Proposal Preparation and Submission

About Proposal Preparation and Submission


The Research.gov Proposal Submission System modernizes proposal preparation and submission capabilities by improving the user experience while also reducing administrative burden through an intuitive interface and expanded automated proposal compliance checking. NSF has transitioned all preparation and submission functionality from FastLane to Research.gov, and FastLane proposal preparation and submission functions were fully decommissioned on September 30, 2023. Please see the FastLane Decommissioning page for additional information. All NSF proposals must be submitted in Research.gov or Grants.gov in accordance with the instructions for a specific funding opportunity.

Access the Research.gov Proposal Submission System

Explore the Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site (You will be prompted to sign in to Research.gov if you are not already signed in.)

Research.gov Proposal Preparation Benefits
  • Fast and easy proposal setup wizard to find funding opportunities and initiate a proposal
  • Quick process to share proposal access with administrative staff. Expanded compliance checking (View Research.gov compliance checks  )
  • Expanded compliance checking (View Research.gov compliance checks)
  • Immediate compliance feedback in each proposal section
  • Unaltered PDF uploads
  • Minimized return without review of proposals due to compliance issues
  • On-screen references to relevant sections of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
  • Better management of personnel and subawards
  • Improved performance and less system downtime
Help NSF Continue to Refine the Research.gov Proposal Submission System

NSF wants your feedback! Vital feedback from the community helps ensure the system is working as intended and to identify areas of improvement.

Ways to provide feedback and stay informed: