AgBioResearch
Office of Research Support
Doug Buhler – Director
George Smith – Associate Director
Mary Weinzweig – Finance & Business Manager
Carolyn Adams, Lori Bramble, Bill Humphrey
Research Coordinators
Commonly Used Proposal Acronyms

FOA = Funding Opportunity Announcement

RFP = Request For Proposals

RFA = Research For Applications
All of these refer to the solicitation/proposal from the agency or sponsor.

SPA = Sponsored Programs Administration (Unit name for OSP and CGA)

OSP= Office of Sponsored Programs (Pre-award)

CGA = Contract and Grant Administration (Post-award)

F&A = Facilities and Administrative Cost Rate

IDC = Indirect Cost Rate

NICRA= Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement
All of these refer to the federally negotiated rate. The F&A rate is negotiated with the
Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)

TDC (Total Direct Costs)


Refers to the direct costs of the project budget.
MTDC (Modified Total Direct Costs)

Refers to the final total of a budget when any exempt items (equipment, capital
expenditures, patient care, rental costs, tuition & fees, scholarships, fellowships, participant
support costs and subawards in excess of $25,000 have been removed from the bottom line.
Read Your Solicitation!
The solicitation will provide you with specific and important information:
• FOA number and title
• How to submit the final package (e-mail, Grants.gov, FastLane, etc.)
• Due dates
•
•
•
•
Letter of intent (if applicable)
Proposal
•
•
•
•
•
F&A limits
Award project period (years)
Yearly or total project dollar limits
Budget category limits (student stipends, salary, supplies, etc.)
Cost share
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Page limitations
Margins
Font
Typeface
Headers and footers
Naming of documents
Order of documents
Budget & Justification information
Formatting
• Proposal content (objectives, plans, methods, implementation, etc.)
• Review and selection process for your proposal
• Award administration and conditions
• Reporting requirements
**The solicitation takes precedence over the agency guidebook (if applicable)
MSU Extension Contacts
Agriculture and Agribusiness:
 Institute Director: Ronald Bates 432-7693 batesr@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Keri Morris 355-4623 morrisk@msu.edu
Children and Youth:
 Institute Director: Julie Chapin 432-7608 chapin@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Holly Lacina 432-6567 lacinah@msu.edu
Greening Michigan:
 Institute Director: Dave Ivan 432-4602 ivand@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Keri Morris 355-4623 morrisk@msu.edu
Health and Nutrition:
 Institute Director: Dawn Contreras 353-3886 contrer7@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Nick Bourland 432-7687 bourlan@anr.msu.edu
Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
CANR, AgBioResearch, MSU Extension
ProposalTeam2@osp.msu.edu
Proposal Team 2 Manager: Craig O’Neill
OSP Proposal Deadline Policy
OSP has a “10:6:3” proposal submission deadline policy:
 10 days prior to the deadline the solicitation (if available) should be
provided to OSP.
 At least 6 days in advance the final budget and budget justification
should be sent to OSP for review. eTransmittals should be routed at 6
days, even if the budget isn’t approved (make notes on transmittal).
 The complete proposal needs to be sent to OSP 3 full business days
before submission deadline.
A proposal is considered late when OSP receives the final package
with less than 3 full business days prior to the submission deadline.
A proposal is considered at-risk when it is provided to OSP within 8
business hours of the submission deadline.
 At-risk proposals must be specifically endorsed by the department
chair/director and the Associate Dean for Research (Dr. Doug Buhler)
On time proposals will take priority over late and at-risk proposals
MSU Extension Agreement
 Handout Provided
 To be completed between you and your Fiscal Officer before
starting proposal
 3 – 2 – 1 Timeline
Timeline for Proposal Development
3+ Weeks before deadline:





