Welcome to the Eastern Kentucky University
Division of Sponsored Programs!

The purpose of the Division of Sponsored Programs is to provide support for faculty and staff in the pursuit of external funding while assuring compliance with applicable regulations. Sponsored Programs provides assistance in the following areas: identifying potential funding sources; developing proposal narratives and budgets; facilitating compliance with federal, state, sponsoring agency, and University regulations; completing electronic applications; submitting proposals to sponsoring agencies; negotiating contracts and other award agreements; accepting award documents; administering post-award non-accounting issues, including subcontracts, award modifications, no-cost extensions, and budget revisions; administering the Institutional Review Board for the protection of human research subjects; administering the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; and providing workshops on various pre-award topics.

WHAT'S NEW AT SPONSORED PROGRAMS?

Fringe Benefit Updates for FY 2013 - posted March 28, 2012 - The Budgeting Office has released fringe benefits rate for FY 2013.  Rates will increase on July 1, 2012 for most employee classes.  Effective immediately, the following rates must be used in all grant proposal budgets for FY 2013.  For multi-year projects, a budget increase of 2 percentage points is recommended annually. 

• Nine-Month Faculty: 43%
• Faculty with Extended Appointments: 43%
• Faculty Summer Salary: 28%
• Full-Time Exempt Staff (KTRS or ORP Participant): 43%
• Full-Time Exempt Staff (KERS Participant): 45%
• Full-Time Non-Exempt Staff: 45%
• Former Retirees and Retirement Transition Employees:  43%
• Part-Time Employees who are also benefitted employees of employers who participate in state retirement systems: 27%
• Part-Time Staff (Benefits Eligible): 45%
• Part-Time Staff (Not Benefits Eligible): 8.33%
• Graduate Assistants: 1.72%
• Student Employees: 1.72%

University-Funded Scholarship Program Information Session - posted February 1, 2012 - We would like to remind faculty that applications for University-Funded Scholarship must be submitted by Monday, February 20, 2012. The University-Funded Scholarship program awards competitive support for faculty to engage in research, scholarship and creative activities. Information about the program is available online at www.sponsoredprograms.eku.edu/URC. Applicants who wish to have their proposals reviewed for completeness and compliance with guidelines prior to official submission should email tiffany.hamblin@eku.edu.  

Now Accepting Registrations for Fall 2012 Grant Proposal Development Course - posted February 1, 2012 - [Printable course flyer] Sponsored Programs is now accepting registrations for the Spring 2012 Grant Proposal Development Course. The goal of this course is to provide a collaborative environment of instruction and support in which participating faculty and staff will learn about the process of developing competitive grant proposals for submission to external sponsoring agencies. The course is open to full-time EKU faculty and staff with an interest in submitting competitive grant proposals for funding to support research, teaching, or service projects to be conducted as part of EKU’s mission. Participants will be expected to attend eight course meetings during the semester. The course format is a combination of lectures, activities, and presentations from guest speakers, and additional one-on-one assistance is available from Sponsored Programs staff throughout and subsequent to the semester of participation. In order to maximize benefits for all participants, we ask that all individuals who register make a serious commitment to participate. Faculty who successfully complete the course may be eligible to apply for a course reassignment during the following academic year to work on preparing a grant proposal. (See GDP information below).

The course will meet on the following Tuesdays from 9:00 to 10:30 in the Coates 11 computer lab.

August 28: Introduction to Grants and Sponsored Programs
September 4: Locating and Evaluating Funding Opportunities
September 18: Developing a Competitive Grant Proposal Narrative, part 1
October 2: Developing a Competitive Grant Proposal Narrative, part 2
October 16: Creating a Grant Proposal Budget
October 30: Using Electronic Proposal Submission Systems and Completing Proposal Forms
November 13: Understanding the Grant Proposal Review Process
November 27: Reflecting on Success and Learning from Experience

Space is limited, so please register early! For more information or to register, please contact Tiffany Hamblin.

“If you are new to grant writing or need a refresher after being away from it for a while, this course will give you the skills, motivation, and confidence you need to write your next grant proposal.”
- Fall 2008 Participant

“This course helped me to focus on writing a grant proposal and gave me the general and EKU-specific steps to allow me to successfully write and submit an external grant proposal.”
- Spring 2009 Participant

“Be prepared to finish the course feeling confident and determined.”
-Fall 2010 Participant

“This is a wonderful course for anyone who is considering submitting a grant proposal – a great opportunity to get your questions answered and also walk away with reference materials to help guide you through the grant process.”
- Spring 2011 Participant

Now Accepting Application for the Grant Development Program (GDP)- posted November 14, 2011

Program Purpose
The Grant Development Program (GDP) is designed to support faculty working on externally-sponsored competitive grant proposals to ensure that high quality proposals are submitted to sponsoring agencies and increase the funding rate of competitive proposals submitted by EKU faculty.  The program provides faculty with reassigned time from one three-hour course for one semester to devote to developing a grant proposal to a competitive funding opportunity.  Participating faculty will be provided with online resources, texts, and individualized support from Sponsored Programs. 

Program Requirements

• Only faculty who have successfully completed Sponsored Programs’ Grant Proposal Development Course are eligible to participate.  Unless exceptional circumstances exist, successful completion requires attendance at a minimum of six of the eight sessions offered. 
• Faculty must identify an appropriate external competitive funding opportunity prior to submitting an application for the program. 
• Participating faculty are expected to devote approximately 20% effort to working on a grant proposal during the semester of the award.  In addition to the actual writing of the grant proposal, activities should include speaking with a program officer, as well as collecting preliminary data, conducting needs assessments, meeting with colleagues about research design, or other preparation activities. 
• Participating faculty are expected to meet individually with Sponsored Programs at least once during the semester of participation to review application procedures and highlight unique requirements of the selected funding opportunity. 
• Participating faculty are expected to submit a grant proposal to the competitive funding opportunity identified in their application within one year of completing the program.  Recipients who do not fulfill this obligation will be ineligible for any future funding through the Office of Graduate Education and Research.
• Participating faculty are required to join Sponsored Programs’ Peer Review Program and should submit their proposals for review through the program. 

Application Procedures
An application is required and must be submitted by the last Monday in February for consideration for the following fall semester and the last Monday in August for the consideration for the following spring semester.  The application must be signed by both the faculty applicant and the department chair.  Applicants are required to identify a funding opportunity, describe their project, and provide a work plan for the semester in order to be considered for the program.  Applications may be submitted in hard copy to Jones 414 or by email to tiffany.hamblin@eku.edu.  This is a competitive program and awards will be based on the availability of funds.

Application deadlines:

• February 27, 2012 for Fall 2012 participation
• August 27, 2012 for Spring 2013 participation

Review Criteria
Preference will be given to proposals seeking significant funds from federal agencies, particularly those that provide full reimbursement of facilities and administrative (F&A) costs.  Exceptions will be made for highly competitive and prestigious programs (e.g. NEH, Research Corporation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, etc.).  An ad hoc faculty advisory committee will make recommendations to the Associate Vice President for Research, who will have final authority in making the awards. 

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