Most federal sponsors require Senior and Key Personnel to report information about their Current and Pending, or Other Support, whether or not salary is received. “Other Support” may include resources and/or financial support, domestic or foreign, available in support of or related to a researcher’s research endeavors, regardless of whether they are awarded through Johns Hopkins, through another institution, or provided directly to the researcher.
Requirements vary by agency and funding opportunity. Check the funding opportunity announcement as well as specific agency policies and make sure information is complete, accurate, and follows sponsor guidelines.
Most sponsors also have specific requirements for the disclosure of Foreign Interests related to an investigator’s research endeavors. See the Foreign Engagement Page.
It is ultimately the responsibility of the individual researcher to ensure that the report of Other Support is complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge. Johns Hopkins researchers whose research is supported with federal funding should update and maintain their current and pending or other support documentation. Make sure to include all sources of support, foreign or domestic, including scholarships or fellowships. When in doubt, err on the side of inclusion when completing Current and Pending or Other Support documentation. Inform yourself of all sponsor requirements and follow all directions for content and format.
Review more detailed requirements for some of our major federal sponsors below.
Sponsor Specific Guidance
The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Current and Pending Support (Other Support) – Current and pending support information must be provided through an NSF-approved format for each individual designated as senior personnel on the proposal at the time of proposal submission. Current and pending support information includes all planned, pending and current projects and in-kind support that is either provided directly to the individual, or to the individual through their organization in support of that individual’s research endeavors. This includes all resources made available to an individual in support of and/or related to all of his/her research efforts, regardless of whether or not they are in direct support of the proposed project or they have monetary value, such as in-kind support.
Examples of current and pending support include support provided through Federal, State, local, foreign, public or private foundations, non-profit organizations, industrial or other commercial organizations or internal funds allocated toward specific projects (such as Discovery Awards). When completing Current and Pending Support, the total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) must be provided, as well as the number of person-months (or partial person-months) per year to be devoted to the project by the individual.
In-kind contributions such as office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, employees, students that are intended for use on the project being proposed to NSF, must be included as part of the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section of the proposal and need not be replicated in the current and pending support submission. In-kind contributions not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed also must be reported. If the time commitment or dollar value is not readily ascertainable, reasonable estimates should be provided.
In contrast to NIH, NSF does not consider a Postdoctoral Fellow who directly receives their own support as in-kind current or pending support.
If the project (or any part of the project) being submitted has been funded previously by a source other than NSF, information must be provided regarding the last period of funding.
Effective for all new NSF awards and funding amendments to existing NSF awards made on or after October 5, 2020, NSF has modified the Terms and Conditions of Award to include Article 38. Article 38 requires the disclosure of current support or in-kind contribution information that was not included as part of the proposal submission process. Institutions will have 30 calendar days of the identification to report undisclosed current support or in-kind contribution information using the “Other Request” category, in the Notification and Request Module, in Research.gov.
Department of Energy (DOE)
DOE Grants: Current and Pending Support – DOE has updated the requirements for disclosure of a variety of potential conflicts of interest or commitment, including participation in foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs. Current and Pending support is intended to allow the identification of potential duplication, overcommitment, potential conflicts of interest or commitment, and all other sources of support. The PI and each senior/key person and any proposed subaward must provide a list of all sponsored activities, awards, and appointments, whether paid or unpaid; provided as a gift with terms or conditions or provided as a gift without terms or conditions; fulltime, part-time, or voluntary; faculty, visiting, adjunct, or honorary; cash or in-kind; foreign or domestic; governmental or private-sector; directly supporting the individual’s research or indirectly supporting the individual by supporting students, research staff, space, equipment, or other research expenses. All foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs must be identified in current and pending support.
For every activity, list the following items:
• The sponsor of the activity or the source of funding.
• The award or other identifying number.
• The title of the award or activity.
• The total cost or value of the award or activity, including direct and indirect costs. For pending proposals, provide the total amount of requested funding.
• The award period (start date – end date).
• The person-months of effort per year being dedicated to the award or activity
• Briefly describe the research being performed and explicitly identify any overlaps or synergies with the proposed research.
Current and pending support may be presented in a format developed for other agencies or generated by any software package, though SciENcv will facilitate submissions to other Federal sponsors.
