MU Grants Community,
Please see below information related to a new format for the Collaborators and Other Affiliations document included in your grant application forms in NSF Fastlane.
Dear Colleagues:
On April 24, 2017, the National
Science Foundation (NSF) will initiate a new pilot requiring the use of a
spreadsheet template for identifying Collaborators and Other Affiliations
information for Principal Investigators (PIs), co-PIs, and other senior project
personnel identified on proposals.
The NSF
Proposal and Award Policies & Procedures Guide
(PAPPG) (NSF 17-1) requires PIs, co-PIs, and other senior project personnel
identified on NSF proposals to individually upload Collaborators and Other
Affiliations information as a Single Copy Document (see PAPPG Chapter II.C.1
.e).
NSF uses this information
during the merit review process to help manage reviewer selection. To expedite
identification of potential reviewers, having a standard, searchable format for
this information is essential. The new pilot will standardize Collaborators and
Other Affiliations information across the Foundation and will ensure that the
information is submitted in a searchable format. Results from the pilot will be
assessed and will determine how to proceed with this section of the proposal in
the future.
Effective April 24, 2017, NSF
will require the submission of a spreadsheet template to identify collaborators
and other affiliations. Please note that the spreadsheet template:
- Has
been developed to be fillable. However, the content and format
requirements must not be altered by submitters.
- Must
be saved in .xlsx or .xls formats and directly uploaded into FastLane as a
Collaborators and Other Affiliations Single Copy Document.
- Will
be converted by FastLane from an .xlsx or .xls file to a PDF file.
- Has
been tested in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice.
- Will
enable preservation of searchable text that otherwise would be lost. Must
be uploaded in .xlsx or .xls formats only. Uploading a Collaborators and
Other Affiliations Single Copy Document in any other format may delay the
timely processing and review of your proposal.
- Will be directly linked in FastLane. The template and
associated instructions may also be accessed directly at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/coa.jsp.
In addition to the merit review
process benefits, the Collaborators and Other Affiliations template will reduce
administrative burden and improve efficiencies by providing submitters with a
compliant and reusable format to maintain this information for use in
subsequent proposal submissions to NSF.
Please be advised that the new
Collaborators and Other Affiliations pilot beginning on April 24 will only be
for FastLane proposal submissions. Grants.gov proposal submissions will
continue to follow the instructions in
NSF Grants.gov Application Guide Chapter
VI
.2.4.
We encourage you to share this
information with your colleagues
. For system-related questions, please
contact FastLane User Support at 1-800-673-6188 or
fastlane@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to
policy@nsf.gov.
Thank
you,
NSF ERA Forum Team
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230
