Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Posted in Uncategorized
The Office of Naval Research has issued WPI a new fringe benefit rate for FY18 (07/01/2017 – 06/30/2018), effective immediately. The rate has been increased to 27.2%. A copy of the rate is available on our Institutional Rate page and is also attached to this post. In addition, the blank budget template and justification posted on the OSP Proposal Development webpage have been updated to reflect this increase. Please contact your OSP department representative with any questions.
OSP has published a new budget template and budget justification which reflect the updated rates for AY 18/19. These two forms are also updated on the “Proposal Development” section of our website. Please contact your OSP department representative with any questions.
Posted in Uncategorized
Any substantial collaboration with individuals not included in the budget should be described in the Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources section of the proposal and documented in a letter of collaboration from each collaborator. Such letters should be provided in the supplementary documentation section of FastLane and follow the format instructions specified below (GPG Chapter II.C.2.j).
Letters of collaboration should be limited to stating the intent to collaborate and should not contain endorsements or evaluation of the proposed project. The recommended format for letters of collaboration is as follows:
“If the proposal submitted by Dr. [insert the full name of the Principal Investigator] entitled [insert the proposal title] is selected for funding by NSF, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the Project Description or the Facilities, Equipment or Other Resources section of the proposal.”
While letters of collaboration are permitted, unless required by a specific program solicitation, letters of support should not be submitted as they are not a standard component of an NSF proposal. Letters of support are typically from a key stakeholder such as an organization, collaborator or Congressional Representative, and are used to convey a sense of enthusiasm for the project and/or to highlight the qualifications of the PI or co-PI.
Posted in NSF, and Uncategorized
Participant support costs (PSC) are defined by the National Science Foundation as “direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with meetings, conferences, symposia or training projects.”
PSC are those costs used to pay program participants small non-compensatory stipends; possibly reimbursement of travel costs or other out-of-pocket costs incurred to support attendance at a workshop, conference, seminar, symposia or other short-term training or information sharing activity. The purpose of participant support funding is to enable and encourage individuals to attend conferences or training programs without financial burden. The expenses may be paid for directly or as a reimbursement made to the individual. Participant support cost should not be considered as compensation for labor or work performed on a deliverable task.
Examples of acceptable participant stipends are:
A participant cannot be:
These costs would be placed in “Other Direct Costs” instead.
You can download a PDF copy of these guidelines here: WPI Participant Support Guidelines
All proposals to external sponsors require review and approval by OSP prior to submission. If you are intending to submit a proposal, please Notify us as soon as possible so that we can support your efforts.
| Proposal Action | Due to Pre-Award in Advance of Deadline |
| 1. Initial notification of intent to submit a proposal | We request at least 3 weeks in advance so that we can provide the greatest assistance. |
| 2. Final budget, budget justification, and draft project description/research strategy/SOW. All subaward documentation. | 5 business days in advance |
| 3. Final documents for submission (excl. final project description/research strategy/SOW) | 2 business days in advance |
| 4. Final project description/research strategy/SOW | By 8AM on day of submission |