FSU - Biological Science

Department of Biological Science

at Florida State University

Grants Pre and Post Award Guide



Proposal Development

Budget Development and Grants Accounting
The Biological Science Department employs a grants staff to assist our faculty with the financial management of funded awards as well as proposal preparation and submission. These employees are knowledgeable about federal, state, and university policies and procedures as well as specific regulations associated with grants.

Grant staff can assist in building a proposal budget utilizing the correct fringe benefits, indirect cost, and tuition rates as well as ensuring the budget and justification are in agreement. They will also review your proposal for compliance with FSU and agency regulations before routing for internal approvals.

All grant staff assist faculty in the day-to-day financial management of funded awards. Expenditures are monitored to ensure compliance with all federal, state, and university regulations. Faculty receives monthly reconciliations showing the detailed expenditures on their award and the remaining available funds. Our grant staff provides administrative support which includes but is not limited to, re-budgeting award funds, requesting time extensions and approval to purchase items not normally allowed on grants.

The Biology Grants Office is located in 2065 King Life Sciences Building.

Grants Administrator, Virginia Carter. 644-6588, vcarter@bio.fsu.edu
Grants Associate, Lori McFadden, 644-9830, mcfadden@bio.fsu.edu
Grants Associate, Bobbie Weston, 645-7938, weston@bio.fsu.edu

Editorial Services
At your request, the department's editor Jen Kennedy, jkennedy@bio.fsu.edu, will edit all or part of your proposal prior to submission to Sponsored Research. She is also available to edit publications prior to submission.

FSU Office of Sponsored Research Administration - Pre and Post Award
http://www.research.fsu.edu/contractsgrants/


Approval Requirements

Cost-Sharing Commitments
The appropriate reviewing authorities must approve proposals that require a commitment of university, college, or departmental resources.

The department chair, or his/her authorized designee, must approve any cost-sharing commitment before the proposal can be submitted to any other office. If you are not certain about this approval routing, please contact the Grants Administrator, Virginia Carter, vcarter@bio.fsu.edu.

Transmittal Form
In addition to forms required by each agency, FSU requires that each proposal is accompanied by an FSU Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF). Biology's grant staff will assist faculty in completing this form.

Sponsored Research will not release proposals, including NSF Fastlane submissions, or accept contracts with any funding agency until this form is completed and fully approved.

Sponsored Research Administration Three Working Day Rule
To ensure timely review and processing, SRA requires a completed proposal be submitted to them by 9AM three working days prior to the agency submission deadline. The 3-day rule also allows electronic submissions early on the day of the agency deadline to avoid problems caused by slow or frozen websites.

A "completed proposal" has a fully approved PTF and all documents entered/uploaded into the sponsor's website or application (if electronic submission) 3 days prior to the day of the sponsor deadline:

  • Completed proposal transmittal form with all approval signatures;
  • Detailed budget;
  • Detailed budget justification;
  • Project Summary;
  • Project Description/Strategy (fairly accurate yet rough version of the technical portion of the proposal is acceptable at this stage);
  • Requests for internal approvals (i.e., request to overmatch, cost sharing commitment form) with appropriate departmental, chair, and dean approvals;
  • Commitment letters from entities to whom you wish to subcontract;
  • Sponsor's Request for Proposal/program announcement/solicitation
  • Forms and/or application required by the sponsor; AND
  • Proof of completion of Department of Health & Human Services financial conflict of interest requirements (i.e., training, disclosure of significant financial interests), if applicable. If subcontractors, consultants, or collaborators are designated as investigators by the PI, proof of their completion of FCOI training and disclosure is also required.
  • *A copy of the complete Three Working Day Rule policy can be found on SRA's web site.

Approval Routing for Biological Science Faculty
All proposals and/or correspondence to agencies that result in new funding, additional funding, or no-cost extensions, must be routed properly. FSU will not accept agency resources until endorsed by the appropriate university officers. In order for the department to provide efficient accounting support, please route all such correspondence through the Grants Administrator.

Approval Routing Levels:

Grants Administrator (2065 King Life Sciences Bldg)
Department Chair (2067 King Life Sciences Bldg)
College of Arts and Sciences (110 Longmire)
Sponsored Research Administration (300 Student Services Bldg)


External Funding Agencies

Agency Forms

Internal Funding Sources

There are several funding opportunities available for FSU faculty to enhance teaching and research. Click on the links below to access applications and information.

Faculty Travel Grant
Each year, the Provost makes available funds to help offset the cost of professional travel for tenured and tenure-earning faculty. These funds are intended to enhance professional development through the presentation of research at national or international meetings.

Research Foundation Grant Program
The FSURF GAP program is designed to support enhancements of inventions or other original works that have been disclosed to FSU. It funds projects that FSU researchers and other interested parties agree will quickly improve the odds that current research results will lead to public availability of a new product or service.

FSU Council on Research and Creativity Programs
The FSU Council on Research and Creativity (CRC) is a standing committee comprised of faculty from a variety of academic disciplines. The CRC administers several programs of small grants intended to support the development of research programs, as well as recognize the creative endeavors of FSU faculty. Funding is derived from overhead monies generated by FSU sponsored research activities. Some of the CRC funding programs include:

First Year Assistant Professor Awards (FYAP)
The FYAP program provides partial salary for assistant professors during their first summer of employment. Application for these funds is a requirement of the College of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Biological Science.

Committee on Faculty Research Support (COFRS)
The COFRS program provides research resources for full-time tenured, or tenure-earning, faculty of all ranks. These funds may be utilized to cover faculty salary and fringe benefits, student assistant stipends and fringe benefits, travel, or supplies. Equipment purchases are not allowed from these funds.

Planning Grants (PG)
PG is a competitive program intended to stimulate and promote a stronger environment for research and scholarship among faculty in all disciplines. The level of financial support provided differs for each program.