Safe & Harassment-Free Fieldwork

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires a Safe & Harassment-Free Fieldwork Plans (SAHF) for proposals that include plans to conduct research off-campus or off-site.

For each proposal submitted to NSF that proposes conducting research off-campus or off-site, the submitting organization's authorized organizational representative (AOR) must complete a certification that the organization has a plan in place for the proposal regarding safe and inclusive working environments. To ensure compliance with this requirement, a SAHF plan must be attached to the Kuali Proposal as an internal attachment in Kuali.

The intent of this requirement is to provide guidance and protection for participants when they do not have ready access to the on-campus in-person resources they normally do. If your participants continue to have such access, no plan is needed.

If participants are sufficiently distant from campus such that access to these resources is more limited than they would be if they were on campus (including, but not limited to, fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft) then a plan is needed.

What is a Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork (SAHF) Plan?

SAHF plans are project-specific, two-page documents that apply only to proposals with off-campus or off-site research. Only certain notices of funding opportunities will include a requirement to submit the SAHF plan to NSF. Proposers should follow the solicitation guidance on if/when a copy of the SAHF plan must be submitted to NSF.

The SAHF plan must include:

  • A brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team.
  • The steps the proposing organization will take to nurture a harassment-free off-campus or off-site working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events.
  • Communication processes within the off-site team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone).
  • The mechanisms the team will use during field excursions to respond to issues of harassment if they arise, including those involving individuals who are not affiliated with the primary institution (e.g., beyond oversight from your institution's Title IX Office).

NSF Policy: Safe & Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research

It is NSF policy (see Chapter XI.A.1.g.) to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted. NSF’s policy recognizes that a community effort is essential to eliminate sexual and other forms of harassment in science and to build inclusive scientific climates where people can learn, grow, and thrive. Accordingly, for each proposal that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off site, the AOR must complete a certification that the organization has a plan in place for that proposal that describes how the following types of behavior will be addressed:

  1. Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; or
  2. Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly. This plan should also identify steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, e.g., trainings; processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct; and field support, such as mentor/mentee support mechanisms, regular check-ins, and/or developmental events.Communications within team and to the organization should be considered in the plan, minimizing singular points within the communications pathway (e.g., a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone), and any special circumstances such as the involvement of multiple organizations or the presence of third parties in the working environment should be taken into account. The process or method for making incident reports as well as how any reports received will be resolved should also be accounted for. The organization's plan for the proposal must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure. Proposers should not submit the plan to NSF for review.
  3. Simultaneously submitted collaborative proposals and proposals that include subawards are a single unified project and, as such, only one combined plan for the project should be developed, regardless of the number of non-lead collaborative proposals or subawards included. The lead organization is responsible for checking the "Off-Campus or Off-Site Research" box on the Cover Sheet, if applicable.

USU Requirements

To comply with this requirement, Utah State University requires that:

  1. Each PI of a NSF proposal determine whether any off-campus or off-site research is involved in the proposal.
  2. If applicable, the PI must develop a SAHF plan, at the proposal stage, for each off-campus or off-site location using the USU template. The PI must upload the plan(s) into Kuali prior to the proposal submission by Sponsored Programs. Plans may be reused and re-distributed for multiple off-campus research activities but must be updated if the specific content needs to change.
    • Some NSF solicitations require that proposers who include off-campus or off-site research as part of their project submit, as supplementary documentation, a SAHF plan.
    • PI's need to be sure the plan is compelling, adequately addresses the unique challenges for the team, and the organizational mechanisms used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment, should they occur, are clearly outlined.
    • Plans uploaded into Research.gov, when required by NSF, are limited to 2 pages and need to follow NSF's PAPPG 23-1 standard content instructions and the additional proposal preparation instructions in the opportunity/solicitation.
    • The plan should only be submitted to NSF when/if requested or required by NSF.
  3. For subaward and collaborative proposals:
    • If USU is a subaward recipient on an NSF funded project with off-campus/off-site research, USU does not require the USU PI to complete a plan. USU will rely on the lead institution to provide and implement the plan.
    • For collaborative proposals, each institution is responsible for their own plan with regard to any off-campus or off-site performance their organization is facilitating.
  4. Prior to an applicable NSF award being set up by USU Sponsored Programs, a copy of the plan will need to be uploaded into Kuali, if it was not included in the proposal.
  5. The PI is responsible for disseminating the SAHF plan to each individual participating in the off-campus or off-site activities, prior to departure or involvement in those activities.
  6. The PI is responsible for retaining documentation of who received the plan (email or sign up sheet is sufficient).

Definition of Off-Campus or Off-Site

NSF defines off-campus or off-site research as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft. Each organization must determine whether the proposed work is considered off-campus or off-site.

Utah State University further defines off-campus or off-site research for this requirement as USU-sponsored, scheduled, international or domestic travel activity by USU personnel to collect data/samples/information outside of a laboratory or other research-controlled environment.

Data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site by any project team member, including team members from subrecipient organizations performing research outside their primary place of performance do require a plan.

What is Not Considered Off-Campus or Off-Site

Work from home by an individual employee would not, for the purpose of this policy, be considered “off-campus” or “off-site.” “Day trips” or excursions (e.g., to public places, schools, the state fair, a mall) where participants are returning without an overnight stay would not normally require a plan, but a plan should be created if the nature of the off-campus research activity is likely to create a larger-than-normal opportunity for harassment to occur (e.g., studies looking at sexual activities, incarcerated individuals, prior knowledge of harassment in the same setting, etc.). When in doubt, create a plan.

Attendance or presentation of research results at a conference does not require a plan; if participants will also engage in the conduct of research activities while attending a conference, a plan would be required. Meetings and conferences that do not include data/information/samples being collected are not considered off-campus or off-site research.

Sexual Harassment Reporting

"The NSF is committed to ensuring the safety and security of the people our awards support. We are committed to a nurturing research environment. One that is encouraging and supportive of all researchers. We have heard the voices of the wider community and have responded. We will continue to listen and to take action as a federal granting agency. NSF has no tolerance for harassment."

Dr. France A. Córdova, former Director, National Science Foundation

Utah State University is required to notify NSF of any findings/determinations of sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, or sexual assault (past or current) regarding an NSF funded Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI, or of the placement of the PI or co-PI on administrative leave, or the imposition of any administrative action relating to harassment or sexual assault finding or investigation.

To better understand the systemic issue of gendered misconduct in STEM and ways to improve field science culture and accountability, please read the following:

Key USU Policies & Reporting Resources