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.
Office of Sponsored Programs Posts
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
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 |
Limited Submission Opportunity
Posted in NSF
The Letter of Intent (mandatory) deadline for the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is December 6, 2017.
The solicitation has not been posted yet, but you can find information about the program and this year’s timeline at
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505015&WT.mc_id=USNSF_180&WT.mc_ev=click
The NRT is a limited submission program and thus an internal review process is requrired. An eligible organization may participate in two proposals per competition. Participation includes serving as a lead organization, non-lead organization, or subawardee on any proposal.
Faculty members interested in submitting a proposal should provide by November 13, 2017:
- a brief (1-3 pages) abstract of the project and
- a budget outline with accompanying narrative explanation
Please send materials to resadm@wpi.edu
Feel free to contact Antje Harnisch or VPR Vernescu with any questions you might have.
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
PHS Assignment Request Form
Posted in NIH
PHS Assignment Request Form
Use the optional PHS Assignment Request Form to list expertise needed to review your application, exclude reviewers, and request an institute assignment.
Here’s why you should use the optional PHS Assignment Request Form:
- Having your application assigned to an institute that is enthusiastic about your research may improve your chances of funding.
- We advise you to request a study section after carefully researching groups that are likely to be scientifically appropriate for your application. For investigator-initiated R01, R21, and R03 applications, we also advise you to request assignment to the most appropriate study section of reviewers.
Taking the time to make this request ensures the best match
In the absence of a request from you, NIH’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will assign your application to an institute and study section. CSR bases assignments on its referral criteria, relying on referral staff and knowledge-based technologies to decide.
NIH saves the form separately, so you won’t see it included in your application image after you apply. Your peer reviewers won’t see it, either.
- List up to five areas of expertise needed to understand and review your application
- Completing this section is a good idea even if you decide not to use the other parts of the form.
- Highlight disciplines involved, particularly if multidisciplinary, to help the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) assign your application and to ensure the appropriate expertise on the panel.
- Exclude reviewers. NIH policy allows you to list people who should not review your application, though your scientific review officer makes the call.
- Request assignment from CSR to a study section and Institute.
The form includes instructions which you can preview in the Sample PHS Assignment Request Form(link is external)pdf.
See the attached data table that identifies the success rates by Institute/Center:
Please see the attached funding announcements below from the Department of Defense.
Proposals for the “Warfighter Analytics using Smartphones for Health” must be submitted by June 23rd, 2017 at 12:00pm (noon).
Pre-proposals for the “Extramural Biomedical Research and Development”, funding opportunity number #W81XWH-17-R-SOC1, are due by July 28, 2017. Invitations to submit full proposals will occur on or about September 1, 2017.
Please contact Antje Harnisch, Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs, or Vice Provost of Research Bogdan Vernescu with any questions.
Open Limited Submissions
Posted in WPI
Two new National Science Foundation Limited Submission opportunities have recently been posted on the Office of Sponsored Programs website. Materials for both the “Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs: Establishing Spokes to Advance Big Data Applications” (Solicitation: NSF 17-546) and “ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers” (Solicitation: 16-594) are due by Monday, May 15th, 2017 to the Office of Sponsored Programs. Interested faculty members should submit a brief (1-3 page) abstract of the project and a budget outline with an accompanying justification to their Office of Sponsored Programs representative after submitting an Notice of Intent to Submit.
Please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs with any questions. We are here to help!
Office of Sponsored Programs Open House
Posted in WPI
Dear Colleagues,
The Office of Sponsored Programs and Sponsored Programs Accounting will host an open house on Thursday, May 11, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm at our location on 15 Schussler Road.
Stop by anytime during the open house to meet our staff, check out our new home, learn about our services, and tell us what we can do better to meet your needs. We want to hear from you.
A light lunch will be provided.
We hope to see many of you!