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.
Category archive for: Uncategorized
NSF Letters of Collaboration
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.
Guidelines for Participant Support Costs
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:
- Conference Attendance: A highschool teacher participating in a conference aimed to educate instructors on how to integrate STEM curricula in K-12 classrooms
- NSF REU Supplements ONLY: WPI receives an award from the NSF that includes an REU component. The REU component allows the PI’s lab to support undergraduate student positions during the academic year over the course of the three-year grant. The students will be mentored and will assist with various research projects, e.g., media preparation, plant tissue culture, cloning, and mutant analysis. The student support would be considered participant support costs.
A participant cannot be:
- A “Human Subject” whom you collect data on
- An employee of the institution
- Advisory board members
- Interns with a “paid appointment”
- Guest speakers
- Anyone who has a deliverable or is primarily providing a service to the project
These costs would be placed in “Other Direct Costs” instead.
You can download a PDF copy of these guidelines here: WPI Participant Support Guidelines
New F&A Rate
Posted in Uncategorized
Effective from 7/1/17 WPI has new provisional Facilities and Administrative (F&A) and Fringe Benefits rates for use on grants, contracts and/or other agreements. These rates shall be used for forward pricing and billing purposes for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Fiscal Year 2018.
Note that we now have on campus and off campus rates and rates for different activity types.
DATES EFFECTIVE: 7/1/17 to 6/30/18
F & A RATES
ON CAMPUS
- Organized Research 53.07%
- Instruction 45.75%
- Other Sponsored Activities 35.84%
OFF CAMPUS
- All Activities 26 %
FRINGE BENEFITS RATE: 26%
DISTRIBUTION BASES
(a) Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC), as defined in 2 CFR Part 200, consisting of all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and subawards up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period covered by the subawards under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000.
(b) Salaries and wages of faculty and staff including vacation, holiday and sick leave pay and other paid absences of only faculty and staff. Rate does not apply to student employees, research or teaching assistants.
Download Provisional Rate Agreement WPI FY 18 Prov Agmt