Proposal Submission Proceedures

Proposals requesting sponsored research support from all agencies, whether government or private, are to be submitted to the LDEO Office of Contracts and Grants for processing through the University Office of Research Administration (RA). Both offices have access to the latest agency guidelines, application packages and deadlines for the largest government sponsors. The LDEO office can provide you with customized forms that are not available electronically.

Deadline list available: DEADLINE

Preliminary Proposals A preliminary proposal (2-4 pages) can save time and money. Some agencies require them prior to a full proposal submission and will specifically state this requirement in the Request for Proposals (RFP) or some other announcement of opportunity. Other agencies encourage preliminary proposals if the investigator is unsure of the sponsor's interest in a particular research area. The appropriate Program Official should be consulted if you have questions about submitting a pre-proposal. Preliminary proposals generally consist of:

A brief description of the research objectives and the significant impact,
Period of performance,
Approximate budget , and
Curriculum vitae of the investigator(s).

While preliminary proposals don't always require institutional signatures, we strongly recommend submission of a draft copy through the Contracts Office to review the budget for accuracy relative to the project objectives.

Standard Proposals Once a prospective investigator decides to submit a proposal, the appropriate Division Administrator (DA) should be contacted to assist with draft budget preparation and coordination through the Contracts Office for review and submission.

Budget Preparation A budget should reflect all of the costs needed to conduct the proposed research throughout the duration of the project. It should not be inflated unnecessarily but careful consideration must be given to multi-year projects that should include reasonable increases for inflation.The NSF format is widely used among the government agencies for basic unsolicited proposals and is briefly described below. Solicited proposal budgets may vary.

Salaries All personnel associated with the project should be listed with amount of time budgeted in months or percent of effort. General secretarial support is not permitted. Project-specific secretarial support must be fully justified in the Budget Justification section.

Student Salary/Tuition Effective July 1, 1998, student salary is no longer subject to Fringe Benefits. In lieu of Fringe, tuition will now be charged, based on $16,682 per year effective September 1, 2007 (+3% inflation increase each year thereafter). This in an estimate of the tuition cost, and is subject to revision when the actual amount is determined. This tuition rate is exempt from Indirect Cost assessment. Tuition remission is budgeted under Other Direct Costs. No tuition remission is to be charged during summer months.

Sea Pay or Overtime The current rate to use for sea pay is $35/day for the first 30 days in the calendar year and $50/day thereafter for eligible employees (see the Personnel section). Support staff is eligible for overtime. FICA of 7.65% should be added to overtime total.

Fringe Benefits Effective July 1, 2007, the rate for sponsored research accounts will be 27.1% remaining the same for all out years. The rate for non-government and for institutional accounts is 31.1% remaining the same for out years. Do not include sea pay or overtime. Graduate student salary is not subject to fringe benefits tuition remission will be direct charged instead.

Equipment List each item costing $2,000 or more. Any item under this amount is considered a supply item. A definition of permanent equipment is available from the Office of Contracts.

Travel (Domestic and Foreign) List number of people, days and destination. Your DA or the Contracts Office will provide the most current rates for airfare, and ground transportation or car rentals if needed. Complex field trips may require further discussion. Access to the latest per diem/subsistence rates at http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=17943&contentT...

Participant Support Costs This budget category is normally for non-LDEO participants to attend a specific conference. Costs can include: 1. Stipends 2. Travel 3. Subsistence 4. Other related cost in connection with conference, meetings, symposia, training activities and workshop.

Other Direct Costs Can include: 1. Materials and Supplies 2. Publication Costs and Page Charges 3. Consultants 4. Special Computer Costs 5. Subcontracts 6. Other (including tuition remission)

Total Direct Costs (TDC) The sum of all categories referenced above.

Modified Total Direct costs (MTDC) The sum of all direct costs less equipment, participant support costs (NSF only), daily rate for the R/V Maurice Langseth, student tuition remission and the dollar amount of each subcontract that exceeds $25,000.

Indirect Costs A detailed description of indirect costs is listed elsewhere in the Administrative Web pages. For proposal budget preparation the current negotiated rates for LDEO are: July 1, 2004- June 30, 2007 ON-CAMPUS = 51% of MTDC OFF-CAMPUS = 23.9% of MTDC OFF-CAMPUS = 26.7% of MTDC.

Total Project Costs This is the sum of the Total Direct Cost amount and Indirect Costs.

Budget Justification After the budget has been prepared all costs should be fully detailed by category in this section.

Proposal Completion While the budget and budget justification are being reviewed the body of the proposal can be prepared and assembled in accordance with the specific agency guidelines. A completed draft copy should be submitted to the Contracts Office for a final review prior to duplication.

Proposal Package Once the draft proposal is approved, copies can be made, signatures obtained and the package sent to the Contracts Office for processing. The package consists of:

One PropTrak Proposal Routing Sheet with electronic signatures
Cover along with any other correspondence not required in the body of the proposal
One original signed copy plus the remaining number the agency requires (If hard copy)
Two copies for LDEO and RA files (two original signatures)

RASCAL The Columbia Research Administration System (Rascal) was developed to simplify and guide the University's research administrative process. RASCAL's Proposal Tracking module (PropTrak) is designed to provide real time tracking information for Columbia's Research Offices (RA and GC), researchers, and departments. The RASCAL system will manage data connected to proposal submission.

PROPTRAK will provide a web based version of a proposal routing sheet. Researchers will enter information on-line and register the data for Research Office collaboration. Once appropriate electronic signatures are obtained a copy should be printed and accompany proposal. PropTrak can be accessed directly at: https://www.rascal.columbia.edu/index.html.

Fastlane Submissions The NSF Fastlane system uses Internet/Web technology to facilitate the way NSF does business with the research, education, and related communities. The NSF Fastlane system is available for proposal preparation; submission and status checking; project reporting; and post-award administrative activities. All Fastlane functions are accessed by using a Web browser on the Internet. There is a link to Fastlane on the NSF Web site, or Fastlane can be accessed directly at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov.

Principal Investigators are required to use fastlane for all project reporting of annual and final project reports, all no-funds extensions, all request for PI transfers or change, grant transfers, and addition of sub-award. In addition PIs can enter additional single copy documents into their proposals. Instead of mailing these documents (like proprietary and confidential budget info).

RA requires receipt of proposal packages 5 days prior to an agency deadline to ensure delivery on time. Hard Copy Proposals will be mailed 2nd day express. If a proposal requires next day express delivery the cost will be the departments responsibility and an institutional account number will be required at the time of submission.

Grants.gov Submission Grants.gov simplifies the grants management process and creates a centralized, online process to find and apply for over 900 grant programs from the 26 federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov is also a great place to find grant opportunities. Grants.gov can be accessed directly at http://www.grants.gov/index.jsp.