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NSF Project Description Outline

A comprehensive outline template for structuring your NSF research proposal project description, with section-by-section guidance.

Last updated: February 2025•Source: Strategic Research Development

Important Notes

This outline is designed for most standard National Science Foundation proposals and follows the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Some funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) have specific requirements that may not be included in this outline, or the outline may have more than is required for your application.

This document does NOT replace the detailed information available within the relevant FOA, the funding agency's forms, instructions, and review criteria.

Format Requirements

  • 1" margins on all sides
  • Times New Roman 11 point font (see PAPPG Chapter II.B for other approved fonts)
  • Project Description is limited to 15 pages total
  • Results from Prior NSF Support section is limited to 5 of the 15 pages
  • A description of work to be performed by any subawards must be included in the project description

Required Headings

The PAPPG requires a separate heading for Broader Impacts and specific headings within the Results from Prior NSF Support section.

All other headings in this outline are suggestions for organizing the information requested in the PAPPG.

Outline Sections

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1. Overview and Objectives(suggested length: 1 page)

Paragraph 1: Intro/Motivation

  • First sentence that presents some new or unexpected info and speaks to NSF mission
  • State of current research and education knowledge
  • Identify critical gaps in research that you plan to address
  • Why are these gaps a problem?

Paragraph 2: What, Why, Who

  • Long-term goal
  • Overall Objective (must address gaps identified in intro paragraph)
  • Overall hypothesis and rationale
  • Qualifications (yours, team's, environment/commitment, can include relevant past accomplishments, collaborations, etc.)

Paragraph 3: Specific Research Objectives

(the final number of objectives will vary as needed for your proposal)

  • Objective 1: Title
    • Working Hypothesis, Research Question, or Challenge
    • General approach
    • Outcome (if possible, or include overall outcomes in paragraph 4)
  • Objective 2: Title
    • Working Hypothesis, Research Question, or Challenge
    • General approach
    • Outcome (if possible, or include overall outcomes in paragraph 4)

Paragraph 4: "Payoff"

  • Innovation/Creativity of proposed research
  • Expected outcomes of research
  • Impact – How will outcomes advance field and NSF's mission?

Pro Tip

This first section should capture the reviewer's attention and provide a compelling overview of your entire project. Make sure every element clearly connects to NSF's mission and priorities.

2. Motivation(alternate heading: Background and Rationale)

(you don't need to use these sub-headings, but section should include this information)

  1. Relation of proposed project to the PI's longer-term goals
  2. Relation of proposed project to the present state of knowledge in the field
  3. Preliminary Data

Pro Tip

Your preliminary data is crucial in this section. Make sure to present it clearly with well-labeled figures and tables that demonstrate the feasibility of your approach.

3. Intellectual Merit(suggested heading)

  • Describe the potential of the proposed activity to advance knowledge in the field, as well as its relationship to work in progress by the PI under other support
  • What is the expected significance and impact of this project?

Pro Tip

Although NSF only requires "Intellectual Merit" as a heading in the Results from Prior Support section, it's highly recommended to include it as a separate section in your Project Description as well to emphasize this key review criterion.

4. Research Plan

What you want to do, why you want to do it, how you plan to do it, how you will know if you succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project is successful

For each Aim:

Aim 1: Title

(subheadings not required, but include this information)

  • Working Hypothesis
  • Background, Rationale, Research Questions
  • Preliminary Data (unless presented in background)
  • Approach (including methods, data collection, and analysis)
  • Expected Outcomes
  • Potential Problems and Alternative Approaches
  • Dissemination (or can go in Broader Impacts)

Aim 2: Title

Etc.

Pro Tip

Always include a discussion of potential problems and alternative approaches for each aim. This demonstrates that you've thought through potential challenges and have contingency plans.

5. PI Qualifications, Timeline

  • Your qualifications. Note: This may already be covered by your preliminary data, biosketch, etc.
  • Timeline covering research activities (graphic is a good way to do this)

Pro Tip

A visual timeline (Gantt chart) showing major tasks, milestones, and dependencies can effectively communicate your project management plan to reviewers.

6. Results from Prior NSF Support(REQUIRED)

Limited to 5 pages within the 15-page limit for the Project Description

This section is required and must follow the exact format specified in the PAPPG. If you don't have prior NSF support, you must still include this heading and state "No NSF support in last 5 years."

  • We strongly suggest you use a separate heading for this section. If the prior support is part of your background for the current proposal, you can include this information in the background section, but it has to be formatted as specified here
  • Each PI or Co-PI with active NSF awards (including no-cost extensions), or awards with an end date in the past five years, must report results in this section
  • Include even if the supported work is unrelated to the current proposal. If more than one award, include only the one most closely related to the current project
  • If no NSF support over last 5 years, use heading and state "No NSF support in last 5 years."

The following information must be provided:

  • NSF award number, amount, and period of support
  • Project Title
  • Summarize results, including accomplishments, in two separate sections. Be as specific as possible.
    • Intellectual Merit (REQUIRED heading within Results from Prior NSF Support)
    • Broader Impact (REQUIRED heading within Results from Prior NSF Support)
  • List publications resulting from the NSF award
  • Provide evidence of other research products and their availability, including data, samples, physical collections, software, and models, as described in the Data Management Plan

Pro Tip

Don't underestimate the importance of this section. Reviewers pay close attention to how effectively you've used previous NSF funding, as it's a strong indicator of your ability to deliver on the current proposal.

7. Broader Impacts(REQUIRED)

From PAPPG: "Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project."

Broader impacts can include, but are not limited to, the following list. You may want to address each relevant one separately, with a sub-heading, to highlight for reviewers which NSF priorities you are addressing:

  • Full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities STEM;
  • Improved STEM education and educator development at any level;
  • Increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology;
  • Improved well-being of individuals in society;
  • Development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce;
  • Increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others;
  • Improved national security;
  • Increased economic competitiveness of the US;
  • Use of science and technology to inform public policy;
  • Enhanced infrastructure for research and education.

For each broader impact that you are addressing, clearly state:

  • Goals
  • Specific descriptions of activities
  • Plans to assess, evaluate, document and disseminate the outputs of the activities

Pro Tip

Don't treat Broader Impacts as an afterthought. This section is weighted equally with Intellectual Merit in the review process. Include specific, measurable activities with clear evaluation plans rather than vague promises.

Need help with your NSF proposal?

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Last updated: February 2025
Source: Strategic Research Development