the organizations that can submit a proposal to the expand Ai program. Uh. The proposals may only be submitted by minority serving colleges or universities. Uh meeting the criteria listed under the eligible institutions of higher education. Um in the program solicitation um. So again, that's that. Nsf
Dillon Watring: two, three, five hundred and six, and I believe we'll provide a link
Dillon Watring: to the solicitation directly at some point. Um, and Then, again, no, as Abbey had mentioned um, Only eligible organizations that have received an official program officer concurrence email inviting a full proposal based on a Ceo may submit a full proposal. Um. So if there is a overall that's submitted um without going through the concept outline process um us being returned without a review.
Dillon Watring: Um. So who may serve as a P. I. On these proposals uh the principal investigator must hold a full time faculty appointment, or be a senior administrator at an eligible institution as defined in the solicitation.
Dillon Watring: Then another thing to note that in the partner proposal specifically Copi must be identified to represent each partnering Ai Institute.
Dillon Watring: So uh, whichever Ai institute as a partner track, you are going to be partnering with one of their senior leaders or senior personnel must be identified as a co-pi on the actual Ceo, and the full proposal next slide
Dillon Watring: it's a
Dillon Watring: the institutional eligibility. Um! This is just pulled directly from the solicitation. So it just goes through um some of those that may be submitted by accredited institutions of higher education. Um. So those include Alaska native serving institutions, hispanic serving institutions historically black colleges and universities.
Dillon Watring: And then there's this other category other minority-serving institutions which the details of which are laid out in the solicitation
Dillon Watring: And yeah. So whenever you're looking at eligibility and wondering if your University or your institution is eligible, please always refer back to the solicitation it's laid out pretty explicitly in there which one falls under which next slide.
Dillon Watring: So yeah, the concept outlines um. So these next slide. These are the process by which Abbey had mentioned and talked about, we receive a two-page concept outline, and in a set
Dillon Watring: looks at that concept outline. Ah, and determines if it is responsive to the expand Ai program Objectives? Ah! So these concept outlines are required for both the capacity, building track and the partner track, and this really ensures Proposers do not extend a ton of time or resources. Um, In preparing those full proposals that Don't have a strong potential to be responsive to the program objectives,
Dillon Watring: So the Ceos are, as I said, two-page maximum Um. They must be sent out of the Pdf attachment to this expand Ai program at Nsf: G email um with some subject line uh Theo, and then the title, as it appears in the Conference outline.
Dillon Watring: Um! If the content outline is deemed to be not responsive to the Ai that expand Ai program. Objectives uh the proposal proposer will receive notice from uh expand a it to not submit a full proposal, or that you're not being invited to submit a full proposal. Um! And, as I said, we'll probably give you a lot of feedback um on the ways that you could possibly revise the idea. Um! Or if the idea needs to go back to the drawing board um, and then
Dillon Watring: resubmitted Ceos need to have been substantially revised according to the reviewer's comments. Uh: next slide, please. Um. So yeah, I just kind of wanted to go through the anatomy of conflict outlines. So just uh a really basic example of what they look like. Um. So next you can go ahead and tap through, I think, three times. Yeah,
Dillon Watring: that's good. So Yeah. So the title the title needs to be clearly identified. The title has to include either app or partner depending on which track you're submitting to. And please have a descriptive title of the project
Dillon Watring: for which you are proposing in the Ceo uh the name of the P. I. And the copies. You can list up the five personnel here for the partner. Ceos, remember to include a Co-pi formal partnering ai institute.
Dillon Watring: Then the third section Here is the Msi status. So here you have about two hundred and fifty words to describe the submitting institution's current ai capacity in all the areas. So research, instruction and infrastructure especially how it relates to the proposed Ceo
Dillon Watring: for the two different tracts we're looking for essentially two different things Here, as you can see, we have this Msi static, and then the current Ai capacity stuff to the capacity building track.
Dillon Watring: So the cap track we want you in this section to demonstrate a compelling institutional need for capacity building and Ai, and for the partner track. We want you to describe a suitable foundation for success in the collaboration detail and the Ceo. So we're looking for some level of current. Um ai capacity that would lead us to believe that you would be successful in
Dillon Watring: proposing to the partner track next slide, please.
Dillon Watring: Um. And then. So the last section of the concept outline is just the goal section. Um. So here for capacity billing track. So the cap track. You have five hundred words about to describe the outcomes and the benefits of the capacity building to the Nsi. So we really want you to outline the goals and any plans that are going to be fully described in the full proposals, capacity, clothing, building, plan, um, and really highlight how you see institutional change
Dillon Watring: um due to the proposed work.
