NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Arlington, VA 22230 October 1, 1998 GRANT GENERAL CONDITIONS (GC-1) TABLE OF CONTENTS Article Subject 1. Awardee Responsibilities and Federal Requirements 2. Prior Approval Requirements 3. Pre-Award Costs 4. No-Cost Extensions 5. Expenditures for Related Projects 6. Consultant Services 7. Equipment 8. Significant Project Changes a. Transfer of the Project Effort b. Change in Objective or Scope c. Absence or Change of Principal Investigator 9. Procurement Standards 10. Travel 11. Rearrangements and Alterations 12. Allowable Costs 13. Payments 14. Continuing Grants 15. Annual Project Report Requirements 16. Final Report Requirements 17. Information Collection 18. Copyrightable Material 19. Program Income 20. Publications 21. Patent Rights 22. Cost-Sharing and Cost-Sharing Records 23. Audit and Records 24. Site Visits 25. Suspension or Termination 26. Termination Review Procedure 27. Nondiscrimination 28. National Security: Classifiable Results Originating Under NSF Grants 29. Animal Welfare 30. Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules 31. Clean Air and Water 32. Human Research Subjects 33. Investigator Financial Disclosure Policy 34. State Sales and Use Taxes 35. Resolution of Conflicting Conditions OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 36. Liability 37. Sharing of Findings, Data, and Other Research Products 38. Activities Abroad 39. Sense of the Congress on Use of Funds 40. Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States 41. Year 2000 Computer Problem 1. Awardee Responsibilities and Federal Requirements a. The awardee has full responsibility for the conduct of the project or activity supported under this award and for adherence to the award conditions. Although the awardee is encouraged to seek the advice and opinion of NSF on special problems that may arise, such advice does not diminish the awardee's responsibility for making sound scientific and administrative judgments and should not imply that the responsibility for operating decisions has shifted to NSF. The awardee is responsible for notifying NSF about: (1) any allegation of scientific misconduct that it concludes has substance and requires an investigation in accordance with NSF misconduct regulations published at 45 CFR 689; or (2) any significant problems relating to the administrative or financial aspects of the award. b. The requirements of this award are contained in these Grant General Conditions unless otherwise specified in the award instrument. Certain applicable Federal administrative standards are incorporated by reference. The applicable requirements are contained in: 1. OMB Circular A-110 for awardees that are institutions of higher education, hospitals, and non-profit organizations; NSF has determined that OMB Circular A-110 standards will also be applicable to commercial organizations, including small businesses; 2. 45 CFR 602 (the Common Rule implementing OMB Circular A-102), for units of State and Local Government. c. By acceptance of this award, the awardee agrees to comply with the applicable Federal requirements for grants and cooperative agreements and to the prudent management of all expenditures and actions affecting the award. Documentation for each expenditure or action affecting this award must reflect appropriate organizational reviews or approvals which should be made in advance of the action. Organizational reviews are intended to help assure that expenditures are allowable, necessary and reasonable for the conduct of the project, and that the proposed action: 1. is consistent with award terms and conditions; 2. is consistent with NSF and awardee policies; 3. represents effective utilization of resources; and 4. does not constitute a significant project change (see Article 8). Nothing in this article shall be construed to require administrative reviews or documentation which duplicates those already required by existing organizational systems or by applicable Federal standards, e.g., OMB Circular A-110. d. The awardee is responsible for ensuring that the Principal Investigator(s) or Project Director(s) receives a copy of the award conditions, including: the award letter, the budget, these general terms and conditions, any special terms and conditions and any subsequent changes in the award conditions. These award conditions are made available to the awardee by NSF, either in paper or electronic form, and may be duplicated, copied or otherwise reproduced by the awardee as appropriate. This provision does not alter the awardee's full responsibility for conduct of the project and compliance with all award terms and conditions. 2. Prior Approval Requirements Unless otherwise specified in the award, provisions of the applicable Federal cost principles and other Federal administrative requirements for prior agency approval apply only to the activities and expenditures specified below. a. Written prior approval from the NSF Grants Officer: 1. Significant Project Changes (see Article 8): (a) transfer of the project effort, (b) change in objectives or scope, (c) absence or change of PI; or 2. Establishing relatedness of projects under the direction of collaborating Principal Investigators (see Article 5); or 3. Rearrangements/Alterations aggregating $10,000 or over (Construction) (see Article 11). b. Written prior approval from the cognizant NSF Program Officer is necessary to reallocate funds budgeted for participant or trainee support costs (see Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Section 618). c. Most of the prior approval requirements identified above can be submitted electronically to NSF through use of the NSF FastLane system (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/). The awardee is strongly encouraged to use FastLane to process these types of transactions as well other types of grant related notifications stipulated in GPM Exhibit III-1. Some NSF Directorates require electronic submission of notifications and requests for NSF approval via the FastLane system. Prior to submission, grantees should check the cognizant Directorate or FastLane Web site to see if submission via FastLane is required. a. 3. Pre-Award Costs a. Awardees may approve pre-award costs incurred within the ninety calendar day period immediately preceding the effective date of the award. Requests for pre-award costs for periods greater than 90 calendar days must be submitted in writing to the cognizant Grants Officer. Pre-award expenditures prior to funding of an increment within a continuing award are not subject to this limitation or approval requirement, but are subject to paragraph c. below. b. Pre-award costs must be necessary for the effective and economical conduct of the project and the costs must be otherwise allowable in accordance with Article 12. c. Pre-award expenditures are made at the awardee's risk. Awardee authority to approve pre-award costs does not impose an obligation on NSF: (1) in the absence of appropriations; (2) if an award is not subsequently made; or (3) if an award is made for a lesser amount than the awardee expected. 