Transcript Incentive Return Practice

Grant Proposal Writing
For
Graduate Students
Clemson University
March 14, 2011
&
March 17, 2011
Agenda
1. Gerald Sonnenfeld, Vice President for Research – Introduction to
Grant Writing for Graduates
2. Karen Burg, Endowed Chair – Grant Writing: Transitioning from
Graduate to Faculty
3. Karen Pless, Training & Registration Manager – Writing a
Successful Proposal
4. Kristin LaRoche, Grants Administrator – Developing a Proposal
Budget
5. Tracy Arwood, Director of Research Compliance – Compliance in
Proposal Development
Introduction to Grant Writing
for
Graduates
- Gerald Sonnenfeld, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research
Introduction to Grant Writing
for
Graduates
• Principles of Applying for Grants
• The Need for a Hypothesis
Graduate Student Grant-Writing
Seminar
Karen Burg, Ph.D.
Hunter Endowed Chair &
Professor of Bioengineering
Interim Vice Provost for
Research & Innovation
March, 2011
Background
• B.S., Chemical Engineering (BioChE minor)
– NC State University, 1990
• M.S., Bioengineering
– Clemson University, 1992
• Ph.D., Bioengineering (ExSt minor)
– Clemson University, 1996
• Postdoctorate, Tissue Engineering
– Carolinas Medical Center, 1999
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Employment and Proposal Writing
• Research Assistant, Clemson University
• Research Associate, Poly-Med, Inc.
• Postdoc Fellow, Carolinas Medical Center
– Equipment, conference, research, travel,
small business partnership proposals
• Faculty Member, Clemson University
– Research, equipment, small business
partnership proposals
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Proposals are like logic puzzles….
My job, as the principal
investigator (PI), is to determine
how to convince a group with
diverse opinions that our
proposal is valuable and
exciting…..and worth funding!
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
My Funding Attempts
• Shift application emphasis with career
progression (higher probability, lower
return, lower management to lower
probability, higher return, higher
management)…
Equipment grants, travel fellowships, meeting grants
Single investigator research grants
Multi-investigator research/education programs
Multi-investigator infrastructure grants
Multi-institutional research programs
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
A Winning Proposal Should…
• Contain good grammar, be spelling error free
• Include a succinct, easily/quickly understood
summary or abstract
• Adhere to guidelines
• Spell out objective immediately
• Define how idea is unique
• Contain evidence of expertise and ability
• Serve as a road map, following a logical path
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Preparing for Proposal Writing
• Check funding rates
• Identify several mentors, including different
perspectives
• Learn from successful and unsuccessful
proposals by other PIs
• Learn from and adapt to reviewer criticism
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Preparing for Proposal Writing
• Everything is an opportunity
– Cultivate contacts (invited seminar
speakers, speakers at conferences, etc.)
– Prepare for conference talks
– Be proactive and involved
• Persistence pays
• Realize that luck involves
clever preparation and
positioning!
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Identifying Broader Impact
• Define broader impact or….SO WHAT??
• Determine community engagement or
impact
– How will your work affect society?
– How will you translate your work?
• Consider what makes sense for you
• Focus on quality rather than quantity
• Develop connections to research
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Starting Points for You
• First communicate with your advisor!
• Look for graduate student fellowships
• Look for conference travel grant
opportunities
• Ask your advisor if you can help with one
of their proposals
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
The Writing Process
• AGAIN, communicate with advisor, ASK if
unclear points
• Pay attention to directions and detail
• Be humble, not argumentative
– Regard criticism as constructive, not personal
• Solicit outside review by faculty mentors,
friends, spouse, relatives
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Lessons Learned
• AGAIN, everything is an opportunity
• Faculty members may be your future:
– Letter of reference writers
– Collaborators
• Fellow graduate students may be your
future:
– Letter of reference writers
– Collaborators
– Funders
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Reference Letters
• Give referees your resume, specified
information about opportunity, specific
contact information for letter
• Offer to draft a letter
• Ask referees to tell you once their letter is
submitted
• Faculty members are busy – be politely
pesky, send reminder emails
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Sources of Information
•
•
•
•
•
Web
Faculty mentors, advisors, and members
Fellow graduate students
Conference presentations
Professional organizations
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
“If opportunity doesn’t
knock, build a door”
(Milton Berle)
KJL Burg, Graduate Student Grant-Writing Seminar
Writing a Successful Proposal
- Karen Pless
Training & Registration
Office of Sponsored Programs
Set Goals
• Set a Goal, Develop a Plan
o Life Purpose
 25, 10, 5-year
o Short range
 What funds do you need to meet short range goals,
and ultimately meet the long range goals
o Ideas for research hypothesis, service project or
instruction
 Organizational tip – enter ideas on note section of
your cell phone, iPhone, iPad, etc.
