NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide, known as PAPPG or PAPP Guide, is a comprehensive reference book or a road map to maneuver through NSF procedures for proposal preparation and award management. PAPPG is revised annually and their most recent update has been released in June 2021, being effective October 4, 2021. Many of you may remember the past years when Mike, Ted, and Aaron from Sponsored Research office used to update us on the changes to the Guide with themes of Star Wars and Jurassic Park. While I do not have those cool and creative skills to familiarize our community on the recent NSF changes, I am going to summarize the updates in a hopefully nice and clear way below.
Please note this article refers to the most recent PAPPG, effective October 4, 2021: NSF-22 PAPPG . Refer to your appropriate directorate/division for any additional updates released after this article has been posted.
The following are new items, updated and revisions, as well as reminders on some existing conditions that are important for our roles in proposal preparation and award management:
Biographical Sketches: Chapter II.C.2.f
When drafting this document, it is important to understand the role of Biographical Sketch (Biosketch) for the NSF and proposal reviewers. Per the PAPPG, the Biographical Sketch “is used to assess how well qualified the individual team, or organization is to conduct the proposed activities.”
Updates and clarifications to the Biosketch include:
- Biosketch page limit has been increased to three pages (a change that everyone has been waiting for!)
- Appointment section of the Biosketch needs to include ANY titled academic, professional, or institutional position – even if the PI/Co-PI does not receive compensation. It needs to include part- and full-time positions, and voluntary (adjunct, visiting, honorary). Appointment language in the Guide has been clarified to address professional appointments: “senior personnel must identify all current domestic and foreign professional appointments outside of the individual’s academic, professional, or institutional appointments at the proposing organization.”
- Another exciting change in the products section is to allow senior personnel the option to list one or more of the authors with “et al.” for publications with multiple authors.
- A reminder that Synergistic Activities “must be specific and may not include multiple examples to describe a single activity.” A guidance on synergistic activities and examples are also included in this section of the PAPPG.
- Additional details on NSF-approved formats (SciENcv and fillable PDF) can be found here. NSF Fillable PDF has been updated to allow for the three-page limit.
Current and Pending Support: Chapter II.C.2.h
When working on the Current and Pending Support document (C&P), it is helpful to remember its role in the submission process and award management: C&P “is used to assess the capacity of the individual to carry out the research as proposed, as well as to help assess any potential overlap/duplication with the project being proposed.”
Updates and clarifications to the C&P include:
- C&P now requires information on objectives and overlap with other projects. This new information will help NSF and reviewers assess overlap/duplication. These are added as two new sections in the NSF Fillable PDF, as well as SciENcv tool.
- A change that will make many of us happier (and especially the PIs) is removing blank pages from the NSF Fillable PDF. This will be done automatically when using Fillable NSF-approved format, and won’t apply to SciENcv tool. Note that after trimming the Fillable PDF documents, page numbers in your proposal will not be updated. NSF is aware of that and it won’t affect your submission.
- The Guide also provides more clarification on the in-kind contributions that needs to be reported in C&P. In-kind contributions that would be used on the proposed projects must be included in the Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources, and do not need to be replicated in the C&P. What needs to be reported in C&P are “in-kind contributions not intended for use on the project being proposed and which have an associated time commitment.”
- “Post-Award Disclosure”: a reminder that “awardees are required to submit any non-disclosed information within 30-days of becoming aware of the failure to disclose.” Once you discover that a current support or in-kind contribution was missing, you’ll need to work with SR and NSF on submitting that information.
- Additional details on NSF-approved formats (SciENcv and fillable PDF) can be found here. NSF Fillable PDF has been updated with additional sections.
Updates to the Annual and Final Reports:
- An update on active other support is required in annual and final project reports. PI and Co-PI need to notify NSF of any changes to the active other support since the award was made or since the last submitted report. The updated C&P document needs to be uploaded in the annual/final report.
- In their annual/final report, PI and Co-PI need to indicate the percentage of the award’s budget spent in foreign country. In calculating that cost/percentage, only include consultant arrangements with foreign individuals and first-tier subawards to foreign organizations.
NSF Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support:
This is a new useful tool, created to help us and PIs understand NSF expectations on reporting and disclosures. NSF Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support table can be accessed here.
New type of proposal: Planning Proposal: Chapter II.E.1
The idea of this new proposal type is “to support initial conceptualization, planning and collaboration activities that aim to formulate new and sound plans for large scale projects in emerging research areas for future submission to an NSF program.”
If interested, the PI must contact and discuss the idea with their appropriate NSF Program Officer prior to submission. The funding up to $100,000 is provided for a maximum of two years. Planning Proposal needs to be submitted via Research.gov.
Career-Life Balance (CLB) Supplemental Funding Requests: Chapter II.E.8
Career-Life Balance (CLB) Supplemental Funding was previously provided through Dear Colleague Letters, and has been added as a new “Other Proposal Type”. This funding is available for research award recipients, post-doctoral fellows and Graduate Research Fellowship awardees. CLB needs to be submitted via Fastlane, and preparation instructions are detailed in the PAPPG.
Travel Proposal: Chapter II.E.11
An update includes new language which specifies a required certification that prior to attending a meeting (sponsored by NSF Travel Award) the PI “will assure that the meeting organizer has a written policy or code-of-conduct addressing harassment.”
Conference Proposal: Chapter II.E.9
Additional guidance has been included regarding NSF review of policies or codes-of-conduct addressing harassment.
Grant Closeout: Chapter VII.D.5
This section incorporates new requirements specified in 2 CFR §200.344(i). Grantee is responsible to submit all required reports within one year of the period of performance end date, otherwise “NSF must report the grantee’s material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the award with the OMB-designated integrity and performance system.”
Resources:
NSF PAPPG Effective October 4, 2021
NSF Proposal and Award Policy Update recording from October 6, 2021
By: Marysia Galent, Research Administrator, School of Communication