Product Overview of Research.gov
Introduction
Research.gov is a comprehensive online platform developed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to manage and facilitate various aspects of research grants, proposals, and project reporting. This system is designed to streamline and standardize the processes involved in the administration of federal research awards.
Key Features and Functionality
User Access and Account Management
- Users must have an NSF ID and be registered in NSF’s FastLane system to access Research.gov. New users can register directly with NSF, and existing users can manage their accounts, including personal information and role requests.
Proposal Preparation and Submission
- Research.gov allows investigators and administrators to prepare and submit research proposals, including full research non-collaborative proposals and collaborative proposals with subrecipients. The platform provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface with immediate feedback on proposal sections and document uploads, reducing administrative burden. It also features expanded automated compliance checking to ensure proposals meet NSF requirements.
Grants Management
- The platform offers a centralized location for grants management, enabling users to perform post-award functions such as managing notifications, requests (e.g., no-cost extensions, subawards), and viewing award documents. It is gradually replacing FastLane as NSF’s end-to-end award management system.
Project Reporting
- Research.gov is used for submitting final, annual, and interim project reports, including the Project Outcomes Report (POR). The system provides a Project Report Dashboard where Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs can view the status of their reports (due, overdue, submitted, not yet due) and prepare and submit reports. Reports must adhere to the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) format, ensuring consistency in federal research award administration.
Reporting Module
- The reporting module is organized into tabs for different components of the report, including Accomplishments, Products, Participants, Impact, Changes/Problems, and Special Requirements. Users can attach PDF documents for images, charts, and other supplemental materials, but narrative content must be entered directly into the system.
Compliance and Feedback
- Research.gov includes robust compliance checking with 104 checks, compared to 56 in FastLane, providing specific error and warning messages to ensure higher quality proposal submissions and minimize returns without review.
Training and Support
- The platform offers in-line help, including pop-up text boxes and videos with closed captioning, to assist users. Additional resources such as a “Getting Started Guide” and Frequently Asked Questions are available to support users in navigating the system.
Integration and Transition
- Research.gov is part of NSF’s effort to transition functions from FastLane. While FastLane is still used for some functions, Research.gov is becoming the primary system for proposal submission, award management, and project reporting. The system ensures that proposals submitted through Research.gov are evaluated in the same manner as those submitted through FastLane or Grants.gov.
Conclusion
In summary, Research.gov is a powerful tool that streamlines the management of NSF grants and projects, providing a user-friendly interface for proposal submission, grants management, and project reporting, while ensuring compliance with federal requirements and reducing administrative burdens.