NSF 22-1 October 4, 2021
Significant Changes and Clarifications to the PAPPG

Overall Document

• Editorial changes have been made throughout to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence or section. References to the Large Facilities Manual have been updated to the new title of Major Facilities Guide.
• Editorial changes have been made throughout to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence or section.
• References and definitions have been updated for consistency with the revised 2 CFR §200 that was issued by the Office of Management and Budget in August 2020.
• Given that the term Principal Investigator includes the term Project Director (PD) and co-Principal Investigator includes the term co-Project Director (co-PD), references to PD and co-PD have been removed throughout the document to improve readability.
• References to functionality available in Research.gov have been added throughout, where appropriate.

Significant Changes

• Chapter II.A.2, Requests for Reasonable and Accessibility Accommodations, is an entirely new section which provides guidance on the process for submitting requests for reasonable accommodations regarding the proposal process or requests for accessibility accommodations to access NSF’s electronic systems, websites, and other digital content.
• Chapter II.C.2.f, Biographical Sketches, has been revised to increase the page limit for biographical sketch(es) to three pages. This section also has been updated to include reference to a new table entitled NSF Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support. The table has been developed to assist users in completion of these sections of the proposal.
• Chapters II.C.2.g(xiii)(e) and X.F, Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment, provides new coverage to implement Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.
• Chapter II.C.2.h, Current and Pending Support, has been updated to require that information on objectives and overlap with other projects be provided, to help NSF and reviewers assess overlap/duplication. This section also has been updated to include reference to a new table entitled NSF Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support. The table has been developed to assist users in completion of these sections of the proposal.
• Chapter II.E.1, Planning Proposal, provides coverage on the policies and procedures associated with this new type of proposal.
• Chapter II.E.8, Career-Life Balance (CLB) Supplemental Funding Requests, has been added as a new "Other Proposal Type". This section includes guidance on submission of such requests.
• Chapter II.E.11, Travel Proposal, , has been supplemented with new language which specifies Authorized Organizational Representatives must certify that prior to the proposer’s participation in the meeting for which NSF travel support is being requested, the proposer will assure that the meeting organizer has a written policy or code-of-conduct addressing harassment.
• Chapter VII.D.5, Grant Closeout, incorporates new requirements specified in 2 CFR §200.344(i). If a grantee does not submit all required reports within one year of the period of performance end date, NSF must report the grantee’s material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the award with the OMB-designated integrity and performance system.

