Forms, Policies & Procedures

Here you will find a repository of forms, policies and procedures related to research at the University of Delaware. This repository draws on sources throughout campus to provide quick and easy access to these resources in a variety of formats, such as html, MSWord and Adobe PDF. We encourage you to explore and use the tools provided to narrow your search by word, resource type or category in order to learn more about the content that governs research at UD.


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RO Forms, Policies, and Procedures Search 2019

Forms, Policies and Procedures (66 Entries)
Policy: Research Office
3-Business-Day Internal Proposal Deadline Policy
Policy: Research Office

3-Business-Day Internal Proposal Deadline Policy

  1. SCOPE OF POLICY

    This policy addresses the internal deadline set forth for proposal review and submission by the Research Office, and applies to all departments, faculty, and staff involved in externally sponsored research at the University of Delaware (UD).

    UD investigators must have their proposals to the Research Office by 8:00am, at least three business days prior to the agency deadline – or they are not guaranteed to be submitted to the sponsor.

    Currently, the Research Office processes over 1,800 proposals per year at UD, and of that number, between 600 and 700 proposals typically are funded by a wide range of sponsoring agencies. Successful proposals account for an influx of more than $161 million in research expenditures each year.

    Depending on the funding agency and program, these proposals, with their required text, cited references, budgets, forms and appendices, may range in size from a few pages for a small proposal to more than a thousand pages for large, multi-institutional efforts. The Research Office conducts a thorough review of proposals prior to submission to increase their funding success rate. Due to the large volume of proposals submitted, the 3-Business-Day Internal Proposal Deadline Policy has been established to facilitate this review and ensure a smooth and successful proposal submission process at UD.

  2. DEFINITIONS
    1. Funding Opportunity – A formal request by an external sponsoring agency to request participation in an upcoming project, outlining project-specific goals, deadlines, eligibility, and deliverables.
    2. Proposal – A formal application by UD to participate in an externally-sponsored project, made in response to a funding opportunity.
    3. Sponsor or Sponsoring Agency – A external entity responsible for providing project funding if UD’s proposal is accepted and an official award agreement is subsequently executed.
    4. Proposal Review and Submission – The process by which a proposal is formally reviewed by UD and submitted to an external sponsoring agency.
    5. Internal Proposal Deadline – The deadline by which proposals must be provided to the Research Office for full review prior to the sponsor proposal deadline.
    6. Funding Opportunity – A formal request by an external sponsoring agency to request participation in an upcoming project, outlining project-specific goals, deadlines, eligibility, and deliverables.
    7. Sponsor or Sponsoring Agency Proposal Deadline – The deadline by which a UD proposal must be submitted to an external sponsoring agency for review and consideration, typically outlined via the funding opportunity.
  3. POLICY STATEMENT
    The Research Office is committed to facilitating the submission of proposals of the highest quality to increase the probability of research funding success at UD. The 3-Business-Day Internal Proposal Deadline Policy allows the Research Office to conduct a meaningful review of the final proposal package prior to submission. This includes a thorough review for compliance with sponsor and UD rules and regulations, while allowing time for principal investigators and their administrators to finalize the scientific content.
  4. POLICY STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES
    1. Internal Deadlines for Proposal Submission
      1. UD investigators must have their proposals to the Research Office by 8:00am, at least three business days prior to the agency deadline – or they are not guaranteed to be submitted to the sponsor. Recognizing that the proposal’s technical content requires maximum time to develop, the Research Office accepts proposal packages for review excluding the final technical component/narrative. This allows the proposal package to be prepared and readied for submission while the technical content is finalized. Final technical content must be provided to the Research Office no less than 9 business hours prior to the agency deadline to ensure all formatting requirements are met and potential submission issues are avoided.
      2. Submitting departments, units, and schools may have their own review timeline that is outside the scope of the Research Office deadline. Both the Research Office and the Principal Investigator’s submitting department/unit need adequate time to review and approve proposal submissions. Proactive coordination is important to ensure all complexities are understood and addressed well in advance of the sponsor deadline, especially for complex awards.
    2. Proposal Packages
      1. Proposal packages must contain all elements listed below for review by the Research Office. If any of the elements below are missing, the proposal will be considered incomplete, and will be returned to the Principal Investigator:
        1. Program Solicitation
        2. Fully-Approved Proposal Webform
        3. Statement of Work (SOW) and/or Abstract.
          1. Final Science/Technical content must be provided to the Research Office no less than 9 business hours prior to the agency deadline.
        4. Detailed Budget
        5. Budget Justification
        6. Subaward Documents (SOW, Budget, Budget Justification, etc.)
        7. Up-to-Date Conflict of Interest Disclosure (per the COI Policy)
        8. Other Components (per Sponsor and UD requirements)
    3. Proposal Review and Submission
      1. Proposals received prior to the 3-Business-Day deadline will take precedence over those received after the internal deadline. After all proposals received on-time have been processed and submitted, the Research Office will review and submit, to the best of its ability, all other proposals.
      2. The Research Office follows a “staggered” review process wherein the date a proposal is received dictates the level of review provided per below:
        1. Full Review if received at least 3 business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
        2. Limited Review if received 2 business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
        3. Minimal Review if received 1 business day prior to the sponsor deadline.

