NSF (National Science Foundation) Disclosure Guidance

Tools and Resources

Biographical Sketch

  • Who submits: All Senior Personnel.
  • When to submit: When grant applications are submitted.
  • Format: Use the NSF Biographical Sketch form on SciENcv (required). Learn more about using SciENcv. 
  • What to submit: Follow the guidance provided through the SciENcv form.

Current and Pending Support

Current and Pending Support provides information on objectives and overlap with other projects, to help NSF and reviewers assess overlap/duplication. 

  • Who submits: All Senior Personnel.
  • When to submit: When submitting proposals, RPPRs (if changes since last reporting period), and final progress report. Contact your RAS CA as soon as possible if you have not included current and pending support in a submission to NSF; updates must be submitted within 30 days.
  • Format: Use the NSF Current & Pending (Other) Support on SciENcv (required). Learn more about using SciENcv. 

  • NSF requires full disclosure of current and pending support, which includes domestic support and any foreign support or engagement:

    • All resources made available to an individual in support of and/or related to all of their research efforts, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value
    • In-kind contributions (such as office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, employees, students)
    • In-kind contributions not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed

    In more detail, this includes:

    • Current and pending grants, contracts and cooperative agreements requested by or issued to MIT, made available to the PI, and related to the PI’s research
    • Current and pending grants, contracts and cooperative agreements requested by or issued to an entity other than MIT, made available to the PI, and related to the PI’s research
    • Subawards from domestic or foreign entities
    • Resources received through MIT or any other institution
    • Resources received directly by the PI
    • Consulting agreements if they involve research
    • Start-ups received from other institutions (e.g. external start-up packages)
    • Lab space in a foreign country 
    • Material or data provided by a third party for use in the PI’s research
    • Support received from external source to mentor a research postdoc conducting the PI’s research
    • Activities that happen outside the MIT appointment (e.g. summer months for 9-month faculty)
    • Access provided through a third party to individuals, such as a technician or postdoc, who work on the PI’s research 
    • HHMI Researchers

    Provide current and pending support information for:

    • This project
    • Ongoing projects
    • Any proposals currently under consideration from whatever source, irrespective of whether such support is provided through the proposing organization or is provided directly to the individual

    In the information you provide, include:

    • A brief statement of the overall objectives of the project/proposal being proposed or in-kind contribution.
    • Potential overlap with any active or pending proposal or in-kind contribution and this proposal in terms of scope, budget, or person-months planned or committed to the project by the individual
    • Total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs)
    • Number of person-months (or partial person-months) per year to be devoted to the project by the individual

    Concurrent submission of a proposal to other organizations will not prejudice its review by NSF, if disclosed. If the project (or any part of the project) now being submitted has been funded previously by a source other than NSF, information must be provided regarding the last period of funding.

  • In addition to the information you provide to NSF, submit supporting documentation to MIT’s External Contract Depository (ECD) for outside contracts, agreements and other working arrangements with foreign entities.

    1. Upload supporting documentation to MIT’s External Contract Depository.
      • Contracts must be provided in PDF format.
      • If the contract is not in English, then you must also provide an English translation. Machine-read translations are acceptable, although a manual translation prepared by you or a fluent person you trust is preferred.
    2. Uploaded documents will receive a high-level review by MIT’s Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of the General Counsel to help ensure compliance with NIH requirements. 
    3. Supporting documentation will be made available to NSF upon request.