What do Program Officers Say?

Last month, I polled former National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Officers (PO) about how they wanted PIs to work with them and reach out to them. Below is a summary of those responses. Although all of these folks had been NSF POs, their insights can be applied to working with POs more generally, especially at the federal level.

Here are the questions and responses from our POs:

What is the best way to reach out to a PO?

• email a one-two pager (3)
• Set up a phone call (2)
• Arrange a face-to-face visit (2)

What should you do if a PO is unresponsive?

• Be persistent (2)
• Find another PO (2)
• Not much you can do (1)

 How can you best cultivate a relationship with a PO?

• Send them projects interesting to them (2)
• Visit the PO (1)
• Invite them to your campus (1)
• Be concise in your communications (1)

What advice do you have for working with POs?

• Don't request funding for the same old thing (2)
• Don't cold call (1)
• Ask to be on a review panel (1)

 Please use the comments box to share your own advice or questions about working with POs.

Resources:

Advice for Meeting Directors at NSF - Richard Nader
The Role of Program Officers (NIH) - Timothy Gondre-Lewis