4. No-Cost Extensions a. Awardees may authorize a one-time extension of the expiration date of the award up to 12 months if additional time beyond the established expiration date is required to assure adequate completion of the original scope of work within the funds already made available. A single extension, which shall not exceed 12 months, may be made for this purpose and must be made prior to the originally established expiration date. This one-time extension may not be exercised merely for the purpose of using any unliquidated award balances. The awardee shall notify the NSF Grants Officer electronically via NSF's FastLane System or in writing, providing supporting reasons for the extension and the revised extension date, at least ten days prior to the date specified in the award to ensure accuracy of NSF's award data. b. Requests for no-cost extensions beyond the above referenced authority must follow the procedures set forth in GPM Section 253. c. Some NSF Directorates require electronic submission of notifications of grantee authorized extensions and requests for NSF approved extensions via the FastLane system. Prior to submission, grantees should check the cognizant Directorate or FastLane Web site to see if submission via FastLane is required. 5. Expenditures for Related Projects a. During the award period, award funds may be committed or expended for otherwise allowable costs of related projects under the direction of one Principal Investigator, and charged to this or another NSF award, provided the awards are scientifically or technically related. b. Relatedness must be established and documented by the awardee on the basis of scientific or technical commonality of the work being supported. All determinations of relatedness must be initiated by or agreed to by all affected Principal Investigators. Examples of scientific or technical commonality include: 1. the theoretical approaches of projects are interrelated; 2. studies of the same phenomena are conducted by the same or different techniques; or 3. specific instrumentation, which is central to the work being performed, is used. c. The scientific or technical relatedness of grants under the direction of two or more collaborating Principal Investigators must be approved in writing by the NSF Grants Officer with the concurrence of the appropriate NSF Program Officer(s). d. Nothing in this article is intended to require additional determinations, documentation, or approvals in cases in which common costs are allocated among two or more grants on the basis of use or benefit in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles. e. Notwithstanding the above, no significant change in the objectives or scope of an individual NSF award may be made unless the Foundation approves such a change in writing in accordance with Article 8. 6. Consultant Services Payments to individuals for consultant services under this grant shall not exceed the daily equivalent of the then current maximum rate paid to an Executive Schedule Level IV Federal employee (exclusive of indirect cost, travel, per diem, clerical services, fringe benefits and supplies). As of the date of this GC-1, the daily rate is $453.00. The most current rate is available on the NSF Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/cpo/policy/ques.htm 7. Equipment a. Title to Equipment - Non-profit Organizations. Unless otherwise specified in the grant, title to equipment purchased or fabricated with NSF grant funds shall vest in the awardee upon acquisition. Such equipment is considered exempt property and subject to the conditions established in paragraph c. below. b. Title to Equipment - Commercial Organizations. Unless otherwise specified in the grant, title to equipment purchased or fabricated with NSF grant funds by a small business or other commercial firm shall vest in the Government. Such equipment shall be acquired and used in accordance with paragraph c. below and managed in accordance with GPM Section 545. c. Conditions for Acquisition and Use of Equipment. 1. Awardee Assurance. The awardee will assure that each purchase of equipment is: (a) necessary for the research or activity supported by the grant; (b) not otherwise reasonably available and accessible; (c) of the type normally charged as a direct cost to sponsored agreements; and (d) acquired in accordance with organizational practice. 2. General Purpose Equipment. Expenditures for general purpose equipment (see GPM Section 612.2c) are unallowable unless the equipment is primarily or exclusively used in the actual conduct of the research. 3. Equipment Usage. The equipment will remain in use for the specific project for which it was obtained in accordance with OMB Circular A-110 Section .34c., unless the provision in Section .34e. applies. 4. Equipment Sharing. The equipment must be shared on other projects or programs in accordance with OMB Circular A-110 Section .34d. 5. Property Management Standards. The awardee shall maintain a property management system which, at a minimum, meets the requirements of OMB Circular A-110 Section .34f. 6. Competition. The grantee shall not use equipment acquired with Federal funds to provide services to non-Federal outside organizations for a fee that is less than private companies charge for equivalent services, unless specifically authorized by statute. 7. Use of NSF Supported Research Instrumentation and Facilities. Awardees should follow the guidance contained in GPM 544 regarding use of NSF-supported research instrumentation and facilities. 8. Right to Transfer Title. (a) NSF may identify items of equipment having an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more where NSF reserves the right to transfer the title to the Federal Government or a third party named by the Federal Government. (b) In cases where NSF elects to transfer the title, disposition instructions will be issued no later than 120 calendar days after the expiration date of the NSF-supported project for which it was acquired.(b) 8. Significant Project Changes The awardee is required to obtain prior written approval from the NSF Grants Officer whenever there are significant changes in the project or its direction as stipulated below. a. Transfer of the Project Effort (Subawards). 1. NSF authorization to contract or otherwise transfer a significant part of the research or substantive effort to another organization that has been disclosed in the proposal is not needed unless approval has been specifically withheld in the award letter. (See GPM Section 313.) 