o Refine hypothesis, service project or instruction goal(s)
 Begin developing objectives to meet the goal(s)
Getting Ready…
• Preparation for Developing Proposal Plan(s)
o Find a mentor
 Faculty advisor or other faculty member
o Find local reviewers
 Friend, family or faculty that will give honest
critique
o Make friends with your College Grant
Coordinator/Administrator
 Life-line to successful, timely submission
 Provide budget development assistance
 Compare your documents to university, sponsor
and federal requirements
Getting Set…
• Refine hypothesis, service project or instruction goal(s)
o Begin developing objectives to meet the goal(s)
• Determine qualifications to be a Principal Investigator (PI)
at Clemson University – see policy at
http://media.clemson.edu/research/sponsoredprograms/policies/pi-policy.pdf
• Take Office of Sponsored Programs’ PI Certification
http://www.clemson.edu/research/sponsored/picertificati
on.html
Getting Set (cont’d)…
•Finding Funding Opportunities & Collaborators
o InfoEd– ~40,000 federal, state, international government,
and foundation & corporate funding opportunities
o InfoEd SPIN searches – faculty, staff, students
o InfoEd SMARTS e-alerts for Clemson employees
o Collaborator searches – Clemson & over 500 institutions
worldwide
o Training available through Office of Sponsored Programs;
upcoming dates on handout & at end of presentation
•Foundation Center searches – foundations & corporations
o College Development Officers point you to contact for
foundation searches & proposal assistance
Go…
• Funding Opportunity Found –Now What?
o Contact department or College Grants Coordinator
 Get on their schedule for assistance & submission
o Foundation or Corporate funder?
 Contact Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations
(OCFR) through the Grants Coordinator
 OCFR will qualify & target your needs to organization
objectives, make initial contact & introduction, assist
with proposal development or guidance and review
Keep Going…
Read thoroughly the call for proposals (RFP, RFA, RFQ,
BAA, PA,…); sponsor policies & procedure; program guide;
proposal submission guidelines, electronic submission
guide…
 Grants Coordinator knowledgeable about many
agencies & can provide standard guidelines
o
o Electronic
Submission required?
 Contact Grants Coordinator immediately to determine
Clemson’s e-registration status & requirements for PI
 For NSF or NIH, complete form at
http://workgroups.clemson.edu/RES_5701_LIMITED_SUBMISSIONS/eregusername
or contact [email protected]
Keep Going (cont’d)…
Institutional Limit, i.e., sponsor only accepts a limited
number per institution – see
http://workgroups.clemson.edu/RES_5701_LIMITED_SUB
MISSIONS/ or contact [email protected]
o
o Develop
a Timeline
 Begin timeline with sponsor due date(s) and work
backwards
 Coordinate with all proposal contributors –
subawardees, collaborators, Grant Coordinators
 Allow adequate time for writing, reviewing, editing,
submission
Start Writing…Basic Components
• Letter of Intent (LOI), White Paper or Concept Paper, or Preproposal may be required, optional, or not needed
• Begin writing the proposal…
• Basic components of a proposal
o Cover Letter (if applicable)
o Title Page
 Proposal title should be succinct, to the point, get
reader’s attention quickly, and reflect basic purpose of
project
 If available, follow sponsor format, or use example on
Sponsored Programs’ web site
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Table of Contents (if more than 10 pages or if required)
• Abstract/Summary (write last, include at beginning)
o Be brief – 100-500 words depending on sponsor
requirements
o Give overview of project, including need, objectives,
planned activities, expected outcomes, plans for
disseminating findings
o Avoid jargon, write for anyone in any field to understand
 Abstracts, particularly federal, become public
statements
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Introduction
o Not always required, good to include
o Explain who you are, what you’ll do
o Provide your qualifications as PI
o Provide organizational qualifications
 Clemson University
 Your department
 Clemson financial capabilities
o Available resources – facilities, equipment, etc.
