Other Support/Current and Pending

Other Support refers to information about research support that is currently active or pending review. A funding agency may require this information at proposal submission, before an award is made (i.e., just in time), or during award as part of progress reporting. Agencies may use different terms to describe this information. For example, NSF and the Department of Energy use the term “Current and Pending Support” while NIH uses “Other Support.”

Most federal research agencies require senior and key personnel to report information about their Other Support, regardless of whether salary is received. Support may include domestic or foreign resources and/or financial support available for the individual’s research, regardless of whether it is received through NIU.

Many federal agencies are revising their instructions regarding Other Support in response to the National Science Security Memorandum-33 (PDF) directive which calls for greater standardization of disclosure forms and formats and in light of greater scrutiny on foreign influence and the impact to research.

It is the Principal Investigator’s responsibility to know the agency’s guidelines and requirements for disclosing and updating Other Support and to ensure the accuracy of the information presented to the funding agency.

False, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims (including intentional omissions) may result in university and sponsor administrative, civil, or criminal penalties. SPA recommends that all key personnel pay close attention to the sponsor’s instructions in the funding solicitation, policy guide, etc. on how to prepare these documents.

If you are unsure of your agency’s requirements, please contact SPA for assistance.

Principal Investigators and NIU key personnel should keep the following in mind:

• Any information provided by SPA to assist in the preparation of Other Support documents are considered draft documents and include only data available within InfoEd. 
• Any activity conducted within the scope of the individual’s NIU appointment that provides funding or requires a quantifiable commitment of time must be reported.

• • Commitments are regular obligations of time (part of an individual’s regular activities, except teaching), but do not include short-term obligations, such as attending a meeting and making a presentation.
  • If an investigator has a quantifiable commitment for an activity but is receiving no additional salary support from the activity, (e.g., cost shared effort) that activity must be reported.
  • Typically, activities that provide funding or have a quantifiable commitment of time are sponsored projects.
  • Awards resulting from internally funded competitions, such as Research & Artistry, should be included if there is measurable effort.

• All collaborations and affiliations that provide funding or require a commitment of time must be reported, whether foreign or domestic. 
• In the interest of full transparency, err on the side of disclosure.

Other Support documents should:

• Include the proposal being submitted as a pending proposal.
• Address potential overlap or over-commitments. As this is a primary concern of federal agencies, clearly describe the overlap and plans to manage it.

• • • An example of a general overlap statement at the time of application: “Adjustments to avoid overlap will be made to my other support prior to funding of this application.”
    • For other support being submitted during just in time, more detail should be provided. For example: “If this application is funded, I will reduce my effort on grant XXXX to 1.5 calendar months on award XXXXX.” Or “There will not be overlap since grant XXXXX and XXXXX will both end on August 31, 2022 and the pending project will not begin until December 1, 2022.
• List projects with no-cost extensions.
• Update information as much as possible (e.g., remove outdated proposals or expired awards)
• Notify SPA immediately at asosp@niu.edu of undisclosed Other Support information that was missing from previously submitted documents.

SPA strongly encourages the use of SciENcv in the preparation of biosketches and current and pending reports.