November 10, 2020

Federal Research Terms and Conditions Revised

The Research Terms and Conditions (RTCs) have been revised by the participating agencies for consistency with the revised 2 CFR 200.

Please see the message below or consult the following for additional information:


Dear Colleagues:

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandated awarding agencies adopt recent revisions to 2 CFR §200; Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) effective November 12, 2020. The purpose of this message is to make you aware that the Research Terms and Conditions (RTCs) have been revised by the participating agencies for consistency with the revised 2 CFR §200. NSF serves as the steward of these terms and conditions, and maintains the RTC website on behalf of all of the participating agencies.

At this time, the agencies participating in this activity include the: U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration & National Institute of Standards and Technology; U.S. Department of Energy; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Science Foundation; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health & Food and Drug Administration; U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture; and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Agency implementation statements provide specific details on how participating agencies are implementing the revised RTCs.

In accordance with this requirement, the updated RTCs, which implement the changes to 2 CFR §200, will be fully effective beginning November 12, 2020. This includes the following documents:

  • RTC Overlay to 2 CFR §200;
  • RTC Appendix A: Prior Approval Matrix;
  • RTC Appendix B: Subaward Requirements;
  • RTC Appendix C: National Policy Requirements; and
  • Agency Specific Requirements for the participating agencies.


While the Uniform Guidance outlines provisions that are specific to research, these Research Terms and Conditions:

  • Incorporate the entire Uniform Guidance by reference, clarifying or supplementing select provisions where appropriate and consistent with government-wide research policy;
  • Apply to an award when included as part of the award or when incorporated in the award by reference. Use of the RTCs is envisioned as a streamlined approach that supports the implementation of the Uniform Guidance by providing clarification, supplementary guidance, and, where appropriate, selected options, while meeting the spirit and intent of a uniform implementation;
  • Include flexibility for additional individual agency clarification through the incorporation of agency-specific requirements.

Please note that the previous version of the RTCs incorporated the full set of OMB Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by reference. This set of FAQs has not yet been updated to align with 2 CFR §200, and, as such has been deleted from the RTC Overlay.

Award specific questions should be directed to the applicable participating agency.

Best,

Jean Feldman (Head, Policy Office, NSF) and Michelle Bulls (Director, Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration, NIH)
co-Chairs, Research Terms and Conditions Working Group 

September 29, 2020

NSF Updates to the Research Performance Progress Report

Jean Feldman, Head of the National Science Foundation Policy Office, has issued a message regarding upcoming changes to the NSF RPPR implementation, which go into effect on October 5, 2020.

Note that the following questions will now appear:

  • Has there been a change in the active other support of the PI/PD(s) since the last reporting period? (Edit Participants screen); 
  • What was the impact on teaching and educational experiences? (Impact tab)
  • What percentage of the award’s budget was spent in a foreign country? (Impact tab); and 
  • Has there been a change in primary performance site location from that originally proposed? (Changes/Problems tab).

Additional details about the RPPR can be found on Research.gov About Project Reports.


Dear Colleagues:

Effective October 5, 2020, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will enhance the Project Reporting System in Research.gov to implement the revised Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR). The RPPR is a uniform format for reporting performance progress on Federally funded research projects and research-related activities. NSF awardees use the RPPR to prepare and submit annual and final project reports to NSF. Further details about the RPPR can be found on the Research.gov About Project Reports website.

New Question for Project Reports with Active Other Support Changes

  • On October 5, 2020, NSF will add the following new question to the Edit Participants screen: Has there been a change in the active other support of the PI/PD(s) since the last reporting period? If Principal Investigators (PIs)/Project Directors (PDs) and co-PIs/co-PDs select “Yes,” they will be required to upload their most up-to-date Current and Pending Support document in an NSF-approved format to notify NSF that active other support has changed since the award was made or since the most recent annual report.
  • Current and Pending Support documents not in an NSF-approved format will trigger a compliance error preventing document upload and submission of the annual or final project report.
  • The NSF-approved formats for Current and Pending Support are SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae and an NSF fillable PDF.
  • The NSF Current and Pending Support website includes additional information as well as links to system-related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for both NSF-approved formats. A set of policy-related FAQs related to current and pending support is also available.
  • The complete lists of FastLane and Research.gov automated proposal compliance checks effective October 5, 2020, are available on the Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals website.

