GRANT PROPOSAL GUIDE
Summary of Significant Changes

• Overall Document –Minor editorial changes have been made throughout the document to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence/section.

• About the National Science Foundation – More in-depth information has been added regarding the creation of the Foundation, the various types of entities that are funded and how NSF relies on the expertise of the scientific, engineering and education community in the conduct of our mission.

• Chapter I – Section B, The Proposal, has been updated to inform proposers that there is a feature in FastLane which can be used to mark proprietary and privileged information in a proposal. A caveat has been added that, while NSF tries to ensure that such material is not released, NSF is not liable should this occur.

• Chapter I – Section C, NSF FastLane System, has been supplemented with several changes. First, it instructs PIs to contact their sponsored projects office for the assignment of a FastLane PIN and general information on how to use the system. Next, a short explanation of the Federal Commons is given. FastLane will eventually be integrated with the Federal Commons and in anticipation of that, PIN’s will be phased out and a new password system will be implemented.

• Chapter I – Section F, How to Submit Proposals, has been revised to stipulate that:

• Effective October 1, 2000, all NSF proposals will be required to be submitted via FastLane. Proposers and grantees are encouraged to review Important Notice 123, which outlines the timeline for implementation of NSF’s electronic commerce plans.
• For proposals submitted via FastLane, the signed proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) must be postmarked within five working days after the proposal is submitted and forwarded to the address listed in the GPG.
• Appendix A should be consulted to find out the required number of paper copies that should be submitted.
• When a proposal is submitted, the proposal number and program it has been assigned to can be viewed using various FastLane modules.

• Chapter II – First Paragraph, contains the URL for FastLane proposal preparation and submission FAQ’s.

• Chapter II – Section D, Sections of the Proposal, has been supplemented with information on the new barcodes that have been added to each of the proposal forms.

• Chapter II – Section D.1, Cover Sheet for Proposal to the National Science Foundation, has been clarified to state that proposers are required to complete the "For Consideration by NSF Organizational Unit" block and should use Appendix A as a guide in identifying the correct Program (and Division) to which the proposal should be routed.

• Chapter II – Section D.4, Project Description, has been supplemented with language that permits group proposals to exceed the 15-page Project Description limitation when approval has been obtained from the NSF program officer prior to submission of the proposal. In previous versions of the Grant Proposal Guide, this stipulation was contained in the Group and Collaborative Proposals Section.

• Chapter II – Section D.6, Biographical Sketches, has been revised and reorganized. There are five sections, including "Professional Preparation," "Appointments," "Publications," "Collaborators and Other Affiliations" as well as a new section entitled "Synergistic Activities."

• Chapter II – Section D.7.l, Cost Sharing, incorporates the recent National Science Board (NSB) approved cost sharing policy. With regard to proposals submitted solely in response to the GPG, only statutory (1%) cost sharing is required.

• Chapter II – Section D.12.a, Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), has been updated to encourage submissionof SGER proposals via FastLane.

• Chapter II – Section D.12.b, Collaborative Proposals, has been restructured to clearly delineate the instructions for submission of collaborative proposals from two or more organizations. Such proposals can be submitted as either one proposal, or as simultaneous submission of proposals from different organizations. Detailed instructions on how to submit by FastLane or by paper are also included in this section. Prior to submission of a collaborative proposal, PIs are reminded to contact the cognizant NSF program officer.

Chapter II – Section D.12.d, Proposals Involving Vertebrate Animals, has been supplemented with instructions to proposers to include the date that IACUC review is scheduled to be completed, if it is not possible to have the review done in advance.

• Chapter III – Section A, Review Criteria, has a new part added that reinforces the importance of integrating diversity into NSF’s programs, projects and activities, and addressing the integration of research and education when preparing and reviewing NSF proposals.

• Chapter III – Section B, Administrative Corrections to FastLane Proposals, has been supplemented with detailed information on this new feature in FastLane.

• Chapter III – Section C, Revisions to Proposals made during the Review Process, has been revised to include examples of what would be considered a "significant development" on a project. The language on reductions in budget or scope of a project has also been revised to be consistent with the recent NSB approved cost sharing policy.

• Chapter V – Section F, Human Resources Development, has been modified to include an updated listing of NSF programs whose purpose is to increase participation by women, minorities, persons with disabilities and faculty from minority and/or predominantly undergraduate institutions.

• Chapter V – Section K, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, has been updated to include coverage on the new Phase IIB option. This option is not available for the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program.

• Chapter VI – Section C, No-Cost Extensions, has been supplemented to inform readers that all grantee-authorized and NSF-approved extensions will have to be submitted via FastLane by January 1, 2000.

• Chapter VII – Section B, Prior Approval Requirements, has been updated to inform readers that all prior approval requests will have to be submitted via FastLane by January 1, 2000.

• Chapter VII – Section G, Grant Reports, has been revised to show that, starting October 1, 1999, PI’s will be required to use the electronic project reporting system in the preparation and submission of reports to the Foundation.