NSF 24-1 PAPPG
Effective for proposals submitted or due on or after May 20,2024, Investigators should reference NSF 24-1 PAPPG for proposal and award requirements. Notable updates are summarized below and include changes to Senior Personnel documents and disclosure certifications, expanded requirements for Mentoring Plan, clarifications on the Off-Site Safe and Inclusive Working Environment Plan, and new requirements for projects that have Potential Impacts on Tribal Nations. Contact the Proposal Analyst assigned to your department for questions regarding updates, new requirements and templates.
Senior/Key Personnel Documents
Senior/Key Personnel Definition
Senior/key personnel include the individuals designated by the proposer/recipient organization and approved by NSF, who contribute in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award. In accordance with the NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance, Senior/key personnel typically do not include graduate students.
BioSketch & Current and Pending
Both the requirements for the Biographical Sketch and the Current and Pending disclosures have been updated per NSF's implementation of the Common Form[s] developed by the National Science and Technology Council’s Research Security Subcommittee.
It remains that Biosketch and Current and Pending documents be prepared for each individual designated as a senior/key person through use of SciENcv (Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae). SciENcv will produce an NSF compliant PDF.
Certification of disclosures has been updated to indicate “information provided is current, accurate, and complete” as well as the certifying individual is “not a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.” Misrepresentations and/or omissions may be subject to prosecution and liability pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C. §§ 287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§. 3729-3733 and 3802. NSF will require all senior/key personnel on potential awards to submit updated Current and Pending (Other) Support information prior to making a funding recommendation.
Synergistic Activities
NSF now requires each individual identified as a senior/key person to provide a separate document, up to one-page, that includes a list of up to five distinct examples that demonstrates the broader impact of the individual's professional and scholarly activities that focus on the integration and transfer of knowledge as well as its creation. This content is no longer part of the biographical sketch.
Required Content and Mandatory Templates
Additional information on current required content and mandatory templates for all senior/key personnel documents can be located on NSFs webpage for Documents Required For Senior Personnel
Mentoring Plan
The requirements for this document, formally referred to as “Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan”, has been changed to include mentoring plans for any supported support postdoctoral scholars and graduate students.
In no more than one page, the mentoring plan must describe the mentoring that will be provided to all postdoctoral scholars or graduate students supported by the project, regardless of whether they reside at the submitting organization, any subrecipient organization, or at any organization participating in a simultaneously submitted collaborative proposal. Please note that separate plans are not required for postdoctoral scholars or graduate students. The [single] plan may, however, specify how different components of the mentoring program will be enacted for the two types of researchers.
Off-Site Research – Safe and Inclusive Working Environment
Implemented with PAPPG 23-1, each proposal that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off-site, the AOR must complete a certification that the organization has a plan in place for that proposal that describes how [certain] types of behavior will be addressed. While NSF policy does not require the plan to be submitted as a proposal document, some NSF directorates and programs may specify this document be submitted if applicable.
Simultaneously submitted collaborative proposals and proposals that include subawards are [considered] a single unified project and, as such, only one combined plan for the project should be developed, regardless of the number of non-lead collaborative proposals or subawards included. The lead organization is responsible for checking the "Off-Campus or Off-Site Research" box on the Cover Sheet, if applicable.
For more information on CU’s required template and procedures for collaborative projects, see OCG webpage for Safe and Inclusive Working Environment Plan NSF Requirement
Potential Impacts on Tribal Nations
Proposals that may impact the resources or interests of a federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native Tribal Nation (Tribal Nation) will not be awarded by NSF without prior written approval from the official(s) designated by the relevant Tribal Nation(s). Prior to proposal submission, proposers must:
- Seek guidance from the potentially impacted Tribal Nation(s) regarding which activity/activities require(s) review and prior approval from an authorized designee(s) of the Tribal Nation(s); and
- Based on the guidance received, submit a written request to the relevant Tribal Nation(s), for approval to carry out the proposed activity(ies) that require(s) Tribal Nation review and approval.
- Check the box on the Cover Sheet entitled “Potential Impacts on Tribal Nations.” Please note that simultaneously submitted collaborative proposals and proposals that include subawards are a single unified project and, as such, the lead organization is responsible for checking the box on the Cover Sheet, if applicable.
- Include at least one of the following [as a “Other supplementary document”]: (i) a copy of the written request to the relevant Tribe(s) to carry out any proposed activity/activities that may require prior approval from the Tribal Nation(s); (ii) written confirmation from the Tribal Nation(s) that review and approval is not required; or (iii) a copy of a document from the relevant Tribal Nation(s) that provides the requisite approval. If only (i) is provided, the proposer will still be required to submit either (ii) or (iii) before NSF will make an award decision.