Important Funding Agency Updates

Deferred Implementation of Indirect Cost Policy for Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) - Effective Date May 20, 2025: Applies to all new awards and associated subawards to IHEs. This notice is being issued to all NSF proposers and recipient organizations, Principal Investigators, and Authorized Officials for awareness.  The National Science Foundation (NSF) is temporarily pausing implementation of NSF Policy Notice: Implementation of Standard 15% Indirect Cost Rate (NSF 25-034) through June 13, when a hearing is scheduled to occur in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Association of American Universities, et al. v. National Science Foundation, et al., No. 25-cv-11231.  This policy applies to all new awards and associated subawards to IHEs. New NSF awards and associated subawards issued during this pause will not implement NSF 25-034 but will include a term applying NSF 25-034 for the entirety of the award if there is a court decision permitting application of the policy.   NSF reserves the right to modify, rescind, or fully implement NSF 25-034 to the entirety of awards and subawards issued to IHEs on or after May 5, 2025 in accordance with applicable legal rulings and administrative procedures.

Research Security Updates for Federal Grant-Seekers: On May 1st, several federal agencies will require grant applicants to complete training in Research Security. This free training is hosted by NSF (https://www.nsf.gov/research-security/training). Complete all four modules and save your completion certificate; ORSP will launch a website to collect them on April 28th.

NSF Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Effective October 27, 2024, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) for Research.gov. With the growing number of cyber threats, traditional password-only security is no longer sufficient. MFA provides an added layer of security and helps to ensure that only authorized users can access Federal resources online. 

MFA is a layered security measure that requires two or more authentication methods to verify a user’s identity. MFA will increase the security of the Research.gov portal because even if one authentication method such as a password becomes compromised, unauthorized users will be unable to meet the second authentication requirement and will be prevented from accessing Research.gov.

Here are the three main types of MFA and examples of each:

Something You Know – PIN, password, or one-time passcode (OTP)

Something You Have – Physical object such as a mobile device, laptop, USB device, key, or smart card

Something You Are – Biometric authentication such as a fingerprint or face scan

Visit the new About Signing Into Research.gov page for how-to guides, video tutorials, and FAQs:  https://www.research.gov/research-web/content/rgovsignin

National Science Foundation (NSF) - New Requirements for Senior/Key Personnel Documents

Biographical Sketches

NSF has partnered with the National Institutes of Health to use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae as the NSF-approved format for use in preparation of the biographical sketch section of an NSF proposal. Adoption of a single, common researcher profile system for federal grants reduces administrative burden for researchers. Proposers must use SciENcv to prepare their biographical sketches for proposals to NSF. SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF version of the biographical sketch. Proposers must save this document and submit it as part of their proposal via Research.gov or Grants.gov. Frequently asked questions on using SciENcv: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/SciENcvFAQs.pdf

Current and Pending (Other) Support

SF has partnered with the National Institutes of Health to use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae as the NSF-approved format for use in preparation of the current and pending support section of an NSF proposal. Adoption of a single, common researcher profile system for federal grants reduces administrative burden for researchers. Proposers must use SciENcv to prepare their Current and Pending (Other) Support information for proposals to NSF.  SciENcv will produce NSF-compliant PDF versions of the current and pending support format. Proposers must save this document and submit it as part of their proposal via Research.gov or Grants.gov. Frequently asked questions on using SciENcv:  https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/SciENcvFAQs.pdf

Synergistic Activities

NSF requires this one-page document for each individual identified as senior/key personnel. What to include in your Synergistic Activities information: A list of up to five distinct examples that demonstrate the broader impact of your professional and scholarly activities, focusing on the creation, integration and transfer of knowledge.

Updated NIH Policy on Foreign Subawards: NOT-OD-25-104: Updated NIH Policy on Foreign Subawards

NIH Implementation of SciENcv and ORCID IDs in 2025

Effective May 25, 2025, the NIH will require the use of Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) to complete Common Forms (i.e., Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support) and the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement to produce digitally certified PDF(s) for use in application submission. NSF already requires PIs to use SciENcv to create these forms. NIH will also require all Senior/Key Personnel to enter their ORCID ID into SciENcv in the Persistent Identifier (PID) section of the Common Forms.

What is SciENcv? Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) is an application that helps researchers assemble the professional information needed for participation in federally funded research.

Benefits:

• Allows researchers to describe their scientific contributions in their own language
• Reduces the administrative burden associated with federal grant submission and reporting requirements
• Eliminates the need to repeatedly enter biographical and Current and Pending (Other) Support information
• Leverages data from existing systems

SciENcv is run by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). To set up a SciENcv account, follow the following directions:

Use the following URL to get started https://account.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/signup or https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv/.

1. If you already have an eRA Commons or NSF account, please use it to create your NCBI account.

For help setting up your SciENcv account, visit My NCBI Help at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154494/.

What is ORCID iD? ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. To register for an ORCID iD, visit https://orcid.org/register.

For help setting up your ORCID iD, please review the videos listed at the following site: https://vimeo.com/showcase/4268215