Proposals: Agency Specific Information

Summary

The Agencies featured below, although not exclusive, were selected due to the high volume of Arts and Sciences Grant Activity This section focuses on information pertaining exclusively to these specific agencies, including electronic proposal submission systems and specific rules and regulations.

v NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

q NIH Proposal Preparation

Ø NIH New, Competing and Revised Grant Applications

• NIH grants may be submitted as either modular or non-modular grants.

• NIH has simplified the grant application process with the creation of modular grants. Modular grants are more streamlined, in that detailed budget breakdowns (the Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period—Form Page 4, as well as the Budget for Entire Proposed Project Period—Form Page 5) are not required. Modular grants have the following application requirements:

1. Grants must not request more than $250,000 direct costs per year.

2. Total direct costs should be requested in modules of $25,000 with no future year escalations.

3. Typical modular grants will request the same number of modules for each year of support. The number of modules requested should be shown on the Budget Justification Page (for Modular Research Grant Applications).

4. A budget narrative describing all personnel by position, title and level of effort must be included. It should also include a total cost estimate for any consortium/contractual agreements, as well as an additional narrative should there be a variation in the number of modules that are requested.

• Both modular and non-modular grant application form pages (PHS398 forms) along with application instructions for new, competing and revised applications may be found at:

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

Ø NIH Non-Competitive Renewal Grant Applications

• NIH has also streamlined the process for the submission of information prior to the issuance of a non-competing award. These streamlined instructions for submitting the progress report require the following form pages:

1. Face Page (Form Page 1)

2. Progress Report Summary (Form Page 5)

3. Personnel Report (Form Page 7)

4. Biosketch(es), if there are new personnel

• NIH non-competitive renewal application pages (PHS 2590 forms) as well as instructions on completing these forms may be found at the following website:

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm

Ø Top Ten Mistakes Made in NIH Grant Submission

NIH listed the top ten mistakes applicants should avoid when submitting their applications at the following website:

http://www.nd.edu/~research/ProposalPrep/NIHApplicationDetailsThatMatter.pdf

Ø PI Salary Limitations & NRSA Stipend Levels

• The NIH has revised the salary limitation on grants, cooperative agreements and contracts under the current continuing resolution to $171,900. For the official NIH notice, please see: http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary.htm

• The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) stipend increase notification, released annually may be found at the following NIH notice:

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-04-023.html

q NIH Proposal Submission

• Currently, all NIH grant applications, i.e., new, competitive renewal and revised, and other deliveries to the Center for Scientific Review, must be sent either via courier delivery or via the United States Postal Service (USPS) to the following address:

Center for Scientific Review

National Institutes of Health

6701 Rockledge Drive

Room 1040 – MSC 7710

Bethesda, MD 20892-7710

• PLEASE NOTE: Applications delivered by individuals to the Center for Scientific Review will no longer be accepted.

• Non-competitive renewal applications should be mailed directly to the Center through which your grant is funded. The mailing addresses for the submission of non-competitive grant renewals may be found at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/type5_mailing_addresses.htm

q NIH Electronic Proposal Submission

• The NIH is currently in the development stages of an electronic proposal submission program called Commons. This program will allow Principal Investigators and/or Institutional Officials to submit new proposals, view existing applications, check status of current applications, and other pertinent information related to post-award grant management.

• Although the system is currently in the testing phases, the Commons website may still be accessed at: https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/

v NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

q FASTLANE

• Leading the way in electronic forms submission, NSF has created FastLane through which all administrative functions can be completed and submitted electronically to NSF. The ease of use and the time efficiency of this program make it ideal for PIs to submit forms, from proposals to technical reports, via the World Wide Web. NSF FastLane can be found at www.nsf.gov.

q NSF FASTLANE Password Acquisition

• A Fastlane Password can be assigned to any individual (Principal Investigator or Department Administrator) who will be working in Fastlane.

• To obtain a Fastlane Password, the following information must be submitted to BARA with the request:

Individual's (PI’s) Full Name

Highest Degree and Year Conferred

Department

University Address

Social Security Number

Email Address

Office Phone and Fax Numbers

bara@jhu.edu

• PLEASE NOTE: If a PI has forgotten his/her password, a new one may be obtained by selecting the “password reset” button that appears on the Fastlane home page under the login fields.

q Proposal Access

· To gain access to a particular proposal, the Principal Investigator must provide the following information to any individual who is not a Principal or Co-Investigator:

1. Proposal Number (automatically generated by Fastlane)

2. Proposal Pin Number (This is a unique number assigned by the PI and should be different from the PI's Fastlane Password)

q Proposal Preparation and Submission

• Forms preparation is initiated by the PI, with access controlled by a valid user name, SSN and password.

• Proposal submission and electronic signature are completed by the Business and Research Projects Administration.

• FastLane provides checks for completeness and other information edits. The forms may be reviewed and edited on-line prior to submission by the PI or anyone designated by the PI.

q NSF Electronic Signature

• An additional step is required for all NSF proposals that are submitted via Fastlane. Once a Principal Investigator has completed his/her proposal in Fastlane, the PI must allow "SRO view, edit, & submit" access to the proposal. This notifies BARA that the proposal is ready for the university's electronic signature.