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Statement of Problem or Needs / Significance
o Be specific
 Why is project needed
 What will be the significant contribution to this field
 What is new about this project compared to others
 How does this project build on previous works
o Include survey & statistical information
o Literature review (unless required separately)
 Describe relevant work; if research demonstrate
familiarity with related research & how this project
relates; training or service projects should include
statistical & demographic data
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Goals or Purpose, Objectives, Project Description
o Project goal
 Goal – general statements about the expected project
outcomes
o Project objectives
 Measureable
 Time limited
 Realistic
 Relevant
 Relate to problem statement
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Approach / Procedures / Methodology
o Describe planned project in detail, chronologically
o Should be derived logically from stated problem/need
o Relate to each objective
 Examples – experiment design, study population
characteristics, data to be generated, statistical
techniques to be used, services to be provided, training
to be accomplished
o Include timeline – make it reasonable
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Personnel – PI and key personnel
o May be required here as separate description of team
o Include time percentage, qualifications, duties
o PI – include background & qualifications
o Identify relations of each to project
o Consultants – explain need, credentials, qualifications
• Facilities, Equipment and Resources
o May be required here as separate description
o Describe existing facilities, equipment and resources to
be used as well as any being requested
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Evaluation
o Describe plan to evaluate results to determine if successful
• Dissemination
o When, how, where and to whom will findings / results be
disseminated – project reports, journals, workshops,
presentations, web sites, manual, handbook, etc.
•Sustainability / Continuation Plan
o Training and service projects should provide explanation
of how the project will continue, how it will be sustained,
after the sponsor funding is gone, i.e., fundraising, fees,
other grants, university funding, etc.
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Budget & Budget Justification
o If forms provided by sponsor, enter budget in their
format; otherwise provide detailed budget and explain
why each person / item is required on this project
o Kristin will explain how to develop a budget in more
detail this afternoon
• References / Literature Review
• Current & pending support
o May require here or in appendix
o Sometimes also require list of all past funded projects, or
past relevant funded projects
Basic Components (cont’d)
• Vita or biosketch for PI, co-investigators, key personnel
o Number pages may be limited by sponsor
o If format provided, follow their guide
• Appendices
o Letters of support/endorsement (verify if sponsor
accepts these)
o Others as required by sponsor
o Do not circumvent required page limit by including
information here
o Do not include information not requested
Issues to Consider
• Intellectual Property (IP) concerns
o Public disclosure includes:
 Journal articles, presentation at public meetings,
thesis or dissertation defense, poster hanging in
public area, awarded research grant or contract,
public use or offer to sell in the U.S.
o Impact of public disclosure
 Absolute bar to foreign patent rights
 Can retain U.S. IP rights only if patent application filed
within one year
Issues to Consider (cont’d)
• Intellectual Property (IP) concerns (cont’d)
o Third party IP issues
 Creators may not have rights to use third party IP
even for research without permission from place
employed when developed
 Creators should contact Clemson University Research
Foundation (CURF) before initiating research using IP
conceived or reduced to practice at another institution
or company
o Additional information and contact:
 www.clemson.edu/research/technology/policies
 Phone: 864-656-4237
Finishing Up
• Provide budget & budget justification to Grants Coordinator
as early as possible
o Let it sit a day, re-read
o Let family, friend, faculty advisor, and/or mentor read
o Check one more time against the guidelines
o Make changes as needed
• Complete Clemson’s internal Proposal Processing Form (PPF)
o Includes review and signatures by department head,
Dean, Grants Coordinator, Office of Sponsored Programs
o Ask for Grants Coordinator assistance
Why Should A Sponsor Fund Your
Project
• Research the sponsor
o Current funding priorities
 Is your project within their priorities?
o Current & past funded projects
 Has a project similar to yours been funded by this
sponsor?
 How is your project different?
Why Should A Sponsor Fund Your
Project (cont’d)
•Budget requests must:
o Be within sponsor’s funding limits
o Be adequate to fund your project
o Not be “padded” with additional costs outside the scope
of your project
•Sponsors don’t fund people, they fund projects
o What is the goal of your project that will make your
community or world a better place? This is what they fund.
Three Most Important Things
• Plan, then work your plan
• Do your homework
o Research your area of interest
o Find potential sponsor and research their priorities &
funded projects
• Develop relationships
o Mentors
o Program Officers
o Grants Coordinators
o Readers
Developing a Proposal Budget
- Kristin LaRoche
Grants Administrator
Office of Sponsored Programs
Proposal Budget Characteristics
• Represents to the sponsor the cost of running your project.
