NSF

NSF Requires Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training for Faculty and Sr. Personnel

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 01:52:03 +0000

NSF Requires Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training for Faculty and Sr. Personnel Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/07/2023 - 19:52

The National Science Foundation (NSF) now requires Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training for faculty and other senior personnel. This new requirement applies to proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023.

NSF encourages researchers to explore training resources available through the Online Ethics Center. �鶹ӰԺ Researchers should complete RCR training through CITI. Updated modules related to mentor training and data management went live in July 2023. More information is available in the NSF PAPPG, Chapter IX.B.1.

NSF is emphasizing mentor training for faculty. There are several free resources to improve mentor/mentee communication.

Website resources – Mentor Focus

Online Ethics Center - https://onlineethics.org/cases/resources-research-ethics-education/topics-mentoring

Labs That Work For Everyone (University of Illinois)- https://labsthatwork.web.illinois.edu/labs-that-work-for-everyone/

Mentorfirst.org - https://mentorfirst.org/

Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER)- https://cimerproject.org/

Workshops for faculty

Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE) faculty workshop (two days with three-hour sessions)

Compass Leadership and Management training program (Geared toward faculty who have just started their lab or are about to, 6 weeks of meetings 2x a week).

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NSF Format Requirements for Current and Pending Effective for Post-award Actions and Reports

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:34:27 +0000

NSF Format Requirements for Current and Pending Effective for Post-award Actions and Reports Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/22/2020 - 09:34

For the past several months the Office of Contracts and Grants has been relaying communication from the National Science Foundation about the move toward use of SciENcv for creation of biographical sketches and current and pending support forms for new proposals submitted on or after October 5, 2020. In the past few weeks, since implementation of this new requirement we have received automated responses also requiring this format from the NSF system for post-award actions and reports.

Post-award Actions

Though requirements for submitting biographical sketches and/or current and pending support form in SciENcv format are not reflected in NSF’s official communications regarding the new formats, we want to make campus aware that we are seeing these requirements across a broader range of situations than originally described.

Reports

We received email communication about changes to NSF reporting requirements. These changes include:

Addition of question to the Edit Participants Screen: Has there been a change in the active other support of the PI/PD(s) since the last reporting period?
If Principal Investigators (PIs)/Project Directors (PDs) and co-PIs/co-PDs select “Yes” to the above question, they will be required to upload their most up-to-date Current and Pending Support document.
The Current and Pending Support document must be in an NSF-approved format, which are SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae or an NSF fillable PDF. NSF will not accept any other format nor accept reports without this requirement being met.
Addition of the following three questions to the "Impact" and "Changes/Problems" tabs:
- What was the impact on teaching and educational experiences? (Impact tab);
- What percentage of the award’s budget was spent in a foreign country? (Impact tab); and
- Has there been a change in primary performance site location from that originally proposed? (Changes/Problems tab).

Current and Pending Support Format Training Resources

OCG’s SciENcv Instructions

OCG Webinar SciENcv Biosketches, ORCID id and Current Pending

NSF Current and Pending Support Video Tutorial

NSF-specific Bookshelf Resource (includes screenshots and step-by-step instructions)

For questions about these new requirements and post-award actions, contact your Grant Officer. For questions about new reporting requirements, email ocgreports@colorado.edu.

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NSF proposals on or after Oct. 5 must use new Biosketch and Current and Pending forms

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 21:47:58 +0000

NSF proposals on or after Oct. 5 must use new Biosketch and Current and Pending forms Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/09/2020 - 15:47

All NSF proposals submitted or due on or after October 5 must use the required Biosketch and Current and Pending forms. OCG has put together a number of resources to help with these upcoming changes:

For Biosketches and Current and Pending, NSF will only allow upload of approved, validated formats, which are available through SciENcv in My NCBI. Instructions for signing up and creating your document can be found at SciENcv Instructions; direct access to SciENcv is at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/
CU is a member of the ORCiD US Community consortium. ORCiD is a unique identifier, and provides a framework to manage your research contributions and related activities across the scholarly communication ecosystem (ORCiD US Community). By using ORCiD, it is very easy to keep your SciENcv records updated, so please make sure your ORCiD profile is created or updated. ORCiD Instructions; direct access to ORCiD is at https://orcid.org/signin
Finally, we recorded the last webinar we gave with detailed information about SciENcv Biosketches, ORCID id and Current Pending and it is available on the OCG YouTube Channel.

Please share this information with any colleagues you know who may be preparing to submit to NSF. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to your department's assigned Proposal Analyst in the Office of Contracts and Grants.