           

          Full Review
          ≥3 Business Days

          Limited Review
          2 Business Days

          Minimal Review
          ≤1 Business Day

          PI Eligibility

          Fully-Approved Proposal Webform

          UD, Federal, and State Compliances

          Sponsor Guidelines, Terms, and Conditions

           

          Consultation with Other UD Administrative Offices

           

          Proposal Details

           

           

          Other Management Plans

           

           

           

      3. Proposals received after the 3-Business-Day internal deadline will be submitted to external sponsors with “Minimal” or “Limited” review per above. Any proposal submitted without “Full” review is subject to the following:
        1. If any grave errors are found (i.e. budget and/or compliance) upon full review post-submission, the application will be withdrawn by the Research Office.
        2. The submitting department/unit agrees to assume responsibility for any budget errors/omissions made in the proposal.
        3. The submitting department/unit acknowledges that proposals may contain terms and conditions that may be non-negotiable and, if not resolved, may require UD to decline an award.
      4. Proposals submitted with insufficient review present a greater risk of being rejected/invalidated from the sponsor and/or becoming subject to various adverse scenarios such as:
        1. Risk of proposal rejection due to non-compliance with sponsor guidelines
        2. Risk of proposal rejection due to electronic system failure
        3. Risk of department/unit incurring financial burden due to budget errors or omissions
        4. Risk of UD withdrawal of proposal post-submission or UD rejection of the award

 

Policy Details:

OWNER: UD Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: UD Research Office

ORIGINATION DATE: January 3, 2007

REVISION DATE(S): 9/16/19, 3/01/2021

Policy Source Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51418

Template: Research Office
5 Year Budget Template
Template: Research Office

5 Year Budget Template

The attached spreadsheet is a guide to assist you in building a budget for your proposal.

 

Template Details:

OWNER: Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: Research Administration

REVISION DATE(S): 7/6/2022, 6/26/2023

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=96504

Form: Research Office
Account Closeout Checklist
Form: UD Research Office

Account Closeout Checklist

The account closeout checklist is to be used for Contracts and Management. It includes technical reporting, cost share/match, after-end-date charges, over expenditures, unallowable charges, outstanding transactions, equipment inventory, subcontracts, salary JV’s, F&A, potential inventions or other intellectual properties, purpose and project, final expenditure total, labor allocations module.

 

Form Details:

OWNER: UD Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: UD Research Office

ORIGINATION DATE: October 14, 2008

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51472

Form: Grants.Gov
Application for Federal Assistance SF 424 (R&R) Sample Form
Form: Grants.Gov

Application for Federal Assistance SF 424 (R&R) Sample Form

This form is used to help manage the resources allocated from grants, gifts and sponsored agreements. Both the University and the government have specific protocols in place to prevent the misuse of funds and other resources. Please contact your assigned contract and grant specialist if you have specific questions, or if you have questions about other forms and steps in the award process. If you are unsure of who holds the contract and grant specialist position for your department, please refer to the Administrator Directory search on the Staff Directory Page.

 

Form Details:

OWNER: UD Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: UD Research Office

ORIGINATION DATE: July 20, 2007

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51473

Form: Research Office
Automated Closeout Report (ACR) webform login
Form: UD Research Office

Automated Closeout Report (ACR) webform login

This form is used to help manage the resources allocated from grants, gifts and sponsored agreements. Both the University and the government have specific protocols in place to prevent the misuse of funds and other resources. Please contact your assigned contract and grant specialist if you have specific questions, or if you have questions about other forms and steps in the award process. If you are unsure of who holds the contract and grant specialist position for your department, please refer to the Administrator Directory search on the Staff Directory Page.

 

Form Details:

OWNER: UD Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: UD Research Office

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51646

Form: Research Office
Budget Category Worksheet
Form: Research Office

Budget Category Worksheet

Proposal budgets are itemized by budget categories. The categories map to accounts when the proposal is awarded. Use this budget category list to guide the proposal budget process.

 

Form Details:

OWNER: Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: Research Administration

REVISION DATE(S): 7/6/2022, 6/26/2023

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=96497

Template: Research Office
Budget Justification Template
Template: UD Research Office

Budget Justification Template

This template is used to justify a budget and should be used to draft expectations of a project. It includes everything from equipment to PI information.