Additional New Questions from the Revised RPPR

Beginning October 5, 2020, NSF will also add the following three questions to the “Impact” and “Changes/Problems” tabs:

  • What was the impact on teaching and educational experiences? (Impact tab);
  • What percentage of the award’s budget was spent in a foreign country? (Impact tab); and
  • Has there been a change in primary performance site location from that originally proposed? (Changes/Problems tab).

NSF-specific Updates

  • NSF-specific help text updates have been added throughout, and NSF-specific instructions have been clarified or enhanced.
  • To reduce administrative burden, NSF has consolidated data entry fields where possible.

Current and Pending Support Format Training Resources

To learn more about the NSF-approved formats for Current and Pending Support, please view the NSF PAPPG (NSF 20-1) webinar and NSF-Approved Formats for the Biographical Sketch & Current and Pending Support Sections of NSF Proposals webinar.

SciENcv has created the following materials to guide the community through the preparation of the NSF Current and Pending Support document in SciENcv:

Questions? Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov. If you have IT system-related or technical questions regarding the NSF-approved formats or the Research.gov Project Reporting System, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
National Science Foundation
email: policy@nsf.gov

September 15, 2020

Enforcement of NSF-Approved Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support Formats Begins on October 5, 2020

Jean Feldman, Head of the National Science Foundation Policy Office, has issued a message regarding enforcement of new NSF-approved formats for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support, effective October 5, 2020.

Note that the new NSF-approved formats are: SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae and an NSF fillable PDF.

The Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending requirements apply to proposal submissions, as well as other actions such as Change PI requests and RPPRs (where active other support has changed since the award was made, or since the most recent annual report).

Additional information and FAQs appear below, along with video tutorials for SciENcv.


Dear Colleagues:

Effective October 5, 2020, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will begin enforcing the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) requirement to use NSF-approved formats for the preparation of the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support proposal documents. The NSF-approved formats are SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae and an NSF fillable PDF.

All other PAPPG (NSF 20-1) changes were effective on June 1, 2020. Please refer to the complete list of PAPPG (NSF 20-1) significant changes and clarifications which include the IT system changes and other policy-related changes. A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on proposal preparation and award administration related to NSF PAPPG (NSF 20-1) is also available and includes Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support information.

Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support Websites

  • The NSF Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support websites include links to the NSF-fillable PDF formats, updated FAQs, and instructions.
  • For the fillable PDF formats, NSF recommends users download and save the blank PDF document prior to adding content. Populating content directly into a web browser (e.g., Chrome or Safari) may result in formatting inconsistencies. The completed and saved PDF can then be uploaded via FastLane, Research.gov, or Grants.gov.
  • Beginning on October 5, 2020, links to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support websites will also be located in FastLane (on the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support Personnel pages), in Research.gov (on the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support Upload pages), and in Grants.gov (on the NSF Senior Key Person Profile form version 2.0).

Change of Principal Investigator (PI) and Add/Change Co-PI Requests

  • Effective October 5, 2020, Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support documentation must also be in an NSF-approved format when uploaded with a Change of PI and an Add/Change co-PI request in FastLane.

Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) Submissions with Active Other Support Changes

  • Effective October 5, 2020, PIs and co-PIs must include an NSF-approved format for Current and Pending Support when notifying NSF that active other support has changed since the award was made, or since the most recent annual report.
  • This new requirement serves as NSF’s implementation of the revised RPPR, a uniform format for reporting performance progress on Federally-funded research projects and research-related activities.
  • Further details about the RPPR can be found on the Research.gov About Project Reports website.

Automated Compliance Checks for NSF-approved Formats

  • Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support documents not in an NSF-approved format will trigger a compliance error and ultimately will prevent proposal submission or completion of the post-award action. This compliance check applies to proposals, Change of PI requests, Add/Change co-PI requests, and relevant RPPR submissions.
  • The complete lists of FastLane and Research.gov automated proposal compliance checks effective October 5, 2020, are available on the Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals website.
  • Note that automated compliance checks also apply when a proposal file update (PFU) is performed on a proposal. Proposers should be aware that if a proposal was previously submitted successfully, a PFU performed on the proposal will be prevented from submission if the proposal does not comply with the compliance checks in effect at the time.

