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History

  • Policy Number: AA.01.004/SP.15.013
  • Version: Revision 2
  • Drafted By: Jason Miller and Tina Knight
  • Approved By: Erika D. Beck
  • Approval Date: 10/17/16
  • Effective Date: 10/17/16
  • Supersedes: N/A

Purpose

To provide guidance for developing institutional proposals for external funding.

Background

Institutional grants provide the University with opportunities to respond to dynamics in higher education in creative and innovative ways. Unlike a faculty research grant, which affects a few faculty members and a handful of students, or a programmatic grant, which may affect an academic program, an institutional grant will have a broad impact on the campus. Often such institutional grants require substantial cooperation among divisions and units, and they often require substantial commitment of resources that may include financial and physical space commitments within and across divisions. Because CSUCI is a small campus with limited resources, it must pursue institutional grants in an intentional fashion, making commitments that are endorsed by campus leadership.

Communication is essential to the success of an institutional grant. This policy aims to aid in the preparation of such grants by requiring employees to use best practices in collaboration and communication. This means that all internal stakeholders of the project should be informed of the project and involved in the planning to the extent time and resources allow.

Policy

Accountability

President’s Cabinet

Applicability

The Project Director or Principal Investigator preparing the institutional grant proposal.
Senior Research Officer
Provost and Vice Presidents

Definition(s)

Individual research (or professional development) grant - A grant whose primary purpose is to support an individual (or small team) of faculty. Individual grants may be portable, i.e., a faculty member may be able to negotiate taking this grant with her or him if they move to another institution. Example of such grants include the National Science Foundation CAREER grants, the National Institutes of Health Research Grants (R series) or Career Development Awards (K series), and the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) grants.

Institutional grants - A grant whose primary purpose is significant institutional transformation and which requires significant investment by the institution (e.g., by providing space, cost-share, commitments to institutionalize). An administrator often serves as PI for such grants, although a faculty member may serve as PI. Institutional grants are often developed by cross-divisional or inter-institutional teams. These grants are never portable. Examples of such grants include U.S. Department of Education Title III and Title V grants.

Fellowships - Fellowships typically pay the faculty member directly. They usually require the faculty member to go on leave (sabbatical, difference-in-pay, or unpaid professional leave) and may sometimes require an institutional match.

Text

In order to support successful proposal development, potential PI’s must seek written approval for institutional commitment of resources. This approval must be sought as part of the full proposal development from the appropriate authorized representative of the division as outlined in this policy.

Examples of institutional commitments that must be documented include but are not limited to:

  1. committed cost-share (e.g., cash match, unfunded staff time),
  2. voluntary uncommitted cost-share (e.g., office space, general office supplies, unfunded staff time),
  3. significant space allocated to the proposed project,
  4. commitment to sustaining the project or aspects of the project past the project end date, and
  5. allowed use of salary savings.

All commitments made must adhere to CSU and University policies on cost sharing. Written approval should be obtained from the Provost and/or Vice Presidents of the Divisions involved in the proposed project.

Documentation of institutional commitment of resources must be provided to the Senior Research Officer prior to the proposal’s internal routing deadline.

Exhibit(s)

Approval Process - Flow Diagram

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