If you were accustomed to the old NSF project reporting system using Form 98A and other paper reporting formats, here are the principal changes you will see:
The following are required in order to access the FastLane Project Reporting application.
1. To access the FastLane Reporting application as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI, you have to be known to NSF as a PI.
3. To access the FastLane Project Reporting application, you have to have a FastLane Password or Award PIN.
NSF has changed from using PI PINs to using Passwords. Your organization's Sponsored Research Office (SRO), or equivalent, is responsible for creating a password for each NEW individual FastLane user. At any time, PIs can use the "Change Password" FastLane application to change their Password. This Password will be required each time that an individual wishes to make FastLane transactions. SRO officials should read the instructions on adding FastLane users and initializing and changing user passwords which are located in Research Administration Functions.
This program is needed for viewing and printing forms exactly like NSF will view and print them.
Interim Report Using this option you can update the information on record about your project at any time during or after the award period. This report is not required.
Working on a Report
ACCESSING FASTLANE TO PREPARE A REPORTTo prepare a Annual Project Report, Final Project Report, or Interim Report, the PI accesses the NSF FastLane Home Page and selects "Project Reports System." He/She types in their login information (award number, last name, and the Password provided by his or her Sponsored Research Office), the Publicity, Patent Rights, and Privacy screen will appear. After the Publicity, Patent Rights, and Privacy information has been reviewed, the PI should click on the "CONTINUE" button. The next screen will allow you to select the type of report you are going to prepare or if you have started a report in another session, you are able to access your "report-in-progress", make changes or complete and submit the report.
PROVIDING ACCESS TO AN "IN PROGRESS" REPORT
The various catagories of an "in progress" report may be accessed and modified by the PI or Co-PI of the award or by any other authorized FastLane user to whom the PI has given authority to access the report. The PI and the Co-PI have access to the reporting system.
The PI or Co-PI can provide access authority to another individual by assigning their work-in-progress report a PIN. From the "System Control" screen, the PI/Co-PI can assign his/her report a PIN by clicking on the "Assign or Change PIN" button type a report PIN of his/her choice, retype it, and click the "CONTINUE" button.
An authorized FastLane user, other than the PI or Co-PI, can then access an "in progress" application by typing the Award number, his/her SSN, and PIN associated with that award. The User would then have access to the report.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO WORK ON?"
LEFT BOX – Section I - Report Components
Click on the button corresponding to the appropriate report type (Annual, Final, or Interim). This will take you to the "Project System Control" screen. To prepare your report, click on any of the four buttons/links at this location to begin typing or editing information in the corresponding major section of your report.
There are several ways to add data to the reporting system:
1. The user can type text directly into the text boxes using the interface provided. Special formatting such as bold-facing, italicizing, and underlining cannot be included in a web text block.
2. The user can cut and paste text from a word processed document. However, doing so will only transfer text. Special formatting such as bold-facing, italicizing, and underlining will be lost in the cut-and-paste process.
3. The user can upload one file for Activities and one file for Findings (Attach File). Doing so will preserve the exact formatting created by the user. To use the file upload capability or the automatic word wrap for text blocks, you must use a browser which supports these capabilities.
Participants
In this section you will be asked:
Activities and Findings
This section will serve as your report to your program officer of your project's activities and findings. Please describe what you have done and what you have learned, broken down into four categories: - Describe the major research and education activities of the project.
- Describe the major findings resulting from these activities.
- Describe the opportunities for training and development provided by your project.
- Describe outreach activities your project has undertaken.
If in doubt about the category in which to report a particular result, please use the "What"/"Why" buttons. If still in doubt, report in whichever category seems to you closest.
Publications and Products
In this section, you will be asked to describe the tangible products coming out of your project. Specifically:
- What have you published as a result of this work?
- Journal publications
- Books or other non-periodical, one-time publications
- What Web site or other Internet site have you created?
- What other specific products (databases, physical collections, educational aids, software, instruments, or the like) have you developed?
Contributions
Now we invite you to explain ways in which your work, your findings, and specific products of your project are significant. Describe the unique contributions, major accomplishments, innovations and successes of your project relative to:
- the principal discipline(s) of the project;
- other disciplines of science or engineering;
- the development of human resources;
- the physical, institutional, or information resources that form the infrastructure for research and education ;
- or other aspects of public welfare beyond science and engineering, such as commercial technology, the economy, cost-efficient environmental protection, solution of social problems;
Special Requirements
This section will show if (but only if) you are filing a required project report, in which case you need to click it to respond to obligatory questions bearing on contractual or legal requirements.
MIDDLE BOX – Section II - Administer the Report
The four buttons/links at this location allow you to administer this report. Attach File
This function allow you to attach one file to your report for graphical materials such as tables or charts that are essential to your report. The file should contain only graphical material. You should then make reference to the tables, charts, etc., contained in the file in your text as necessary. If you have materials such as prints, videos, etc., that are essential to your report but cannot be submitted electronically, you should send those materials directly to your NSF Program Officer. To attach a file you must first create the file using appropriate software FastLane PDF Instructions for Proposal Preparation and Project Reporting.
Once you have created your file, you can attach the file by clicking the "Browse" button and selecting it from your directory. Next, click the "Transfer" button to send your file to FastLane.
Check Completeness This function will run an automatic check of your report and let you know of any information you have left out that is necessary to a minimally complete report. The system normally will not allow you to submit an incomplete report when a report is required. There are no completeness requirements for interim or post-award updates. Be forewarned: the system may let through a report that your program officer might consider insufficient or might ask you to flesh out in particular respects.
Review and Submit This function will allow you to review a "printout" of your report, just as it will go to your program officer, and perhaps to reviewers. If you are satisfied, it will enable you to formally submit the report to NSF. When you submit, a read-only copy of your working record will be entered into the NSF database. Your original working record will remain, to be added to or changed in subsequent reports.
Unsubmit Pending Reports Prior to approval by your NSF program officer, this function will allow the user to access his submitted report and remove it from the pending queue at NSF.
RIGHT BOX – Section III - About this Award
These functions will take you to the screens where you can review basic facts and contacts pertaining to your award, you and the other investigators, your home organization, and your NSF contacts. If you find any of this information incorrect, you can let NSF know through these screens what needs revision.
Review Facts and Contacts This feature allows you to view basic facts about your award and to make revisions to the award data displayed if needed. This screen does not allow for updates/revisions to PI information. If you need to edit your personal information (name, address, phone, email, demographic information) you may do so by clicking Edit PI Info. under PI/Co-PI Functions on the FastLane Homepage.
Review Past Submissions Allows you to view and print hardcopies of past submissions
Assign or Change PIN Allows you to assign or change the 5 character Information Number award. Another FastLane user to whom you give this "Award Pin" can use it to gain entry and make entries into the report on your project.
GETTING HELP WITH FASTLANEYou may send technical FastLane questions and comments to the FastLane Help Desk using the "Comments on the Project Reporting System" at the "Project System Control" screen or "comments" feature on each FastLane screen. You can also contact the FastLane Help Desk by sending an e-mail to fastlane@nsf.gov or calling (800) 673-6188.
For questions about the content of your report and all other non-FastLane questions, please contact the appropriate NSF program office. If you do not know who to contact, that information is available from the FastLane homepage at NSF Contacts.
Use the Back button on the toolbar to return to the previous screen.
02/14/02