Facilities and Administrative Rates on Sponsored Projects

Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs are costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives that cannot readily be identified with a specific sponsored project. Examples of F&A costs include shared services like libraries, utilities, building maintenance, and administrative expenses. CSU negotiates rates for cost recovery for organized research, instruction, and other sponsored activities and […]

NSF Conference Grants

NSF Conference Grants support conferences, workshops, and related training activities in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. In accordance with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), conference proposals that exceed $50K must include Collaborators and Other Affiliations information during the proposal submission. Additionally, conference proposers must have a policy […]

Throwback: Show Me the Money: Payment Types, Terms, and Conditions

When working on grants and contracts, when we are paid, how we are paid, and what payments are based on are key considerations. At times, we don’t have any say in how we are compensated; other times, we are able to negotiate the payment terms. Either way, it is important to understand the when, how, […]

Decoding the ABCs of Non-Financial Research Agreements: DUAs, NDAs, and MTAs Explained

Non-financial Research Agreements are legally binding instruments that govern interactions between parties without involving monetary transactions or financial terms. These agreements define the rights of the parties while outlining the terms and conditions for exchanging confidential information, materials, or human subject data, and are crucial for protecting intellectual property, confidentiality, and other non-financial aspects of […]

Enhancing Research Integrity: The Growing Role of ORCID in Federal Grant Processes

Maintaining a strong and distinct professional identity is more important than ever in the evolving academic and scientific research landscape. For researchers, particularly those engaged in federally funded projects, an ORCID iD is not just a convenience—it’s becoming an essential tool for career advancement, funding compliance, and research impact. What is ORCID? ORCID (Open Researcher […]

Throwback Blog: Prior Approvals and Expanded Authorities

Prior Approvals All award activities and expenditures require prior agency approval. Prior approval may be granted in the Notice of Award (NOA) when a proposal is funded. For example, equipment and other capital expenditures generally require prior agency approval. By including an equipment purchase in the budget and budget justification, we receive written approval to […]

RPPR Responsibility, Submissions, Tips & Tricks, and Consequences

Part 1: RPPR Responsibility The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and stakeholders in the colleges have developed the Roles and Responsibilities Matrix for each step of the Award Lifecycle. In a compliance-heavy research environment like ours, knowing who does what is very important. For instance, who is responsible for completing and submitting the Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) […]

Throwback Blog: Budgeting and Accounting for GRA Tuition and Fees

Pre-Award: Budgeting for GRA Tuition In a previous blog, Budgeting for GRA Salaries, we discussed best practices and provided examples for how GRA salaries are budgeted at CSU.  If allowed, tuition, differential tuition, and mandatory fees should also be included in the budget that includes GRA salaries based on the amount of effort GRA will spend […]