Beginning on January 1, 2018, all grants.gov applications must be submitted using Workspace, an online, web-based application, rather than the legacy PDF application package.  Neither Fastlane (NSF) or ASSIST (NIH) will be affected, but other federal funders that will require use of workspace include DOD, ONR, AFOSR, DARPA, DOE, NIJ, NEH, NEA, IMLS, and USDA.

RAS recommends

• registering with Grants.gov as soon as possible to prepare for our return in  January.  Be sure and register as an Organizational Applicant. Once you register, your Workspace role will be assigned and approved by OSP and you will receive an email indicating that this is complete.
• getting oriented to Workspace before January. Once your role has been assigned by OSP, you may access a Workspace package by searching for and selecting a funding opportunity, selecting the "Package" tab, then clicking "Apply." You will then be given the option to "Apply Now" using Workspace.