NSF Career Program
Please note that the eligibility requirements specified in the solicitation remain unchanged, and proposers must meet all of the eligibility requirements as of the original deadline of July 26, 2023. The Departmental Letter that must be submitted by the Department Chair (or equivalent) must use July 26, 2023 to determine eligibility, regardless of whether the CAREER proposal is submitted before, on, or after July 26, 2023. An untenured assistant professor on July 26, 2023 is eligible to submit a CAREER proposal even if the Principal Investigator is tenured/promoted in the fall. A new faculty member who starts on July 27, 2023 or later is not eligible to submit a CAREER proposal this year.
Solicitation: NSF 22-586 - All NSF CAREER proposals for all directorates are due by July 26, 2023. However, due to the high number of proposal submissions, IIT’s internal deadline is July 20, 2023. PI's: Click here for additional information regarding CAREER Proposal Submission Timelines. Note: Illinois Tech has completed and maintains all institutional registration information.
NSF CAREER Administrative Notes | NSF CAREER Administrative Video
NSF Grant Proposal Guide (23-1)
Current Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) for preparing proposals to be submitted to NSF.
NSF Checklist
It is important that all proposals conform to the proposal preparation and submission instructions specified in PAPPG and solicitation guidelines. This checklist is not intended to be all inclusive. It is meant to highlight certain critical items so they will not be overlooked when the proposal is prepared.
NSF Biographical Sketch
A biographical sketch (limited to two pages) is required for each individual identified as senior personnel and must be uploaded as a pdf document for each individual. Do not submit any personal information in the biographical sketch. Template
Note: NSF now requires the use of the NSF-approved format for the preparation of the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support via SciENcv. Each PI will need to use the SciENcv to prepare these. SciEncv will create a PDF to submit.
Current and Pending Support
- NSF current & pending support format
- NSF Requirements (webinar) to use an NSF-approved format for both the biographical sketch and current and pending support documents
The support requested or available from all other sources (Federal, State, Industry, gifts, etc.).
Note: NSF now requires the use of the NSF-approved format for the preparation of the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending via SciENcv. Each PI will need to use the SciENcv to prepare their Current and Pending.
Please review this FAQ for what needs to be reported on a current and pending. Here are some highlights:
Only an NSF approved format through SCiENcv for current and pending support can be used. Creating a PDF from a Word document will be not compliant with NSF policy.
An item or service given with the expectation of an associated time commitment which is not a gift and is instead an in-kind contribution and must be reported to NSF. A gift by definition is given without expectation of anything in return.
- In-kind contributions which are not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed to NSF and have no associated time commitment, the information is not required to be reported. However, in-kind contributions with no associated time commitment that are intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed to NSF must be included as part of the Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources section.
- Organizational start-up packages provided to the individual from the proposing organization are not required to be reported. Start-up packages from other than the proposing organization must be reported. Faculty academic year salary is not considered current and pending support in this context.
Collaborators and Other Affiliations
The information collaborators and other affiliations must be separately provided for each individual identified as senior project personnel. Click here for more information and template.
Collaboration Letter Template
NSF requires the use of a template for identifying collaborators and other affiliations.
Data Management Plan
Plans for data management and sharing of the products of research. Proposals must include a document of no more than two pages uploaded under “Data Management Plan” in the supplementary documentation section of FastLane. Sample
Please see the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Preparation Guide (PAPPAG) for additional guidance.
You may also find additional guidance on how to manage your research data and additional information in the Illinois Tech Library Guides.
Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan
Each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must upload under “Mentoring Plan” in the supplementary documentation section of FastLane, a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. See the PAPPG for additional guidance. Sample
Project Reports
Annual project reports are required for all standard and continuing grants and cooperative agreements. Final reports are required for all standard and continuing grants, cooperative agreements and fellowships. Interim project reports are not required and are used to update the progress of a project any time during or before the award period expires. You can find additional information here.
Other Resources
Grants.gov Proposal Processing in Research.gov
Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission
Research.gov About Supplemental Funding Request Preparation and Submission
Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site (You will be prompted to sign into Research.gov if you are not already signed in)
Resources for LaTeX Users: https://github.com/nsf-open/nsf-proposal-latex-samples