The National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals require detailed information for all senior/key personnel, which is captured in a standardized Collaborators & Other Affiliations Information templated document. As with other sections of the proposal, it is critical that the information disclosed is complete and accurate. The document contains five tables, each dedicated to different aspects of a senior/key person's academic and professional relationships, which should include any of the following:
- affiliations within the past 12 months
- relationships that may preclude serving as a reviewer
- Ph.D. advisors
- thesis advisees
- ALL co-authors and collaborators, regardless of position and/or title, within the last 48 months *
- editorial board interactions within the last 24 months
*include ALL co-authors/collaborators in Table 4, even if the list is extensive
Providing this data is essential to NSF for managing reviewer selection and avoiding conflicts of interest. The COA template has specific formatting requirements and must be used without alteration to its format or content requirements, apart from deleting instructions or inserting additional needed rows. For further clarification about NSF’s Collaborators and Other Affiliations, please consult NSF’s FAQ page.