The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) send written or email notices to the principal investigator and to ORS which acknowledge the receipt of the proposal and provide an identification number. If the sponsor is other than NSF or NIH, the principal investigator will have to initiate an inquiry about the status of the proposal.

NSF's FastLane, http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp, uses electronic technology to streamline the way NSF does business with the research and education communities. Proposal Status Inquiry is one application of this program. With the NSF permanent proposal number assigned at the moment of proposal submission, the principal investigator will be able to check the program assignment, dates of external and/or panel reviews, and the status of the pending proposal. This information is generally available within a few weeks of submission.