CAS Institutional Support and Cost-Sharing Policy

Last update: 04/22/2024 - 3:40pm

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The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is dedicated to fostering world-class research and scholarship, including sponsored research. One important aspect of this commitment is the consideration of cost-sharing or other voluntary forms of institutional support for sponsored research projects. This policy aims to provide clarity on cost-sharing procedures and ensure efficient, equitable, and fiscally responsible allocation of resources to requests for institutional support.

Background

CAS operates with a limited budget for investment in cost-sharing on research proposals, funded primarily by Indirect Cost Charges (ICCs) on sponsored grants. Under the current budget model, CAS receives 21.625% of ICC on grants that have F&A rates of 20% or more and are administered through CAS Grants. CAS then returns 50% (10.8125% of the total ICC) to the principal investigator’s (PI’s) department. CAS receives no ICC on grants administered through other units, such as centers or institutes in OVPRI. Departments and other units have varying policies about the use of the ICCs, and CAS recommends that PIs consult those policies to learn how those are used and distributed. (See example at the end of this policy document.)

Policy

Institutional support and cost-sharing requests may fall into one of several categories. Policies for the two most common categories are outlined below: research grants and training grants. Other categories, like industry partnerships, are handled on a case-by-case basis. All policies are a combination of unique and shared eligibility criteria.

Research grants

  • PIs who run their grants through CAS Grants will be eligible for cost sharing. Multi-PI proposals with multiple administrative homes will be pro-rated based on allocations within the budget.
  • Cost-sharing must be an expectation of the sponsor. Requests that are not essential (e.g., voluntary cost-sharing) will generally not receive support. Documentation of the essential nature of the cost-sharing will be required as part of the request for CAS support and will be reviewed by the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship (ADRS).
  • Cost-sharing requests should only be requested to support charges that could not reasonably be included as a direct cost on the grant.
  • The OVPRI, department, and/or PI(s) will generally be expected to contribute to the cost share. The typical model for contributions to cost-sharing in CAS will be a 1:1 match between CAS and the department/unit/PI(s).

Training grants

Training grants provide funding to pay stipends and/or fringe benefits, and support training programs for participants, usually students. CAS will consider cost-sharing requests on sponsored training grant proposals with the following considerations:

  • Training grants that support CAS students, either undergraduate or graduate, are eligible for cost share, regardless of the unit’s grant administration home. Consultation with the ADRS is required for consideration of cost-sharing in other types of training grants (e.g., postbaccalaureate or postdoctoral training grants).
  • Research grants that also support trainees are not considered training grants. The determination of whether a grant is dedicated to training or research will be made from the funding announcements and in consultation with the ADRS.
  • Requests for cost-sharing on training grants should justify the size of the cohort.
  • Training grants that request cost-sharing for tuition will be expected to request tuition support from the Division of Graduate Studies.
  • UO policy for external fellowships can be found here and will be followed in cases of individual fellowships.

Logistics

  • Requests must be submitted at least 3 weeks in advance of internal deadlines for submitting the grant.
  • All requests must document any complementary requests to OVPRI and other relevant units (department, center/institute, DGS, etc.). Requests cannot be considered in isolation.
  • GE costs (tuition, insurance, fees) must be budgeted at CAS rates.

Quick links to complementary OVPRI policies:

https://research.uoregon.edu/plan/plan-project/proposal-development/institutional-support
https://research.uoregon.edu/apply/apply-external-funding/prepare-your-application/cost-sharing

Worked Example

A PI submits an NIH R01 through CAS grants with a budget of $400,000 per year in modified total direct costs for each of five full years. As of July 2023, the indirect cost rate for on-campus research is 49% (see agreement here). As such, $196,000 of ICCs are produced annually. Of these ICCs, 21.625% ($42,385) are available for distribution to CAS and the department/unit (50/50). Therefore, the PI’s department would receive $21,192.50 annually. (Reminder: not all awards have an F&A rate > 20%, and OVPRI does not return ICCs to units if F&A < 20%.)

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