Office for Research and Graduate Studies

FAQ Regarding Research

The questions below are those that are frequently asked of personnel in the CVM Office for Research and Graduate Studies (ORSG). Other less frequently asked questions have been included simply as “FYI”. The responses are correct as of October 23, 2006; however, be aware that some of the responses may change. For example, it is not unusual for the fringe benefit rate or the F&A rate to change. As information changes we will ensure that faculty have the latest available figures.

Faculty are encouraged to send or share their questions with personnel in the Office for Research and Graduate Studies, so questions with broad applicability can be included in this FAQ Fact Sheet.

The information in this fact sheet is organized under the following headings. Click on any heading to move directly to that information.

Funding opportunities (for a detailed listing of opportunities visit our Funding Opportunities webpage):

College funding sources:

Non-college funding sources:

Research budgets:

Where do I go in the college when developing a budget for a research proposal or contract?

The CVM ORGS has a full time staff member (Research Program Manager) that assists in budget preparation.

Is there someone in the college that will check my budget to ensure that it is correct?

Yes. The research program manager must review all research budgets before applications are routed through MSU Sponsored Program Administration (SPA) for submission to the appropriate agency, foundation or organization.

What is the fringe benefit rate that should be used?

For employees (faculty & staff) the fringe benefit rate is 30.22% and for graduate students & student workers the rate is 1.1%. Contact the ORGS Business Manager for the latest approved fringe benefit rate.

What is the budgeted amount for graduate student tuition?

Graduate student tuition is $4062 (for FY06). To ensure that ample tuition funds are available from a grant or contract from year to year, a 5% increase is added to the tuition category of the budget to cover potential tuition increases of multi-year grant applications or contracts. Contact the Administrative Assistant for Graduate Studies in the ORGS for up-to-date information.

What is F&A?

Cost involved in conducting research is categorized as direct and indirect (currently known as Facilities and Administrative, F&A) costs. Direct costs are defined as “those costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.” F&A costs are “those that are incurred for common or joint objectives” and are those costs that would be too costly and burdensome to include as itemized budget categories on research projects. F&A costs are real expenses and should not be considered a tax on research or a windfall for the university or college. “Facilities” is defined as depreciation and use allowances, interest on debt associated with certain buildings, equipment and capital improvements, operation and maintenance expenses, and library expenses. “Administrative” is defined as general administration and general expenses (electricity and water), departmental and college administration, sponsored administration, and all other types of expenditures not listed specifically under one of the subcategories of Facilities. Therefore, F&A cost are recovered as a percent of the direct costs of the research. The F&A cost rates are determined through a long, detailed audit of space use in the university in conjunction with auditors from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

If F&A costs are not recovered, then research must either be reduced in scope and size or paid for from another budget source, in other words, the research must be subsidized. If research is to be subsidized then another budget within the college must be cut or revenue must be generated from some other sources. Think of not recovering F&A cost in this way. If you submit a grant application without including the portion of your salary necessary for you to conduct the research and the grant is funded, then your salary is not covered by the grant but is an expense to the state. The funding agency or foundation gets the grant subsidized by MSU because MSU pays your salary while you conduct the research. The same is true for F&A costs when no F&A cost is recovered or when only a portion of the F&A cost is recovered (referred to in this case as waived F&A), the university or college has the choice to subsidize the research (cover the F&A cost). The funds to subsidize the research, i.e., to cover cost incurred indirectly, had to come from some other budget source.

In summary, F&A costs are real expenses. If they are not recovered from the sponsoring agency, the scope of the research must be curtailed or funds must be supplied from some other source to cover the F&A costs. For more information on direct and F&A (indirect) costs see OMB Circular A-21 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/circulars/a021/a21_2004.html).

What is the F&A rate at MSU?

The F&A rate at MSU is 43%. For example, a research grant or a contract that has $100,000 of F&A eligible cost would generate F&A in the amount of $43,000. The total direct cost of the grant would be $100,000 and the total cost of the grant would be $143,000.

What are F&A eligible costs?

Not all categories or items in a budget are eligible for F&A assessment. Some items are not F&A eligible costs, for example tuition and equipment. In the case of subcontracts only the first $25,000 is subject to F&A costs.

Am I required to include F&A costs on a grant or contract?

Yes. However, some agencies and foundations do not allow for full F&A recovery and may limit F&A recovery to a specific percentage of the allowable research costs or in some cases the foundation will allow no F&A recovery. The university abides by the written policy of agencies and foundations regarding F&A recovery. In cases where the agency or foundation does not have a policy regarding F&A costs but does not agree to allow for full F&A recovery, the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies negotiates for the college with a representative of the agency or foundation what the particular F&A rate will be.

What happens to F&A once it is collected by the college?