Dillon Watring: So the partner track also five hundred words in this
Dillon Watring: golf section for the partner track. We want you to identify the organizations and the prospective collaborative work in a unifying theme or focus. So we really want you to be selective in.
Dillon Watring: Choose Ai Institute that you're going to be working with um, and the proposal or the concept outline that you're proposing really be um have a unifying theme with that Ai institute Here we want you to outline the shared goals and identify the prospective projects that are going to be described in the partnership roadmap in the full proposal. And then we also want this section to clearly highlight the mutual benefit
Dillon Watring: and the potential benefits to both the Msi and the Ai institution. So we want this kind of value, add both way. So value added to the Msi, and that you added to the Ai Institute via this collaboration. Go ahead and next slide.
Dillon Watring: Yeah. So um, just some details about the full proposal next slide. Ah, and the submission. Um. So again, an official email from the expand Ai team has to um invite you or invite a concept outline to submit a full proposal.
Dillon Watring: Uh, the Expand Ai program has recurring proposal uh submission windows as having had mentioned. Uh, so unlike deadlines, the submission windows allow. Uh the proposers um a greater deal of flexibility. Um to submit a full proposal at any time. Um, each submission window has a closing date. The system will shut down about five Pm. At the similar. It's local time, and then open up the next morning. Um until the final submission window for the year.
Dillon Watring: An organization can submit one proposal per submission window, and then an organization must wait for the termination from Nsf. So that the
Dillon Watring: this is full proposal. So whether it be decline, award, or returned without review on pending proposal submissions before submitting a new proposal in the next window.
Dillon Watring: Um! The declined proposals require a new invitation to submit via the concept outlined process and significant revision.
Dillon Watring: Um. So if you do make it to the full proposal step. We want you to really take the opportunity to um revise that concept, outline um, and really show in that concept outline process that you are taking the reviewer's comments and suggestions um into account when you're submitting that new concept outline
Dillon Watring: um, and then an organization that has ah received an invitation to submit a full proposal. Um must wait for that proposal to be submitted and resolved before submitting another concept outline. Um, and just a note on the limit of number of proposals for Pi or Co-pi that there are no current restrictions or limit. Next slide.
Dillon Watring: So Yeah, that's the mission windows. We're in the first window of the year, lasting from January eighth to March eleventh, and then we have concurrent windows all the way until October the seventeenth of two thousand and twenty-five. So there's plenty of time to
Dillon Watring: go through the whole process of Ceos and submitting for the rest of the year. Next slide.
Dillon Watring: I'm. So this
Dillon Watring: ah wanting to go into some kind of highlight, some of the sections of a full proposal. Um! So all of these sections and the guidelines will be um explicitly laid out in the solicitation. Um, But some of the important ones are, of course, the title Um, the project summary, and then the project. Description is the main one that I kind of wanted to touch on. Ah, so for the project, description for the full proposal you have to follow the requirements of the Pa. Ppg.
Dillon Watring: Um, and then specifically for each track. So whichever track you are submitting to track one. Um, you need these four sections um explicitly laid out in the project Description? Ah, so the need and potential the capacity building plan ah, broader impacts, and then personnel um, and then for track to. Ah, the partner track.
Dillon Watring: You want to have these explicit sections Ai capacity. The collaboration plan benefits the Ai capacity, broader impacts, and then personnel. So next slide, please.
Dillon Watring: Here are some other sections of the proposal that are, of course, very in
Dillon Watring: or in uh, but just wanted to note them again. This is just a brief overview. But please follow the guidelines laid out in the solicitation. These are pretty detailed in the solicitation I just kind of took the section titles, and much more detail for each section is in the solicitation.
