Department of Political Science

Political Science
1414 Social Sciences Building
267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612-624-4144
Fax: 612-626-7599
E-mail: polisci@umn.edu

Chair: Raymond D. Duvall

Sponsered Research or External Support for Research

The University has proposal preparation software called EGMS which is available from the U's website. This software must be used to prepare and submit proposals to external agencies and can be found at http://nirvana.ortta.umn.edu . If you circumvent this procedure, the University reserves the right to refuse the award . The Dean's Office will review the proposal, sign it and forward it to SPA (Sponsored Projects Administration). It is your responsibility to make sure that your proposal is received by SPA in sufficient time (a minimum of twenty-four [24] hours) to acquire the necessary signatures. Please make sure to provide the accountant and Department Head with a copy of your proposal.

In preparing your proposal budget, please make sure that you include provisions for all projected expenses. This would include copying, mailing (courier services and postage), long-distance telephone and faxes, travel (domestic and foreign), general operating supplies and services specific to the project (books, memberships, etc.), computer software, payment to subjects, equipment and equipment maintenance. Each of the aforementioned items have separate expense codes in the University's accounting system and incurred expenses cannot be processed unless these codes are established.

When a charge "hits" a sponsored account and the expense code is not set-up, Disbursements contacts the accountant and she/he has to provide an alternate account number so that the charge can be processed. This is usually your department research account unless you have other non-sponsored account(s) from which expenses can be charged. This is also applicable when using department resources for conducting your research such as copying, stamps, fax transmissions and express mail. Office equipment and supplies cannot be charged to your sponsored account if the proper object codes have not been established.

Establishing new expense codes is a relatively easy process for non-sponsored accounts because they can be set-up online by the accountant (except Grant-In-Aid awards). However, establishing new expense codes for sponsored accounts is, at the very least, cumbersome, involving contacting the sponsoring agency for authorization to redistribute funds and then waiting until SPA executes the request. Anyone who has endured this ordeal knows that it does not happen quickly and sometimes not at all. It is MUCH easier to have all the expense codes established at the time your project is initiated.

If your proposal includes salary support for yourself and/or research assistants, the formula for calculating faculty course "buy-out" is 12.5% of your "B"-base salary per semester, per course. The Assistant to the Director must be notified of intended course buy-outs in sufficient time so that replacement teaching can be arranged . If your project includes summer research support for yourself, the formula is usually one-ninth or two-ninths of your "B"-base salary. The EGMS software automatically calculates salaries based on project beginning and ending dates, but the previous formulae can be used to estimate those costs. Please ask the accountant about the current hourly rate for compensating research assistants. You can pay your research assistants any rate you want, but it is generally advisable to pay them at the same rate other graduate students working in the department are being paid.

If your proposal is funded, you will receive a NOGA (Notice of Grant Award) from SPA which will provide you with a CUFS account number and other pertinent information relating to the administration of your award. If a portion of your salary is to be paid by the sponsor, be sure to contact the accountant immediately so that your payroll can be altered according to the terms of the award. Be sure to provide the accountant with a copy of the NOGA.

  • If you are being paid on a "9-over-12" basis, salary support during the academic year cannot be directly charged to your award. It will be "moved" by the accountant at the end of the quarter.
  • If you use department resources in relation to your project such as copying, stamps, fax transmissions and express mail, please make sure you state the benefit to the project on the sign-in sheets.
  • If your research assistant performs these tasks for you, make sure he/she is aware of the need to document expenses .
  • Anyone contributing "effort" or being paid from a sponsored account must certify his/her effort on a quarterly basis. The effort statement needs to be signed, dated and returned to the accountant. Even if your effort is "cost-shared" by the department, an effort statement will be generated for you. Graduate research assistants should sign his/her own effort report, if possible. The Principal Investigator must sign effort reports for any undergraduate research assistants paid from sponsored accounts.

If you have any questions relating to preparing proposal budgets, please contact the accountant. She/he has experience dealing with sponsored accounts and can help you prepare your budget so that you limit unanticipated expenses. You should also be aware that funds will not be released until you complete Principal Investigator training . Training session dates and registration information are posted at http://www.research.umn.edu/training . If your project involves human subjects , your protocol must be approved prior to implementation and you must complete the required training. This applies to both sponsored and non-sponsored research involving human subjects. For additional information relating to the submission of proposals and administration of sponsored funds, contact SPA at 624-5599.