The college has a policy of distributing F&A in the following manner: 40% to the Dean’s Office, 20% to the CVM Office for Research and Graduate Studies, and 40% to the department(s) of the investigator(s). The investigator(s) negotiate with their department head regarding how much of the departmental share is distributed to the investigators. Proposals awarded through a center (for example, CEHS) have F&A distributed as follows: 40% to the Dean’s Office, 20% to the CVM Office for Research and Graduate Studies, 25% to the department of the investigator(s), and 15% to the center.

What is cost share?

Cost share refers to any budget item where 100% of the cost is not included in the grant application, e.g., personnel salaries, and some or all of the cost is shared (supported) by the college or university. For example, if a PI indicates that 20% of his/her time will be committed to a grant but does not request salary support from the granting agency then the college will provide (share) all 20% of the PI’s salary for conducting the research. If a PI indicates that 20% of his/her time will be committed to a grant and request 10% salary support from the granting agency then the college will provide (share) the remaining 10% of the PI’s salary for conducting the research. Cost share must be approved by the VP for DAFVM. PI’s are urged to include salary for conducting research in grant applications unless the agency, foundation, or company has a written policy forbidding the inclusion of investigator salaries.

What are matching funds?

Dollars supplied by the institution to match the dollars supplied by the granting agency are considered matching funds. Matching funds are required by some agencies and foundations or for specific types of grants supported by an agency or foundation. Each agency, foundation and program will have specific matching fund requirements. For example, the matching fund requirement may be one institution dollar for every one agency dollar of support. In other cases there may be a requirement of one institutional dollar for every two or three agency dollars of support. Matching dollars can be real dollars that the institution may have to place in a research account for support of the research or may be “in kind” dollars such as not charging the agency for personnel salaries. Matching fund arrangements are typically worked out by the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, the PI and the appropriate department head.

What is considered a contractual cost in a budget?

Generally speaking, contractual costs are for services rendered. For example, having samples analyzed at a laboratory external to CVM, including other laboratories on the MSU campus such as LSBI, would be a contractual cost. Other contractual costs would be repairs to equipment or instruments, and purchasing software. Although per diem charges for animal housing and care are for services rendered, these charges are considered as a commodity and not a contractual cost. Because contractual costs can be confusing, it is best if PIs provide budgets and budget explanations to the Research Program Manager well in advance of submission deadlines so they can be reviewed.

Grant preparation:

Who in the CVM Office for Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) should I contact to assist in preparing a grant application or contract for submission?

Contact the Administrative Assistant for Grants.

Should I inform the CVM ORGS of my grant submission plans?

Yes. This is critical to planning the workload and flow in the office. The earlier a PI notifies us that he/she will be submitting a grant and the due date, the better we can plan our efforts for the PI. Priority is given to grant applications where the PI has alerted the CVM ORGS in advance of the submission; other grant applications will be worked in as possible.

What portion of a grant application is the PI responsible for preparing?

The PI is responsible for the body of the grant application, i.e., proposed research and other required components as determined by the granting agency. The CVM Office for Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) will complete all required form pages and boiler plate pages; however, the PI will be responsible for supplying the information to complete these required pages. Budgets should be proposed as early in the process as possible and submitted to the Research Program Manager for review.

Can I get writing assistance or training in the college?

The college does not have a grant writer; however the ORGS will arrange to have a grant reviewed internally. If necessary the ORGS will have grant applications reviewed external to MSU before submission to a federal agency or other organization. The ORGS will provide honorary for external reviewers when necessary and appropriate.

Periodically on-site training sessions and workshops are planned in the college to enhance grant writing skills of faculty. Sessions are also planned on campus by the MSU Office of Research. In addition ORGS funding is available to send faculty to off-campus grant writing workshops.

Submitting proposals:

How much lead time is needed to have a grant process through the CVM ORGS and MSU SPA?

Our office always works to meet all deadlines even when we get late notification of a submission or late submission of the grant to our office. It is imperative that the PI make sure if the deadline for submission is a “postmarked by date” or “received by date”. For submission of hardcopy grants (via USPS, UPS, or FedEx, not electronic submission), completed grant applications can be given proper care and attention if the grant is in the CVM ORGS, three working days prior to “postmarked by date” grants and four working days prior to “received by date” grants. Grants submitted to the CVM ORGS with less lead time than requested will be processed; however, there is less chance of detecting and correcting errors when adequate time is not allowed. Refer to question below regarding Grants.gov submission to determine timeline for submission through SPA.

What is Grants.Gov?

Grants.gov is the worldwide website for submitting proposals in an electronic format to NIH. This is a new system. MSU SPA requires that any proposal being submitting via Grants.gov be in their office three working days prior to the deadline for submission. The Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine requires that projects having to be submitted through Grants.gov be in their office seven (7) days prior to submission.

