NSF Updates the RPPR

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 11:12:20 -0400

Dear Colleagues:

Effective October 5, 2020, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will enhance the Project Reporting System in Research.gov to implement the revised Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR). The RPPR is a uniform format for reporting performance progress on Federally funded research projects and research related activities. NSF awardees use the RPPR to prepare and submit annual and final project reports to NSF. Further details about the RPPR can be found on the Research.gov About Project Reports website.

New Question for Project Reports with Active Other Support Changes

On October 5, 2020, NSF will add the following new question to the Edit Participants screen: Has there been a change in the active other support of the PI/PD(s) since the last reporting period? If Principal Investigators (PIs)/Project Directors (PDs) and co-PIs/co-PDs select “Yes,” they will be required to upload their most up-to-date Current and Pending Support document in an NSF-approved format to notify NSF that active other support has changed since the award was made or since the most recent annual report.

Current and Pending Support documents not in an NSF-approved format will trigger a compliance error preventing document upload and submission of the annual or final project report.

The NSF-approved formats for Current and Pending Support are SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae and an NSF fillable PDF.

The NSF Current and Pending Support website includes additional information as well as links to system-related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for both NSF-approved formats. A set of policy-related FAQs related to current and pending support is also available.

The complete lists of FastLane and Research.gov automated proposal compliance checks effective October 5, 2020, are available on the Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals website.

Additional New Questions from the Revised RPPR
Beginning October 5, 2020, NSF will also add the following three questions to the "Impact" and "Changes/Problems" tabs:

What was the impact on teaching and educational experiences? (Impact tab);

What percentage of the award’s budget was spent in a foreign country? (Impact tab); and

Has there been a change in primary performance site location from that originally proposed? (Changes/Problems tab).

NSF-specific Updates

NSF-specific help text updates have been added throughout, and NSF-specific instructions have been clarified or enhanced.

To reduce administrative burden, NSF has consolidated data entry fields where possible.

Current and Pending Support Format Training Resources
To learn more about the NSF-approved formats for Current and Pending Support, please view the NSF PAPPG (NSF 20-1) webinar and NSF-Approved Formats for the Biographical Sketch & Current and Pending Support Sections of NSF Proposals webinar.

SciENcv has created the following materials to guide the community through the preparation of the NSF Current and Pending Support document in SciENcv:

NSF Current and Pending Support Video Tutorial

NSF-specific Bookshelf Resource (includes screenshots and step-by-step instructions)

Questions? Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov. If you have IT system-related or technical questions regarding the NSF-approved formats or the Research.gov Project Reporting System, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov.

Regards,

National Science Foundation