WELCOME TO THE INFO PAGE FOR THE NSF PROPOSAL BETWEEN GEORGIA TECH’S OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INSTITUTIONS WITHIN THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER AND AT TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY!

Here you will find most all of the information you will need to complete your subaward submission to Georgia Tech. Please share the link to this page with anyone in your organization who will be assisting with your package.

PROPOSAL TITLE: “CC* Regional: Promoting Research and Education at Small Colleges in the Atlanta University Center and at Tuskegee University through Network Architecture Enhancements”

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

September 15: Documentation to be Submitted to GT
September 22: Documentation to be Submitted to GT
September 27: Documentation to be Submitted to GT
October 11: Proposal Due to NSF

DELIVERABLES:

Documentation Needed by September 15
Facilities , Equipment, & Other Resources Document
Collaborators & Other Affiliations Info
Biographical Sketch
Current and Pending
Budget and Budget Justification
Letter of Collaboration
Letter of Support
Letter of Intent to Subcontract

GT CONTACTS:

Please submit all deliverables to Joy West at:  jwest@oit.gatech.edu with a copy to Robin Greene robin.greene@oit.gatech.edu by the listed deadlines (Sept. 15, 22, & 27 – 4:00 PM EST). Please reach out promptly with any questions or concerns!  The GT Team is here to help!

DOCUMENTATION NEEDED BY SEPTEMBER 15 – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST.

In order to meet the deadline, we will need the following information/documents from you by 4:00 PM EST, Wednesday–September 15.  The information needed is as follows:

Your office of Sponsored Research should also be able to assist with this.   It is imperative that GT has the correct NSF ID for the PI in order to include the individual on the cover sheet.

  • Salary information for Co-PI if being requested (annual salary amount and fringe benefit rate).
  • Your institution’s current facilities and administration (F&A) rate.  Please note that if for some reason your institution does not have a federally negotiated F&A rate through a cognizant agency, the de minimis amount of 10% will be used.
  • Organization’s D-U-N-S Number
  • Departmental Point of Contact including:   the person’s name, email address, and phone number
  • Sponsored Research Point of Contact including:   the person’s name, email address, and phone number.
  • A designated “emergency” contact person who can be reached after working hours on the weekend of Oct. 8-10, who can answer any urgent last-minute questions or help with any issues that may come up.  A phone number and email will be helpful.  Thank You.

FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, & OTHER RESOURCES – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST, Wednesday, September 22

It is recommended that you please read the instructions promptly.  If member(s) of the GT staff are needed to assist on this delivery, we would like to engage quickly to get this done in a timely manner.  If you would like to see an example, please reach out to Joy West at:  jwest@oit.gatech.edu.  Thank You!

This section of the proposal is used to assess the adequacy of the resources available to perform the effort proposed to satisfy both the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts review criteria. Proposers should describe only those resources that are directly applicable. Proposers should include an aggregated description of the internal and external resources (both physical and personnel) that the organization and its collaborators will provide to the project, should it be funded. Such information must be provided in this section, in lieu of other parts of the proposal (e.g., Budget Justification, Project Description). The description should be narrative in nature and must not include any quantifiable financial information. Reviewers will evaluate the information during the merit review process and the cognizant NSF Program Officer will review it for programmatic and technical sufficiency. Although these resources are not considered voluntary committed cost sharing as defined in 2 CFR §200.1, the Foundation does expect that the resources identified in the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section will be provided, or made available, should the proposal be funded. Chapter VII.B.1 specifies procedures for use by the grantee when there are postaward changes to objectives, scope or methods/procedures. (taken from NSF’s PAPPG, NSF 22-1 Effective Oct. 4, 2021)

Points to Remember when preparing the Facilities, Equipment & Other Resources Document:

  • Included (or statement of “none)
  • No quantifiable financial information
  • Any substantial collaboration with individuals not included in the budget should be described in the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section of the proposal and documented in a letter of collaboration from each collaborator.
  • No page limit specified by NSF
  • May include in-kind contributions intended for use on the project being proposed
  • May include pictures of facilities

COLLABORATORS AND OTHER AFFILIATIONS (COA) INFORMATION – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

Each Senior Personnel, such as PIs/Co-PIs, must have an uploaded/completed COA Excel spreadsheet template that has been provided by NSF.  COAs will continue to be uploaded as single copy documents for each senior personnel.

Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) Information Template Link

Instructions:
The following information regarding collaborators and other affiliations (COA) must be separately provided for each individual identified as senior personnel on the project. The COA information must be provided through use of the COA template. The information in the tables is not required to be sorted, alphabetically or otherwise. For additional information please refer to the frequently asked questions on the COA template page.