 

Template Details:

OWNER: Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: Research Office

ORIGINATION DATE: April 1, 2013

REVISION DATE(S): 6/12/2024, 10/05/2023, 6/26/2023, 5/18/2023, 1/25/2023, 7/27/2022, 7/12/2022, 7/6/2022, 6/25/2021, 2/04/2021, 1/14/2021, 7/10/2020, 07/02/2020, 11/22/2019, 07/02/2019, 05/2019, 04/2019, 03/2019, 07/2018, 04/2016, 12/2014, 04/2013

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51650

Policy: Research Office
Budget Revision for Sponsored Awards
Policy: Research Office

Budget Revision for Sponsored Awards

Definition/background

The budget plan is the financial expression of the project or program as approved by the sponsor during the award process. During the conduct of a project, the principal investigator may determine that budget changes are necessary to carry-out the project work. Many sponsors allow flexibility in how project funds are expended and permit budget changes needed to meet project requirements. Principal investigators need to be aware of the specific requirements for their awards and to request prior approval for budget changes when the terms and conditions of the sponsor or particular award require it. Revisions to sponsored project budgets that require sponsor prior approval must be reviewed and approved by the Research Office.

Informal rebudgeting occurs when actual expenditures exceed or fall short of the amount budgeted in a specific budget category. If sponsor prior approval is not required by the award terms, it is not required to submit a budget revision-contracts and grants webform to re-align the budget to match actual expenditures.

Procedure when requesting a rebudget of funds on same purpose code:

  • To request rebudgeting of funds on a federal or federal flow-through grant or contract:
    1. Complete a FIN Budget Revision – Contracts and Grants webform
    2. All FIN Budget Revision – Contracts and Grants webforms involving federal or federal flow-through awards will automatically route to the Research Office for review and approval
    3. Provide an explanation and justification regarding the rebudget request
    4. If sponsor requires prior approval of budget revisions please note this in the comments
    5. A Research Office Contract & Grant Specialist will review the request and the terms and conditions of the award
    6. If sponsor prior approval is required, the Contract & Grant Specialist will forward the rebudgeting request to the sponsoring agency
      1. The Research Office waits for determination from sponsor before processing the budget revision webform
      2. If request is approved, the budget revision webform will be approved and processed by the Contract & Grant Specialist
      3. If request is denied, the budget revision webform will be returned to originator and canceled. The Contract & Grant Specialist will enter an explanation regarding the sponsor’s decision in the comments
    7. If sponsor prior approval is not required, the Contract & Grant Specialist will review the request and if appropriate approve the form and process the budget revision in the financial system
  • To request rebudgeting of funds on a non-federal or federal flow through grant or contract :
    1. Complete a FIN Budget Revision – Contracts and Grants webform
    2. All FIN Budget Revision – Contracts and Grants webforms involving non-federal or federal flow-through awards will automatically copy to the Research Office
    3. Provide an explanation and justification regarding the rebudget request
    4. If sponsor prior approval for budget revisions is required, note this in the explanation comments AND manually forward the form for Research Office review and approval by adding the Research Office to the electronic form routing (forward to wf-grantsbudrev@udel.edu). Note: if sponsor prior approval is required and the form is not forwarded to the Research Office for review, the PI’s department will be responsible to remove any disallowed costs resulting from the unauthorized rebudgeting
    5. When a FIN Budget Revision – Contracts and Grants webform is forwarded to RO for approval, Research Office Contract & Grant Specialist will review the request and the terms of the award. If sponsor prior approval is required, the Contract & Grant Specialist will forward the rebudgeting request to the sponsor
      1. The Research Office waits for determination from sponsor before processing the budget revision webform
      2. If request is approved, the budget revision webform will be approved and processed in the financial system by the Research Office
      3. If request is denied, the budget revision webform will be returned to originator and canceled. The Contract & Grant Specialist will enter an explanation regarding the sponsor’s decision in the comments
    6. If a FIN Budget Revision – Contracts and Grants webform for a non-federal or federal flow-through award is not forwarded to the Research Office manually by the form submitter, once all internal approvals are recorded, the system will automatically apply the budget revision in the financial system

Any questions, please contact your Contract and Grant Administrator.

 

Policy Details:

OWNER: UD Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: UD Research Office

Policy Source Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51438

Form: Research Office
Cash Advance Worksheet
Form: UD Research Office

Cash Advance Worksheet

This form is used to help manage the resources allocated from grants, gifts and sponsored agreements. Both the University and the government have specific protocols in place to prevent the misuse of funds and other resources. Please contact your assigned contract and grant specialist if you have specific questions, or if you have questions about other forms and steps in the award process. If you are unsure of who holds the contract and grant specialist position for your department, please refer to the Administrator Directory search on the Staff Directory Page.

