NSF Update: Required Use of Research.gov for Proposal Submissions
In accordance with Important Notice No. 147, many National Science Foundation (NSF) program solicitations now require the use of Research.gov for the preparation and submission of proposals. Please be advised that NSF will now start requiring the use of Research.gov for the preparation and submission of proposals in response to program descriptions. As a reminder, FastLane is targeted to be removed as a submission option from all funding opportunities when the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) goes into effect in January 2023. Grants.gov will remain a submission option for most NSF proposals.
Program Descriptions in Research.gov
To assist the research community, NSF developed a dynamic listing of program descriptions that require submission in Research.gov. Follow these steps to determine if your proposal for a specific program description must be prepared and submitted in Research.gov
- Access the relevant NSF.gov program description page (e.g., Magnetospheric Physics, PD 98-5750).
- View the advisory in the Program Guidelines section on the right side of the program description page and click on the link in the advisory: Alert: Many NSF programs are only accepting proposals in Research.gov or Grants.gov. FastLane may no longer be a submission option. For more information, please visit Program Descriptions that Require Proposal Preparation and Submission in Research.gov or Grants.gov.
The document will identify program descriptions requiring Research.gov preparation and submission and the associated effective date. This document will be updated on an ongoing basis as FastLane will be removed from all program descriptions as a proposal preparation and submission option when the PAPPG goes into effect in January 2023.
Since many program solicitations also require submission in Research.gov, proposers should pay close attention to the requirements identified in those specific funding opportunities.
Research.gov Proposal Capabilities and Transition from FastLane Proposal Preparation
Nearly all FastLane proposal preparation and submission capabilities are now available in Research.gov. For details about the remaining proposal features that will soon be added to Research.gov, please see the Proposal Submission Capabilities table on the Research.govAbout Proposal Preparation and Submission page. To stay informed about Research.gov and FastLane changes, we invite you to join our System Updates listserv. Sign up by sending a blank email to: system_updates-subscribe-request@listserv.nsf.gov.
NSF strongly encourages proposers to prepare and submit all supported proposals in Research.gov now, to facilitate a smooth transition from FastLane proposal preparation to Research.gov over the next several months. In addition, NSF relies on your vital feedback to help ensure the system is working as intended and to identify areas of improvement. Feedback may be submitted at https://www.research.gov/research-web/feedback.
Research.gov Proposal Preparation and Submission Training Resources
- Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by topic
- Video Tutorials
- How-to Guides
- Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site (See the demo site FAQs on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page for access information and demo site features.)
- Research.gov Update and Demonstration presentation from the Fall 2021 NSF Virtual Grants Conference
Questions? If you have IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.