NSF-approved Format Updates

Based on feedback from the research community, NSF has enhanced both approved formats, and users are encouraged to use the latest versions. Please see the system-related FAQs on using SciENcv and the system-related FAQs on using the NSF fillable PDF for a list of the improvements to each format. In particular, note the permitted use of “et al.” for publication citations in the Biographical Sketch when listing multiple authors. Senior personnel who wish to include publications in the products section of the Biographical Sketch that include multiple authors may, at their discretion, choose to list one or more of the authors and then "et al." in lieu of including the complete listing of authors' names.

SciENcv Enhancements

The SciENcv module for creating NSF Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support documents will be updated prior to October 5, 2020; however, all SciENcv-generated Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support PDF documents created on or after April 1, 2020 remain compliant in NSF systems.

Prior to the October 5th requirement to use the NSF-approved format, SciENcv will make a number of enhancements that include:

  • ability for users to reorder products and appointments in the Biographical Sketch
  • ability for users to edit long author citations imported from ORCID on the Biographical Sketch and add “et al.”
  • addition of a Current and Pending Support tool tip to provide clarification and guidance on how users should document support under a fiscal year calendar

Please see the system-related FAQs on using SciENcv for details.

As a reminder, the SciENcv tool integrates with ORCID, enabling users to populate the Biographical Sketch by importing data directly from ORCID records rather than having to manually enter all the required information. This helps reduce administrative burden associated with the Biographical Sketch preparation process. Additionally, SciENcv allows users to grant access to delegates to assist with maintaining and updating data. SciENcv also offers users a dynamic and more customized PDF. For example, users with fewer Current and Pending Support entries may elect to use SciENcv to generate their Current and Pending Support PDF document since SciENcv will produce a PDF without any blank pages. Conversely, the Current and Pending Support fillable PDF will always be 15 pages regardless of how much data is included.

Latest NSF Fillable PDF Version

  • Revised NSF fillable PDF formats were released on May 1, 2020; however, the previous versions remain compliant in NSF systems.
  • The May 1, 2020 version is indicated by "Revised 05/01/2020" printed on the first page of each form.

Additional Training Resources

To learn more about the NSF-approved formats for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support, please view the NSF PAPPG (NSF 20-1) webinar and NSF-Approved Formats for the Biographical Sketch & Current and Pending Support Sections of NSF Proposals webinar.

SciENcv has created the following materials to guide NSF users through the preparation of the NSF documents available in SciENcv:

Other Updates for Proposers

A revised NSF Grants.gov Application Guide will be published on September 16th and effective October 5, 2020. The Guide will be updated to remove references and instructions for the Research & Related Personal Data Form. NSF will no longer require this form, and this form will no longer be included in NSF's packages effective October 5, 2020.

Questions? Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov. If you have IT system-related or technical questions regarding the SciENcv or NSF fillable PDF formats, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via fastlane@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
email: policy@nsf.gov

July 24, 2020

ASSIST for the Submission of NIH Administrative Supplements

Beginning Saturday, July 25, 2020, the use of ASSIST for the submission of administrative supplements will be expanded. Paper submissions and the previous “streamlined” process within eRA Commons that permitted administrative supplement requests to be submitted directly to the awarding agency without having to go through Grants.gov, will no longer be accepted.

As of this date, there will be three methods for initiating an administrative supplement through eRA systems:
  • Initiate in ASSIST, enter the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for an administrative supplement and enter information manually;
  • Initiate in ASSIST and after entering the Federal ID number of the parent grant award, some of the information from the parent award is prepopulated;
  • Initiate through eRA Commons and after identifying a specific grant for administrative supplement, be directed by the system to ASSIST where some information from the parent award is prepopulated.
For more information, see NIH eRA Information: Use of ASSIST Expanded for Submission of Administrative Supplements.

July 1, 2020 Research Advocate: Update to NIH Administrative Supplement Policies

July 21, 2020

NIH Requirements: Disclosure of Other Support, Foreign Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest

Full transparency in National Institutes of Health applications and throughout the life of an NIH grant is critical. NIH requires the disclosure of all sources of research support, foreign components, and financial conflicts of interest.

A chart with examples of what to disclose to NIH about Senior/Key Personnel on Applications and Awards can be found on the NIH Protecting U.S. Biomedical Intellectual Innovation page.

July 10, 2020

NIH Guidance on Applications for Fall 2020 Due Dates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The National Institutes of Health has issued Guidance for Applicants Preparing Applications for the Fall 2020 Due Dates During the COVID-19 Pandemic (NOT-OD-20-122), with particular focus on not including contingency plans related to COVID-19 in proposals:
“NIH grant applications should NOT include contingency plans that would outline steps needed to recover from temporary, emergency situations, or institutional return-to-the-workplace plans, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The guidance goes into effect beginning with applications submitted for the September 25, 2020 due date.

