NSF General Instructions

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…" With an annual budget of about $5.91 billion, they are the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. NSF is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences. They are tasked with keeping the United States at the leading edge of discovery in areas from astronomy to geology to zoology.

General information on NSF programs, guidelines and policies can be found on the NSF website.

NSF FastLane

FastLane, NSF's interactive real-time system, is used to conduct NSF business over the Internet. In order to submit proposals to NSF, check the status of a submitted proposal, submit an annual or final progress report, check the status of continuation funding or review NSF grants, you must be registered in the FastLane system.

The OSP office provides access to FastLane registration, a condition that must be met before initiating an NSF proposal. To register for a password, you must complete the NSF Password Request Form below. If you already have a password, click on the link below to connect to FastLane.

• FastLane Password Request Form
• Login to FastLane
• FastLane Routing Instructions
• FAQs on Proposal Preparation
• FastLane Help
• Submitting Subawards to NSF

NSF & Grants.gov

The University of Connecticut is already registered with Grants.gov. Investigators and departmental personnel need not register.

NSF provides guidance on submitting applications through Grants.gov at the following sites:

• Submitting an application to NSF through Grants.gov
• FY2007 Grants.gov required programs
• NSF Grants.gov implementation strategy
• NSF Grants.gov application guide, effective June 1, 2007
• Tips for successful submission

Additional information for NSF submissions:

• OSP's Proposal Submission Checklist
• Guide to NSF Programs/Browse Funding Opportunities
• Program Deadlines by Date
• NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (nsf081), effective January 5, 2008
• News from NSF
• NSF Cost-Sharing Policy