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Summary of Significant Changes

1. Pre-Submission Information

   1. NSF Proposal Preparation and Submission Mechanisms
   1. NSF FastLane System
   2. Grants.gov
   2. NSF Programs and Funding Opportunities
   3. Categories of Funding Opportunities
      1. Dear Colleague Letter
      2. Program Description
      3. Program Announcement
      4. Program Solicitation
   4. Types of Submissions
      1. Letter of Intent
      2. Preliminary Proposal
         1. Invite/Not Invite
         2. Encourage/Discourage
      3. Full Proposal
      4. Proprietary or Privileged Information
   5. Who May Submit Proposals
      Categories of Proposers
   1. Universities and Colleges
   2. Non-profit, non-academic organizations
   3. For-profit organizations
   4. State and Local Governments
   5. Unaffiliated Individuals
   6. Foreign organizations
   7. Other Federal agencies
   6. When to Submit Proposals
   1. Target Dates
   2. Deadline Dates
   • Special Exceptions to NSF’s Deadline Date Policy
   3. Submission Windows
   7. How to Submit Proposals
      1. Electronic Requirements
         Special Instructions for Proposals That Contain High Resolution Graphics or Other Graphics Where Exact Color Representations are Required for Proper Interpretation by the Reviewer
      2. Submission Instructions
      3. Registering in the Central Contractor Registration
      4. Proposal Receipt
   8. Proposal Processing

2. Proposal Preparation Instructions
   1. Conformance with Instructions for Proposal Preparation
   2. Format of the Proposal
      1. Proposal Pagination Instructions
      2. Proposal Margin and Spacing Requirements
      3. Page Formatting
   3. Proposal Contents
      1. Single Copy Documents
         1. Information About Principal Investigators/Project Directors and co-Principal Investigators/co-Project Directors
         2. Authorization to Deviate from NSF Proposal Preparation Requirements
         3. List of Suggested Reviewers or Reviewers Not to Include
         4. Proprietary or Privileged Information
         5. Proposal Certifications
      2. Sections of the Proposal
         1. Cover Sheet
         2. Project Summary
         3. Table of Contents
         4. Project Description (Including Results from Prior NSF Support)
            1. Content
            2. Page Limitations and Inclusion of Universal Resource Locators (URLs) within the Project Description
            3. Results from Prior NSF Support
            4. Unfunded Collaborations
            5. Group Proposals
            6. Proposals for Renewed Support
         5. References Cited
         6. Biographical Sketch(es)
            1. Senior Personnel

               (a) Professional Preparation
               (b) Appointments
               (c) Publications
               (d) Synergistic Activities
               (e) Collaborators & Other Affiliations

               • Collaborators and Co-Editors
               • Graduate and Postdoctoral Advisors
               • Thesis Advisor and Postgraduate-Scholar Sponsor

            2. Other Personnel
            3. Equipment Proposals
         7. Budget
            1. Salaries and Wages

               (a) Policies
               (b) Procedures
               (c) Confidential Budgetary Information

            2. Fringe Benefits
            3. Equipment
            4. Travel

               (a) General
               (b) Domestic Travel
               (c) Foreign Travel

            5. Participant Support
            6. Other Direct Costs

               (a) Materials and Supplies
               (b) Publication/Documentation/ Dissemination
               (c) Consultant Services
               (d) Computer Services
               (e) Subawards
               (f) Other

            7. Total Direct Costs
            8. Indirect Costs (also known as Facilities and Administrative Costs (F&A) for Colleges and Universities)
            • Exceptions to Basic Policy
            9. Total Direct and Indirect Costs (F&A)
            10. Amount of This Request
            11. Cost Sharing
            12. Unallowable Costs

                (a) Entertainment
                (b) Meals and Coffee Breaks
                (c) Alcoholic Beverages

         8. Current and Pending Support
         9. Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources
         10. Special Information and Supplementary Documentation
         11. Appendices
   4. Special Guidelines
      1. Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) Proposals
      2. Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
         1. Requests as part of a competitive proposal submission
         2. Supplemental Funding Requests to existing NSF grants
      3. Collaborative Proposals
         1. Submission of a single proposal
         2. Simultaneous submission of proposals from different organizations
      4. Proposals for Equipment
      5. Proposals Involving Vertebrate Animals
      6. Proposals Involving Human Subjects
      7. Proposals for Conferences, Symposia and Workshops
      8. Proposals to Support International Travel
      9. Proposals for Doctoral Dissertation Research
      10. Support for Development of NSF Centers
      11. Support for Development of Major Facilities and Equipment
Exhibit II-1: Proposal Preparation Checklist
Exhibit II-2 Potentially Disqualifying Conflicts of Interest
Exhibit II-3: Drug-Free Workplace Certification
Exhibit II-4 Debarment and Suspension Certification
Exhibit II-5 Lobbying Certification
Exhibit II-6: Nondiscrimination Certification
Exhibit II-7: Definitions of Categories of Personnel

3. NSF Proposal Processing and Review
   1. Review Criteria
      What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
      What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
   2. Selection of Reviewers
   3. Proposal File Updates
   4. Revisions to Proposals Made During the Review Process
   5. Award Recommendation
   6. Review Information Provided to PI
   7. Release of Grantee Proposal Information

4. Non-Award Decisions and Transactions
   1. Withdrawals
   2. Return Without Review
   3. Declinations
   4. Reconsideration
   5. Resubmission

5. Renewal Proposals
   1. Traditional Renewal
   2. Accomplishment-Based Renewal