2. If it becomes necessary to transfer, by contract or other means, a significant part of the research or substantive effort after an award has been made, written notification of this intent should be submitted to the NSF Program Officer by the Principal Investigator and countersigned by the Authorized Organizational Representative. At a minimum, the request shall include a clear description of the work to be performed, the basis for selection of the subawardee (except for collaborative/joint arrangements) and a separate budget in the prescribed NSF format for each subaward, signed by an authorized representative of the organization receiving the subaward. NSF approval of such changes will be by an amendment to the grant signed by the NSF Grants Officer. 3. Grantees shall ensure that the following articles, if applicable, flow down to all subawardees: Articles 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, and 37, 38, or are appropriately addressed in subawards. b. Change in Objectives or Scope. A proposed change in the phenomenon or phenomena under study or the objectives of the project stated in the proposal or agreed modifications thereto should be communicated in writing to the NSF Program Officer by the Principal Investigator and countersigned by the Authorized Organizational Representative. NSF approval of such changes will be by an amendment to the award signed by the NSF Grants Officer. c. Absence or Change of Principal Investigator. If a named Principal Investigator or Project Director plans to or becomes aware that he or she will: (1) devote substantially less effort to the work than anticipated in the approved proposal (defined as a reduction of 25% or more in time); (2) sever his or her connection with the awardee organization; or (3) be absent for a continuous period of three months or more, or otherwise relinquish active direction of the project, he or she shall advise in writing both the NSF Program Officer and awardee's Authorized Organizational Representative. Action appropriate to the situation will be initiated in accordance with the guidelines described in GPM Section 312. 9. Procurement Standards Whether or not approval of a procurement is required under Article 8.a., where appropriate, the awardee (including commercial organizations) is responsible for compliance with the procurement standards identified in Sections .40 through .48 of OMB Circular A-110. The Awardee is also responsible for ensuring that the appropriate NSF award conditions from this award (including Article 23, Audit and Records) are made a part of any contract or other arrangement whose award amount exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $100,000). 10. Travel a. Allowability of Travel Expenses. Expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence and related items incurred by project personnel and by outside consultants employed on the project (GPM Section 614) who are in travel status on business related to an NSF-supported project are allowable as prescribed in the governing cost principles. The requirements for prior approval detailed in the governing cost principles are waived. b. Travel support for dependents of key project personnel. Travel support for dependents of key project personnel is allowable only under the following conditions: 1. the individual is a key person who is essential to the project on a full-time basis; 2. the individual's residence away from home and in a foreign country is for a continuous period of six months or more and is essential to the effective performance of the project; and 3. the dependents' travel allowance is consistent with the policies of the organization administering the award. c. Use of U.S.-Flag Air Carriers. 1. The Comptroller General of the United States by Decision B-138942 of June 17, 1975, as amended March 31, 1981, provided guidelines for implementation of Section 5 of the International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act of 1974 [49 U.S.C. 1517]. 2. Any air transportation to, from, between, or within a country other than the U.S. of persons or property, the expense of which will be assisted by NSF funding, must be performed by or under a code-sharing arrangement with (see Comp Gen. Decision B-240956, dated September 25, 1991) a U.S.-flag air carrier if service provided by such a carrier is available. 3. For the purposes of this requirement, U.S.-flag air carrier service is considered available even though: (a) comparable or a different kind of service can be provided at less cost by a foreign-flag air carrier; (b) foreign-flag air carrier service is preferred by, or is more convenient for, NSF or traveler; or (c) service by a foreign-flag air carrier can be paid for in excess foreign currency. 4. The following rules apply unless their application would result in the first or last leg of travel from or to the U.S. being performed by a foreign-flag air carrier: (a) A U.S.-flag air carrier shall be used to destination or, in the absence of direct or through service, to the farthest interchange point on a usually traveled route. (b) If a U.S.-flag air carrier does not serve an origin or interchange point, a foreign-flag air carrier shall be used only to the nearest interchange point on a usually traveled route to connect with a U.S. flag air carrier. (c) If a U.S.-flag air carrier involuntarily reroutes the traveler via a foreign-flag air carrier, the foreign-flag air carrier may be used notwithstanding the availability of alternative U.S.-flag air carrier service.(c) d. Use of Foreign-Flag Air Carriers. 1. Travel To and From the U.S. Use of a foreign-flag air carrier is permissible if: (a) the airport abroad is the traveler's origin or destination airport, and use of U.S.-flag air carrier service would extend the time in a travel status by at least 24 hours more than travel by a foreign-flag air carrier; or (b) the airport abroad is an interchange point, and use of U.S.-flag air carrier service would require the traveler to wait six hours or more to make connections at that point, or would extend the time in a travel status by at least six hours more than travel by a foreign-flag air carrier. 2. Travel Between Points Outside the U.S. Use of a foreign-flag air carrier is permissible if: (a) travel by a foreign-flag air carrier would eliminate two or more aircraft changes en route; (b) travel by a U.S.-flag air carrier would extend the time in a travel status by at least six hours more than travel by a foreign-flag air carrier; or (c) the travel is not part of the trip to or from the U.S., and use of a U.S.-flag air carrier would extend the time in a travel status by at least six hours more than travel by a foreign-flag air carrier. 3. Short Distance Travel. For all short distance travel, regardless of origin and destination, use of a foreign-flag air carrier is permissible if the elapsed travel time on a scheduled flight from origin to destination airport by a foreign-flag air carrier is three hours or less and service by a U.S.