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Sponsored Research Administration
Sponsored Research Administration (SRA), as part of the Office of Research and Development, advises and assists faculty and staff members of the NJIT Community in all aspects of externally funded research projects and other scholarly activities — from the identification of a potential sponsor and the preparation of a proposal, through various administrative functions (related to budgets, personnel, sub-contracts, reporting and accountability, and negotiations with the sponsor) during the course of the project, to the submission of the documents required to close out the project.
SRA serves as the primary agency liaison for pending, active and closed research grants/contracts.
PRE-AWARD: Assists NJIT researchers in facilitating and expediting the processing of grant applications to federal, state, and some commercial and private sponsors. SRA oversees the process of pre-award administration. Pre-award administration encompasses the oversight of a research proposal from submission through notification of award to the university.
POST-AWARD: SRA ensures that funds provided from external sources to support research and other projects are administered in accordance with University policies as well as those of the sponsor. External sources include both governmental and private organizations. Guidance and assistance is also provided for the management of the project in meeting deliverables and other requirements.
CLOSE-OUT: Ensuring that all requirements have been met and final reports/deliverables have been submitted to the sponsor and coordination with Grants and Contracts Services to ensure final invoices are submitted for payment by the sponsor.
OLD NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, January 2008 NSF announced a new Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 09-1) that is effective for all proposals submitted after January 5, 2009. There are several substantive changes that go beyond simply procedural details that are worthy of note. The summary of significant changes is at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf09_1/gpg_sigchanges.jsp. These include stressing that: • "... proper scholarship and attribution is the responsibility of the authors of the proposal. All parts of the proposal should be prepared with equal care for this concern. Serious failure to adhere to this standard may result in a research misconduct finding." • a new section is now required in the Project Description to include a Mentoring Plan for Postdoctoral Researchers. "This was done to address the mentoring requirement of the America COMPETES Act. Each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include, as a separate section within the 15-page project description, a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. Examples of such activities are provided and the mentoring plan will be evaluated during the merit review process, under the Broader Impacts criterion. Proposals that do not include a separate section on mentoring activities within the Project Description will be returned without review. The Proposal Preparation Checklist (Exhibit II-1) and Chapter IV.B. on Return without Review have been updated to reflect that." Examples of mentoring activities include, but are not limited to: career counseling; training in preparation of grant proposals, publications and presentations; guidance on ways to improve teaching and mentoring skills; guidance on how to effectively collaborate with researchers from diverse backgrounds and disciplinary areas; and training in responsible professional practices. • "... NSF does not infer any distinction in scientific stature among multiple PIs, whether referred to as PI or co-PI. All of the senior personnel are equally responsible for the conduct of the project and submission of the requisite project reports." There are other important changes that should be noted as well. |
