NSF 24-123 vs. Mobile Checkout Flow (California): No Applicable Requirements Found
Header
- Document requested: "NSF 24-123 Smart and Connected Communities solicitation." The official NSF page for publication number NSF 24-123 is a different document: a Dear Colleague Letter titled "Seeking Community Input for Topic Ideas for Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) Program", published September 3, 2024, issued by the NSF Directorate for Engineering. It replaces NSF 22-130.
- Likely intended document: the S&CC program solicitation is NSF 25-527, posted December 19, 2024. It replaces NSF 22-529 and is now archived, replaced by NSF 25-543. I read NSF 25-527 as the intended target (interpretation choice). The official NSF page for number 24-123 is the EFRI letter above, not an S&CC solicitation.
- Applies to: mobile checkout for US shoppers (saved cards, guest checkout). Jurisdiction: California. Focus: accessibility, consent and disclosure language, data retention.
- Scope note: Both documents govern research funding. I could not find a clause in either that regulates a retail checkout flow. California privacy and accessibility law was not extracted because it is outside the named document.
Result: the requirements table is empty for the checkout flow
Every row below is a closest-match clause I checked and excluded, or an NSF-side obligation that applies to proposers, not to a shopper-facing flow. The classification is my reading; counsel review is advised before relying on it.
| # | Requirement | Mandatory / Recommended | Source clause | Acceptance criteria | Due / effective | Owner | Ambiguity / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accessibility of checkout UI: none stated. | Not specified in text | NSF 25-527 has no UI accessibility standard; its only disability-related funding provision is FASED, "funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects". | None derivable. | n/a | Product/UI | Interpretation needed: this is a grant-funding provision for researchers, not a UI standard. The NSF 24-123 letter has no accessibility clause. |
| 2 | Consent and disclosure language for shoppers: none stated. | Not specified in text | NSF 25-527 Privacy Act statement describes how NSF uses proposal-form information. | None derivable. | n/a | Legal/Compliance | It is NSF's own collection notice for proposers. Do not copy it into checkout. |
| 3 | Data retention periods for card or guest data: none stated. | Not specified in text | No retention clause found in either document. | None derivable. | n/a | Data/Security | Counsel review advised: retention duties for a checkout flow come from other law, not these documents. |
| 4 | Only eligible organizations may submit proposals. | Mandatory | Proposals may only be submitted by the following: IHEs; non-profit, non-academic organizations | Submitting entity is a US-accredited IHE or qualifying non-profit. | Per due dates below | Proposal/PI | Inference: a commercial retailer's checkout team is not an eligible submitter. Confirm with NSF. |
| 5 | Preliminary proposal required for SCC-IRG and SCC-LSR. | Mandatory | Full proposals without a preliminary proposal "will be returned without review" | Preliminary proposal accepted before full submission. | See Key dates | Proposal/PI | Disqualifier, listed because the brief requires all disqualifiers. |
| 6 | NSF 24-123 itself: submit EFRI topic ideas of up to 500 words. | Optional invitation | Topic ideas "maximum 500 words"; deadline October 15, 2024 | n/a | October 15, 2024 (passed) | Other | A request for research topic ideas, with no relevance to checkout. |
Key dates
- October 15, 2024: EFRI topic idea deadline under NSF 24-123. Passed.
- December 19, 2024: NSF 25-527 posted.
- S&CC preliminary proposal dates: February 20, 2025; September 8, 2025; January 12, 2026; then the second Monday in September and January annually. The solicitation is now archived, so confirm whether any future date is open.
- S&CC full proposal target dates: April 4, 2025; November 10, 2025; March 9, 2026; then the second Monday in November and March annually.
- Annual report: due no later than 90 days before the end of the current budget period (award recipients only).
Open questions
- (Rows 1 to 3) Did you mean a different document, such as a privacy or accessibility standard, or a funder notice that does regulate checkout? Confirm the document number with whoever gave you the request.
- (Row 4) If a funding application is in fact planned, ask NSF through its official program contacts whether a commercial applicant is eligible.
- (Rows 1 to 3) Ask counsel which California and federal rules govern accessibility, consent language and card-data retention for checkout. That is a separate extraction.
Do next
- Confirm the intended document with the requester.
- If it is a legal or standards source, rerun this checklist against that text.
- Do not use NSF 24-123 or NSF 25-527 as evidence of checkout compliance.
Near misses
- NSF 25-527 Broader Impacts and merit review criteria: apply to proposal content, not UI.
- NSF 25-527 Data Management and Sharing Plan: reviewers review it; it governs research data, not shopper data.
- NSF 25-527 project video and graphic summary: award deliverables.
Coverage
I read NSF 24-123 and NSF 25-527 on nsf.gov in full text form. I did not read the PAPPG, which NSF 25-527 incorporates, or NSF 25-543. I extracted no California statutes.