Help is here! Frequently Asked Questions MSU Office of Research & Economic Development Seminar Series February 16, 2017
Does MSU have access to tools for finding funding opportunities? Grants Resource Center (GRC) The GRC website is accessible to MSU faculty and staff through a link on the OSP website, www.osp.msstate.edu. Fuller updates Disseminated by Office of Research Grants.gov database of federal funding opportunities Your associations mentors, professional organizations, etc. Special requests to OSP
GRC s services include: databases of sponsor and discipline-specific funding opportunities a library of funded proposals agency fact sheets and regular policy/program updates a faculty alert system for notifying faculty of opportunities and program updates a series of publications and web resources for grant seekers templates and toolkits for research, proposal development, and award management opportunities for professional development, networking, and collaboration advocacy via regular communication with funding agencies on behalf of PIs/institutions personal assistance with funding searches provided by assigned institutional representatives
Who do I call first when planning or beginning a grant 1. Contact your Associate Dean for Research as soon as you decide to prepare a proposal for funding. 2. Next, please contact your department s grants or business manager and the OSP administrator for the funding agency to which you are submitting. Collaborators should notify their counterparts. 3. For other types of assistance, contact Proposal Services. proposal?
Who s Who? MSU s Research Administration Team Departmental Administrators Understand nuances, personnel, leadership, priorities, etc. specific to your dept. and college. First line of support Serve as liaison between PI and OSP Central Administrators (OSP and sister units) Working knowledge of agency policies, priorities, programs Understanding of federal and state laws, and institutional policies and practices Understand the role and the value of the research enterprise to both the institution and federal entities your advocate Associate Deans for Research (ADRs) Represent the goals and capacity of each College to support research and to seek funding. Intimately connected with College priorities; maintains unit s research portfolio Strategically aligns investigator productivity to appointment Vice President for Research and Economic Development Office of Research (ORED) Oversees, provides support for, and disseminates information on all research and outreach initiatives; Works with the President, Provost, Faculty Senate, and legislative liaisons regarding strategic, institution-wide research and outreach targets and potential partnerships; Institutional resource for information on funding opportunities, and research ethics; Lead unit for research advocacy
How do I read an announcement to know if it is right for me? Deadline (note repeating deadlines) Eligibility Your idea alone does not merit funding. To merit funding, the idea must be closely aligned with the agency s mission, strategic plan, and investment priorities. Purpose review previously funded projects Don t forget unsolicited opportunities!
What is a Limited Submission? Notification of LI opportunities goes two ways: ORED announcements and PI notification. Application involves a pre-proposal to the Office of Research Accepted proposals receive a LI notification number; OSP must have this number in order to submit Collaborate Notify OSP or ORED if you decide not to submit
It depends! Can the same proposal be submitted to more than one agency? Some funders allow for re-submission of a proposal that was not funded with an attachment detailing what changes have been made to the proposal usually limited to 2-3 resubmits. If the content of your proposal is relevant to the goals and mission of more than one funder, you may consider submitting a version of the project to multiple sources. Always configure the proposal for the agency to which it is submitted. Confirm allowability via RFP and agency guidance
Always defer to agency guidance with the solicitation as the last word. Reach out to proposal services for templates if available. How do I Generally, all proposals have the following components, but may not have the same title for them: format my proposal? o o o o o o o o o o o Abstract/ Summary Introduction Need statement/ Problem Statement Goals and Objectives Plan of Action/ Project Design/ Research Plan/ Statement of Work Management plan Capacity (personnel, infrastructure, facilities) Evaluation Dissemination and/or Sustainability Budget Supporting Documents The solicitation as a map: Copy and paste the RFP s key sections, research objectives, and review criteria into a beginning draft narrative. This allows the RFP to serve as an organizational template for the full proposal.
What is a typical timeline for preparing a proposal for submission? Preparation tasks: Do your homework Assess competitiveness Recruit partners and collaborators Line up mentors, colleagues to review Communicate with dept. chair and OSP Start on your budget with dept. administrator Plan for at least 2-3 months consider outside influences on your time OSP 3 day rule Set benchmarks/milestones by working backwards from a deadline
Can I speak to someone at the funding agency? Office of Research and Economic Development Seminar Series Program 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 st Bost Theatre Key to funding is building relationships Gain insight on agency s current funding priorities which can shift over time in-between published materials POs can assist with determining the correct track for a proposal Reach out with a brief summary, listing your main objectives, methods, and expected outcomes. Stress the uniqueness and how the outcome(s) will contribute to the field. Keep it SHORT! Take advantage of professional meetings and conferences to grab the ear of an agency representative.
