The deadline for CAREER proposal submissions is fast approaching. Here are some tips from IOS program officers on preparing your proposal:

1.  Panel Review: Although there is a separate solicitation for CAREER proposals, most clusters in IOS review these proposals at disciplinary panels that also consider full proposals submitted through the core IOS solicitation. Thus, you can expect your reviewers to be familiar with the research area in general, and in many cases with the specific conceptual and technical approaches discussed in your proposal.

2.  Intellectual Merit: The same criteria apply for CAREER proposals and regular full proposal submissions (http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/overview.pdf). Whether the work is hypothesis-driven or discovery-based, a clearly articulated conceptual framework should be in place, with the aims thematically linked but not tightly dependent on each another. The work proposed should fit the five-year duration required by the program. The goal is to make it clear to…