Dillon Watring: Ah, next slide,
Dillon Watring: and I think this is going to be the last one on the full proposal, submission, or a preparation. So for both proposal tracks or proposals to both tracks, full proposals are submitted via the research. Go,
Dillon Watring: Um, please follow all of the Nsf proposal and award policies and procedures Guide um, and then I have some links here which we'll also share when we share these slides, and then also full proposals may be submitted via the grants that go,
Dillon Watring: and then next slide, and I believe i'm handing it off to a sabrata. So i'll go ahead. So
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: thank you, Dylan. Um again. Welcome, everybody. I'm Sabratha charia. I lead. Ah, two of the research expansion programs in Ah, within size. One of them is the size, Msi, as well as the size excellence in research.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Today i'm working to talk to you guys about the capacity building pilots which is so critical to the solicitation
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: as was mentioned before. Ems eyes are central to providing inclusive excellence, and they foster innovation and cultivate talent. And and Nsf recognizes this, and they are very essential to establish and retain long-term us competitiveness
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: with that goal and Nsf. Is intentional in broadening institutional participation by increasing the number of size. Funded research projects from Emsis in order to build and retain these sustainable research at these institutions. Next slide, please
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: to that effect We wanted to share with you that in the first year of execution we have six cap awards, as Abbey had mentioned last year, ten to fifteen cap capacity building pilots that I anticipated in the upcoming year.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Planning and growth. Efforts are intentional in this to build institutional capacity where it does not exist, and thus can lead to institutional change, and Ai Everywhere
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: successful cap tracks will result in institutional change and establish Ai research research in terms of research, capacity, education, workforce as well as Ai infrastructure capacity.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: It is important to understand that the plan for engaging appropriate communities in order to evaluate the visibility of these projects is essential for a future partner proposal with the Ai Institutes as indicated.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: It is also critical to consider the requirement for the research infrastructure, as it aligns with the institutional needs and long-term institutional. Ah goals. And the plan to leverage and establish these groups in order to ah establish related research areas across or beyond size is something which emphasizes Ai everywhere, and the need for inclusive excellence. Next slide, please.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: What demonstrates a great cap proposal Again, the first step, making sure that we have the two-page constant pipelines shared with our internal review. Ah! That in line with the compelling reason why the institutional need one
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: is a requirement to establish resource capacity, including faculty students, as well as institutional and jurisdictional capacity, or Ai capacity building,
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: articulating the vision as it motivates in line with the benefits to the Msi Institution, as well as the jurisdiction, is critical, and once the invitation is in from and Nsf. Making sure, as Dylan had mentioned, that full proposals are dressing the key questions in the solicitation for a successful cap.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Things I would like to highlight One is the proposals to the track must include a strong institutional need and support statement.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: And this is something which is in line with what Nsf. Would, or the seed funding for Nsf. Would enable the institution to build that infrastructure, the capacity? And how would the institution demonstrate the outcomes in order to sustain and retain the capacity moving forward? And secondly, successful proposals should also feature a capacity building plan that has the evaluation piece of it in order to measure outcomes and benefits in bill
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: and sustaining the research capacity. Next slide, please.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Again, a little bit. Detail into the capacity building plan. Successful proposals will feature a capacity building plan that features measurable outcomes. As I said earlier. Again, these are some examples of what
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: successful activities and suitable plans would include. They are not limited, as was mentioned earlier. But please keep in mind that the seed funding should catalyze the institutional's ability to establish and build the ai capacity for research for workforce as well as for educational needs.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: If It is important to note, however, that activities need not be limited, and this is something I wanted to. Highlight proposals are encouraged to select and integrate, based on the individual, institutional and jurisdictional plan, and how they engage with the community, or have a potential to build partnerships in future with Ai institutes or regional ai
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: early partnership Developments are kind of very appealing, and ensure that the Msi is looking both for short-term and long-term needs to build these partnerships to have more regional Ai leadership in the long run.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Next slide
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: competitive cap proposals, and we have highlighted like what has been successful here in the last rounds of Review.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Strong promot motivation of the project is very critical, because that compelling reason why the institution of the Msi has the potential to do or build the Ai. Capacity. And how would Pc. Dollars from Nsf. Support the change?
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: How does it align with the solicitation goals is very critical, clearly articulating how the institutional goals align with the expand Ai program and solicitation roles,
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: including faculty, training and research experiences which emphasizes both diversification of Ai or investigators as well as retaining the faculty, capacity, and student capacity. It's critical
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: creating our new knowledge generation with regards to building the air capacity and maximizing it as they collaborate in future. The Ai Institutes is also important, and of course demonstrating how the university or the institution supports or helps build a Ai capacity and retain it as bring forward in the long run
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: something which gives us an as a indication that this is going to be a good investment.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: Again, successful cap proposals would result in the establishment of New Ai research capacity, either in research, education, and workforce, and also help build and retain the ai infrastructure for these institutions and jurisdictions that's like one hundred and fifty.
Subrata Acharya, NSF/CISE: I will now transfer to Stacey.
Stacey Levine: Thank you. Sobria. Um i'm going to. I'll speak about the partner. Track my name's Stacey Levine I'm. A program director. Actually, i'm a neighbor to size in the division of mathematical sciences and mathematical physical sciences, and I'm. Involved in the eight expand Ai team and a lot of other Ai activity here at the agency. So why don't we go to the
the next slide?
Stacey Levine: So the partner track is really an opportunity for Msi to scale up already established Ai research, Ai research, education, workforce development
Stacey Levine: as well as to initiate new collaborations with these Ai institutes. So this is really kind of
Stacey Levine: building this continuum.
