Updates to NSF Policies and Procedures
As announced in the fall quarterly newsletter, the Policy Office will soon release a consolidated policy document entitled, the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. This guide will incorporate both the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Grant Policy Manual (GPM) into one, single HTML document.
NSF is moving to this new policy framework in order to improve the awareness and knowledge of the complete set of NSF policies and procedures, as well as increase ease of access to this important information which governs the entire grant lifecycle. By consolidating the GPG and the GPM, NSF eliminates the duplicative and often truncated coverage, bringing greater transparency of both the proposal and award processes to the grants community.
The NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide will include significant and helpful changes for NSF grantees. One of the most significant changes for the NSF customer community will be the designation of specific fonts that will be allowed in future NSF proposals. Effective with implementation of the new Guide, only the following four fonts will be permitted: Arial, Helvetica, Palatino, or Georgia. Current type density, margins and additional page formatting requirements will remain unchanged. Above all, proposers are reminded that readability is of paramount importance and takes precedence in the formatting of a proposal.
Additional changes will include a linkable organization chart, increased coverage of the Grants.gov apply function, information pertaining to exceptions to NSF’s deadline date policy, new information on how reviewers are selected and updated budget preparation instructions.
In addition, the Guide implements the National Science Board’s revised cost sharing policy as well as incorporates two additional proposal certifications which were previously only included in the GPM. A new subject index has been prepared for the Grant Proposal Guide.
The newly released guide will incorporate a comprehensive list of all these changes. In reviewing the guide, NSF welcomes feedback and suggestions for improvement. For more information regarding this new policy framework, contact the Policy Office at: policy@nsf.gov.
Oklahoma State University Hosts NSF Spring Regional Grants Conference
NSF is preparing for the Spring Regional Grants Conference in Oklahoma City, OK, hosted by Oklahoma State University, on March 19-20, 2007. NSF will also feature optional FastLane sessions on March 18.
This two-day conference is a must for new faculty, researchers and administrators to gain insight into a wide range of current policies and procedures; and pertinent administrative issues.
Staff representing all NSF Directorates as well as the Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management, the Office of International Science and Engineering, the Office of General Counsel, Office of the Inspector General and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) will be on hand to answer your questions and discuss components of a good proposal, an overview of the merit review process, as well as necessary award administration and compliance issues. Breakout sessions by Directorate will allow for smaller group interaction with NSF Program Officers and other NSF staff.
Register for the conference today at NSF’s online registration web site. Please be aware that space is limited.
Check Out NSF's Webcast for the Research Community
The Division of Institution and Award Support (DIAS) held its first webcast of fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) on October 20, 2006. The webcast is one of the many opportunities NSF will provide this year on the NSF and government-wide electronic initiatives for the research community. Following are NSF representatives who presented and the topics they covered: Mary Santonastasso, Division Director, provided an update on the Grants Management Line of Business (GMLoB), John Grzechowiak, Head of the Systems Office, discussed the new NSF Project Report Tracking System; Jean Feldman, Head of the Policy Office, presented on NSF’s FY2007 implementation of Grants.gov; and Jeremy Leffler, Policy Office Outreach Specialist, spoke on the varied FY2007 learning and outreach opportunities offered by NSF.
The webcast is currently posted and available on the NSF Web site. The webcast will hopefully answer many of your questions, but if not, please feel free to contact the Policy Office at: policy@nsf.gov. Remember to "Ask Early, Ask Often" to help ensure a successful year for your institution.
NSF Proposals and Awards CD-ROM Now Available
This past year, NSF produced a CD-ROM to help make the grant process as straightforward as possible. The CD-ROM provides helpful information about preparing a proposal and managing an NSF award, web links to enable easy access to helpful resources on the NSF website, and contact information for NSF specialists who can provide answers to your questions.
This resource is an additional effort to provide assistance to those preparing their first proposal, as well as those who have already received NSF funding. To obtain the CD-ROM, send a request to the Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov. Remember to "Ask Early, Ask Often" to help ensure a successful year for your institution.
Also, please remember that NSF will be combining the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and the Grant Policy Manual (GPM). The NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide will provide in-depth instructions on NSF grant processes and requirements, and will be available on the website in early 2007. Notices will be posted on the Policy Office website, FastLane, and distributed by e-mail via MyNSF.
NSF Coming to Your Community
Below are the upcoming events where NSF staff will present this coming Spring. At these conferences, NSF staff will provide updates on the current NSF budget outlook, proposal and award funding trends, as well as upcoming policy changes and progress of ongoing electronic initiatives.
March 5-6, 2007: North Carolina SRA Annual Conference; Cary, NC
March 19-20, 2007: NSF Regional Grants Conference; Oklahoma City, OK
April 21-24, 2007: NCURA Region VI and VII Spring Meeting; Park City, UT
April 21–25, 2007: SRA Northeast Section Meeting; Newport, RI
April 28-May 2, 2007: SRA Western Section Meeting; Waikoloa, HI
April 29-May 2, 2007: NCURA Region V Spring Meeting; Arlington, TX
May 5-8, 2007: NCURA Region II Spring Meeting; Rochester, NY
May 6-9, 2007: NCURA Region I Spring Meeting; Providence, RI
May 13-16, 2007: NCURA Region III and IV Spring Meeting; Nashville, TN
June 2-6, 2007: SRA Southern and Canadian Section Meeting; Rio Grande, PR
