Operational Excellence

A revised version of the NSF PAPPG (NSF 23-1) has been issued and can be accessed at:  Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide.  The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023.

Significant changes to the PAPPG include the following:

NSF Biographical Sketch (Biosketch) and Current and Pending (Other) Support (C&P):

• Updates have been made to increase standardization with the Common Disclosure Form for the Biosketch and C&P documents that have been developed in compliance with National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) Implementation Guidance.
• Senior Personnel will be required to certify that the information provided in their Biosketch and C&P is accurate, current, and complete (certification included in both SciENcv and the NSF fillable format).
• In accordance with NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance, NSF Program Officers will request an updated C&P prior to making a funding recommendation.
• Effective October 23, 2023, the use of SciENcv will be required to prepare the Biosketch and C&P documents.

Concept Outlines:
Certain NSF proposal types or funding opportunities will require submission of a Concept Outline prior to submission of a full proposal.  These will be submitted either by email to a designated address or via the online Program Sustainability and Proposal Concept Tool (ProSPCT), as specified in the solicitation.. .  A concept outline will be required to submit the following proposal types:

• Planning Proposal
• Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
• Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
• Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE)  

Off-Campus or Off-Site Research:
A new checkbox will be included on the NSF Cover Sheet to identify Off-Campus or Off-Site Research. When this box is checked, a plan for the proposal must be in place regarding a safe and inclusive working environment.  For purposes of this requirement, off-campus or off-site research is defined as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft.  The organization’s plan for the proposal must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure.  Proposers should not submit the plan to NSF for review.

Research Security:
In accordance with NSPM-33, NSF requires the following post-award updates to current support after issuance of an NSF award:

• If an organization discovers a PI or co-PI on an active NSF award failed to disclose current support or in-kind contribution information as a part of the proposal submission process, the AOR must submit the information within 30 calendar days of the identification of the undisclosed current support or in-kind contribution via the Notification and Request Module in Research.gov.
• PIs and co-PIs on active NSF awards must indicate if there has been a change in active other support since submission of the proposal or the last reporting period in their annual and final project report. If there has been a change, the individual must submit a revised current and pending support document prepared in SciENcv as a part of the project report.