Research.gov - Frequently Asked Questions

About Research.gov

1. What is Research.gov?
   

   Research.gov is the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) grants management system that provides easy access to research-related information and grants management services in one location. Research.gov is the modernization of FastLane, providing the next generation of grants management capabilities for the research community.
   

2. Who are Research.gov's federal agency partners?
   

   The following agencies are Research.gov partners:

   • National Science Foundation (NSF)
   • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
3. What services does Research.gov offer?
   

   Research.gov provides integrated access to information and a menu of services for multiple federal research agencies in one location.  Currently, the following services are available on Research.gov:

   Public Services:

   • Research Spending and Results: View information about how NSF and NASA grant award dollars are being spent, what research is being performed, and how the outcomes of the research benefit society.  This service also allows you to search specifically for NSF awards funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
   • Policy Library: Access an electronic library that consolidates federal and agency-specific policies, guidelines, and procedures for use by federal agencies, the research community, and the general public. 
   • Research Headlines and Events:  Read articles on science and research related topics sponsored by Research.gov partner agencies and learn about research-related activities and events.  
   • Science, Engineering & Education Innovation (SEE Innovation):  Provides policy makers, science related organizations, and the general public with quick, dynamic access to information about NSF-funded research and education projects.

    

   Applicant and Grantee Services:

   • Project Outcomes Report for the General Public: Online tool for Principal Investigators (PIs)/Co-PIs to prepare and submit the Project Outcomes Report for the General Public, a brief summary for the public that describes the nature and outcomes of NSF-funded research projects. The public can view Project Outcomes Reports through Research Spending & Results (on the detail page for an award). Account required for report submission.
   • Grants Application Status: Sponsored Projects Office staff (SPOs) and Principal Investigators (PIs) can check the status of applications, from submission to decision, as they are received and reviewed by NSF. 
   • Federal Financial Report: Prepare and submit grant financial reports to NSF using the new government-wide standard form.
   • Institution and User Management: Institution Administrators can add users to institutions and manage their profiles.

    

    In the future, Research.gov plans to offer:

   • Research Performance Progress Reports: An online tool to complete and submit research performance progress reports using the new standard form.

    

   NSF will continue to collaborate with partner agencies to identify new services and information to offer through Research.gov based on the priorities and feedback of the research community. 

4. What is Research.gov's approach to offering services?
   Research.gov offers a menu of services tailored to meet the needs of federal agencies with a focus on the research community.  Offering a menu of services allows agencies to subscribe only to those Research.gov services they choose, whether it is one service or many.  Research.gov services are designed to complement existing agency functions, such as Grants.gov or other agency systems, an approach which maximizes the benefit to the agency and their grantees by providing a more comprehensive, community-focused mix of services.  For example, a department may have a research-oriented component (e.g. bureau or agency/sub-agency) that would want to offer Research.gov’s externally-facing services to its grantees while continuing to use the department’s capabilities for other tasks.
5. What new features are available through Research.gov?
   

   Research.gov's new features allow you to:

   • Use a robust keyword search to quickly find the information you are looking for.  Easily target your search results by applying additional key words or by searching within specific services or areas of the site.
   • Personalize your Research.gov experience by:
     • Signing up for RSS feeds and email alerts to stay updated on the Research.gov news and information you care about.
     • Customizing your homepage with the Federal and research community links you find the most useful.
     • Managing your preferences to show information of interest to you. 

   *In order to personalize your Research.gov experience, you must have a Research.gov visitor account.  Research.gov visitor accounts are free and anyone can sign up for one. See questions 17-18 below for more information.
   

6. Who should I contact for more information about Research.gov?
   For more information or questions about Research.gov and its service offerings, please contact the Research.gov team by e-mail at feedback@research.gov or by phone at (703)-292-8150. To provide feedback, there is an online Research.gov feedback form.
7. Who uses Research.gov?
   Research.gov focuses on providing high-value services and research-related information to meet the specific needs of the research community and research grant-making agencies and programs.  Research.gov is also an important resource for the general public and policymakers to access transparent information about federal research spending and outcomes.
8. What services are currently available on Research.gov?
   

