What’s the difference between a “supplement to research” and a “Communicating Research to Public Audiences” proposal?
These terms can sometimes be confusing because “supplement” is used in a few different ways. All NSF awards are eligible to request from the program that gave the award a small amount of funding to assure adequate completion of the original scope of work. Typically, these involve additional research for a research award or, in the case of ISE, increasing the potential impact of an exhibit, TV program, etc. “Supplements” also used to be a term for new awards that fund a researcher to develop educational activities associated with the research in ways that expanded their “broader impact” initiatives. In 2003 these “supplements” were changed to the “Communicating Research to Public Audiences” program, which had its own guidelines. Now, in 2009, the CRPA proposals have been rolled into the ISE program guidelines as a project type.