Stacey Levine: So these are multi-organization collaborations. The proposal is submitted by the Msi. But it includes a sub award to one of the Ai Institutes I saw in one of the questions people were asking, Do you need to coordinate? And that is the case in the partnership track
Stacey Levine: partner. Projects are centered around, shared complementary goals of the Msi and the Ai Institute that they're partnering with
Stacey Levine: um. The proposing Um Msi is not required to have been awarded a cat project under this program, so might be some might not be. Some institutions are ready for a partner. Proposal. Um! From the onset.
Stacey Levine: The proposal must include a collaboration with at least one of the Ai Institutes. Typically it's one, but it could be more and an authentic and significantly new partnership that really has the clear potential to build on the institution's current Ai capacity
Stacey Levine: and leverage the strength and to um
Stacey Levine: and talents of the Msi.
Stacey Levine: So it's it's it.
Stacey Levine: So. Um part of the work is finding an Ai Institute to partner with some institutions might have some in mind. Some might not the place to start
Stacey Levine: is looking at the Ai Institute's Virtual Organization website, as Jim was referring to earlier, and we also have a list of all of the Institutes on the expand Ai page, and I believe that these slides will be available. So you'll have a website in
Stacey Levine: next slide.
Stacey Levine: So what needs to go into the partner concept outlines as well as the proposal. So in the concept outline, what we're really looking for is that the Msi capacity is suitable for a partner track that they're ready to scale up. And there's really a concept in there, and there's a concept in there for this partnership. And so we're looking for this clearly identified, described partnership goals that really demonstrate benefits
Stacey Levine: on two fronts benefits to the submitting Msi as well as benefits to the partnering Ai Institute.
Stacey Levine: Once a concept outline is invited for a full proposal. What we're looking for in the full proposal is that the msis really demonstrate a readiness to leverage this new partnership to kind of build and develop and keep growing, that Ai capacity
Stacey Levine: benefits of the collaboration to both the proposed ah benefits of the collaboration to the Msi should really be clearly articulated in the proposal.
Stacey Levine: Um, we're looking for we're looking at the connections between the identified research efforts and the Ai Institute research are strong. So there should be some really clear synergies or potential synergies,
Stacey Levine: and this is really important, and this will come up again on the next
Stacey Levine: slide is a compelling partnership roadmap, as we're looking for. Really, what's the joint strategy for this collaborative work?
Stacey Levine: There should be arrangements described to really significantly
Stacey Levine: the ai capacity at the proposing Msi. So we're looking for institutions that have ai capacity and are ready to take it to the next level. And we're looking for the growth in Ai capacity to be substantial.
Stacey Levine: The activities should, of course, be Ai related
Stacey Levine: Um. And so the three pieces that are specific to these types of proposals that go beyond the standard. Intellectual and broader impact are the partnership roadmap, the institutional need and support statement and the institute integration.
Stacey Levine: And so this is something you'll make sure. That's very clear. That's included in the proposal, and it's something Reviewers will be looking at as well. So the first. The partnership proposal, as I mentioned, must feature a compelling partnership roadmap that really gives a road back for this collaborative work.
Stacey Levine: The centered around some unifying theme or focus.
Stacey Levine: The proposing Msi needs to also submit a strong institutional need and support statement,
Stacey Levine: and this needs to demonstrate an institutional commitment for the proposed activities, as well as as well as contain a really clear assessment of the current Ai research and instructional capacity. Infrastructure,
Stacey Levine: as well as the progress in Ai. Capacity development, and how that relates to the outlook for this partnership development.
Stacey Levine: The third thing, the third item is an Institute integration plan, and that is submitted by the collaborating Ai Institute,
Stacey Levine: and this should demonstrate a thoughtful and well-resourced commitment by the Institute to coordination mechanisms that will bring together the various participants of the project. Um in the at the Msi, as well as the Ai Institute next slide, please.
Stacey Levine: And so we'll end with really this these partnership roadmaps, because that piece should be in your proposal, and it's really an important piece. Um, In addition to the usual um mayor-view criteria.
Stacey Levine: So these effective roadmaps really need to be clearly depicted. We highly highly recommend that they should be represented visually, either in a conceptual diagram, logic, model table. However, you want to
Stacey Levine: display it, but it should be very clear and visual, as well as fully explained in the descriptive narrative. So you should be expect to do both
Stacey Levine: um the roadmaps what they should address. This is not it doesn't have to address everything on here, and it's not limited to this list, but these are some examples and key features
Stacey Levine: the enhancement of the existing projects by virtue of new collaboration. So it can have new existing projects. But we really want to see how this collaboration is going to enhance them.
Stacey Levine: The initiation of new projects
Stacey Levine: that will be enabled by this collaboration between the Msi and the Ai Institute
Stacey Levine: community building activities, such as workshops, lots of examples to further develop common interest objectives and further growth
Stacey Levine: of the partnership.
