Outreach Activities

The second National Science Foundation Regional Grants Conference of fiscal year 2009 will be held in Tempe, AZ and hosted by the Arizona State University on March 30-31, 2009.

Key representatives from the National Science Foundation as well as your colleagues - faculty, researchers and grant administrators - representing colleges and universities from around the US will participate.

This two-day conference is a must, especially for new faculty, researchers and administrators who want to gain key insight into a wide range of current issues at NSF including the state of current funding; new and current policies and procedures; and pertinent administrative issues. NSF program officers representing each NSF directorate will be on hand to provide up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answer your questions.

Highlights include:

• New programs and initiatives;


• Future directions and strategies for national science policy;


• Proposal preparation;


• NSF's merit review process;


• Cross-disciplinary and special interest programs;


• Conflict of interest policies; and


• Breakout sessions by discipline.

Registration and additional information is now available online. 

For additional information regarding program content, contact the Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support at (703) 292-8243, or via e-mail at policy@nsf.gov.

Future Regional Grants Conference

• Jackson, MS - October 5-6, 2009

Presentations from Recent Events

NSF Update - Fall 2008

NSF Tribal College Workshop - November 14, 2008

EPSRC/SFI visit to NSF – November 24 & 25, 2008

• Fundamentals of the NSF Proposal & Award Process
• Division of Grants & Agreements
• Financial Statement Audit
• Federal Budget & Process
• Award Portfolio Oversight & Monitoring

US-Ireland R&D Partnership: Visit to the NSF - November 6, 2008

• Introduction to the NSF
• Sensors and Sensor Networks
• Nanotechnology in the US and NSF

NSF Regional Grants Conference hosted by the University of Nebraska - Lincoln - October 20-21, 2008

• Introduction and NSF Overview
• Proposal Preparation
• NSF Merit Review Process
• Award Management
• Challenges, Opportunities and New Directions
• Crosscutting and Special Interest Programs
• Office of International Science and Engineering
• Transformative Research
• Office of the Inspector General
• Breakout Sessions:
• Proposal and Award Policy Update
• Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
• Compliance Issues
• Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• Geosciences
• Office of Integrative Activities: MRI & STC
• Education and Human Resources
• Engineering
• Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
• Federal Financial Report Process

NSF Workshops for Hispanic Serving Institutions - Spring 2007

• Introduction and NSF Overview
• Proposal Preparation
• NSF Merit Review Process
• Award Management
• Electronic Systems: FastLane & Grants.gov
• Business Assistance

Webcast: Workshop for Hispanic Serving Institutions - April 20, 2007

Webcast: Electronic Initiatives Webcast - October 20, 2006

Webcast: NSF Conference for Sponsored Project Administrators at Historically Black Colleges & Universities - March 21, 2006

BFA EPSCoR Outreach

• EPSCoR Outreach Initiative -Visit the EPSCoR web site for detailed information about the outreach initiative of the NSF EPSCoR Program.


• Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management - NSF's Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management (BFA) consists of four divisions:
• Budget Division;
• Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support;
• Division of Financial Management; and
• Division of Grants and Agreements.
• Division of Institution and Award Support.

Potential Discussion Topics in a BFA EPSCoR Outreach Visit include:

• NSF organizational structure and budget
• Proposal preparation & other pre-award issues
• Merit review process
• Grant award & administration
• Review of NSF proposal & award policy documents
• Cash requests, financial reporting, and other financial management issues
• OMB Circulars, budget/cost Items & audit related issues

FastLane Visits

• FastLane Outreach Activities

BFA Initiated Visits

BFA staff interested in participating in any upcoming visits should contact Jean Feldman, Head, Policy Office in the Division of Institution and Award Support.

State/University Initiated Visits

If a state or university is interested in hosting a BFA staff visit, the state's EPSCoR project director or a university representative should contact the Policy Office, and request a visit.