2020-2022 Committee on Awards and Facilities (A&F)
Committee Members
| Chair: | Dan Reed |
| Vice Chair: | Carl Lineberger |
| Members: |
Arthur "Artie" Bienenstock |
| Executive Secretaries: |
Jared Dashoff Kathleen McCloud Jonathan Wynn |
| NSBO Staff: |
Michelle McCrackin Amanda Vernon |
Charge (NSB-2017-8)
The Committee on Awards and Facilities (A&F) is established to:
- Address strategic issues and recommend policies to the Board related to awards (excepting Honorary Awards) and Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) projects;
- Make recommendations to the Board on awards and facilities; and
- Provide lifecycle oversight on facilities and oversight on awards.
In fulfilling this charge, the Committee will help address the Board’s responsibilities to:
- Approve or delegate approval of awards issued by the National Science Foundation;
- Approve any project to be funded out of the MREFC account;
- Approve the Director’s list showing the relative priority of all MREFC funding requests;
- Approve inclusion of new MREFC projects in future budget requests;
- Set policies related to awards for the National Science Foundation; and
- Review NSF’s management of the facility portfolio as well as of awards, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Important issues include risk management, evaluation procedures, and responsiveness to the priorities of the scientific community.
The Committee on Awards and Facilities is expected to:
- Elucidate the context for Board award decisions, including:
- Partnerships;
- Lifecycle plans;
- Budgetary strategy;
- Alignment with strategic priorities and scientific opportunities;
- Congressional and Presidential guidance; and
- Inspector General and audit findings and management responses.
- Review and help recommend policies related to awards, for example: delegation of authority, merit review, award size and duration, cost-sharing, patent policy, recompetition, divestment/transition plans, and risk-management;
- Provide lifecycle oversight for awards and facilities to ensure that opportunities to achieve greater scientific capability are identified, that facilities are responsive to their communities, and that risks stemming from large awards and facilities are identified, analyzed, and mitigated or accepted;
- Provide strategic guidance and oversight for research and education awards; and
- Address other awards and facility-related issues and policies as directed by the full Board or the Executive Committee.
The Committee on Awards and Facilities is expected to report to the Board as needed on the issues within its purview.
*Members of the National Science Board whose terms have recently expired, temporarily serving as consultants to the Board.