Federal Agency Updates

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH is rolling out new forms and data management and sharing policies effective January 25, 2023. Look for specific I/Cs to issue guidance on data management and sharing.

New Forms and Tools

• NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) Policy applies to funding that generates data. For specific requirements, consult NIH NOT-OD-210014. Also, consult the following resources to prepare for DMSP 2023.
  • Video – Critical Appraisal of DMP for Program Officers
  • Article – Ten simple rules for maximizing the recommendations of the NIH data management and sharing plan
  • Practice! Reverse engineer a 2023 DMSP for a prior project using the DMPTool.
• New NIH ‘Forms-H’ Grant application forms and instructions are for grant applications due dates on or after January 25, 2023. Unsure if you have the correct form version? Consult NIH’s handy checklist.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The new Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 23-1, is effective January 30, 2023. Below is a bit of what’s changing with the new guidance. A summary of all the changes can be accessed here.

Systems and Tools

• FastLane is officially retiring. Research.gov will be the tool for submitting and reviewing proposals and for award management.
• NSF has delayed the requirement to use SciENcv until October 2023 but is still encouraging investigators to use SciENcv and to obtain an ORCID to facilitate the pre-population of the biographical sketch.
• Concept outlines and the new Program Suitability and Proposal Concept Tool (ProSPCT) are required for Rapid Response Research (RAPID), Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), and Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAIS).
• NSF’s Broad Agency Announcement Management (BAAM) system will be used for proposal submissions to BAAs. The BAAM system is a simplified site that is separate from Research.gov. 
• Clarifications relating to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) for subrecipients are provided. Subrecipients named in a proposal must obtain a UEI and register in Research.gov, however, they do not need to be registered in SAM.

Signatures and Authorizations

• AORs will need to certify that the organization has in place a plan for safe and inclusive working environments for proposals that propose to conduct off-campus and off-site research. The organization’s plan must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure.
• A new certification regarding Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) training has been added for new proposals submitted or due on or after July 31, 2023. The new certification expands the training requirement to faculty and other senior personnel and mandates the training cover mentor training and mentorship.
• Investigators must certify that information in their biographical sketch and the current and pending forms are accurate, current, and complete. This certification will be included in both SciENcv and NSF fillable format for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023.

Honorable Mention

• NSF will end cost-sharing mandates for some of its major programs, including the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program and the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. WAY2GO NSF!

Department of Energy (DOE)

The Department of Energy is focused on promoting inclusive and equitable research and addressing discrimination and harassment.

Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan

• Beginning FY23, all DOE funding announcements, and DOE National Lab announcements will require applicants to submit a PIER plan as an appendix to their proposal narrative.
• PIER plans should describe the activities and strategies applicants will incorporate to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their research projects. PIER plans are not to exceed three (3) pages and will not count toward the project narrative page limitation.
• PIER plans will be evaluated as part of the merit review process and used to inform funding decisions.
• Learn more about PIER plans here.
•  

Policies addressing Discrimination and Harassment

• Beginning FY23, DOE applications requesting funding support for conferences, symposia, and workshops must have a policy or code of conduct in place that addresses discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, and sexual assault, and that includes processes for reporting complaints and addressing complaints. The policy or code of conduct must be shared with all participants prior to the conference, symposium, or workshop (hereinafter the ‘meeting’) and made easily available. 
• Applications must include:
  • An online link to the current code of conduct of the host organization for the meeting, or the link to where the code of conduct will be posted. If a code of conduct has not yet been established by the meeting organizers, the application must describe the process and timeline by which a code of conduct will be written, approved, and endorsed.    
  • A recruitment and accessibility plan for speakers and attendees that includes a discussion of recruitment of individuals from groups underrepresented in the research/professional community associated with the technical focus of the meeting, and discussion on plans to address possible barriers for attendees, including but not limited to physical barriers.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

In support of Executive Order 13985 “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government,” NASA is changing procurement requirements and will roll out these requirements in an updated NASA Grant & Cooperative Agreement Manual.

Procurement

• Pursuant to the requirements in 2 CFR § 200.321, Contracting with small and minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms, grant, and cooperative agreement recipients shall, to the extent practicable, obtain at least one quotation in response to a recipient-issued Request for Quotation (RFQ) from a small and/or minority business, women’s business enterprise or labor surplus area firms when the acquisition of goods or services exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) as defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 2.101, Definitions (currently the SAT is $250,000). In the event that recipients are unable to obtain at least one quote from a small and/or minority business, women’s business enterprise, or labor surplus area firm, a written justification indicating why this was not possible must be maintained in the recipient’s records.”