July 02, 2020

NSF Post-Award Disclosure of Current Support and In-Kind Contribution Information

Federal funding agencies have become increasingly concerned about the accurate reporting of current and pending support in proposals. The National Science Foundation has updated the Grant General Conditions (GC-1) dated October 5, 2020 to provide guidance on how a priincipal investigator or co-PI of an active NSF grant can disclose current support or in-kind contribution information that was not submitted at the proposal stage.

Effective October 5, 2020, the missing information must be submitted by the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) within 30 calendar days of the identification of the undisclosed current support or in-kind contribution through use of the “Other Request” category in the Notification and Request Module in Research.gov.

See: Section 47 of the NSF Grant General Conditions for more information on these requirements.

Revision of NSF Award Terms and Conditions

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

Dear Colleagues:

I wanted to make you aware that the following sets of NSF Award Terms and Conditions have been revised:

NSF Agency Specific Requirements to the Research Terms and Conditions (ASR);
  • Cooperative Agreement Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC);
  • Cooperative Agreement Modifications and Supplemental Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions for Major Multi-User Research Facility Projects and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers;
  • Grant General Conditions (GC-1);
  • Special Terms and Conditions (FL 26) for Administration of NSF Conference or Travel Grants;
  • Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I Grant General Conditions (SBIR/STTR-I); and
  • SBIR/STTR Phase II Cooperative Agreement Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions (SBIR/STTR-II CA-FATC).
All of the terms and conditions have been updated to include a new article which establishes a post-award disclosure requirement for undisclosed current support and in-kind contribution information. Each set of terms and conditions is accompanied by a summary of changes made to that document.

The revised terms and conditions will apply to all new NSF awards and funding amendments to existing NSF awards made on or after October 5, 2020, except for the SBIR/STTR-I and SBIR/STTR-II CA-FATC which will become effective July 6, 2020.

Questions regarding NSF terms and conditions may be sent to the DIAS Policy Office at: policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution & Award Support (DIAS)
Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management
National Science Foundation

July 01, 2020

Update to NIH Administrative Supplement Policies

The National Institutes of Health has issued Notice of Requirement for Electronic Submission of all Administrative Supplements (NOT-OD-20-2-128).

Effective immediately:
  • NIH will begin accepting administrative supplement applications for multi-project awards electronically. Since the administrative supplement applies to the parent award as a whole, the single-project application form package used for research grants and cooperative agreements will be used for these submissions (e.g., Competition ID= “FORMS-F-ADMINSUPP-RESEARCH.”)
Effective July 25, 2020:
  • The streamlined submission method through the eRA Commons will be discontinued and replaced with the option to initiate the administrative supplement application within eRA Commons and leverage technology available in NIH ASSIST to complete submission.

  • ALL supplement applications to existing single and multi-project awards must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional system-to-system (S2S) solutions.

June 19, 2020

Extension of COVID-19 Administrative Flexibilities

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued Memorandum 20-26 to extend selected administrative, financial, and audit requirement flexibilities related to COVID-19 to recipients of federal financial assistance awards (grants) previously made available under OMB Memorandum 20-17, which expired on June 16, 2020.

What does this mean to principal investigators and research administrators?

Federal sponsors now have the authority to take the following actions If they choose to do so. The flexibilities made available to federal agencies and listed below are time limited and will expire on September 30, 2020. Each federal agency will determine if and how it will implement this guidance. The agency-specific information will be posted on the SPO website as it is received.
  • Awarding agencies may allow the University to continue to charge salaries and benefits to active federal awards consistent with the University’s policy of paying salaries (under unexpected or extraordinary circumstances) from all funding sources, federal and non-federal. Note: Such payroll costs must not be charged to active federal awards if the cost has already been paid from another federal source, e.g., any federal CARES Act programs.
  • Awarding agencies may allow other costs to be charged to federal grants if the cost is necessary to resume activities supported by the award, consistent with applicable fderal cost principles and the benefit to the project.
  • Awarding agencies will evaluate the PI’s ability to resume the project activity in the future and the appropriateness of future funding, as done under normal circumstances based on subsequent progress reports and other communications with the grantee.
OMB also has directed federal sponsors to inform recipients of federal grants that they should exhaust other available funding resources to sustain project personnel and implement necessary steps to save overall operational costs (such as rent renegotiations) as much as possible during the pandemic period in order to preserve federal funds for the ramp-up effort. Recipients will need to document these efforts.