-flag air carrier would double the travel time. 11. Rearrangements and Alterations Rearrangement and alteration costs that do not constitute construction (i.e., rearrangements and alterations aggregating less than $10,000) to adapt space or utilities within a completed structure to accomplish the objectives of the award, are allowable and approved, provided: a. the building has a usable life consistent with project purposes and is architecturally suitable for conversion; b. the rearrangements and alterations are essential to the project; and c. the space involved will be occupied by the project. 12. Allowable Costs a. The allowability of costs and cost allocation methods for work performed under this award, up to the amount specified in the award, shall be determined in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles in effect on the effective date of the award and the terms of the award. b. The Federal cost principles applicable to specific types of awardees are contained in: 1. OMB Circular A-21 for both public and private institutions of higher education; 2. OMB Circular A-122 for other non-profit organizations, except those organizations specifically exempted by the Circular; 3. OMB Circular A-87 for State and Local Governments; 4. Federal Acquisition Regulation 31.2 [48 CFR 31.2] for commercial firms and those non-profit organizations specifically exempted from the provisions of OMB Circular A-122; and 5. 45 CFR Part 74, Appendix E, "Principles for Determining Costs Applicable to Research and Development Under Grants and Contracts with Hospitals," for hospitals. c. Certain prior approval requirements contained in these Federal cost principles have been modified by Article 2. 13. Payments a. Unless otherwise specified in the award, the awardee shall receive payments under this award through electronic fund transfers by the Automated Clearing House Payment System. An awardee should request payments in amounts necessary to meet their current needs, pursuant to the procedures contained in 31 CFR Part 205. Requests may be made electronically via NSF's FastLane Cash Request System or by mail through submission of a Request for Advance or Reimbursement, SF 270 (see GPM, chapter IV). An awardee may contact the Division of Financial Management at (703) 306-1283 for information on using the FastLane Cash Request System. The awardee agrees to comply with all applicable Treasury regulations and National Science Foundation implementing and reporting procedures, which are outlined in GPM Chapter IV. b. In accordance with OMB Circular A-110 Section .22, where appropriate, awardees are required to maintain advances of Federal funds in interest-bearing accounts. For awardees not subject to the Cash Management Improvement Act (CMIA), (State agencies or instrumentalities) interest earned on Federal advances deposited in interest bearing accounts shall be remitted annually to: Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System P.O. Box 6021 Rockville, MD 20852 * In keeping with Electronic Funds Transfer rules [31 CFR Part 206], interest should be remitted to the DHHS Payment Management System through an electronic medium such as the FEDWIRE Deposit System. Awardees which do not have this capability should use a check. Interest amounts up to $250 per year may be retained by the awardee for administrative expenses. Interest earned on advance payments to other than State agencies shall be reported to NSF on the Federal Cash Transactions Report, SF 272 (if payments are made in accordance with paragraph a. above). 14. Continuing Grants Unless otherwise specified, each successive increment of a continuing grant will be funded at the level indicated in the original grant letter without a formal request from the awardee provided an annual project report has been received from the Principal Investigator(s). Continuing funding is contingent on (1) availability of funds; (2) satisfactory scientific/technical progress; and (3) any special conditions of the grant. 15. Annual Project Report Requirements a. Submission Requirement. For standard grants of two or more years and for continuing or incrementally funded grants, an annual project report is required b. Content of Annual Project Reports. Unless otherwise specified in the grant, awardees are required to use the NSF reporting format (as revised 10/98) to prepare annual project reports. Awardees are strongly encouraged to submit annual reports electronically via the project reporting system in FastLane. The NSF FastLane system may be accessed at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/. For those awardees who cannot access FastLane, paper copies of the required report formats may be obtained from the NSF Clearinghouse as follows: NSF Clearinghouse P.O. Box 218 Jessup MD 20794-0218 Telephone: 301-947-2722 e-mail: pubs@nsf.gov c. Additional Requirements. See Other Additional Requirement No.22.d., Cost-Sharing Reports, for additional project report requirements for awards which contain cost-sharing requirements of $500,000 or more. d. Timing of Annual Project Reports. Unless otherwise specified in the award, annual project reports shall be submitted to the cognizant NSF Program Officer at least three months prior to the end of the current budget period (for standard NSF grants, three months prior to the anniversary of the effective date of the grant.) Failure to submit timely reports may delay processing of funding increments. 16. Final Report Requirements a. Final Project Report. 1. Submission Requirements. Unless otherwise specified in the award, within 90 days following the expiration of the award, the awardee shall submit a Final Project Report to the cognizant NSF Program Officer. 2. Content of Final Project Reports. Unless otherwise specified in the award, awardees are required to use the NSF reporting format (revised 10/98) to prepare final project reports. Awardees are strongly encouraged to submit final reports electronically via the project reporting system in FastLane. For those awardees who cannot access FastLane, paper copies of the new report formats may be obtained from the NSF Clearinghouse. (See address information above.) 3. Additional Requirements. The awardee shall also provide, within 90 days following the expiration of the award, any unique reports or other end products specified in the award (e.g., special cost-sharing reports), including report requirements set forth in any NSF brochure, guide, solicitation, etc., referenced in the award as being directly related to either the award or administration of this award. b. Final Expenditure Report. The awardee must provide the NSF Division of Financial Management with final disbursement information on the Federal Cash Transactions Report, SF 272, for the first full quarter after the award expires. Awardees are strongly encouraged to electronically submit this information via the Business Office functions in FastLane. b. b. 17. Information Collection Information collection activities performed under this award are the responsibility of the awardee, and NSF support of the project does not constitute NSF approval of the survey design, questionnaire content or information collection procedures. The awardee shall not represent to respondents that such information is being collected for or in association with the National Science Foundation or any other Government agency without the specific written approval of such information collection plan or device by the Foundation. However, this requirement is not intended to preclude mention of NSF support of the project in response to an inquiry or acknowledgment of such support in any publication of this information. 