A Summary of the Significant Changes for NSF Proposals
The most important changes have been starred**.
Link to the entire NSF Guide.
** Chapter II – Section C.2j, Special Information and Supplementary Documentation, has new guidance added regarding complying with the mentoring requirement of the America COMPETES Act. Each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include, as a supplementary document, a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. The mentoring plan must not exceed one page.
Cross-references to Chapter II.C.2j have been included in the Subawards (Chapter II.C.2g (vi)(e)) and Collaborative Proposals (Chapter II.D.4) sections of the GPG to address subawards and collaborative proposals that request funds to support postdoctoral researchers.
Chapter III.A, Review Record, states that the mentoring plan will be evaluated during the merit review process, under the Broader Impacts criterion.
Chapter IV.B, Return without Review, has been updated to reflect that proposals that do not include the mentoring plan.