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Services
Provided
Welcome
to TAMRF’s Preaward Services. Our goal is to assist Principal
Investigators and their staff with the preparation of research
proposals and to inform them of current policies and procedures
regarding sponsored projects. Preaward provides assistance
in budget and proposal preparation, coordinates the routing
of proposals for internal signature, and copies, binds, mails
or otherwise submits proposals to sponsors in a timely and
efficient manner. As part of the preaward process, our staff
of negotiators will review contractual documents as needed
to negotiate an award that is acceptable to the principal
investigator, the University, and the sponsor. Please e-mail
us with any questions, suggestions or comments.
Log
in a proposal
TAMRF
requires that proposals be logged in at least 10 days prior
to the due date. This will allow time to process the budget
and prepare the proposal for routing. Proposals must be completely
routed for required signatures prior to submission.
When you notify TAMRF of your intention to submit a proposal,
you will be asked a series of standard questions pertinent
to that proposal. These questions allow us to log in your
proposal and start working on it while you continue to work
on the scientific text. If you would like to log in via e-mail,
click here
for a log in sheet.
Send the log in sheet to: Log-In@rf-mail.tamu.edu.
The following information will be needed, whether you choose
to log in by e-mail or by telephone:
- Sponsor
and program name
- Due
date at agency
- Program
guidelines, if applicable
- Names
of Co-Principal Investigators
- Title
of proposed project Preliminary budget information including
start and end dates
- Preliminary
budget information including project dates, information
on any subcontract agreements that will be budgeted (including
their contact information)
- Routing
(draft) text
- Protocol
for special considerations (animal, humans, or rDNA)
- Whom
to contact if you will be absent during the proposal preparation
A
TAMRF number will be assigned to your proposal for monitoring
and follow-up.
Budget
Preparation and Routing
- Once
preliminary budget information has been received, a Proposal
Administrator will:
- Review
the program guidelines
- Calculate
the budget to conform to the sponsor’s and TAMU’s
requirements
- Contact
the Principal Investigator for approval and/or feedback
- Prepare
the required budget forms
After
the budget has been approved and draft text is provided, a
routing package will be electronically circulated to the Principal
Investigator, Department Head, Dean, and System for approval.
Completed routing is required before any proposal can be submitted.
This may take four days or longer.
Final
Text Preparation & Mailing
The
final text must be forwarded to the Proposal Administrator
at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the mail or submission
deadline. Final text and other related forms can be accepted
in hard copy or electronic version (e-mail attachment, CD,
or computer diskette) as needed for the type of submission.
When the final text is received, a Proposal Administrator
will:
- Review
the final text for compliance with the sponsor’s guidelines
- Assemble
the proposal into the specified format
- Submit
the complete proposal to the Preaward Coordinator for a
final quality check
- Reproduce
the proposal for paper submission or upload documents for
electronic submission
- Check
copy quality
- Submit
proposal via appropriate carrier
Note:
Grants.gov proposals are submitted 1 week early in order to
avoid last minute submission problems.
Campus
Copies
Copies
of the submitted proposal are prepared and emailed to the
researcher and other signature authorities within approximately
one week after submission to the sponsor.
Special
Considerations
Research involving the use of animals, humans, recombinant
DNA, or infectious biohazards must be registered and approved
by committees within the Texas A&M University System.
The University has guidelines for these special considerations,
which must be followed in order to comply with university
and federal regulations. Approved protocols must be inplace
prior to the expenditure of funds.
All
PIs with human subjects on NIH projects must complete the
NIH on-line certification for use of human subjects. The certification
course can be found at http://ohsr.od.nih.gov
In
order to view Texas A&M’s policies and forms for
these special considerations, please visit the following links
which are housed on the web site for the Vice President for
Research:
Significant
Financial Interest Form: For some proposals (National Science
Foundation and Public Health Service in particular), PIs will
be asked to complete a form disclosing any conflict of interest
that may arise due to a financial or other personal interest
of an investigator. This is required based on TAMUS Policy
15.01.03. For more information, see http://tamus.edu/offices/policy/policies/pdf/15-01-03.pdf.
Executive
Review Signature Form
Specific
instructions: If your proposal requires the signature of the
Provost, President or Chancellor, please complete the attached
form and submit in advance to the Preaward office of the Research
Foundation. We will need this completed form with a draft
version of your budget and text, ONE WEEK prior to the normal
routing period. The offices named above will need to review
your proposal draft and the submitted form before they sign
it, and the extra time allocated to this process is to give
them time for this review.
If
you have any questions regarding this process, please call
the Preaward office at the Research Foundation, at 845-8652.
This
form can be filled out on-line then printed. It requires the
Adobe Acrobat plug-in. The plug in is free from Adobe's
web site. Please check their site for the appropriate
version for your system.
Click
here
for the Executive Signature Review Form
Frequently Asked Questions
1.
Where
can I find proposal forms?
Most
funding agencies stipulate what forms should be used in the
program announcement. Your PA can assist you with any questions
you have about forms.
2.
Where can I find forms for human subjects, animal subjects,
or rDNA approval?
Human
subjects forms can be found at: http://researchcompliance.tamu.edu/irb/information-for-investigators
Animal
subjects forms can be found at: http://researchcompliance.tamu.edu/iacuc/copy_of_forms
Institutional
Biosafety Committee forms (biological research agents, rDNA,
etc.) can be found at: http://researchcompliance.tamu.edu/ibc/ibcrevapp/ibcapprev
3.
How do I arrange for a Facilities and Administrative Cost
(indirect cost) reduction or waiver?
The
Office of the Vice President for Research maintains the policy
regarding such reductions or waivers.
Exceptions
require a statement of explanation to be included in the contract
indicating the benefits to the System and the State of Texas
that justify the different rate.
Exceptions
might include:
–Project
supports the academic mission of the department/college
–Support of graduate students
–Only source of funding in an area of significance
The
approval process is as follows:
Exceptions
require a memo from the Principal Investigator and must be
approved by:
–Department
Head
–Dean
–Vice President for Research
The
approved memo must be obtained prior to finalizing the budget
for the internal routing process. Please allow ample time
for the approval if you seek a reduction of indirect costs.
4.
What
are the rates for fringe benefits and health insurance?
TAMUS
(including PVAMU and TAMUG)
10.1% of Salaries and Wages – All Students
17.7% of Salaries and Wages – All Others
Plus,
institutional medical insurance benefits on the following
monthly premiums for Fiscal Year 2008:
Employee
Only $364/month
Employee/Children $473/month
Employee/Spouse $539/month
Employee/Family $627/month
5.
What
are the rates for Facilities and Administrative Costs?
TAMUS
9/1/07 through 8/31/11 (dated 1/4/08) **
On-campus:
46.5% MTDC
Off-Campus: 26.0% MTDC
IPA
Agreements: 7.0% of MTDC
Others:
contact your Proposal Administrator
**
Currently exempt from the MTDC base:
-
Equipment (over $5,000)
-
Subcontracts – excess over first $25K of each subcontract
-
Rental Cost of Off-Site Facilities
-
Capital Expenditures
-
Charges for Patient Care
-
Scholarships, Fellowships, Tuition Remission
NOTE:
TEES – MTS rates are charged F&A
6.
What are the travel policies and per diem rates?
Please
see the web site section titled “Travel.” It has
comprehensive information regarding travel on sponsored projects.
The URL is: http://rf-web.tamu.edu/travel/travpol.html
7.
What are the Research Foundation fees for service?
The Research Foundation charges a fee based on the funded
proposal and these are evaluated yearly. Click
here for rates for 2008.
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