• Budget narrative is the written description of your budgeted
costs.
o Includes both requested and cost shared line items.
o Level of detail varies by sponsor but most request a line-item
budget.
 Each expenditure is itemized under its appropriate
category.
o Provide detailed formulas and documentation for your
budgeted items.
 Example: Include the name of the consultant you will be
using; include the name of the piece of equipment you will
be purchasing.
Elements of a Proposal Budget
• Direct Costs
• Facilities and Administration Costs
• Cost Shared or Matching Items
Direct Costs
• Three questions to ask yourself when determining a direct
cost:
o Is it allowable?
o Is it allocable?
o Is it reasonable and necessary?
• A cost normally charged as a Facilities and Administration
cost cannot be considered a direct cost.
• Be specific – never use the word miscellaneous when
describing your direct costs.
Direct Costs – Salaries and Wages
• Calculations are based on an actual salary of project
personnel.
o Reported as a percentage of effort and not an hourly
rate.
• Fringe Benefit costs must be included if salaries and wages
are budgeted.
Direct Costs – Fringe Benefits
• Taxes and other benefits (ex. medical insurance) that the employer
must pay for an employee.
• Clemson University’s fringe benefit rates are federally negotiated and
updated annually.
o Rates are available through the Comptroller’s Office:
http://www.clemson.edu/cfo/comptroller/rates/index.html
o Ask your College Grant Coordinator for assistance.
• A reasonable increase of 3% is permissible per budgeted year.
o Increase takes into account the future negotiated rates.
• At the time of the expenditure, the actual fringe rate will be charged
regardless of the rate included in the budget.
Direct Costs – Travel
•
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•
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Mileage
Airfare
Ground Transportation
Conference Registration and Fees
Lodging
Per diem
o Rates are available through the Office of the Chief Financial Officer:
http://www.clemson.edu/cfo/procurement/travel/employeeguidelines.html
o Ask your College Grant Coordinator for assistance.
• Foreign travel must be approved by the Sponsored Programs Accounting and
Administration (SPAA) prior to travel but not prior to budget development.
o Should be noted in the proposal budget if anticipated.
o SPAA will not approve foreign travel if it is not in the proposal budget.
Direct Costs – Supplies and Materials
• An item generally less than $5,000 that is needed to carry out your project.
• Examples:
o Lab supplies
o Curriculum for a meeting or workshop
o Computers specifically for a sponsored project
 Must be necessary to fulfill the project’s scope of work.
 Described and justified in the proposed narrative and budget.
 Specifically identified with the project.
 Approved by the sponsor.
• If the item cannot be directly linked to your project, it may be unallowable.
• Examples of unallowable supplies and materials:
o Office supplies and furniture
o General use computers and printers
o Cell phones
Direct Costs – Equipment
• A tangible, non-expendable item with an acquisition cost
of $5,000 or more.
• Useful life of the item must be greater than one year.
• Name the specific items of equipment in your proposal
budget.
• Equipment purchases should be completed at least 90
days in advance of the project end date.
• Sponsored Programs Accounting and Administration
approves equipment purchases.
Direct Costs – Participant Support
• An item that directly benefits the participants of the project
who are not employed by the University or paid a salary or wage
by the sponsored project.
o Includes individuals participating in a workshop, training,
conference, or other activity funded by the project.
• Examples:
o Registration fees
o Travel expenses
o Supplies given to the participants
o Per diem
Direct Costs –
Graduate Assistant Differential (GAD)
• Included if salaries are proposed for Graduate Research
Assistantships.
o Ask your College Grant Coordinator for assistance in
calculating the GAD.
• For GAD policy questions, contact the Graduate School.
• GAD is budgeted as “Graduate Assistant Tuition
Remission” and included in the “Other” budget category on
sponsor forms.
Direct Costs – Other
•
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•
•
Software or data
Postage
Rentals
Printing costs
Publishing costs
Consultants
o Be sure to include a letter or scope of work outlining their
tasks and the exact dollar amount for their work.
o If consultants are not specifically named but proposed,
then their services must go through procurement after the
sponsored project is awarded.
Direct Costs – Subawards
• Included if another university or organization will perform a
substantial amount of the work.
o Subawardee is bound by same obligations as prime awardee.
• Be sure to include:
o Scope of Work
o Budget
 May reflect their fringe benefit rates and approved F&A rate.
o Signature of the subawardee’s Authorized Organization
Representative (AOR)
• Subawards are issued by the Office of Sponsored Programs after the
University receives the award from the sponsor.
o Does not require a procurement certification.