Initiate contact with Fiscal Officer (FO)
Provide copy of funding agency’s request for proposals.
Complete Time-Line Agreement with FO
Contact sub-awardees
Arrange REQUIRED match with Institute Director
2+ Weeks before deadline:
 Budget finalized and routed to MSU OSP
 Obtain final commitments from sub-awardees
 Documentation of REQUIRED match
1+ Week before deadline:
 Route final transmittal
 Package proposal
MSU Extension Principal
Investigator Eligibility
 MSU Principal Investigator (PI) eligibility traditionally requires a
Ph.D. and tenure stream appointment at MSU.
 MSUE has an exemption for Extension Educators with Masters
degrees or prior approval to serve as PIs.
 OSP is not always aware of this exemption.
 Supervising Educators often serve as Principal Investigator for
Extension Program Coordinators, Instructors, and Associates.
Funding Sources
 Office of Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies
 https://vprgs.msu.edu/find-funding
 Council of Michigan Foundations
 https://www.michiganfoundations.org/grantseekers
 The Funding Center
 http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/0fdncoll.htm
Funding Continued
 MSU Extension projects often fall under “Public Service” rather than
“Research.”
 Opportunities for collaboration with research in Agriculture & Natural
Resources; Social Science; Natural Science; Business; Human
Medicine; Osteopathic Medicine; Nursing; Veterinary Medicines;
Engineering (Civil)
 Stakeholder/Community Impact
 Research Participants – Human/Animal
 IRB Required
 Information Dissemination
 Consultation
Elements of Proposal Budget
Budgets: Excel templates are the easiest to use
• They have formulas and automatic calculations built in
•
All templates have 5 year budgets
•
•
NIH & NSF templates are the same except for title at the top
USDA has 2 F&A rates listed at the bottom for comparison
•
Do not delete the years you don’t need, minimize them!
AgBioResearch.msu.edu/Researcher Resources/Office of Research Support/Budget Worksheets
Elements of Proposal Budget (cont.)
Salaries and Wages – calculated in person months and/or percent of effort






Faculty: AN, AY and Summer
Extension Educators
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students/Hourly Labor
*Administrative and Clerical Staff, as justified
Fringe Benefits




SI Fringe
Graduate Student
Hourly workers
Affordable Care Act
OSP/CGA Salary Budget Builder



Get current salaries for MSU faculty and staff
Use your project start date
Export and save salary figures to your excel budget template
Salary Budget Builder
Elements of Proposal Budget (cont.)
Equipment – item with a purchase price of more than $5,000 and an
expected service life of more than one year
Travel – Domestic and International
Participant Support Costs




Stipend
Travel
Subsistence
Other
Other Direct Cost





Materials and Supplies
Publications
Consultant Services
Subcontracts (F&A is charged on the first $25,000 only)
Other (Tuition and Fees)
Elements of Proposal Budget (cont.)
Cost Share/Match
Mandatory Cost Share – required by the sponsor as a condition of receiving the
award, usually included in the proposal.
Voluntary Committed Cost Share – not required by the sponsor as a condition
of receiving an award. Included in the proposal to be contributed by the
University and it becomes a binding commitment to the University upon award.
Cost sharing should only be included in a proposed budget, narrative or
budget justification when required by the solicitation.
Cost share MUST be approved by the unit contributing. Please plan
accordingly in order to get proper approvals in advance.
Elements of Proposal Budget (cont.)
F&A/Indirect Cost/Overhead

Supports University Infrastructure: departmental administration, operations, building
maintenance, heating, lighting, custodial services, campus security, phones, etc.
Some items exempt from F&A are:
Equipment
 Participant support costs (fellowships, scholarships)
 Subawards in excess of the first $25,000
 Graduate tuition and fees

