Submission, account changes at NSF
February 26, 2018
This April, NSF will begin allowing applicants access to Research.gov. NSF’s so-called “proposal submission modernization” effort has been part of a multi-year initiative to relocate the capabilities now provided at FastLane.gov, NSF’s legacy application and accounts management system, to Research.gov. FastLane.gov will still be available for all proposals after the launch.
NSF has been working to transition its proposal submission function to Research.gov to reduce the administrative burden for the research community and for NSF staff associated with preparing, submitting, and managing proposals.
In preparation for the April launch of the new submission capabilities, NSF will allow principal investigators (PIs) to preview the site in February. During this preview period, users can observe how the site works through the proposal process, but they will not be able to actually submit a proposal. The following functionality will be available only to PIs in February:
- Initiate proposal;
- Add co-PIs, senior staff, and other authorized users;
- Upload required proposal documents;
- Create budget;
- Check compliance; and
- Enable access for review by sponsored program office/authorized organization representative.
Along with its proposal submission modernization effort, NSF also is working to improve award management by updating the account maintenance feature of its grants systems to streamline the user experience and centralize access.