Revised for 2016 submission (12/03/15)
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
Program Solicitation
Core Programs
NSF 16-505
Preliminary Proposal Due Date: January 15, 2016, 5pm –
DUE TO OSP (RELEASED TO SRO) BY 5 PM ON THURSDAY, 1/14/2016
eTransmittal not Required Once you have completed your pre-proposal in FastLane, it must be submitted by the Office of
Sponsored Programs. To release your proposal please go to the Proposal Actions page, click on your Temporary Proposal in
Progress & select the following options: ALLOW SRO ACCESS, then click View, edit & submit proposal.
This process will release your pre-proposal & send email notifications to the Office of Sponsored Projects staff, who will
submit your proposal to NSF. This must be done by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, 1/14/16, to be considered an on-time
submission.
Eligibility Info
PI Limit: None
Limit on No. of Proposals per Organization: None
Limit on No. of Proposals per PI: 2
In a given year, an individual may participate as a PI or co-PI on no more than two preliminary proposals
submitted in response to this solicitation. Preliminary proposals in excess of the limit for any person may be
returned without review in the reverse order received. "PI" & "co-PI" refer to the role an individual would play in a
full proposal. It is the responsibility of the submitters to confirm that the entire team is within the
eligibility guidelines. Participating in a proposal as a collaborator does not count towards this limit, including
investigators who contribute services for a fee (e.g., sequencing) or are the PI on a subaward. Thus, the number
of proposals on which an investigator can be listed as collaborator is unlimited. Changes in the team postsubmission to meet the eligibility limits will not be allowed. Refer to IOS website
(http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=IOS) for answers to FAQs.
Cover Sheet Select "16-505" from the pull-down list. The IOS Programs will automatically appear. Check the box
indicated for the preliminary proposal. Entries on the Cover Sheet are limited to the PI & a maximum of 4 CoPIs. The box for “Beginning Investigator” must be checked if either the PI or one of the Co-PIs is an individual
who has not been a PI or Co-PI on a federally-funded award with the exception of doctoral dissertation,
postdoctoral fellowship or research planning grants.
Title of Proposed Project Title should begin with the prefix "IOS Preliminary Proposal:..." followed by any
additional acronyms (e.g. Accomplishment Based Renewal "ABR:", or Research in Undergraduate Institutions
"RUI:"), if applicable. If a collaborative multi-institution proposal, "Collaborative Research:" should be used.
Project Summary (1 page/4600 characters) Project Summaries must include 3 sections: 1) Overview, 2)
Statement on Intellectual Merit & 3) Statement on Broader Impacts. The summary should be written in the third
person, informative to those working in the same or related field(s) & understandable to a scientifically or
technically literate reader. Preliminary proposals that do not separately & explicitly address the overview,
intellectual merit &d broader impacts in the Project Summary will not be accepted by FastLane or will be
returned without review. Must go in text boxes unless you have special characters (other than underline, italics,
etc.)
Project Description Maximum 5 pages total, containing the two following sections:
I. Personnel (Limited to one page; any remaining space should be left blank.) Provide a list of project
personnel, including PI(s), co-PI(s), lead investigators on subawards & other project personnel, whether from
proposed collaborative research proposals or sub-awards. For proposed collaborative proposals, indicate each
non-lead organization's PI as non-lead PI 1, non-lead PI 2, etc. For the purposes of this solicitation, senior
personnel include PIs, co-PIs & any other researchers actively involved in achieving & managing the intellectual
merit or broader impacts goals of the project. Senior personnel may include individuals who will provide
essential expertise & intellectual engagement on a small but significant component of the overall project, & may
include named postdocs. For each person listed in Section I. Personnel, provide their institutional affiliation, title,
status on the full proposal (i.e., PI, co-PI, subaward lead, other personnel), & in one sentence only describe that
person's role(s) in the project.
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Revised for 2016 submission (12/03/15)
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
Core Programs
II. Project (Limited to four pages. We suggest the use of the sub-sections listed below, organized as
appropriate.)
1. "Conceptual Framework" or "Objectives" or "Specific Aims"
2. "Rationale & Significance" or "Background"
3. "Hypotheses" or "Research Question(s)"
4. "Research Approach" or "Experimental Plan" or "Research Design"
5. "Broader Impacts of the Proposed Work" (required section)
References Cited Limited to 3 pages, see GPG for format. NOTE: All authors must be listed; the use of “et al” is
not allowed.
Biographical Sketches (2-page limit for each) should be included for each person listed on the Personnel page. It
should include the individual's expertise as related to the proposed research, professional preparation,
professional appointments, 5 relevant publications, 5 additional publications, & up to 5 synergistic activities.
Advisors, advisees & collaborators are no longer part of the biosketch.
Budget None should be submitted; however, enter $2 in the Requested Amount box on the FastLane Cover
Sheet.
Combined Conflict of Interest document Template found at http://www.nsf.gov/bio/ios/ioscoitemplate.xlsx contains
a total of five tabs. Compile an Excel workbook that identifies conflicts of interest (COIs) for all persons listed on
the Personnel page. Conflicts to be identified are (1) Ph.D. dissertation advisors & advisees, (2) collaborators or
co-authors, including postdoctoral researchers, for the past 48 months, (3) co-editors within the past 24 months,
(4) spouse or other relatives who are involved in research in the same or related fields, & (5) any other
individuals with whom, or institutions with which, the senior personnel (PI(s), co-PI(s), & any named personnel)
have financial ties, including advisory committees (specify type), boards of directors, or prospective employees.
Email the completed Excel workbook immediately after you submit your proposal to
IOScoispreadsheet@nsf.gov, but no later than the proposal deadline. You must use only an assigned NSF
Proposal ID, which should be 7 digits long & will start with "16."
Proposal Classification Form Completed by the PI
Applicants must include the above documents (prepared in accordance with standard NSF formatting
guidelines). No other items or appendices are to be included. Facilities, Equipment & Other Resources; Budget
& Budget Justification; Data Management Plan; & Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan are not required for preliminary
proposals & should not be included. No appendices are permitted.
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