NSF two month rule

[angelama]

Hi, I have a question: One of my recent NSF awards makes my salary exceeds two months. My university sponsor office has submitted a reduction request to remain within the two-month limit. The request was submitted one month ago and it has not been approved yet. Should I follow up with the program officer or should I wait? Does anyone have any experience on how long it would take?
Thanks!

[research_prof]

I have several questions about. Are you a 10-month salaried employee? If so, then that's the right thing to do. If you are a 9-month salaried employee, you can go up to 3 months of salary from other sources (including NSF). NSF is really slow these days.. I submitted a proposal 2.5 months ago and it still has not been sent to reviewers... 1 month in NSF time is like 1 hour in human time.

[aspiring.academic]

I bet you never thought you'd see the day that you have to request a reduction in pay.

[angelama]

I have several questions about. Are you a 10-month salaried employee? If so, then that's the right thing to do. If you are a 9-month salaried employee, you can go up to 3 months of salary from other sources (including NSF). NSF is really slow these days.. I submitted a proposal 2.5 months ago and it still has not been sent to reviewers... 1 month in NSF time is like 1 hour in human time.

I am a 9-month employee but NSF only allows a two-month salary at most per year. So I have to request a reduction. My program director on this proposal usually responds very quickly - not sure why this time it takes so long... I am a little bit worried about the reduction request now...

[angelama]

I bet you never thought you'd see the day that you have to request a reduction in pay.

Correct... now the day came.;)

[research_prof]

I have several questions about. Are you a 10-month salaried employee? If so, then that's the right thing to do. If you are a 9-month salaried employee, you can go up to 3 months of salary from other sources (including NSF). NSF is really slow these days.. I submitted a proposal 2.5 months ago and it still has not been sent to reviewers... 1 month in NSF time is like 1 hour in human time.

I am a 9-month employee but NSF only allows a two-month salary at most per year. So I have to request a reduction. My program director on this proposal usually responds very quickly - not sure why this time it takes so long... I am a little bit worried about the reduction request now...

I did not know that NSF allows up to 2 months of summer salary.. probably because I never reached this point. I do not think you should worry about it. The thing is I am not sure how NSF might feel about giving you more money until you complete one of these projects.

[Ruralguy]

I think that's been standard for a while now, and I think in the past it may have been even more. I'm just speaking as someone who has applied, but the last grant I won didn't ask for summer salary, so I could be off on that.

[aspiring.academic]

As a general policy, NSF limits the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for senior personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year. This limit includes salary compensation received from all NSF-funded grants. If anticipated, compensation in excess of two months must be disclosed in the proposal budget and well justified in the budget justification. If more than two months of salary support is approved by NSF, it must be included on the award budget.

Under normal rebudgeting authority, the University can internally approve an increase or decrease in person months devoted to the project after an award is made, even if doing so results in salary support for senior personnel exceeding the two-month salary limit. No prior approval from NSF is necessary as long as the change would not cause the objective or scope of the project to change. NSF prior approval is necessary if the objective or scope of the project changes.

[fizzycist]

In every instance I have seen this come up:
1. if the increase was small compared to original budget (eg 2.5 months instead 2 months), PI just rebudgeted and Uni did not contact NSF (as aspiring.academic wrote).
2. if the effort was much higher (eg up to 4 months for a soft-moneu research faculty) PI asked the PO for permission to allow faculty to go above 2 months. And it was granted.

So, OP, if this is a grant you already have and you are going just a little over 2 months then I wouldn't sweat it.

Or if your OSP is being stubborn and insists on reducing your effort, then just email the PO yourself and ask for clarification.

[angelama]

As a general policy, NSF limits the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for senior personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year. This limit includes salary compensation received from all NSF-funded grants. If anticipated, compensation in excess of two months must be disclosed in the proposal budget and well justified in the budget justification. If more than two months of salary support is approved by NSF, it must be included on the award budget.

Under normal rebudgeting authority, the University can internally approve an increase or decrease in person months devoted to the project after an award is made, even if doing so results in salary support for senior personnel exceeding the two-month salary limit. No prior approval from NSF is necessary as long as the change would not cause the objective or scope of the project to change. NSF prior approval is necessary if the objective or scope of the project changes.

Thanks for this. Since my request of reduction is more than 25%, it needs NSF approval.
From NSF website: "If the PI/PD or co-PI/co-PD will devote substantially less time to the project than anticipated in the approved proposal, (defined in the applicable grant terms and conditions as a reduction of 25% or more in time) he/she should consult with the appropriate officials of the grantee organization. Requests for changes to the person-months devoted to the project must be signed and submitted by the AOR via use of NSF's electronic systems. "

[angelama]

In every instance I have seen this come up:
1. if the increase was small compared to original budget (eg 2.5 months instead 2 months), PI just rebudgeted and Uni did not contact NSF (as aspiring.academic wrote).
2. if the effort was much higher (eg up to 4 months for a soft-moneu research faculty) PI asked the PO for permission to allow faculty to go above 2 months. And it was granted.

So, OP, if this is a grant you already have and you are going just a little over 2 months then I wouldn't sweat it.

Or if your OSP is being stubborn and insists on reducing your effort, then just email the PO yourself and ask for clarification.

Thanks - my OSP has submitted the reduction request. I have contacted my PO yesterday to remind him, and he approved it. It seems he forgot it.

[mleok]

I would not have requested the reduction, you can always just draw up to the maximum of two months of summer salary that NSF allows, banking the excess for now, and drawing it using a no-cost extension at a later date.