diff --git a/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/component.ts b/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/component.ts
index 07a840328..57ac64514 100644
--- a/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/component.ts
+++ b/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/component.ts
@@ -215,4 +215,20 @@ export default class NewProjectModal extends Component {
     searchNodes(this: NewProjectModal, searchTerm: string) {
         return this.get('searchUserNodesTask').perform(searchTerm);
     }
+
+    @action
+    handleKeydown(_: string, event: KeyboardEvent & { isComposing?: boolean }) {
+        if (!event) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        const isIME = event.isComposing || event.keyCode === 229;
+        if (isIME) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (event.key === 'Enter' && this.nodeTitle && this.nodeTitle.trim()) {
+            event.preventDefault();
+            this.create();
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/template.hbs b/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/template.hbs
index ccf72b616..aacb0bbae 100644
--- a/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/template.hbs
+++ b/lib/osf-components/addon/components/new-project-modal/template.hbs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
                                 @required={{true}}
                                 @value={{this.nodeTitle}}
                                 @type='text'
-                                @enter={{action this.create}}
+                                @key-down={{action this.handleKeydown}}
                             />
                         </label>
                     </div>
diff --git a/tests/integration/components/new-project-modal/component-test.ts b/tests/integration/components/new-project-modal/component-test.ts
index 6db8a2e06..90c60498a 100644
--- a/tests/integration/components/new-project-modal/component-test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/components/new-project-modal/component-test.ts
@@ -1,27 +1,129 @@
 import { A } from '@ember/array';
+import EmberObject, { action } from '@ember/object';
 import Service from '@ember/service';
-import { render } from '@ember/test-helpers';
+import { fillIn, render, triggerEvent, triggerKeyEvent } from '@ember/test-helpers';
 import { hbs } from 'ember-cli-htmlbars';
 import { setupRenderingTest } from 'ember-qunit';
 import { TestContext } from 'ember-test-helpers';
 import { module, test } from 'qunit';
+import Promise from 'rsvp';
+import sinon from 'sinon';
 
-const currentUserStub = Service.extend({
-    user: Object.freeze({
-        institutions: A([]),
-    }),
-});
+import NewProjectModal from 'osf-components/components/new-project-modal/component';
+
+interface LocalTestContext extends TestContext {
+    createActionSpy: sinon.SinonSpy;
+}
+
+let createSpyPlaceholder: sinon.SinonSpy | undefined;
+
+class MockNewProjectModal extends NewProjectModal {
+    @action
+    create(this: any, ...args: any[]) {
+        if (createSpyPlaceholder) {
+            createSpyPlaceholder(...args);
+        }
+    }
+}
 
 module('Integration | Component | new-project-modal', hooks => {
     setupRenderingTest(hooks);
 
-    hooks.beforeEach(function(this: TestContext) {
-        this.owner.register('service:current-user', currentUserStub);
+    hooks.beforeEach(function(this: LocalTestContext) {
+        this.createActionSpy = sinon.spy();
+        createSpyPlaceholder = this.createActionSpy;
+
+        this.owner.register('component:new-project-modal', MockNewProjectModal);
+
+        const mockUser = EmberObject.create({
+            institutions: A([EmberObject.create({ id: 'mock' })]),
+            defaultRegion: EmberObject.create({ id: 'us' }),
+        });
+
+        this.owner.register('service:current-user', Service.extend({ user: mockUser }));
+        this.owner.register('service:features', Service.extend({ isEnabled: () => false }));
+        this.owner.register('service:intl', Service.extend({ t: (key: string) => key }));
+        this.owner.register('service:toast', Service.extend({ error: sinon.spy(), success: sinon.spy() }));
+        this.owner.register('service:analytics', Service.extend({ click: sinon.spy() }));
+        this.owner.register('service:store', Service.extend({
+            findAll() { return Promise.resolve(A([])); },
+        }));
+    });
+
+    hooks.afterEach(() => {
+        createSpyPlaceholder = undefined;
     });
 
     test('it renders', async assert => {
-        await render(hbs`<NewProjectModal />`);
+        await render(hbs`
+            <NewProjectModal @afterProjectCreated={{this.afterProjectCreatedSpy}} />
+        `);
         assert.dom('.modal').exists();
         assert.dom('.modal-title').hasText('Create new project');
     });
+
+    test('create button is disabled initially', async assert => {
+        await render(hbs`
+            <NewProjectModal @afterProjectCreated={{this.afterProjectCreatedSpy}} />
+        `);
+        assert.dom('[data-test-create-project-submit]').isDisabled();
+    });
+
+    test('it renders and initializes correctly', async assert => {
+        await render(hbs`
+            <NewProjectModal @afterProjectCreated={{this.afterProjectCreatedSpy}} />
+        `);
+
+        assert.dom('[data-test-new-project-title]').exists('Input fields for project title exists');
+    });
+
+    test(
+        'Enter key triggers create action through DOM binding when not composing',
+        async function(this: LocalTestContext, assert) {
+            await render(hbs`
+                <NewProjectModal />
+            `);
+
+            const inputSelector = '[data-test-new-project-title]';
+            assert.dom(inputSelector).exists('Input field must exist');
+
+            await fillIn(inputSelector, 'My Awesome New Project');
+
+            await triggerKeyEvent(inputSelector, 'keydown', 'Enter');
+
+            assert.ok(
+                this.createActionSpy.calledOnce,
+                'The create() action on the component should be triggered.',
+            );
+        },
+    );
+
+    test(
+        'Enter key does NOT trigger create action when Japanese IME is composing',
+        async function(this: LocalTestContext, assert) {
+            await render(hbs`
+                <NewProjectModal />
+            `);
+
+            const inputSelector = '[data-test-new-project-title]';
+            assert.dom(inputSelector).exists();
+
+            await fillIn(inputSelector, 'プロジェクト');
+
+            await triggerEvent(inputSelector, 'keydown', {
+                key: 'Enter',
+                code: 'Enter',
+                keyCode: 229,
+                which: 229,
+                isComposing: true,
+                bubbles: true,
+                cancelable: true,
+            } as any);
+
+            assert.notOk(
+                this.createActionSpy.called,
+                'The create() action must NOT be triggered during IME composition.',
+            );
+        },
+    );
 });