Guideline changes for NSF, NIH, and AHRQ, effective January 25, 2016

Please note the following guideline changes for NSF, NIH, and AHRQ, effective January 25, 2016.

NSF – Revised Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a revised Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 16-1). This new guide will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 25, 2016.  As highlighted by NSF, significant changes include:

• Enforcement of 5 p.m. submitter’s local time across all NSF funding opportunities;
• Implementation of NSF’s Public Access Policy;
• Submission of proposal certifications by the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) concurrently with proposal submission;
• NSF’s implementation of the US Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences on Dual Use Research of Concern;
• Provision of Collaborators and Other Affiliations information as a new single-copy document, instead of as part of the Biographical Sketch; 
• Submission of Biographical Sketches and Current and Pending Support separately for each senior personnel; 
• Electronic signature and submission of notifications and requests by the AOR only;
• Revision of timeframe for submission of final project reports, project outcomes reports and financial closure of awards to 120 days after the award end date; and
• Numerous clarifications throughout the document.

The revised NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide can be found on their page.

NIH & AHRQ - Revised Policies, Instructions and Forms for 2016 Grant Applications

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued changes to policies, forms and instructions for proposals submitted on or between January 25, 2016 and May 24, 2016.

The revised guides can be found on the NIH website.

The planned changes focus on the following areas:

• Rigor and transparency in research
• Vertebrate animals
• Inclusion reporting
• Data safety monitoring
• Research training
• Appendices
• Font requirements
• Biosketch clarifications

A revised application guide will be published in late March for use with NIH and AHRQ proposals submitted on or after May 25, 2016.

Please contact ORSP at 482-5811 or orsp@louisiana.edu if you have any questions.