Getting Started
Overview of the Funding Process
Find a Funding Opportunity
Search funding databases and sponsor websites, join research and/or funding related listservs, and talk to colleagues who work on similar topics about awards they may have received and from which sponsors.
Look for deadlines at least several months away, and allow additional time for collaborative, international, or complex projects.
Keep in mind funding timelines of sponsors. Many sponsors or programs only have one deadline per year, and many take 6+ months to review proposals and make awards.
Contact the CLAS Office of Research or the University Office of Proposal Development for assistance in locating funding opportunities.
Talk to a Program Officer (when possible)
Many sponsors encourage or allow prospective applicants to contact a program officer before applying. Program officers can usually advise about whether a project idea is a potential fit for their program or whether there are other programs they are aware of where it may fit better. Some may even offer feedback on draft narratives or project abstracts.
Talk to your Department Chair
Talk to your chair when you have identified a funding opportunity you would like to pursue, especially if it may involve course release time, commitments of University resources (space, equipment, staff) beyond those provided for in the funding request presented to the sponsor, or if cost sharing or matching is required.
Develop the Proposal
Read the funding opportunity guidelines closely and follow all sponsor requirements. At times, sponsors will suggest, rather than require the use of a particular form or format. Generally it is best to follow their suggestions as well as their requirements.
If you need assistance or additional guidance regarding particular application components (data management plan, postdoc mentoring plan, letters of support) please contact the CLAS Office of Research staff.
Develop a Budget
Pay close attention to sponsor’s budget guidelines such as what can or cannot be included, specific budget line items, and limitations.
The budget should be developed concurrently with the proposal narrative and other application components since what you include in the budget will be affected by the project plans and vice versa.
We strongly encourage faculty to work with CLAS Office of Research staff on developing their budget and budget justification documents to facilitate and expedite the process.
Allow extra time for budgets that involve subcontracts (even more if foreign), consultants, or cost share/matching funds.
Most collaborations with people and organizations outside of the University are handled via subcontracts or consulting agreements, and these subcontracts need to be reviewed and approved both by Sponsored Programs and by the collaborating person/institution before your proposal can be submitted.
Submit for Internal Approvals using NORM
NORM (Niner On-Line Research Management) is the University’s system of record for externally funded research proposals and awards. All proposals for external funding need to be fully approved in NORM prior to being submitted to the prospective sponsor.
With few exceptions (mostly fellowship programs), grant proposals and contracts for sponsored projects are submitted on behalf of the University, not in the name of individual faculty members, and they must be reviewed and approved by University administrators before submission. We encourage you to contact the CLAS Office of Research whenever you are submitting any type of proposal or even pre-proposal to discuss whether it will need to be entered and approved in NORM in advance of submission.
Once a proposal is submitted in NORM, it is automatically routed for approvals by the Department Chairs, Center Directors, and Deans (or their designees) who are responsible for the units and staff who will be involved in the project. The NORM approval process also involves the PI(s) certifying the proposal as entered accurately and completing a proposal-specific conflict of interest disclosure.
For pre-proposals, letters of intent, and proposal with limited submissions (e.g. only one or two applications allowed from each University), or proposals with unusual guidelines, please contact the CLAS Office of Research for guidance on how to proceed.
Receive Notice from Sponsor
Sponsors vary widely in the amount of time they take to review proposals and notify applicants. It is common with federal funders (NIH, NSF, etc.) to receive notification 6-9 months after the application deadline. The sponsor’s application guidelines may provide more information.
If you receive a notice declining an award for your proposal, check to see if they sent reviewer comments and if not, request them. Look at them and start planning to resubmit for the next application cycle. It is very common for a proposal not to get funded the first time around, and with the benefit of reviewer input your chances of being funded often increase for a resubmission.
If you receive an award notice, feel free to celebrate, and then contact the CLAS Office of Research to determine the next steps. In some cases, a revised budget or other additional documents may be required before the award can be processed by the University. It normally takes 1-2 weeks from the time an award announcement is received for the funds to be fully available to start spending.