Do I need to register in grants.gov?

No, the university is registered. Each PI does not have to register.

Should pre-proposals be submitted through the CVM ORGS?

Pre-proposals that do not include a budget may be submitted by the PI directly to the requesting agency, foundation, or business. Pre-proposals that must include a budget, even if preliminary, must be processed through the CVM ORGS and the MSU SPA office. When a budget is required for submission of a pre-proposal an Internal Approval Sheet must be completed.

What is an IAS?

An IAS is the MSU Internal Approval Sheet for grant and contract submissions that is routed with the grant or contract to SPA. The IAS includes specifics regarding the grant, e.g., title, agency, investigators, due date, total direct and total budget amounts, and should be completed in the CVM ORGS. In addition the IAS contains the signature of investigators, department heads/directors and deans/associate deans and special instructions such as distribution of F&A. The IAS is to be completed in the CVM ORGS by the Administrative Assistant for Grants.

Who has signature authority for the college regarding grants and contracts?

All grant submissions are official when an IAS has been signed by the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. The grant and IAS are submitted together to the MSU SPA Office for final review and submission to the indicated agency.

Contractual agreements (except those included in typical competitive grants) must be signed by a university level authority, i.e., VP for DAFVM or Director of SPA. No one in the college can sign for the university regarding contracts for research.

What should I do when I receive a contract for signature?

All contracts should be routed through the CVM ORGS. Personnel in our office will work with SPA personnel to have the contract reviewed by university counsel for legal purposes. If changes are required the PI will be contacted. Otherwise appropriate university signatures will be obtained.

What should I do with a confidentiality agreement?

The university cannot assure confidentiality of an agreement between a faculty member and an agency, foundation or business; therefore, it is the responsibility of the faculty member to sign a confidentiality agreement. However, before signing a confidentiality agreement it is advisable to allow our office to have it reviewed by university counsel, who will recommend possible modifications in wording or stipulations of the agreement. It is important that the CVM ORGS have a confidentiality statement on file before work commences.

If an agency or foundation requires electronic submission of a grant application, can the PI submit the grant directly to the agency or foundation?

No. All grant submissions must be processed through SPA. The PI may be allowed to upload the application on the agency or foundations electronic site and click on a submit button (in the case of NSF or NIH) but final authorization of the submission occurs in SPA. Grants to foundations, such as AQHA, that are submitted directly to the foundation should be processed and submitted by SPA. An IAS must accompany all grant and contract submissions.

What is eRA commons?

eRA commons is a program for tracking a grant application submitted to NIH and tracking any action on the grant application.

Do I need to register in eRA commons?

If you plan on submitting a grant application to NIH you must register in the eRA commons. To register, contact SPA by e-mail and provide your full name, social security number, birthdate, e-mail address and prior NIH support with account number (if you've had NIH support). Once SPA has sent your information to NIH, you will be prompted to complete the registration process through e-mail instructions.

Post-submission / post-award

How will I know if my grant application is funded?

Agencies differ in how they inform a PI regarding the outcome of a grant submission. In some instances an “unofficial” phone call is made or an e-mail is received that notifies the PI that an award is pending. In some of these cases additional paperwork may be required before the grant is officially awarded. In all cases awards are not official until SPA has received notification of award and funding. PIs should inform the CVM ORGS as to the outcome of grant applications and contracts.

Is there anything else that must be done or completed before a grant application can be officially awarded?

Yes, the PI must complete the applicable paperwork for IACUC, IRB, IBC, and radioisotope usage (regulatory compliance issues) and have approval from applicable committees before a grant can be officially awarded by SPA and allow for work to begin.

How do I track expenditures from my research budget?

Each month expenditures from your specific research accounts will be sent to you. The financial report will be approximately 5 weeks out of date when you receive it. The reason for the delay is because all Banner accounts are closed monthly on or about the fifth to seventh day of the following month. At this point the Banner account is balanced and checked against our internal accounting. Because of the volume of accounts, a three to four week delay in closing out monthly Banner accounts and getting a report to a PI occurs. A team within the college is populating a new software package that will provide essentially “real time” account information for grants and contracts. We hope to have this package functional by August 2007.

Miscellaneous questions:

Does the college pay page charges to have a manuscript published?

Yes, if the manuscript has gone through the official manuscript review process of the college. Anyone wishing to have pages charges covered (that are not already covered by a grant or contract) must submit the manuscript to the ORGS. Specific information is requested when a manuscript is submitted for review, i.e., names of three reviewers (typically internal) and the journal to which the manuscript will be submitted. If page charges have been included in a funded grant, then the ORGS will not cover the page charges.