CDI is an EPSCoR Foundation initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) aimed at increasing the participation of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) researchers and universities in NSF's portfolio of centers and large-scale programs.
CDI Activities:
Centers Development Technical Assistance
Centers Development Workshops
Proactive Outreach (including Research Centers Intelligence)
Centers Development Technical Assistance
CDI works closely with proposal PIs and others (e.g., university research administrators and state EPSCoR project directors) to provide customized packages of NSF-funded technical assistance to EPSCoR university research teams competing for NSF centers and other large-scale projects.
CDI provides technical assistance catered to meet the needs of individual EPSCoR research teams, with several factors impacting the type and level of assistance provided by CDI, including:
Targeted NSF centers program
Needs of the research team
Time scale under which assistance is provided
Prospects that assistance by CDI can lead to a successful proposal
Overall, the types of services provided by CDI’s Senior Associates and network of outside experts include:
Serving as an information resource and providing guidance about existing and emerging centers programs
Advising on features most needed to strengthen centers proposals
Reviewing pre-proposal materials (e.g. white papers, prior proposals, reviewers’ comments)
Providing advice on "next steps"
Helping to identify, recruit, and support appropriate consultation from outside experts
Supporting potential PIs in arranging productive dress rehearsals for upcoming NSF site visits
Centers Development Workshops
Major outcomes include:
Information dissemination about established and emerging NSF centers programs
Productive networking and interactions between directors of ongoing NSF centers and EPSCoR researchers
Early access for the EPSCoR research community into new and emerging NSF programs and initiatives
Partnerships between EPSCoR researchers in similar and complementary disciplines as well as linkages with nationally recognized experts and Center directors ahead of center proposal preparation
Opportunities for EPSCoR researchers to meet with relevant NSF program officers
Connections between EPSCoR research teams and CDI’s technical assistance services
Proactive Outreach (including Research Centers Intelligence)
Description/examples coming soon.