NSF Reissues Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide for 2019

Grants Resource Center, by Graeff, Frank

Fall is a time of change: leaves turning, days shortening, and of course, modifications to the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The National Science Foundation (NSF) made the 2019 version of its overarching grant management policy public at the beginning of November. However, it is not binding yet, and becomes effective for all proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 28, 2019.​

The most newsworthy changes from last year are the official implementation of NSF’s policy on sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, or sexual assault. As previously described in GrantWeek, under this new rule, awardee organizations are required to notify NSF of any findings/determinations of harassment regarding an NSF funded principal investigator (PI) or co-PI. Awardee institutions must also notify NSF of any action taken by the school, including being placed on administrative leave. Reports must be followed within 10 business days from the date of the finding/determination, or the date of the placement of a PI or co-PI by the awardee on administrative leave or the imposition of an administrative action, whichever is sooner. After receiving the notification, NSF has the authority to substitute the PI, reduce the award to the institution, or terminate the award, depending on circumstances.
Other changes include the following:

  • Revision of eligibility standards for unaffiliated individuals;
  • Specification that conference proposals over $50,000 and all equipment proposals must include the Collaborators and Other Affiliations information in the proposal submission;
  • Revision of resubmission guidelines for NSF programs that accept proposals at any time;
  • Emphasis on the importance of training faculty in the responsible and ethical conduct of research; and
  • Incorporation of existing patent policy into the PAPPG.

A webinar to brief the community on the changes to the new PAPPG will be held on November 27 at 2:00 p.m.,  EST. Sign up to be notified when registration is available on the outreach notifications website, by selecting “All NSF Grants and Policy Outreach Events & Notifications.”

To read the new PAPPG, click here. For more details on significant changes from the previous year, click here.