Established in 2016 as a branch of OSP What does the Proposal Services office do? Serves as a liaison among researchers, research administrators, and sponsor agencies, and as a clearinghouse for institutional and other resources for proposal development; Provides targeted marketing of current and potential funding opportunities in order to maximize responsiveness by faculty to solicitations of interest; Assists faculty and departmental/college personnel with logistics of proposal preparation and submission; Educates and advises on the mechanics of proposal writing and grantsmanship
What is the difference between a grant and a contract? Grants: Initiated by investigator Purpose for the public good Solicitation Method Funding Opportunity Announcement Call for Proposal/Application Scope is somewhat flexible Limited to no collaboration with sponsor Cooperative Agreements: Initiated by sponsor Purpose for exchange and/or public good Solicitation Method FOA Call for Proposal/Application Scope is somewhat flexible, but award doc describes roles and relationships Substantial collaboration with sponsor Contracts: Initiated by sponsor Purpose for purchase or procurement of deliverables for government/agency good Solicitation method Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation Broad Agency Announcement Scope cannot be altered; detailed expectations and deliverables Extensive involvement by sponsor
What is MSU s DUNS number, SAM number, & Tax ID number? www.osp.msstate.edu/pdf/quick_facts_2015.pdf
What are my rights to my intellectual property? Office of Technology Management (OTM) facilitates cases of intellectual property. OSP will assist with reviewing IP-related terms of research grants. For concerns with patents, licensing, copyrighting, etc., contact OTM. OTM maintains resources for commercializing IP. www.otm.msstate.edu
What do I do if my project involves human or animal subjects? Responsible conduct of research certification via online training modules Office of Research Compliance can assist with human and animal protection protocols and Institutional Review Board procedures Office of Laboratory Animal Resources maintains compliance with federal regulations OSP can serve as a liaison with ORC and will ensure all procedures are approved prior to submission. www.orc.msstate.edu
Can I sign agreements on behalf of the University to accept funds? Nope Un-uh Negative No way Jose Please don t. Only OSP and its designated personnel are authorized to sign agreements for the institution. Remember awards are made to MSU, not individual investigators.
What is an IAS? Your departmental administrator usually begins the IAS. The most current version is available at www.osp.msstate.edu/forms/docs/ias_v1.0.11.pdf
What is the difference between letters of intent and Preliminary Proposals? Letter of Intent (LOI) Often requested (not required but still check) to allow agency to prepare for the number of proposals to expect and to allow officers to assemble qualified review panels Preliminary Proposal Sometimes requested OR required for the purpose of assigning the proposal to the correct review panel or as a opportunity to weed out non-competitive proposals. Remember! LOIs and Preliminary Proposals which commit specific University resources such as personnel or space, or which request funding for specific project costs, are official requests for external funding. As such they must receive all required internal approvals prior to submission to the sponsor just like a full grant proposal.
Use resources to your advantage, such as Scopus How do I identify potential collaborators? Stretch your associations look for collaborators from diverse backgrounds institutionally, geographically, interdisciplinary, culturally, etc. Consider being a consultant, evaluator, sub-awardee, etc. Explore institutional working groups and cross-disciplinary events Network at meetings of professional, social, honorary organizations. Rely on institutional research personnel (OSP, ORED, library) to facilitate introductions Attend university programs outside of your primary interests.
What is the process for being a subawardee or including a subaward on a grant? If you have been asked to consult or to receive a subaward as a collaborator on an external project, you should provide your contact at the lead institution with all information requested of you. You may be dealing with the PI or a central office research administrator to complete this process. If you expect to include a collaborator from another institution as a subaward recipient on your proposed project, you should see the research toolkit on the OSP website at http://osp.msstate.edu/rt/subawards/ There, you will find the required forms and budget instructions including the Subrecipient Commitment Form and the Subaward Roles and Responsibilities Matrix. Additional processes may be required to ensure compliance with Conflict of Interest Policies
Who can help me with my proposal budget? OSP provides several budget templates and guidance on current fringe, tuition, and travel rates at http://osp.msstate.edu/rt/dev/#budget. You should confer with your departmental administrator to see if your unit uses a specific budget template. Both OSP and your department administrator can assist with questions about budget categories, line items, and federal regulations.
