Pre-Award: Budget Development for Grants
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Transcript Pre-Award: Budget Development for Grants
Pre-Award: Budget
Development for Grants
UCLA School of Nursing
Research Support Team
November 14, 2011
1
Presentation Overview
Preparing budgets
Timeline
Budget categories
Project roles
Post-award compliance
Costing principles
Managing project expenses
Effort & progress reports
The Purpose of Budgets
Demonstrate that PI has considered all costs of
achieving the specific aims and project goals
Dedicate effort and resources to the project
Delineate budget categories which must be
adhered to (±25%) once the project is underway
Describe the scientific necessity of every line item
Specific Aims Drive the Budget
Expenses
Specific Aims
Budget
Timeline for Successful Budgets
Three months before due date
Develop Specific Aims
Meet with Statistics Consultation Group to develop
power analysis and study size, statistician effort (if
applicable), data management plan
Develop project timeline
What is the project duration?
Who is involved? Does effort fluctuate?
Enrollment timeline?
Analysis timeline?
Timeline for Successful Budgets
(continued)
Two months before due date
Identify personnel and performance
sites
Rough draft of budget and justification
One month before due date
Final budget and justification
Timeline for Successful Budgets
(continued)
Secure special arrangements earlier
Permission to exceed direct cost limitation?
Subawards to other Institutions?
Projects with an international component?
Quotes for equipment, consultants, vendor
agreements?
Mandatory cost sharing?
Program income?
Budget Foundations
Justification
Describe necessity
Cost categories
Effort, subcontracts, other costs
Project goals & specific aims
What is feasible/necessary to achieve goals?
Program announcement
Scope? Cost/category limitations? Modular or line item budget?
Call for Proposals
Consider whether you chose the best
announcement for your scope of research
Investigator-initiated R01s are scalable; earlystage investigators have a distinct advantage
Each award type has underlying objectives –
don’t shoehorn your work into an ill-fitting
announcement
Consider another announcement if expenses
are much greater/smaller than average award
Direct and Indirect costs
Direct Costs
identified with a particular sponsored project and
directly assigned to that project with a high degree
of accuracy
Examples: scientific/technical personnel effort,
project supplies, subject renumeration,
scientific/technical computers
Indirect Costs
For common or joint objectives which cannot be
identified specifically with a particular project
Examples: clerical effort, office supplies, general
purpose computers
Direct Cost Categories
Personnel: define effort devoted to the project
Materials and supplies
Travel (PI to study sites, conferences)
Consultants
Equipment
Subawards
Other costs
Define categories and atypical line items at outset to ensure
allowability when project is underway
Subject renumeration, TIF, fee remission, animal research,
pharmacy costs, rent, project-specific office-type supplies,
telephones, mailing, copying, machines (<5k), core services
Personnel Determinations
Personnel comprise the largest part of grant budgets
2% escalation per NOT-OD-11-068
All personnel have a project role, duties, and effort
Senior/Key Personnel
individuals who contribute to the scientific development or
execution of the project in a substantive, measurable way
Current staff or TBN?
Actual salary/benefits vs institutional scales
Project roles: Senior/Key
Multiple PI
Requires Multiple PI leadership plan
Co-Investigator
Requires stated effort/salary
Faculty Collaborator
Other Significant Contributor
Effort is “as needed”
Project roles: Other Personnel
Use project role, not payroll title
Payroll title is used to determine associated costs (e.g.
graduate fee remission, postdoctoral minima)
Consolidate like appointments
Staff Scientist
Postdoctoral Scholar
Research Assistant/Coordinator
Technician
Consultant
Subaward, Vendor or Consultant?
Subawards are the most common mechanism for
collaboration with another site that brings intellectual
value to the project. They have discrete, fully-formed
budgets authorized by an institutional official.
Vendor Agreements are established when a site
performs work (assays, sample processing) on a feefor-service basis. No intellectual contribution.
Consultants are non-UCLA individuals who perform
fee-for-service work at a fixed rate; always requires a
letter of support stating the rate, scope and expertise;
compliant with SB1467 “Public Contracts: Conflict of
Interest.”
Human and Animal Subjects
Protocol defines timepoints and processes
for subject renumeration which must be
included in the budget
Approvals must be in place before award
can be issued
Start work on the protocol before award is
issued to ensure the project is not delayed
or restricted
Financial Characteristics of
Contracts & Grants
Defined performance period
Ongoing reporting – progress, effort
and technical reports
Auditable financial reports
Financial Characteristics of
Contracts & Grants (continued)
Most research grants are cost-reimbursable
Specific scope of work
Unobligated funds returned to agency
Some contracts (clinical trials, subcontracts for
services) are fixed-rate
Funds provided for services rendered
Unobligated funds retained under Policy 913
Research Office will advise PI regarding the
contract type
Federal Costing Principles
OMB A-21
Should I charge this to my grant?
Allowability, Allocability, Reasonableness,
Consistency
OMB A-110
Competitive procurement
Report submission and records retention
Prior approval for rebudgeting beyond
established thresholds
Costing Principles (continued)
Allowability
Does the agency or announcement prohibit certain
costs?
Allocability
Is the expense tied directly and proportionally to the
project?
Reasonableness
Are the cost and units reasonable in light of the study
aims and scope of work?
The Times test: does it pass public scrutiny?
Consistency
Are the costs consistent across projects and campus
units?
Managing Project Expenses
Partnership between PI, requestor,
purchaser and grant analyst to adhere to
principles and facilitate timely correction
Continuous, dynamic, collaborative review
Review Process
Research Office provides ad hoc, real-time
reports on expenditures
PI defines steps to align expenses with budget
and goals
Fund manager and requester take action
Repeat
Managing Project Expenses
(continued)
By approving a purchase, PI certifies that
the expense is necessary, directly benefits
and is used exclusively for the project
Use exception processes sparingly or
never
Out-of-pocket expenses, cost transfers, solesource purchases
Expenses >90 days old cannot be moved to or
between research projects (NIH GPS 7.5)
Examples of reporting flags
Categorical variances ± 25%
Rebudgeting into/out of IDC-exclusion
categories
Effort variances
Unallowable/misattributed items
Carryforward >25% to continuation year
Reporting
Effort reports
PI submits reports quarterly
Prevents overlap and ensures effort is consistent
with stated levels
Personnel effort must be ≥ pay
Prior approval required if senior/key effort
decreases >25% from proposed effort
Three reporting points: Other Support page, All
Personnel Report, Effort Reporting System
Reporting (continued)
Progress reports
Submitted to agency annually to secure
continuation funding
Publications? Results? Project delays?
Changes to project? Enrollment? Effort?
Carryforward over threshold?
Sloppy reports are frequently returned and will
delay continuation funding
Summary
Budgets and expenses are a function of
the project goals and specific aims
Budgets should be as realistic as possible
to minimize post-award changes
PI and departmental coordinators are
jointly responsible for adhering to costing
principles and managing project expenses
Questions?
Slides will be available on the web
(click Research, Past Presentations)
Email [email protected]