Impact of Gov't. Shutdown on NSF
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Office of the Director
ARLINGTON, VA 22230Notice No. 119
January 19, 1996
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO
PRESIDENTS OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
AND HEADS OF OTHER NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
GRANTEE ORGANIZATIONS
Subject: Impact of partial government shutdowns and short-term continuing resolutions on NSF operations.
Since the beginning of FY 1996 on October 1, 1995, NSF has operated without an appropriation on a series of short-term continuing resolutions. Moreover, the agency has experienced two periods of shutdown totalling almost four weeks during which we had no funds available either for funding awards or to pay NSF staff to perform their work. This has led to canceled panel meetings and workshops, proposals piling up in our mail room, and delays in meeting our FY 1996 commitments. We now operate under a continuing resolution effective only through January 26, 1996.
Because the time period of the most recent shutdown occurred during semester breaks for many academic institutions, the hiatus in NSF activity may have had minimal apparent impact to date. This Important Notice covers effects of the shutdown itself as well as the related uncertainties surrounding operating for almost one-third of Fiscal Year 1996 on successive continuing resolutions.
In addressing this situation, NSF staff are committed to minimizing the damage to science and engineering and permitting the researchers and educators we support to continue their work with as little interruption as possible. But it will be impossible to mitigate all impacts of the shutdown and the limited, prorated funding available through short-term continuing resolutions. The time period we have lost is one that is critical to the smooth functioning of the proposal review process.
Immediate Impact on NSF and NSF Customer Services Partial Government Shutdown
- More than 2500 proposals have accumulated in the mail room since December 15. We expect all proposals received by January 5 to be in the program offices by the end of January, with the remainder of the backlog in the program offices by mid-February.
- NSF has received almost 40,000 pieces of mail since December 15. This will reach program and administrative offices over the next two weeks.
- 17 review panels and related meetings affecting about 400 people did not take place because of the most recent shutdown. Another 26 panels and meetings scheduled during the rest of January may be cancelled or postponed where preparations cannot be completed in a timely way.
- 156 continuing increments came due on December 31, 1995, with another 266 coming due during January. We will attempt to process as many of these increments as possible by January 26, when we again face the possibility of a shutdown.
- There are approximately 1500 pending requests for NSF forms and publications. We expect to eliminate this backlog by the end of January. This means NSF will not be able to meet its customer service standard for processing information requests in two days for these requests or others we receive in the immediate future. Those needing forms and publications are urged to obtain them electronically via the World Wide Web (http://www.nsf.gov:80/bfa/cpo/forms/start.htm) or STIS.
Intermediate and Long-Term Impacts on NSF and the Science and Engineering Community
- Delayed receipt of proposals in the programs and/or delayed panels means delays in funding decisions. NSF may not be able to honor requested start dates. It will not be possible to meet our customer service standard to process proposals in six months. There may be gaps in funding for successful renewal proposals.
- NSF may experiment with some non-traditional review processes to overcome problems created by cancelled panel meetings. In no case will NSF compromise on its standards for rigorous peer review.
- NSF will explore mechanisms to avoid having award actions backlogged at the end of the fiscal year.
- Announcements for some newly-planned special competitions will be delayed to allow the existing backlog of work to be accomplished.
Short-Term Continuing Resolution Immediate Impact on NSF
The continuing resolutions have been based on the lower of House or Senate actions on NSF's request for Fiscal Year 1996 or the Fiscal Year 1995 appropriation. For NSF's research and related activities account, that is significantly lower than the request for 1996. Only a prorated portion of this amount is available for obligation. Implementation of NSF planning for FY 1996 is extremely difficult because of the uncertainty as to the final budget level. In particular, program officers do not have final program budgets, yet must make decisions on a continuing basis.
Intermediate and Long-Term Impacts on NSF and the Science and Engineering Community
For some large awards, both new awards and continuing increments, NSF will have to make successive partial awards for less than twelve months, rather than providing the amount for a full year at one time.
Given the unprecedented nature of this year's budget process, there are likely to be impacts that we cannot anticipate at this time. We will continue to keep you informed periodically. The most current information will be posted regularly on the NSF Home Page on the World Wide Web (http://www.nsf.gov).
Neal Lane
Director
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