Facilities and Administrative costs are based on a federallynegotiated rate (renegotiated approximately every 5 years) What is meant by overhead and F & A, and where does it go? Facilities Depreciation and use allowances; interest of debt associated with certain buildings; equipment and capital improvements; operation and maintenance expenses; library Administrative General administration and general expenses; university-wide offices: President s office, General Counsel, etc.; college/departmental administration; research services Rates On Campus Off Campus Research 45.5% 26.0% Instruction 50.0% 26.0% Other 27.2% 22.8% IPAs 11.1% Distribution 44% of F&A to General Fund 19% to ORED 37% to College *Different models exist within each college. CVM and MAFES have very different models. **Implications for splitting F & A when multi-departmental
Who is responsible if a sponsor requires a match or cost sharing? It is the PI s responsibility to discuss cost share/matching requirements with their department head and/or college administration. OSP will not authorize submission of any proposal containing cost share/matching funds without authorized signature from the College. Some potential sources of cost share include: leveraged FTE partnership contribution departmental funds Some agencies do not allow cost sharing. MSU does not encourage cost share unless required by the sponsor.
How do I submit my proposal? Once complete and uploaded to the appropriate submission portal, OSP will ensure that all proposal components are complete and will confirm with the PI that he/she is ready to submit. As PI, you should: Proofread carefully! Check conformity of labels on tables and figures Triple check reference and citations Sign up and manage your account with the submission portal Complete required Internal Approval Sheet and sub documents if necessary Upload contents or work with departmental administrator to complete Grant OSP access/review/submit
What if a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday? Always defer to the guidance and solicitation, but typically, for deadlines on weekends or holidays, the agency allows submission the next business day. Remember! Always confirm if the deadline falls within a specific time zone. OSP may not be available to assist with changes to proposals over weekends and holidays/university closures.
What happens after the proposal is submitted? Upon receipt of submission confirmation from the agency by OSP, the OSP administrator will notify the PI and departmental contact of successful submission, including any assigned ID or tracking number. OSP administrator will then submit the proposal for digital and hard copy storage in internal databases. If any action is taken on the project, such as a request for additional information, or notification of award, the OSP administrator will receive notice as contact of record and will relay any communication to the PI and departmental contact.
How do I get my funds if my proposal is awarded? Upon notice of award and internal award processing, OSP will enter award information into Banner and notify Sponsored Programs Accounting that a fund should be set up. SPA Accounting will have the approved budget from the award document. SPA Accounting will review the budget and note any special reporting requirements, then set up a fund number based on the awarding agency. If there is a cost share fund associated with the award, the fund will be linked. The sponsor-approved budget will be loaded into Banner and costs may be charged to the award based on approved start date. Accounting will notify the PI and department contact person by e-mail that the fund has been set up. OSP should be contacted regarding budgets only if a modification is needed to the original award budget, performance period, or personnel.
Chin up! Funding rates are low for first timers < 10% Read and share reviews to understand feedback What do I do if my proposal is not funded? Be on a review panel Contact PO with questions (NOT immediately) Begin preparing re-submission Third Time s a Charm >40% Get feedback from: A) A peer B) A mentor C) An expert in your field Give them instructions and adequate time to review for SPECIFIC things, not just a what do you think request.
Office of Sponsored Projects Main office: 662-7474 www.osp.msstate.edu aor@osp.misstate.edu Kevin Enroth Sr. Grants & Contracts Administrator subawards, NASA, USDA 325-7402 enroth@osp.msstate.edu Stephanie Hyche Associate Director Sponsored Projects proposal services & development 352-7395 shyche@osp.msstate.edu Lele Newell Senior Grants & Contracts Administrator national labs, defense & energy 325-7396 lnewell@osp.msstate.edu Angie Templeton Grants & Contracts Administrator private funders, international & contracts 325-2346 atempleton@osp.msstate.edu