In the event that you need to start spending more quickly or if you receive notice of an incoming award but the official award notification will take some time to arrive and need to get started, please contact the CLAS Office of Research and ask if an Assumption of Risk (AOR) may be possible or appropriate.
CLAS Proposal Process flowchart
Contact the CLAS Office of Research
Peter Szanton
Director
pszanton@uncc.edu
(704) 687-0056
Paul Cryer
Associate Director
pcryer@uncc.edu
(704) 687-0055
Ida Stavenger
Senior Post-Award Administrator
imstaven@uncc.edu
(704) 687-5183
Kristen Morse
Senior Post-Award Administrator
kmorse2@uncc.edu
(704) 687-0076
Vacant
Administrative Support
(704) 687-0057
Find Funding
External
www.Grants.gov is a website where most federal agency funding opportunities and applications are posted and where most federal funding applications are submitted.
Pivot, formerly the Community of Science (COS), is a subscription funding search service provided by the University for faculty and staff with research responsibilities. Users may customize optional funding alerts by email. For more information, visit http://research.uncc.edu/departments/office-proposal-development-opd, or contact Susan Robinson in the Office of Proposal Development at 704-687-1869.
Grants Resource Center is a funding search and funding resource service provided by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Contact Susan Robinson in the Office of Proposal Development at 704-687-1869 for a password.
Foundation Directory Online provides funding information on private foundations and corporate grant makers in the U.S.
NC OpenBook. Search North Carolina state government grant and financial assistance programs and awards made.
Internal
University
Faculty Research Grants Program
The Faculty Research Grants (FRG) program designed to assist faculty in conducting well-defined, purposeful, new research or creative or scholarly activities. The program is divided into two categories: continuing faculty and newly appointed assistant professors. Each individual project may have a maximum budget of $6,000, including a stipend of up to $3,500 for an award period of 18 months. Faculty submitting joint proposals may request up to $12,000 ($6,000 per faculty member; maximum stipend of $7,000). Proposals are normally due in October for projects starting in either January or July of the following year. For more details visit: http://research.uncc.edu/departments/proposal-development/locating-funding
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants
The Faculty Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants Committee awards grants to individual faculty members, departments, colleges, programs, academies, or standing committees to support them in projects that will examine and reflect upon the teaching and learning practices in their discipline in a systematic way by using research methods and by making the results known to the campus community and beyond. Such projects may be aimed at making significant curricular reforms, designing new curricula, conducting research that informs teaching and learning at the local (course, department, college, or university) level, or initiating activities that would improve the quality of instruction in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the unit or the campus. Proposal budgets normally range between $2,500 and $25,000 for project periods of 1-2 years. Proposals are normally due in November. For more details visit: http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/sotl/grants
Charlotte Research Institute Funding & Grants
Carolinas Medical Center – UNC Charlotte Collaborative Grants Program
Charlotte Research Institute Conference Program
Duke Energy Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program
Duke Energy Summer Distinguished Visiting Faculty Program
Federal Laboratory Student Summer Program
Valued Partnership Seminar Series
Wells Fargo Faculty Fellowship Program
Wells Fargo Faculty Summer Stipends Program
College
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences offers the following programs which support research:
The Junior Faculty Development Program
Reassignment of Duties Program
Support for International Travel to Conferences
Prepare a Budget
Budget Templates
The University encourages the use of standardized templates for the development of proposal budget. Templates are available on the Office of Research Services and Outreach website
The template entitled “NSF Budget Template” is the most commonly used one at the University, even for non-NSF projects, because the budget categories and information provided correlate closely with the budget presentation requirements for most federal and non-federal sponsors.
Fringe Benefits Rates
The University’s fringe benefit rates are based on a combination of federally-mandated (FICA), federally-negotiated (claims-made), and state-mandated rates (retirement and health insurance). Current and projected fringe benefit rates and rate components.
