NSF Issues Proposed Award Term Requiring Harassment Reporting

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting comments until May 5 on its new proposed term and condition being implemented in response to incidences of sexual harassment and misconduct by principal investigators and other NSF-funded researchers.

Commenters may want to seek clarification from NSF, because some of the language in the March 5 Federal Register notice, which requires new reporting obligations, seems to conflict.

If adopted as written, recipients of funding, such as universities, handling misconduct and other harassment allegations will have to move quickly to properly notify NSF as required under the proposal, which will appear in award letters as Article X.

NSF indicated in February that it would be issuing the new term for comment (RRC 3/18, p. 1). It is in response to growing concern over increasing incidences of sexual misconduct in science.

Under NSF (and NIH) grants, the awardee is the institution, which dispenses the funds to a principal investigator and co-PI.

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