Cost Share Principles and Institutional Commitments for College of Sciences Faculty Submitting Proposals for Sponsored Research

GENERAL: Federal agencies and many other sponsors of research require cost sharing by the Institute; other funding programs specifically prohibit cost-sharing. Georgia Tech typically cooperates with mandatory cost-sharing requirements and prohibitions set forth by the sponsors of Institute research. Georgia Tech will generally not provide cost-sharing UNLESS mandated by the sponsor or stated in sponsor materials that cost-sharing will be used as part of the review criteria. The Institute, however, may occasionally consider proposals to fund certain commitments that do not represent official cost-sharing, if such commitments are beneficial to the Institute and consistent with its mission.

When allowable by a sponsor, the purpose of cost-sharing or other forms of institutional commitment on a grant is two-fold:

  1. To increase the success of the project once funded, by providing resources that cannot be charged to the sponsor or which exceed the allowable budget limits set by the sponsor;
  2. To increase the probability of the grant getting funded by making the proposal more competitive.

 

TIMELINE: The time to initiate discussions concerning cost-sharing or institutional commitment is several weeks BEFORE the proposal is due, so that agreements can be in place in time for the proposal deadline. It is not appropriate to request cost-sharing AFTER a grant is awarded; such requests will be declined.

 

RESOURCE: Your Home School’s Grants Administrator should be engaged well in advance of the submission deadline to assist with cost-sharing calculations and to formalize the proposal budget and cost-sharing commitment proposal. The Associate Dean of Research (ADR) for the College of Sciences, Professor Laura Cadonati, is available should you have questions or desire to discuss various scenarios for structuring institutional commitment.

 

GUIDELINES:

  1. SALARIES: When permitted or required by the sponsor, the Institute strongly encourages use of investigator academic year, state-funded salaries to meet mandatory cost-share requirements. Eligible costs include the salary, fringe benefits, and indirect costs on the salaries and fringe of PIs, co-PIs, and other key personnel.
  2. INDIRECT COSTS: Georgia Tech does not typically waive indirect costs or commit to returning to the PI a portion of indirect costs (e.g., as “cash”).
  3. GRADUATE TUITION WAIVERS: Georgia Tech does not waive graduate student tuition unless mandated by a sponsor.
  4. INTERNATIONAL or INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTS: Georgia Tech rarely supports cost-sharing for international or industrial contracts, even when required by the sponsor.
  5. COST SHARE EXAMPLES:  May include funding for:
    1. Equipment to be shared widely at Georgia Tech;
    2. Networking / workshop events associated with a funded center or team-based project;
    3. Graduate student support (stipend, fringe, indirect costs, and tuition remission) for a center or large project that complements budgeted student support funds;
    4. Renovation or enhancement of research space associated with a funded center or core facility;
    5. Infrastructure upgrades associated with a funded center or core facility;
    6. Staff salaries (with associated fringe benefit and indirect costs) for positions dedicated to supporting the activities of a funded center.

 

PROCESS:

  1. Initiate a request by providing the following information to the ADR (contact information above):
    1. FUNDING SOURCE (name of sponsor);
    2. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE;
    3. SPONSOR DOCUMENTATION supporting mandatory or allowable nature of cost-share or delineating other expectations for institutional commitment;
    4. TOTAL PROPOSAL BUDGET (if other organizations are involved in the proposal as sub-awards, also state Georgia Tech’s share of the total budget);
    5. TOTAL INDIRECT COSTS (the amount to be earned by Georgia Tech);
    6. PI / Co-PI Names, Titles, and School/College affiliations;
    7. COST-SHARE REQUEST: Describe what form of cost share or institutional commitment is being sought, and why.
  2. The ADR will respond to the PI with questions, comments, and suggestions.
  3. The ADR may advance the proposal to other parties (Office of the Executive Vice President for Research; Schools/Colleges/Centers of co-P.I.’s; other Institutes involved in the proposal) for potential shared distribution of costs.
  4. Once the cost-sharing plan is agreed upon by all participating parties, the Grants Administrator in your home unit will prepare internal documentation detailing the agreement for upload to GT-TRACS.  The GT-TRACS package will be electronically routed for approval by all committing parties. Both the School Chair and the ADR, or her designee, must approve the final cost share plan prior to submission to the external sponsor. 
  5. If the sponsor requires a signed letter of support from an institutional official, the ADR will assist the P.I. in obtaining such.