Travel
Overview of UNC Charlotte Travel Process
University Travel Authorization and Reimbursement Policy
Federal per diem rates (which can be found by country on the US State Department’s website) may apply for meals when an employee is traveling internationally. However, please check with the CLAS Office of Research prior to using federal per diem rates in a proposal, as use of these rates requires prior approvals.
Graduate Students
All sponsored budget requests that include graduate assistantship salary must also include full tuition at the current in-state rate, unless disallowed by the sponsoring agency. Tuition at the out of-state rate may be requested. Some awards may only request partial salary for graduate students rather than full nine-month support, and tuition costs can be prorated accordingly in the proposal. See University Policy Regarding Tuition Remission for Graduate Students Supported by Sponsored Awards for more details.
Graduate Main Campus Tuition and Fees for 2019-2020 (these are the base rates only – some Colleges or Programs may apply additional required student fees)
Undergraduate Students
If you plan on hiring undergraduate students, their pay should be commensurate with their education, experience, and the nature of the work required. The University Student Employment Office provides the pay scale below as a guide for most undergraduate student jobs on campus. Pay increases should not exceed $1 per year.
Freshman with little to no experience: $8
Returning Sophomore with experience: $9
Returning Junior with experience: $10
Returning Senior with experience: $11
Returning 5th Year with experience: $12
If you wish to pay outside of these pay ranges, please contact the Student Employment Office at x7-0671.
Facilities and Administration Rates (Indirect Costs)
The University has federally-negotiated Facilities & Administrative cost rates (also called indirect cost rates or overhead rates) which are applied based on the scope of the project being funded and where the work will be taking place. The most commonly used rate is the on-campus research rate which is currently 51.0% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC).
UNC Charlotte Negotiated F&A Agreement (01/22/2015)
Budget Justification Tips
Almost all funding proposals require the submission of a written explanation of the proposed budget figures. While the format and required level of detail of the budget justification may vary among sponsors, here are a few tips which are applicable to all sponsors:
- Follow sponsor requirements (i.e. level of detail, page limits, allowability of particular budget categories, etc.)
- Budget categories in the justification should be in the same order that they are listed on the sponsor budget forms. This will make it easier for reviewers to compare the budget with the budget justification.
- Ensure that everything listed in the proposal narrative that would foreseeably incur a cost charged to the sponsor is accounted for in the budget and budget justification.
- All costs must be reasonable, allocable to the project being proposed, and allowable under sponsor guidelines.
Special Circumstances
Please contact the CLAS Office of Research as early as possible if your proposal includes any of the following circumstances:
- Subawards, Consultants, or other paid external collaborators
- Cost sharing/matching funds/in-kind contributions (typically only allowed if required by the sponsor)
- Reduced F&A costs
Additional documentation and/or approvals that may extend the time needed to process your application may be required under these circumstances.
Submit a Proposal
Who Can Submit
Grant and contract proposals must be submitted in the name of the University by an authorized representative of the University. This includes requests to that involve the University serving as a subawardee/ subcontractor on a proposal being submitted by another institution. Faculty and staff do not have the authorization to submit proposals on behalf of the University. Authorized University representatives include staff in the CLAS Office of Research (CLAS Office of Research), as well as staff in the University Office of Research Services and Outreach and Office of Proposal Development.
Proposals involving only CLAS faculty will be prepared and submitted to the sponsor by the CLAS Office of Research. If the project includes faculty from other UNC Charlotte colleges or units, the proposal will still be prepared by the CLAS Office of Research, but submitted to the sponsor by the University Office of Research Services and Outreach, in accordance with University policy.
In all cases, the proposal must be fully approved in the NORM system prior to submission to the sponsor.
Routing for Approvals / NORM
NORM is the University system of record for sponsored activities. It includes both sponsored program proposals and awards.
All proposals for external funding must be entered into NORM and routed for required internal approvals. All approvals and requirements must be completed prior to an authorized representative being permitted to submit the proposal to a sponsor.
Proposals are required to be approved by the department chair(s) of the Lead PI and other University faculty participating in the proposal, by the Directors of any associated Centers/Units identified in NORM, and by the Deans of the respective colleges which have faculty participating in the project.
