National Science Foundation
Electronic Research Administration (ERA)
Forum Webinar Series
Project Reporting and Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity
Information System
(
FAPIIS) Reporting, and Research.gov Updates:
Individual Bank Data Collection Modernization, Proposal Preparation,
and Demo on Adding Secondary Units of Consideration on Research.gov
Proposals
N
ational Science Foundation
July 19, 2022
W
Na
e
tiona
lc
l S
o
cie
m
nce
e
Fou
a
nda
n
tion
d Webinar Administrative Logistics
• Attendees will be in listen-only mode during the webinar.
• Zoom-generated automated live transcription (close captioning) has
been enabled for the event. To view, please click on “Live Transcript”
option on the screen; alternatively, please click on “More” and choose
“Live Transcript” or “View Full Transcript.”
• Presentation and Agenda will be available on the NSF ERA Forum
Website https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/era_forum.jsp.
• For Zoom Support, call +1-833-966-6468 (+1-833-Zoom-Gov) or email
2
National Science Foundation
Agenda
• Welcome, Forum Webinar Logistics, and How to Engage with the Forum
• The ERA Forum
• Speakers
• Forum Webinar Discussion Topics:
• Project Reporting and Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity
Information System (FAPIIS) Reporting – Reminder
• Research.gov Updates:
• Individual Bank Data Collection Modernization
• Proposal Preparation
• Demo – Adding Secondary Units of Consideration on Research.gov Proposals
• Questions and Answers
• Next Steps and ERA Forum Resources
3
National Science Foundation
How to Engage with the Forum
Forum Participation
• Questions can be sent to nsferaforum@nsf.gov
• Post-webinar Survey
• Future Forum Topics
• Forum Listserv and Email
• Subscribe: NSF_ERA_FORUM-subscribe-
request@listserv.nsf.gov
• Email us: nsferaforum@nsf.gov
• General Information
4
National Science Foundation
The ERA Forum
Background and Purpose
• Provides the approach to regularly engage the research community, which includes collecting individual
opinions and perspectives on ERA activities, gathering topics of interest for future Forum Webinars, and
soliciting volunteers for usability studies.
Past Forum Webinar:
• Fall 2021:
• NSF – Public Access Repository (PAR) 2.0 Sharing Dataset Information – covered Historical Context of the
NSF PAR, the transition from PAR 1.0 and PAR 2.0, and anticipated continued PAR development.
•
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) – covered UEI changes by GSA and SAM registration and the benefits, NSF
UEI implementation and NSF impacts and display changes in Research.gov.
•
Migrating Proposal Preparation and Submission from FastLane to Research.gov – key updates included
the Research.gov Implementation Important Notice No. 147, why and how the migration from FastLane
to Research.gov is happening, and advantages for Principal Investigators and Research Administrators,
along with Research.gov Preparation Tips.
•
Recent and upcoming Research.gov proposal enhancements, updates to NSF-approved Biographical
Sketch and Current and Pending Support formats and a demo of NSF-PAR, Research.gov Proposal
Preparation site and Training Resources.
5
National Science Foundation
Panelists
Maria Koszalka
Staff Associate,
Research.gov, Division
of Institution and
Award Support
Jeff
Vieceli
Head, Systems Office,
Division of Institution
and Award Support
Stephanie Yee
IT Project Manger,
Division of
Information Systems
6
National Science Foundation
Project Reporting & FAPIIS Reporting
(Reminders)
Jeff Vieceli
7
National Science Foundation
Technical Reporting Requirements (VII.D)
• Proposed changes have been made to further clarify when project reports
should be submitted and when they will become overdue.
• Overdue project reports can delay future funding and award amendment
actions and increase administrative burden.
• NSF Important Notice No. 148 reinforced that timely project reporting is a
term and condition of award and demonstrates results-oriented accountability
for NSF awards.
• NSF encourages Authorized Organizational Representatives to regularly check
the project reporting status of their awards using the Research.gov Project
Reports module.
• NSF is engaging with the topic of project reporting compliance on a variety of
levels, including in outreach, in advanced monitoring activities, and in targeted
notifications to recipients.
8
National Science Foundation
Overdue Project Reports and FAPIIS
• The Uniform Guidance now requires
Federal awarding agencies to post
overdue project reports at the time of
award closeout to a
PUBLIC
-
FACING
repository
of
POOR PERFORMERS
– the
Federal
Awardee
Performance
Information
and
Integrity
System
(FAPIIS).
• No
o
ne
wants
to
go
into
FAPIIS.