Each federal agency will determine if and how it will implement this guidance. Please consult the SPO website for updates.

June 05, 2020

Reminder: Updated NIH Forms Required

Nearly all National Institutes of Health grant applications should now be using updated application forms (FORMS-F; NOT-OD-20-026 and NOT-OD-20-077). However there are exceptions. See the NIH Extramural News: Don’t Forget to Use Updated Grant Application Forms (FORMS-F).

If you aren’t sure how to tell the form version you should using, check out Do I Have the Right Forms for My Application?

May 22, 2020

Delay in the Requirement to Use NSF-Approved Formats and Other Changes

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

Dear Colleagues:

On June 1, 2020, NSF will implement the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) for proposals submitted or due on or after this date. The revised PAPPG implements a variety of changes and clarifications, the highest profile of which requires use of an NSF-approved format for the preparation of the biographical sketch and current and pending support.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing stress on proposers, the research community has not been able to adequately prepare and train their staff for the implementation of the new requirements.

NSF has therefore made the decision to delay the requirement to use NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of NSF proposals until October 1, 2020.

Proposers must continue to format these documents in accordance with PAPPG requirements (see PAPPG sections II.C.2.f and II.C.2.h). NSF encourages the community to use these formats and continue to provide valuable feedback as we enhance them for future implementation.

Over the coming week, NSF will make updates to existing policy guidance, websites and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to reflect the change. NSF will communicate further with the community once these updates have been made.

Webinars covering the use of NSF-approved formats as well as all of the significant changes to the PAPPG are available on the NSF Policy Outreach website.

NSF will continue to implement all other changes to the PAPPG beginning June 1, 2020, including the following:
  • New requirement for proposing organizations to submit government-wide representations and certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM);
  • New requirement for providing e-mail documentation of Program Officer approval for the submission of RAPID and EAGER proposals; and
  • Clarifications to current and pending support coverage as well as other changes throughout the document.
You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
National Science Foundation
email: policy@nsf.gov


May 7, 2020 Research Advocate: NSF-Approved Formats for Proposals Due On or After June 1, 2020

May 07, 2020

NSF-Approved Formats for Proposals Due On or After June 1, 2020

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

Dear Colleagues:

Based on feedback from the community, NSF has made a number of improvements to the NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of proposals. As a reminder, in accordance with the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), these formats will be required for proposals submitted or due on or after June 1, 2020. NSF also has updated the websites for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support to further inform the community about these improvements, including updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Biographical Sketch Improvements:
  • Permit use of “et al” for publication citations in the Products section in the event that listing multiple authors makes it difficult to fit the information into the allotted space (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
  • Increased space for the Products section by removing instructional text. Links added to relevant PAPPG sections (NSF fillable format);
  • Removed the requirement to include the NSF ID (NSF fillable format); and
  • Added a version date to the document (NSF fillable format).
Current and Pending Support Improvements:
  • Increased the number of Project/Proposal entries from 10 to 15 to support the majority of proposals submitted to NSF (NSF fillable format);
  • Updated the Award Number field to allow entry of both numbers and letters (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
  • Replaced the “Calendar Year” label with “Year” to be consistent with PAPPG guidance (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
  • Removed the requirement to include the NSF ID (NSF fillable format); and Added a version date to the document (NSF fillable format).

We look forward to you continued suggestions and improvements. Please continue to provide comments to policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management


April 2, 2020 Research Advocate: Required June 1: Use of NSF-Approved Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support Formats

April 10, 2020

NIH Updated Grant Application Forms

The National Institutes of Health is transitioning to new grant application forms (See NOT-OD-20-026, NOT-OD-20-077). Principal investigators must use FORMS-F forms for grant application due dates on or after May 25, 2020 and FORMS-E for due dates on or before May 24, 2020.