   Research.gov currently features the following services:

   Public Services:

   • NEW! Science, Engineering & Education Innovation (SEE Innovation) - Provides the public, the scientific community, and policy makers with quick, dynamic access to information about NSF investments at the forefront of science, engineering, and education.
   • Research Spending & Results - Search NSF Recovery Act Awards and detailed award information, including publication citations and award abstracts from NSF and NASA.
   • Policy Library - An electronic library that consolidates federal and agency-specific policies, guidelines, and procedures for use by federal agencies, the research community, policymakers, and the general public. 
   • Research Headlines: View highlighted research activities from NSF and NASA.

   Grantee Services:

   • New! Project Outcomes Report for the General Public– Online tool for Principal Investigators (PIs)/Co-PIs to prepare and submit the Project Outcomes Report for the General Public, a brief summary for the public that describes the nature and outcomes of NSF-funded research projects. The public can view Project Outcomes Reports through Research Spending & Results (on the detail page for an award). Account required for report submission.
   • Federal Financial Report - Prepare and submit grant financial reports to NSF using the new government-wide standard form. Account required.
   • Grants Application Status - Sponsored Projects Office staff (SPOs) and Principal Investigators (PIs) can check the status of applications, from submission to decision, as they are received and reviewed by NSF. Account required.
   • Institution and User Management - Institution Administrators can add users to institutions and manage their profiles. Account required.

About Enhancements to Existing Research.gov Services

9. How has Research Spending and Results on Research.gov been enhanced?
   

   The Research Spending and Results service  has been enhanced to allow you to:

   • Conduct faster searches using more intuitive quick and advanced searches.
   • View and download up to 6,000 search results (was previously limited to 2,000).
   • Easily export your results set and details about those awards, including award abstracts.
   • Sign up for features, such as RSS feeds and email alerts, to stay up-to-date as new awards are made and award information is updated.  Sign up for alerts by agency, state/territory, congressional district, or institution.  For example, sign up to be notified every time your institution receives an award.
10. How has the Policy Library on Research.gov been enhanced?
    

    The Policy Library has been enhanced to allow you to:

    • Use a robust keyword search to quickly and easily find the government-wide and agency-specific policies and guidelines you need.  In addition to keywords, you can also search for policies by topic, type, agency, or date range.

    • Easily find information of interest through intuitive categories, including:

      • Topic area (e.g., nondiscrimination, environmental standards, etc.)
      • Policy type (e.g., statutes, regulations, terms and conditions, etc.)
      • Policy and procedure manuals (e.g., NSF Grant Proposal Guide, Grants.gov Applicant User Guide, etc.)
      • Quick links to other Policy-related websites
    • Sign up to receive email alerts and RSS feeds notifying you when new policies and information are added.
      

About Login and My Profile

11. What are the benefits of a Research.gov Visitor Account?
    

    A free Research.gov Visitor Account allows you to:

    • Update your individual profile and preferences in order to receive targeted information based on your interests.
    • Sign up to receive email alerts when new information is added for the agencies, states/territories, congressional districts, or institutions that you are interested in. For example, sign up to be notified every time your institution receives a new award.
    • Take advantage of new interactive features like RSS feeds to stay up-to-date on news and information.
    • Set your homepage links to the Federal and research community websites that are most helpful to you.

    Click Help for information on how to update your profile and take advantage of these features.

12. What is a Visitor Account?
    

    Visitor Accounts are a free, new feature available to any visitor to Research.gov that allow you to personalize your Research.gov experience and leverage new features, such as RSS feeds and email alerts. Research.gov users with visitor accounts will not be able to access account-controlled services for applicants and grantees, such as the Federal Financial Report and Grants Application Status, so members of the research community should continue to use their FastLane IDs and passwords to log into Research.gov or contact their institutions’ FastLane contact to be set up with a FastLane account (these types of accounts will have access to the same personalization features as visitor accounts).

    Click Help for information on how to sign up for a Visitor Account.
13. If I already have a FastLane account do I need to sign up for a Visitor Account?
    

    If you already have a FastLane account you do not need to sign up for a Visitor Account. You have access to all the same features as a Visitor Account.

14. What is an NSF User Account?
    

    The NSF User Account gives applicants and awardees access to grants management services from NSF and its partner agencies to help them monitor proposal status, manage awards, and meet reporting requirements. In order to obtain an NSF User Account, your organization must be registered in NSF’s FastLane system. For more information, click here.

15. How do I register for an NSF Staff Account?
    

    NSF Staff can log in using their NSF ID and password to access the NSF Research.gov Desktop. Note: you must either be on the NSF internal network or connected remotely via Access NSF to log in.
    

16. How do I register for an NSF User Account?
    
    • If you and your organization are already registered in NSF's FastLane system, you are automatically registered in Research.gov and can log in with your NSF FastLane ID and password.
    • If your organization is already registered in FastLane or Research.gov and you are not, you will need to be registered as a user. Notify your organization's Institution Administrator to add you as a FastLane user (to look up your organization’s Institution Administrator, please click here).
    • If your organization is not registered in FastLane, the Institution Administrator can register here. The Institution Administrator should register him or herself as the FastLane Contact. The institution registration information will be available on Research.gov the next day.

    For more information click Here!

Benefits of Research.gov

17. How does Research.gov benefit the research community?
    

    Research.gov provides an integrated location for researchers to access information and services for multiple federal agencies. Research.gov increases efficiency in the grants management process by allowing researchers to focus more time on their work and less time on administrative tasks.  Additionally, Research.gov gives the research community insight into the grant-making process and federal research spending and outcomes through its services.

18. How does Research.gov benefit NSF and other research agencies?
    Research.gov is a venue for NSF and other research agencies to collaborate on innovative and customer-driven services that better serve the research community and promote a common research mission. Research.gov helps agencies fulfill federal mandates (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, E-Government Act, America COMPETES Act, and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act) and enhances the research-focused services and information that agencies provide by organizing information into a single access point throughout the grants management business process. Additionally, Research.gov provides partner agencies with the opportunity to increase their agency’s level of transparency by offering the public clear insight into the federal research spending process through such services as Research Spending and Results.
19. What agencies will benefit from Research.gov?
    Federal research grant-making agencies with similar business processes and a common customer base will benefit from the collaborative and technological capabilities of Research.gov.
20. How does Research.gov benefit policymakers?
    

    Research.gov helps fulfill mandates set forth by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, E-Government Act, America COMPETES Act, and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.  Research.gov offers both local and federal policymakers the opportunity to track federal research funding and research outcomes in their home state, congressional district, and across the nation.

21. How does Research.gov benefit the general public?
    

    Research.gov provides transparent and open access into federal research spending and outcomes.  The public can easily access information and data in open formats to learn about how federal research dollars are being spent.  Individually, existing and upcoming services like Research Spending and Results, Project Outcomes Reporting, and Science, Engineering & Education Innovation provide valuable insight into NSF-funded research, and they are designed to marry seamlessly with each other to offer the public a clear, comprehensive picture of NSF awards.  These services provide opportunities for the public to learn more about the details of federal research awards, their outcomes, and how their impacts benefit society. 

    Additionally, the public also has the opportunity to participate in shaping the future of Research.gov by providing feedback on existing services and input on what they would like to see on Research.gov in the future. Users can submit feedback online using the Research.gov feedback form or by emailing feedback@research.gov.
    

About Research Spending and Results

22. How does Research Spending and Results Make Access to Award Information Easier?
    

    Research Spending and Results provides users transparent access to financial details such as total amount of award, institution, state, and congressional district where the research is performed, and Recovery Act award funding.  This service also offers high-value details about research awards that the public and the research community have asked for, including abstracts (descriptions of the planned research at the time the award was made) and publication citations (details and links to magazine and journals where information about the research has been published).  This service fulfills such mandates as the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act and provides the public with valuable information about where federal research dollars are being spent and what outcomes are being achieved.

23. What awards are displayed in Research Spending and Results?
    Research Spending and Results displays federally-funded grant awards active as of FY 1994 and beyond for NSF and active as of FY 2007 and beyond for NASA. Please note information may not be as complete for awards that date prior to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (awards not active as of October 2006 and beyond). Research Spending and Results does not currently provide award information for loans or contracts.
24. Can I search specifically for NSF awards funded by the Recovery Act through Research Spending and Results?
    