Stacey Levine: Um, The potential and plans for scaling up nascent programs, and an evaluation plan for measuring the growth and mutual benefit of activities and all projects. So those are some of the key pieces that you should really keep in mind when presenting when submitting a partnership
partner proposal,
Stacey Levine: i'll pass it on to the final
Stacey Levine: presenter.
Dillon Watring: Yeah, I think so. That wraps up. I think most of what we wanted to discuss and leave quite a bit of time for questions. I know a lot of questions have been asked in the Q. And A. Box and have been answered. Can we go ahead and go to the next slide?
Dillon Watring: Oh, yeah, um. So the next slide to test on the Board date for those full proposal submission windows uh the next office hours. Um, and then some contact information, and then i'm going to go ahead and link some, or put some important links in the chat.
Dillon Watring: Um. So the first link is going to be to the actual Nsf: Ah, solicitation um! The second link is going to be the expand Ai program web page. The third link is that a by website that was mentioned a few times, and then the last week is good. Last link is going to be the tab specifically for expand Ai as a
Dillon Watring: or able website, where it's very easy to find the contact information for all the Ai Institutes. For if you're looking for a partner proposal, and with that, Jim you want have anything else to say.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Well, let me just first say thank you to the whole team for for the great presentation here, and really appreciate the Q. And A. That's been going on in the background, I might invite my colleagues. Uh, Abby, let me just uh, you know, prep your thinking in terms of if you've seen any Q. And A. Coming in that you think might be worth amplifying to the whole group. Maybe we'll do so. I have one in mind. I'll start with, and also group if there are any kind of faq kinds of questions that we haven't touched on that you'd like to. We can do that as well.
Jim Donlon | NSF: I'd like to address several forms of questions about allowable sub awards in the expand Ai program.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Sometimes this question comes in in the scope of a cap, a prospective cat proposal, and sometimes this comes in um in, partner. Let me deal with it in cap, for sometimes the question is asked, Can we have sub awards to other institutions in the cat.
Jim Donlon | NSF: And then there are variations on this question like, do they have to be an Msi um, Do they, you know? Should they, or do they have to be affiliated with an Ai Institute? I'm just going to share with attendees here that the solicitation doesn't
Jim Donlon | NSF: restrict you or guide you in any particular way about the permissibility of sub awards in the cap track.
Jim Donlon | NSF: However, we do want to call your attention to the intent, The stated intent of capacity building pilots. These are four hundred K. Awards over two years to build new capacity and create institutional change at the proposing institution. So the thing that the working group tends to look at very critically
Jim Donlon | NSF: is, In what way are you adding to the potential to make that institutional change by shipping part of your budget out in a civil war to another institution.
Jim Donlon | NSF: So you can imagine there's a fairly There's a fairly kind of critical bar to clear there to make the case that No, your institution will actually be better off by sub awarding part of the budget into a collaborative arrangement.
Jim Donlon | NSF: If your situation makes sense to do that that will come clear in our exchange about your concept outline. And this is part of the reason why we have the concept outline phase, so you can describe to us your plans, and you'll receive feedback from us, and sometimes back and forth to refine your idea.
Jim Donlon | NSF: I'll just deal briefly with the party.
Jim Donlon | NSF: It's ordinary, of course, to have sub awards with the Ai Institute in the partner track it has. It's not ordinary to include other sub awards. Often because when you're subwarding to the Ai Institute, you are now connected to itself a fast institutions. But again, this is the kind of thing you can describe in your concept outline. And then later, if invited in the full proposal, and we can refine those ideas as proposed. So
Jim Donlon | NSF: we wanted to deal with that typical question about Sub awards. And meanwhile, Abbey, I see you're off mute. Is there anything else you think we should touch on?
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Well, I think the issue of
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: partnerships with hat awards, You pretty much explained. Well, what I wanted to emphasize is um. We are discouraging multiple msis from trying to partner in a cap situation. We We had several questions about that, and we actually saw that happen at the beginning of the program.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: It's not encouraged, because every Msi is different, and if you come to us saying, you want to build capacity through institutional change. Ah! At your msi changing Ai, we expect that you will custom build
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: a program of change for your institution that addresses the specific needs that you have. And so it doesn't make sense to partner with another Msi in the cap situation.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Now, in the partner situation you are partnering with an Ai Institute, and so the emphasis should be on how you can leverage
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: the resources, the expertise of the Institute to scale up what you have at your Msi. So again, there it doesn't really make sense to draw in another Msi:
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So this program actually is for Msis to focus on their specific needs. Each and Msi focus on your specific need, whether it is at the cap level, or the partner level and craft a really compelling ah concept of line of proposal
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: to to us here at and Nsf. To help you achieve those goals, so that that's what I would emphasize.
