National Science Foundation Disclosure Guidance

NSF and Federal Resources

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Last updated: February 15, 2024

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

As of January 30, 2023, the following guidelines in the NSF Proposal and Awards Policies and Procedures Guide 23-1 apply.

Biographical Sketch

What to Disclose

NSF requires a biographical sketch for each individual identified as Senior Personnel. Detailed information about the content is available in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies Guide.

Of particular note, the PAPPG requires Senior Personnel to list "all the individual's academic, professional, or institutional appointments, beginning with the current appointment." With regard to professional appointments, Senior Personnel must identify all current domestic or foreign professional appointments outside of the individual's academic, professional, or institutional appointments at the proposing organization.

When to Disclose

Required biographical sketch information must be disclosed to NSF when grant applications are submitted. 

How to Disclose

The biographical sketch is currently limited to three pages for each individual identified as Senior Personnel. 

The only approved format for creating a biographical sketch is SciENcv, which will produce an NSF-compliant PDF version of the biographical sketch. Proposers must save these documents and submit them as part of their proposals via Research.gov. 

Current and Pending Support

What to Disclose

Current and pending support information must be separately provided for each individual designated as Senior Personnel on the proposal. Current and pending support includes all resources made available to an individual in support of and/or related to all of his/her research efforts, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value. Current and pending support also includes 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 also must be reported.

Current and pending support information must be provided for this project, for ongoing projects, and for 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. A brief statement of the overall objectives of the project/proposal being proposed or in-kind contribution must be provided. The submission also should summarize 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.

The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) must be provided, as well as the 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.

Please consult this list of NSF FAQs on Current and Pending Support [PDF] for additional guidance on the disclosure of current and pending support.

When to Disclose

Current and pending support must be disclosed to NSF when grant applications and annual and final progress reports are submitted.

  • As of October 5, 2020, NSF implemented additional requirements for the Revised Research Performance Report (RPPR), including a new question on current and pending support to be answered by PIs when submitting their annual and final reports.
  • If current and pending support information hasn’t been incorporated into applications or progress reports and should have been, the PI must contact RAS as soon as possible so that revised information can be submitted to NSF. This information should be submitted to NSF by the institution’s Authorized Organizational Representative within 30 calendar days of the identification of the undisclosed support or contribution, so it is imperative that PIs contact their RAS contract administrator immediately.

Please contact your representative in MIT Research Administration Services (RAS) or nsf-help@mit.edu if you have any questions.

How to Disclose

The only approved format for creating current & pending support is SciENcv, which will produce NSF-compliant PDF versions of the current & pending support format. Proposers must save these documents and submit them as part of their proposals via Research.gov.

Please contact your representative in MIT Research Administration Services (RAS) or nsf-help@mit.edu if you have any questions.

International Activities

What to Disclose

NSF defines an international activity as research, training, and/or education carried out in cooperation with foreign counterparts either overseas or in the U.S. using virtual technologies. If a PI is contemplating applying for NSF funding for a project that includes international activity or a subaward to a foreign organization, they should discuss with the appropriate RAS liaison before preparing or submitting a proposal.

For each proposal that describes an international activity, PIs should list the primary countries involved on the proposal cover sheet (a maximum of five countries may be listed). Proposers also should enter the country/countries with which project participants will engage and/or travel to attend international conferences. See Item 8 of NSF 23-1, Chapter II.D.

If payment to a foreign organization is being proposed, including through use of a subaward or consultant arrangement, the proposer also must enter the name of the applicable country(ies) in the International Activities Country Name(s) box described above. See Item 6 of NSF 23-1, Chapter I.E.

Other Information on Recent Policy Changes at NSF

See the MIT Office of the Vice President for Research Foreign Engagement page for recent updates and additional resources regarding foreign engagements.

Portions of the contents of this page were adapted from materials prepared by UCLA Research Policy and Compliance and are provided here with their permission.