Explore Research Roles and Responsibilities Where can I locate research funding opportunities? How do I develop a competitive proposal? Where do I find the UD data I need to complete my budget? You’ll find the answers here, courtesy of the Research Office. A handy proposal checklist also is provided for your convenience.

Remember, it takes time and effort to develop a successful proposal — in fact, proposal success rates average 20–33%, depending on the field. Funding agencies reject half the proposals they receive because the applicant did not follow instructions or the proposal did not match the funding program.

However, the rewards for garnering research funding can be great, enabling you to explore new frontiers, instruct your students in the conduct of research, and yield new discoveries and knowledge of benefit to society.

*All proposals submitted to external sponsors from the University of Delaware, regardless of the amount, source of funding or the type of project must be reviewed and approved by the Research Office in accordance with UD’s External Sponsorship and Grant policy. For a proposal to be submitted, a proposal record must be created in the UD grants module system. This will originate a form to route for approval of the proposal submission.
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PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Institutional Information

NIH Proposal Checklist

NSF Proposal Checklist

PI Eligibility

Institutional Information

NIH Proposal Checklist

NSF Proposal Checklist

PI Eligibility

Proposal Development Assistance

Proposal Info/Checklist

Proposal Writing

3-Day Proposal Deadline Policy

Proposal Development Assistance

Proposal Info/Checklist

Proposal Writing

3-Day Proposal Deadline Policy

Categories of Sponsored Activities

NSF Safe and Inclusive Environment Plan

Categories of Sponsored Activities

NSF Safe and Inclusive Environment Plan

 

BUDGETS & RATES

Budget Categories

Budget Justification Guidelines

Budget Justification Template

Budget Salary- DHHS Caps

Budget Categories

Budget Justification Guidelines

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BUDGET JUSTIFICATION GUIDELINES

Below are category definitions for common budget justification items you may need to include in your justification. Tailor to meet sponsor specific requirements, as appropriate. If you have questions about the information below, clarify the information with your Contract & Grant Analyst.

 

For all personnel working on the project (PIs, Co-PIs, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Post Docs, etc.), include a brief description of their role in the project and the amount of effort in person months committed. Include the annual rate of the salary increase.

NOTE: Undergraduate Students- If it is anticipated that the student will be enrolled less than half time or if they will work in the summer, fringe benefits (at the miscellaneous wage rate) should be budgeted and the rate should be stated. Graduate students can only work 20 hours per week per University policy. For the most recent undergraduate rates, check with your department administrator.

There are two classifications of Post Docs at UD: Post Doctoral Researchers and Post Doctoral Fellows.
A Post Doctoral Fellow designation is used for individuals primarily doing research as independent learners and are not assigned to projects as employees. A Post Doctoral Fellow is viewed as a nonemployee by the IRS.
A Post Doctoral Researcher designation is used for researchers who are here primarily assigned to projects as employees for a limited period of time after obtaining their doctorate degrees. Post Doctoral Researchers receive fringe benefits (faculty/professional rate) and Post Doctoral Fellows receive no fringe benefits. For more information on the difference between these two designations, read the Proposal Guide FAQ, No. 6.

Administrative Salaries (see § 200.413): These costs should normally be treated as indirect (F&A) costs. Direct charging these may be appropriate if all of the following conditions are met:

  1. Administrative/clerical services are integral to a project or activity
  2. Individual(s) involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity
  3. Costs are explicitly included in the budget or have the prior written approval of the Federal awarding agency
  4. The Costs are not also recovered as indirect costs

Fringe benefits should be charged in accordance with UD’s negotiated rate. The most current rate can be found on the Research Office website here.

This category includes items of special purpose equipment equal to or greater than $5,000 and having a useful life of one year. In this section, include details such as the type of equipment, cost, and a brief narrative on the intended use of the equipment. If multiple pieces of equipment are included, list the corresponding cost of each unit. Special purpose equipment are allowable as direct costs with prior written approval of the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity.

NOTE: F&A is not calculated on equipment costs. Software is not considered to be equipment (even if over $5,000) and should be listed in Materials and Supplies.

