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NIH has a salary cap and individuals paid from NIH grant funds must adhere to it. The cap is adjusted periodically. Currently, it is $138,825 for faculty on a 9-month contract and $185,100 for those employed on a 12-month contract. The difference in funds paid with grant funds and total allowable by the institution must be cost shared.
Intentional, knowing, or reckless fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or in reporting research results. A finding of research misconduct requires that there be a significant departure from accepted practices of the relevant research community, and does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data.
The formal statement of work to be done under a sponsored award. The SOW captures and defines the work activities, deliverables and timeline a PI will execute against in performance of specified work for a sponsor.
Generally an allowable direct charge to a restricted or grant account, provided the material shipped is related to or needed to carry out the project’s scope of work (SOW).
The authority to bind UGA or UGARF is delegated by the President of the University. SPA grant administrators are the only employees authorized to submit proposals and execute awards. PIs, department heads, deans, and directors do not have signatory authority. Documents they sign, while representing themselves as authorized officials, are not legally binding on UGA or UGARF. Alternate term is Authorized Institutional Official.
An individual at UGA who has been delegated the legal authority to bind UGA or UGARF to grants, contracts, and other institutional commitments.
A financial report which outlines the accounting of expenditures incurred during the period of performance and/or at the conclusion of the sponsored project. This report reflects the University’s official accounting records.
A progress report which allows sponsors to determine whether funds were spent in accordance with the proposed scope of work (SOW). This is generally required as a condition of receiving support.
The type of project being proposed is determined by the SPA and affects which submitting/award entity (UGA or UGARF) is to be used.
The Post Award Accounting Department serves the University of Georgia with post-award financial management of externally sponsored grants, contracts, and agreements. The staff is ready to help principal investigators and departmental administrators with the various policies and regulations pertaining to sponsored projects and assist with the successful completion of these projects.
The Post Award Accounting Department is responsible for preparing and filing financial reports required by sponsors as well as billing and collecting from sponsors. In partnership with the SPA Preaward Office, Post Award Accounting works closely with University departments to support the management of sponsored projects that achieve the instruction, research, and public service and outreach mission of the University of Georgia.
The SPA Post Award Accounting Department is located at 310 East Campus Road, Athens, GA.
The Statistical Consulting Center (SCC) is a Core Facility at UGA. The mission of the SCC is threefold: to provide collaborative research assistance to faculty, research staff, and students in all departments of the University of Georgia; to increase the quality of quantitative research performed at the University; and to provide an advantageous educational experience to students of statistics through training as statistical collaborators.
The SCC consists of a faculty Director (Dr. Jaxk Reeves), an Associate Director (Dr. Kim Love-Myers), and seven graduate students supported on assistantships. It is housed in the Department of Statistics, and receives partial financial support from the Office of Research, the Graduate School, and the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences.
An official statement regarding budget activity on restricted awards made to UGA. Expenses are accumulated on a grant and/or project year basis, and current month expenses and obligations are shown in detail. The report is distributed approximately five working days after month end.
A scholarship or fellowship allowance granted to a person (typically a student) that is provided as a fixed and regular payment. Stipends are paid to individuals who are being trained or educated. Recipients are not considered to be employees, and these support funds are not considered salary, as no personnel services are required from the recipient.
A stipend is a scholarship or fellowship allowance granted to a student that is provided as a fixed and regular payment. Stipends are paid to individuals who are being trained or educated, and these support funds are not considered salary, as no personnel services are required from the recipient, only participation.
Secondary university accounts set up to appropriately allocate budgets and expenditures among multiple investigators on the same project.
A legally binding agreement creating and defining the obligations between UGA or UGARF as the prime award recipient and a third party (subrecipient), frequently another university.
A subcontract/subagreement should not be included in a proposal unless you have the appropriate support documents from the third party; otherwise, you are committing another entity’s personnel and resources in the project without approval from that entity’s Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). The subrecipient should provide the following documents to UGA well in advance of proposal review and submission by the SPA:
- Specific scope of work
- Detailed budget by category, including cost sharing
- Budget justification
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of institutional approval
- Other documents as required
The entity receiving a portion (termed a subcontract or subagreement) of a UGA or UGARF award. Federal sponsors place stringent monitoring and oversight regulations on UGA or UGARF whenever an awarded project requires a subcontract or subagreement in order to complete the approved scope of work.