18. Copyrightable Material a. Subject writing means any material that: 1. is or may be copyrightable under Title 17 of the U.S.C.; and 2. is produced by the awardee or its employees in the performance of work under this award. Subject writings include such items as reports, books, journal articles, software, databases, sound recordings, videotapes, and videodiscs. b. Copyright Ownership, Government License. Except as otherwise specified in the award or by this paragraph, the awardee may own or permit others to own copyright in all subject writings. The awardee agrees that if it or anyone else does own copyright in a subject writing, the Federal government will have a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, royalty-free license to exercise or have exercised for or on behalf of the U.S. throughout the world all the exclusive rights provided by copyright. Such license, however, will not include the right to sell copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted works to the public. c. Awards Affected by International Agreements. If the award indicates it is subject to an identified international agreement or treaty, NSF can direct the awardee to convey to any foreign participant or otherwise dispose of such rights to subject writings as are required to comply with that agreement or treaty. d. Awardee Action to Protect Government Interests. The awardee agrees to acquire, through written agreement or an employment relationship, the ability to comply with the requirements of the preceding paragraphs and, in particular, to acquire the ability to convey rights in a subject writing to a foreign participant if directed by NSF under the previous paragraph. The awardee further agrees that any transfer of copyright or any other rights to a subject writing, by it or anyone whom it has allowed to own such rights, will be made subject to the requirements of this article. 19. Program Income a. Definition. Program income means gross income earned by the awardee that is directly generated by a supported activity or earned as a result of the award. Program income includes, but is not limited to, income from fees for services performed, the use or rental of real or personal property acquired under the award, the sale of commodities or items fabricated under the award, license fees and royalties on patents and copyrights, and interest on loans made with award funds. Interest earned on advances of Federal funds is not program income. Program income does not include the receipt of principal on loans, rebates, credits, discounts, etc., or interest earned on any of them. b. Standard Treatment. Unless otherwise specified in the award, program income (except as noted in (1) below) received or accrued to the awardee during the period of this award shall be retained and added to the funds committed to the project by NSF and used to further project objectives. Also, unless otherwise specified, the awardee shall have no obligation to NSF with respect to: (1) license fees and royalties for copyrighted material, patents, patent applications, trademarks, and inventions received or accrued at any time; or (2) program income received beyond the period of this award. c. Records Retention. The awardee is required to retain appropriate financial and other records relating to project income earned during the award period and for three years beyond the end of the award period. 20. Publications a. Acknowledgment of Support. The awardee is responsible for assuring that an acknowledgment of NSF support is made: 1. in any publication (including World Wide Web pages) of any material based on or developed under this project, in the following terms: "This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (NSF grant number)." 2. during all news media interviews, including popular media such as radio, television and news magazines. b. Disclaimer. The awardee is responsible for assuring that every publication of material (including World Wide Web pages) based on or developed under this award, except scientific articles or papers appearing in scientific, technical or professional journals, contains the following disclaimer: "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." c. Copies for NSF. The awardee is responsible for assuring that two copies of every publication of material based on or developed under this award, clearly labeled with the award number and other appropriate identifying information, are sent to the cognizant NSF Program Officer promptly after publication. d. Metric System. All reports and publications resulting from this NSF award are encouraged to use the metric system of weights and measures. 21. Patent Rights Unless otherwise provided in the award, if this award is for experimental, developmental, or research work, the clause found in the NSF GPM (implementing the Bayh-Dole Act, [35 U.S.C. 200 et seq.]) applies [see GPM Section 731.3.] The awardee will include that clause in all subawards for experimental, developmental, or research activities. 22. Cost-Sharing and Cost-Sharing Records a. General. The awardee must cost share under this award in accordance with any specific requirements contained in or referenced by the applicable program announcement, solicitation or award letter. If the award has no specific requirements and if the work supported by this award is for research resulting from an unsolicited proposal, the awardee may meet the statutory cost-sharing requirement by choosing either of two alternative methods: 1. by cost-sharing a minimum of one percent on this project; or 2. by cost-sharing a minimum of one percent on the aggregate total costs of all NSF-supported projects requiring cost-sharing. b. Specific Cost Sharing Requirements. 1. If the award has specific cost-sharing requirements in excess of the one percent minimum indicated above, cost-sharing participation in other projects may not be counted towards meeting the specific cost-sharing requirements of the award, and must come from non-federal sources, unless otherwise stated in the applicable program announcement/solicitation. 2. Should the awardee become aware that it may be unable to provide the cost sharing of at least the amount identified on Line M. of the NSF award budget, it should: 1) immediately provide written notification to the Grants Officer of the situation; 2) indicate steps it plans to take to secure replacement cost sharing; 3) indicate the plans it has to either continue or phase out the project in the absence of cost sharing. 