Outreach Activities

• NSF Grants Conference
• Presentations from Recent Events
• BFA/Experimental Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)

NSF Grants Conference

The first National Science Foundation Grants Conference of fiscal year 2013 will be held in Arlington, VA, and hosted by George Mason University, October 22-23, 2012.

Key representatives from the National Science Foundation as well as your colleagues - faculty, researchers and grant administrators - representing colleges and universities from around the US will participate.

This two-day conference is a must, especially for new faculty, researchers and administrators who want to gain key insight into a wide range of current issues at NSF including the state of current funding; new and current policies and procedures; and pertinent administrative issues. NSF program officers representing each NSF directorate will be on hand to provide up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answer your questions.

Highlights include:

• New programs and initiatives;


• Future directions and strategies for national science policy;


• Proposal preparation;


• NSF's merit review process;


• Cross-disciplinary and special interest programs;


• Conflict of interest policies; and


• Breakout sessions by discipline.

Registration is available on the conference website.

For additional information regarding program content, contact the Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support at (703) 292-8243, or via e-mail at policy@nsf.gov.

Future NSF Grants Conference

• Spring 2013
• TBD

Recent Presentations

NSF Grants Conference hosted by Loyola and Northwestern Universities - March 19-20, 2012

• Introduction and NSF Overview
• Proposal Preparation
• NSF Merit Review Process
• Award Management
• Policies & Procedures Updates
• Crosscutting and Special Interest Programs
• Office of International Science and Engineering
• Office of the Inspector General
• Breakout Sessions:
• Biological Sciences
• Post-Award Monitoring and Compliance
• Computer and Information Science and Engineering
• Education and Human Resources
• Engineering
• Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
• Geosciences
• Grant Payment and Federal Financial Report (FFR) Processes
• Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• Office of Integrative Activities
• Office of International Science and Engineering
• Policies and Procedures Q&A
• Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
• Research.gov

NSF Update - Spring 2012

A New Approach to Award Payments - February 15, 2012

NSF-Day Workshop at NCURA Annual Conference - November 2011

• Proposal Preparation & Merit Review
• Award Management
• Crosscutting and Special Interest Programs
• Compliance
• Research.gov

BFA EPSCoR Outreach

• EPSCoR Outreach Initiative -Visit the EPSCoR web site for detailed information about the outreach initiative of the NSF EPSCoR Program.


• Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management - NSF's Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management (BFA) consists of four divisions:
• Budget Division;
• Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support;
• Division of Financial Management; and
• Division of Grants and Agreements.
• Division of Institution and Award Support.

Potential Discussion Topics in a BFA EPSCoR Outreach Visit include:

• NSF organizational structure and budget
• Proposal preparation & other pre-award issues
• Merit review process
• Grant award & administration
• Review of NSF proposal & award policy documents
• Cash requests, financial reporting, and other financial management issues
• OMB Circulars, budget/cost Items & audit related issues

FastLane Visits

• FastLane Outreach Activities

State/University Initiated Visits

If a state or university is interested in hosting a BFA staff visit, the state's EPSCoR project director or a university representative should contact the Policy Office, and request a visit.