Dear Colleagues:

Based on feedback from the community, NSF has made a number of improvements to the NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of proposals. As a reminder, in accordance with the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), these formats will be required for proposals submitted or due on or after June 1, 2020. NSF also has updated the websites for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support to further inform the community about these improvements, including updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Biographical Sketch Improvements:

• Permit use of “et al” for publication citations in the Products section in the event that listing multiple authors makes it difficult to fit the information into the allotted space (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
• Increased space for the Products section by removing instructional text. Links added to relevant PAPPG sections (NSF fillable format);
• Removed the requirement to include the NSF ID (NSF fillable format); and
• Added a version date to the document (NSF fillable format).

Current and Pending Support Improvements:

• Increased the number of Project/Proposal entries from 10 to 15 to support the majority of proposals submitted to NSF (NSF fillable format);
• Updated the Award Number field to allow entry of both numbers and letters (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
• Replaced the “Calendar Year” label with “Year” to be consistent with PAPPG guidance (NSF fillable format and SciENcv format);
• Removed the requirement to include the NSF ID (NSF fillable format); and
• Added a version date to the document (NSF fillable format).

We look forward to you continued suggestions and improvements. Please continue to provide comments to policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management