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demands of the high-technology jobs of the future FY 1997 SMETE priority areas include Pre K-12 

 systemic reform at urban, rural, and state levels, including activities that support reform; technological 

 workforce and expanded comprehensive undergraduate reform; and expansion of activities that 

 integrate research and education, including a new science education postdoctoral program, a new 

 class of graduate research traineeships. integration of K-12 education projects with research activities, 

 and Research Training Groups and System Reform of Engineering Education 



Opportunity Fund 



In FY 1995. Congressional appropnators provided NSF the flexibility to pursue unusually promising 

 cross-cutting activities through the creation of an Opportunity Fund of up to $15 million NSF used this 

 flexibility in FY 1995 to accelerate investment in emerging areas The total Opportunity Fund 

 investment in FY 1995 was $13 3 million 



In FY 1997, NSF plans to continue with its use of a similar Opportunity Fund Current plans include 



• enhanced investments in learning and intelligent systems that build on seed funding for this area 

 from the FY 1995 Opportunity Fund; 



• a new activity focused 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, and 



• developing emphases on aspects of modeling and simulation that address predictability in a 

 variety of phenomena; and on addressing research topics and educational approaches of 

 importance to the urban environment. 



