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OVPR Funds for Research and Scholarship
Cost Sharing Required by External Sponsors
| Award Levels | Application Instructions | Deadlines
PURPOSE: Cost-sharing funds are available to enable UM faculty to gain access to support from external sponsors that require University cost sharing beyond the level that can be provided by the principal investigator's academic unit.
Most sponsors' cost sharing requirements should be met through salaries and fringe benefits provided by the applicant's unit and the University's contribution of the indirect costs applicable to those salaries and fringe benefits. OVPR funds are primarily used to meet sponsor requirements for cost sharing for necessary research equipment or facilities renovation.
OVPR attempts to respond positively to as many requests for cost sharing as possible. However, because agency desires for cost sharing far exceed the funds available for this purpose, not all requests for cost sharing can be met and most are not approved at the level requested by the principal investigator.
OVPR or DRDA can provide detailed information about University policies and practices in connection with cost sharing on sponsored projects.
AWARD LEVELS
Up to $10,000 in Direct Costs
Cost sharing of direct costs up to a $10,000 should be addressed by the department or school/college.
Above $10,000 in Direct Costs
Requests for direct cost sharing amounts above $10,000 are
reviewed by OVPR and DRDA on a competitive basis. OVPR considers a
variety of cost sharing requests from the faculty, but the
principal cost sharing patterns are the following:
- For major federal equipment grant programs (e.g., DOE, NIH, DOD), OVPR will assist the academic unit to provide up to 10% of the cost of the equipment that is being requested from the sponsoring agency or an equivalent amount toward the cost of facilities needed to house such equipment.
- For research grant proposals to sponsors (e.g., NSF) that require matching by the institution for major equipment items, OVPR will attempt to match what the unit can provide. (The OVPR share normally will not exceed 25% of total equipment item cost.)
OVPR over-commits its cost sharing funds based upon varying probabilities of success of proposals of different types and sizes. OVPR also bases the level of its support on the leverage it exerts. Major reductions in awards from the amount proposed may therefore require a downward adjustment in the scope of work and the amount of OVPR cost sharing.
Close attention is given to new sponsored programs in which larger institutional cost sharing is sought. The central administration's resources are limited, but OVPR works with the executive officers to help academic units develop competitive proposals where the proposed activities will strengthen the University's ability to achieve its goals and objectives.
While OVPR prefers to provide its cost sharing support on a one-year, non-recurring basis, it does make a limited number of multi-year commitments to major proposals such as those which support a research center or institute.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Up to $10,000 in Direct Costs
Cost sharing of direct costs up to a $10,000 should be addressed by the department or school/college. The appropriate signature should be included on the PAF that accompanies the proposal to DRDA.
Prior to submission of a completed proposal to DRDA, the
project director should do the following:
- Contact the department chairperson and research
associate dean (RAD) with regard to the level of cost
sharing which can be provided by the academic unit.
- When the unit is unable to provide the
entire amount of required cost sharing, the RAD will
contact the Associate Vice President and Executive Director of Research Administration at OVPR to negotiate a total University cost sharing package. To facilitate discussion between the RAD and OVPR,
the project director should provide the RAD with a
project title, brief explanation of the proposed project,
draft budget, the name of the agency to which the
proposal will be submitted, and the time span of the
project.
- Depending on the amount of the OVPR cost sharing
involved, the project director may be required to submit
an outline of the project and a draft budget prior to
OVPR commitment of funds.
- If OVPR cost sharing is approved, the principal investigator must list it in the budget summary on the proposal approval form (PAF). The PAF is then routed through the research associate dean and to DRDA.
DEADLINES: Requests for cost sharing should be submitted to OVPR one month before the proposal is due at the sponsoring agency. Requests are handled as expeditiously as possible.
There are times (such as a site visit or during actual award negotiations with the sponsor) when immediate answers must be given to cost-sharing requests. OVPR will handle such emergencies on a flexible basis as the need arises. In such situations, contact the Associate Vice President and Executive Director of Research Administration.
OVPR understands that the proposal preparation process is difficult and time-consuming, and that faculty are not always able to submit the request for cost sharing to OVPR for competitive review well in advance of the sponsor's deadline. Therefore, when it is not possible to submit the request to OVPR well enough in advance of the sponsor's deadline to ensure adequate review prior to the deadline, one of two procedures may be followed:
- the proposal may be submitted to the sponsor with a statement that cost-sharing funds have been requested from the University. If such funds are approved after the submission of the proposal, the applicant may send supplementary material to the sponsor indicating the amount of cost sharing formally approved.
- the unit can agree to "backstop" the cost sharing commitment included in the proposal in the event that OVPR funds are not awarded. In this case, the proposal may be submitted with a formal cost-sharing commitment included.
Office of the Vice President for Research
4080 Fleming Administration Building 1340
763-2680
Last reviewed: 10/25/2004