There are five separate categories of information which correspond to the five tables in the COA template:

COA template Table 1:
List the individual’s last name, first name, middle initial, and organizational affiliation in the last 12 months.

COA template Table 2:
List names as last name, first name, middle initial, for whom a personal, family, or business relationship would otherwise preclude their service as a reviewer. In the “Type of Relationship” column please specify the personal, family, or business relationship involved.

COA template Table 3:
List names as last name, first name, middle initial, and provide organizational affiliations, if known, for the following:

• The individual’s Ph.D. advisors; and

• All of the individual’s Ph.D. thesis advisees.

COA template Table 4:
List names as last name, first name, middle initial, and provide organizational affiliations, if known, for the following:

• Co-authors on any book, article, report, abstract or paper with collaboration in the last 48 months (publication date may be later); and
• Collaborators on projects, such as funded grants, graduate research, or others in the last 48 months.

COA template Table 5:
List editorial board, editor-in chief and co-editors with whom the individual interacts. An editor-in-chief must list the entire editorial board.

• Editorial Board:11 List name(s) of editor-in-chief and journal in the past 24 months; and Other co-Editors of journal or collections with whom the individual has directly interacted in the last 24 months. The template has been developed to be fillable, however, the content and format requirements must not be altered by the user. When completing the template, do not change the column sizes or the font type. The instructions at the top of the template may be deleted, and rows may be inserted as needed to provide additional names12. This information is used to manage reviewer selection. See Exhibit II-2 for additional information on potential reviewer conflicts. (taken from NSF’s PAPPG, NSF 22-1 Effective Oct. 4, 2021)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

Each Senior Personnel, such as PIs/Co-PIs, must have an uploaded/completed Biographical Sketch template that has been provided by NSF.  All names must be listed as:

last name, first name, middle initial, and organization affiliation

In addition to standard proposals which require upload of COA documentation, Conference proposals over $50K and Equipment proposals must now upload completed COA documentation.

BioSketch Template Link


Instructions:

The Bio-Sketch section of the proposal is used to assess how well qualified the individual, team, or organization is to conduct the proposed activities.  A separate biographical sketch (limited to three pages) must be provided through use of an NSF-approved format18, for each individual designated as senior personnel. (See Exhibit II-3 for the definitions of Senior Personnel.)

The following information must be provided in the order and format specified below. Inclusion of additional information beyond that specified below may result in the proposal being returned without review. Do not submit any personal information in the biographical sketch. This includes items such as: home address; home telephone, fax, or cell phone numbers; home e-mail address; driver’s license number; marital status; personal hobbies; and the like. Such personal information is not appropriate for the biographical sketch and is not relevant to the merits of the proposal. NSF is not responsible or in any way liable for the release of such material. (See also Chapter III.H).

(a) Professional Preparation

A list of the individual’s undergraduate and graduate education and postdoctoral training (including location) as indicated below:

Undergraduate Institution(s) Location Major Degree & Year
Graduate Institution(s) Location Major Degree & Year
Postdoctoral Institution(s) Location Area Inclusive Dates (Years)

(b) Appointments

A list, in reverse chronological order by start date of all the individual’s academic, professional, or institutional appointments, beginning with the current appointment. Appointments include any titled academic, professional, or institutional position whether or not remuneration is received, and whether fulltime, part-time, or voluntary (including adjunct, visiting, or honorary). With regard to professional appointments, senior personnel must identify all current domestic and foreign professional appointments outside of the individual’s academic, professional, or institutional appointments at the proposing organization.

(c) Products

A list of: (i) up to five products most closely related to the proposed project; and (ii) up to five other significant products, whether or not related to the proposed project. Acceptable products must be citable and accessible including but not limited to publications, data sets, software, patents, and copyrights. Unacceptable products are unpublished documents not yet submitted for publication, invited lectures, and additional lists of products. Only the list of ten will be used in the review of the proposal. Each product must include full citation information including (where applicable and practicable) names of  all authors, date of publication or release, title, title of enclosing work such as journal or book, volume, issue, pages, website and URL, or other Persistent Identifier. Senior personnel who wish to include publications in the products section of the biographical sketch that include multiple authors may, at their discretion, choose to list one or more of the authors and then “et al.” in lieu of including the complete listing of authors’ names.