Equipment Fabrication: Fabricated equipment means materials purchased for the purpose of building, constructing or assembling a piece of equipment that will be identified as equipment with the final cost being at least $5,000 or more and have a useful life of one year when completed. Include the same information above for fabricated equipment. F&A is not calculated on equipment fabrication.

Computer Nodes: Computer nodes are considered equipment if the nodes are purchased and added to an existing computer cluster to give PIs access to the cluster. Clusters are existing pieces of equipment and when nodes are purchased, we are adding items to existing pieces of equipment that are more than $2,000 (in most cases). Adding nodes to a computer cluster gives PIs the ability to access massive amounts of space and horsepower on the cluster. If a PI needs access to an existing cluster to complete their work due to a need to access large amounts of space and horsepower, the nodes should be budgeted as equipment.

NOTE: If a PI would like to use the existing cluster without purchasing nodes, this would not be equipment; this should be budgeted as ‘Other’ or ‘Service’. In addition, if a PI intends to purchase nodes to use in their office (not part of the cluster), this should be budgeted as supplies (in most cases) since the PI would be purchasing a large computer (unless it was over $5,000).

Include all travel paid directly by the sponsor, including both foreign and/or domestic travel. It’s best to provide the following information: destination (if known), purpose of the travel, number of travelers, airfare, ground transportation, lodging, conference registration and meals/per diem (use GSA Rates). If traveling by vehicle include the number of miles and the current GSA mileage rate.

Note: If travel is in excess of 6 months, dependent care costs can be requested with prior approval.

Foreign travel includes a destination that requires a passport. If international travel occurs on a Federal award, Fly America must be followed. For more information see: Fly America Act. Complete the Fly America Checklist at the time the expense is made.

Participant Support Costs are direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees. These costs are expressed as non‐salary expenses and carry no associated facilities and administrative costs on the grant.

These costs are allowable with the prior approval of the awarding agency. The budget justification should include the number of participants and cost per item (ex: stipend, travel/subsistence allowance, etc.).

 

List an explanation for each Other Direct Costs with an explanation of the cost and the dollar amount. Common Other Direct Costs include:

 
  1. Materials and Supplies: May include items such as software, educational or field supplies, and laboratory supplies such as chemicals, reagents, and glassware. Include a brief justification of why the material/supply is needed.
  2. Publication Costs: May include costs associated with the publishing of an article in a scientific/technical journal or other type of field/program publication, brochures, or program materials. If applicable, include student poster presentation costs.
  3. Consultants: A consultant is an individual (work-for-hire) with proven professional or technical competence, which is provided to the organization. The consultant cannot be affiliated with UD. Include the name of the consultant, his/her organization, a statement of work, and a breakdown of the amount being charged to the project (ex: number of days of service, rate of pay, travel, per diem, etc.).

    NOTE: F&A is calculated on consultants.

  4. Computational Devices: Computing devices means machines used to acquire, store, analyze, process, and publish data and other information electronically, including accessories (or “peripherals”) for printing, transmitting and receiving, or storing electronic information. Charging computing devices as direct costs is allowable for devices that are essential and allocable, but not solely dedicated, to the performance of a Federal award.
  5. Subawards (Also called Consortium or Contractual Costs): A Subaward performs substantive programmatic work under a grant or contract and bears responsibility for programmatic decision making and measurable performance requirements. A justification for the subaward should include the same level of detail as your budget justification per itemized cost category.

    NOTE: F&A is only calculated on the first $25,000 of a subaward’s total budget. If you have multiple subawards in your budget, F&A will be calculated on the first $25,000 of each subaward.

    Fixed Amount Subawards (See §200.332) – With prior written approval from the Federal Agency, pass through entity may provide subawards based on fixed amounts up to the Simplified Acquisition Threshold ($150,000), providing that the Subawards meet the requirement for fixed amount awards (See §200.201).

  6. Tuition: Tuition will be charged to all grants and contracts at a rate of 40% of the total graduate tuition per the Graduate Tuition Policy found here. Exceptions to this Policy may be granted by the PI’s dean when the total funding available to the PI(s) for the project is less than $75,000 per year or in cases wherein the funding organization has a written policy precluding charging of graduate tuition to awards, and should be documented in the proposal approval routing form Current tuition rates can be found here. Include annual percent increase in the justification.

