Overall Document – In response to OMB guidance issued March 9, 2009 and the Foundation’s May 21st announcement that proposers must prepare and submit proposals using the NSF FastLane system, all references to Grants.gov Apply have been removed from the document. NSF will continue to post information about available funding opportunities to Grants.gov FIND.

The National Science Board issued a report in August, 2009 entitled “Investing in the Future NSF Cost Sharing Policies for a Robust Federal Research Enterprise”, which outlined a set of recommendations regarding NSF’s cost sharing policy. The Foundation is in the process of considering how best to implement those recommendations, however, no changes have been made yet and therefore, NSF’s current cost sharing policy remains in effect.

Chapter I.D.3, Full Proposal, has been supplemented with a reference to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report on research integrity that may be helpful to proposers.

Chapter I.F.3, When to Submit Proposals, has been clarified to state that if a deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the deadline is extended to the following business day. Previously, the section did not specify the category of holiday that was applicable.

Chapter II.C.1.e, Proposal Certifications, has an entirely new proposal certification added regarding responsible conduct of research. When submitting a proposal to NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative is required to complete a certification that the institution has a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. While training plans are not required to be included in proposals submitted to NSF, institutions are advised that they are subject to review upon request.

Chapter II.D.7, Proposals Involving Human Subjects, has been updated to reflect that if a certification of exemption is provided after submission of the proposal and before the award is issued, the exemption number corresponding to one or more of the exemption categories must be included in the documentation provided to NSF.

Exhibit II-1, Proposal Preparation Checklist, has been updated with a reminder that all proposals that include support for a postdoctoral researcher must include a mentoring plan in the Supplementary Documentation section of the proposal. Failure to do so will result in the return of the proposal without review. Additional guidance regarding the mentoring requirement and collaborative proposals also is included.