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NSF Research.gov Expansion and Upcoming Proposal Submission Changes

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 16:07:01 +0000

NSF Research.gov Expansion and Upcoming Proposal Submission Changes Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/09/2020 - 10:07

NSF has made a number of changes and enhancements to proposal submissions. The following summary highlights these changes and effective dates.

NSF collaborative submissions can now be submitted in Research.gov. Please consult with your OCG Proposal Analyst on how to initiate an application through Research.gov, and how to link collaborative proposals.
Reminder: NSF approved formats for Biosketches and Current and Pending will be required for all submissions starting June 1. At the moment, these approved formats are only available through SciENcv in My NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/
In preparation of required June 1 implementation, OCG Proposal Analysts will begin recommending use of the new NSF formats starting May 1.
Training resources for SciENcv Biosketches can be found at SciENcv Instructions. For a seamless interface between ORCiD ID and SciENcv, please make sure your ORCiD profile is created/updated; instructions for this can be found at ORCiD ID instructions
Resources and guidance documents concerning Research.gov and NSF required templates will be available on OCG’s webpage by late April.

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Online Form for Submitting No-Cost Extensions (NCEs)

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 20:30:51 +0000

Online Form for Submitting No-Cost Extensions (NCEs) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/17/2020 - 14:30

The Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) has developed sponsor specific webforms for No-Cost Extension (NCE) requests. These forms ensure that OCG receives all of the information required to be able to submit a timely, complete and valid submission request per Sponsor requirements.

All NCE requests should be submitted to OCG through the webform. As the Authorized Organizational Representative, OCG is required to submit NCE requests to the Sponsor for all CU �鶹ӰԺ sponsored projects.

Once you submit the webform, OCG receives immediate notification of the NCE request for review and submission to the Sponsor. Your Grant or Contract Officer will review the submission, ensure all information and documents are complete and submit the request directly to the Sponsor.

At the time the webform is submitted to OCG, additional offices receive immediate alerts:

CCO receives notice to ensure that the SpeedType is not shut off
If applicable, IRB, IACUC or other offices are notified of the NCE request

Once OCG receives Sponsor approval for the NCE, your new end date becomes official in InfoEd and PeopleSoft.

Ready to submit a NCE request?

NSF NASA NIH DOE NOAA Other Sponsor Service Project

For more information about No-Cost Extensions, please visit the OCG website or contact your Grant or Contract Officer.

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2020 High-Impact Changes in Federal Proposals

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:12:21 +0000

2020 High-Impact Changes in Federal Proposals Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/11/2019 - 13:12

2020 will bring significant changes to the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation’s proposal submission process. The following are highlights of these changes:

NIH Changes - ORCID ID and Forms-F

Beginning October 2019, National Institutes of Health (NIH) started to require an ORCID for trainees, scholars, and participants supported by institutional research training, career development, and research education awards that require appointments through the xTrain system.

In 2020, NIH will require Principal Investigators (PIs) applying to fellowship or career programs to be registered with ORCID and to ensure their eRA Commons profile is linked to their ORCID prior to submission. All PIs are encouraged to create and link ORCID IDs to their eRA Commons account.

An ORCID ID is a unique digital identifier that creates linkages between researchers and their professional activities. An overview of ORCID and how to create an ORCID ID are provided in the ORCID Step-by-Step Instructions.

In addition to this change, NIH is introducing new proposal forms, Forms-F, for all due dates on or after May 25, 2020. NIH’s High-Level Summary of the Form Changes provides details about form and proposal requirement changes.

NSF Changes - SciENcv Biosketches

Beginning with the next iteration of the PAPPG (anticipated effective date February 2020), the National Science Foundation (NSF) will only accept PDFs for biographical sketches generated through the use of an NSF-approved format. To date, the only biosketch generator NSF has approved is SciENcv. OCG’s SciENcv Instructions provide an overview of SciENcv and step-by-step instructions for signing up and populating a ORCID ID and NCBI—the host of SciENcv.

Questions?

If you have any questions about these changes, contact your OCG Proposal Analyst.

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Updated proposal budget templates available, includes new tool for NSF

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 14:39:07 +0000

Updated proposal budget templates available, includes new tool for NSF Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/07/2019 - 08:39

OCG has updated the following budget templates, now available on the OCG forms webpage:

Cost Estimation Tool
Simple Cost Estimation Tool
NIH Modular Budget Cost Estimation Tool
NIH F Series Cost Estimation Tools

Changes include updated inflation rates, addition of the IDC Addendum to certain templates, changes to the IDC Addendum (no longer have to calculate IDC dollar amount lost), and additional built in calculations and formatting changes.

