Research.gov Proposal Submission System

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov

• As of November 21, 2022, Grants.gov proposals are processed in Research.gov instead of in FastLane.

Corrections or additions to Grants.gov proposals submitted to NSF on or after November 21, 2022, are also

made in Research.gov.

• Corrections or additions to Grants.gov proposals submitted to NSF on or before November 18, 2022, must be

made in FastLane. The deadline to submit proposal file updates and budget revisions in FastLane is Friday,

September 29, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time).See the FastLane Decommissioning page for details.

• There is no grace period for Grants.gov proposals. Grants.gov proposals must pass all Research.gov pre-

check and post-check validations and be successfully submitted to NSF by 5:00 PM submitter's local time.

Receiving a Grants.gov Agency Tracking Number does not mean the proposal was successfully

accepted by NSF.

• Refer to the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide for more information.

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and

Submission page and can be found under the Grants.gov Submitted Proposals topic on the left navigation menu.

Overview of Grants.gov Proposal Processing in Research.gov

After the proposal is submitted to NSF in Grants.gov, four Grants.gov confirmation emails will be sent to the PI:

1. Submission Receipt

2. Submission Validation Receipt

3. Agency Retrieval Receipt of Application

If you do not receive all three Grants.gov confirmation emails listed above within 10 minutes after submitting in Grants.gov, please call the NSF Help Desk

at 800-381-1532 for assistance.

The fourth Grants.gov confirmation email is sent to the PI after the proposal has been successfully submitted to NSF.

4. Tracking Number Assignment

Grants.gov Email Notifications

#1 and #2:

• Submission Receipt

• Submission Validation Receipt

Proposal

submitted in

Grants.gov

Proposal Failed Pre-Check Validation

Research.gov Email Notification: PI will be

notified via email of the error(s) triggered

during pre-check validation. The proposal

must be fixed in Grants.gov or in System-to-

System and then resubmitted in Grants.gov.

Proposal

transferred to

NSF

Grants.gov Email Notification

#3:

• Agency Retrieval Receipt of

Application

Proposal

Pre-Check

Validation

Proposal Passed Pre-

Check Validation

Proposal

Post-Check

Validation

Proposal Passed Post-Check Validation

Proposal

Available in

Research.gov –

In-Progress state

Proposal Failed Post -

Check Validation

Research.gov Email

Notification: PI,

SPO, and AOR will be

notified via email of

the error(s) or

warning(s) triggered

during post-check

validation. The

proposal must be

fixed in Research.gov

and then resubmitted

in Research.gov.

Proposal

Successfully

Submitted to

NSF

Grants.gov Email Notification

#4:

• Tracking Number Assignment

Proposal Passed

Research.gov Validation

Research.gov Email

Notification: PI, co-

PI(s), OAU, and AOR

will be notified via

email when the

Grants.gov proposal

successfully passes

all Research.gov

post-check validations

and is assigned a

submitted status and

an NSF proposal

number.

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Account Reminders

• To apply to an NSF program, a Grants.gov proposer must have an NSF account (NSF ID) in Research.gov

and an organization-approved Principal Investigator (PI) role affiliated with an organization registered with

NSF and a Grants.gov account.

• Proposers who previously submitted a postdoctoral fellowship proposal to NSF in Grants.gov or registered

as an unaffiliated individual in their Grants.gov account can inadvertently attempt to apply to an NSF non-

postdoctoral fellowship program as an individual unless their Grants.gov account profile is updated. NSF

proposals cannot be submitted by an individual except to a postdoctoral fellowship program.

• Grants.gov proposers should contact Grants.gov to update their Grants.gov account profile as necessary

before starting an NSF non-postdoctoral fellowship proposal to ensure that they are not applying as an

individual.

Example Grants.gov Confirmation Email #1: Submission Receipt

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Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Example Grants.gov Confirmation Email #2: Submission Validation Receipt

Example Grants.gov Confirmation Email #3: Agency Retrieval Receipt of

Application

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Grants.gov Proposal Pre-check Validations

• After a Grants.gov proposal is submitted to NSF and transferred to NSF (transfers are made every five

minutes), data are converted and proposal pre-check validations are run to ensure the proposal can be

processed in Research.gov.

• If a proposal does not pass all pre-check validations, a Research.gov system-generated email will be

sent to the PI identifying the issue(s) for correction.

• Refer to the Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page for the current automated

Grants.gov proposal pre-checks. The validation pre-checks listed below are current as of the date of this

guide.

• Corrections must be made in the system in which the proposal was prepared (i.e., Grants.gov or

System-to-System) and then resubmitted in Grants.gov.

Grants.gov Proposal Pre-check Validations List

1. Selected funding opportunity due dates are not more than 12 months from the current date.

2. Selected funding opportunity does not currently have any available due dates for submission.

3. Selected funding opportunity is not enabled in Research.gov.

4. Selected Directorate, Division, or Program in the proposal does not correspond with the selected

funding opportunity.