For more information, see the NIH Extramural Nexus: NIH Moving Ahead with FORMS-F Grant Application Form Update.
January 6, 2020 Research Advocate: NIH Form Packages

New Login Method: eRA Commons, Commons Mobile, ASSIST, and IAR

The National Institutes of Health has announced that there is a new, currently optional, login method to access eRA Commons, Commons Mobile, ASSIST, and IAR using login.gov.

eRA’s move to two-factor authentication via login.gov is part of HHS’ Reinvent Grants Management Initiative to provide the applicant and grantee community the ability to log in to four different grants systems (eRA, Grants.gov, GrantSolutions.gov, and Payment Management System) using the same account via login.gov. Two-factor authentication will help ensure the security of your personal information.

Note that use of login.gov is currently optional and you may continue to log in using your eRA Commons credentials or federated account credentials if you prefer.

If you do not have a login.gov account, you will need to create a login.gov account and then associate it to your existing eRA Commons account.

For more information, see eRA Enhancement: Two Factor Authentication Login Option Coming to eRA Modules.

April 01, 2020

Required June 1: Use of NSF-Approved Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support Formats

Beginning June 1, 2020, proposers will be required to use one of the NSF-approved formats for both the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of NSF proposals. The message below from Jean Feldman, Head of the National Science Foundation Policy Office provides additional guidance:

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce the availability of both NSF-approved formats for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals that fall under the revised Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) (see the February 6, 2020 webinar for complete details on all revisions to the PAPPG).

Although use of an NSF-approved format for submission of these proposal sections is not required until implementation of the revised PAPPG (NSF 20-1) on June 1, 2020, NSF is encouraging proposers to begin using the NSF-approved formats now. NSF values the feedback from the research community, and we would like to hear about your experience with the new NSF-approved formats. Information about how to provide feedback is included below.

Use of an NSF-approved format aims to reduce administrative burden and improve efficiencies by providing proposers with a compliant and reusable way to maintain this information for subsequent proposal submissions to NSF, while also ensuring that the information is submitted in a standard and searchable composition.

NSF-approved Formats
  • SciENcv: NSF has partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae as an NSF-approved format for use in preparation of both the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of an NSF proposal. SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF version of the documents which proposers can save and submit as part of their proposals via FastLane, Research.gov or Grants.gov. Additional information about the NSF-approved SciENcv formats is available on the NSF biographical sketch and current and pending support websites.

    The SciENcv tool integrates with ORCID, enabling proposers to populate their Biographical Sketches by importing data directly from their ORCID records rather than having to manually enter all the required information. Additionally, Biographical Sketch data maintained in SciENcv can be quickly and easily updated on an ongoing basis for subsequent proposal submissions.
  • NSF Fillable PDF: NSF is also providing a fillable PDF as an NSF-approved format for use to prepare both the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of an NSF proposal. Proposers can download the respective fillable PDF form from the NSF biographical sketch and current and pending support websites and then submit the completed forms as part of their proposals via FastLane, Research.gov or Grants.gov. Note that the NSF fillable PDF for the Biographical Sketch does not integrate with ORCID.
It is important to note that beginning June 1, 2020, proposers will be required to use one of the NSF-approved formats for both the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of NSF proposals. Proposals submitted via FastLane, Research.gov and Grants.gov will be compliance checked to ensure that the documents were prepared in accordance with this new policy.

We Want Your Feedback
Although not required for proposal submission until June 1, 2020, we hope that you will start using the NSF-approved formats for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support as soon as possible. If you have any feedback that would help us make improvements to the two formats in the future, please let us know. Feedback may be submitted by email to policy@nsf.gov or via the Research.gov Feedback page (select “Biographical Sketch” or "Current & Pending Support" under the Site Area dropdown menu).

Upcoming Webinars
To assist the community about these new requirements and to start using SciENcv now, NSF and NIH are planning to conduct a joint webinar that will include a walk-through of how to prepare the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support documents in SciENcv. Information will be provided as soon as it is available, and we encourage you to sign up for notifications.

We also invite you to participate in the next NSF Electronic Research Administration (ERA) Forum on May 14, 2020 at 1:00PM – 2:30PM EDT where we will discuss the NSF-approved format requirements, as well as the new capability to prepare and submit separately submitted collaborative proposals in Research.gov. To sign up for ERA Forum notifications including registration availability for the May 14 event, please send a blank email to NSF-ERA-FORUM-subscribe-request@listserv.nsf.gov and you will be automatically enrolled.

Training Resources
The following training resources are now available, and NSF will continue to keep the community informed as additional resources are released.

Biographical Sketch Resources
Current and Pending Support Resources
Questions? Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov . If you have technical or IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via fastlane@nsf.gov.