Clarifications and Other Changes

• Introduction Section A, About the National Science Foundation, has been updated with language that clarifies the areas and types of research that NSF does and does not support.
• Introduction Section E, NSF Organizations, has been supplemented with additional information on the responsibilities of the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support.
• Chapter I.E.6, Who May Submit Proposals, has been modified to increase clarity and convey NSF's expectations in situations where a foreign organization or foreign individual's involvement is considered essential to a project. Parallel changes also have been made in Chapter II.C.2.a(4)(i), "Other Information" on the Cover Sheet, II.C.2.d, "Project Description", and II.D.3(b), "Submission of a collaborative proposal from multiple organizations".
• Chapter I.G.2, How to Submit Proposals, has been supplemented with language to address the new unique entity identifier (UEI) requirements that go into effect by April 2022. UEI references also have been added to Chapter II.C.2.a(4)(g), "Awardee Organization Information". Additionally, in Chapter I.G.2, the consequences of failing to maintain or annually revalidate an organization’s SAM registration has been provided.
• Chapter II.A.1, Deviations from NSF Proposal Preparation and Submission Requirements, regarding NSF's authorization to deviate from the PAPPG requirements for proposal preparation and submission has been revised for consistency with NSF policy.
• Chapter II.B.1, Proposal Pagination Instructions, includes additional language to differentiate between FastLane and Research.gov.
• Chapter II.C.1.d, Proposal Certifications, has been supplemented with references to sections of Chapter II.E. which contain additional proposal certifications, where applicable.
• Chapter II.C.2.f, Biographical Sketches, has been supplemented with contextual information that addresses the purpose of the biographical sketch(es) in the merit review process. Coverage regarding professional appointments, use of “et al.” and guidance on synergistic activities examples posted on the NSF website has been incorporated into this section. Clarity on the format for ‘Other Personnel’ biographical sketch(es) has been provided. Also, a set of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the NSF-approved formats for biographical sketch(es) has been developed to assist users in completion of this section of the proposal.
• Chapter II.C.2.g, Budget and Budget Justification, has been supplemented with contextual language to address the purpose of the budget and budget justification in the merit review process. In section II.C.2.g(vi)(e) on Subawards, language on costs proposed by subrecipients and application of appropriate indirect cost rate(s) has been revised to improve clarity. In addition, section II.C.2.g.(xiii)(a) has been updated to reflect that when costs typically considered as entertainment are necessary to accomplish the proposed objectives, they must be included in the budget and justified in the budget justification.
• Chapter II.C.2.g(xiii)(d), Home Office Workspace, provides new coverage on this topic.
• Chapter II.C.2.h, Current and Pending Support, has been supplemented with contextual language which describes how current and pending support information is used in the merit review process. Additional changes have been made to clarify NSF’s longstanding requirements regarding submission of current and pending support information.
• Chapters II.D.4(e)(iii), Proposals Involving Vertebrate Animals, has been updated with the procedure to follow if a Public Health Service Animal Welfare Assurance has not been obtained prior to submission.
• Chapter II.E.5, Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) Proposal, has been updated to stipulate that for GOALI collaborative proposals, the proposal must be submitted by a single organization with any collaborators listed as subawards.
• Chapter II.E.9, Conference Proposal, has been supplemented with guidance regarding NSF review of policies or codes-of-conduct addressing harassment. Language in the section on the proposal budget and budget justification has been updated for clarity.
• Chapter II.E.11, Travel Proposal, has been reorganized and supplemented with additional coverage to improve clarity. Language from Chapter X has been replicated in this section to increase visibility.
• Exhibit II-2, Potentially Disqualifying Conflicts of Interest, has been revised for consistency with Foundation requirements.
• Chapter III.F, NSF's Decision to Award or Decline Proposals, has been reorganized to broadly address NSF's risk management framework and therefore providing separate coverage was deemed no longer necessary. The entire section has been updated for consistency with current NSF practices and procedures.
• Chapter IV.C, Declinations, includes coverage on the timing of when review information is released by NSF to PIs and co-PIs.
• Chapter IV.D, Reconsideration, has been supplemented to add planning proposals to the listing of exemptions from NSF’s Reconsideration Process.
• Chapter VI.D.1(d), NSF Grant Periods, has been updated to include a definition of budget period.
• Chapter VI.E.1, Types of Additional Funding Support, contains updated language on renewed support, which has been revised for consistency with 2 CFR §200.1. A new section has been added on cooperative agreement increments. A reminder about extension of end dates due to supplemental funding and the cancelation of appropriated funds has been added to the Supplemental Support section.
• Chapter VIII, Financial Requirements and Payments, , has been updated in section B to include a definition of improper payment. The language in section D.2 has been revised to include updated instructions for erroneous payments. Section D.3, Interest Earned on Advance Payments, has been edited for consistency with 2 CFR §200.305.
• Chapter VIII.D.4, Program Income, has been updated for consistency with the definition of Program Income in 2 CFR §200.1. Also, new coverage has been added to address postdoctoral fellowship awards to individuals.
• Chapter IX.D, Property Management Standards, has been updated for clarity and consistency with current NSF practices and procedures.
• Chapter IX.E, Procurement Standards, has been modified for consistency with changes made to the corresponding section of 2 CFR §200.
• Chapter X.A.2.b(4), Pre-Award Costs, and X.A.2.c, Post-End Date Costs, have language that has been added for consistency with 2 CFR §200.
• Chapter X.D.1.b(ii), Provisional (or billing) rate, has been revised for clarity.
• Chapter XI.A.1.b, Non-Discrimination Statutes and Regulations, has been updated to clarify the procedures that may be followed when NSF receives a complaint alleging discrimination under any of the referenced non-discrimination statutes.
• Chapter XI.A.4.a, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, includes additional language which addresses the relationship between NSF and the Department of Education’s Title IX regulations and the associated grantee requirements.
• Chapter XI.B.3.c, Vertebrate Animals, has been revised to clarify NSF requirements.
• Chapter XII.A.2.a, Suspension and Termination, has been modified for consistency with 2 CFR §200.340.