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Research Support Services

We assist faculty and students in the identification of funding opportunities, initial proposal development and submission of proposals for external funds to support their research. This office also oversees the research funds once they have been awarded.


Pre-Award Support

We provide support and guidance for preparation of applications for external funds to support research. Two key things to keep in mind:

 

  1. Individual faculty may not directly submit a proposal to a funding agency. All funding from outside sources must go through the university's grants/contracts routing process. 
  2. Faculty are encouraged to notify the Research and Graduate Studies Office that they are working on a proposal. The grant manager will then obtain the Request for Proposal (RFP) and review it to be aware of issues that may impact the budget or the documents required for a complete submission. 
  • Proposal Preparation

    Proposal preparation and submission in our college typically follows this process: PI meets with department/school head to discuss the proposed research; PI makes intent known to the Research and Graduate Studies Office by submitting the required intent form; PI meets with grant manager to discuss nuances of the proposed project; grant manager prepares required agency forms with university and college information; grant manager develops project budget; grant manager initiates proposal routing for necessary college and university signatures, including institutional approval by VPR; PI completes technical content; grant manager submits proposal.

     

    PI Responsibilities:

    • Identify the most likely sponsor/funding agency
    • Discuss planned effort with department/school head
    • Make submission intent known to the Research and Graduate Studies Office by submitting the required intent form
    • Prepare the proposal content

     

    Research and Graduate Studies Support:

    • Provide information on potential sponsors and funding opportunities
    • Prepare agency forms and provide university information as required by the sponsor
    • Prepare the budget in the format required by the sponsor
    • Review the final proposal
    • Route for necessary signatures within the college and university (see OSU Routing Flow Chart)
    • Submit the proposal
  • Budget Development

    Once you have visited with the grant manager, he/she will create a template that fits the budget requirements for your particular grant. The grant manager will customize the budget to your specifications and help with your budget justification/narrative document.

  • Current Rates
  • Proposal Routing

    The routing process requires that these items be routed NO LESS THAN ONE FULL WEEK before the grant submission deadline:

     

    1. Final budget
    2. Final budget justification/narrative
    3. Project summary/abstract (less than one page)

     

    If the proposal includes subcontractors, cost share, and/or other college personnel, additional time will be needed for the proposal routing.

     

    • More documents may be required depending on the requirements of the RFP. 
    • Your budget should be finalized NO LESS THAN ONE FULL WEEK before the grant submission deadline. No edits to the budget or the budget narrative may be made once the routing has begun.
  • Proposal Submission

    Proposals for external research funding are submitted by OSU (via the college’s Research and Graduate Studies Office), not by the PI. Oklahoma State University requires that all proposals receive institutional approval prior to formal submission. The college facilitates this approval process. Faculty must submit all proposals and awards through the college's Research and Graduate Studies Office to avoid contractual and budget problems prior to submission.

  • Contract Development

    When a proposal becomes funded, the Research and Graduate Studies Office will assist the PI with contract negotiations, including reviewing the new grant/contract for adherence to university policies and procedures.

 

Post-Award Support

We provide support and resources for post-award administration activities.

 

  • Post-Award Support

    Post-award administration of a sponsored research project typically involves financial management, allowable costs, cost sharing, sub-award agreements, audits, and project close out procedures. The Research and Graduate Studies Office works along with support staff from the PI’s department/school to provide support in these areas.

     

    PI Responsibilities:

    • Meet the ethical and regulatory requirements for the responsible conduct of research.
    • Obtain necessary certifications and assurances (e.g., human subjects protection, animal care, hazardous chemicals, biological safety protections, laser safety, and x-ray) to conduct the research.
    • Adhere to university, state, and sponsoring agency policies regarding the administration of the research.
    • Notify the department/school any time there is a change in personnel so that appropriate forms can be processed.
    • Verify personnel time and effort (monthly).
    • Review monthly financial statements for verification of expenses.
    • Complete reports (e.g., progress, final) required by agency.

