A revision of the Grant Proposal Guide will be in effect on January 25, 2016. Note – the revisions apply to all proposals due on or after January 25th.
Read about the changes & clarifications to the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (which includes the GPG) here: go.usa.gov/cKP92
Remember, when the instructions in a solicitation differ from the GPG, the solicitation is what you should follow. If you have any questions regarding what guidelines to follow, don’t hesitate to contact the Program Director/Officer for the program to which you are applying. Contact information is always listed on the Program Summary page.
A Data Management Plan (DMP) must be included with a full proposal and should describe how a project will conform to NSF policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results (see NSF 15-1 and NSF 16-1). The DMP is evaluated as part of the Merit Review process, either under the Intellectual Merit or the Broader Impacts criterion, or both, as appropriate for the scientific community of relevance. BIO anticipates differences in data management practices across the many research communities we support and recognizes that not all data are appropriate for post-project dissemination or preservation.
Generally, the DMP addresses two different aspects of the research process:
data handling during the project (which concerns robust and reliable research), and
preparation of data (software/materials/etc.) for dissemination or deposit for future access.
In brief, a DMP should include:
the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum and other materials to be produced in the course of the project;
standards to be used to contain and describe those data and materials, including (data) format and metadata standard;
policies that pertain to sharing and access, including where appropriate, consideration of
appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements; and
allowances or restrictions on re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives;
plans for depositing or archiving data, samples, and other research products to preserve access to them.
In response to consultations with the scientific community and BIO’s Program Officers about data management, this updated BIO Guidance on DMPs is intended to clarify several required components identified in NSF policy. Please note that program-level data management requirements may be more specific or extensive than the BIO Guidance on DMPs, and you are advised to contact a BIO Program Officer if you have any questions related to a DMP in the program context.
Future blog posts will address BIOData as well as changes in the newly released version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG; NSF 16-1); the new PAPPG is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 25, 2016.
Are you looking for information about the Broader Impacts Merit Review criterion? Not sure what qualifies as a Broader Impacts activity? Check out these resources and then take a quiz to test your Broader Impacts smarts!
Here’s where to find information about Broader Impacts from NSF:
Scroll down on the OIA page and you’ll see a list of related web pages:
The Broader Impacts Perspectives brochure can be downloaded as a .pdf. The brochure includes highlights from the Broader Impacts Infrastructure Summit and examples of Broader Impacts activities.
If you are planning to submit a proposal to NSF, be sure to follow the instructions in the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The GPG is part of the current NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPP), publication number NSF 16-001 (aka 16-1) dated January 25, 2016: http://go.usa.gov/3SrTB. (Significant changes and clarifications from the previous guide can be found here: http://go.usa.gov/cKP92.)
The GPG includes important information about the Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit Merit Review criteria in a few different places: the Project Summary section (IIC2b), the Project Description section (IIC2di), and the Merit Review Principles and Criteria section (IIIA).
The Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) is part of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPP).
Review the resources above and come back and take our Broader Impacts quiz!