NSF Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires plans for safe and inclusive off-campus or off-site research, effective January 30, 2023.
A written plan is required per the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) 23-1 for NSF-funded research; see NSF PAPPG (2023).
The plan must describe how the following types of behavior will be addressed:
- Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; or
- Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.
Action Required: PIs with Off-Campus or Off-Site Research indicated within their statement of work for a NSF proposal will need to sign and submit a plan to their pre-award administrator with Sponsored Research Services (SRS) before SRS will submit the proposal to NSF. Refer to the following guidance from the Office of Sponsored Research Administration and Plan Template.
Guidance on Off-campus and Off-site Research Requirements
NSF’s PAPPG (23-1) includes a requirement (effective January 30, 2023) for the AOR to certify that the grantee organization has in place a plan for safe and inclusive research environments (PSI-FVAR) for any proposal including off-campus or off-site research.
For purposes of this requirement, off-campus or off-site research is defined by NSF as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft.
As a reminder, this supplementary document must address the following four sections:
- a brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team;
- the steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events;
- communication processes within the off-site team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone), and any special circumstances such as the involvement of multiple organizations or the presence of third parties in the working environment should be taken into account; and
- the process or method for making incident reports as well as how any reports received will be resolved should also be accounted for.
The organization’s plan for the proposal must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure. Proposers should not submit the plan to NSF for review. However, NSF may request the plan as a supplementary document.
Plan Template for safe and inclusive off-campus and off-site research.
This template is not required to be used by our PIs, but it is a starting point for those that want to use it.