The table linked below provides helpful reference information regarding pre-award and post-award disclosure information in the biographical sketch and current and pending support proposal sections. The table identifies where these disclosures must be provided in proposals as well as in project reports.
View the new table published September 1, 2021.
Published: September 9, 2021
Previous related announcements are posted below in chronological order.
Published: September 30, 2020
NSF has issued a message regarding the June 1st implementation of the PAPPG and the NSF-approved formats for biographical sketches and current and pending support.
Dear Colleagues:
On June 1, 2020, NSF will implement the Grants.gov Application Guide (NSF 20-089). Overall, the Guide has been updated to align with the changes to NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1). This means that the requirement to use an NSF-approved format for submission of the biographical sketch and current and pending support will go into effect for new applications submitted or due on or after October 5, 2020. All other significant changes and clarifications will be effective for applications submitted or due on or after June 1, 2020.
The revised PAPPG implements a variety of changes and clarifications, the highest profile of which requires use of an NSF-approved format for the preparation of the biographical sketch and current and pending support.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing stress on proposers, the research community has not been able to adequately prepare and train their staff for the implementation of the new requirements.
NSF has therefore made the decision to delay the requirement to use NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of NSF proposals until October 5, 2020.
Proposers must continue to format these documents in accordance with PAPPG requirements (see PAPPG sections II.C.2.f and II.C.2.h). NSF encourages the community to use these formats and continue to provide valuable feedback as we enhance them for future implementation.
Over the coming week, NSF will make updates to existing policy guidance, websites and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to reflect the change. NSF will communicate further with the community once these updates have been made.
Webinars covering the use of NSF-approved formats as well as all of the significant changes to the PAPPG are available on the NSF Policy Outreach website.
NSF will continue to implement all other changes to the PAPPG beginning June 1, 2020, including the following:
New requirement for proposing organizations to submit government-wide representations and certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM);
New requirement for providing e-mail documentation of Program Officer approval for the submission of RAPID and EAGER proposals; and
Clarifications to current and pending support coverage as well as other changes throughout the document.
You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov.
Regards,
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution & Award Support
National Science Foundation
email: policy@nsf.gov
Published: May 8, 2020
Proposals submitted to NSF on or after June 1, 2020 will require the use of an NSF-approved format for biographical sketches.
Researchers should use SciENcv, a researcher profile system for individuals applying or associated with federal agency investments to create the NSF-approved biographical sketch.
SciENcv also uses your ORCID ID to help import information and citations during the creation of the biographical sketch.
Additional resources:
SciENcv FAQs
About ORCID
NCURA ORCID Webinar
The NSF has updated the approved formats for the biographical sketch. Please review the changes below.
Dear Colleagues:
Based on feedback from the community, NSF has made a number of improvements to the NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of proposals. As a reminder, in accordance with the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), these formats will be required for proposals submitted or due on or after June 1, 2020. NSF also has updated the websites for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support to further inform the community about these improvements, including updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Biographical Sketch Improvements:
Permit use of “et al” for publication citations in the Products section in the event that listing multiple authors makes it difficult to fit the information into the allotted space (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
Increased space for the Products section by removing instructional text. Links added to relevant PAPPG sections (NSF fillable format);
Removed the requirement to include the NSF ID (NSF fillable format); and
Added a version date to the document (NSF fillable format).
Current and Pending Support Improvements:
Increased the number of Project/Proposal entries from 10 to 15 to support the majority of proposals submitted to NSF (NSF fillable format);
Updated the Award Number field to allow entry of both numbers and letters (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
Replaced the “Calendar Year” label with “Year” to be consistent with PAPPG guidance (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
Removed the requirement to include the NSF ID (NSF fillable format); and
Added a version date to the document (NSF fillable format).
We look forward to you continued suggestions and improvements. Please continue to provide comments to policy@nsf.gov.
Regards,
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
Published: May 6, 2020
Proposals submitted to NSF on or after June 1, 2020 will require the use of an NSF-approved format for biographical sketches.
Researchers should use SciENcv, a researcher profile system for individuals applying or associated with federal agency investments to create the NSF-approved biographical sketch.
SciENcv also uses your ORCID ID to help import information and citations during the creation of the biographical sketch.
Additional resources:
SciENcv FAQs
About ORCID
NCURA ORCID Webinar
Published: April 15, 2020
Please read the below message from NSF regarding the June 1st implementation of the revised PAPPG and approved Biographical Sketch formats.
Dear Colleagues:
We are pleased to announce the availability of both NSF-approved formats for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals that fall under the revised Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) (see the February 6, 2020 webinar for complete details on all revisions to the PAPPG).
Although use of an NSF-approved format for submission of these proposal sections is not required until implementation of the revised PAPPG (NSF 20-1) on June 1, 2020, NSF is encouraging proposers to begin using the NSF-approved formats now. NSF values the feedback from the research community, and we would like to hear about your experience with the new NSF-approved formats. Information about how to provide feedback is included below.
Use of an NSF-approved format aims to reduce administrative burden and improve efficiencies by providing proposers with a compliant and reusable way to maintain this information for subsequent proposal submissions to NSF, while also ensuring that the information is submitted in a standard and searchable composition.
NSF-approved Formats
The SciENcv tool integrates with ORCID, enabling proposers to populate their Biographical Sketches by importing data directly from their ORCID records rather than having to manually enter all the required information. Additionally, Biographical Sketch data maintained in SciENcv can be quickly and easily updated on an ongoing basis for subsequent proposal submissions.
It is important to note that beginning June 1, 2020, proposers will be required to use one of the NSF-approved formats for both the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support sections of NSF proposals. Proposals submitted via FastLane, Research.gov and Grants.gov will be compliance checked to ensure that the documents were prepared in accordance with this new policy.
We Want Your Feedback
Although not required for proposal submission until June 1, 2020, we hope that you will start using the NSF-approved formats for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support as soon as possible. If you have any feedback that would help us make improvements to the two formats in the future, please let us know. Feedback may be submitted by email to policy@nsf.gov or via the Research.gov Feedback page (select “Biographical Sketch” or “Current & Pending Support” under the Site Area dropdown menu).
Upcoming Webinars
To assist the community about these new requirements and to start using SciENcv now, NSF and NIH are planning to conduct a joint webinar that will include a walk-through of how to prepare the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support documents in SciENcv. Information will be provided as soon as it is available, and we encourage you to sign up for notifications.
We also invite you to participate in the next NSF Electronic Research Administration (ERA) Forum on May 14, 2020 at 1:00PM – 2:30PM EDT where we will discuss the NSF-approved format requirements, as well as the new capability to prepare and submit separately submitted collaborative proposals in Research.gov. To sign up for ERA Forum notifications including registration availability for the May 14 event, please send a blank email to NSF-ERA-FORUM-subscribe-request@listserv.nsf.gov and you will be automatically enrolled.
Training Resources
The following training resources are now available, and NSF will continue to keep the community informed as additional resources are released.
Biographical Sketch Resources
Current and Pending Support Resources
Questions? Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov. If you have technical or IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via fastlane@nsf.gov.
Regards,
Jean
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
National Science Foundation
email: policy@nsf.gov