D
ON
’
T
WAIT UNTIL IT
’
S TOO LATE
.
• Click
here to
learn
more
about
the
project
reporting
module
on
Research.gov
and
see
the
current
status
of
your
reports.
9
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Updates
Stephanie Yee
10
National Science Foundation
Login.gov Option for Research.gov
11
National Science Foundation
NSF’s System for Award Management
(SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
Implementation
13
NS
Na
F
ti
’
o
s
na
l
S
Sci
A
enc
M
e Fou
U
nda
E
tion
I Implementation
•
NSF replaced DUNS numbers with SAM.gov-assigned UEIs
for all NSF-registered organizations in NSF systems as of
February 28, 2022
•
SAM Legal Business Name and SAM Physical Address
updates made in SAM.gov. Organizational address changes
no longer accepted in FastLane
•
Any subrecipients named in a proposal are also required to
obtain a SAM UEI and register in Research.gov.
Subrecipients named in the proposal, however, do not need
to be registered in SAM. Entities can obtain a SAM UEI
without full SAM registration
•
DUNS number only used or displayed at NSF for historical
reference
Effective April 4, 2022
Government-wide transition from DUNS
number to SAM UEI as federal entity
identifier
SAM.gov-issued UEI required to register
new organization in Research.gov
Proposal validation checks verify the
organization's SAM UEI
Proposing organization must have a valid
and active SAM registration to submit a
proposal to NSF
14
National Science Foundation
Individual Bank Data Collection
Modernization
15
National Science Foundati
on
Individual
Bank Data Collection Modernization
• NSF is modernizing the collection of
banking information for external individual
recipients, such as postdoctoral fellowship
and honorary award recipients, invitational
travelers, and other miscellaneous payees
• Requested individuals will submit and
update their banking information in
Research.gov for the delivery of NSF
payments directly to their individual bank
accounts by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
• Process is not changed for organizations
registered via SAM.gov. These
organizations will continue to update their
organizational banking data in their SAM
profile
16
Ind
Na
i
t
v
iona
id
l S
u
cie
a
nc
l
e
F
Ba
ounda
n
ti
k
on
Data Collection Modernization (cont’d)
• Only individuals who receive an email from NSF requesting banking information will be able to access the
Individual Banking link on the Research.gov My Desktop page
• Users who did not receive notice from NSF requesting banking information will receive the Error:
Restricted Page screen
17
National Science Foundation
Migrating Proposal Preparation and
Submission from FastLane to
Research.gov
18
National Science Foundation
Goodbye FastLane Proposal Preparation…Hello Research.gov
Solicitations
• NSF has been gradually removing
FastLane as a submission option from
solicitations since November 2020
• Effective with implementation of the
Proposal & Award Policies &
Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1)
in January 2023, FastLane will be
removed as a submission option from
all solicitations
• Grants.gov remains a submission
option for most proposals
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REVISION NOTE
ABOUT RESEARCH.GOV PROPOSAL PREPARATION:
Innovating and migrating proposal preparation and
submission capabilities from FastLane to
Research.gov is part of the ongoing NSF information
technology modernization efforts, as described in
Important Notice No. 147. In support of these efforts,
proposals submitted in response to this program
solicitation must be prepared and submitted via
Research.gov or via Grants.gov and may not be
prepared or submitted via FastLane.
19
National Science Foundation
Goodbye FastLane Proposal Preparation…Hello Research.gov (cont’d)
Program Descriptions
• NSF has been removing
FastLane as a submission
option from program
descriptions (PDs) since April
2022
• Effective with
implementation of the
PAPPG (NSF 23-1) in January
2023, FastLane will be
removed as a submission
option from all PDs
Alert: Many NSF programs are only
accepting proposals in Research.gov
or Grants.gov. FastLane may no
longer be a submission option. For
more information, please
visit Program Descriptions that
Require Proposal Preparation and
Submission in Research.gov or
Grants.gov.
