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A project (classified as Instruction, Research, or Public Service) funded by an external entity on the basis of a written proposal or scope of work, budget and budget justification. Sponsored Projects are managed by the ORSP.

While anyone in the ORSP can assist you, each academic department and administrative unit, and many centers and institutes, have an ORSP team dedicated to help. 

Investigator Eligibility information is available on the Forms, Policies, and Processes page under ORSP Tools & Resources. Only certain categories of employees can be principal investigators.

Although UMass Boston is legally the official recipient of a grant or contract, the Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for its proper fiscal management and conduct. The University is legally and financially responsible and accountable to the sponsor for the performance of the activity funded—but needs the full cooperation of the PI to do so.

These acronyms stand for Request for Proposals and Request for Applications, the announcement mechanisms the Federal government and many other sponsors use to let the University community know that they are seeking proposals relating to a specific topic or broad program. RFPs and RFAs are the guides or roadmaps faculty members need to prepare proposals. RFPs are usually associated with requests for grant proposals and RFAs are usually associated with contract proposals.

A grant is a financial assistance mechanism a sponsor uses to award funds for conducting a specified, approved project. The responsibility for the performance of the project rests primarily with the grant recipient.

A contract is an award instrument establishing a legally binding procurement relationship between the sponsor and the recipient. It obligates the recipient to furnish a project outcome or service that is defined in detail in the written contract, and it binds the sponsor to pay for it.

UMass Boston is not a 501(C)3, however the University of Massachusetts Foundation is and a fiscal relationship exists between UMass Boston and the UMass Foundation that allows for submission of grant proposals.

UMass Boston is one of the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts, which is served by the University of Massachusetts Foundation, Inc., a private non-for-profit corporation having a 501 c 3 identification number of 04-6013152.

• Your preaward contact will work with the UMass Foundation on the review process.
• If the sponsor requires that the institution submitting the proposal be a 501 c 3, the proposal must be reviewed by both the UMass Boston Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and the UMass Foundation. All proposals that involve the UMass Foundation are required to be sent for review at least five days before submission. Proposals should be submitted to ORSP, we will handle involving the Foundation for their simultaneous review.

Not necessarily. If you are sending a budget, you must coordinate with the ORSP before sending anything.

ORSP has an Institutional Fact Sheet in the Institutional Information and Resources section of the Tools & Resources page. The fact sheet contains all of this information and more.

Tools & Resources

Contact your assigned ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) immediately upon learning that any grant competition has limited submissions. Only by knowing that UMass Boston will have two or more applicants vying for a given number of submission slots can the Office of the Vice Provost for Research mount and manage an internal selection process.

Cost sharing is any cost associated with a project that is not paid by the sponsor. It can be a contribution of real dollars or it can be “in kind” (i.e., offering employee time or other contributed goods and services). It can be mandatory (required by the sponsor) or voluntary (offered or performed by the University or a 3rd-party entity). Cost sharing must be approved through the ORSP at the proposal stage. When cost sharing is referred to in any way in the proposal or its budget, it becomes a condition of the agreement. See the Cost Sharing section of Forms, Policies, and Processes.

The University negotiates indirect cost rates with the Federal Government. These negotiations are based on actual costs incurred by the University and rates are approved by our cognizant agency. See the Indirect (F&A) Rates, Costs & Recovery section of the Forms, Policies & Procedures page.

The University’s negotiated rates are our default rates. Kuali Proposal Development has a form available to help guide you and your assigned ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) can assist you in determining the appropriate rate for your proposal.

If you are unsure who your DRA is, review the Team Assignments.

See the Indirect (F&A) Rates, Costs & Recovery section under Forms, Policies & Procedures. 

The University’s negotiated rates are our default rates, unless the sponsor limits overhead costs by published policy. Your assigned ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) can assist you in determining the appropriate rate for your proposal.

If you are unsure who your DRA is, see the Team Assignments section.

Visit Indirect (F&A) Rates, Costs & Recovery for more information.

UMass Boston’s policy regarding this issue is to comply with the sponsor’s requirements or guidelines, so long as it is a published policy. Your assigned ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) can assist you in determining the appropriate rate for your proposal.

If you are unsure who your DRA is, see the Team Assignments.

See the Indirect (F&A) Rates, Costs & Recovery section of the Forms, Policies & Procedures page.

Fringe benefits rates change yearly. These rates are proposed by state in the Spring and are used provisionally until they are approved. The ORSP Budget Workbook is updated with current rates as they are released, those rates are used for budgeting purposes. Fringe benefit rates in effect for a given employee will be charged to the account based on actual expenditures. Contact your ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) for assistance.

If you are unsure who your DRA is, see the Team Assignments.

See the Budgeting section in the Proposal Development Tools area of Forms, Policies & Procedures.

A participant generally means an individual participating in or attending program activities under an award, such as trainings or conferences, but who is not responsible for implementation of the award.

Participant support costs are direct costs that support participants and their involvement with an award, such as, stipends, subsistence allowances, travel, and registration fees.

See the Participant Support Costs section in the Award Management area of the Forms, Policies & Procedures. 

As soon as you receive the first auto-generated JIT email request and determine that your score is likely to be competitive for an award, you should begin the initial new protocol submission or modification process with the IRB if you have not already done so.

Your assigned Department Research Administrator (DRA) and Preaward Grant and Contract Administrator (GCA) in ORSP will help you with your electronic proposal submissions.

No. Only the ORSP has the authority to submit proposals.

If your IRB submission’s approval is pending as the JIT submission date approaches, the pending status does not jeopardize your funding opportunity and there is no cause for alarm. The IRB review process will take time to complete; therefore, if your IRB submission is still under review when ORSP has been asked to provide JIT to NIH, inform your ORSP Grant and Contract Administrator, who will then inform the funding agency.

Work with your ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) to facilitate this process.

If you have done this and now expect an award you need to contact us immediately and let us assist you in gaining the proper review and institutional approvals you will need in order to receive the funding. Only ORSP has the authority to bind UMass Boston to contract or agreement terms and conditions. Principal Investigator’s must not sign any award agreements. If ORSP cannot negotiate terms acceptable to UMass Boston, the award will be refused.

In cases where you are virtually 100% certain that your project will be funded, you may request that a Risk Account or Advance Account be established so you can get started right away. Contact your ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) for assistance.

If you are unsure who your DRA is, see the Team Assignments.

See the Advance Account in Forms, Policies & Procedures for more information.

Yes, you can start spending once your award is setup, but you cannot spend money related to human or animal subjects until you have IRB/IACUC approval.

Review Applying to the IRB or Animal Care & Use.

Reach out to your ORSP Department Research Administrator (DRA) contact as soon you determine this is necessary. In many cases, the sponsor needs to be contacted 60-90 days prior to the expiration of the award.

If you are unsure who your DRA is, review the Team Assignments.

See the Award Modifications section of Award Management on the Forms, Policies, & Processes page.

Many of the answers to your questions about the IRB application process can be found in the Applying to the IRB under Research Integrity & Compliance.