Administration

About this Section

The information in this section applies to the research administration of any grant or subcontract from federal, state, and local governments and non-profit entities, whether categorized as research, instruction, public service, or other activities.

Internal Forms

Internal forms document institutional support for the project and provide information about decision-making and approvals. They are signed by the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPAdmin) grant specialist, appropriate Deans/Directors and Chairs (or designees), and UNMC’s official signatory.

What internal forms are required for grant submissions?

Sponsored programs require two internal forms prior to grant submission:

• The Routing Form provides basic information about the project.
• The Internal Budget describes the proposed budget for approval by all participating units.

Personnel costs include the committed effort (as a percentage) of each participant as well as the Institutional Base Salary (IBS), which includes one or more of the following elements as well as benefits based on UNMC’s federally negotiated fringe benefits rate agreement:

• UNMC base salary
• Specified UNMC stipends
• UNMC Physicians base salary or Nebraska Pediatric Practice base salary

If the project does not pay for the entire salary proposed by the effort required, as can occur with training grants or NIH salary caps, UNMC may have to commit to cost sharing. Cost sharing must be justified and approved by the unit director.

View UNMC’s Institutional Base Salary and Cost Share Policies.

Other considerations:

• Waiver of Facilities & Administrative Rate (F&A). If you believe there is a rationale for accepting a lower F&A rate than UNMC has negotiated, you must complete an F&A waiver request when you are completing the ADIS Internal Forms.
• International projects or partners. All projects that include an international partner or are performed outside the country must submit an International Projects Questionnaire. This should be submitted to SPAdmin before the grant is completed to be sure that all elements have been considered so grant submission is not delayed.
• Administrative charges to sponsored projects. If you believe there is a rationale for charging administrative costs—which are normally treated as indirect costs—directly to a grant, you must complete an Administrative Costs Checklist when you are completing your ADIS Internal Forms.
• Consortium grant. If a UNMC investigator applies for a grant collaborating with an investigator from another organization, an Intent Document is required. See Intent to Form a Subcontract.

How are internal forms submitted?

Your department administrator will initiate the submission of these forms using internal processes through ADIS. SPAdmin assigns user rights upon request by the Department Administrator. UNMC personnel can log in to ADIS using a UNMC Net ID and password.

How can I obtain other Sponsored Programs forms?

Some forms are available as MS Word or Adobe PDF documents at unmc.edu/spa/forms/forms-templates. For questions, call SPAdmin at 402-559-7456.

Direct Costs

What are direct costs?

Direct costs are those that can be specifically identified with a particular sponsored project or activity and can be assigned to that project or activity with a high degree of accuracy. Examples include lab supplies, travel expenses, animal purchases, and animal housing expenses.

What are fringe benefits?

All salaries are accompanied by a fringe benefit rate that varies with the specific group, such as faculty, post docs, and staff. Each year, UNMC negotiates the Fringe Benefit Rate with the federal government. UNMC’s current fringe benefit rates are availale in the rate agreement document.

Indirect Costs

What are indirect costs?

Indirect costs, also known as overhead or the Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rate, are provided to the institution proportional to the project total to cover research administrative costs such as research compliance and building upkeep.

What is UNMC’s indirect cost rate?

UNMC has negotiated an F&A Rate Agreement with the federal government that varies with the type of project or sponsor. Use the F&A rate agreement document to find the indirect cost rate appropriate for the project's specific activity and sponsor.

On what budget items is the indirect cost rage charged?

Most federal grants use a Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) base, which excludes the value of each subcontract over $25,000, equipment, participant stipends, and patient care.

For industry sponsors, we apply the indirect cost rate to Total Direct Costs (TDC) with the exception of IRB fees.

Can I reduce or waive F&A costs?

UNMC will accept the published F&A rate of a sponsor. Only in special cases can UNMC accept a lower rate. The waiver process is discussed at unmc.edu/spa/forms/forms-templates.

Computers and NIH

What are the regulations regarding computers and NIH budgets?

Office equipment (copiers, laptops, desktop computers, personal handheld computers, fax machines, scanners, etc.) used for general office purposes (rather than justified as a specific research purpose) are not allowable as direct costs; they are allowable as an F&A cost.

Conflict of Interest

How do my Conflict of Interest disclosures affect my grant submissions?

All sponsored project proposals are reviewed prior to grant submission to identify any real or perceived conflict of interest. If a potential conflict is identified, it can be eliminated or managed. The Conflict of Interest Committee establishes the COI management plans.