Yeah,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: I think we we pretty much covered the other questions that I see in the Q. And A. Other than sort of the
Jim Donlon | NSF: so we could like handle some of this incoming live, if you like. Um, I just typed an answer to a question that others might want to hear, and that is our evaluation plans required for the proposals. The question didn't specify which track My answer to that question is that I just typed in is that the
Jim Donlon | NSF: the program the solicitation does not require. But it does suggest that it does encourage you to consider, including evaluation plans in each of these tracks, and just consider that, including an evaluation plan, if you choose to do that, can be a good way to convey to reviewers that you
have a concrete idea what success will look like and a plan to measure progress toward that success.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Yeah. And I second, that, Jim, the evaluation plan is not a requirement, but if you do put it in, it helps us. See how you plan
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: to measure outcomes and determine whether or not you're doing what you said you would do. So We're looking at the process of project execution here, the evaluation of that process. And so, if you do put in an evaluation plan.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: I would not recommend that the P. I be the evaluator, because there is some conflict of interest there for objectivity
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and independence of evaluation. Have a third party, a qualified third party. Look at what you're doing, and and provide evaluation of the process
Jim Donlon | NSF: taking a beat here to see if other colleagues have things they'd like to jump in on. Otherwise. I've marked a few things to answer live. One. Is that
Jim Donlon | NSF: um?
Jim Donlon | NSF: A question was asked here about. If you wish to put a partner proposal together with an institution that's not the lead institution of an Ai Institute. Is that an allowable configuration? Yes, in fact, the solicitation is ah explicit about this. So please read that section about eligibility and partnering with Ai Institutes. The
Jim Donlon | NSF: uh. The collaboration can be with uh any designated uh senior personnel in any institution That's part of the Ai Institute,
Jim Donlon | NSF: and where you'll get the Overall Institute sign on to your project is in that Institute partnership plan where the Institute Director themselves are going to.
Jim Donlon | NSF: You know stress how? Yes, we understand this to be an Institute thing. This Pi who is partnered on the expand. Ai thing is indeed part of the Institute, and this is worked into our strategy. So there's a lot of flexibility there for you
Jim Donlon | NSF: another one. I see here that I think we can answer Live is um. Somebody mentions that they had some outreach to Ai Institutes about potential partnerships, and didn't really get anything going yet. Ah, possibly because of maybe mismatchicals or something like that. Yeah, we understand. Ah, you know, partnership building can be ah to be tricky and yearly going right. And so the specific question is, How can um In what way does in a set facilitate communication between Ai institutions and Msis. So
Jim Donlon | NSF: the main function we have for that right now is use of the Avo organization, The Ai Institute's Virtual organization. So I know it's
Jim Donlon | NSF: just a directory at uh on service right when you go to the expand Ai page, there's list of contacts at the institution, but avo is more than just that website. There are personal. There are people behind that website who know well the Ai Institutes. And so, if you contact avo, they might help you understand where institute emphasis is, and how that might align with your institution, and who to talk to and that sort of thing. So we do encourage you to talk to abo about that. If if
Jim Donlon | NSF: if you're not sure where to go from there.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: And I see Dylan was going to answer the question on focus on building capacity in education without research.
Dillon Watring: Yeah, I can go ahead and talk on that. Yeah, Um. So it is completely within the scope of the program. Um, especially with the capacity building track, if you want to focus solely on one aspect. So if you want to focus solely on ai education, that's what's in the scope of the capacity building track.
Jim Donlon | NSF: These are great questions. Ah, please keep them coming. We have a good twenty, twenty more minutes. So yeah, if you would like us to scroll back to a particular slide. We'd be happy to do that.
Jim Donlon | NSF: There's a fairly commonly asked question that has popped up today and has come up over the past months, and that is, if I already have an award from expand Ai to my institution,
Jim Donlon | NSF: participate in the program again, submit a concept outline. So in a new proposal. Ah, there's no restriction in the solicitation about that, so in principle you could. Your institution can can apply as many times as it wants, in accordance with the rules and the solicitation one award does not have to end. If, before another word can begin,
Jim Donlon | NSF: it's not necessary that you have a cap award, as you've heard before, in order to submit for a partner,
Jim Donlon | NSF: you have a cap, or if you have a cap award, or have submitted, submitted for cap You
Jim Donlon | NSF: ah award previously that doesn't mean you can't later submit for a partner, or vice versa, that you know the role of the concept outline phase for us will be for us to provide you feedback on any concepts that you send us, and we'll give you. We'll give you the best feedback we can, so you can figure out what
Jim Donlon | NSF: what's the the best track to engage in, and timeline, and that sort of thing.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So I see a question here. Our research group is based at an Msi classified institution and is conducting research independently.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Which track would we qualify for track, one capacity, building or track to partnership.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: And my answer to that is, it really depends on the level of Ai research at your Msi.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: If your capacity is minimal. So maybe just one or two faculty. When you say research group, it sounds like a small number.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: I would say you would still potentially be eligible for capacity building, because, remember, the capacity building is to propagate the use of Ai technologies and Ai research across the institution. You are talking about your research group,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and that that is a situation that often happens on campus. The Ai research is concentrated in Cs departments or engineering departments. The rest of the campus is not really using Ai.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Now that in that case you, as an Msi, can make a case for building institutional capacity in Ai, and extend your your reach to other colleges or departments on your campus.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Now, if you happen to be a large group, you
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: perhaps it's a whole department with twenty, twenty, five, maybe even thirty researchers are already involved in Ai, and you feel that you are ready to partner with an Ai Institute in a specific line of research, agriculture, climate change, optimization, whatever it is you specialize in. Then I would go for the track to partnership
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and do the homework, talk to the Institute, and ensure that there is good alignment, and then work with them to put together a strong partner also. So thank you for that question.