Current Rates
Research
Other Sponsored Activities
Off-Campus
Testing
State of Michigan
(through 6/30/2016)
53.5%*
36%
26%
26%
20%
Future Rates
(7/1/2016 – 6/30/2019)
55%
36%
26%
26%
20%
*Use this rate for year 1 of any proposals with a start date before 7/1/2016!
Reduced F&A rates must be justified
•
•
documented in proposal solicitation
waivers must be requested from VPRGS
(Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies)
B
C
D
E
F
H
I
J
K
L
M
NAME
Name
Title
A Senior Personnel
Nam e
Sparty
PI (Sum m er Sal)
60
I
Salary rate
Sal %
66,919
-
1
0
8.3%
0.0%
59,850
6,650
0.5
1
5.6%
0.0%
35,879
1,250.00
$
-
12
0
0
12
0
100.0%
0.0%
0.0%
1
-
Total
Nam e
Faculty Mem ber
PI (Sum m er Sal)
Total
B Other Personnel
TBN
Res As s oc/Pos t Doc
Grad As s t Sal % = # of Grads
UndergradsSal % = # s tudents
Salary
N
Fng %
5,554
5,554
3,352
6,650
10,002
38.76%
7.65%
35,879
15,000
-
27.29%
0.00%
0.00%
2,820
7.65%
30.68%
7.65%
C Fringe
Total YR 1
2,153
2,153
1,028
509
1,537
11,539
9,791
2,820
-
45,670
17,820
-
Sal %
68,257
-
1
0
8.3%
0.0%
61,047
6,783
0.5
1
5.6%
0.0%
36,597
1,275.00
$
-
12
0
0
12
0
100.0%
0.0%
0.0%
1
-
Salary
Rate
7,707
Salary
Total Equipment
39.34%
7.65%
36,597
15,300
-
27.82%
0.00%
0.00%
3,046
7.65%
3,000
35,000
F&A Bas e
25000
0
0
11,458
11,458
-
Am ount
20,000
-
F&A based on the USDA Rate for comparison purposes
61
62 H
63
64
Total Indirect Costs
42.857%
Total
7,894
15,601
11,782
23,321
10,181
3,046
-
46,778
18,346
-
92,448
36,166
-
65,124
84,800
128,614
167,536
F&A Bas e
0
0
0
1
11,916
(10,000)
(11,458)
110,736
53.5%
Total YR 2
2,229
2,229
1,061
519
1,580
Dom es tic
Foreign
49,458
132,194
Total Direct and Indirect Costs
Total Direct and Indirect Costs
31.03%
7.65%
Fringe
-
11,458
R
-
Dom es tic
Foreign
Total Other Direct Costs
G Total Direct Cost
H Modified Indirect Cost Base
Less: Equipm ent
Less: Sub contracts over 25K
Less: Grad Asst Tuition & Fees
Less: Participant Support Stipend
Total Indirect Cos t Bas e
I
Fng %
63,490
82,736
D Travel
Q
DATES
5,665
5,665
3,419
6,783
10,202
-
Total Indirect Costs
P
Year 2
Total Other Pers onnel
Total Salaries
C Equipm ent
Total Travel
E Participant Support Costs
Stipend
Travel
Subs is tence
Other
Total Particpant costs
F Other Direct Costs
1. Material & Supplies
2. Publication Cos ts /Docu
3. Cons ultant Services
4. ADPE/Com puter Services
5. Subcontracts
Am ount
Florida State University
35,000
Subcontractor 2
Subcontractor 3
6. Equipm ent or Facility Rental/Us er Fees
7. Alterations and Renovations
8. Graduate As s t Tuition & Fees
1
9. other
10. other
O
Period:
Year 1
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
65
G
Agency:
Mos
Excel Budget Example
2
3
A
PI: NAME
Mos
1
59,244
55.0%
191,438
56,654
188,848
42.857%
11,916
-
-
-
-
2,000
500
20,000
5,000
500
55,000
11,916
-
23,374
-
34,416
119,216
83,874
251,410
(20,000)
(11,916)
87,300
(30,000)
(23,374)
198,036
48,015
107,259
167,231
358,669
51,092
107,746
170,308
359,156
Grants.Gov
Details of Grant Opportunity
Download Package and Instructions
Download Package and Instructions
Download Package and Instructions
Grants.gov Package (SF 424 R&R)
Grants.gov Package (SF 424 R&R)
Grants.gov Package (SF 424 R&R)
Grants.gov Package (SF 424 R&R)
Grants.gov Package (SF 424 R&R)
Grants.gov Package (SF 424 R&R)
MSU eTransmittal
Internal routing form for tracking proposal submissions



Tracks the number and dollar amount of grants submitted
Used to track faculty, department and college research activity
Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Review
*Must be completed and fully approved up to OSP approval level PRIOR to
grant submission
Required attachments to submit:




Abstract/Project Summary
OSP Approved Budget
Budget Justification
Request for Proposal/Solicitation (if available)
Recommended attachments (if applicable):





Cost Share Budget
Sub-recipient Budget, Justification, Statement of Work, and Commitment Form
MSU Commitment Form
F&A Waiver
Principal Investigator Waiver
 Log into osp.msu.edu
 Select “Proposal –> New eTransmittal from the green menu on the left
 Click “Choose a PI” - Person Picker will pop-up
 Type “last name, first name”
 Highlight persons name and enter (repeat this step for all Senior Key Personnel)
 Always list the lead PI first when there are multiple PI’s

Choose the Key Personnel Type for each person using the drop down arrow

Ensure the F&A distribution includes either their base or default profile

F&A Distribution percentage among senior key personnel must total 100%
 College and Departmental F&A split is automatically calculated
 Project Participants section is required for any PHS or NSF proposals. All
project participants must be added as well as their role on the project.
Pre-award Unit: Unit assisting with proposal submission.
Pre-award Contact: Contact person assisting with proposal submission.
Post-award Unit: Unit responsible for post-award administration.
Post-award Contact: Contact person providing post-award administration.
Fiscal Officer: Person with responsibility for accounting transactions to the
grant account.
 Account Supervisor: Normally Director/Chair of the Unit or another
individual with oversight.
 Direct Sponsor – Entity giving us funds
 Prime Sponsor – Entity sponsoring the research





