Vice Provost for Research

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
orsp@umb.edu

:: Office of Research & Sponsored Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

Who may serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston)? An employee may serve as a principal investigator. An employee, in this case, is distinguished from an independent contractor by the following two conditions.

One, an employee is on the UMass Boston payroll; that is, he or she occupies a position with an on-going relationship with the university, has FICA and other taxes deducted, and is covered by unemployment and workmen's compensation insurance. An independent contractor is paid from a UMass Boston budget but is not on the payroll; he or she handles the required tax and insurance deductions independent of UMass Boston.

Two, an employee is closely and routinely supervised and reports to a supervisor who is a UMass Boston official. An independent contractor is neither closely nor routinely supervised but rather is given performance guidelines in a scope-of-work document. His or her efforts yield a required product and are reported in a project final report that is submitted to and evaluated by a UMass Boston official. For complete information and details, see "A Note Concerning Principal and Co-principal Investigators." (back to top)

How soon should I submit my completed proposal to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP)? Completed proposals must be submitted to ORSP at least 5 days prior to sponsor submission deadlines to provide our preaward staff with adequate time to review and/or assist you in developing your proposal budget, to route your proposal for signature to an authorized institutional (i.e., university) representative, and to allow our staff to electronically submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner. Basic editing assistance of your proposal is available. Note: To be eligible for such editing assistance, completed proposals must be submitted no later than 5 business days prior to sponsor deadlines. (back to top)

How do I know where to apply for a grant? Please visit our Funding web page for access to databases that provide information on thousands of grants, RFPs (request for proposals), and PAs (program announcements). (back to top)

How do I write a proposal? Your proposal should be written according to the sponsor's application guidelines. The sponsor's guidelines provide information about its priorities in funding; required sections and forms, budgetary considerations; overall proposal format; submission deadlines; and additional requirements. (back to top)

How do I prepare a budget? A budget consists of all costs requested from the sponsor (i.e., funding agency or foundation) necessary to complete the project (i.e., salaries and wages, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, student tuition remission, projects supplies, subawards, services and consultants, other direct costs, and F&A cost recovery). To assist you, ORSP has basic budget worksheets available on its web site. (back to top)

How do I calculate F&A cost recovery? Please see "A Note Concerning the Recovery of Facilities and Administrative Costs of Sponsored Programs" available on the Research as well as the ORSP web sites. (back to top)

Who do I contact if my proposal involves human subjects, animals, or hazardous materials? Kristen Kenny is the coordinator of the university's Institutional Review Board (IRB), or the body responsible for ensuring that human subjects participating in research studies are protected from harm, and that the research benefits outweigh the associated risks. Kristen is also the university's interim research compliance coordinator for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Bio-Safety Committee, and Institutional Radiation Safety Committee. Additionally, she ensures institutional compliance with export control regulations and serves as the central resource for all regulatory compliance needs (e.g., misconduct in science, conflict of interest, intellectual property). (back to top)

How do I buyout my time and transfer my salary and benefits from state funds to grant funds? Please read carefully the UMass Boston "Faculty Buyout Guidelines" (see Provost's website) as well as the "A Note Concerning Buyout" (see Vice Provost for Research's website) before beginning work on your grant proposal. Once you receive your grant funds, your department's administrative assistant or program's business manager should obtain a Personnel Action Form (PAF) from the Department of Human Resources web site. If your department or program does not have such a staff member, please contact the assistant dean in your dean's office. (back to top)

How do I hire an existing UMass Boston employee on my grant? If the grant-funded position will last more than six months and includes benefits, then university recruitment and hiring procedures apply. If the position will last less than six months and does not include benefits, then the principle investigator may simply hire a qualified individual for the position. For complete details, please contact Kim Howard, director, human resources services, at extension 5165, or Kim Burke, human resources recruitment coordinator, at extension 5175. You can also find additional information on the employment and recrutiment page as well as the payroll page on the Department of Human Resources web site. (back to top)

How do I hire someone who is not a UMass Boston employee on my grant? If the grant-funded position will last more than six months and includes benefits, then university recruitment and hiring policies and procedures apply. If the position will last less than six months and does not include benefits, then the principle investigator may simply hire a qualified individual for the position. For complete details, please contact Kim Howard, director, human resources services, at extension 5165, or Kim Burke, human resources recruitment coordinator, at extension 5175. You can also find additional information on the employment and recrutiment page as well as the payroll page on the Department of Human Resources web site. (back to top)

How do I hire a graduate student on my grant? For graduate assistantships, place your request with the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, which will assist you in identifying what type of graduate assistantship you would like to advertise. Graduate Studies will also provide you with the necessary paperwork and, if needed, assist you with completing it. Graduate Studies will then forward the paperwork to the Department of Human Resources and it will in turn advertise the job for two weeks on its web site. Candidates will apply directly to the hiring department or supervisor. For basic stipend information, please see the "GEO Contract Implementation Guidelines (3/8/06)", especially the section on grant or contract-funded assistantships on page 5, available on the Graduate Studies Office forms web page. (back to top)

Who can I talk to in the Department of Human Resources for complete information on using grant funds to hire staff? Please contact Kim Howard, director, human resources services, at extension 5165, or Kim Burke, human resources recruitment coordinator, at extension 5175. (back to top)

Are there different paper forms for paying honoraria to speakers or purchasing supplies with grant funds as opposed to state funds? No. The same forms are used and the same procurement policies, processes, and procedures are observed. All procurement forms are available on the Office for Procurement web site, and all completed forms should be sent to the Office of Procurement for processing. (ORSP's contribution to the procurement process is to confirm for the Office for Procurement that grant funds are available for your requested purchase.) You will, however, need to ensure that all such purchases conform to university fiscal policies and guidelines, as well as the allowable costs as defined in the funding award letter you received from the sponsor. (back to top)