NSF Fastlane

Creating a Proposal in FastLane

  1. After you receive your NSF ID and temporary password, login to FastLane and click on the tab that says Proposals, Awards and Status
  2. Click on Proposal Functions
  3. Click on Proposal Preparation
  4. Click on Prepare Proposal
  5. Click on Create Blank Proposal
  6. Click on Cover Sheet
  7. Click on Program Announcement and pick the correct directorate/program/division, etc. (all the rest of the cover sheet will need to be filled at some point, but you don’t have to do it this second)

Do three important things once the proposal has been created

  1. Go back to the Temporary Proposals in Progress page and click on Allow SPO Access
  2. Choose the option that gives everyone at OSP access (you will get a bunch of errors but that doesn’t matter – go to the bottom of the page and click on Proceed) so they can submit the proposal for you – Click on Allow AOR to view, edit and submit the proposal
  3. Set a PIN number for the proposal
  4. Send your grants manager the proposal number and the PIN so s/he has access

Expanded instructions and information about how to fill in the forms you will find on Fastlane and prepare the documents you will attach in Fastlane is in the PAPPG (Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide).

If you have never had an NSF account:

  1. Go to https://www.research.gov and click “Register” in the upper right corner.
  2. Complete the registration fields and then request the PI role at OSU, using DUNS 832127323.
  3. A request to approve the PI role will be sent to OSU’s NSF administrators and you will receive confirmation that the request is approved or denied.

If you already have an NSF ID number and password but it is not affiliated with OSU:

  1. Log into Research.gov, click “My Profile” in the upper right corner of the page
  2. Click “Add a New Role” (on the left side of the page).
  3. Click “Add Investigator or Authorized User Role” (under Prepare Proposals and Manage Awards).
  4. Request a PI/Investigator role with OSU using DUNS 832127323.
  5. A request to approve the PI role will be sent to OSU’s NSF administrators and you will receive confirmation that the request is approved or denied.