    Yes, users can easily and quickly search for NSF-funded Recovery Act awards by checking the “show me only Recovery Act awards” box located on both the Research Spending and Results quick and advanced search forms.

25. What is the difference between Research Spending and Results and USASpending.gov?
    

    According to Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) requirements, federal grant-making agencies must make certain award information, including recipient name and award amount, available to be searched by the public on USASpending.gov. Research Spending and Results provides more frequently updated FFATA award data for participating partner agencies in an easily searchable format. In addition to FFATA data, Research Spending and Results also provides the public with the outcomes of federally-funded research, such as award abstracts and publication citations.

26. Is there a way to download information from Research Spending and Results to share, analyze, or use with data mining and extraction tools?
    

    Yes, information available through Research Spending and Results is provided in open, accessible formats (XML, CSV, and Excel) for easy download.  Additionally, information is updated nightly for NSF and monthly for NASA to ensure users are receiving current information in a timely manner.

     

About Grants Application Status

27. What Research.gov partner agencies are participating in Grants Application Status?
    

    Grants Application Status provides users with a single location to view proposal status information for NSF.  NSF is interested in opportunities to partner with additional agencies in the future on this service.

28. What applications can I view status information for?
    

    Grants Application Status displays status for all applications submitted to*:

    • NSF via Grants.gov or FastLane

    * Please note a user's organization must have a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number issued by Dun and Bradstreet and be registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) in order to use Research.gov account-controlled services, including Grants Application Status. To register in the CCR, go to http://www.ccr.gov. Please be advised that it takes approximately two business days to complete the registration process.

About Science, Engineering & Education Innovation

29. What is Science, Engineering & Education Innovation (SEE Innovation)?
    

    Science, Engineering & Education Innovation (SEE Innovation) is a new service to provide policy makers, science related organizations, and the general public with quick, dynamic access to information about NSF-funded research and education projects. Learn about research and how NSF awards are funding discovery and evolving the landscape of science and engineering across the country. SEE Innovation is your place to find a wide variety of information about NSF-funded projects, their outcomes, and their impacts.  Click here to visit SEE Innovation.

30. What are the benefits of SEE Innovation?
    

    SEE Innovation offers transparent insight into NSF investments.  Through SEE Innovation, you can:

    • Find out how NSF investments in basic science, engineering, research, and education foster learning, discovery, and breakthroughs that advance the frontier of knowledge and benefit society.
    • Discover how NSF-funded research assets, including facilities & networks, telescopes & observatories, and ships, are being used to make ground-breaking discoveries.
    • Quickly and intuitively find information by area of interest and geographic location with the click of a button.
    • Access information from multiple resources in one location, eliminating the need to sift through multiple sources to find what you are looking for.

     

31. Why was SEE Innovation developed?
    

    SEE Innovation provides easy access to information about NSF investments in science, engineering, and education.  The goal of SEE Innovation is to describe NSF-funded awards and using language and a format that is easy to understand.

32. How was SEE Innovation developed?
    

    NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA) worked with the National Governors Association (NGA) on the initial concept for what would eventually become SEE Innovation.

33. Who can use SEE Innovation?
    

    Anyone.

34. What types of information are available on SEE Innovation?
    

    Information available through SEE Innovation includes:

    • Award Highlights: Brief snapshots of select NSF-funded awards with easy-to-understand summaries describing the project outcomes.
    • People of Distinction: Information about exceptional members of the research, science, engineering, and education community from across the country with compelling biographies outlining their accomplishments that have led to such prestigious awards as the National Medal of Science, and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. 
    • Research Assets: Information about select centers, facilities & networks, telescopes & observatories, and vehicles that make science, engineering, and research possible.  Find award information about these assets and learn about large-scale research that is enabled by these assets. 
    • Award Statistics: An interactive States & Territories map that provides information about the NSF funds received in a given fiscal year, including recipient institutions and award amounts, by state.  Award statistics can also be viewed by Congressional District.  
35. How can I use SEE Innovation to find the information I am looking for?
    