 

Form Details:

OWNER: Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: Research Office

ORIGINATION DATE: January 26, 2016

Download Form Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51647

Policy: General Counsel
Class I Movable Equipment Policy
Policy: General Counsel

Class I Movable Equipment Policy

  1. PURPOSE
    To establish guidelines to be followed when ordering Class I equipment, parts thereof, or when assembling (from parts and pieces) Class I equipment.

The complete policy and more can be found on the General Counsel’s web site.

 

Policy Details:

OWNER: Executive Vice President

SECTION: Financial & Business Policies

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: Office of the Vice President For Finance and Deputy Treasurer

POLICY NUMBER (Legacy): 5-10

ORIGINATION DATE: April 30, 1984

REVISION DATE(S): October 2, 1985; April 6, 1989; August 1996; July 2000; July 1, 2005

Policy Source Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51642

Policy: General Counsel
Consultants for Research, Public Service or Instructional Activities
Policy: General Counsel

Consultants for Research, Public Service or Instructional Activities

  1. PURPOSE
    The purpose of this policy is to provide for the engagement of non-University personnel (consultants) for expertise required to fulfill University commitments and objectives. It is expected that University activities will be carried out to the maximum extent possible by utilizing regular employees rather than consultants. However, consultants may be utilized when necessary expertise cannot be provided adequately by regular employees within the scope of their University employment agreement. The policies and procedures outlined below are designed to meet University and Federal requirements.
  2. SCOPE OF POLICY
    1. Before entering into an agreement with a consultant, the account administrator will ensure that the following criteria have been met and are explained in writing on an attachment to the Contractual Agreement for Consulting Services:
      1. Why the expertise of the person is needed and cannot be met by the utilization of a regular University employee within the context of his or her employment agreement with the University.
      2. The selection process that has been used to secure the most qualified personal available, considering the nature and extent of expertise required. If the Dean/Chair/Director does not have personal knowledge of the consultant’s credentials, vitae must be attached.
      3. Why the fee is appropriate considering the qualification of the person to be utilized, his or her normal charge, and the nature of the expertise to be rendered.
      4. That except in unusual circumstances, the person has not been a regular employee of the University within the twelve calendar months preceding his or her use as a consultant.
      5. That the arrangement will last for a specified period and it is understood that no employment arrangements or repeated or extended arrangement will normally result. Any prior use of the consultant must be disclosed, including dates and amounts. In cases of repeated or extended arrangement with a consultant, the reasons why a recurrence is considered necessary are to be explained.
      6. That funds for a consultant are available in the budget.
      7. That approval for utilizing a consultant has been obtained, if necessary, in the case of an externally sponsored program.
      8. That any restrictions as to per diem rates on externally sponsored programs have been met.
      9. That signed written reports will be provided by the consultant to fulfill the requirements of the work statement.

Related Links

The complete policy and more can be found on the General Counsel’s web site.

 

Policy Details:

OWNER: Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: Research Office

POLICY NUMBER (Legacy): 4-27

ORIGINATION DATE: June 5, 1989

REVISION DATE(S): 8/29/01

Policy Source Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51664

Policy: Research Office
Cost Shares for Equipment
Policy: Research Office

Cost Shares for Equipment

Research Office equipment cost share dollars are available when proposals either require equipment cost share or the project budget exceeds the available funding in the area of equipment. Research Office policy allows for one-time requests of up to $50,000. Up to $50,000 for each of the years of funding proposed may be requested in case of large scale proposals of strategic significance to UD and that involve multiple academic units. All sums requested from the Research Office must also be matched in the equivalent amount by the college/unit (i.e., $50K from the Research Office requires an equal $50K from the college/unit).

Cost share letters and or commitments, including equipment, require sufficient justification and often a long lead time for approvals. PIs should start this conversation with their respective department chairs, or college research office/deans as early as possible. All proposals that require such commitments and/or letters of support from UD leadership (President, Provost, VP Research) should follow the steps outlined here. Please route all such requests via email to researchdev@udel.edu. Decision time on requests depends on the amount requested and the status will be conveyed back to the PI usually within a few days.

Formal approval for Research Office match of the cost share occurs at the time of the proposal submission through inclusion in the grant budget. The Proposal Approval Form will automatically be routed to those responsible for the cost share approval and for commitment to cover additional cost overrun attributed multi-year equipment match funding.

For further questions about Equipment Cost Share policy, please contact your Contract and Grant Administrator.

 

Policy Details:

OWNER: UD Research Office

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE: UD Research Office

REVISION DATE(S): 10/2/18

Policy Source Email https://research.udel.edu/forms-policies-procedures/?entry=51441

ASSISTANCE

Compliance Hotline
Phone: (302) 831-2792

UD Research Office
210 Hullihen Hall
Newark, DE 19716
Phone: (302) 831-2136
Fax: (302) 831-2828
Contact us

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