NSF Fastlane Updates NCURA Region VI & VII Conference Chandler, Arizona April 17 – April 20, 2005

1. NSF Fastlane Updates NCURA Region VI & VII ConferenceChandler, ArizonaApril 17 – April 20, 2005

2. What is NSF FastLane? • FastLane (www.fastlane.nsf.gov) is over 40 externally facing interactive web-based systems used by scientists, engineers, educators, research and financial administrators to conduct business with NSF electronically. • Began ten years ago as experimental project with first modules released in 1995. • Electronic Proposal Submission through FastLane became required in October 2000. • In 2003, NSF won the President’s Award for Management Excellence for FastLane and other initiatives.

3. FY01 FY02 FY00 99.9 FY99 99.8 81 FY98 44 FY97 17 4 FastLane: An eGovernment Success StoryFY 04 Stats • Over 43,500 Electronic Proposals (over 99.9% of all proposals submitted) • 195,000 Electronic Reviews • 9,000 Electronic Graduate Research Fellowships • 25,000 Electronic Grantee Progress Reports • 14,000 Electronic Cash Requests Electronic Proposal PercentBy Fiscal Year (FY 97-02)

4. FastLane Goals • Reduce administrative burden on external customers and NSF. • Provide greater access to information. • Decrease Award Decision time.

5. FastLane Customers • Public • Reviewers • Researchers/Educators (Principal Investigators) • Sponsored Projects Offices • Financial Offices • NSF Staff

6. Who Uses FastLane? • 7,000 registered FastLane organizations • Universities and Colleges including Community Colleges and Minority Serving Institutions • Large and Small Businesses • Non-profits • State and Local Governments • 270,000 registered FastLane users • Principal Investigators (PIs) & Co-PIs • Reviewers • Sponsored Projects Offices (SPO) • Financial Offices

7. FastLane • Proposals, Awards and Status • Proposal Preparation, • Proposal Status Inquiry, • Letter of Intent • Project Reports • And much more! • Research Administration • Financial Administration • Proposal Review • Panelist Functions

8. FastLane Functions • Awards Search (public) • Medal of Science Nominations (public) • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Applications (public) • Postdoctoral Fellowships • Proposal Review (reviewers) • Panel Review (panelists) • Print Proposals on Demand and CD on Demand (reviewers and panelists) • Panelist Banking and Travel System (panelists) • Interactive Panel System (panelists)

9. FastLane Functions – Principal Investigators (PIs) • Prepare Proposals • Edit PI Information • Proposal Status Inquiry • Includes release of feedback from reviewers. • Revised Proposal Budgets • Proposal File Update • Electronic Proposal Withdrawal • View Award Letters • Prepare Supplements • Project Reporting • Post Award Notifications and Requests • Continuing Grant Increment Status • Letter of Intent

10. FastLane Functions – Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) • Submit Proposals/Supplements/Revised Proposal Budgets (includes Edit capability) • Add/Modify/Delete Users/Passwords/Permissions • View and Download Reports • Proposals • Awards • Final Project Reports • Continuation Funding • Organization Permissions • View Project Reports/Award Letters • Change Organizational Information • Prepare and Submit Post-Award Notifications & Requests • Electronic Signatures (Password and Permissions-based)

11. FastLane Functions - Financial • Cash Requests • Quarterly Federal Cash Transaction Report • EFT Verification and Submission

16. Recent Enhancements to FastLane

17. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • Created Letter of Intent Module • Changes to Submitted Proposals • Allow PI Transfers • Allow Change of PI/Co-PI • Allow Insertion of New Files (not previously uploaded as pdf, cover sheet & budget) • Enhance Proposal File Update Module • Ability to change proposal data. • Ability to add files where none exist

18. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • Proposal File Update enhancements are consistent with the new guidance on Proposal File Updates contained in the most recent issuance of the Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 04-23 ) • A request for a proposal file update automatically will be accepted if submitted prior to: • the deadline date specified in a program solicitation •  initiation of external peer review in cases when a target date is utilized • initiation of external peer review in the case of an unsolicited proposal.

19. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • A request for a proposal file update afterthe timeframes specified deadline date will require acceptance by the cognizant NSF Program Officer • Such requests may be submitted only to correct a technical problem with the proposal (i.e., formatting or print problems) • Changes in the content of the proposal should not be requested after the timeframes specified deadline date

20. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • Changes supported by the new PFU include the ability to: • · Add or delete sections of the proposal, even sections that are not • uploaded as PDF files • · Modify all sections of the proposal, even those that are created as • forms within FastLane • · Change the PI • · Add or delete coPIs • · Modify the proposed budget, including addition of subaward budgets, correct coding on the cover sheet for SGERs, Human Subjects, & international pre-proposals • · Modify several sections of the proposal as part of one Proposal File • Update

21. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • The following attributes remain unavailable for change: • · Programs/NSF Unit of Consideration • Awardee Organization (if the proposer is an unaffiliated individual) • Performing Organization • Due Date • Funding Opportunity number • Letter of Reference Writers (Post Doc Proposals)

22. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • SPO Return Proposal to PI • Enhance Spreadsheet Upload Process • Redesigned Financial Login • Update Organizational EFT Information • Organizational Permissions Report

23. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • Redesign Research Administration modules • Streamline navigation. • Improved search and sort functionalities. • Ability to extract search results into an Excel file. • Research Administration InBox is back! • CD on Demand for Reviewers • Created modules to support National Science Board Office (NSBO) Honorary Awards

24. Recent Enhancements to FastLane • Created modules to better support Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Reporting period for Project Reporting will be set by NSF. • E-Mail reminders to AORs who have proposals not signed within 5 working days of submission. • Port new look and feel to rest of FastLane.

25. Planned Enhancements • Revised Award Budgets • EDI Award Notice • Enhance Spreadsheet Upload Process • Redesign of Project Reports System

26. Planned Enhancements to FastLane • Implement Sophisticated Help Functionality and Training Materials • Integrate with Government-wide E-Grants System so that proposals submitted to NSF via E-Grants System can be processed electronically by NSF.

27. Continuous Improvement • System Reliability • Quality Control of Software • User Focus • Smooth Integration Inside NSF • Improved Help, Communication, and Outreach • Look to the Future

28. FastLane Customer Service and Outreach • FastLane User Support • 1.800.673.6188 • 703.292.8042 • New hours (7:00 am – 9:00 pm) • Workshops and Presentations at Organizations • Video Conferences/Training

29. The Grants.gov Initiative • Mandate - President’s Management Agenda and PL106-107 • Originally called the E-Grants Initiative • Eleven Partner Agencies • HHS (managing partner), NSF, Defense, Education, HUD, Justice, Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, and Homeland Security/FEMA • Produce a simple, unified “storefront” for all customers of Federal grants to electronically • Find grant opportunities – Launched in February 2003 • Apply for grants – Launched in October 2003 with SF424 forms

30. Applicant 1 Applicant N Applicant 3 Applicant 2 Agency N Agency 1 Agency 2 Agency 3 Grants.gov Solution – One place to go to find opportunities and submit proposals .…. .…. Benefits Both Grant Applicants and Agencies

31. Grants.gov • The extensive experience that NSF has with electronic grants and electronic business is being leveraged in the development and implementation of Grants.gov. • NSF will be making changes to NSF systems to ensure that the integration to Government-wide Grants.gov is successful • NSF is continuing to develop Fastlane to seamlessly integrate with Grants.gov

32. Integration with E-Apply capability of Grants.gov • NSF will integrate with Government-wide Grants.gov so that proposals can be submitted to NSF via Grants.gov and then processed electronically by NSF. • Soon NSF will be able to accept proposals through Grants.gov • If your university wants to pilot our integration with Grants.gov please contact us

33. Grants.gov Current Status and Next Steps • All 26 grant-making agencies posting funding opportunities to the FIND mechanism. • Deployed APPLY functionality. • Additional Forms Development for agencies not using the SF424 to collect additional data • Build Functionality to support the Research & Related Application Data Set – NSF is one of the agencies leading in the design and development • Agency System to System Interface – Successfully tested with several agencies including NSF • Applicant System to System Interface – Gathering requirements, piloting in Summer 2004

34. NSF FastLane and Grants.gov • NSF plans to begin to accept proposals through Grants.gov after the R&R forms are finalized. • Over 50 institutions to date have already expressed interest in submitting an application to NSF through Grants.gov!

35. Contact information: Evelyn F. Baisey-Thomasebaisey@nsf.gov703-292-4204

36. Questions: