31 



CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES IN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION 



New cross-cutting activities in research and education are always emerging within the framework of 

 NSF's existing programs. NSF uses both formal and informal mechanisms to ensure that links are 

 created across organizations and key program functions The examples below describe areas where 

 NSF provides formal coordination, through a group of senior managers, due to their importance within 

 NSF's priorities or to interest on the part of other agencies. 



Integration of Research and Education 



One might argue that all NSF programs have an education and training component since they develop 

 the participants 1 knowledge and skills Likewise, many education and training programs are linked to 

 research activities Integrating research and education is one of NSF's core strategies for 

 implementation of its strategic plan Coordination is provided across a broad range of relevant 

 programs The coordinating group is currently developing a new activity that will focus on the 

 identification and recognition of universities with significant research capabilities that have shown bold 

 leadership, exceptional innovation, and tangible accomplishment in linking research and education 



In the Research Project Support key program function, relevant programs include Faculty Early 

 Career Development (CAREER); Research in Undergraduate Institutions, Collaborative Research in 

 Undergraduate Institutions; Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Grant Opportunities for 

 Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI), and Engineering Research Centers, Science and 

 Technology Centers. Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers and Minority Research 

 Centers of Excellence, all of whose missions include the integration of research and education 



In the Education and Training key program function, relevant programs include Institution-Wide 

 Reform of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, Graduate 

 Research Fellowships; Graduate Research Traineeships. Science Education Postdoctoral 

 Fellowships; Research Training Groups, Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement, Undergraduate 

 Course and Curriculum Development, Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement, Combined 

 Research-Curriculum Development Program; and Engineering Education Coalitions 



Coordinated Interdisciplinary Research and Education in Areas of National Priority 



An evolving set of interdisciplinary frontiers in areas of broad national interest also receives sustained 

 attention and coordination. These areas emerge from NSF planning processes that take account of 

 both (1) input from the research and education community resulting from such activities as workshops, 

 reports, and advisory committees and (2) national goals for science and technology In identifying 

 areas included in this set, NSF considers factors such as scientific readiness, the availability of 

 infrastructure, NSF's role in promoting the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in service 

 to society, and the potential for collaboration NSF has played an important role in nurturing research 

 and education in areas that subsequently became the focus of interagency coordination and national 

 efforts. 



Seven well-defined areas currently make up this set of opportunities for investment The coordination 

 mechanism provides a means of establishing priorities within each area and tracking the 