The activity by which an institution’s specific policies and procedures for ensuring sound financial practices are applied to sponsored funds it awards or flows downed to a third party recipient in the form of a subcontract.
An additional allocation of project funding provided by a sponsor to a grant recipient in response to a formal request. Supplements are awarded for a specific purpose that is related to the parent award.
A proposal submitted by a PI to the sponsor of a funded project, requesting additional or supplemental funds to be applied to that funded project. Supplemental requests are considered formal proposals, and require SPA sign-off and approval.
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An acquisition or procurement tool (also referred to as an infinite delivery contract) used to acquire items or services when specific times and/or quantities are not known at the time of award.
A written agreement between two or more entities (for example, universities) that spells out the approach, shared rights, and obligations for a specific project on which these entities intend to collaborate. Such agreements may be funded or unfunded.
A progress or final report submitted by a PI which allows sponsors to determine whether funds are being or were spent in accordance with the proposed scope of work (SOW). Such a report is generally required as a condition of receiving support.
Any expenditure necessary to complete a project that is borne, not by the sponsoring agency or the prime award recipient, but by a third party. These contributions are not recorded in the University’s accounting records, but rather in the third party’s accounting records. However, these costs must be reported to the sponsor.
The cost associated with all directly charged items on a proposal or project budget. TDC does not include F&A or overhead or indirect costs which, when added to TDC, comprise total project cost.
The cost associated with all directly charged items on a proposal or project budget, whether cost shared or provided by the sponsor or a third party, along with any applicable F&A or indirect costs.
If a UGA PI transfers to another institution, OSP requires a letter signed by the PI and the Department Chair authorizing the transfer of any awards. This letter must include a list of current awards and pending proposals; for each an agency name, grant or proposal number, agency contact name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and amount of current budget period is detailed. This letter should also include any relevant information on award cost sharing and/or subcontracts. The University of Georgia will then authorize the relinquishment of the award, and unexpended funds are returned to the sponsor. Next, the sponsor will transfer the award to the PI’s new institution and the new institution will assume administration. The general process is the same for all grant transfers, but agency-specific instructions and requirements must be considered. Issues related to equipment purchased on an award should first be addressed to department heads, as equipment is considered property of the State of Georgia.
For state purposes, any travel within the United States is coded as domestic travel. Agency guidelines vary on whether travel to Canada and Mexico is considered domestic travel, so check accordingly. Travel expenses for University employees which can be specifically identified with a sponsored project can be a direct cost. Travel costs in academic departments not related to a sponsored project but related to assigned duties of the University should be charged to an appropriate non-sponsored account.
Travel to, between, or within countries ‘outside’ the United States and its territories and possessions, as well as Canada and Mexico is considered foreign travel. On federally funded trips to Mexico (except when using NSF funds), federal foreign travel guidelines should be followed rather than domestic guidelines. Foreign travel often requires prior approval by a granting agency. In addition, travel restrictions may be included in the terms and conditions of individual awards. It is the responsibility of the department business office to determine if the funding is federal, as this will dictate that U.S. Flag Carrier compliance must be achieved and documented.
UGA approved document required for insurance purposes prior to traveling outside of Georgia. Travel inside of Georgia does not require a TA. Once approved by all appropriate parties, this document authorizes and encumbers funds for reimbursing the traveler for expenses incurred.
For research grants that include the cost of full-time in-state tuition for graduate research assistant(s) in the funded award, the University will return 1.5 times the tuition funds to the Principal Investigator’s home department. These funds will cover the cost of an assistantship for additional Ph.D. student(s). For more information see: http://grad.uga.edu/index.php/faculty-and-staff/research-tuition-incentive-assistantships-rias/
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UGA’s procure-to-pay system for buying goods, whether on state or restricted accounts.
A separate, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity from which research proposals are submitted by UGA employees and to which research awards are made. UGARF, in turn, subcontracts research awards to UGA, which has the resources and people to do research work. UGARF owns all of UGA’s intellectual property and issues licenses to patents it holds.
A University account whose funds are free from any external restrictions and available for general use.
An application for financial or technical assistance support of a project, idea, method, or approach that is submitted by individuals, businesses, and organizations solely at the proposer’s initiative and/or timing, rather than in response to a solicitation or Request for Proposals (RFP).