The National Science Foundation (NSF) requested that the National Research Council’s (NRC’s)
Board on Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications assess NSF’s program, Grants for Vertical
Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences (VIGRE). The NRC established a
study committee with the following charge:
1. Review the goals of the VIGRE program and evaluate how well the program is designed to address
those goals;
2. Evaluate past and current practices at NSF for steering and assessing the VIGRE program;
3. Draw tentative conclusions about the program’s achievements based on the data collected to date;
4. Evaluate NSF’s plans for future data-driven assessments and identify data collection priorities
that will, over time, build understanding of how well the program is attaining its goals; and
5. Offer recommendations for improvements to the program and NSF’s ongoing monitoring of it.
Through four meetings over the course of nearly 2 years, the Committee to Evaluate the NSF’s Vertically
Integrated Grants for Research and Education (VIGRE) Program collected and analyzed a broad range
of inputs to develop this consensus report.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and
technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report
Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments
that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the
report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge.
The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative
process.