AHRQ Accepting Multiple-PI Proposals Effective October 1

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be accepting Multiple Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) in appropriate research grant applications, effective with new applications submitted on or after October 1, 2016.

From AHRQ Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy (NOT-HS-16-018):

The multiple-PD/PI option is extended to AHRQ research grant applications submitted electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 R&R application package. The multiple-PD/PI option will be accepted for applications submitted to current AHRQ research Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). The multiple-PD/PI option does not apply to R13 conference grant applications. If the multiple-PD/PI model is not allowed, the FOA will state that “Multiple Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) are not permitted.” under Section III, Eligible Individuals.

The announcement also includes guidance on making changes when submitting non-competing applications:

• Change from an active single-PD/PI to a multiple-PD/PI award, or changes in the number or makeup of multiple-PD/PIs
• Change from an active multiple-PD/PI to a single-PD/PI award

NSF Proposals: New FastLane Compliance Checks Effective September 26

A message from Jean Feldman, Head of the National Science Foundation Policy Office:

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Dear Colleagues:

Effective September 26, 2016, FastLane will now check to ensure that the combined text of the Project Summary text boxes (or uploaded PDF if the Project Summary contains special characters) does not exceed one page prior to submission, rather than the current check of 4,600 characters. See the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter II.C.2.b, for further information.

The compliance check will trigger an error message in the following circumstances:

• Project Summary text exceeds the one-page limit; and
• Project Summary text is entered and the user also uploads a “Project Summary with Special Characters” supplementary document.

Proposal File Update (PFU) Implications:

Proposers should be aware that if a proposal was received by NSF prior to September 26, 2016, containing a Project Summary that complies with the previous 4,600-character limit but exceeds the one-page limit, a PFU addressing any section of the proposal will result in the proposal not being accepted if it does not comply with these compliance checks. The checks will be run on all sections of the proposal, regardless of which section was updated during the PFU.

(Note from SPO to Berkeley researchers: This means that if you update any section of a proposal that you submitted prior to September 26, you will also need to modify your Project Summary if it exceeds the one-page limit. Failure to do so will cause the proposal not to be accepted.)

Grants.gov Implications:

Proposers should also be aware that Grants.gov will allow a proposal to be submitted, even if it does not comply with these proposal preparation requirements. Should NSF receive a proposal via Grants.gov that is not compliant, it will be returned without review.

We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues. For system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or Rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.

Thank you,
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution & Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
voice: 703.292.4573
email: jfeldman@nsf.gov

CIRM Holding Roadshow Meetings

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will be conducting a Roadshow, a series of meetings throughout the state to re-introduce stakeholders to CIRM, including the new CIRM strategic plan, funding programs, application and review process, as well as an overview of post-award issues. The meeting presentation will be high level, but the CIRM team will be available after the presentation for Q&A. Over the next four years, CIRM will make approximately $700,000,000 in new awards to advance stem cell research and development.

Meetings scheduled for the San Francisco Bay Area are on September 26 at the California Life Sciences Association in San Francisco, September 28 at Stanford University, and October 11 at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. See the CIRM Roadshow for details and links to RSVP for the meetings.

Reminder to NSF PIs

Principal Investigators of National Science Foundation awards must acknowledge NSF’s support in any publication (including Web pages) of any material based on or developed under the PI’s NSF project. The following statement should be used:

“This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (NSF grant number).”

PIs also must provide the following disclaimer (unless NSF states otherwise in the award document) in every publication of material (including World Wide Web pages) based on or developed under the PI’s NSF award, except scientific articles or papers appearing in scientific, technical or professional journals.

“Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.”

NSF support also must be orally acknowledged by the PI during all news media interviews about the NSF project, including popular media such as radio, television and news magazines.

These requirements are found in the NSF Award and Administration Guide (NSF 16-1), Chapter VI - Other Post Award Requirements and Considerations, section E. Publication/Distribution of Grant Materials.