    You can find information on SEE Innovation in a variety of ways, including:

    • Research Area: The 12 categories NSF uses to group research and education, such as Earth & Environment, Education, Engineering, and Mathematics.
    • States &Territories: An interactive map to find a state’s total number of awards made and amount of funds recieved in a given fiscal year, recent awards, award highlights, as well as People of Distinction, and Research Assets.
    • Research Assets: Information about select NSF investments in program centers, facilities & networks, telescopes & observatories, and vehicles. 

    Click Help for detailed instructions on how to find the information you are looking for.

Providing Feedback

36. How does Research.gov collect and use feedback?
    

    Research.gov depends on collaboration and participation from our users to help us evolve to meet customer needs.  Research.gov uses a variety of methods to collect feedback, and the Research.gov team monitors and compiles feedback received through Research.gov online via:

    • Customer Satisfaction Survey (users are randomly selected to take the online pop-up survey)
    • Online feedback form 
    • Feedback mailbox (feedback@research.gov)

    The team also conducts outreach at grantee conferences, where they record audience feedback during Research.gov presentations and Question and Answer discussions. Research community feedback is used to make enhancements to current services and to prioritize future services.

37. How can I submit feedback to the Research.gov team?
    Submit comments and feedback, including suggestions for new services and enhancements to current services, either by using the online feedback form or by e-mailing feedback@research.gov. To access the web form, click Tell Us What You Think on the left-hand navigation menu.

About Research.gov and NSF

38. What role does NSF play in Research.gov?
    NSF is leading the Research.gov initiative by leveraging and modernizing FastLane, NSF's legacy grants management system, as the foundation for Research.gov.  NSF is the only federal agency that combines a research mission with a grant-making mechanism as its sole line of business and it was chosen as the lead because of its strong reputation for quality and leadership in grants management processes.
39. How does Research.gov relate to FastLane?
    

    FastLane is NSF's web-based grants management system used by over 250,000 scientists, educators, technology experts, and administrators, including the nation's top researchers.  NSF has been recognized for FastLane's exemplary performance, and while NSF has achieved success with FastLane, the system was built starting in 1994 and is in need of modernization.  Research.gov is an opportunity to modernize and evolve NSF's grants management systems to increase the quality and scope of services for the research community.  The modernization includes moving legacy FastLane capabilities to a new, modern portal platform.

     

40. What is the history behind Research.gov?
    

    Since the initial development of Research.gov, NSF has leveraged FastLane services to provide an integrated web portal for research organizations to conduct grants business with federal research agencies.  In September 2007, NSF conducted a Research.gov pilot. With the pilot, Sponsored Project Office staff and Principal Investigators could check the status of grant applications submitted to NSF in one place.  Based on lessons learned from this successful pilot, Research.gov has extended its grants management services to other federal research grant-making agencies, allowing researchers to access information and grants services for multiple research agencies in one location.

    Over the course of three years, Research.gov has continued to evolve and release more customer-driven services.  With the current emphasis on achieving high federal standards of transparency and accountability, Research.gov has positioned itself to proactively exceed these expectations and broaden its constituency beyond the research community and partner agencies to the general public.

     

About Research.gov and Partner Agencies

41. What services are available for partner agencies through Research.gov?
    

    Partner agencies currently offer the following services through Research.gov:

    • NASA: NASA’s grant award information is available through Research Spending and Results. NASA is also currently partnering with NSF on the Policy Library and Research Headlines services and plans to partner with NSF on the upcoming Research Performance Progress Report service.

    NSF and Research.gov partner agencies are committed to serving the research community, public, and policy makers through Research.gov and are eager to provide the capability to access research-related information and services for multiple federal research agencies in one location.  Research.gov will continue to explore partnerships with more agencies in the future.

42. When will grantees be able to use services for partner agencies?
    Grants Application Status is now available. Additionally, Research Spending and Results, Policy Library, and Research Headlines and Events are available for NASA.
43. Is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a Research.gov partner?
    While NIH is not currently a Research.gov partner, NSF and NIH are in discussions to identify potential partnership opportunities and hope to collaborate on services in the future.

