NSF Progress and Outcomes Reports

Introduction 

Progress and outcomes reports are used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to gauge the progress of NSF funded projects. At this time, the reports can only be initiated, prepared and submitted by the Project Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI) in Research.gov. The NSF requires progress reports for all financial assistance awards, including grants and cooperative agreements and utilizes the data from these reports to track and assess project progress and outcomes, identify issues within specific projects, fulfill legal obligations, and provide information to the public.

The Office of Sponsored Programs often receives questions from PI’s while drafting their progress reports. To address the most common inquiries, we offer the following information and TIPS:

 

Helpful links

• https://resources.research.gov/common/attachment/Desktop/ProjectReportGettingStartedGuide_general.pdf General guide.
• Formatting, instructions and helpful information & the NSF project report template.
• Reporting Tutorial and FAQ’s

 

Types of Reports

• Annual Project Reports (APR) - Required for all multi-year grants and are to be submitted every year of the award. Each annual report must describe the project’s activities and accomplishments during the project year as well as its broader impacts for that reporting period.
• Final Project Report (FPR) - Submitted at the end of the project and should cover the activities during the last year of the project.

• Project Outcomes Report- Submitted at the completion of the project, and is for the general public. This report should be written in layperson terms, so as to be accessible to a broad audience.

 

Due Dates 

• Annual RPPR Due Dates:

Project reports must be submitted electronically at least 90 days before the end of the current reporting budget period. For continuing grants, failure to submit reports on time may result in delays in processing funding increments. Note that the date listed in Research .gov is the date the report becomes overdue. By submitting at least 30 days before that overdue date, the PO has sufficient time to review and approve the report. Be aware that reports submitted late will delay the processing of funding increments and other administrative actions; including, but not limited to, no-cost extensions. This may also have an impact on other NSF awards or proposals the PI and Co-PI’s are listed on as well as any other Federal grants or proposals they are part of since non-compliant reporting data is shared across these agencies.

Note that all Annual Project Reports for each reporting period must be completed before submitting the Final Project Report.

• Final Report Dues Dates:

120 days from the period of performance end date but again, it is recommended that it be submitted at least 30 days before that end date to allow the PO sufficient time to review and approve the report.

• Project Outcomes report Dues Dates:

Project Outcomes Reports (PORs) apply to all Standard Grants, Continuing Grants, and Cooperative Agreements. This report provides a concise summary, designed for the public, outlining the nature and outcomes of the project. Unless otherwise stated in the grant, PORs must be submitted electronically through Research.gov no later than 120 days after the grant's end date.

• Please alert your OSP Post Award Specialist once the reports are submitted, and complete the deliverable (Deliverable Instructions) in your myResearch AWD. To identify your assigned Post Award Specialist, please visit our website.

 

Quick TIPS & Best Practices:

1. Best practice: Please prepare and submit your report early and avoid waiting until the report overdue date. This will allow for sufficient time to gather required information and address any issues that will prevent timely submission. This is especially important if you have multiple investigators with changes in active support. Please be mindful that there are multiple investigators with awards that have the same APR or Final report due dates. Preparing the draft report early and sharing with OSP will allow OSP sufficient time to review and answer any questions you may have while you finalize the report.
2. Please consult with your department administrator and your Office of Grants Management (OGM) Sponsored Award Analyst for confirmation on who worked on the project in the reporting period and for how many months so your report is consistent with the internal award records.
3. Please be sure to review the Award Notice and all amendments issued for the award for any special terms and conditions that require specific content for the APR or Final Report to ensure this content is included in the reports.
4. Students or trainees who worked on the project in the reporting period but were not paid from the grant should only be listed in the Accomplishments section B: training and development; not in the participant section of the report. The Participant section is for (1) PDs/PIs & Co’Is; and (2) each person who worked, and was funded by the project, during the reporting period.
5. Please be sure to determine if any key personnel have had a change in active support since the last report (or since the issuance of the award if no prior report). If so, they will need to provide an updated other support document in the approved NSF format for upload to the report.
6. Please state whether there were any foreign collaborations or foreign travel during the reporting period. Please review the institutional guidelines for such collaborations on the Office of Research Security webpages to ensure compliance with institutional and sponsor guidelines.