General Programmatic Terms and Conditions (PTC) for the Materials…

General Programmatic Terms and Conditions (PTC) for the Materials Research
Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC), (NSF 07-563) Cooperative
Agreements


1.    Key Personnel: Changes in the PI or co-PIs listed on the cover page of the
      proposal require prior approval by NSF and must be submitted through
      FastLane. Please notify the cognizant Program Officer via email of other
      changes in the Center, such as Interdisciplinary Research Group, IRG, leaders,
      Education and Industrial Outreach Coordinators, subawardees, and/or
      partnerships specifically named in the proposal, that have been approved as part
      of this award.

2.    Program Description: Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers,
      MRSECs, constitute a spectrum of coordinated Centers of differing scientific
      breadth and administrative complexity that may address any area, or several
      areas, of materials research. MRSECs bring together researchers with diverse
      expertise - in partnership with industry, government laboratories, and/or partners
      from other sectors - to address complex, interdisciplinary challenges in materials
      research, to integrate research with education both internally and through a
      variety of partnership activities. The MRSEC supports projects that are too
      complex and multi-faceted for individuals or small groups of researchers to tackle
      on their own.

3.    Project Governance: The Awardee Institution will ensure that an efficient and
      effective Center governing structure is in place throughout the award period to
      support all critical or significant project activities. Components of the governing
      structure should include:

      A.     A MRSEC Director, the Principal Investigator of the award, who is the
             primary contact to the NSF Program Officers. The Director is the chief
             executive officer for the Center responsible for all technical and non-
             technical aspects of Center management and project reporting
             requirements throughout the award period. The Director chairs the
             MRSEC Management Team and ensures that decisions by that Team are
             properly executed. The Director, with the assistance of the Management
             Team, is the primary liaison to the External Advisory Committee (see
             below).

      B.     A MRSEC Management Team, generally called the Executive Committee,
             advises the MRSEC Director on all aspects of Center management. The
General Programmatic Terms and Conditions for NSF 07-563
Cooperative Agreements                                                              1 of 4
             Management Team's membership generally consists of, but is not limited
             to, the Director as chair of the management team, the various leaders of
             the Center's Interdisciplinary Research Groups, the Education and
             Industrial Outreach Coordinators, and may include others who are not
             directly involved with the Center.

      C.     An External Advisory Committee, EAC, serves in an advisory capacity to
             the MRSEC Director and the Management Team. The membership of the
             EAC is determined by the Director in consultation with the MRSEC
             Management Team. The EAC generally meets annually at a time and
             place to be determined in consultation with the Director and the
             Management Team.

4.    Governance Responsibilities: Each MRSEC has the responsibility to manage
      and evaluate its own operation with respect to program administration, planning,
      content and direction. The Awardee will ensure efficient and effective execution
      of all program/project responsibilities by the governing components throughout
      the award period, including:

      A.     A MRSEC strategic plan to achieve major goals in science and
             engineering requiring the coherence and critical mass of a University-
             based center;

      B.     A MRSEC with a well integrated, inter-disciplinary research program
             distinguished by intellectual excellence and driven by a clear vision, in
             which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts;

      C.     A MRSEC with strong emphasis on interdisciplinary education,
             incorporating extensive student participation in the Center's research;

      D.     MRSEC supported activities to foster human resource development and
             enhanced participation of under-represented groups in science and
             engineering at all academic levels, including a diversity strategic plan to
             be updated annually as part of the annual report. The diversity strategic
             plan will discuss the execution of the previous year's diversity strategic
             plan, the outcomes and impacts achieved (statistical and other
             information), and it will update the diversity strategic plan for the coming
             year. The updated strategic plan should highlight key deficiencies
             identified in the previous year's plan and new strategies to rectify them;

             Each MRSEC also incorporates all of the following activities to an extent
             commensurate with the size of the Center:

      E.     A Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, accessible
             to students from other institutions is required. Additional activities as
             appropriate to the Center, may include, but are not limited to, course and

General Programmatic Terms and Conditions for NSF 07-563
Cooperative Agreements                                                              2 of 4
             curriculum development, partnerships such as Research Experiences for
             Teachers, RET, to advance pre-college education, workforce training,
             and/or advancing the public understanding of science and engineering.
             The Project will assure diverse representation in the Center's mandatory
             REU and optional RET programs. The Project will develop ways to
             evaluate and assess the impact of the education and outreach activities;

      F.     Support for shared experimental facilities, properly equipped and
             maintained, and accessible to users from the Center, the broader
             university community, and outside users;

      G.     Active cooperation with industry and other sectors such as, national
             laboratories, other institutions, and international collaborations, as
             appropriate, to stimulate and facilitate knowledge transfer among the
             participants and strengthen the links between university-based research
             and its application;

      H.     "Seed" support for junior faculty, potentially transformative projects, and
             emerging areas of interdisciplinary materials research. Seed support is
             intended to provide maximum flexibility in setting research directions,
             developing cooperative activities, and responding quickly and effectively to
             new opportunities.

5.    Ongoing Management and Award Oversight: During the second and fourth
      years of the activity, the NSF will conduct site visit reviews of the operations of
      the Center in order to confirm that the organization continues to fulfill the goals of
      the project supported through the MRSEC program. The NSF may conduct
      additional site visit reviews as necessary. In the event that a site visit review
      reveals that the Center is not fulfilling the goals of the MRSEC Program, the NSF
      may choose to phase out the funding.

      The Center Director, or a representative, will attend semi-annual meetings of
      MRSEC Directors to discuss issues common to MRSECs, facilitate
      communications among Centers, and identify innovative means to approach
      common problems and opportunities. Associated costs are allowable under the
      award.

      The Center will create a World Wide Web page describing the essential features
      of the Center as well as progress highlights of the Center's technical and
      educational program in accordance with MRSEC guidance.

6.    Reporting Requirements: The Awardee Institution will provide ad-hoc and
      regular reports as designated by the NSF Program Officer with content, format,
      and submission time lines established by the NSF Program Officer and
      communicated to them via electronic message. The Awardee Institution will
      submit all required annual and final reports and, if applicable, certifications to

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Cooperative Agreements                                                               3 of 4
      NSF via FastLane. The Awardee will submit NSF Highlights at the request of the
      NSF Program Officer and will submit up-to-date Highlights to the MRSEC
      website (www.mrsec.org).




General Programmatic Terms and Conditions for NSF 07-563
Cooperative Agreements                                                       4 of 4