Pre-Award
Identifying Faculty and Staff Interests
Funding Opportunity Information
Proposal Assistance
Award Acceptance
Project Initiation and Project Administration
Post-Award Management and Responsibilities
Reporting Requirements
Pre-Award
Identifying Faculty and Staff Interests
We are available to meet with faculty and staff to discuss research or other project interests and to suggest potential funding sources to support those interests. As they begin their university tenure, new faculty and staff should schedule an appointment with a member of the Sponsored Programs Office, who can search for relevant funding information. To schedule a meeting call the office at 330-672-2070 (22070 campus phone) or send an email.
Funding Opportunity Information
We monitor a wide range of publications advertising funding opportunities and distribute notices to faculty that match their interests. We also house a reference library containing information on the federal and non-federal programs that provide opportunities for support. Applications for these programs are also available in the office.
Electronic Newsletters - Additionally, we produce electronic newsletters and distribute them to broadly targeted listservs. Newsletter categories are the Sciences, Social Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Education, and Arts & Humanities. Faculty and staff may request to be added to any of these listservs by contacting Bev Robertson and specifying the newsletter(s) of their choice.
COS Expertise Database®
Links to most funding agencies of interest to Kent State investigators are provided here.
Community of Science (COS) Funding Opportunities Database™- The Funding Opportunities Database ™ currently contains over 22,000 records representing over $33 billion in funding. Individuals can create and save up to five searches in the COS Funding Alert, specifying any combination of keywords and other search criteria.
COS E-mail Funding Alert matches funding opportunities with researchers’ interests listed in theExpertise Database®, notifying these researchers weekly of available opportunities. Users can also specify what information they would like their alert e-mails to include, establish default search criteria that apply to each search topic, view archives of their weekly alert results, manage their COS keyword collection, and turn the alert e-mail feature on and off.
The COS Online Funding Tutorial page has instructional materials and tutorials for the various services offered by COS.
Proposal Assistance
We provide technical advice to faculty and staff who are preparing proposals and assist with guideline interpretation, budget preparation, and adherence to university policies and to federal regulations. As agencies issue new regulations or revise old ones, we keep the University community informed, monitoring the proposals for the required adjustments. When time permits, we can also review and edit proposal drafts.
Application Forms – Our office can help you locate application packages and forms. Moreover, faculty and staff who wish to respond to a program announcement may request the application packet from the Sponsored Programs office. These forms are also available on agency websites, or increasingly, available on grants.gov for federal funding opportunities.
Proposal Preparation Guide is a resource for faculty and staff who are unfamiliar with the proposal preparation process. This guide is generic, serving as a reference. It is a general model of a proposal’s essential components and should not be considered a substitute for agency guidelines.
Institutional Fact Sheet contains general information often required on a proposal’s cover page. The Division of Research and Graduate Studies updates this sheet periodically.
Proposal Transmittal Form The proposal transmittal form containing appropriate signatures must accompany every proposal prior to its submission and must be submitted to the Sponsored Programs Office along with the proposal. The transmittal form contains the information essential for review (e.g., budget request, university cost share commitment, need for IRB or IACUC review) by the chair/director/appropriate dean. The appropriate chair/director/dean (to whom each KentState employee involved in a proposed project reports) must authorize submission of the proposal. In the case of proposals submitted by regional campus faculty/staff, the regional campus dean and the Executive Dean for Regional Campuses are the proper signatories. Regardless of the campus from which the proposal originates, the transmittal form is then reviewed for compliance and signed off in the Sponsored Programs Office. Beginning in 2008, all proposals designated as 'research' on the transmittal form must have a Research Discipline Designation Form on file as well.
Click here for a transmittal form that incorporates this Research Discipline Designation form as all one document.