Regards,
Jean

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
National Science Foundation
email: policy@nsf.gov

January 24, 2020 Research Advocate: NSF Issues Revised Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 20-1)

March 31, 2020

NSF Notice: Research.gov Expanded

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

Dear Colleagues:

We are excited to announce that effective March 30, 2020, the research community can prepare and submit separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations in Research.gov. Proposers can now prepare Full, Research proposals in Research.gov that are:
  • Single submissions from one organization (available since April 2018)
  • Single submission collaborative proposals with subawards (available since June 2019)
  • Separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations
What’s New for Separately Submitted Collaborative Proposals?
  • Proposal Preparation: Proposers can select a separately submitted collaborative proposal as an option in the Proposal Creation Wizard and identify themselves as part of a lead or non-lead organization.
  • Linking: The lead organization can initiate a request to link proposals with non-lead organizations. However, all proposals in the collaboration must be prepared and submitted in Research.gov and cannot be a mix of Research.gov and FastLane proposals.
  • New “Submission Pending” Status: The Research.gov submission process for separately submitted collaborative proposals is different than the submission process in FastLane.
    • A new Research.gov “Submission Pending” status informs the organization that their proposal submission is pending in a queue until all linked lead and non-lead proposals in the collaboration attain “Submission Pending” status and can be submitted to NSF as a set. 
    • Separately submitted collaborative proposals with a “Submission Pending” status can be edited, but the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must resubmit the edited proposal to return it to a “Submission Pending” status.
    • A Proposal File Update (PFU) is not required to edit the proposal at the “Submission Pending” stage. However, a PFU could be utilized after the entire collaborative set is submitted to NSF and a proposal ID number for each separately submitted collaborative proposal is generated.
  • Submit Proposal Wizard: The AOR Submission Wizard screen will display the lead and non-lead organization information.
  • Other Related Changes:
    • Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan: A Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan is only required when funds for postdoctoral scholars are requested on the budget. A proposal compliance error will block proposal submission if there is a mentoring plan but no requested funds.
    • Print Concatenate: This functionality is available for lead and non-lead proposals.
    • New Automated Compliance Error/Warning Messages and Business Rules for Separately Submitted Collaborative Proposals: Compliance checks triggering an error will prohibit proposal submission to NSF, whereas checks triggering a warning will allow proposal submission to NSF.
    • Delete In-progress Proposals: Proposers can delete their in-progress separately submitted collaborative proposals.
    • Redesigned Research.gov "About" Page with New and Updated FAQs: Check out our redesigned Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission webpage with links to new and updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) organized by topic.
What’s Ahead?
We are also happy to share that NSF is currently developing the following capabilities in Research.gov:
  • Other Authorized User (OAU) role changes (see Research.gov advisory currently posted)
  • Support for Single Copy Documents
  • Submission of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I and Phase II proposals
  • Submission of Rapid Response Research (RAPID), Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), and Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE) proposals
Stay tuned for additional information about these developments in the coming months!

Help NSF Build Research.gov
Research.gov is being developed incrementally, and features will expand with the goal of eventually transitioning all proposal preparation and submission functionality from FastLane to Research.gov. NSF strongly encourages the use of Research.gov where possible and wants feedback on your experience, so we can continue to offer a better user experience. Please submit your feedback on the Research.gov Feedback page (select “Proposal Preparation & Submission” under the Site Area dropdown menu).

We would appreciate you sharing this information with your colleagues. If you have IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.

We look forward to receiving your Research.gov proposals and your feedback about our new system!

Regards,
Jean

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
National Science Foundation
email: policy@nsf.gov

March 26, 2020

Sponsored Projects Office COVID-19 Guidance

SPO is maintaining a COVID-19 Guidance page with information published by agency sponsors and other entities related to contracts and grants. The UC Berkeley campus community is encouraged to review this page.

In addition, COVID-19 Related Proposals, Awards, and Subawards provides information on late proposals and on expedited awards and subawards, COVID-19 Related Funding Opportunities lists funding and other opportunities, and additional campus guidance is available on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Administering Contracts and Grants under COVID-19 Conditions.

March 11, 2020

NASA Requirements for Reporting Harassment

On March 10, 2020, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration published its new grant term and condition regarding grantee obligations for reporting harassment in the Federal Register: Reporting Requirements Regarding Findings of Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Other Forms of Harassment, or Sexual Assault.

