Sponsor Updates

CurrenT Updates from Agencies

NSF Approved Format for Biographical Sketch 

Changes to NIH Academic Research Enhancement—AREA/R15 Program

NIH Policy Change for Resubmission of New Investigator R01 Applications

NSF Issues Guidance on Resumption of Operations

NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide - June 2020

NSF has issued a revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1). The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due, and awards made, on or after June 1, 2020. Several changes to requirements for proposal documents including the biographical sketch, current and pending support and the project description will be of interest to faculty and staff submitting proposals to NSF.

• NSF will require use of an NSF-approved format in submission of the biographical sketch and current and pending support documents. NSF is partnering with SciENcv for an NSF-approved format for both documents. The NSF biosketch is available now through SciENcv with the Current and Pending support expected in March 2020. NSF will also provide fillable PDF options for both documents. The fillable PDFs are expected in February 2020 for current and pending support and March 2020 for the biosketch. 
• A separate section labeled "Intellectual Merit" is no longer required in the Project Description.
• Clarifications to the appointments and synergistic activities sections of the biosketch are provided.
• Clarification to current and pending support section to explain that it must include all support (including in-kind support) from all sources for all research efforts, whether the support is provided through the proposing organization or directly to the individual. 

A full summary of changes is available from NSF.

MTRAC Innovation Hubs -- Reduction in Cost Share Announced  

The goal of the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) program is to support translating research into the commercial market via a license or startup. MTRAC recently announced that, for institutions with less than $50 million in expenditures, it was reducing the institutional cost share from 50% to 10%. Researchers can submit proposals to one of four hubs: Life Sciences, Advanced Transportation, Advanced Applied Materials, and AgBio.  

NSF Policy and Procedure Changes Announced

Due to the recent lapse in appropriations, implementation of the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (link is external) (PAPPG), (NSF 19-1) was postponed. We are pleased to announce that the revised PAPPG will now be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after February 25, 2019.  Significant changes include:

• Addition of Research.gov as an option for proposal preparation and submission, and proposal file updates;
• Revision of eligibility standards for unaffiliated individuals;
• Specification that conference proposals over $50,000 and all equipment proposals must include the Collaborators and Other Affiliations information in the proposal submission;
• Revision of resubmission guidelines for NSF programs that accept proposals at any time;
• Implementation of NSF’s policy on sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, or sexual assault;
• Specification that proposers are required to have a policy or code-of-conduct that addresses sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, and sexual assault, and that includes clear and accessible means of reporting violations of the policy or code-of-conduct.  This policy or code-of-conduct must be disseminated to conference participants prior to attendance at the conference as well as made available at the conference itself;
• Emphasis on the importance of training faculty in the responsible and ethical conduct of research;
• Incorporation of existing patent policy into the PAPPG.  This policy was previously implemented by regulation at 45 CFR 650; and
• Numerous clarifications and other changes throughout the document.

You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG. To learn about the changes in the revised PAPPG (NSF 19-1), please view the latest NSF Proposal & Award Policy Update webinar (link is external).

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on February 25, 2019, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 18-1) continue to apply.  We will ensure that the current version of the PAPPG remains on the NSF website, with a notation to proposers that specifies when the new PAPPG (including a link to the new Guide) will become effective.

Associated award terms and conditions (including RTC NSF Agency Specific Requirements, GC-1, and FL-26 (link is external)) will also be effective for proposals submitted or due, on or after, February 25, 2019. Cooperative Agreement Conditions (CA-FATC) and CA-FATC Modifications and Supplemental terms and (link is external) conditions are effective for new awards and funding actions to existing awards beginning on February 12, 2019.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at @email (link sends e-mail).