Conflict of Interest Screening Form A Conflict of Interest Screening Form must be submitted to the Sponsored Programs Office with each proposal. Each investigator (e.g., principal investigator, co-principal investigator, faculty associate) involved in a proposed project must disclose to the designated university official a list of significant financial interests (as well as a list of the financial interests of his/her spouse and dependent children) that could compromise the objectivity of the proposed activity.
PHS Assurance Form - As of May 10, 2006, the signature of the Principal Investigator is no longer required as part of a submitted application to NIH. Instead, an internal form will be kept on file by Sponsored Programs, documenting required assurances.
Pubmed Central form - As of April 2008, NIH requires submission of all publications that are the result of agency-funded activities to be submitted to their publication clearinghouse, Pubmed Central. This internal form will be kept on file by Sponsored Programs acknowledging the PI's understanding of and intention to comply with this policy.
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Award Acceptance
When the university receives a grant or contract award, Sponsored Programs staff review proposed agreements associated with the award and negotiate terms and conditions which are both acceptable to the principal investigator and, at the same time, satisfy university policy concerns. Upon accepting the agreement, Sponsored Programs staff assist the principal investigator in managing the award, and help to clarify agency regulations and policies; advise on such matters as allowable costs; subcontracts, or revisions; and help resolve administrative problems that arise during the course of the project. To insure that they understand their responsibilities in managing their project, first-time investigators should meet with Sponsored Programs staff as early as possible.
Project Initiation and Project Administration
Upon acceptance of a grant or contract, Sponsored Programs staff request a new account from the Grants Accounting Department within the Division of Business and Finance. Throughout the life of the project, Sponsored Programs and Grants Accountants work together to properly manage the award.
Sponsored Programs staff prepare a Spending Plan for the principal investigator that translates the approved budget into codes from the University’s accounting system. A summary Month End Financial Report showing the charges against the particular grant account is distributed to the principal investigator’s department. The principal investigator can view additional expenditure detail on theFinancial Affairswebsite by entering the grant account number and selecting the month. Here the principal investigator can view the account statement, report of transactions, position control statement, and labor distribution report.
Post-Award Management and Responsibilities
Principal Investigators are responsible for the day-to-day direction and administration of their project and must comply with all University and agency policies and regulations. Sponsored Programs staff are available to advise and assist with all situations relating to the funded project including interpretation of University policy, agency regulations, and allowability of costs and/or activities. Sponsored Programs staff has expertise in the areas of cost principles, agency regulations, and compliance issues.
Principal investigators are also responsible for monitoring all expenditures charged to the grant account and insuring that those charged expenditures are allowable. To ensure the effective allocation of resources, Sponsored Programs staff can assist in interpreting Month End Financial Reports and, as well, in projecting expenditures to the end of the grant period.
Reporting Requirements
All funding agencies require submission of project technical and financial reports.
Technical Reports – Most agencies require an annual progress report and a final technical report. Principal investigators are responsible for preparing these reports. Sponsored Programs staff will transmit them to the funding agency on the investigator’s behalf. As part of the requisite official grant record, the principal investigator must file a copy of all reports with Sponsored Programs.
Financial Reports – The grant accountant assigned to the project prepares the financial report based on the expenditures recorded in the account. Principal investigators have the opportunity to review the financial report prior to submission to the agency.
Project Closeout – After the project’s termination date, no additional expenditures may be incurred. Funding agencies normally require the final technical and financial report ninety days after the project ends. The ninety-day period permits sufficient time for expenditures incurred before the end of the project to be liquidated and gives the principal investigator time to prepare the technical report. Patent disclosure, equipment disposition, and other required reports may be submitted after the termination date or with the final report. Grant/contract records are subject to annual audit; they must be retained for a minimum of three years from the date the final reports are filed.
Other Useful links
University Policies Related to Sponsored Programs
Sponsored Research Agreement Forms -Sponsored Research Agreement -Template is availablefrom the Director of Sponsored Programs (cheimlic@kent.edu) or the Licensing Coordinator of Technology Transfer (cstrehar@kent.edu) upon request
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