14 DAY TRIAL // Officials with the US National Science Foundation (NSF) announce the release of a newly-developed strategic plan, that will inform the organization's decisions for the upcoming five years.
The document underlies a more efficient resource allocation pattern for the agency, and also allows it to identify researches that would stand the most to gain from federal support, while at the same time providing the best possible value for the money.
The new document has been titled “Empowering the Nation Through Discovery and Innovation: NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2011-2016,” and it also lists the research priorities NSF will pursue most vigorously during this interval.
New approaches and methods of assessing and evaluating the performance of past investments made by the NSF are also taken into account in this report. The vision statement the Foundation released some time ago was also revised to coincide with the new directions of research.
“NSF can play a significant role in helping the United States retain global leadership in discovery, in innovation, in advancing the frontiers of science and engineering, and in educating new generations of scientists and engineers,” says Subra Suresh.
“Our new strategic plan provides a road map that guides us and keeps the agency on track to achieving these goals,” adds the official, who is the director of the Foundation.
“We're living in a time when complex problems demand new approaches that bring together and energize innovative collaborations among scientists, engineers and educators from across disciplinary boundaries,” the NSF leader explains further.
“This strategic plan encourages us to do exactly that while ensuring that we remain good stewards of taxpayers' dollars and help the public understand the value of the investments we make,” he adds.
The three new directions of research that the NSF set for itself are: “transform the frontiers, innovate for society, and perform as a model organization.” Near-, mid- and long-term actions that the organization can take to achieve these objectives are also listed in the document.
“The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 requires federal agencies to develop strategic plans and measure performance,” a press release accompanying the announcement indicates.
“The new strategic plan reflects extensive discussions among NSF staff, the agency's advisory committee members, the National Science Board, other government partners, and the greater research and education community,” the statement adds.