    Note: F&A is not calculated on tuition costs

  7. Equipment Rental/Facility Rentals/User Fees:
    1. Equipment Rental – When there is a need to rent equipment for use on the project, provide the type of equipment to be rented, the purpose or use on the project, the length of time needed, and the rental rate.
    2. Facility Rental – When it is necessary to rent office or other facilities spaces for project implementation, and the space(s) are located off-site from the organization’s main facility space not owned by the recipient organization, the cost of the rent may be charged against the award if the space is used specifically for the project. Include the monthly rental and/or prorated rate. For laboratory facilities, provide a letter signed by an Authorizing Representative of the rented space attesting their agreement to allow the project to operate in the space.
    3. Land-Use Charges – When there is a charge for using land owned by others for project purposes, provide the charge per acre (or other rate charged), number of acres, and total cost.
    4. User Fees – Include the type of service being charged (ex: MRI, DBI, or NMR fees), how it relates to the project, and an explanation and breakdown of the costs.
  8. Memberships, subscriptions and professional activity costs (See §200.454): Costs of an entity’s (UD’s) membership in business, technical, professional organizations/periodicals are allowable. Costs of (individual) memberships in civic or community organizations are allowable with prior approval by the Federal awarding agency or pass through entity. Membership must be allocable and programmatically related to the project.
  9. Other: For other costs not specifically listed above. Identify and provide details of the costs involved. Some of the more common items included in this category are:
    1. Communication Costs – Include mailings, postage, survey supplies, faxes, and telephone long distance charges that are directly related to the project and are above and beyond normal business use.
    2. Photocopying – Include in-house photocopying of materials that are directly related to the project and are above and beyond normal business use.
    3. Service or Maintenance Contracts – These costs should be in direct correlation to the use of the equipment for the project and the performance period (ex: if an instrument is used 50% of the time for the project, only 50% of the service/maintenance costs may be charged to the project. A 5-year service contract cannot be charged to a 3-year award). Include service contract details, amount, and length of the service contract.
    4. Conferences/Meetings – Include costs of holding a conference or meeting. Some examples include rental of facilities and equipment for the meeting, translator, A/V fees, honorariums/fees for trainers or guest speakers, and travel and/or per diem costs for speakers. Itemize conference/meeting costs and include the amounts of each cost in the justification.
    5. FOR NIH, Data Management and Sharing - If a Data Management and Sharing Plan is required, include a brief justification, clearly labeled “Data Management and Sharing Justification”, of the proposed activities that will incur costs, followed by the estimated dollar amount (total direct costs). Specify in the justification if no costs will be incurred for Data Management and Sharing. The recommended page length for this section is no more than half a page.
    Meals: Meal costs (non‐travel) may be directly charged on a grant/contract if it is part of a formal meeting or conference where technical information, directly related to the award, is being disseminated. For more information regarding direct charging meals to an award, read this document.

    NOTE: Participant support costs do not belong in this category. See guidance above for participant support costs. For guest speaker/trainer fees, include fee/rate and a description of the services provided.

  10. Housing, housing allowances and personal living expenses (See §200.445): These costs are allowable as direct costs with prior approval of the Federal awarding agency. Examples of such costs include depreciation, maintenance, utilities, furnishings, and rent.
  11. Entertainment Costs (See §200.438): Entertainment costs (amusement, diversion, and social activities) are unallowable unless they have a programmatic purpose and are authorized either in the approved budget for the Federal award or with prior written approval of the Federal awarding agency.
  12. Exchange Rates Fluctuation (See §200.440): Cost increases for fluctuation in exchange rates are allowable with prior approval of the Federal awarding agency. If the PI anticipates working with foreign entities, include funds to cover foreign exchange rates.

    NOTE: At the time the expense is made, include documentation from a commonly used source (Ex: Oanda, XE, etc). Also see travel tools on UD Procurement website.

If the sponsor allows indirect costs, include the percentage rate used, Fiscal Year, and list exclusions from indirect costs. Include the link to UD’s negotiated rate agreement.

The same level of detail required for sponsor (Federal or Non-Federal) funds should be provided for any required cost-sharing/matching. Cost-sharing/matching that is not required should not be included on the budget.