The proposal will be automatically begin routing to approvers once it has been submitted in NORM. The Lead PI and other faculty designated as Co-PIs will be required to “Certify” the proposal, acknowledging that they agree with its content and the associated commitments contained therein. The NORM approvals process also includes the completion of required proposal-specific conflict of interest disclosures. These disclosures are in addition to the annual COI disclosure that faculty complete each fall.
Proposal Guidelines
Each request for proposals or funding solicitation will contain specific guidelines that describe the scope of what can be proposed, the technical specifications of the proposal itself (font, page limitations, attachments, etc.), and the budget limitations. These guidelines should be read carefully and followed. Some of the larger funding agencies provide proposal guides which describe their usual requirements and policies. Please note though that the specific guidelines in individual funding announcements usually supersede those contained in a sponsor’s more general application guides.
NSF – Grant Proposal Guide, 16-001 (effective January 25, 2016)
NIH SF424 Application Guide, Forms-C application package version (Use for due dates on and between January 25, 2016 and May 24, 2016)
NIH/DHHS Supplemental Grant Application Instructions (effective November 2015)
NEH Budget Information and Instructions (effective JSeptember 2018)
NEH Budget Form (effective September 2018)
NEH Sample Budget Form (effective September 2018)
Commonly Requested Institutional Information
Entity Number: 1-560791228-A1
Federal Tax ID Number: 56-0791228
Congressional District: NC-012
DUNS ID Number: 066300096
CAGE Code (Commercial & Government Entity): 4B857
FICE Code: 002975
J-1 Visa Designation: P-1-4774
North American Industrial Classification (NAIC) Code: 611310
Federal Wide Assurance Number (Human Subjects): 00000649
OLAW Animal Welfare Assurance Number (Animal Subjects): D16-00363
Institutional Profile File Number (for NIH applications): 578202
Managing an Award
Monitoring Your Funds
The responsibility for monitoring all grant and contract expenditures belongs to you, the Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director (PD).
All expenditures must comply with the sponsor’s and University’s guidelines and be aligned with the approved budget in the proposal application.
It is recommended that the PI/PD review all expenditures on a monthly basis, at a minimum. It may be necessary for the PI/PD to create an internal spreadsheet to monitor the rate of spending and available balances.
Your departmental administrator and/or you post-award administrator in the CLAS Office of Research can help you determine the best method of monitoring funds.
Assumption of Risk (Pre-award Spending)
Externally funded projects frequently have start dates that precede the finalization of formal award documents or agreements. When an account number is required to initiate work, hire students, purchase supplies, the PI can request an AOR. The AOR authorizes the establishment of a fund account from which the PI may make expenditures for 1-3 months.
The AOR can be requested for:
- Pre-award expenditures
- New awards
- The period between the end date of a current budget period and receipt of the next increment of funds or the formal extension of the end date of a project.
AOR requests are reviewed and approved by the Department Chair, College Dean, and Grants & Contracts Administration.
The CLAS Office of Research will complete and submit the AOR for you. You will need to provide an itemized budget, or the details necessary for the CLAS Office of Research to create the budget for you (not to exceed $30,000), supporting documentation to show the award is impending, and a guarantee fund number.
Once all parties have approved the AOR a Banner fund number will be assigned. This fund number will be the same one that will be used for the full award.
Please note, if any of the key personnel have not completed the COI (conflict of interest) module in NORM for the particular IPF, the AOR process will be paused until that function is completed.
Budget Revisions
A budget is another way to express your project in terms of costs required to complete the work. Re-budgeting of these funds is subject to appropriate institutional review and approval processes.
- Sponsors often require prior approval for budget changes involving key personnel, contractual actions, foreign travel, and equipment.
- Budget revisions should be submitted to your College Research Office for review of the terms and conditions of the award and cost principals.
- If required by the terms and conditions of the award, your College Research Office will work in conjunction with the Central Research Office to submit the request for a budget revision to the sponsor. Sponsor approval must be received to complete the budget revision.
