Effective August 26, 2019, proposers using Research.gov can delete in-progress collaborative proposals with subawards as well as associated in-progress proposal file updates (PFUs) and budget revisions. This now complements the existing capability for full, research non-collaborative proposals in Research.gov.
The ability to electronically withdraw submitted proposals, PFUs, and budget revisions in Research.gov is planned for future development. In the interim, proposers must contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or [email protected] if they want to withdraw a proposal, PFU, or budget revision submitted in Research.gov.
Initiating a Proposal in Research.gov
If you have not done so already, we invite you to initiate a proposal in Research.gov by following the steps outlined below:
- Open Research.gov and click “Sign In” located at the top right of the screen;
- Enter your NSF ID and password and click “Sign In;”
- From the Research.gov “My Desktop” page, click “New! Prepare Proposals (Limited proposal types)” in the “Prepare & Submit Proposals tile” or go to this option from the top navigation bar by selecting the “Prepare & Submit Proposals” tab and clicking on “New! Prepare Proposals (Limited proposal types);”
- Select the “Prepare Proposal” option in the “Prepare New Proposal” tile on the left side of the Proposal Preparation page; and
- Follow the five-step proposal wizard to set up the proposal.
After completing the initiation steps, you are ready to complete all required and optional sections of an NSF proposal.
Preparing Proposals in Research.gov
Here are some of the current Research.gov features that proposers are enjoying:
- Integrated compliance checks for fonts, margins, and line spacing;
- Real-time compliance feedback and alerts, so proposers know a proposal section is compliant before moving on to another section;
- Specific checks on the budget screens and for Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) uploads;
- A few seconds to upload documents versus 30-90 seconds for each document upload in FastLane; and
- Embedded relevant sections of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and video job aids, so proposers don’t have to go to multiple sites to access guidance and tools.
Research.gov Proposal Preparation and Submission Site Enhancements
NSF is deploying continual improvements and incorporating feedback from the research community. Enhancements in response to user feedback include additional flexibilities for PDF uploads, support for PDFs generated from LaTeX source documents, and compliance checks for fonts and font sizes.
Submitting Feedback
NSF wants to hear from you! To submit feedback about the Research.gov Proposal Preparation and Submission Site:
- Go to the Research.gov Feedback page;
- Choose “Proposal Preparation & Submission” under the Site Area dropdown menu;
- Include your feedback in the Comments or Suggestions field; and
- Click Submit when you are ready to send your feedback to NSF.
Training Resources and Additional Information
Proposers may find the following resources helpful as they prepare and submit proposals in Research.gov:
- Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission Webpage – This webpage includes links to FAQs and video job aids (Initiating a Proposal, How to Manage Personnel & Senior Personnel Documents, How to Work on a Proposal Budget, How to Upload a Collaborators and Other Affiliations Document, and How to Submit a Research Proposal in Research.gov). If a video does not automatically play in your browser, please try viewing the video using a different browser.
- Automated Proposal Compliance Checks for Proposals Submitted via Research.gov – This checklist presents all the current Research.gov automated proposal compliance checks, together with the related non-compliant errors or warnings. Note that checks triggering an error will result in a hard stop and prohibit proposal submission, whereas checks triggering a warning will allow proposal submission.
- Further information about proposal preparation and submission in Research.gov, including FAQs, is available on the Electronic Research Administration (ERA) Forum website.
We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues. If you have IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via [email protected]. Policy-related questions should be directed to [email protected].
We look forward to receiving your Research.gov proposal submissions!
Last Updated on August 27, 2019