PLEASE NOTE: If the PI only allows the SPO to “View” or “View and Edit,” without allowing him/her to “submit”, BARA will NOT be automatically notified via email. In this event, the PI and/or administrator must contact BARA directly to initiate a review of the proposal.

q Proposal Submission Requirements (DEAN’S OFFICE)

• Proposal submissions just prior to, or on, the deadline date may be delayed due to the system load. Please keep this in mind when completing and submitting your proposal for review by BARA.

• The routing sheet, an abstract, and budget, as well as cost sharing approval documentation, are required for review and signature by BARA and the Vice-Dean for Research. BARA requires 5 days for review. If 5 days are not allowed for review, the PI understands that he/she assumes the risk that a proposal MAY NOT be submitted by its deadline.

• For further information on Fastlane, contact BARA, (bara@jhu.edu) or review the submission guidelines online at: www.nsf.gov.

q Proposal Status Inquiry

• PI's can view information regarding the receipt and status of submitted proposals, including the verification of basic identifying information, the proposal receipt date and the name of the NSF Program and Program Officer assigned to the proposal. FastLane also provides dates of final program approval, as well as the identification of overdue reports and other factors that could cause delay in the proposal process.

q Revised Budgets, Notifications and Requests

• Any administrative changes must be completed and submitted in Fastlane. This includes revised budgets, no-cost extensions, change in PI, change in scope of work or any other changes requiring NSF notification or approval. All administrative changes should be entered by the PI and will be submitted by BARA.

q Interim and Final Project Reports

• NSF grants require the submission of Interim Project Reports thirty (30) days prior to the start of a continuation year, and a Final Project Report (NSF Form 98A) within 90 days after the expiration of the grant. To complete either of these reports, the PI (user) enters a valid NSF award number, the Principal Investigator’s last name and password. The reports may then either be entered into an on-line format, or uploaded as a word processing or PDF file.

q NSF Award Search

• NSF maintains an information database of all active awards. This includes such information as: PI, institution, start and end dates, amount of award and abstract. Users may query the NSF database by state, institution, NSF program, and fiscal year within each category. FastLane also provides a list of recent awards.

q NSF - Other Relevant Points

Ø Allowable Costs

• For information on NSF allowable costs including: cost-sharing restrictions, equipment purchases, travel restrictions and other allowable costs, please see the following website: http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/gc102.pdf

Ø Salaries and Wages

· Faculty. Salary for faculty members on academic-year appointments is limited to no more than two-ninths of their regular academic-year salary. This limit includes salary received from all NSF-funded grants.

· Non-Faculty Researchers. As a general policy, NSF recognizes that salaries of faculty members and other personnel associated directly with the project constitute appropriate direct costs and may be requested in proportion to the effort devoted to the project. NSF regards research as one of the normal functions of faculty members at institutions of higher education. Compensation for time normally spent on research within the term of appointment is deemed to be included within the faculty member's regular organizational salary. Grant funds may not be used to augment the total salary or rate of salary of faculty members during the period covered by the term of faculty appointment or to reimburse faculty members for consulting or other time in addition to a regular full-time organizational salary covering the same general period of employment.

v SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE

Space Telescope Science Institute Grants Management System (STGMS)

q STGMS is the electronic proposal submission and tracking system used by STScI

q To obtain a GMS Password, the following information must be submitted to bara@jhu.edu with the request:

(1) Individual's (PI’s) Full Name

(2) Highest Degree and Year Conferred

(3) Department

(4) University Address

(6) Social Security Number

(7) Email Address

(8) Office Phone and Fax Numbers

q Home webpage is: http://gms.stsci.edu/index.jsp

q An excellent set of FAQs is available at that site as well as instructions for installation and set-up.

Note: GMS does not support MACS except for OS X. 

v NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

q SYS-EYFUS

Ø SYS-EYFUS is an electronic system (SYS -) used by NASA Headquarters to manage research solicitation activity, plan for the receipt of research proposals, track the receipt and peer evaluation of these proposals, and manage funded research.

Home website is: http://proposals.hq.nasa.gov/proposal.cfm

PLEASE NOTE: Proposal submission is not done entirely through SYS-EYFUS. Proposals are all submitted in hard copy via postal delivery and contain all authorized signatures from BARA and the Dean's office. 

Ø The PI is the only one given access to SYS-EYFUS and only a cover page and a budget summary are transmitted via this system. PIs may obtain their password and userid through an online form at the NASA HQ website shown above.