About GMLOB, Grants.gov, and Research.gov

44. What is GMLOB?
    GMLOB, or the Grants Management Line of Business, is a cross-agency initiative that seeks to create and implement a government-wide solution to support end-to-end grants management activities that promote citizen access, efficiency of the submission process, customer service, and agency financial and technical stewardship.
45. What is Grants.gov?
    Grants.gov is a single access point for grantees to find and apply for all types of federal grants.
46. How does Research.gov relate to GMLOB and differ from Grants.gov?
    Research.gov will provide a comprehensive menu of services focused on the needs of research organizations, from grant application status to project and financial reporting. Research.gov furthers the goals of the Grants Management Line of Business initiative by providing grantees with greater access to federal research agencies' grants management services and streamlined functionality. Grants.gov will continue to offer “Find and Apply” services.
47. What is a Grants Management Consortium?
    A Grants Management Consortium is a group of federal grant-making agencies with similar missions, business processes, grant types, and/or grant recipients working together to define a common technical solution to meet their grants management needs. Each consortium is comprised of one lead agency and one or more partner agencies.  Consortium members work together to deliver services that meet grantee needs.

Research.gov Outreach

48. What outreach is being done to educate the research community about Research.gov?
    The Research.gov team is participating in multiple outreach activities to create awareness about Research.gov. Recently, the team has given briefings at Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) meetings, section meetings for both the Society of Research Administrators (SRA) and the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), and Regional NSF Grant Conferences. The team plans to continue to give briefings on Research.gov at upcoming grantee conferences throughout the year.
49. What outreach is being done to educate the public and policy makers?
    

    NSF provides a variety of mechanisms, both proactive (where the public can actively contact Research.gov) and direct (Research.gov reaches out directly to share information and solicit input), for the community and the public to interact and learn about Research.gov.  NSF frequently participates in research and grants-focused webcasts, such as those held twice a year by the Grants Policy Committee, which are available to be viewed by any member of the public at no cost.  Additionally, information about Research.gov is included in NSF congressional briefings and hearings, and NSF has established the Open NSF webpage (http://opennsf.ideascale.com/), to solicit public input on ideas and suggestions, including feedback on Research.gov. Research.gov is also researching new opportunities for increased outreach in the future.

50. Where can I find information on upcoming Research.gov briefings and demos?
    Users can find information on upcoming Research.gov outreach activities through the events calendar on the Research.gov homepage.
51. Who should I contact for information on Research.gov for articles or newsletters?
    Send a request for information to the Research.gov team by e-mailing feedback@research.gov. Please be sure to state the nature of your request in the e-mail to ensure that the team sends the appropriate information.
52. Where can I find Research.gov informational materials?
    The media kit, located on the What is Research.gov page of the Research.gov site, provides information on the Research.gov initiative, including a link to a Research.gov demo on YouTube, Fact Sheets, Backgrounder, list of Frequently Asked Questions, and one-page Service Offerings and Benefits Overview to educate users about Reasearch.gov and how to use its’ services.

Protecting Users' privacy

53. I previously used my Social Security Number (SSN) to login to Research.gov. Why can I no longer use it?
    

    As of September 6, 2008, users are no longer able to log-in to Research.gov using their Social Security Number (SSN). Instead, users should log-in using their NSF ID. To look-up your NSF ID, use the ID look-up tool provided on the log-in page. Please note that users can only look up their own NSF user IDs and cannot retrieve IDs for other users.
    
    NSF and the Research.gov team are dedicated to protecting the privacy of our users by reducing and, where possible, eliminating the use of SSNs. Doing this also helps us comply with federal-wide guidance, including:

    • OMB M-06-16 for the "Protection of Sensitive Agency Information"
    • OMB M-07-16 for "Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information"
    • U.S. Office of Personnel Management June 18, 2007 memo: "Guidance on Protecting Federal Employee Social Security Numbers and Combating Identity Theft"

    In addition to eliminating the use of SSNs as system log-in IDs, NSF is increasing security where SSNs must be used for business purposes and eliminating the use of SSNs in processes, systems, and files where no business need exists.