AAU, AAMC, ACE, APLU, and COGR submitted a memorandum with joint comments to the National Science Foundation yesterday on standardized disclosure forms and materials created by the National Science and Technology Council as part of the Biden administration’s implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33. The NSF is stewarding the forms and has provided additional information about them on its website.
The standardized disclosure materials are meant to lower burdens on researchers by allowing them to use the same forms to apply for grants at any federal funding agency. The joint comments expressed appreciation for the “interagency efforts to align disclosure requirements and materials across federal research agencies” and called the common forms “a positive step” toward “harmonization and consistency.” The associations’ memo also urged the NSF, the NSTC, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure that the common forms have limited variance among agencies, that there is a “transparent and uniform process” for updating the forms, and that they clarify key terms related to the types of information that must be reported.
AAMC and COGR also submitted additional detailed comments to the NSF regarding the common forms.