Completing the form
Be sure to complete the most current Budget Revision form available at: http://finance.uncc.edu/resources/forms
- Use proper fund and account codes (use account pools except for 911100, 911200, 911250, 911300, 913100, 915900, 921xxx, 953050, 960550).
- Increase/Decrease columns must total to the same amount.
- Why is this budget revision being requested? State why you are moving the funds, why you did not spend them as budgeted, and how this change will help with completing the work.
- “Please explain how this budget revision impacts the scope of work of the project?” Not every revision will impact the scope. If this is the case, it is fine to state there is no impact. If the revision does have an impact on the scope of work you must explain how.
- Obtain principal investigator’s signature.
- Send form to CLAS OSR.
Tips for completing the form:
- Make certain there is sufficient budget to move, and the move is allowable.
- If moving salary you must also move the appropriate amount of fringe benefits.
- If moving funds out of an account that excludes indirect costs and into one that includes indirect costs make sure the appropriate amount of F&A is captured and that account line is increased.
- If moving funds into an account that excludes indirect costs from an account that includes indirect costs, make sure appropriate amount of F&A is released and placed into a pool to spend. (usually the pool you are moving funds into)
Cost Transfers
A cost transfer is the reassignment of expenditure from one fund to another fund. When the project receiving the expense is a sponsored grant or contract, special rules apply.
Faculty and staff need to make every effort to allocate sponsored project costs to the appropriate university fund at the time the costs are initially incurred. The university allows timely cost transfers involving sponsored projects in the following circumstances:
- Error correction
- Transfers between sub-funds of the same sponsored project
- Disallowed costs
- Clearing an overrun at the end of a project
It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) to review expenditure activity on all awards regularly to ensure all expenses are directly related to the project and allowable, reasonable, and allocable under the terms of the sponsored agreement. The CLAS Office of Research and the University Office of Grants and Contracts Administration will assist the PI in interpretation of the definitions of allowable costs, if needed.
Cost transfers are to be processed within 90 days of incurring the expense, and must be in accordance with all governing regulations. If unallowable project expenditures are discovered, they will be removed without regard to time limits.
Transfers that are frequent, late, or inadequately documented raise questions about the propriety of the transfers and the reliability of the University’s accounting system and internal controls. In consideration of a cost transfer, the following three requirements must also be considered:
- Is the cost allowable by federal regulations, state regulations, UNC Charlotte policy, sponsor terms and conditions, and contractual terms and conditions?
- Is the transfer reasonable? Does it reflect whether or not the individuals concerned acted with due prudence in the circumstances?
- Is the cost allocable and treated consistently? Does the cost have a direct benefit to the sponsored project being charged, and are like costs in similar instances treated consistently throughout the University?
The journal voucher moving the charges must be accompanied by a Cost Transfer Justification Form. This form requires:
- An explanation of the error and how it occurred
- An explanation of why it is appropriate to charge the Banner fund to which the expense is being transferred (i.e. how does the expense benefit the award?)
- Measures taken to prevent the situation from happening again
The explanation must be sufficient for an independent reviewer (i.e., a federal auditor) to understand the rationale for the transfer and conclude that it is appropriate. According to federal guidelines, “an explanation which merely states that the transfer was made ‘to correct error’ or ‘to transfer to correct project’ is not sufficient.” Thus, any cost transfer documentation containing such an explanation will be returned to the department.
Audit Issues
Some types of cost transfers are particularly suspect in an audit. Examples of these include:
- Transfers to or between federal projects
- Transfers that are late (more than 90 days after discovery of the error)
- Transfers to a federal project that is nearing its termination date, thereby giving the appearance of utilizing funds inappropriately
- Transfers with an inadequate explanation
- Transfers between federal projects that clear an overrun on one of the projects
- Payroll transfers that are recorded in the accounting system but not corrected in the payroll system or on the effort certification
All cost transfers must be signed by the PI, who certifies to the following:
“I certify that the cost transferred is an appropriate expenditure for the sponsored grant/contract charged and that the expenditure complies with the terms and restrictions governing that sponsored grant or contract.”