3. Should NSF agree to the organization's proposed plans, the NSF Grants Officer will modify the award accordingly, including, if appropriate, reducing the amount of NSF support. Should the organization's plans be unacceptable to NSF, the award may be subject to termination. 4. Failure by the organization to notify NSF, in accordance with paragraph 2. above, may result in the disallowance of some or all of the costs charged to the award and the subsequent recovery by NSF of some or all of the NSF funds provided under the award. c. c. Cost-Sharing Records. The awardee must maintain records of all project costs that are claimed by the awardee as cost-sharing as well as records of costs to be paid by the Government. Such records are subject to audit. Acceptable forms of cost-sharing contributions are those which meet the criteria identified in Section .23 of OMB Circular A-110. Unless otherwise specified in the award, approval is given to include unrecovered indirect costs (also known as facilities and administrative costs for colleges and universities) as part of cost-sharing or matching contributions. If the awardee's cost participation includes in-kind contributions, the basis for determining the valuation for volunteer services and donated property must be documented. a. d. Cost-Sharing Reports. Unless otherwise required by the award or requested by NSF, the actual cost participation by the awardee, while subject to documentation and audit, need not be reported to NSF. However, in cases where the cost-sharing requirements of the award are $500,000 or more, the amount of cost-sharing must be documented (on an annual and final basis) and reported to NSF and certified by the authorized organizational representative. These cost-sharing reports shall be included as part of the annual and final project reports. e. Exemptions from Statutory Cost-Sharing Requirement. If the award does not contain or reference any specific cost-sharing requirements and provides funds solely for the following purposes (not considered to be in support of "research"), statutory cost-sharing is not required: 1. international travel; 2. construction, improvement or operation of facilities; 3. acquisition of research equipment; 4. ship operations; 5. education and training; 6. publication, distribution and translation of scientific data and information; 7. symposia, conferences and workshops; and 8. special studies authorized or required by Subsections 3a(5) through 3a(7) of the NSF Act, as amended. 23. Audit and Records a. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and other records pertinent to this award shall be retained by the awardee for a period of three years from submission of the Final Project Reports specified in Article 16. 1. Records that relate to audits, appeals, litigation or the settlement of claims arising out of the performance of the project shall be retained until such audits, appeals, litigation or claims have been disposed of. 2. Records relating to projects subject to special project income provisions shall be retained until three years from the end of the awardee's fiscal year in which the award requirement for reporting income expires. b. Unless court action or audit proceedings have been initiated, the awardee may substitute microfilm copies of original records. c. The Director of the National Science Foundation and the Comptroller General of the U.S., or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have access to any pertinent books, documents, papers and records of the awardee organization and of the performing organization, if different, to make audits, examinations, excerpts and transcripts. Further, any negotiated contract in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $100,000) made by the awardee shall include a provision to the effect that the awardee, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Comptroller General of the U.S., or any of their duly authorized representatives shall have access to pertinent records for similar purposes. d. In order to avoid duplicate record keeping, NSF may make special arrangements with the awardee to retain any records that are needed for joint use. NSF may request transfer to its custody of records not needed by the awardee when it determines that the records possess long-term retention value. When the records are transferred to or maintained by NSF the three-year retention requirement is not applicable to the awardee. In the rare event that this provision is exercised, NSF will negotiate a mutually agreeable arrangement with the awardee regarding reimbursement of costs. e. Awardees that are States, Local Governments or Non-Profit Organizations, shall arrange for the conduct of audits as required by OMB Circular A-133 "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations" (including colleges and universities.) The shall provide copies of the reports of these audits to the cognizant Federal audit agency. Any Federal Audit of this project deemed necessary by NSF shall build upon the results of such audit(s). 24. Site Visits NSF, through authorized representatives, has the right, at all reasonable times, to make site visits to review project accomplishments and management control systems and to provide such technical assistance as may be required. If any site visit is made by NSF on the premises of the awardee or a contractor under an award, the awardee shall provide and shall require its contractors to provide all reasonable facilities and assistance for the safety and convenience of the Government representatives in the performance of their duties. All site visits and evaluations shall be performed in such a manner that will not unduly delay the work. 25. Suspension or Termination a. Any suspension or termination action taken by NSF must be issued by an NSF Grants Officer and will be in accordance with this article and GPM Section 910. b. The award may be suspended or terminated in whole or in part in any of the following situations: 1. by NSF when the awardee has materially failed to comply with the terms and conditions of the award; 2. by NSF when the Foundation has other reasonable cause; 3. by NSF when ordered by the Deputy Director under NSF's Regulation on Misconduct in Science and Engineering [45 CFR Part 689]; 4. by NSF and the awardee by mutual agreement (if NSF and the awardee cannot reach an agreement, NSF reserves the right to unilaterally terminate the award); or 5. by the awardee on written notice to NSF setting forth the reasons for such action, the effective date, and, in the case of partial termination, the portion to be terminated or suspended (with the understanding that if NSF determines that the unterminated portion will not accomplish the purposes of the award, it may suspend or terminate the entire award). c. Normally, action by NSF to suspend or terminate an award will be taken only after the