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I’m a new investigator at Stevens and am interested in submitting a proposal for external support of a project. Where do I start?
Contact the Office of Sponsored Research and talk to a member of the Sponsored Research Administration unit, which provides proposal services. Based on your needs, they will describe the resources available to help you find funding, guide you on proposal preparation procedures, and then work with you on submitting your proposal when you are ready to apply for a grant.
How can I find out about sources of funding for my research?
OSR subscribes to the leading on-line database for funding sources—Community of Science (COS)—to which there is a direct link on the OSR website. You need to register in COS; then you can set up targeted funding searches and funding alerts. More information can be found on the OSR website under Funding Opportunities.
How do I prepare a budget?
Each investigator prepares his or her own budget, sometimes with the assistance of administrative personnel in his/her department/center or School. OSR has prepared an Excel template to build your budget (SIT Standard Budget Template). OSR staff can also talk to you about budgetary issues. Information about indirect costs (F&A) and fringe benefit rates, tuition and stipend rates for graduate students, etc.) appear in an information sheet that is the third tab on the Template, but also is listed separately on the OSR website (SIT Facts and Rates Sheet).
What are indirect costs and how are they used at Stevens?
Indirect (or Facilities and Administrative/F&A) costs are costs in support of your research that cannot be specifically quantified for your research or project alone. Examples are the maintenance and operations of the buildings and space within which research or projects are conducted, the interest and depreciation on the costs of construction, and certain administrative costs. The Institute calculates indirect costs and negotiates the rate annually with its cognizant federal agency, the Office of Naval Research (ONR). That rate is applied to all federal sponsors; other rates, for example with proposals to foundations, are used only when they are established by the sponsor in writing.
What approvals do I need to obtain prior to proposal submission?
At a minimum, your department/center director, your dean, and OSR must approve your proposal before it can be submitted to the sponsor. To obtain approvals, complete the Proposal Routing Sheet, that is available on the OSR website, have your director and dean sign it, and submit a completed hard copy to OSR with the full proposal at least five working days before the proposal is due.
If you plan to submit a proposal to a program that limits the number of proposals that can be accepted from one institution, Research Council pre-proposal review is required well in advance of the submission deadline. An abstract (not to exceed 2 pages), along with an estimated (not detailed) total budget is required to be submitted to the Provost (with a copy to the Director of the Office of Sponsored Research) at least 4 weeks before the deadline date, indicating this is a Limited Submission Proposal Request. You will be advised at least 2 weeks in advance of the submission date whether your proposal has been selected for submission. Contact the Office of Sponsored Research for information about the process as soon as you contemplate submitting a proposal that falls under these internal requirements.
The sponsor requires cost sharing on the proposal. Who approves this?
Investigators should review sponsor requirements for cost sharing with OSR staff early on in the proposal preparation process. The dollar amount, source (i.e., department, School, etc.) and type (e.g., personnel effort, equipment, supplies, etc.) of cost sharing being offered must be identified on the Proposal Routing Sheet. When funds for cost sharing are being provided by the department/center or School, signoff by the department/center director and/or Dean demonstrates the commitment of those resources. If cost sharing is coming from another source, documentation must be provided separately to OSR, but still must be reviewed by the department/center director and Dean as part of the proposal review and approval process. Cost sharing on proposals and awards are handled under the Institute’s cost sharing policy.
What is the difference between a co-principal investigator at another institution working on my project and a consultant?
A co-principal investigator designates a researcher from another institution who is contributing knowledge, expertise or tangible materials essential to the conduct of the project, is devoting measurable effort to the project, is using the resources of his/her institution to conduct the activity (staff, space, equipment), and is receiving funds to conduct the research at his/her own institution through a subrecipient agreement issued by the Institute under its prime award (in accordance with OSR guidelines and procedures for subrecipient agreements).
Such collaborations generally are documented at the proposal stage through inclusion of relevant information (a description of the programmatic work to be conducted in the technical proposal, a budget and budget justification, the co-principal investigator’s biosketch, and a statement from collaborator/co-investigator’s institution confirming the willingness to participate in the project). This allows the sponsor to review and approve the collaboration and the proposed subrecipient relationship to be established.
A consultant, in contrast, provides specific professional expertise for a fee in the technical area of the project and works as an independent contractor. The individual is usually identified in the proposal, his/her credentials are provided, and a letter of commitment to provide stated services at a stated fee is included in the budget justification. The individual is considered a "work for hire" and therefore all newly developed intellectual property and copyrightable material arising as a product of the consulting belongs to the Institute. Consultant arrangements are initiated through a requisition to the Procurement Office, which issues a purchase order for the services to be rendered.
What materials are necessary for a complete proposal package?
Materials vary according to the funding source and type of proposal. Check the guidelines provided by the sponsor and consult early on and fully with the Sponsored Research Administration staff member in OSR with whom you will work to submit your proposal.
Who negotiates the terms and conditions of an award?
Only an institutional official (not an investigator) is authorized to negotiate terms and conditions and accept an award. Sponsors sometimes send award materials directly to an investigator. If you receive award materials, please forward them to OSR immediately.
Can I start the hiring process for staff when I know my award will be funded but I haven't yet received the award notice?
Depending upon the nature of the award and the sponsor, you may be allowed to incur costs in advance of an award being issued. Sometimes, the permission of the sponsor is required and sometimes, as with most federal grants and cooperative agreements, the Institute has delegated expanded authority to approve advance spending on a project. Check with OSR about your anticipated award. OSR can then guide you on the policy and process for requesting a pending account when an award is likely forthcoming.
I have questions about expenditures that appear on the FRS account statements for my sponsored projects, and I also want to transfer some costs between two of my grants. Who should I contact?
Questions about expenditures on sponsored project accounts or costs transfers between accounts should be directed to the staff of the Research Accounting unit of OSR. They help explain any charges that appear on your account statements and work with you to handle cost transfers that can be approved and processed under the Institute’s cost transfers policy.
I haven't spent all the money in my grant. Can I get an extension?
Sponsors will usually authorize an extension in time with no additional funding to projects when there are scientific issues to pursue or if data is still being analyzed. Having funds unexpended is, in and of itself, not a justification for an extension.
Most federal agencies permit the Institute to extend a project period once for up to twelve months on grants and cooperative agreements. Upon an investigator's request, the Sponsored Research Administration unit of OSR can approve those extensions. In other cases, the OSR staff will work with the investigator in obtaining approval for the extension from the sponsor.
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