The University Office of Grants & Contracts Administration (GCA) reserves the right to reject any cost transfer for lack of documentation and/or proper authorization.
Hiring People
A new award may involve hiring new staff or re-allocating existing staff. Here are some tips on how to navigate the hiring process.
- All hiring must be conducted and approved in accordance with University policy.
- If a current UNC Charlotte staff or faculty member is being paid from a sponsored program, the work must first be approved by that individual’s direct supervisor (in many cases, a department chair).
- Additionally, any funds being paid to UNC Charlotte staff or faculty from a sponsored program will be processed through Payroll and as such are subject to tax, fringe benefits, and social security.
- IMPORTANT: All salaries charged to a grant must be for work that happens within the grant period.
As you think about your hiring needs, please complete the following steps:
- Obtain authorization approvals before the work commences.
- Determine the type of classification for the position: faculty, researcher, staff (EHRA/SHRA), graduate assistant, student temporary, non-student temporary, etc.
- Contact the Human Resource Department to confirm the classification is acceptable for the type of responsibilities outlined in the job description.
For more information regarding hiring procedures for different position job classifications, contact the following:
EHRA Staff and Researchers: Sarah Ekis, sekis@uncc.edu, 7-1433
SHRA Staff: Tracey Worthey, taworthe@uncc.edu, 7-5754
Graduate Assistants: Graduate School Office, 7-5503
Undergraduate Students: Teresa Shook, tshook4@uncc.edu, 7-0671
Non-Student Temporary Positions: Jim Rodgers, drodger7@uncc.edu, 7-0667
Links for more information:
Human Resources – http://hr.uncc.edu/recruitment-and-hiring
Consultants
Definition:
Consultants are not actively involved in the process being studied, but rather provides expert, outside insight or advisory services about how to complete a task or perform it more efficiently. They possess specialized knowledge, experience, expertise, or professional qualifications that make them ideally suited to provide insights and direction. Generally, consultants are not managed by University personnel and are tasked with analyzing the situation in the manner they deem to be best. After they have collected and analyzed their data, they provide recommendations to the University about how to complete or alter the subject matter in question.
Payment method:
The preferred method for paying for services meeting the definition listed above is to use 49er Mart. If the services are to be provided by an individual rather than a business, please follow the instructions on how to pay for independent contractors.
Rationale and other considerations:
A sole-source agreement or RFP may be required for certain consulting services. Please refer to the University Purchasing Manual for additional guidance.
How to do it:
- Complete a written justification memo to explain why the work to be performed by the consultant cannot be reasonably accomplished by employees of the ordering department (refer to Purchasing Manual for additional guidance).
- Written justification must be approved by Materials Management and the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs.
- Login to 49er Mart, enter the request using the General Services form and attach a copy of the agreement.
Independent Contractors
Payment methods:
Choosing the appropriate method for paying an independent contractor (including the payment of an honorarium) depends on several factors. Please use the information below to select the appropriate payment method:
Individual – U.S. Citizen
- If recipient is a UNC Charlotte employee, use a PD-7 / PD-17 / ePAF form
- If recipient is an employee of another NC state agency, use a CP-30 form
- If other individual:
– If services to be performed will last more than eight (8) hours, complete Independent Contractor Checklist and submit to Tax Office
– Use Direct Pay Request form
Individual – Foreign National / Non-U.S. Citizen
- Have the recipient complete the Foreign National Information Form (Student or Non-Student) and the Vendor Information Form-Foreign Persons (Form W-8BEN) and submit to the Tax Office
- Complete Independent Contractor Checklist and submit to Tax Office
- Use Direct Pay Request form
Business
A business is generally not considered an “independent contractor,” use process payment through 49er Mart.
Human Subjects Payments
Definition:
Human subject payments are defined as cash and non-cash payments to individuals (subjects) for their participation and time commitment in a clinical trial or survey, etc.