Any cost-share/match commitments by a 3rd Party organization must include a letter signed by the contributing organization’s Authorizing Representative. The letter should state whether the costshare/match is cash or in-kind, the amount of cost-share/match, and the purpose/use of the costshare/match. If cost-share/match is required by the sponsor, describe the cost-share/match in the budget justification.

For additional information regarding UD’s cost-share/match policy, see here.

Program Income is earned income to defray the program costs of the award. With prior approval of the Federal awarding agency, program income may be added to the Federal award. Program income must be used for the purposes and under the conditions of the Federal award. With prior approval of the Federal awarding agency, program income may be used to meet the cost sharing requirement of the Federal award; however, the amount of the Federal award remains the same.

Budget Justification Template

Budget Salary- DHHS Caps

Administrative Salaries

Equipment

Facilities & Administrative (F&A)

Fringe Benefit Rates

Administrative Salaries

Equipment

Facilities & Administrative (F&A)

Fringe Benefit Rates

Modified Total Direct Cost

Salary Reference Sheet

Graduate Tuition Rates

Off-Campus Definition

Modified Total Direct Cost

Salary Reference Sheet

Graduate Tuition Rates

Off-Campus Definition

 

SUBAWARD PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Subaward Proposal Info

Subaward Monitoring

Federal Demo Project (FDP)

Subawards Proposal Forms

Subaward Proposal Info

Subaward Monitoring

Federal Demo Project (FDP)

Subawards Proposal Forms

 

PROPOSAL REFERENCES

Gifts vs. Sponsored Project

Data Management Plans

Institutional Letters of Support

UD Financials: PeopleSoft

Gifts vs. Sponsored Project

Data Management Plans

Institutional Letters of Support

UD Financials: PeopleSoft

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Getting Started

Am I eligible to serve as a principal investigator (PI) on a research proposal?

What is a conflict of interest and do I have a conflict?

Where can I find Funding Opportunities?

What should a researcher do before submitting for funding? Or I've found a funding opportunity that is the right match for my research. What are my next steps?

How do I develop a competitive proposal?

The solicitation requires that my proposal be submitted electronically. How do I obtain access to various electronic submission site (example: Fastlane, ERA Commons, NSPIRE, etc)?

How do I route a proposal approval form for signatures?

I found a solicitation that limits the number of proposals that can be submitted. What is the UD Research Office proceedures on Limited Submission Proposals?

Do pre-proposals require UD Research Office approval?

I am preparing a letter of intent, does it have to be signed by the Research Office?

Who at University of Delaware signs as the authorized representative for proposal applications?

What basic information should be on the SF424 for a Grants.gov proposal submission?

What are the important points I should know when preparing an NIH Grants.gov application?

Where do I find more information about NIH Grants.gov application procedures?

Where can I find the NSF Grants.gov application guidelines?

Where do I find information regarding sponsor guidelines?

How do I construct a budget?

Proposal Preparation

Am I eligible to serve as a principal investigator (PI) on a research proposal?

Where can I find research funding?

I've found a research opportunity that is right up my alley. What are the next steps?

How do I develop a competitive proposal?

My proposal has been funded! Now what do I do?

What is the difference between Post Doctoral Fellow and Post Doctoral Researcher?

How do I gain secured access to the Grants system for proposal submission and inquiry?

I have a Post-Doc listed in my NSF proposal budget. What should I include in my Mentoring Statement?

I am preparing a NIH application that involves human subjects and I see there is an entire section of the Research Plan that is devoted to Human Subjects. What should be addressed in this section?

How do I know if I should add a project to my proposal for an individual in another department?

What approvals are required to add or remove projects from an approved proposal?

Proposal Submission

1. How do I obtain access to People Soft grants module?

2. How do I go about getting a letter of support for my research project from the UD administration (Deputy Provost for Research Office, Provost, or President)?

3. When do I need to route a Proposal Approval Form for signatures?

4. Do Pre-Proposals require Research Office approval?

5. I am preparing a Letter of Intent, does it have to be signed by Research Office?

6. What is the process for faculty to gain access to Research.gov?

7. Who at the University of Delaware signs as the Authorized Representative for proposal applications?

8. What is the procedure for a Sponsored Research Program Income?

9. How to avoid common problems and increase submission success regarding PDF documents?