See: FY 2021 CONTINUATION OF SOLICITATION FOR THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
DOE Contracts: Disclosing support from “Foreign Countries of Risk”
For Department of Energy contracts, under Department of Energy Directive 486.1A (issued September 4, 2020), persons working on such contracts are required to fully disclose and, if necessary, terminate their participation in foreign government sponsored talent recruitment programs from “Foreign Countries of Risk.”
Contractor Personnel participation in any Foreign Government-Sponsored Talent Recruitment Program of a Foreign Country of Risk, as defined in Attachment 2, is prohibited. Contractor Employee participation in any Other Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activity is restricted.
The Directive further defines “Other Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activity” to include; faculty accepting employment with a foreign entity, accepting grant funding or other support (including in-kind support such as materials, space, or post docs), or accepting gifts from any “Foreign Countries of Risk.” Carefully review both the DoE Directiveand the DoE FAQs for more specifics.
Department of Defense(DOD)
Department of Defense – As part of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) was directed to ensure that academic institutions that participate in defense research and engineering activities have their key personnel make full disclosure of the following Other Support information:
•“A list of all current projects the individual is working on, in addition to any future support the individual has applied to receive, regardless of the source.
• Title and objectives of the other research projects.
• The percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects.
• The total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each of the other research projects or will receive if other proposals are awarded.
• Name and address of the agencies and/or other parties supporting the other research projects.
• Period of performance for the other research projects.”
All DoD Notice of Funding Opportunities for research and related activities will require that you disclose this information at the proposal stage. The information should cover all previous (award period ending within the past 5 years), current and pending other support. You should identify where there is possible overlap between the proposal you are submitting, and the above other support.
Supporting References:
DoD Grant Submission Instructions–See Page 14
DoD Memorandum: Actions for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Controlled Information, Key Personnel and Critical Technologies, March 20, 2019
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH Other Support -NIH defines Other Support to include “[A]ll resources made available to researcher or senior key personnel in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at the institution the researcher identifies for the current grant. Other support does not include training awards, prizes, gifts or start-up support from the US based institution.” See NIH 1.2 Definition of Terms
In 2019, NIH issued a notice reminding the research community to report foreign activities through documentation of other support, foreign components, and financial conflict of interest to prevent scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap. See NIH Grant Guide NOT-OD-19-114
Specifically, NIH funded researchers must disclose the following:
1. List all positions and scientific appointments both domestic and foreign held by senior/key personnel that are relevant to an application including affiliations with foreign entities or governments. This includes titled academic, professional, or institutional appointments whether or not remuneration is received, and whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary (including adjunct, visiting, or honorary). All affiliations should be disclosed to the administrative leadership of your Schools through the applicable policies and channels, including providing copies of the agreements that establish these affiliations. If the agreements are written in a language other than English, a translated copy must also be provided.
2. Report all resources and other support for all individuals designated in an application as senior/key personnel – including for the program director/principal investigator (PD/PI) and for other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. Information must be provided about all current support for ongoing projects, irrespective of whether such support is provided through the applicant organization, through another domestic or foreign organization, or is provided directly to an individual that supports the senior/key personnel’s research efforts.
3. Report all current projects and activities that involve senior/key personnel, even if the support received is only in-kind (e.g. office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, employees). All research resources including, but not limited to, foreign financial support, research or laboratory personnel, lab space, scientific materials, selection to a foreign “talents” or similar-type program, or other foreign or domestic support must be reported.
4. Provide the total award amount for the entire award period covered (including facilities and administrative costs), as well as the number of person-months (or partial person-months) per year to be devoted to the project by the senior/key personnel involved.
All pending support at the time of application submission and prior to award must be reported using “Just-in-Time Procedures” by providing all information indicated above. Applicants are responsible for promptly notifying NIH of any substantive changes to previously submitted Just-in-Time information up to the time of award, including “Other Support” changes that must be assessed for budgetary or scientific overlap. Further, if other support, as described as above, is obtained after the initial NIH award period, from any source either through the institution or directly to senior/key personnel, the details must be disclosed in the annual research performance progress report (RPPR). Post-award, recipients must address any substantive changes by submitting a prior approval request to NIH in accordance with the NIHGPS section on “Administrative Requirements—Changes in Project and Budget—NIH Standard Terms of Award.”
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Coming soon.