20
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Tips
• Proposal information cannot be transferred from FastLane to Research.gov and vice
versa
• Letters of intent and preliminary proposals must be prepared in the same system as the
full proposal (i.e., all in Research.gov or all in FastLane)
• All proposals in a separately submitted collaborative from multiple organizations must be
prepared in the same system (i.e., all in Research.gov or all in FastLane)
• Proposal file updates (PFUs) and budget revisions must be executed in the same system
as the proposal was submitted (i.e., all in Research.gov or all in FastLane)
• Proposals submitted in Research.gov evaluated by NSF in the same way as proposals
submitted in FastLane and Grants.gov, and this migration does not affect the merit
review process in any way
21
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposals: Where We Are and What’s Ahead
Current Capabilities
Proposal Types
Research: Single Submissions from One Organization (April 2018);
Single Submission Collaborative Proposals with Subawards (June 2019);
Separately Submitted Collaborative Proposals from Multiple
Organizations (March 2020)
Ra
pid Respo
nse Research (RAPID) (November 2020)
EArly-concept Grants for Ex
ploratory Research (EAGER) (November
2020)
R
esearch Ad
vanced by I
nterdisciplinary Science and Engineering
(RAISE) (November 2020)
F
acilitation
Awards
for
Scientists
and
Engineers
with
Disabilities
(FASED)
(March
2021)
E
quipment
(
March
2021
)
T
ravel
(Mar
ch
2021
)
C
onference
(August
2021)
I
deas
Lab
(August
2021)
Grant
Oppor
tunities
for
Academic
Liaison
with
Industry
(GOALI)
(October
2021)
Planning (October
2021)
Center (November
20
21)
R
esearch
Infrastructure (November
2021)
Postdoctoral
Fellowship
(proposals
for
fellowship
solicitations
that
do
not
contain
reference
letter
requirements)
(April
2022)
Submission Types
Full Proposal (April 2018)
Letter of Intent (Oc
tober 2021)
Prelimina
ry Proposal: I
deas Lab (August 2021); Non-Ideas Lab
(November 2021)
F
ull Proposal related to a Preliminary Proposal (November 2021)
R
enewal Proposal (August 2021)
Accomplis
hment-Based Renewal Prop
osal (August 2021)
Solicitation-specific Requirements
E
HR Project Data Form (April 2022)
S
econdary U
nits of Con
sideration (April 2022)
Recent Proposal Features
W
ithdrawal (Single and Se
parately Submitted Collaborative Proposal
Submissions) (March 2021)
P
roject De
scriptio
ns Exceeding 15 Pages (November 2021)
Separate U
ploads of Multiple Supplementary Documents (April 2022)
Training
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site (October 2020)
T
opic-specific How-to Guides (Ongoing)
W
ebinars and Demos (Ongoing)
Future Capabilities
As of 5/12/2022
Proposal Types
• SBIR and STTR Phases I/II
(fall 2022 release)
• Po
stdoctoral Fellowship
(proposals for fellowship
solicitations that contain
reference letter requirements)
(release TBD)
Gr
ants.gov Integration
(
Grants.gov applicati
ons only; fall
2022 release)
• Grants.gov applicat
ions will be
inserted
into
Research.gov
after
they are received and validated
by NSF
• R
esearch.gov will be use
d to
add or correct information in
Grants.gov applications after
submission in Grants.gov
Post-award Actions
• Supplemental Funding
Requests, including Career
Life Balance Supplemental
Funding Requests (fall 2022
release)
22
January 2023 Key Migration Milestone
National Science Foundation
Effective with PAPPG (NSF 23-1) Implementation in January 2023:
• All FastLane proposal preparation and submission functionality
enabled in Research.gov
• FastLane removed as preparation and submission option from all
funding opportunities
• No NEW proposals can be prepared or submitted in FastLane
23
National Science Foundation
Recent Research.gov Proposal Enhancements
24
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Enhancements Available as of May 2
•
New proposal type supported:
Postdoctoral Fellowship (proposals
specifically for fellowship
solicitations that do not contain
reference letter requirements)
•
New features supported:
Project Data Form
Secondary Units of Consideration
Separate Uploads of Multiple
Supplementary Documents
Research.gov Proposal Screenshot: Full Proposal Type Options
Current Capabilities
Future Capabilities
No
w Available
Fall 2022 release
25
National Science Foundation
Secondary Units of Consideration Available as of May 2
•
Proposers now have to the ability to choose additional Directorate/Division/Program options
(i.e., secondary units of consideration) to direct proposals to NSF
•
Secondary units of consideration may be added in the Where to Apply proposal wizard setup step
OR u
sing the Manage Where to Apply link on the proposal main page
Where to Apply proposal wizard setup step screenshot Proposal main page excerpt screenshot
26
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo
Site and Training Resources
