Electronic submission of proposals has been on the horizon for some time. There are a number of outstanding benefits to electronic proposal submission, but the process also presents new challenges to institutional sponsored research departments. Among the considerations are maintaining the integrity between the electronically submitted text and data presented in the original proposal, how to handle the internal review of proposals before submission, and how to institutionally address system requirement needs.
Electronic Submission of NSF Proposals: This is a dynamic situation, changing very rapidly. Those Principal Investigators wishing to submit NSF proposals electronically should consult staff in the OSP.
Procedures for Electronic Submission of Proposals: Presently, only the National Science Foundation is equipped to handle electronic proposal submission as part of the NSF FASTLANE. FASTLANE's pilot applications include:
Again, this is a rapidly developing area. It is expected that within the next several years most government agencies, particularly the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense, will have moved to some level of support for electronic submission of proposals as part of the Federal Demonstration Partnership.