Upon implementation, the new term and condition will require UC Berkeley to report to NASA any findings/determinations of sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, or sexual assault regarding a NASA funded principal investigator (PI) or Co-PI.

The new term and condition will also require the recipient to report to NASA if the PI or Co-I is placed on administrative leave or if the recipient has imposed any administrative action on the PI or Co-I, or any determination or an investigation of an alleged violation of the recipient’s policies or codes of conduct, statutes, regulations, or executive orders relating to sexual harassment,other forms of harassment, or sexual assault. Finally, the new term and condition specifies the procedures that will be followed by NASA upon receipt of a report.

This is similar to what is required now by the National Science Foundation.

February 18, 2020

NSF Current and Pending Support FAQs

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

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce issuance of a set of Current and Pending Support Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that accompany the revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), effective June 1, 2020. The FAQs address policy questions related to the PAPPG clarifications to the current and pending support coverage, as well as questions regarding use of an NSF-approved format for current and pending support. The FAQs will be updated periodically as appropriate.

If you have any questions regarding the 2020 PAPPG, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office by email at policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management
National Science Foundation

January 24, 2020 Research Advocate: NSF Issues Revised Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 20-1)

February 05, 2020

New NIH Salary Cap

The National Institutes of Health has released an announcement about the new salary cap, Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY 20 (NOT-OD-20-065).

Effective January 5, 2020, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $197,300.

For awards issued in those years that were restricted to Executive Level II (see the historical record of the salary cap), including competing awards already issued in FY2020, if adequate funds are available in active awards, and if the salary cap increase is consistent with the institutional base salary, grantees may rebudget funds to accommodate the current Executive Level II salary level.

January 24, 2020

NSF Issues Revised Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 20-1)

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

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce that a revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) has been issued.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due, and awards made, on or after June 1, 2020. Significant changes include:
  • NSF will require use of an NSF-approved format in submission of the biographical sketch and current and pending support documents, once the PAPPG (NSF 20-1) becomes effective;
  • New requirement for proposing organizations to submit government-wide representations and certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM);
  • New requirement for providing e-mail documentation of Program Officer approval for the submission of RAPID and EAGER proposals; and
  • Clarifications to current and pending support coverage as well as other changes throughout the document.
You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG.

NSF plans to conduct a webinar covering these changes on February 6 at 2PM EST. Visit the webinar website to register for this event.

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on June 1, 2020, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 19-1) continue to apply.

A PDF version of the PAPPG will be available in the coming weeks. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management

December 19, 2019 Research Advocate: Update: NSF Revised Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide
June 17, 2019 Research Advocate: Upcoming: NSF-Approved Biographical Sketch Format
May 29, 2019 Research Advocate: NSF Requests Comments: New Version of the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide

January 06, 2020

Statement of Economic Interests (700-U) Form Revised for 2020

The State of California has issued a revised 700-U Statement of Economic Interests for Principal Investigators for immediate use. The revised form, dated 2019/2020, is available on the Conflict of Interest Committee website and is the only version that will now be accepted. The form and requirements are the same as the previous 2019 version. Please contact Alaisha Hellman (researchcoi@berkeley.edu, 510/642-0122) with any questions.

State of California law requires disclosure of financial interest in the sponsor of a research project; the donor of a research gift; and, under certain circumstances, the provider of materials under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) when that sponsor, donor, or provider is a non-governmental source. Please see State of California Financial Disclosure for more information.

NIH Form Packages

The National Institutes of Health recently announced plans to update NIH grant application form packages for use with due dates on or after May 25, 2020 (FORMS-F). For more information, see New NIH "FORMS-F" Grant Application Forms and Instructions Coming for Due Dates on or after May 25, 2020 (NOT-OD-20-026).

For due dates on or before May 24, 2020, applicants must continue to use the application form packages and instructions (FORMS-E) posted with NIH funding opportunity announcements despite the expiration dates noted on each form. These forms are extended for use through March 2020.

For more information, see OMB Approval for Grant Application and Related Forms Underway – Continue to Use Current Forms (FORMS-E) through May 24, 2020 (NOT-OD-20-047).

March 10, 2020 update: Reminder: FORMS-F Grant Application Forms & Instructions Must be Used for Due Dates On or After May 25, 2020- New Grant Application Instructions Now Available (NOT-OD-20-077)