5. Unique Entity ID (UEI) for the prime organization in the proposal must be valid and active in the

System for Award Management (SAM).

6. NSF ID for the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in the proposal must be valid and

the individual must have an organization-approved AOR role at the prime organization.

7. NSF ID for the Principal Investigator (PI) in the proposal must be valid and the individual must have

an organization-approved PI role at the prime organization.

8. Prime organization listed in the proposal is an individual, but the proposal type is not Fellowship.

9. Prime organization listed in the proposal is an individual, but the selected funding opportunity is not

a Fellowship solicitation.

10. Prime organization listed in the proposal is not an individual, but the proposal type is Fellowship.

11. Prime organization listed in the proposal is not an individual, but the selected funding opportunity is

a Fellowship solicitation.

12. Selected proposal type is invalid for a proposal that requires mandatory cost sharing. Refer to the

relevant program solicitation for further details.

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Example Research.gov Email: Proposal Failed Pre-Check Validation

Grants.gov Proposal Post-check Validations

(No Post-check Warnings or Errors Identified)

• After a Grants.gov proposal passes all pre-check validations, the post-check validations will run. These include

the Research.gov automated proposal compliance checks in effect at the time. Refer to the Automated

Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page for the current automated Research.gov proposal checks for

the full proposal submission type.

• If the Grants.gov proposal passes all post-check validations, the proposal will be successfully submitted in

Research.gov, and a Research.gov system-generated notification email will be sent to the PI, co-PI(s), Other

Authorized User (OAU), and Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) associated with the prime

organization. The email notification will include a link to access the submitted proposal after signing into

Research.gov. See the example Research.gov email on page 6.

• The PI will also receive a fourth Grants.gov email to confirm successful proposal submission to NSF. See the

example Grants.gov email on page 6.

• Once the proposal is successfully submitted to NSF, the proposal will be available in Research.gov to view,

and to submit a proposal file update and/or budget revision. The submitted proposal can also be found by

selecting Proposal (Full and Renewals) from the Submitted and Updates tile drop-down.

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Example Research.gov Email: Successful Grants.gov Proposal Submission

to NSF

Example Grants.gov Confirmation Email #4: Tracking Number Assignment

NSF University

NSF Proposal

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Grants.gov Proposal Post-check Validations

(Post-check Warnings or Errors Identified)

• If the Grants.gov proposal does not pass all post-check validations, a Research.gov system-generated

email will be sent to the PI, Sponsored Projects Office (SPO), and AOR associated with the prime

organization notifying them that the proposal is in progress in Research.gov and has not been successfully

submitted to NSF. The email notification will include a link to access the in-progress proposal after signing

into Research.gov. See the example Research.gov email on page 8.

• The in-progress proposal can also be found by selecting Proposal (Full and Renewals) from the In

Progress tile drop-down. The proposal title will be pre-fixed with “Grants.gov.”

• Post-check validations include the Research.gov automated proposal compliance checks in effect at the

time. Refer to the Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page for the current automated

Research.gov proposal checks for the full proposal submission type.

• Proposals with compliance warnings can be submitted in Research.gov, whereas proposals with

compliance errors must be fixed in Research.gov and then submitted. See page 11 of this guide for helpful

resources.

• SPO(s) are automatically provided edit access in Research.gov and AORs are automatically provided edit

and submit access in Research.gov when a Grants.gov proposal is processed in Research.gov but has an

in-progress status.

• Changes made to a Grants.gov proposal in Research.gov will not be reflected in the source system (i.e.,

Grants.gov or System-to-System).

• There is no grace period for Grants.gov proposals. The Grants.gov proposal must be successfully

accepted at NSF gov by the relevant 5:00 PM submitter's local time deadline. Proposals submitted in

Grants.gov prior to the deadline but received at NSF after the deadline will not be accepted or will be

returned without review unless the submission meets the special exceptions to NSF’s deadline date policy per

Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter I.F.

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Example Research.gov Email: Proposal Failed Post-Check Validation

NSF Proposal

NSF University

Grants.gov Proposal Successfully Submitted to NSF in Research.gov

• When the Grants.gov proposal passes all post-check validations, the proposal will be successfully submitted

in Research.gov, and a Research.gov system-generated notification email will be sent to the PI, co-PI(s),

OAU, and AOR associated with the prime organization. The email notification will include a link to access the

submitted proposal after signing into Research.gov. See the example Research.gov email on page 6.

• The PI will also receive a fourth Grants.gov email to confirm successful proposal submission to NSF. See the

example Grants.gov email on page 6.

• Once the proposal is successfully submitted to NSF, the proposal will be available in Research.gov to view,

and to submit a proposal file update and/or budget revision.