 Add Project Title, Project Keywords, Agency Deadline, nature/type of project.
 If the project involves international activities, list the country/countries in
Keywords.
 If the nature of the project includes research, select one of the options
beginning with “Research”. Extension is generally “Public Service or
Education”
 List the first year budget and the total project budget.
 Break out direct cost from the facilities and administrative amount.
 Include the total amount of subcontracts, total amount of cost share and
F&A rate.
Cost Share–ONLY list total amount of mandatory cost share specified in the
solicitation.
 Voluntary Cost Share should only be listed in the notes section.

 Required document attachments - budget, budget justification, project
summary and solicitation are needed (can be word, excel or pdf format)
 If project includes subcontracts, must also include subcontract budget,
subcontract budget justification, subcontractor statement of work, and
sub-recipient commitment form.
Include notes on:

Voluntary Committed Cost Share

Who, from OSP, approved the budget and date it was approved

F&A rate, when different than the standard negotiated rate

Anything a reviewer may need to know to approve the transmittal
eTransmittal-Things to keep in mind
Allow enough time for transmittal review and approval.
Track status of transmittal approvals. Send reminders if needed.
An eTransmittal is NOT needed for a pre-proposal or letter of intent unless:
Required cost share commitments
Sponsor requires an authorized organizational representative review of the
budget
 Intellectual property ownership or export control issues


PI Exception Approval is requested with the Department Chair/Director, then
sent to AgBioResearch before going to VPRGS for final approval.
IDC waivers and reductions are to be submitted to AgBioResearch at least 7
days before the proposal deadline; must be approved prior to grant start
date.
Only required cost share is entered in the cost share field. Voluntary cost
share is included as a note.
Budget, Budget Justification, Scope of Work and Solicitation should be
included as attachments.
Delete eTransmittals that you start, and don’t route.
Conflict of Interest
All MSU faculty, academic staff and other individuals who propose,
conduct or report the results of University research and other
sponsored projects must submit an annual disclosure of all
significant financial interests related to their MSU responsibilities

Conflict of Interest Training - updated every 4 years

Annual Disclosure - updated January 1st every year or within 30 days
of acquiring a new significant financial interest (SFI).
Conflict
of Interest
Conflict
of Interest
(cont.)
Conflict of Interest (cont.)
Regulatory Affairs
The Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) assists the MSU community in
understanding and complying with the laws, regulations and standards
for research and teaching.
Office of Regulatory Affairs Units:




Human Research Protection Program
Animals In Research
Institutional Stem Cell Research
Environmental Health and Safety
Human Research Protection Program
All individuals involved in a human subject research project who have
contact with human subjects or their identifiable data must have current
human research protection training, initial training is valid for two years.
Renewal involves completing any six CITI courses.
All research involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by
an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the study begins.
MSU has three Institutional Review Boards (IRBs):



Social Science, Behavioral, Education Institutional Review Board (SIRB)
Biomedical and Health Institutional Review Board (BIRB)
Community Research Institutional Review Board (CRIRB)
Initial Application Time Frames



Exempt – 7-10 working days
Expedited – 3-5 weeks
Full Review – 6-8 weeks
Most IRB approvals expire one year from the date of approval.
Things to Remember!
 PLAN AHEAD!!!
 Review solicitation carefully
 Follow formatting guidelines
 Contact internal reviewers
 Ask for help
MSU Extension Contacts
Agriculture and Agribusiness:
 Institute Director: Ronald Bates 432-7693 batesr@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Keri Morris 355-4623 morrisk@msu.edu
Children and Youth:
 Institute Director: Julie Chapin 432-7608 chapin@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Holly Lacina 432-6567 lacinah@msu.edu
Greening Michigan:
 Institute Director: Dave Ivan 432-4602 ivand@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Keri Morris 355-4623 morrisk@msu.edu
Health and Nutrition:
 Institute Director: Dawn Contreras 353-3886 contrer7@msu.edu
 Fiscal Officer: Nick Bourland 432-7687 bourlan@anr.msu.edu
Thank You
Sponsored by AgBioResearch Office of Research Support