I'm sure you'll get better answers from schools with more NSF experience,
but--my understanding is that NSF discourages you from asking for "buyout"
funds (we use "release time," which seems to me to go down a little easier)
but, as the first sentence of the quoted passage shows, does not flatly
prohibit it.  On the few applications we send to NSF, we always ask for
funds  to cover the percent of effort the faculty member will devote to the
project.

-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Averick [mailto:xxxxxx@CIMS.NYU.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 4:52 PM
To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
Subject: [RESADM-L] Academic Year salary on NSF grants

Hi--

It has been our understanding that NSF did not generally pay for what we
call course buyouts (where the teaching load of a faculty member is
reduced if s/he can get a grant to pay for a piece of his/her salary).
One of the senior faculty members here says that she was informed by
people that this isn't the case.  Looking on their website, it seems
unclear, except for this passage from the NSF grant proposal guide:

"NSF regards research as one of the normal functions of faculty members
at institutions of higher education. Compensation for time normally
spent on research within the term of appointment is deemed to be
included within the faculty member's regular organizational salary.
Grant funds may not be used to augment the total salary or rate of
salary of faculty members during the period covered by the term of
faculty appointment or to reimburse faculty members for consulting or
other time in addition to a regular full-time organizational salary
covering the same general period of employment"

But this passage seems to be talking more about increasing someone's
compensation, which we're not doing.  I called NSF and was told to speak
to someone in the Policy office, who hasn't gotten back to me yet.  I
also did a search on Google and saw a few other universities mentioning
that NSF would not support a buyout.

Does anyone have any hard info/experience with this?

Thanks in advance,
Fred Averick
Sponsored Research Administrator
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
New York University
251 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012

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