FY20 Q&A for Phase 2 Full Proposals

Until I figure out if there is a better place to put this, I am going to be keeping a running tab of questions that I get sent from full proposal PIs here. (Newest answers on the bottom.)

1. Q: Where will we submit the full proposal documents? *UPDATE*

   1. You will email your proposal to gs_cdi@usgs.gov before the deadline of January 30, 11:59pm, because migration of our submission system is not complete. Your submission will consist of 4 files:

      1. Updated coversheet – 1 .docx file
      2. Main document – 1 PDF file: Project narrative (7 pages max), References, CVs (2 pages max), Letters of Support
      3. Data Management Plan – 1 PDF file
      4. Budget – 1 .xlsx file

      We will send you your previous coversheet, plus a checklist for your email submission, by January 17.
      Thanks for understanding the more manual process during this system migration year.

2. Q: Is there a template for the full proposal narrative document?
   1. There is no template for the narrative – just a 7 page limit (not including references). People have taken different approaches, but generally, following the evaluation criteria as headings helps out the reviewers and is a good strategy. Appendix B of the Guidance Document has all of the “requirements” that we ask for.
      
      

3. Q: Are Jupyter Notebooks Software or source code if we plan to make them runnable from a Git repository?

   1. A: Designate Jupyter Notebooks as source code. 
      
      
4. Q: This year you all decided to approve all SOIs to write a full proposal. Does that mean more reviewing for you all?
   1. A: We usually have 19-20 so it is an increase to 24. The sponsors wanted to see more information from all of the proposals since they thought the ideas seemed relevant.
      
      
5. Q: I thought the deadline was Friday, January 31 but saw that it now says Thursday, January 30
   1. I changed it in some places where it said "late January" but was unaware an actual date existed - let me know if I am mistaken.
      
      
6. Q: How many proposals do you think you will select to be funded?
   1. I can't make a prediction for this year but in past years it's been between 6 and 14. 14 was high because additional mission areas chipped in funding.
      
      
7. Q: Has the CDI discussed how it can get funding to do something where it can be for a larger amount over a longer period of time like at least a full year or more?
   1. We have discussed it. Our funders prefer the short seed-funding that is completed within the fiscal year. 
      
      
8. Q: Is travel in for usability testing considered "field data collection"? (Field data collection is not an appropriate use of CDI funds.)
   1. No, usability data is not considered field data in this context.
      
      
9. Q: Is the CDI coordinator allowed to give feedback on full proposals before they are submitted?
   1. Yes, I (Leslie) can give feedback if you don't wait until the day before it is due. Providing feedback is a way for us to get proposals that are more aligned with our goals, and I am not on the review panel, but just a neutral facilitator.
      
      
10. Q: In our budget we need to include travel to a CDI event - what is this? 
    1. A: We have selected the ESIP Summer Meeting, July 14-17, 2020, in Burlington VT. We will organize a session for CDI funded projects. Information will be posted here as it becomes available: https://www.esipfed.org/meetings/upcoming-meetings . In recent years this meeting has been Mission Operational and has not required USGS conference database sign-up. We will monitor this situation and keep PIs in the loop.
         
11. Q: Do we still need to include $2000 for the CDI event now that it has been chosen and a better cost estimate can be made?
    1. No - $2000 was a place holder value until the event was chosen - please use a cost estimate that takes into account your location.
    2. Which registration rate to use: $550. USGS is an ESIP partner and so you can use the partner registration fee estimate. Use the "regular" registration (not early-bird) in your estimate because of the uncertainty of when we get our travel approved. For the most recent meeting, this was $550. The registration fee counts towards the travel cost.