PLEASE NOTE: NASA Fellowship Funds (Hubble, Chandra and SIRTF Fellows) may be paid to Assistant and Associate Research Scientists, as well as Researchers with the title of Postdoctoral Fellow. The guidelines for these fellowships specifically state that fringe benefits for the Fellow and his family may be charged to the award. Since this “fellowship” is awarded from a proposed course of work it does not fulfill the tax office requirements of being paid as a “stipend”, that is, without tax ramifications. Although the terminology in the AO for the Fellowships uses the words “stipend” and “postdoctoral”, NASA accepts that most institutions have other titles for recent post-PhD employees who receive full benefits. The various uses of different titles among institutions are not a limiting factor in these awards. For more information see the checklist at:

http://finsys.admin.jhu.edu/tax/fellpdc_adm.htm

v DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

q INDUSTRY INTERACTIVE PROCUREMENT SYSTEM (IIPS)

http://e-center.doe.gov

Ø Main Functions

• To access synopses, solicitations, proposals and related documents in the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) – Business Opportunities Database.
• To allow for user registration thereby enabling submission of proposals via the IIPS.
• To subscribe to e-mail notices about synopses and solicitations forwarded to your e-mail address (Industry only).
• To provide for secure login to a Secure Socket Layer environment to submit proposals.
• To Modify user login information (changing of password).

Ø System Requirements

• Users who wish to access the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System via the Internet should have these minimum system requirements:

1. Computer/Laptop with Pentium-class processor

2. Internet connection (56K modem or better) through an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

3. Browser that supports Java scripts such as Netscape 7.x or Internet Explorer 6.x

PLEASE NOTE: Those who plan to submit Office of Science proposals through IIPS, should view the Office of Science homepage for additional requirements. http://www.science.doe.gov/grants/#GrantRules

Ø Login Privileges

There are two classes of users (outside DOE) associated with IIPS.

• Guest (Anonymous). Guest users are not required to login. This access level provides the user with the ability to view and download all solicitations, solicitation documents, and solicitation messages. Users may also submit a question and join a mailing list for specific solicitations. At this level, users do not have the ability to submit proposals electronically, create or edit any forms via this web site except for the registration and submit question form.

• Registered. Industry users who wish to submit proposals electronically must register for a unique user id and password. A user must have completed the electronic registration form and received notification of acceptance from the Government prior to being able to login as a registered user. Registered users have all the abilities of a guest; they also have the ability to create and view their own proposals and contractor response forms as well as view Award Notification or Government Response documents that relate to their proposal.

Ø How to Register

• Click on the Register navigation button from the e-Center homepage.
• Click in the second checkbox to select “Check this box for Acquisitions greater than Simplified Acquisitions threshold or financial assistance”.

NOTE: By choosing this option, you are selecting the IIPS system.

Ø Proposals

• All Office of Science Grant Solicitation Notices, the current Grant Application Guide and applicable grant proposal forms may be found on the Office of Science of the Department of Energy Home page: http://www.science.doe.gov/grants/#GrantRules

• The grant proposal forms should be downloaded and submitted via a PC RUNNING WINDOWS. The technical scientific part of the application should be sent as a separate PDF file(s) along with the application forms. The completed application must be submitted by the Sponsored Projects Officer who is authorized to sign on behalf of the University. The SPO shall submit all proposals through the U.S. Department of Energy Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) in PDF format.

• The P. I. or Research Scientist shall prepare and forward the following documents to the SPO via email, as either one or separate attachments:

1. Volume 2 – Technical Proposal
2. Volume 3 – Cost Proposal
3. Volume 4 – Business Management Proposals

Ø Guidance for Submitting Proposals

• Conformance. All information submitted through IIPS to the Office of Science must be in PDF format (Windows Version). When submitting an application, no more than four PDF files should be submitted.

• Signed Documents. Submission via IIPS constitutes electronically signing the documents. The name of the person, who has the authority to submit the document on behalf of the University, must be entered in the signature block. In addition to submitting proposal files electronically, offerors may be required to provide hard copies of the documents requiring signature if instructed to do so by the contracting officer. Review the solicitation submission instructions carefully.

• A complete source of information for Science Proposal Submission and Opportunities appears at the Office of Science Grants and Contracts Home Page: http://www.science.doe.gov/grants/#GrantRules

LATEST GRANT APPLICATION GUIDE

http://www.science.doe.gov/grants/guide.html

LATEST GRANT APPLICATION FORMS

http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/Forms-E.html

v AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (AFOSR)

q AFOSR manages all basic research conducted by the U. S. Air force. One of the tools used to accomplish this task is the solicitation of proposals for research through a general Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) and a number of specialized BAAs. AFOSR invites proposals for basic research in the following broad areas, which are described in detail in the general BAA:

* Physics

* Solid Mechanics and Structures

* Chemistry

* Mathematics and Computer Sciences

* Electronics

* Structural Materials

* Fluid Mechanics

* Propulsion

* Atmospheric Sciences

* Space Sciences

* Biological Sciences

* Human Performance

* Science and Engineering Education Programs

Specific instructions can be found at http://www.afosr.af.mil/

OTHER AGENCY SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Other good sources of funding information are:

The Community of Science Website at: www.cos.com First access to the website should be made through a JHU computer.

The Federal Government site at: http://grants.gov/Find.

Note: A university account is not needed to search for funding opportunities on this site. In the future, this site will be used for grant application submission; however this capability is still in the pilot stage.

A General grant site at: http://www.grantsnet.org/

Note: This site allows each user to create an account for himself or herself. Go to www.grantsnet.org and click on the “Search for Grants” link, and then click the “Join Now” link on the resulting page.