Version 1.1 (May 2023)

Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Tips for Grants.gov Proposals Submitted to NSF in Research.gov

• The full name (i.e., first name and last name) of the PI and any co-PIs entered on Form SF-424 in

Grants.gov must match the full name of the PI and any co-PIs registered in Research.gov Account

Management and associated with the PI’s or co-PI’s NSF ID. A mismatch of the PI’s or co-PI’s full name

will cause an issue with transferring the proposal budget information for the PI or co-PI in Research.gov.

• As of May 22, 2023, applicants are no longer required to re-upload any Senior Personnel documents or re-

enter budget data in Research.gov for co-PIs and Other Senior Personnel for the prime organization as a

separate step after a proposal is transferred from Grants.gov to Research.gov provided the following

criteria are met:

▪ the UEI is entered on the Senior Key Person Profile (Expanded) form for the co-PI or Other Senior

Personnel,

▪ the co-PI or Other Senior Personnel full name (i.e., first name and last name) matches the full name

in Research.gov Account Management and is associated to the individual's NSF ID,

▪ and the co-PI or Other Senior Personnel full name (i.e., first name and last name) matches the full

name entered for the individual on the proposal budget

• Proposals with subawards will be available in Research.gov in an in-progress state after being transferred

from Grants.gov. Subaward organization senior personnel with roles other than PI (i.e., co-PIs and Other

Senior Personnel) must be added to the proposal in Research.gov, and their senior personnel documents

must be uploaded and their budget data entered. Research.gov is not able to include these documents and

data for subaward organization senior personnel from proposals submitted via Grants.gov at this time.

• The following proposal types submitted via Grants.gov will automatically be set as in-progress proposals in

Research.gov and will require the proposer to access Research.gov to complete the submission process:

▪ Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)

▪ Postdoctoral Fellowship

• Proposals submitted via Grants.gov that are in progress in Research.gov can be accessed on the

Research.gov In Progress page. Select Proposal (Full and Renewals) from the In Progress tile drop-down

to locate the proposal. The proposal title will be pre-fixed with “Grants.gov.”

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Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

NSF Proposal Functionality Limitations in Grants.gov

• Unless otherwise specified in an NSF solicitation, proposals to NSF may be submitted via

Grants.gov or Research.gov.

• Proposers should read the solicitation carefully because some submissions are not supported in

Grants.gov, such as:

▪ Separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations

▪ Letters of intent

▪ Preliminary proposals

• Some proposals can be submitted in Grants.gov but must be completed or updated in

Research.gov, such as:

▪ Proposals with project data forms for the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU)/Division of

Undergraduate Education (DUE)

▪ Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) proposals

▪ Postdoctoral fellowship proposals

▪ Proposals with budgets of 6 years or more

▪ Proposals with subawards

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Grants.gov Proposal Processing in

Research.gov (cont’d)

Helpful Resources

• NSF Grants.gov Application Guide

The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide was developed to assist proposers in the preparation and

submission of proposals to NSF.

• Help within the Research.gov Proposal Submission System

Inline help features such as tooltips and links to relevant Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide

sections are included throughout the Research.gov Proposal Submission System.

• Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission Page

Bookmark https://www.research.gov/research-web/content/aboutpsm to quickly access FAQs, video tutorials,

and how-to guides.

• Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site

Access the proposal preparation demo site at https://web.demo.research.gov/proposalprep/#/proposal-prep

(you will be prompted to sign into Research.gov if you are not already signed in). All demo site users are

automatically given the PI role for demo site purposes, in order to perform the proposal preparation functions

that a PI can do in the actual system. See the demo site FAQs on the Research.gov About Proposal

Preparation and Submission page left navigation menu for information on demo site access and features.

• Proposal Preparation FAQs

FAQs organized by topic are available on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission

page left navigation menu. See the Grants.gov Submitted Proposals topic for FAQs specific to proposals

submitted to NSF in Grants.gov.

• Video Tutorials

Videos demonstrating key proposal preparation steps are available on the Research.gov About Proposal

Preparation and Submission page Video Tutorials section.

• Automated Proposal Compliance Checks

Automated proposal compliance checks triggering an error message will stop proposal submission to NSF,

whereas checks triggering a warning message will still allow proposal submission. See the Automated

Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page for the current automated Research.gov proposal checks.

• NSF Help Desk

IT system-related and technical questions may be directed to the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532

(7:00 AM - 9:00 PM Eastern Time; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via [email protected].

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Help Desk

For SciENcv technical questions related to the NSF-approved format for the Biographical Sketch and Current

and Pending (Other) Support proposal sections, please contact the NIH Help Desk (7:30 AM – 5:30 PM

Eastern Time, Monday through Friday except for federal holidays) via email at [email protected]ov or

create a ticket at https://support.nlm.nih.gov/support/create-case/.