MIT Specific Guidance - Proposal Prep Checklists

MIT checklist for standard NSF research proposals subject to PAPPG 23-1 [PDF] - for proposals due January 30, 2023 and after.

MIT checklist for standard NSF research proposals subject to PAPPG 22-1 [PDF] - updated August 1, 2022

Additional MIT guidance for other NSF proposal types:

NSF Disclosure Guidance [webpage]Effective for proposals submitted or due on or after June 1, 2020, NSF will require an NSF approved format for Biographical Sketches and Current and Pending documents for all Senior Personnel.

NSF Project Summary: Special Character Guidance [PDF]: The NSF provides additional guidance regarding the formatting of project summaries inside the FastLane system. NSF prefers that PIs submitting proposals through Fastlane enter text directly in the three provided text boxes, but allows uploaded summaries ONLY when the use of certain characters is required. This does not apply to proposals submitted via Grants.gov (including S2S through KC), which always use a formatted PDF for the Project Summary.

Sample Commitment Letter [DOCX]: This letter includes the preferred language for documenting the commitment of an unbudgeted collaborator. Such commitments must be documented in a letter and also described in the Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources section of the proposal. They should not contain endorsements or evaluations of the proposed project.

Sample Subcontract Letter [DOCX]: This letter includes the preferred language for a subcontractor to provide MIT when MIT contemplates subcontracting NSF funded work to another entity. RAS will provide this language in a cover letter when MIT is a subcontract.

Human Subjects Delayed Requirement Certification [PDF]: As of January 30, 2017, if an awarded project may include use of human subjects in the future, but does not require it at the time of award, NSF requires a certification from MIT that the human subjects work will not begin prior to the human subjects protocol start date. A sample certification letter is available at the NSF Policy Website.

MIT Policy Lab [website]: The MIT policy lab is actively seeking collaborations with NSF investigators interested in adding policy-focused Broader Impacts activities to their next proposal.

Data Management Plan Tool [website]: The MIT Libraries have launched a Data Management Plan Tool to assist in creating the required plan that must be included in every NSF proposal.