NSF Urges Research Community To Switch Now to Research.gov

As the National Science Foundation (NSF) continues to progress towards meeting its Dec. 31, 2022, target date to fully transfer its applicant proposal preparation and submission portal from FastLane.gov to Research.gov, an NSF official urged research community attendees at a recent Federal Demonstration Partnership meeting to start applying now through Research.gov if allowed under the award notice.

The current FastLane.gov web portal allows NSF to conduct its funding activities and relationships with funded researchers, research applicants, reviewers and research administrators and their organizations. The agency has been in a multi-year planning and development process to transition the posting of all NSF award proposals from FastLane.gov to its updated web portal, Research.gov. Grants.gov also continues to be an option for the preparation and submission for many types of NSF proposals.

Jeremy Leffler, outreach specialist in the NSF Policy Office, told FDP that currently about 80% of NSF funding opportunities are available through Research.gov. While about 46% of proposal submissions to NSF are now coming through Research.gov, the agency want this see this number increase prior to the transition date. “We want that transition from you in the research community to happen sooner rather than later because we want a smooth transition for both the you and NSF,” he said. “It avoids the rush at the end, which could overwhelm our helpdesk, and it allows you to give us feedback on any issues that they identify.”

Leffler said that when the next version of the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide goes into effect in January 2023, it will require that new proposal submissions be sent through Research.gov and not FastLane.gov. Active proposals originally submitted to Fastlane.gov will continue to be available for proposal file updates and budgetary revisions for a limited period.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out Research.gov and don’t wait until the last minute.

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