We use an online system called Cayuse to prepare and submit proposals. You will need to register here to use the portal.
If you need to register with research.gov to submit proposals as a PI/ Co-PI, then you'll need to register at research.gov. You won't be able to submit proposals until OSU affiliates you with OSU. You can follow the steps below to register with NSF. Once you register, OSRAA will get an email requesting to add you to their affiliation.
You can only have one NSF ID and that ID must be affiliated with your current organization. More information is here:
If you do not have an NSF ID, then you’ll need to follow this video to create one as PI/coPI
You may need OSU’s DUNS number or other information. All information on OSU can be found here
% Effort = Total Person months / Total Project time.
So, if you request 1 person month (P.M.) salary every year for 3 years that would be either
(1/12)*100 = 8.33% OR (3/36)*100 = 8.33%
The latter calculation is useful if you are requesting different P.M. per year.
In this case, for example:
P.M. Y1 = 1, Y2 = 2, Y3 = 0.5.
Total P.M. = 3.5
You'd use: 3.5 / 36 * 100 = 9.72%
When a grant is transferred from one institution to another, there are several general steps to the process. Please see the Research Office's guidelines on transferring grants. They also have a PI Checklist for Transfer of a Grant to Oregon State University.
Ask your departmental chair about tuition support in this case. For more information, check out the graduate school information for OSU Foundation Fellow Tuition Support/Training Grant and External Fellowship Tuition Relief/Targeted Graduate Tuition Scholarships
Deadline is around mid February.
Each tuition support mechanism listed above (1-3) is tied to a particular award type. Please refer to the associated links for details.
The new research.gov portal for proposal submissions will eventually replace Fastlane.
If you use Fastlane, the PAPPG allows alternate fonts. If you use Arial 10 point, please note grant writer, Donn Forbes experience:
"The NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG, the rule book) allows 10-point Arial type and requires at least 6 lines of text per vertical inch. If you draft a page in 10-point Arial and print it and measure the number of lines per inch with a ruler, you’ll find exactly six. So, you would naturally expect that if you submit a proposal with 10-point Arial type, you’d be safe. Not so.
Conversion to pdf often shrinks the type. Printers can also shrink the type. There are cases in which reviewers or program managers printed the pdf files, measured the number of lines per inch with a ruler, found 5.9x lines per inch, and returned the proposal without review.
If you’re going to submit an NSF proposal in Arial 10-point type, the best way to protect yourself from administrative disqualification is to select 1.15x line spacing instead of single spacing (Format > Paragraph > Line Spacing > Multiple > 1.15). Then you’ll be safe."
-- Donn Forbes
-------------- Work around option 2 -------------------
If you need to request cost share, please use the form located in the sidebar.
According to Federal Uniform Guidance (Code of Federal Regulations) cost sharing or matching (e-CFR §200.306) is defined as that portion of project costs not paid by Federal funds. Cost sharing represents a legal obligation by OSU and can be in the form of cash or in-kind contribution. There are two types of cost share, voluntary and mandatory cost sharing.
Mandatory cost sharing is defined as cost share required by the agency and described by the specific funding announcement. Voluntary cost share is cost sharing not stated in proposal guidelines, but described as a quantifiable amount of resources contributed to the project. Voluntary cost share is not allowed except under extenuating circumstances.
e-CFR §200.306 states: "Under Federal research proposals, voluntary committed cost sharing is not expected. It cannot be used as a factor during the merit review of applications or proposals, but may be considered if it is both in accordance with Federal awarding agency regulations and specified in a notice of funding opportunity."
If you are working on a proposal that requires cost share, you'll need to discuss your needs with your department and/or college Dean. Documentation for cost share will be required in your Cayuse record.
For more information on cost share at OSU, check out these links:
There are several online resoures to assist you with developing a postdoctoral mentoring plan. See the graduate school page on "Developing a Mentoring Plan for NSF proposals", "The Responsibilities of mentors of postdoctoral scholars and fellows" and the "Individual Development Plan" page
Let's say you want to consult on another grant at another University. Would this go through OSU?
Please refer to the OSU Faculty Handbook for more information on OSU's Conflict of Commitment Policy.
Before engaging in outside activities in your field, faculty must complete the Request for Approval of Outside Activities form to ensure there are no conflicts of commitment. This form can be found here: http://oregonstate.edu/admin/hristeam/outemp.pdf. "With supervisor approval, a full-time professorial faculty member may engage in outside professional activities related to his or her University responsibilities one day in each work week during periods of full-time employment."
If a consultant role is appropriate then the other university would prepare a Personal Services Contract for the consulting services provided; this would not require a Cayuse proposal.
It is important that the PI consider his/her contribution and collaboration on the project.
Consultants/Fees: "These costs are for professional fees, e.g., consulting and legal fees, services rendered by commercial firms; service charges by institutional service departments; and fees assessed by other state agencies. Generally, all services must be performed within the award period. Consulting costs are normally identified separately in the budget and may also be called Personal Services Contracts (PSC). OSU employees and graduate students may not be listed as consultants on OSU budgets."
Subawards: "The subaward process is used when OSU passes through a portion of the sponsored award to another entity for the purpose of programmatic effort on the project or when OSU receives a portion of a sponsored award from another organization. All the terms and conditions that are part of the primary award must be included in the subaward document. Signature of acceptance of these terms by the receiving entity is required."
For more information on determing if you need to set up a consultant or a subaward, please visit, "Is this a subaward or a procurement" at the Research Office.
Do you provide incentives to participants on your grants? Do you provide gift cards? If so, how do you know how many to purchase without ending up with leftover gift cards after the grant ends?
If gift cards are purchased on a department account up front, and then the grant reimburses as they are given out to participants, you don't have this issue. Any remaining gift cards then belong to the department. They can then use them for another project as needed.
Same for petty cash. The department sets up the petty cash on a department index. Then as the funds are used, the petty cash fund is reimbursed by the grant. Once the grant closes, the petty cash is closed and the amount reimbursed to the department. Departments should be able to have some flexible funds to do this. This way, the federal funds only pay for the actual participant costs.
Use a system in which you only upload money onto a gift card immediately before distribution
Fiscal Policy for Gift Cards in 03-140-512
Cash Incentives? We have a policy for that too!
Fiscal Policy Miscellaneous: 03-140-513
Units who perform testing of products often advertise that they will give anyone who takes the test an incentive, for example $5.00. The unit will pay out the testing incentives and document how much was given, and to whom. A Departmental Advance is required to receive the funds to distribute. The advance will be “cleared” by the appropriate Business Center through the process identified in FIS 407-07 Departmental Advances (Non-Travel).
Basic Research
Applied Research
Development
Other Sponsored Activity
Research Training
Funding agencies defer to university policy as long as they comply with the uniform guidance
OSRAA's policy on Participant Support Costs
Participant support costs refer to costs paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees attending conferences, meetings, symposia, training activities and workshops. A participant must be an individual who is attending in the context of a "trainee."
Some undergraduates who come to campus for a summer research program would like to use Dixon Rec Center and/or may need access to computers. We've put a handy guide together to answer these questions: https://proposals.science.oregonstate.edu/articles/REUs
The proposed salary for (insert name) exceeds the two-month limit for senior personnel. The proposed level of commitment for this proposal is appropriate to the scope of work and is required in order to fulfill the objectives of this project within the proposed time frame.
The proposed salary for (insert name), in combination with other current NSF support (insert award numbers), exceeds the two-month limit for senior personnel. The proposed level of commitment for this proposal is appropriate for the scope of work and is required in order to fulfill the objectives of this project within the proposed time frame.