Office of Sponsored Research and Programs

The FastLane website (fastlane.nsf.gov) is scheduled to be removed as a submission option for NSF funding opportunities in January 2023. Some programs in NSF’s Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate have already stopped accepting proposals through FastLane, and others will stop accepting them over the remainder of 2022. The transition from the FastLane website to Research.gov and Grants.gov is part of NSF’s ongoing information technology modernization efforts. Please consult the tables in this document (PDF) for additional information about the transition to Research.gov, including dates throughout the summer and fall when some programs will stop accepting proposals through FastLane.

The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs has moved to its new office space, Room 342 on the 3^rd Floor of the Jordan Student Success Building (JSSB), just a door down the hall from our previous office in JSSB 350. We will also continue to be available via email, phone, Teams and Zoom meetings. To schedule an in-person visit  in our new office please contact us for an appointment.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) hosted the Spring 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference from June 6 – 10, 2022. To view the conference presentations and the recorded sessions, visit the NSF Resource Center.

On February 21, 2022, users for the Grants.gov grant submission portal will be required to use the new Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM) and the use of a DUNS number will no longer be allowed in federal grant applications. OSRP has obtained the new UEI number for MSU Denver and will continue to manage the submission portals. This information is a notice to PIs who may receive announcements that MSU Denver is now compliant with UEI requirements.

On February 10, 2022, the NIH issued new Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements. The new salary cap for grant awards/contracts issued on or after January 2, 2022, is $203,700. Complete information is available here.

On October 4th the National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a new Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. The new guidelines contain significant changes to the disclosure requirements for BioSketches, Current and Pending Support, and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR). All NSF current and potential future Principal Investigators should review and be aware of the new disclosure requirements. Information is available here.

Microsoft has announced that Internet Explorer (IE) will be retiring on June 15, 2022. Thus, HRSA will no longer be able to support Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) compatibility with the IE browser after June 2022. Going forward, HRSA recommends the usage of other freely available browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox. If you encounter any issues while using the recommended browsers, please contact  EHBs Customer Support Center (CSC) Monday – Friday between 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST.

To comply with best practices for grants administration, potential PIs are required to complete a Proposal Summary. This is a tool to assist PI’s to ensure that all items of a grant proposal have been addressed with the appropriate departments, chairs, deans, supervisors or directors. This tool must be filled out with approvals in place prior to submission of any proposals. Complete information with a link to the tool is available on the OSRP Authorization to Submit page.

In response to COVID-19, the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs has instituted a university-wide Research Continuity Plan for all active grants as part of their grants management plan.  We are requiring that all Principal Investigators on currently active grants work with their grant support staff to complete Research Continuity Plans in an effort to best prepare for, and anticipate, any interruptions in program progress as a result of COVID-19. For instructions, please refer to our Research Continuity Plan.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) brought back the NIH Virtual Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration, directly to your computer from November 1-4, 2021. This seminar was designed for those who are new to working with the NIH grants process – administrators, early stage investigators, researchers, graduate students, etc. For those with more experience, NIH experts provided a few sessions that are designed for participants that are more advanced and are focused on more in-depth polices and processes.

Seminar recordings, transcripts and slides are now available here.

*Prospective PIs are encouraged to send a one-page concept paper in advance of submitting a proposal.  

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) seeks to support bold, ground-breaking, and potentially transformative projects addressing systemic racism in STEM. Proposals should advance racial equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development through research and practice.  Core to this funding opportunity is that proposals are led by, or developed and led in authentic partnership with, individuals and communities most impacted by the inequities caused by systemic racism.  Proposals funded by this Program Description will: (1) advance the science and promotion of racial equity in STEM, (2) substantively contribute to removing systemic  barriers that impact STEM education, the STEM workforce, and scientific advancement, (3) institutionalize effective and inclusive environments for STEM learning, STEM research, and STEM professionals,  (4) diversify the project leadership (PIs and co-PIs), institutions, ideas, and approaches that NSF funds, and (5) expand the array of epistemologies, perspectives, and experiences in STEM. Award range not available. More information.

The Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program seeks to: (a) strengthen institutional educational capacities to develop and enhance curriculum, faculty, instruction delivery systems, and infrastructure including libraries and scientific instrumentation, in order to respond and serve the needs of underrepresented students in identified State, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences; (b) recruit, retain, and support undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups in order to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States; (c) facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more Hispanic-Serving Institutions or between Hispanic-Serving Institutions and public or the private sector, in order to maximize the development and use of resources and to improve the food and agricultural sciences teaching programs. Award range: $50,000 – $1 million. More information.

With this solicitation, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is continuing its support of research expansion for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The goal of the CISE-MSI program is to broaden participation by increasing the number of CISE-funded research projects from MSIs and to develop research capacity toward successful submissions to core CISE programs. MSIs are central to inclusive excellence: they foster innovation, cultivate current and future undergraduate and graduate computer and information science and engineering talent, and bolster long-term U.S. competitiveness. For the purposes of this solicitation, MSIs include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal College & Universities (TCUs). Award range: $400,000 – $1.2 million. More information.

The purpose of this program is to support research, education/teaching, and extension projects that increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in STEM. NIFA intends this program to address educational needs within broadly defined areas of food and agricultural sciences. Applications recommended for funding must highlight and emphasize the development of a competent and qualified workforce in the food and agricultural sciences. WAMS-funded projects improve the economic health and viability of rural communities by developing research and extension initiatives that focus on new and emerging employment opportunities in STEM occupations. Projects that contribute to the economic viability of rural communities are also encouraged. Award range: $100,000 maximum. More information.

Available here.