Unallowable Direct Costs
General Office Supplies
Administrative or Supporting Salaries
Entertainment
Food* and Alcoholic Beverages
Promotional Items*
General Maintenance Costs
Local Telephone Calls and Cellular Phones
Lobbying
Any costs that are considered Facilities and Administration Costs
o Items marked with an asterisk could be considered allowable if
they are necessary for project activities such as food at a workshop
or advertising for employees for a sponsored project.
• If you ever have a question about an item, your first line of contact is
your College Grant Coordinator.
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Facilities and Administration
(F&A) Costs
• Known also as indirect costs.
• Costs that cannot be identified readily and specifically
with a particular sponsored project.
• F&A costs are determined using a federally negotiated
rate.
• Must be included on all sponsored program proposals
unless there is a sponsor restriction.
Calculation of F&A Costs
• Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC)
o Approved and agreed upon method of Clemson University.
o Excludes equipment, capital expenditures, student tuition remission,
rental costs of off-site facilities, scholarships, fellowships, and the portion of
each subaward in excess of $25,000.
• Total Direct Costs (TDC)
o Applied only when the program announcement has instructed its use.
o F&A rate is applied to all direct costs.
• Total Federal Funds Awarded/Total Project Costs (TFFA/TPC)
o Required by some federal agencies such as USDA.
 Example: USDA allows 22% of total federal funds awarded to be F&A
costs which leaves 78% of direct cost items federally funded.
• Sometimes the RFP will instruct applicants to use the lesser of their negotiated
rates (MTDC full rate or TFFA/TPC).
o Budget should be calculated using the MTDC with full rate and TFFA/TPC
at restricted rate to determine the lower F&A recovery.
Clemson University
Provisional F&A Rates
• Rates are available through the Comptroller’s Office:
http://www.clemson.edu/cfo/comptroller/rates/index.html
• F&A Rate Information (July 1, 2010)
o 48.5% On-Campus Research
o 45.0% On-Campus Instruction
o 34.0% On-Campus Other Sponsored Activity
o 26.0% Off-Campus (Research, Instruction, or Other Sponsored
Activity)
 Off-Campus is considered activities performed in facilities not
owned by the University and to which rent is directly allocated to
the project. If more than 50% of the project is performed offcampus, the off-campus rate will apply to the entire project.
Limits on F&A
• If the Sponsor limits F&A:
o Restriction must be stated on the RFP or policy
document from the sponsor.
o The budget will include the restricted rate rather than
the full approved rate.
• If the Sponsor does not allow F&A to be charged:
o Restriction must be stated on the RFP or policy
document from the sponsor.
o The budget will not include F&A.
F&A Waivers
• Clemson University Policy for Waiver of or Reduction in
F&A Rate for Proposals:
http://media.clemson.edu/research/sponsored-programs/policies/fa-waiver.pdf
• Goal of the University to grow research and increase the
effective recovery of F&A costs.
• No voluntary waivers or reductions of F&A costs will be
approved.
Cost Share
• A portion of the proposed budget that is not reimbursed by the sponsor.
o Represents a binding obligation once the award is accepted.
• Cost share shows institutional support for a specific project.
o Should be limited to situations where it is mandatory.
• Non-mandatory or voluntary cost share will not be authorized.
• Every effort should be made to provide mandatory cost share from other
internal resources or third-party contributions in accordance with federal cost
principals.
• The University requires the Cost Share Agreement Form to be completed and
approved at the time the proposal is submitted.
o This form is available on the Office of Sponsored Programs website:
http://media.clemson.edu/research/sponsored-programs/cost-sharing.pdf
o Authorized signatures are required for items to be contributed as cost
share.
Cost Share Sources
• University funds such as salary and fringe benefits.
• Unrecovered F&A
o F&A that was restricted or not allowed.
• Third-party contributions
o Must be documented with a signed letter of
commitment outlining the resources and the specific
dollar value.
o Could be services, goods, or cash donated to the
project.
Cost Share Standards
• Must be verifiable in the University records.
• Not used as match for any other sponsored programs.
• Must be necessary and reasonable under federal cost
principals.
• Item is not paid by federal dollars under another award.
• Item is included in the approved budget when requested
by the sponsor.
• Cost is incurred during the effective dates of the sponsored
program.
