Author Archives: emily

How to Register for Grants.gov Workspace Access

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Beginning 1/1/2018, all Grants.gov proposals will be submitted through Workspace.  Similar to NSF’s FastLane, investigators will now be able to initiate new proposals online and multiple individuals will be able to work on the proposal forms simultaneously.

You do NOT need to register for Grants.gov Workspace in order to be a University of Akron PI, Co-I, Senior Personnel, etc. However, Grants.gov Workspace registration IS required in order to start workspaces (i.e. proposals), to complete or upload documents, to view in-progress proposals yourself, and to track submitted proposals.

If you with to register for Grants.gov Workspace access, please access the link: Grants.gov Registration and Workspace Access.

Additional information about Workspace as well as helpful resources can be found here: Grants.gov Workspace Information.

For questions or additional information, please contact The University of Akron Office of Research Administration or the Sr. Grant Coordinator assigned to your college or department (look up ORA Staff assignments).

Grants.gov WorkSpace – Replacing PDF Application Packages Beginning January 1, 2018

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About Workspace

Beginning 1/1/2018, Workspace will be the standard way to apply for grants in Grants.gov for both organizations and individuals (legacy PDF application packages in Grants.gov will no longer be available).  Via the online platform, Workspace will allow a grant team to simultaneously access and edit different forms within an application.

  • The following agencies and grant proposal application platforms will still be available and are preferred:
  • NASA proposal through NSPIRES
  • NIH proposals through ASSIST
  • NSF proposals through FastLane

Workspace Benefits to Applicants

  1. Workspace streamlines collaboration – multiple forms can be completed at once by a team of applicants.
  2. Workspace saves time – forms from old workspaces can be reused, reducing data-entry and saving time.
  3. Workspace helps detect errors earlier – improved error-checking allows applicants to catch and correct errors earlier resulting in fewer rejected submissions.
  4. Workspace simplifies applying – in a Grants.gov Workspace there are context-specific help articles that explain every link and button as well as many video tutorials that walk applicants through the Workspace submission process.

About Grants.gov Accounts and Profiles

You do NOT need to register for Grants.gov Workspace in order to be a University of Akron PI, Co-I, Senior Personnel, etc. However, Grants.gov Workspace registration IS required in order to start workspaces (i.e. proposals), to complete or upload documents, to view in-progress proposals yourself, and to track submitted proposals.  In other words, Workspace has similar accessibility and functionality to NSF’s FastLane.

If you wish to receive Grants.gov email subscriptions, such as news subscriptions or saved searches, you will need to be registered with Grants.gov.  If you wish to access, manage, and track Workspaces (i.e. proposals) you will need to be registered with Grants.gov AND have a profile that corresponds to the applicant organization (e.g. The University of Akron).

  • An account in Grants.gov is defined by your unique email address, username and password. Within your single account, you may have multiple profiles.
  • A profile corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (e.g. The University of Akron).
  • Grants.gov registration directions can be found in the “Grants.gov Registration and Workspace Access” document.

Additional Information and Resources

Grants.gov Workspace Overview – https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

Grants.gov Workspace User Guide – https://grants.gov/help/html/help/GetStarted/Get_Started.htm

Grants.gov YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/GrantsGovUS

FDP Grants.gov Workspace Overview: Becoming a Workspace Wizard (9/7/17) – http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/pgasite/documents/webpage/pga_181375.pdf

For questions or additional information, please contact The University of Akron Office of Research Administration or the Sr. Grant Coordinator assigned to your college or department (look up ORA Staff assignments).

NSF Collaborators & Other Affiliations Information – Updated

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As part of the updated NSF Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), effective 1/29/2018, the Collaborators & Other Affiliations required information and template have been updated.  The below information is from the 2018 PAPPG Summary of Significant Changes.

Chapter II.C.1.e, Collaborators & Other Affiliations Information, has been significantly revised to request information regarding collaborators and other affiliations (COA) be provided through use of a standard NSF COA template. Footnotes also have been added to address frequently asked questions relating to the new COA template.

The new COA template and instructions are now available on NSF’s COA page. NSF specifically warns investigators that “some information requested in prior versions of the PAPPG is no longer requested; THIS IS PURPOSEFUL AND WE NO LONGER REQUIRE THIS INFORMATION TO BE REPORTED,” and reminds investigators to not alter the fillable form.

This document is required for all Principal Investigators (PIs), co-PIs and other senior project personnel identified in NSF proposals.  All prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to complete the form well before a proposal deadline.  Once the template has been completed, it may be updated as needed and reused for subsequent NSF proposals.

Please contact ORA or your Sr. Grant Coordinator if you have any questions or concerns about the NSF COA requirement.

New NSF Grants.gov Application Guide

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NSF is pleased to announce that a revised version of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide has been issued.  The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide has been updated to align with changes to NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 18-1).  Information about FastLane system registration has been removed and replaced with guidance for registering in Research.gov.  Editorial changes have also been made to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence or section or to ensure consistency with data contained in NSF systems or other NSF policy documents.

The new NSF Grants.gov Application Guide will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 29, 2018.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact ORA or your Sr. Grants Coordinator.  For technical questions relating to Grants.gov, please contact Grants.gov directly at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.