Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Implementation of standard 15% indirect cost rate

NSF is updating its policy regarding the reimbursement of indirect costs in federally funded financial assistance.

Read the policy.

Archived document

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Dear Colleague Letter

Intent to Release a Solicitation Regarding Future Continued Operations of the Arecibo Observatory


Dear Colleague,

The National Science Foundation (NSF) intends to issue a Solicitation regarding future continued operations of Arecibo Observatory. The future Solicitation will be a follow-up to an earlier request for input (Dear Colleague Letter: Concepts for Future Operation of the Arecibo Observatory; NSF 16-005). The subject Solicitation will request the submission of formal proposals involving the continued operation of Arecibo Observatory under conditions of a substantially reduced funding commitment from NSF. NSF is currently in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and has initiated a consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to evaluate potential effects of proposed changes to operations at Arecibo Observatory. The subject Solicitation will run concurrently with preparation of the EIS and NHPA consultation with the intent of informing the decision process for the future operations of Arecibo Observatory. The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is to alert the community of the release of the Solicitation during the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2017.

Arecibo Observatory is a scientific research and education facility located in Puerto Rico, owned by the National Science Foundation. In 2011, NSF awarded a five-year Cooperative Agreement to SRI International (SRI), who, together with Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and Universidad Metropolitana (UMET), formed the Arecibo Management Team to operate and maintain the Arecibo Observatory on behalf of NSF. This Cooperative Agreement has now been extended through March 31, 2018, and the planned Solicitation will request proposals for operations beginning after that date.

Arecibo Observatory enables research in three scientific disciplines: Space and Atmospheric Sciences, Radio Astronomy, and Solar System Radar Studies. A key component of Arecibo Observatory’s research facility is a 305-meter diameter, fixed, spherical reflector, located on approximately 120 acres of U.S. Government-owned land in Barrio Esperanza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 10 miles inland from the city of Arecibo. Arecibo Observatory’s infrastructure includes instrumentation for radio and radar astronomy, ionospheric physics, office and laboratory buildings, a heavily utilized visitor and education facility, and lodging facilities for visiting scientists. More information is available at http://www.naic.edu.

Sincerely,

James S. Ulvestad
Division Director, MPS/AST

Paul B. Shepson
Division Director, GEO/AGS