     

    Department/School Support:

    • Maintain financial records of project expenditures and fund code balances.
    • Monitor all project expenditures to avoid deficit spending and to ensure expenditures are appropriate.
    • Answer budget questions.
    • Issue monthly financial statements to the project PI.

     

    Research and Graduate Studies Support:

    • New Fund Code Creation: When a proposal is funded, the Research and Graduate Studies Office will acquire and provide the PI an assigned fund code number. After receiving this fund code the investigators can make charges on the project.
    • Subcontract Negotiations: If your project includes subcontracted services to an outside entity, the Research and Graduate Studies Office will help with subcontract negotiations.
    • Project Changes: If the PI determines that project revisions are necessary (e.g., revised statement of work, budget modifications, time extensions), the Research and Graduate Studies Office will assist with contract modifications and extensions.
    • Financial Oversight: The Research and Graduate Studies Office provides oversight for allowable (vs. unallowable) charges given agency and budget requirements, monitors appropriate use of purchases and initiates budget corrections.
    • Audits of Project Accounts: If a project is audited, the Research and Graduate Studies Office will facilitate and serve as a liaison between the university’s Grants and Contracts Financial Administration (GCFA) Office and the auditing agency.
    • Progress and Final Reports to Funding Agency: The Research and Graduate Studies Office will submit copies of agency reports (technical and financial) to the university’ Grants and Contracts Financial Administration (GCFA) Office.
    • Project Closeout Procedures: The Research and Graduate Studies Office facilitates project closeout issues between the PI and the university’s Grants and Contracts Financial Administration (GCFA) Office.
  • Post-Award Policies
  • Subcontract Monitoring

    If your project includes subcontracted services to an outside entity, there are several additional responsibilities that are shared by the PI, department/school staff, and the college's Research and Graduate Studies Office.

     

    *Communication and coordination is essential between multiple parties listed to ensure compliance with responsibilities.

     

    Description Role Responsibility
    Technical performance Principal Investigator Informs departmental staff and college Research and Graduate Studies office that he/she is not satisfied with performance and will not approve invoices.
    Appropriateness of costs Principal Investigator/ Departmental Staff/ R&GS*   Reviews invoices received from subrecipient for allocability, allowability and reasonableness of costs and that charges are within the period of performance of the award. Requests additional backup documentation for questioned items.
    Approved total
    cost and carryover amount
    R&GS Ensures invoiced amount is within the total cost of the subcontract agreement and any carryover amount has been approved.
    Effort certification R&GS Requests effort reports when needed.
    Documentation of cost sharing R&GS Reviews the invoice for indication that subrecipient is meeting any cost sharing commitments.
    Timeliness of invoicing Principal Investigator/ Departmental Staff Monitors invoicing and contacts subrecipient if invoices are not received in a timely manner.
    Technical reports and other deliverables Principal Investigator Ensures technical reports and any other deliverables are submitted in a timely manner.
    A-133 audit (completion,
    findings, corrective
    action plan)
    R&GS Works with auditors to ensure compliance with OMB A-133 report.
    Debarred and suspended list R&GS Ensures subrecipient is not on list via subaward certification.
    Subcontract termination Principal Investigator Contacts departmental staff and college Research and Graduate Studies office if subcontract should be terminated.
    Necessary changes to the subcontract Principal Investigator Informs departmental staff and college Research and Graduate Studies office of any necessary changes to the subcontract (e.g., amount, award period).
    Certification of invoices Principal Investigator Reviews the subrecipient’s invoice and if acceptable, signs, dates and forwards to departmental staff for payment. Ensures that reports and other material requested from subrecipient have been collected prior to payment of invoices. Monitors the subrecipient’s progress and determines that payments are in line with the terms of the subcontract.
    Site visits Principal Investigator/ R&GS* Coordinates site visits to subrecipient if necessary to determine progress of the work or appropriateness of invoiced costs.

 

Research Support – General

We facilitate and provide administrative oversight for research and grant issues.

 

 

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