awardee has been informed by NSF of any deficiency on its part and given an opportunity to correct it; but NSF may immediately suspend or terminate the award without notice when it believes such action is reasonable to protect the interests of the Government. d. No costs incurred during a suspension period or after the effective date of a termination will be allowable, except those costs which, in the opinion of NSF, the awardee could not reasonably avoid or eliminate, or which were otherwise authorized by the suspension or termination notice, provided such costs would otherwise be allowable under the terms of the award and the appropriate Federal cost principles. e. Within 30 days of the termination date, the awardee will furnish a summary of progress under the award and an itemized accounting of costs incurred prior to the termination date or pursuant to d, above. Final allowable costs under a termination settlement shall be in accordance with the terms of the award, including this article, and the appropriate Federal cost principles, giving due consideration to the progress under the award. In no event will the total of NSF payments under a terminated award exceed the award amount, or the NSF pro rata share of the total project costs when cost-sharing was anticipated, whichever is less. f. A notice of termination other than by mutual agreement and/or the final settlement amount may be subject to review pursuant to Article 26. 26. Termination Review Procedure a. A request for review of a notice of termination or settlement should be addressed to the Director, Division of Grants and Agreements, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 22230. It must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the date of the letter notifying the awardee of the termination or settlement. b. The request for review must contain a full statement of the awardee's position and the pertinent facts and reasons in support of such position. c. Review of a notice of termination or settlement will be conducted in accordance with GPM Section 923. d. Pending resolution of the request for review, the notice of termination shall remain in effect. 27. Nondiscrimination a. The award and any program assisted thereby are subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000d], the regulations issued pursuant thereto by NSF [45 CFR 611], and the Assurance of Compliance which the awardee has filed with NSF. No person on the basis of race, color, national origin, or handicap shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under the award. In addition, if the project involves an education activity or program, as defined by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 [20 U.S.C. 1681-1686], no person on the basis of sex shall be excluded from participation in the project. Further, by acceptance of the award, the awardee assures NSF that it will comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [29 U.S.C. 794] and NSF's implementing regulations [45 CFR 605]. b. The awardee shall obtain from each organization that applies to be or serves as a subrecipient, subawardee or subcontractor under the award (for other than the provision of commercially available supplies, materials, equipment or general support services) an Assurance of Compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Civil Rights Act assurances may be filed with the awardee in one of two ways: (1) by written notification that the appropriate Assurance of Compliance form has been executed and filed either with NSF or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; or (2) by executing and filing with the awardee an NSF Assurance of Compliance Form. The awardee shall obtain assurances pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, from subrecipients by incorporating into the subagreement a provision that acceptance of the subagreement constitutes assurance. c. The awardee agrees to comply with the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 [42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq] as implemented by the Department of Health and Human Service regulations at 45 CFR 90 and the regulations of NSF at 45 CFR 617. In the event the awardee passes on NSF financial assistance to subrecipients, this provision shall apply to the subrecipients, and the instrument under which the Federal financial assistance is passed to the subrecipient shall contain a provision identical to this provision. 28. National Security: Classifiable Results Originating Under NSF Grants a. NSF does not have original classification authority and does not normally support classified projects. It therefore does not expect that results of NSF-supported research projects will be classifiable, except in very rare instances. b. Executive Order 12958 [60 Federal Register 19825 (1995)] states that basic scientific research information not clearly related to the national security may not be classified [Section 1.8(b)]. Nevertheless, some information concerning (among other things) scientific, technological or economic matters relating to the national security or cryptology may require classification [Sections 1.5(c) & (e)]. c. There may therefore be cases when an NSF awardee originates information during the course of an NSF-supported project that the awardee believes requires classification under Executive Order 12958 [Section 1.4(e)]. d. In such a case, the awardee has the responsibility to promptly: 1. submit the information directly to the U.S. Government agency with appropriate subject matter interest and classification authority, or, if uncertain which agency should receive the information, to the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, General Services Administration; 2. protect the information as though it were classified until the awardee is informed that the information does not require classification, but not longer than 30 days after receipt by the agency with subject matter interest or by the General Services Administration; and 3. notify the cognizant NSF Program Officer. e. The Executive Order requires the agency with appropriate subject matter interest and classification authority to decide within 30 days whether to classify the material. If it determines the information to require classification, the awardee shall cooperate with that agency, NSF, or other appropriate agencies in securing all related project notes and papers. f. If the information is determined to require classification, the performing organization may wish or need to discontinue the project. 