Payment methods:
Check/Direct Deposit (via Direct Pay Request): Used for payments greater than $25 or when a check/direct deposit is desired.
Non-cash compensation: Includes gift cards that are redeemable for tangible personal property. Not subject to $25 limitation; however, the department is still responsible for tracking the amount of payments made to each payee during a calendar year. (Note – Visa “cash cards” or similar stored cash-value cards do not meet this definition and are considered cash-equivalents.)
Petty cash: May be used for payments up to $25 per individual, per occurrence.
Rationale and other considerations:
- Cash payments greater than $25 must be requested by submitting a Direct Pay Request.
- Non-cash compensation, such as gift cards redeemable for tangible personal property (e.g., gift cards for restaurants or for retailers such as Amazon and Target), may be given to research subjects as compensation and are not subject to the $25 per individual, per occurrence limit. Please note this does not apply to Visa “cash cards” or other stored cash-value cards, which are considered cash-equivalents and are subject to the $25 per individual, per occurrence limit.
- Petty cash may be used to make payments to individuals participating as research subjects. Cash payments may not exceed $25 per individual, per occurrence.
- Regardless of payment method chosen, each department is responsible for tracking the total amount of human subject payments that each payee has received during a calendar year. If combined payments to an individual total $600 or greater in a calendar year, or if the recipient is a foreign national/non-U.S. resident, the department must notify the Tax Office so that appropriate IRS reporting can be completed.
- Note than an employee is treated the same as a non-employee when participating as a research subject as long as the service provided is outside the scope of his/her normal job responsibilities.
How to do it:
- If payment(s) to individuals will be greater than $25 per person, per occurrence, download the Direct Pay Request (DPR) form and complete according to the form instructions (link provided below).
- For non-cash compensation (e.g., gift cards for tangible personal property), use your department’s gift cards procured for this purpose, or submit a DPR to request a check to purchase the gift cards desired.
- If using petty cash to make individual payments up to $25, you should contact your department’s petty cash custodian to complete the payment.
Paying Tuition/Fees
Submit a Student Educational Award (e.g., scholarships, fellowships, stipends, travel awards) to cover a student’s expenses related to the cost of education. These awards will be processed by the Office of Student Financial Aid with the exception of Travel Awards, awards to non-U.S. citizens/residents, and awards to students enrolled for fewer than 3 credit hours, all of which will be processed by Financial Services. All awards entered through this system must be educational in nature, including participant stipends. All awards, except for Travel Awards, will be processed as awarded financial aid that is included in the recipient’s Cost of Attendance calculation. If a Student Educational Award requires a Direct Pay Request (DPR), then a DPR will automatically be generated and sent to Travel and Complex Payments.
Notes:
- The grant/scholarship award will be paid directly to their student account at the University. Any amount awarded in excess of the account balance/charges will be refunded to the student. (However, not all students will receive a refund as the result of an award.) There are no duties required for this award. Please be aware that the students will be responsible for any taxable income that this award may produce.
- Deadlines for form submission are established to avoid award revisions that result in the return of aid previously disbursed. Please submit all scholarship forms as early as possible, but no later than October 15 for fall awards; March 15 for spring awards; July 15 for summer awards. Submissions received after these dates will be rejected. Additionally, failure to comply with the timeline may result in the student having to repay other financial aid funds to the federal government or the University.
- You may set a minimum number of credit hours required for the award to process. Awards will not process until a student meets the specified threshold of credit hours.
Access the Student Educational Award Form and form instructions
Summer Pay
Nine-month faculty may earn additional compensation for externally funded sponsored program activities during the summer term as approved by the department chair, dean and the University Grants and Contracts Administration Office.
Total summer pay compensation from all sources for service to UNC Charlotte during the summer period may not exceed 3/9ths of a nine-month faculty member’s Base Salary. In addition to research, summer compensation may include summer teaching, temporary summer chair/director stipends, course development stipends, payment for attending UNC Charlotte summer institutes, and any other payments made on a temporary basis through the University payroll system. The total of all payment sources may not exceed this 3/9ths figure. Please note that some funding agencies implement more restrictive guidelines regarding summer pay, and the awarding documents/funding agency regulations will be the ultimate authority on allowable expenses.