Of special note: OCG has added a new tab to the Cost Estimation Tool, which will assist PIs in preparing detailed travel tables for their budget justification (required for NSF and some other sponsors). Once the budget is complete, all the PI needs to do is go the Travel Table tab, hide any unused rows and columns, and then copy and paste the table to their budget justification. The formatting should be appropriate for NSF requirements.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding template changes, please reach out to your Proposal Analyst.

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NSF and NIH Guidance Released for 2019; Highlights of changes for proposal submissions

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 15:39:04 +0000

NSF and NIH Guidance Released for 2019; Highlights of changes for proposal submissions Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/03/2019 - 08:39

Each year the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health issue updated guidance for proposals and awards. These documents serve to provide proposal and award process guidance for the assistance programs of the agencies. View the complete NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and the NIH Grants Application Guide. Below are highlights of some of the significant changes for each agency's guidance as it relates to proposal development and submission. For full details, reference the respective guides.

NSF Notable Changes for Proposals

The National Science Foundation (NSF)’s 2019 Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) is effective for proposals submitted on or after January 29, 2019. Following are changes that PIs need to be aware of as they prepare their proposals.

International Campuses of U.S. Institutions and Foreign Organizations

The policy surrounding subawards to these entities has not changed, but institutions will now need to check a box on the proposal coversheet and provide a justification in the Project Description section as to why involvement of international subawardees is necessary.

Biosketch Synergistic Activities

This area of the biographical sketch is limited to five distinct examples only. PIs should not provide lists of examples under one heading.

Conference Proposals

New coverage has been added to the conference proposal section to require submitters to have a policy or code of conduct that addresses sexual and other forms of harassment and that includes a “clear and accessible means of reporting violations” and that is disseminated to conference attendees prior to the conference and made available at the conference.
See also NSF Announces New Measures to Protect Research Community from Harassment.

Responsible Conduct of Research

The PAPPG incorporates additional, strengthened coverage of NSF’s policies on responsible conduct of research and research misconduct. The NSF Office of Inspector General is starting to peruse proposals as they come in for how research conduct is addressed. The additional language in the 19-1 PAPPG includes:
- NSF's RCR requirement applies to the breadth of research disciplines that the Foundation funds. The training provided should be effective and must be appropriately tailored to the specific needs and circumstances at each institution. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of each institution to determine the content, focus and the delivery method for the RCR training. While training plans are not required to be included in proposals submitted to NSF, institutions are advised that they are subject to review, upon request.
- NSF will not tolerate research misconduct in proposing or performing research funded by NSF, in reviewing research proposals submitted to NSF, or in reporting research results funded by NSF. Allegations of research misconduct are taken seriously and are investigated by NSF’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). OIG refers completed investigations of research misconduct to NSF for action. Upon findings of research misconduct, NSF will take appropriate action against individuals or organizations.

Reminders

RAPID, EAGER and RAISE proposals are not eligible for reconsideration.
Equipment proposals and conference proposals greater than $50,000 must include Collaborators and Other Affiliations information.
The Collaborators and Other Affiliations table must be used. See below for a link to the template.

PI Checklists that include the PAPPG requirements can be found at:

Also see OCG's forms page for NSF approved Biosketch, Budget Justification, Current and Pending Support and Collaborator and Other Affiliations templates, as well as a Data Management Plan Tool.

Note that the templates are NOT paginated; if using Fastlane to submit, please add page numbers to each document, if using Research.gov, omit the page numbers.

NIH Notable Changes for Proposals

The items below cover the planned updates to NIH application instructions, review criteria language, and select Parent Announcements for research grant applications submitted for due dates on or after January 25, 2019.

Updates to Submission Requirements (see NOT-OD-18-228):

NIH’s Application Guide incorporates the following changes to submission requirements:

Research Strategy

Significance: Under “Significance,” the term “rigor of the prior research” has replaced the term “scientific premise.”
Approach: New language notes “Describe plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project.”
Above changes also apply to Career Development applications.

Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children: This section has been updated to provide a link to the NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Individuals Across the Lifespan as Participants in Research Involving Human Subjects, in place of the former policy specifically addressing the inclusion of children.
Clarified instructions for Career Development Award and Fellowship applicants who are proposing to gain clinical trial research experience.
Added instructions about grouping Study Records.
Clarified instructions for delayed onset studies.
Now includes modified text regarding exemption numbers 7 and 8 in question “1.a. If YES to Human Subjects” within the Project Information Form.