Jim Donlon | NSF: A pretty good question in our open list here. I'll say i'll just write it out here as faculty. It might be hard to get the overall capacity of the ai in the institution, or to sort of have an institution-wide effect.
Jim Donlon | NSF: I would be more familiar with my own group know a little about the other faculty groups. How do I submit the institutional capacity and needs? I describe my own group's capacity, and needs more precisely.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Yes, so depending on um the depending on where you are situated in your college or university, you may have a a broad view of the goals of your institution Visa be starting new Ai programs, or you might have a local view of what you want to do on a project, and need to relate that to the broader institution goals. Right?
Jim Donlon | NSF: So Please think of it this way. Part of the reason we ask you to to go gather that that Ah, that letter, that statement from a department head or a Ah, you know, head of a school, or something like that. The institutional ah need and capacity and need statement.
Jim Donlon | NSF: That's the thing that's kind of the function that gets you to engage with that level of leadership in your school and say, Hey, look! There is this this expand Ai program. I think my project or my My idea fits into this,
Jim Donlon | NSF: and we're expected to be doing this in the context of building something for lasting ai capacity. How does this fit into strategy, and then you guys can state that. So you're not the one just to be clear. The the person who and as the question, and to anybody else interested. You're not the one really who's writing this institutional need and support letter.
Jim Donlon | NSF: The leadership that you go to is writing this, and they're kind of providing what was an assurance to and Nsf. That this proposal fits into a broader institutional strategy, and also gives you the sort of forcing function for that discussion about how does this fit in? How can we situate this proposal in such a way that we're conveying an intent for lasting institution? Wide change.
Jim Donlon | NSF: So remember, you know the the end result. We hope you know, any capacity of building pilot is that more
Jim Donlon | NSF: research capacity, more educational capacity? Ah, new programs will exist in your institution relative to Ai than would have otherwise right, and not just that. A local project with limited scope took place and then got forgotten.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Okay, I think we're done with that one. Keep them coming.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So there is the question on Budget which we really Haven't addressed to the group. Is there an expectation on how the budget is divided between partners, and I would say, Be careful there.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: This program has a focus on the Msi, and so we expect the majority of the funds to be used at the Msi, not at the Ai Institute. If you're if you're doing a partner project, And so,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: if you're splitting up the budget we don't want to see half the money go to the Ai Institute. They're already well in doubt what we're looking for more is perhaps an eighty, over twenty or seventy thirty. Split
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: um, so that that's not an absolute number, but just to give you some idea, most of the funds must be leveraged to ah improve the Ai research activity, to enhance the activity of faculty at the Msi.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: With respect to the to the cap. Obviously all the funds will go to the Msi. Most of the funds you go to the Msi. If there are partners involved, you have to make the case. For
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: Ah,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: bleeding off, if you can put it that way some of your precious Nsa. Funds to a partner, rather than using it in-house at your own institution.
Jim Donlon | NSF: What's one?
Jim Donlon | NSF: It's really important consideration where partner proposals are concerned. One thing i'd like to set everybody's mind at ease about is that the Institutes know what, and Nsf's expectations are. Here, too, as Abbey mentioned, institutes are well funded, to begin with, to conduct a broad range of activities that likely relate to your collaboration. And so the role of the Subward is to demonstrate sufficient sort of allocation of resources on the part of that Ai institute
Jim Donlon | NSF: that it's a real two-way collaboration right? That their their contribution is meaningful, but they also know that the the result of the expand. Ai Award is meant to be
Jim Donlon | NSF: the institutional change we're trying to promote at the proposing institution. Your institution so institutes know this, and you should have no problem coming to those agreements with them.
