Newly Revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Released

The National Science Foundation 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has once again revised the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), which is the controlling document for all grant-related issues at NSF.  A webinar to brief the community on the new PAPPG will be held on December 8 at 2:00 PM EST.  Registration is now available at https://nsfgrantsconferences.com/pappg-update-webinar/.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 29, 2018.  Significant changes include:

  • Addition of a new eligibility subcategory on international branch campuses of U.S. Institutions of Higher Education;
  • Revision of eligibility standards for foreign organizations;
  • Implementation of the standard Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) template that has been in pilot phase since April;
  • Increase in the Budget Justification page limitation from three pages to five pages;
  • Restructuring of coverage on grantee notifications to and requests for approval from NSF, including referral to the Prior Approval Matrix available on the NSF website; and
  • Numerous clarifications and other changes throughout the document.

You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG.

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 29, 2018, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 17-1) continue to apply.  We will ensure that the current version of the PAPPG remains on the NSF website, with a notation to proposers that specifies when the new PAPPG (including a link to the new Guide) will become effective.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the Policy Office at (703) 292-8243 or by e-mail policy@nsf.gov.