27
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site
•
Demo site can be used to explore
preparing proposals a
nd to check
compliance of uploaded proposal
documents (e.g., Collaborators and Other
Affiliations and Biographical Sketch)
•
All demo site users are automatically given
the PI role for demo site purposes, in order
to perform the proposal preparation
functions that a PI can do in the actual
system. Proposal submission capability is
disabled
•
See the demo site FAQs on the
Research.gov About Proposal Preparation
and Submission page for information on
demo site access and features
Research.gov Demo Site: Proposal Preparation Homepage
https://web.demo.research.gov/proposalprep/#/proposal-prep
(You will be prompted to sign in to Research.gov if you are not already signed in)
28
National Science Foundation
Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission Page
Training Resources
• NEW FAQs
Managing Where to Apply and Secondary Units of Consideration
FAQs (see the General FAQ topic)
Postdoctoral Fellowship Proposals FAQs (see the General FAQ topic)
Project Data Form FAQs (see the Proposal Sections FAQ topic)
• NEW and Updated How-to Guides
Initiating a New Proposal (same link with updated guide)
Adding or Removing an OAU
Sharing Proposal and Proposal File Update/Budget Revision Access
with SPO/AOR (same link with updated guide)
Entering Proposal Budgets
Adding or Removing Subaward Organizations
Adding or Removing Collaborators and Other Affiliations
Deleting an In Progress Letter of Intent, Proposal, or Proposal File
Update/Budget Revision
Submitting Letters of Intent and Proposals
https://www.research.gov/research-web/content/aboutpsm
Submitting Proposal File Updates/Budget Revisions
29
National Science Foundation
Demo: Adding Secondary Units of
Consideration on Research.gov Proposals
31
National Science Foundation
Q & A
32
National Science Foundation
Next Steps and ERA Forum Resources
Post-webinar Survey
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Summer2022ERAForum
ERA Forum Email
• Questions pertaining to the presentation can be sent to nsferaforum@nsf.gov
• If you are interested in participating in future application usability studies, please send an
email with your contact information to nsferaforum@nsf.gov
Subscribe to ERA Forum Listserv
• Send an email to NSF_ERA_FORUM-subscribe-request@listserv.nsf.gov
NSF ERA Forum Website:
• Agenda and presentation slides will be available soon on the ERA Forum website at:
https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/era_forum.jsp.
33
National Science Foundation
Thank you for
participating
in today’s ERA Forum
Webinar
34
National Science Foundation
Appendix
35
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Implementation – Important Notice No. 147
•
Per Important Notice No. 147,
NSF is taking proactive steps to
incrementally move the
preparation and submission of
all proposals from FastLane to
Research.gov
•
Most NSF funding opportunities
are supported in Research.gov
and clearly specify whether
submission via Research.gov is
available or required
36
National Science Foundation
Migrating Proposal Preparation and Submission from FastLane to
Research.gov: Why?
• Launched in 1994, FastLane was cutting-edge technology….28 years ago
• Research.gov built on modernized architecture to meet current and future requirements
Features to help reduce administrative burden for both the research community and NSF staff and
minimize return without review proposals (e.g., expanded automated compliance checking)
Improved user experience with a modern and intuitive interface and inline help throughout the
application
• Research.gov is being developed incrementally, and features have expanded to support the transition of
all proposal preparation and submission functionality from FastLane to Research.gov when the PAPPG
(NSF 23-1) goes into effect in January 2023
• Target date to fully transition all remaining FastLane functions to Research.gov has not yet been
determined
• Grants.gov continues to be option for the preparation and submission of most types of NSF proposals
37
National Science Foundatio
n
Migrating Proposal Preparation and Submission from FastLane to
Research.gov: How?
• Incrementally remove FastLane from funding opportunities as an option for proposal
submission. Gradual proposal system transition decreases burden on both the
research community and NSF staff (e.g., Program Officers and NSF Help Desk
technicians)
• Complete development and deployment of remaining proposal preparation
functionality in Research.gov (Research.gov Proposal Submission Capabilities)
• Engage NSF staff to facilitate a smooth transition
• Expand Foundation-wide efforts to reach the research community
• Bolster training resources for internal and external stakeholders
• Update NSF policy documents including the PAPPG
38
Res
Na
e
t
a
io
r
na
c
l
h
Sc
.
