VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policy and Procedure

Policy #R006

Once a researcher has decided to apply for a grant or answer a request for proposal, it is imperative that he or she contact the ORA and discuss the type of application, deadlines and any resources or assistance needed. This will aid in the planning of submission deadlines to sponsors and will help ensure that each grant is submitted before its deadline. This is especially critical during the months when NIH applications are due (February, June, October) as several applications will be processed through at the same time. ORA personnel will review each application to ensure that it follows sponsor guidelines, has all required paperwork, has a complete and correct budget and has all the appropriate signatures. ORA personnel will also read over the application for content, grammar and punctuation if requested and if time permits. As such, the ORA requests that all material be submitted no later than ten (10) working days before the due date to the agency. In this time, ORA personnel will review the application, suggest changes if necessary and work with the PI to make these changes, acquire appropriate signatures and submit the application to the sponsor. VCOM PIs are welcome to work with the ORA from the inception of the application. If a PI would like assistance with a grant or proposal during any stage of the process, he or she can contact ORA personnel to work on a one-on one basis. 2.3. Transferring New or Continuing Awards When new faculty members come to VCOM, many times they bring with them existing projects. These projects need to be formally transferred to VCOM in such a way that the sponsoring agency, the PI’s former institution and VCOM are all involved. The PI should meet with ORA personnel to go over all transferring projects. It is critical that the PI not spend any funds on the project until the transfer is officially complete. The PI should prepare a letter providing the title, fund number, date of transfer and any equipment purchased with the grant that the PI wishes to transfer. The letter must be signed by the PI and the Director of Research Administration. The PI will first need to work with his or her former institute to ensure that transfer is allowed and acceptable by that institute as well as the sponsor. Once this has been approved, the VCOM ORA will work with the PI to produce the necessary documents required to complete transfer. These documents will vary with the sponsoring agency, but most will require a new face page, statement of work (SOW) and a revised budget/expenditure report showing remaining funds. If the PI knows that a project will transfer with him or her and needs to spend funds before the transfer is complete, there are ways to achieve this. The PI must write a letter to the ORA specifying the project sponsor, period of performance and budget details. 2.4. Collaborative Projects with Other Institutions If the PI is a VCOM faculty member and wishes to subcontract out certain tasks or sections of the protocol, he or she must first ensure that the sponsoring agency allows subcontracting. When working with subcontractors, it is critical that the ORA is informed as early in the process as possible. Letters of intent and detailed budgets are many times required by the contractor, and these take additional time to gather. If VCOM is a subcontractor on another institution’s proposed project, the investigator will submit VCOM’s portion of the statement of work or task section (if applicable) and work with the ORA to draw up a budget. Additionally, a letter of intent signed by the Provost, Dean and Executive Vice President may be required. Once all these pieces have been assembled, ORA personnel will contact the prime institution and send the materials. If the project is awarded, VCOM will receive a subcontract from the prime institution.

Office of Research Administration Grants Administration Policies and Procedures

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