This 3/9ths limit is calculated using the Base Salary only.
Example A: Professor Z’s academic salary is $80,000. She earns no Additional Compensation during the Academic Year. During the summer she will receive 2/9 of her Base Salary from an NSF grant. She has been asked to teach 2 Summer School classes at $6,000 each. The maximum she can earn during the summer months through the UNC Payroll is an additional $26,667 (3/9th of $80,000). Since her grant will pay her $17,778, she will only be able to teach one of the Summer School classes. ($26,667 – $17,778 = $8,889)
Example B: Professor Y’s academic year salary is $60,000. In addition, he is in Year 2 of a 3-year appointment as the Graduate Coordinator for his department for which he earns $5,000 per year which would be included in his base salary. The maximum he can earn during the summer months through the UNC Payroll is an additional $21,667 (3/9ths of his $65,000 base salary).
Example C: Professor X’s academic year salary is $72,000. She teaches one overload class in the fall and earns $5,000 and serves as the temporary Associate Chair for the department for the Spring Semester, and earns $2,500. The maximum additional amount she can earn during the summer months through the UNC Payroll is $24,000 (3/9ths of her $72,000 base salary). The compensation earned for the overload payment and the temporary associate chair stipend (for less than one year) is not included in this calculation of base salary. Please note that consulting services outside of the University and the compensation earned from those services would have no impact on the 3/9th limit.
Release Time
Release time is the time that a faculty member is released from regularly contracted teaching/administrative duties to work on a sponsored project. For faculty on nine-month contracts this would apply to time committed on a sponsored project during their contracted period (the academic year), beginning August 16 each year to May 15 of the following year. For faculty on 12-month contracts, release time could apply to any time committed to a sponsored project throughout the calendar year.
If a grant pays for faculty effort/time during the University contract period a Sponsored Activity Release Time Form must be processed in order for the faculty member’s pay (or portion of the pay) to be charged to the grant during the release time period, thus freeing up the state funds that would normally pay the individual’s salary during that period.
The release time form is submitted by nine-month faculty to their Department Chair to request release from their academic responsibilities to do research during the academic year. The form states the Period of Release by listing the beginning and ending dates, the amount the grant is paying for that time period, the fund and account number, and an explanation of how the released funds in the department will be used.
Once this has been approved by the Department Chair and the College Dean, it is forwarded to the University Office of Grants and Contracts Administration for processing.
After release time is approved and processed the released state funds are managed by the College. The Department Chair may request to use some or all of the funds for approved purposes.
No Cost Extensions
UNC Charlotte strongly encourages Principal Investigators (PIs) to complete their projects within the period of performance specified in their awards. However, UNC Charlotte understands that there are instances when additional time is needed. As per UNC Charlotte Research Administration Policy 50.9, a no cost extension of up to 12 months can be requested to allow the PI time to complete the stated objectives of the project. Should a PI need additional time to complete the authorized scope of work, a “Request for a No Cost Extension” must be completed.
Most sponsors will allow a one-time no cost extension of the final grant period to provide maximum continuity in the funding of the research and education activities. Many federal sponsors now allow grantee institutions to extend the final budget period one time for a duration of up to twelve months. Please note that requests cannot extend beyond 12 months and cannot be made for the singular purpose of spending remaining funds. Only in exceptional cases will more than one extension be granted.
To request approval of a no cost extension, please complete all fields in the “Request for a No Cost Extension” form. This form will be routed electronically to the Office of Grants and Contracts Administration at grants-contracts@uncc.edu . This request should be submitted no sooner than 90 days or less than 30 days prior to the project end date.
Please remember to save the form and send it to your CLAS Office of Research Post-Award Administrator before you click on the submit button. Your Post-Award Administrator will work with you to follow up on the no cost extension request as needed.
