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These goals and core strategies are implemented through the investment strategies developed for 

 the budget request, the merit review of projects that make up the portfolio of investments, and a 

 cycle of performance assessment that addresses the effectiveness of the implementation 



Plans for responding to GPRA 



For all functions composing the set of investments NSF makes in research and education. NSF 

 proposes to use descriptive performance goals based on its strategic plan, and to ask 

 independent assessment panels to judge whether the Foundation's investments have met them 

 The panels would assess broad areas of science, engineering and education, and cover the entire 

 range of the Foundation's activities over a five to eight-year period The panels would include 

 international members and members from organizations that use the science and engineering 

 knowledge and human resource base The panels would be provided with both quantitative and 

 qualitative performance information on which to base their assessments. During FY 1997, the 

 Foundation will build the base of results information available from its various activities and 

 experiment with using assessment panels effectively. 



The following performance highlights include some of the information that might be presented to 

 the assessment panels Because the purpose is to tie outcomes to goals, the highlights have 

 been laid out in a goal-based framework. 