(d) Synergistic Activities
 
A list of up to five distinct examples that demonstrates the broader impact of the individual’s professional and scholarly activities that focus on the integration and transfer of knowledge as well as its creation. Examples may include, among others: innovations in teaching and training; contributions to the science of learning; development and/or refinement of research tools; computation methodologies and algorithms for problem-solving; development of databases to support research and education; broadening the participation of groups underrepresented in STEM; and service to the scientific and engineering community outside of the individual’s immediate organization. Synergistic activities must be specific and must not include multiple examples to further describe the activity. Examples with multiple components, such as committee member lists, sub-bulleted highlights of honors and prizes, or a listing of organizations for which the individual has served as a reviewer, are not permitted. (taken from NSF’s PAPPG, NSF 22-1 Effective Oct. 4, 2021)


CURRENT AND PENDING – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

Current and Pending Template Link


Instructions:
The Current and Pending section of the proposal is used to assess the capacity of the individual to carry out the research as proposed, as well as to help assess any potential overlap/duplication with the project being proposed.

(ii) Current and pending support information must be separately provided through use of an NSF approved format33, for each individual designated as senior personnel on the proposal. Current and pending support includes all resources made available to an individual in support of and/or related to all of his/her research efforts, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value, except as noted in paragraph (v) below. Current and pending support also includes in-kind contributions (such as office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, employees, students34). In-kind contributions not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed that have associated time commitments also must be reported.35

(iii) Current and pending support information must be provided for this project, for ongoing projects, and for any proposals currently under consideration from whatever source irrespective of whether such support is provided through the proposing organization or is provided directly to the individual. This includes, for example, Federal, State, local, foreign, public, or private foundations, non-profit organizations, industrial or other commercial organizations, or internal funds allocated toward specific projects.

(iv) A brief statement of the overall objectives of the project/proposal being proposed or in-kind contribution must be provided. The submission also should summarize potential overlap with any active or pending proposal or in-kind contribution and this proposal in terms of scope, budget, or person-months planned or committed to the project by the individual.

(v) The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) must be provided, as well as the number of person-months (or partial person-months) per year to be devoted to the project by the individual. Person-month information included in current and pending support may differ from the person-months requested on the budget for a given project. The information contained on the budget is separate and distinct from the information entered on current and pending support regarding how much time the individual is or is planning, or has committed to spend on a project. If the individual is not requesting salary, and will not be expending any effort, then the project should not be reported in current and pending support.

(vi) Concurrent submission of a proposal to other organizations will not prejudice its review by NSF, if disclosed.36 If the project (or any part of the project) now being submitted has been funded previously by a source other than NSF, information must be provided regarding the last period of funding.

(taken from NSF’s PAPPG, NSF 22-1 Effective Oct. 4, 2021)


BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

Georgia Tech will provide each sub-recipient (AUC Collaborator) with a budget and budget justification based on the total project needs and needs of the individual entity.  GT will send over a budget/budget justification for each institution for review by Sept. 22.  GT will ask that each institution look over the budget and add items needed to the areas where there is flexibility (GT will indicate those). Please note that the budget will be tight and there will be little wiggle room.  Any changes to the budget should be submitted to GT no later than Monday, Sept. 27 at 4:00 PM EST.   

Note regarding equipment and budget:
As a sub-awardee, the title of the equipment will vest with your respective institution upon acquisition.  Because of other collaborating institutions involved and minimal award amount, your budget will be limited (largely allocated for equipment).  We  will be requesting quotes from our vendors for the equipment that will be located at your campus and will provide each organization the amount that is allocated for your equipment purchases.  We will provide you with most of the budget lines.  If for some reason your institution requires limited effort of 1%, please let us know ASAP.   In those cases, we will need to incorporate salary and fringes for the Co-PI.  In general, “requests for significant human resources are not encouraged”.

LETTER OF COLLABORATION – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

Letter of Collaboration Link

Partnership documentation from personnel not included in the proposal as PI, co-­PI, or Senior Personnel should be in the form of a letter of collaboration.  Please use the collaboration letter template provided only.

LETTER OF SUPPORT – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

A letter of support from a campus leader at each participating campus is encouraged and “should address sustainability and commitment from each participating institution”.  This type of letter is often obtained from an institutional president, VP of Research or other high-ranking official who is able to make such a commitment. 

A letter of support is used to convey a sense of enthusiasm for the project and/or to highlight the qualifications of the PI or co-PI. A letter of support submitted in response to a program solicitation requirement must be unique to the specific proposal submitted and cannot be altered without the author’s explicit prior approval. (taken from NSF’s PAPPG, NSF 22-1 Effective Oct. 4, 2021

Please write this letter on organizational letterhead and use Arial 10 font.

LETTER OF INTENT TO SUBCONTRACT – to be Submitted to GT by 4:00 PM EST,  Monday, Sept. 27

Letter of Intent Link

This letter is required by Georgia Tech Research Corporation from your Sponsored Programs Office. 

Please note that GT will provide the NSF Proposal Number for the letter.