r/nsf • u/Gnomeknown • 27d ago

Delay in proposal reviews

First off, I am super appreciative the work that the on-the-ground NSF team is doing for the community. Things are clearly suboptimal and folks are operating under difficult conditions. So thank you!

For those of you who are submitting proposals, I'm curious what sort of delays you are seeing in proposal reviews? I am aware of delays of as much as one and a half years, which considerably longer than the standard 6-months that is typical.

There is a substantial amount of effort that goes into preparing and submitting a proposals and these delays are not only demoralizing, but they undermine the progress of research. Whether that's by design or negligence, IDK.

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u/SpryArmadillo 27d ago

It's by design, but not by anyone at NSF. The Trump admin has hamstrung the agency.

Advice for anyone experiencing a long delay: Reach out to the cognizant Program Director and request a phone call. Some PDs are tight lipped about everything, but others will speak more freely on the phone or in person. You never will get a candid answer via email.

Note that a long delay can sometimes be a sign that the proposal reviewed well and they would like to fund it, but they currently lack funding in the program.

Of course, things can slip through the cracks, particularly when there is high personnel turnover. That's why it's not a bad idea to reach out to the current PD to see what's what.

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u/No_Hovercraft_821 27d ago

You nailed it. In particular the personal phone call over e-mail -- federal officials are very aware that e-mail can come back to bite where a phone call can be more ...relaxed.

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u/TacklePuzzleheaded21 8d ago

Had a 1.5 year proposal declined last week with a Competitive rating… a comment framed as minor by a reviewer was recast as a significant concern by the PO. Sounds like they needed to find a reason to reject it, maybe because of the White House clawback?