AGENCY: National Science Foundation (NSF)

PROGRAM: Publication of New Grant Proposal Guide (GPG 08-1)

The NSF has published a revised version of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), NSF 08-1, which will be effective for proposals received on or after January 5, 2008. The most significant changes made to the GPG are:

(1) Revision of the intellectual merit review criterion: The National Science Board (Board) has approved a change to the Intellectual Merit Review Criterion to specifically include review of the extent to which a proposal suggests and explores potentially transformative concepts. All proposals received after January 5, 2008, will be reviewed against the newly revised criterion. The full text of the newly revised criterion is as follows:

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?

The term "transformative research" is being used to describe a range of endeavors which promise extraordinary outcomes, such as: revolutionizing entire disciplines; creating entirely new fields; or disrupting accepted theories and perspectives — in other words, those endeavors which have the potential to change the way we address challenges in science, engineering, and innovation. Supporting more transformative research is of critical importance in the fast-paced, science and technology-intensive world of the 21st Century.

(2) Updated guidance on the designated fonts that may be used when preparing an NSF proposal:

a. One of the following typefaces identified below must be used:

• Arial, Courier New, or Palatino Linotype at a font size of 10 points or larger
• Times New Roman at a font size of 11 points or larger
• Computer Modern family of fonts at a font size of 11 points or larger

A font size of less than 10 points may be used for mathematical formulas or equations, figure, table or diagram captions and when using a Symbol font to insert Greek letters or special characters. PIs are cautioned, however, that the text must still be readable.

b. No more than 6 lines of text within a vertical space of 1 inch.

c. Margins, in all directions, must be at least an inch.

These requirements apply to all uploaded sections of a proposal, including supplementary documentation.

 While the changes identified above are effective for proposals submitted on or after January 5, 2008, proposers are strongly encouraged to begin complying with the guidance as soon as possible.  If you have any questions regarding the new Guide, please contact either the OSP Assistant Director assigned to your school or department or the NSF Policy Office at (703) 292-8243 or by e-mail to policy@nsf.gov.