| National Science
Foundation
» FASTLANE
Leading the way in electronic forms submission, NSF has created FastLane through
which all administrative functions can be completed and submitted electronically to
NSF. The ease of use and the time efficiency of this program make it ideal for PIs to
submit forms, from proposals to technical reports, via the World Wide Web. NSF FastLane
can be found at www.nsf.gov.
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» FASTLANE Password Acquisition
A Fastlane Password can be assigned to any individual (Principal Investigator or
Department Administrator) who will be working in Fastlane.
To obtain a Fastlane Password, the following information must be submitted to
BARA with the request:
Individual's (PI’s) Full Name
Highest Degree and Year Conferred
Department
University Address
Social Security Number
Email Address
Office Phone and Fax Numbers
bara@jhu.edu
PLEASE NOTE: If a PI has forgotten his/her password, a new one may be obtained by
selecting the “password reset” button that appears on the Fastlane home page under
the login fields.
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» FASTLANE Proposal Access
The Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) provides guidance for the preparation and submission of
proposals to NSF. Contact with NSF program personnel prior to proposal preparation is
encouraged. Some NSF programs have program solicitations that modify the general
provisions of this Guide, and, in such cases, the guidelines provided in the solicitation
must be followed. The GPG can be accessed at
www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/nsf04_23/start.htm
To gain access to a particular proposal, the Principal Investigator must provide the
following information to any individual who is not a Principal or Co-Investigator:
- Proposal Number (automatically generated by Fastlane)
- Proposal Pin Number (This is a unique number assigned by the PI and should be
different from the PI's Fastlane Password)
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» Proposal Preparation and Submission
Forms preparation is initiated by the PI, with access controlled by a valid user name,
SSN and password.
Proposal submission and electronic signature are completed by the Business and Research
Projects Administration.
FastLane provides checks for completeness and other information edits. The forms may
be reviewed and edited on-line prior to submission by the PI or anyone designated by
the PI.
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» Electronic Signature
An additional step is required for all NSF proposals that are submitted via Fastlane.
Once a Principal Investigator has completed his/her proposal in Fastlane, the PI must
allow "SRO view, edit, & submit" access to the proposal. This notifies BARA that the
proposal is ready for the university's electronic signature.
PLEASE NOTE: If the PI only allows the SPO to “View” or “View and
Edit,” without allowing him/her to “submit”, BARA will NOT be automatically notified
via email. In this event, the PI and/or administrator must contact BARA directly to
initiate a review of the proposal.
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» Proposal Submission Requirements (Dean's Office)
Proposal submissions just prior to, or on, the deadline date may be delayed due
to the system load. Please keep this in mind when completing and submitting your
proposal for review by BARA.
The routing sheet, an abstract, and budget, as well as cost sharing approval
documentation, are required for review and signature by BARA and the Vice-Dean for
Research. BARA requires 5 days for review. If 5 days are not allowed for review, the
PI understands that he/she assumes the risk that a proposal MAY NOT be submitted by its
deadline.
For further information on Fastlane, contact BARA, bara@jhu.edu
or review the submission guidelines online at: www.nsf.gov.
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» Proposal Status Inquiry
PI's can view information regarding the receipt and status of submitted proposals,
including the verification of basic identifying information, the proposal receipt
date and the name of the NSF Program and Program Officer assigned to the proposal.
FastLane also provides dates of final program approval, as well as the identification
of overdue reports and other factors that could cause delay in the proposal process.
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» Revised Budgets, Notifications and Requests
Any administrative changes must be completed and submitted in Fastlane. This includes
revised budgets, no-cost extensions, change in PI, change in scope of work or any other
changes requiring NSF notification or approval. All administrative changes should be
entered by the PI and will be submitted by BARA.
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» Interim and Final Projects Reports
NSF grants require the submission of Interim Project Reports thirty (30) days
prior to the start of a continuation year, and a Final Project Report (NSF Form 98A)
within 90 days after the expiration of the grant. To complete either of these reports,
the PI (user) enters a valid NSF award number, the Principal Investigator’s last name
and password. The reports may then either be entered into an on-line format, or
uploaded as a word processing or PDF file.
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» Award Search
NSF maintains an information database of all active awards. This includes such
information as: PI, institution, start and end dates, amount of award and abstract.
Users may query the NSF database by state, institution, NSF program, and fiscal year
within each category. FastLane also provides a list of recent awards.
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» Other Relevant Points
Allowable Costs
For information on NSF allowable costs including: cost-sharing restrictions,
equipment purchases, travel restrictions and other allowable costs, please
see the following website:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02151/gpm6.jsp
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Salaries and Wages
Faculty. Salary for faculty members on academic-year
appointments is limited to no more than two-ninths of their regular
academic-year salary. This limit includes salary received from all NSF-funded
grants.
Non-Faculty Researchers. As a general policy, NSF
recognizes that salaries of faculty members and other personnel associated
directly with the project constitute appropriate direct costs and may be
requested in proportion to the effort devoted to the project. NSF regards
research as one of the normal functions of faculty members at institutions
of higher education. Compensation for time normally spent on research within
the term of appointment is deemed to be included within the faculty member's
regular organizational salary. Grant funds may not be used to augment the total
salary or rate of salary of faculty members during the period covered by the
term of faculty appointment or to reimburse faculty members for consulting
or other time in addition to a regular full-time organizational salary
covering the same general period of employment.
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FDP Terms and Conditions
FDP Terms and Conditions can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_fdp.htm
Also an excellant Matrix and be found at
http://www.reference.com/search?q=FDP%20matrix. Click on the first item, FDP Matrix.
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