Notification Letter for 45 CFR 46.118 Determinations for NSF Awards

COGR has been working with NSF staff to develop a letter that universities can submit for proposals lacking definite plans for involvement of human subjects. The letter indicates that the grant or protocol meets the requirements of 45 CFR 46.118 and stipulates that “one year from the date identified above, the Authorized Organizational Representative is required to either verify that the project continues to lack immediate plans for the involvement of human subjects, their data, or their specimens; or provide documentation to the cognizant NSF Program Officer to demonstrate that IRB approval has been obtained.” Universities that utilize this notification letter will therefore track the expiration through their financial or IRB systems (or other mechanisms). These changes will be reflected in the next version of the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide that is scheduled for release in October 2016 and a link provided to the letter which will be available on the NSF website.