Chapter II of the PAPPG provides specific instructions of proposal preparation, including how the proposal should be formatted (paginated, margins and spacing, and page formatting). It includes instructions on how each specific section of the proposal should be written. Look there for content specifics on how the Project Description and References should be presented. Read these sections carefully before beginning to write your proposal. Make note of the requirements for including a statement in your project description on Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit (in Chapter III Section A.) and requirements for the section on Results from Prior NSF Support. The thought of developing a proposal that meets all of these requirements might seem overwhelming for first-time proposal developers. Don’t be concerned. The information contained in the PAPPG is important as background to see the “big picture” of what the end result of your proposal will look like. However, as we move further into the process, we will break down the writing into smaller pieces, each of which is an attainable goal.

The ITEST Solicitation contains specific instructions that you have to consider when writing the proposal. The solicitation provides specifics that differ from or add to what you would find in the PAPPG, adapting the PAPPG instructions to the context of the ITEST program.

The ITEST Solicitation provides a list of elements to be included in the 15-page project description:

“Project Description. This section is limited to a maximum of 15 pages. A proposal must respond fully to the ITEST Program Description in … this program solicitation … The Project Description must address the following elements in any order:”

• Project Overview, Rationale, and Importance
• Results from Prior NSF Support
• Expertise and Management

In addition to the three elements listed, your proposal must also include:

• Merit Review Criteria*
  • Intellectual Merit
  • Broader Impacts
• Solicitation-Specific Review Criteria
• ITEST Pillars
• High-Quality Research Plan

*According to the PAPPG,the proposal must contain a separate section labeled “Broader Impacts and that heading must appear on a separate line in the text. “Intellectual Merit” is no longer required to have a separate section.

These two documents, the PAPPG and the ITEST Solicitation, will serve as your main reference documents as you develop your proposal narrative. It’s important that you familiarize yourself with the information in these documents, as you are likely to refer back to them frequently.