Budget Tips to Remember
• Budget development should not be left to the last minute.
• Changes in your project will have an impact on your budget and
changes in your budget will have an impact on your project.
• Very important that federal cost principals and information in the
RFP, as well as Clemson policies and procedures, be followed when
developing your proposal budget.
• When it doubt, ask your College Grant Coordinator or the Office of
Sponsored Programs for assistance.
o Office of Sponsored Programs Policies:
http://www.clemson.edu/research/sponsored/policies.html
Research Compliance
at
Clemson University
Guide for Graduate Students Submitting Research Proposals
Tracy S. Arwood
Director, Office of Research Compliance
& Research Integrity Officer
Office of Research Compliance
Facilitates University research, teaching and public service
programs by providing oversight and coordination of
research compliance areas
Regulatory areas
• Three federally mandated compliance committees:
o IACUC – vertebrate animals
o IRB – human subjects
o IBC – rDNA and hazardous materials
• Research Misconduct Allegations
• Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training program
Compliance Considerations
when Preparing a Grant Proposal
• Read the Proposal Solicitation carefully
o Request for Proposal (RFP)
o Program Announcement (PA)
o Request for Applications (RFA)
o Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Addressing Compliance Issues
• When preparing a grant application for a
research project that involves the use of any of
the following, applicant will need to address
compliance issues.
o Human Subjects
o Vertebrate Animals
o Hazardous materials, recombinant DNA, select
agents/toxins
Minimum Requirements -IRB
• Justify use of subjects
• Detail study procedures including consent
process
• Explain how any potential risks will be
minimized
• Demonstrate potential benefits outweigh
minimized risks
Minimum Requirements -IACUC
• Justify use of animals
• Delineate species, age, sex, and number of
animals to be used
• Describe veterinary care to be provided
• Detail procedures to ensure that pain and
distress are minimized
• Describe use of analgesic and/or anesthetic,
where appropriate
IACUC- continued
• Address the 3 R’s
(alternatives to replace, reduce and refine techniques)
• Provide a literature search for alternatives
• Describe method of euthanasia and justify selection
Minimum Requirements -IBC
• Justify the use of materials used
• Explain laboratory safety, security and biological
containment
• Delineate emergency contingency plans including
containment and cleanup of spills
• If recombinant DNA used – specify that NIH
Guidelines for recombinant DNA research will be
adhered
Keep in mind…
• Some sponsors require submission and
approval of human subjects, animal use and
biosafety protocols before grant application is
submitted
• Others, such as NIH, allow “just-in-time”
approvals
• Sponsor’s solicitation should indicate when
institutional approvals for compliance issues are
needed
Other Considerations
• Allow sufficient amount of time
• Be familiar with Clemson’s research policies
and procedures
• Ask for help
• Non-compliance impacts entire campus
Research Misconduct
Fabrication
Falsification
Plagiarism
in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or
in reporting research results
Responsible Conduct of Research
(RCR) training program
• Required for NSF and NIH funded work
• 9 core areas:
o Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership of Data
o Animal Welfare
o Authorship/Plagiarism
o Collaboration
o Conflict of Interest
o Human Subject Protections
o Mentoring
o Peer Review
o Research Misconduct
NIH RCR Training Requirement
• Support through NIH training, career development award,
research education grant and dissertation research grant
must receive training in RCR
• Information stated in the relevant funding opportunity
announcements
• RCR training program must be described in the proposal
(see template)
Research compliance stands for nothing less
than a constant striving to meet the highest
ethical standards and a dedication to
achieving recognition through integrity.
Information Sources
• Standard information for proposals & forms available at:
http://www.clemson.edu/research/sponsored/proposal/
• Clemson policies & procedures for sponsored projects
available at:
http://www.clemson.edu/research/sponsored/policies.html
• Forms & templates available at:
http://www.clemson.edu/research/sponsored/forms.html
• Compliance issues available at:
http://www.clemson.edu/research/compliance
Resources Available at Clemson
• Department and/or College Grant Coordinators
• Training opportunities offered by OSP & department or
college
• Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations
• Library
o RefWorks bibliography manager
• Clemson Computing & Information Technology (CCIT)
Other Resources
• Lerner Associates, S. Joseph Levine
o Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation
 http://www.learnerassociates.net/dissthes/
o Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal
• http://www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
o https://www.cfda.gov
• Foundation Center’s Proposal Writing Short Course
o http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutoriasl/shortcourse/index.html