Forms, Policies & Procedures

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.

Procedure for Requesting Letters of Support and Cost Share Commitments from the Research Office

Principal investigators (PIs) are encouraged to review UD’s Cost Sharing Policy. Cost share letters and or commitments require sufficient preparation and often a long lead time. PIs should start this conversation with their respective department chairs or college research office/deans as early as possible. All proposals that require cost share commitments and/or letters of support from UD leadership (president, provost, VP for research, scholarship and innovation) should follow the steps outlined herein.

Please route all requests for cost shares and letters of support requiring UD leadership support through the associate vice president for research development. Encourage the PI’s and research deans to engage with the Research Office (RO) as early as possible through the Research Development Office. Use email researchdev@udel.edu for communication to the RO.

The timeline, specified below, depends on the complexity of the cost shares/commitments and level of letters of support.

Cost Sharing and F&A Modifications:

1. Standard equipment match requests should follow the Equipment Cost Share policy and be communicated to the RO at least one week in advance of the submission date.
2. RO should be notified at least two weeks from the submission date for proposals with substantial match, such as non‐equipment match. Large/complex proposals, such as major research instrumentation grants or proposals involving more than one college, generally require very substantial university cost share commitments and therefore need even more lead time.
3. Unless F&A is limited by the sponsor, any reductions of F&A, including its use as cost share, need to be communicated to the RO at least two weeks in advance.

Letters of Support:

1. Letters of support that involve language for cost shares need to follow the cost share schedule noted above. See also #3 below.
2. Please plan at least five business days before proposal submission date for letters of support that need president or provost signature; three business days for letters of support that need VP for research, scholarship and innovation support.
3. The PI and/or respective research dean must provide a draft summary for such letters and key points that must be emphasized in the LOS, paying careful attention to the solicitation’s guidelines.