NSF plans June grants conference in Mile High City

Colorado State University will host the NSF Grants Conference scheduled for June 23-24. Visit the site to sign up to receive email when registration opens.

NIH regional seminar possible in spring 2014

The National Institutes of Health says it will have just one regional seminar on grants next year. It is scheduled for spring 2014 in a location to be announced -- possibly Baltimore. Stay tuned.

More tales of the NSF OIG

 The latest Semiannual Report to Congress from the Office of the Inspector General at the National Science Foundation contains discussion of a variety of research misconduct investigations. They include falsification of data and instances of plagiarism. In two instances, investigators allowed their collaborators to prepare the bulk of the proposal and didn't review it before submission. Moral of the story: Be sure to carefully review anything that's got your name on it.

Feds reopen; what's next

The National Institutes of Health has posted guidance for grantees and grant seekers now that the federal government has reopened. New deadlines have been established.

The National Science Foundation also has posted some brief information on what to expect now that it is once again open for business.

Stay tuned for details.

Shutdown central

The Office of Management and Budget has posted federal agency contingency plans for the shutdown in a single list.

Specific information for grantees of the National Institutes of Health.  It states, "The safest course is to wait to submit any application to NIH until after operations resume and a Notice in the NIH Guide concerning adjusted submission dates is posted."

The National Science Foundation says FastLane will be unavailable, and proposals submitted through Grants.gov will not be downloaded. "Awardees may continue performance under their NSF awards during the shutdown, to the extent funds are available, and the term of the grant or cooperative agreement has not expired," the agency states on this website.

New forms this fall at NIH

 Proposals submitted to the National Institutes of Health on or after Sept. 25, 2013, will need to use new forms, called FORMS-C. Read the full announcement for details. Or check out  FORMS-C for a summary.

NSF's success rates

 The National Science Foundation's 2012 report on its  Merit Review Process, which includes proposal  success rates, has been released. Award rates vary by directorate. Plenty of other interesting details, too.

More tales from the NSF OIG

Office of the Inspector General of the National Science Foundation has released its Semiannual Report to Congress, and include several cases of data falsification. One faculty member was accused of falsifying data for more than a decade. Two other cases involved graduate students.

Good morning Baltimore: NIH grant seminar

An NIH regional grants seminar  take place June 26-28 in Baltimore, and it has the potential to open doors for you. It's the only one this year, so sign up soon!

NIH award rates for 2012

The overall award rate for NIH proposals in 2012 was 18 percent, the same as last year. NIH also has posted statistics about the number of applications it received, the number of grants made, and other matters on its website.

NSF application changes

The National Science Foundation has made changes to its Proposal Policy & Award Procedures Guide (PPAG) that will become effective Jan. 14. See a presentation on the changes at NSF's website. There are changes in the project summary, biosketch and facilities and equipment forms. There's also more guidance on the broader impacts criterion.