Introduction to Pre-award Research Administration

1. Introduction to Pre-award Research Administration Karen Hawkinson, Frances Spalding and Roger Wareham 02.18.2010

2. What to expect? • Nuts and Bolts • Mining Web pages and Other Electronic Considerations • Resources • Professional Organizations

3. What does a sponsored project look like? • Binds the university with a set of terms and conditions • Obligates the university to a line of scholarly or scientific inquiry • Both the grantor and grantee agree how the funds will be spent • A level of fiscal responsibility is understood • Results of the study will be shared

4. Common Types of Sponsored Agreements • Grant • Cooperative Agreements • Contracts • Sub Awards

5. There are a Variety of Sponsors • Federal Government • Departments like Agriculture • Independent Agencies, i.e. EPA, NSF • State Governments • Foundations, i.e. MacArthur • Industry, i.e. General Motors • Non-profit organizations, i.e. Cancer Society

6. Where to identify funding opportunities • On line services like COS • Searches • Alerts • Agency web pages • Discipline listings • Grants.gov • Foundation directory on line

7. More and more proposal creation means stepping into the electronic world Growing number of sponsors are requiring submission of proposals through electronic means: • Electronic forms sets • Downloading forms on to a webpage • Completing a proposal on line Check sponsor’s requirements for electronic submission

8. Some things to find out • Does your agency require registration with a user name and id? NSF is an example with FastLane. Grants.gov on the other hand does not require user registration • Are there electronic requirements? NASA Nspires will not support IE with a MAC • File formatting for attachments? If a sponsor requires PDF documents attached for example you will need a copy of Adobe Professional (Discounted prices are available through OIT, http://www.oit.umn.edu/utools/index.htm)

9. Getting started • Download a copy of the Sponsor’s request for proposal (RFP), a.k.a. funding opportunity announcement (FOA) or other acronyms • Read thoroughly • Discuss project, budget and deadlines with the PI

10. Formal proposals include many common elements • Cover page • Abstract • Scientific narrative, including statement of work, literature review, methodology • Key Personnel (which may include both a CV and possibly an Other Support page) • Resources • Budget and justification • Appendices • Letters of Support

11. Budget section includes • Direct costs are those identified specifically with a particular sponsored activity • Indirect costs (a.k.a. facilities and administration) are costs incurred for common objectives and cannot be identified readily with a singular sponsored project

12. Direct cost portion of the budget includes such items as • Salaries and benefits • Consultant • Equipment • Materials and supplies • Travel • Other direct costs • Consortium costs

13. Submitting a proposal • Preparing a proposal routing form (PRF) • Routing the PRF for signatures • Transmit proposal package to SPA. Based on proposal type, there are several ways to accomplish this • Be available for SPA questions and possible changes prior to submission

14. SPA policy for submission • Grants.gov proposals must be submitted to SPA at least 5 working days prior to the sponsor’s official published submission deadline. • Paper copies must be delivered to SPA 24 hours before proposal is to be mailed. • Other electronic submissions including Fastlane must be submitted to SPA at least 24 hours before deadline. Check SPA webpage for more information: http://www.ospa.umn.edu/policiesandprocedures/deadlines/deadlineFAQs.html

15. SPA’s Proposal Review Includes • Review the budget; • Review matching and cost sharing requirements and commitments; • Ensure proper indirect costs calculations; • Check the accuracy of administrative and institutional information; • Ensure that all regulatory requirements have been satisfied;

16. It doesn’t end there, SPA’s review also covers • Proposed contract award language conforms with University policies; • Check that any potential conflicts of interest have been managed or eliminated; • Evaluate potential export control issues; • Guarantee that all required representations and certifications are included.

17. Some Common Problems with Submission to Avoid • Inadequate budget justifications • Missing Sub award letter of intent • Missing Sub award scope of work • Math errors, mismatched numbers • Non-compliance with formatting specifications

18. Make your pre-award life easier • Utilize timelines • Use checklists to cover each proposal component, who, what, and when • Frequent check ins with PI • Communicate with your Grant Administrator • Complete your routine application components early • Check budget numbers against narrative, justification, cover, does everything match? • Route PRF for signatures as soon as possible

19. Mining webpage • SPA’s webpage is a wealth of information: ospa.umn.edu • Check sponsor and agency webpage for the latest information: An example: www.ed.gov • Grants.gov: www.grants.gov • Other electronic systems, Proposal Central used by foundations is an example: www.proposalcentral.altum.com

20. Resources • EGMS, a University of Minnesota proposal prep tool, check it out at: www.egms.umn.edu (EGMS labs where you can get hands on assistance schedule: http://www.ospa.umn.edu/GrantGov/Schedules%20and%20Calendars/trainingschedule.html#labs • Your department grant office • Mentor from a more experienced co-worker • SPA office, specifically your Grants Administrator

21. University Training Options • SPA sponsored trainings: www.ospa.umn.edu/Grants.gov/index.html#training • Training Services: www1.umn.edu/ohr/trainingservices/spa/index.html • Organizational Effectiveness training: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/orgeff • Library: http://www.lib.umn.edu/registration • Academic Computing: http://uttc.umn.edu/training/courses/index.jsp

22. Professional Associations • GMUN-Grant Management User Network, University of Minnesota http://www.ospa.umn.edu/GMUN/index.html • NCURA-National Council of University Research Administrators http://www.ncura.edu • SRA-Society of Research Administrators http://www.srainternational.org

23. Any thing you would like to discuss?