About the Project Outcomes Report for the General Public

Section 7010 of the America COMPETES Act requires that research funded in whole or in part by NSF report on the outcomes of the funded research for the general public. The Project Outcomes Report for the General Public serves as a brief summary prepared by the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI specifically for the public, describing the nature and outcomes of the project.  These reports will be posted for public viewing exactly as submitted by the PI or co-PI and accompanied by a disclaimer.

This new reporting requirement is effective for new awards made or existing awards that receive funding increments or supplements on or after January 4, 2010.    PIs and co-PIs will use Research.gov to prepare and submit these reports. Please note this report is required in addition to final project reports which PIs and co-PIs will continue to submit through FastLane.

The Project Outcomes Report will describe the project outcomes or findings that address the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the work as defined in the NSF merit review criteria. Additionally, PIs and Co-PIs will have the opportunity to creatively showcase their work by uploading images that will be posted with the report.

Following submission, the public can view a Project Outcomes Report for the General Public online through Research.gov’s Research Spending and Results Search. Research Spending and Results allows you to find awards based on search criteria such as awardee, award ID, fields of research and education, and Congressional District where the award was made.  

How PIs and co-PIs can prepare and submit Project Outcomes Reports:

1. Log-in to Research.gov (first time Research.gov users, see How Do I Login?).
2. If you are a PI or co-PI on an award that requires this report, you will see the Project Outcomes Report dashboard on your homepage. 
3. Click on the Project Outcomes Report link to see a list of awards.
4. From there, you can create, edit, and submit reports for each award.

To view a demo of how to log in and access the Project Outcomes Report, please see the Research.gov Grantee Services Instructional Overview.

Click here to view the Project Outcomes Report requirement guidelines in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

View information about this requirement or consult this step-by-step guide.

Viewing Project Outcomes Reports online

Research.gov’s Research Spending and Results provides you a list of awards based on your search criteria and details for each of those awards.  The Project Outcomes Report will be posted with those award details and will be accompanied by the following disclaimer:

“This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.”

To view a Project Outcomes Report:

• Go to Research.gov Research Spending and Results Search.
• Enter an award ID or other criteria such as awardee and click search.
• On the search results page, click on a Federal Award ID Number to view details about the award including the Project Outcomes Report (if submitted) at the bottom of the page.