Jim Donlon | NSF: It's
Jim Donlon | NSF: so. Here's a question. What's an appropriate amount to? Allocate for evaluation. If you include one, we can't really give you guidelines on that this is a matter for your proposal. So
Jim Donlon | NSF: while we won't give you some kind of like a a template like, here's an amount to put in your budget one way to think about evaluations, and where to resource that is, Think outside the box a little bit. Is it possible that your institution has resources
Jim Donlon | NSF: that can actually be brought to bear as sources of external evaluation that you're. Ah, you're able to leverage in your project Right? That might not be at the right cost to your award. Those kinds of things are, you know, can be interesting ways to think about that.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Otherwise, any proposal sent to and Nsf. That has a budget, submission and budget justification. Well, that's part of your proposal, and what you'll do is propose. What you think is the reasonable allocation of resources to that activity. And if An Sfs questions about it that can be discussed during free Award negotiations,
he's,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and I would add to that if I see a budget with more than anything more than five to eight percent allocated to the evaluator. I get concerned and look at it very, very carefully.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: that's in the directorate in which I work, in which in many cases the programs are required to have evaluators. So be careful about siphoning too much of your funds for the evaluation piece, it should suddenly be under ten percent.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Dylan. Is there anything we've been encountering on the regular, you think, might be worth highlighting to the group not to put you on a spot if there's not anything. But I want to, you know, give you the opportunity.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Yeah, maybe in the the concept outline um process. Um A lot of
Dillon Watring: um things that maybe we've been encountering is uh what we've talked about a little bit, but in the cap track. We really want you to demonstrate um in that concept outline. Um how there is capacity building due to whatever your proposed research is at the institution. So we're really looking for a clear like description of what the institutional change is expected. And then for the Ceo for the partner track um really highlight that mutual benefit to both
the Msi and the Ai Institute.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: So I have one comment and thank you, Dylan. Ah! And that's on broader impacts. Um. I think it showed up, maybe on a couple of slides that Dylan went through, and I said, has two marriage review criteria agency-wide intellectual merit and broader impacts
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: and both apply are applicable to the expand Ai program when when reviewers review proposals, so keep that in mind.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: However, having said that Um,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: we do put a slightly greater emphasis on broader impacts for cap proposals, especially in the early years of the program where we're trying to build up the portfolio. In other words, when you're trying to build capacity up from scratch
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: in Ai at your institution, we do not expect you to necessarily come up with cutting edge research findings that would amount to great intellectual merit strengths.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: And so we're looking more
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: for the cap proposals at the broader impacts of the different types of interventions that you're proposing for building capacity at the Msi. So if you're developing new curricula, we want to see how that is impacting students how that's impacting the faculty and how you're measuring that impact.
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: We do not expect that anything necessarily groundbreaking will come out of that from a research standpoint or from an intellectual merit stem,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: so just wanted to point that out that for capacity building proposals, especially in the review process, there will be greater emphasis, perhaps, on the broader impact side
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: to make sure that you're truly having a broad impact across the campus. That's a little different for for the partner proposals, because there You're trying to scale up research capacity at an Msi. That is already Ah, well endowed in terms of ah research capacity in Ai, because you're trying to scale up. We expect that you will continue to produce cutting-edge. Ah,
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: technology, new innovations. The creativity will go up when you partner with An Ai institute in a partner project. So for that lots of intellectual marriage strengths
should emerge
Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka: so hopefully that it will kind of confuse folks. But I thought I would mention it, since it was on the slides.
Jim Donlon | NSF: It's a really. Ah, it's a really important and valuable point for the community. If ah any of the in the remaining time we have. If anybody has a sort of reaction or follow up to that, please feel free to type it into Q. And A.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Otherwise with no more incoming. We'll give it just like two more beats in case somebody's typing furiously. Go ahead, hit. Enter real fast. Otherwise we're going to start taking this thing in for landing. Please put your seat back upright and to trade tables up.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Um! We are very glad that you joined us for the Webinar, as you'll and have noticed in the program. We have a lot of ways in which we can continually try to stay engaged with the community and be available to you. So Ah! Do join our webinars. Please take note of our office hours. We post new times for office hours on the regular, and those are more informal opportunities to get together normally in a group of ah program officers like this one, and just talk about your individual situations,
Jim Donlon | NSF: and you can always get in touch with us individually by email. Ask us Ah, your questions about your concept outline, and the entire program is set up to have an exchange with the community, and to help you to shape your ideas and engage successfully with the program, so that i'd like to thank again my colleagues, for your presentation in the Webinar. Thank all of our attendees for attending, and you can look for the recording and the slides to be posted on the program page within the next few days.
Jim Donlon | NSF: Okay,
Jim Donlon | NSF: thanks everyone.