The University Record, October 25, 1999

Research Reporter

Research opportunities, application deadlines, U-M policies concerning sponsored research, campus research resources and more are available on the Research Web site. Point your browser to www.research.umich.edu. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Division of Research Development and Administration.

NSF Merit Review Criteria

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is stepping up efforts to obtain compliance with revised merit review criteria enacted two years ago. In a Sept. 20 notice NSF Director Rita Colwell told the research community: “We want to ensure that the criterion relating to broader impacts is considered and addressed in proposals and reviews. We ask you—as principal investigators who develop and submit proposals, and as experts who review proposals—to consider both intellectual merit and broader impacts in preparing and evaluating proposals for NSF. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen NSF’s internal processes to ensure that both criteria are appropriately addressed when making funding decisions.”

Merit review criteria and supporting explanations are available on the U-M research Web site at www.research.umich.edu and appear in a revision to the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 00-2).

Revised NSF Grant Proposal Guide

The National Science Foundation has revised the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) (NSF 00-2) and the Proposal Forms Kit (NSF 00-3). These documents supersede the prior versions.

This revision incorporates the following significant changes:

  • Issuance of Important Notice No. 123, Working Toward A Paperless Proposal System, dated Sept. 3, 1998, www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?iin123. As a reminder, effective Oct. 1, 2000, all proposals will be required to be submitted to NSF via FastLane. Proposers, however, must check the FastLane Web site, www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a0/fldeadli.htm, prior to proposal preparation and submission to verify whether use of FastLane is required in preparation of all or part of a proposal;

  • Implementation of the approved cost sharing policy;

  • Clarification of the importance of the second merit review criterion in the preparation and review of proposals submitted to NSF;

  • Revision of instructions on preparation of the biographical sketch; and

  • Clarification of instructions on submission of collaborative proposals to NSF.

    Other sections have been revised for clarity to make the guide consistent with current NSF policies, practices and procedures. A complete summary of changes can be found at www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf002/f4_changes.htm.

    The GPG is available on the NSF Web site at www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf002. The Proposal Forms Kit can be accessed at: www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf003. Paper copies of the document may be obtained by sending e-mail to paperpubs@nsf.gov.