29. Animal Welfare Any awardee performing research on vertebrate animals shall comply with the Animal Welfare Act [7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq] and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the Secretary of Agriculture [9 CFR, 1.1-4.11] pertaining to the humane care, handling, and treatment of vertebrate animals held or used for research, teaching or other activities supported by Federal awards. The awardee is expected to ensure that the guidelines described in the National Academy of Science (NAS) Publication, "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" (1996) are followed and to comply with the Public Health Service Policy and Government Principles Regarding the Care and Use of Animals (included as Appendix D to the NAS Guide). NOTE--The awardee may request registration of its facility and a current listing of licensed dealers from the Regional Office of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), USDA, for the region in which its research facility is located. The location of the appropriate APHIS Regional Office, as well as information concerning this program, may be obtained by contacting the Senior Staff Officer, Animal Care Staff, USDA/APHIS, Federal Center Building, Hyattsville, MD 20782. 30. Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules If this award supports research involving recombinant DNA molecules, the awardee agrees to comply with the requirements of GPM Section 712. 31. Clean Air and Water (Applicable only if the award exceeds $100,000, or a facility to be used has been the subject of a conviction under the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7413(c)(1)] or the Clean Water Act [33 U.S.C. 1319(c)] and is listed by EPA, or the award is not otherwise exempt.) The awardee agrees as follows: a. To comply with all the requirements of Section 114 of the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7414] and Section 308 of the Clean Water Act [33 U.S.C. 1318], respectively, relating to inspection, monitoring, entry, reports and information, as well as other requirements specified in Section 114 and Section 308 of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, respectively, and all regulations and guidelines issued thereunder before the award of the grant. b. That no portion of the work required by the award will be performed in a facility listed on the Environmental Protection Agency List of Violating Facilities on the date that the award was awarded unless and until EPA eliminates the name of such facility or facilities from such listing. c. To use its best efforts to comply with clean air standards and clean water standards at the facility in which the award is being performed. d. To insert the substance of the provisions of this article into any nonexempt subcontract. 32. Human Research Subjects The awardee is responsible for the protection of the rights and welfare of any human subjects involved in research, development and related activities supported by this award. The awardee agrees to comply with the NSF regulation, entitled, "Protection of Human Subjects [45 CFR 690]." 33. Investigator Financial Disclosure Policy If the awardee employs more than 50 persons, the awardee shall maintain an appropriate written and enforced policy on conflict of interest consistent with the provisions of GPM Section 510 (which also is published at 60 Federal Register 35820). 34. State Sales and Use Taxes Awardees are reminded that each set of cost principles cited in Article 12b. limits the allowability of taxes to those the organization is required to pay. Awardees must avail themselves of any tax exemptions for which any activities supported by Federal funds may qualify, including any applicable exemptions from state or local sales and use taxes on the purchase of goods and services made with NSF award funds. 35. Resolution of Conflicting Conditions Should there be any inconsistency between any special conditions contained in the award and these Award General Conditions (GC-1), the special conditions in the award shall control. Should there be any inconsistency between these Grant General Conditions (GC-1), any special conditions contained in the award, and any NSF guides, brochures, etc., cited or included by reference in the award, the matter should be referred to the NSF Grants Officer for guidance. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 36. Liability NSF cannot assume any liability for accidents, illnesses or claims arising out of any work supported by an award or for unauthorized use of patented or copyrighted materials. The awardee institution is advised to take such steps as may be deemed necessary to insure or protect itself, its employees and its property. 37. Sharing of Findings, Data, and Other Research Products a. NSF expects significant findings from research and education activities it supports to be promptly submitted for publication, with authorship that accurately reflects the contributions of those involved. It expects investigators to share with other researchers, at no more than incremental cost and within a reasonable time, the data, samples, physical collections and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of the work. It also encourages awardees to share software and inventions or otherwise act to make the innovations they embody widely useful and usable. b. Adjustments and, where essential, exceptions may be allowed to safeguard the rights of individuals and subjects, the validity of results, or the integrity of collections or to accommodate legitimate interests of investigators.b. 38. Activities Abroad The awardee should assure that award activities carried on outside the U.S. are coordinated as necessary with appropriate Government authorities and that appropriate licenses, permits or approvals are obtained prior to undertaking proposed activities. NSF does not assume responsibility for awardee compliance with the laws and regulations of the country in which the work is to be conducted. 39. Sense of the Congress on Use of Funds Recent Acts making appropriations to NSF provide "It is the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased with funds made available in this Act should be American-made" and require the Foundation to notify awardees of that statement. 40. Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States In accordance with Executive Order 13043, Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States, dated April 16, 1997, "grantees are encouraged to adopt and enforce on-the-job seat belt policies and programs for their employees when operating company-owned, rented, or personally owned vehicles." 41. Year 2000 Computer Problem In accordance with Important Notice No. 120 dated June 27, 1997, Subject: Year 2000 Computer Problem, NSF awardees are reminded of their responsibility to take appropriate actions to ensure that the NSF activity being supported is not adversely affected by the Year 2000 problem. Potentially affected items include: computer systems, databases, and equipment. The National Science Foundation should be notified if an awardee concludes that the Year 2000 will have a significant impact on its ability to carry out an NSF funded activity. Information concerning Year 2000 activities can be found on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/oirm/y2k/start.htm. GC-1 (10/98) 3