Creighton UniversityOffice of Grants Administration

Grants & Contracts Management Seminar

Skutt Student Center, Room 105January 20, 2010

Pre-Award

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENTAssessing Your Idea

Valid and clearSignificantInnovative (Literature Search)

Funding agencies want to improve things,advance understanding, and meet needs innew ways

Assessing Your Resources

FacilitiesEquipmentTechnical SupportLibrary Collection/Reference

MaterialsExpertise of Colleagues

(Collaborators)Potential Reviewers

Assessing Compliance Requirements

Human SubjectsAnimalsRadioactive MaterialsBiohazardous Materials/Recombinant DNA/

Select AgentsResponsible Conduct of ResearchFinancial Conflict of Interest

CITI Educational Programshttps://www.citiprogram.org/Default.asp?

Literature search acknowledgementsProfessional Organizations

Community of Science Database http://fundingopps.cos.com

Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp

Foundation Centerhttp://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/

GrantsNethttp://grantsnet.org/search/fund_dir.cfm

Identifying Funding Sources

Research Sponsor Goals & Priorities

What does the funding agency want or need?

How can your project help the funding agency achieve its goals and meet your objectives too?

Who and what projects have they funded in the past?

Contact the program officer (visit, call or e-mail) Ask “appropriate” questions Briefly describe your project Find out if your project matches the agency’s

priorities. Listen to what is and isn’t said Do not ask for “hints”, but listen for them.

Read and Follow Application Guidelines!

What font type/size is allowed?

What margins are required?

Are there page limitations?

How should the application be organized?

Is an appendix allowed?

Use the funding agency terms and vocabulary when writing your application

Letter of Intent (if required)

Preliminary or Pre-Proposal (if required)

AbstractProposal Narrative (Answers 4 basic questions)

Hypothesis/Specific Aims/Goals/Objectives

Background/Significance Preliminary Studies Research Design/Methods

Writing the Proposal

Writing the Proposal continued

Bibliography/References/Literature CitedBiographical Sketches (usually key personnel

only)

Budget and Budget JustificationFacilities/Resources/Major EquipmentHuman Subject/Animal JustificationLetters of SupportInstitutional AssurancesAppendix

Identifying Key Personnel

Key personnel - defined as those individualswho will significantly contribute to the

designand conduct of the study

Usually PI, co-investigators and essential collaborators

Changes in key personnel may require sponsor approval

Key personnel effort is usually required on progress and final reports.

Cost Accounting Standards – OMB A-21http://www.creighton.edu/adminfinance/controller/generalaccounting/policiesproceduresmanual/costaccounting/index.php

Grant Fact Sheethttp://www.creighton.edu/researchcompliance/grants/factsheet/index.php

Sample Budget Worksheetshttp://www.creighton.edu/researchcompliance/grants/budget/index.php

All project costs must be reasonable, allocable,

and allowable

Preparing the Budget

Costs that can be directly identified with aparticular sponsored project

Personnel (Creighton employees only)

Institutional Base Salary is defined as an individual’s annual compensation that the applicant organization pays for an individual’s appointment, whether that individual’s time is spent on research, teaching, patient care, or other activities.Fringe Benefits (See Grants Administration website for current rates)

Consultant (Private Individual/Business)

Equipment Travel Supplies Other Subcontracts/Consortium Agreements

Direct Costs

Costs incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically with aparticular sponsored project, instructional activityor any other institutional activity

Administrative and secretarial salaries Library costs General postage General office supplies Building costs (depreciation and use, operational

and maintenance costs)

Facilities & Administrative Costs (F&A) (Indirect Costs/Overhead)

Facilities & Administrative Costs (F&A)(Indirect Costs/Overhead) continued

Creighton University F & A Rates 44.5% Federally Sponsored 25.0% Industry Sponsored

Creighton’s Federal F&A rate is applied to Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) which includes all direct costs except:

equipment (over $5,000) capital expenditures charges for patient care tuition remission rental costs of off site facilities scholarships and fellowships the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000

Creighton’s Industry F&A rate is applied to all direct costsA copy of our rate agreement is located on the Grants Administration web site

Mandatory - cost sharing that is mandated by the sponsoring agency. This can be in the form of a specified dollar amount or a certain percentage of total costs.

Voluntary - cost sharing that is not mandatory but is voluntarily included in the proposal. The amount included in the proposal becomes mandatory if the proposal is awarded and must be tracked and reported to the sponsor

All cost share must be approved by the department chair and/or appropriate dean before submission

DO NOT volunteer cost share funds!

Cost Sharing/Matching Funds

Routing Proposal for University Approval

Submit to Grants Administration five (5) working days before the deadline

Proposal Routing Form (version 3/09) http://www.creighton.edu/Grants/proposal_routing_form.doc

Final proposal narrative and all required documents as indicated in the application guidelines (i.e. signature page, budget, budget justification, facilities, biosketches, assurances, electronic file, etc.)

Sponsor application guidelines

Submitting the Proposal

If paper submission: Grants Administration contacts Principal

Investigator to pick up and mail to Sponsor.

If electronic submission: Grants Administration verifies electronic

document is complete and coordinates with the Principal Investigator to submit.

Resubmission

Don’t give up if your application is not funded the first time it is submitted.

Most agencies will provide reviewer comments.

Contact the program officer to discuss your options for resubmission. They may give you valuable information that was not included in the reviewers comments.

Preparing for Award

Just-in-Time Request: Contact Grants Administration to submit the

requested supplemental information prior to award

Updated current and pending support Regulatory committee approvals (IRB, IACUC,

etc.) Documentation of education requirements

Negotiating/Accepting the Award

Negotiating a Grant Award If the award is offered at a reduced

amount you may need to negotiate the scope of the project prior to accepting the award

Accepting the Award Only an Authorized Institutional Official

can accept a grant award or contract

Establishing the Restricted Fund

90 Day Pre-Award Spending

Request for Spending Authority Formhttp://www.creighton.edu/fileadmin/user/ResearchCompliance/Grants/Forms/Request_for_Spending_Authority_Prior_to_Receipt_of_Signed_Contract3.doc

Notice of Grant AwardGrants Budget Form

http://www.creighton.edu/researchcompliance/grants/forms/index.php

Fund Number Request

Managing Grant Award

Once the fund is established request a meeting with Grants Accounting for assistance with: Processing initial payroll documents Completing required effort reporting documents Documenting cost share funds Reading and monitoring your monthly financial

reports Reconciling your fund each budget year and at

close out

Managing Grant Award continued

Contact Grants Administration for assistance with:

Preparation of consortium/contractual agreements if applicable

A change in the project scope, key personnel or budget

Submission of the annual progress report (non-competing application)

An extension of the final project period if necessary

Submission of the final report/close out documents

Submission of a competing continuation or new application

Always remember to acknowledge the sponsor on all publications resulting from the award!

Contact Information

Director Beth Herr Phone: 280-5769 Email: bherr@creighton.edu

Assistant Director Richard Murcek Phone: 280-1175 Email: RichardMurcek@creighton.edu

Technical Editor/Writer TBA Phone: 280-3209

Grant Specialist Tammy Slachetka Phone: 280-2064 Email: TammySlachetka@creighton.edu

Website http://www.creighton.edu/grants