Fellowship Applications

Updated and clarified instructions under the “Applicant’s Background and Goals for Fellowship Training” section to provide a timeline of the proposed research training, professional development, and other activities planned during the fellowship.
For fellowship applicants proposing to gain clinical trial research experience, instructions for the “Sponsor and Co-Sponsor Statements” section have been updated to include guidance on how the sponsor should document leadership of the clinical trial and describe the respective roles and responsibilities of the sponsor and the applicant.

Research Training Program Plan Form

Added language in the “Proposed Training” section of the “Program Plan” to provide guidance to applicants who choose to provide a description of opportunities for trainees to be involved in human subjects research.
Added instructions under the ”Letters of Support” section about including a letter that describes the institutional commitment to ensuring that proper policies, procedures, and oversight are in place to prevent discriminatory harassment and other discriminatory practices.

Career Development Awards

For applicants proposing to gain clinical trial research experience, instructions for the “Plans and Statements of Mentor and Co-Mentor(s)” section have been updated to include guidance on how the mentor should document leadership of the clinical trial and describe the respective roles and responsibilities of the mentor and the applicant.

Updates to Scored Review Criteria

Reviewers will be asked to consider the revised review questions summarized below. All FOAs with due dates on or after January 25, 2019 will be updated with the revised language (or link to revised language). Scored Review Criteria includes the following revised review questions:

Significance: “Is there a strong scientific premise for the project?” has been revised to “Is the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project rigorous?”
Approach: New language has been added: “Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project?”
Approach: Question revised to ask “If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address: 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?” (Bold denotes the change to original question).
Protections for Human Subjects: Statement revised to state “For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the [six] categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects…” (Bold & italicized word denotes the removed word).
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Individuals Across the Lifespan: Statement revised to state “When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed.” (Bold denotes the change to original question).

New Parent Announcements

NIH has released the new parent announcement funding opportunities for proposal submissions due on or after January 25, 2019. Some NIH Institutes and Centers (IC) will not be participating in specific parent announcements, so please ensure that the requested IC is participating prior to applying.

NIH has also introduced new funding opportunities for Basic Experimental Studies Involving Humans. These specific funding opportunities are for studies that meet the definition of basic research and are also subject to clinical trials policies based on the NIH definition of a clinical trial.

The new Program Announcements of note are as follows, with more available on NIH’s Parent Announcements page:

PA-19-056: Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-19-055: Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-19-091: NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
PA-19-053: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-19-054: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-19-092: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
PA-19-052: NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

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NSF Announces New Measures to Protect Research Community from Harassment

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 21:11:55 +0000

NSF Announces New Measures to Protect Research Community from Harassment Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/14/2018 - 14:11

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently announced new measures to protect the research community from harassment. As the primary funding agency of fundamental science and engineering research in the United States, NSF is committed to promoting safe, productive research and education environments for current and future scientists and engineers.

Contained in this announcement, is a new policy statement in Chapter II.E.7., Conference Proposals. For those that will be using NSF funds in support of conferences, effective January 28, 2019, University of Colorado’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy must be disseminated to conference participants prior to attendance at the conference as well as made available at the conference itself.

University of Colorado is committed to upholding these standards and with the support of the Office of Intuitional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), employs a comprehensive and integrated approach. For more information about OIEC or University of Colorado’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy, please visit OIEC’s website.

If you have any questions about NSF’s new policy, please contact the OCG Compliance Team.

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Changes to NSF Proposal Submission System effective April 30

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 17:52:00 +0000

Changes to NSF Proposal Submission System effective April 30 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/27/2018 - 11:52

Beginning on April 30, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will take a first step in transitioning proposal submission from FastLane to Research.gov. The initial rollout, effective April 30, will allow the option of submitting non-collaborative proposals through Research.gov. Additionally, NSF has introduced a streamlined account registration process through Research.gov. OCG has provided two trainings on Research.gov and will provide one more on Wednesday, May 2.

Important for Faculty Proposing to NSF

PIs MUST login to Research.gov and validate/migrate NSF account ASAP (some accounts will require time for reconciling).
Beginning April 30, OCG Proposal Analysts will request faculty to prepare proposals in Research.gov for all non-collaborative research proposals.
Research.gov can ONLY be used for non-collaborative (no subawards), research proposals, until further notice from NSF.
Research.gov will only allow upload of documents with 1) 1 inch margins; 2) no document headers or footers; 3) 11 point or larger font in Times New Roman or Symbol ONLY.
Update biosketch and current and pending documents to be compliant to Research.gov validations. Updated templates are available on the OCG website.
Review document submission requirements PI checklist for additional details. Updated checklists are available on the OCG website.

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