i
g
enc
o
e
v
F
ou
Pr
nda
op
tion
osal Preparation: Advantages for Principal
Investigators and Research Administrators
Features to help reduce proposal preparation administrative burden:
• Improved user experience through intuitive and dynamic interfaces that provide only relevant proposal
preparation options
• Immediate feedback within each proposal section and for each document upload rather than at proposal
submission in FastLane
• Faster document uploads (a few seconds versus 30-90 seconds for each document upload in FastLane)
• Expanded automated compliance checking utilizing error messages (stopping proposal submission) and
warning messages (allowing proposal submission)
Currently ~450 compliance checks in Research.gov across multiple submission types (full proposals, renewals,
preliminary proposals, and letters of intent) versus 56 compliance checks in FastLane for full proposals only
Specific, actionable error and warning messages
• Higher quality proposal submissions (e.g., PDF uploads are not altered)
• Minimized Return without Reviews due to some proposal formatting issues
39
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Compliance Error and Warning Messages
•
Automated proposal compliance checks triggering an error message will stop proposal
submission to NSF, whereas checks triggering a warning message will still allow proposal
submission
•
Proposers receiving a compliance error or warning message should check the Automated
Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page and the solicitation for specific proposal
requirements
•
Proposers should also review the topic-specific FAQs on the Research.gov About Proposal
Preparation and Submission page
Uploading Documents topic includes document formatting FAQs
Proposal Sections topic includes Cover Sheet and budget FAQs
40
National Science Foundation
Project Data Form Available as of May 2
•
Project data form will display in the
Required s
ection on the proposal main
page when the selected funding
opportunity requires submission of the
form
•
Information on the form is used to
direct proposals to appropriate
reviewers and to determine the
characteristics of projects supported by
the Directorate for Education and
Human Resources (EHR)/Division of
Undergraduate Education (DUE)
Research.gov Screenshot: EHR Sample Proposal Main Page
41
National Science Foundation
Separate Uploads of Multiple Supplementary Documents
Available as of May 2
42
National
Science Foundation
Providing Research.gov Proposal
Feedback and Why It’s Important
Why?
• Help NSF continue to build and refine Research.gov
• Help ensure the system is working as intended and
identify areas of improvement
How?
• Feedback may be submitted on the Research.gov
Feedback page
Select
“Proposal
Preparation
&
Submission”
under
the
Site
Area
dropdown
menu
to
provide
feedback
on
the
Research.gov
Proposal
Submission
System
Select
"Proposal
Preparation
Demo
Site"
under
the
Site
Area
dropdown
menu
to
provide
feedback
on
the
demo
site
43
National Science Foundation
Information Resources
• Join our NSF System Updates listserv to receive the latest Research.gov system
enhancement information and FastLane news! Sign up by sending a blank email to:
•
Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page
• Biographical Sketch website: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/biosketch.jsp
•
Collaborators and Other Affiliations Information:
https://nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/coa.jsp
•
Current and Pending Support website: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/cps.jsp
•
Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page
•
Research.gov About Account Management page
•
Resources for LaTeX Users: https://github.com/nsf-open/nsf-proposal-latex-samples
44
National Science Foundation
45
Contacts for Research.gov Proposal Questions
• For program-specific questions, please contact
the cognizant NSF Program Officer
• For IT system-related questions or technical
questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at
1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET;
Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via
• Policy-related questions should be directed to
45
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site Tips
•
Demo site FAQs are available on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page via
the left navigation menu. How-to guides with step-by-step instructions and screenshots are also available
•
The demo site is available both to the research community and to NSF staff
•
An orange "Proposal Preparation Demo Site" banner is at the top of each demo site page to indicate the
user is on the demo site
•
The demo site allows users to prepare and edit proposals before preparing them in the actual
Research.gov site
•
Demo site proposals are not visible or available in the actual Research.gov Proposal Submission System,
and data cannot be transferred between the demo site and the actual proposal system
•
All proposal and submission types available in the actual system are also available in the demo site. As
proposal and submission types are added to the Research.gov Proposal Submission System, they will also
be added to the demo site
•
All compliance checks enabled in the actual Research.gov Proposal Submission System are also in the
demo site. Proposers can use the demo site as a resource to check document compliance before uploading
them in the actual system
46
National Science Foundation
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site Tips (cont’d)
•
Proposals created in the demo site will be available for six months and then will be deleted by NSF.
Neither NSF nor users will be able to access deleted demo proposal data
•
Demo site does not support proposal submission and will not trigger any system-generated email
notifications (e.g., link requests for separately submitted collaborative proposals)
•
The organization that you are affiliated with in your NSF account profile will be incorporated when you
are in the proposal preparation demo site, but the user role(s) that you have will not be available in the
demo site
All users who access the demo site will be given the role of PI and the mock organization “National
Science Foundation”
This means that users from the research community will have the organization(s) they are affiliated
with in their NSF account profile plus the “National Science Foundation” mock organization as
available organizations in the demo site
•
The only time other users will be able to view and/or edit any proposals that you create in the demo site
is if you add them to the proposal as a co-PI or OAU. If you don’t add any users to the proposal, no one
will else will be able to access, view, or edit your demo proposal
47
