PINS and Proposal FAQs

quipment is defined as a non-expendable capital item of movable or personal property with the following characteristics:

·         Costs $5,000 or more per unit, including shipping.

·         Has a useful life expectancy of one year or more

·         Is complete in itself and will retain its identity as a separate item

·         Will not be expended or consumed in research

To comply with OMB Uniform Guidance (UG), faculty must certify that the university inventory was searched for available assets before purchasing new assets for a sponsored project. Use the Faculty Asset Search Tool to complete and certify these searches. Please get in touch with CNGHelpDesk@ncsu.edu with questions about the certification requirement or using the search tool.

Faculty Asset Search User Guide

Below are the University’s general guidelines for requesting fabrication and purchased equipment. Please also refer to the NC State SPARCS website for further information and policy guidelines on this matter.

• The budget justification confirms that NC State does not currently possess the requested equipment at any site or location on campus.
• Indicate if the equipment will be fully dedicated to the research project or indicate the proration.
• State in your budget justification that NC State requests approval to retain the equipment title.
• For Fabricated equipment, these additional items need to be addressed:
  • Identify if the equipment is currently being manufactured by a company. If yes, compare the amount you request to fabricate the equipment vs. purchasing or leasing the same equipment.
  • Provide the list of components and cost, and indicate whether these estimates are based upon catalog prices, vendor quotes, or experience purchasing similar items.
  •  If fabricated equipment is an expected deliverable, thus reverting to the sponsor, then the indirect cost rate applies to the individual fabricated components.

Further information regarding equipment after an award.

•  If a grant includes equipment and we charge equipment to a grant, you will want to be sure at the time of award to secure a CAMS number for that equipment.
• If we initially proposed an equipment grant and later purchased items considered supplies, you must adjust the F&A fee accordingly.

This information is not meant to stand alone as it is important to be familiar with and incorporate University, State, Federal and Sponsor guidelines when it concerns equipment purchases or fabrication.

Costs associated with maintaining research data are considered a general cost covered by the facilities and administration fee. Although, if the cost is listed in the proposal with an appropriate unlike circumstance justification that can be fully defensible in an event of an audit, this fee may be acceptable by a sponsor and the University. The justification will need to be elaborate and quantifiable explaining why these costs are not part of the normal infrastructure costs (similar to how we handle administrative/secretarial costs).

Further information at NCSU Libraries: Data Management Planning for Researchers at NC State

Principal Investigator Eligibility and Standing. Certain exceptions require approval, such as Postdoctoral associates, graduate students for fellowship applications, Visiting scholars, Adjunct Faculty, Emeritus professors, and Non-tenure-track faculty members with termed appointments.

How do I request a PI exception?

The department head, on behalf of the potential PI of the project, will need to request an exception with the college’s Associate Dean of Research (ADR), Dr. Peter S. Fedkiw, Interim (peter_fedkiw@ncsu.edu), by email. The email must include the potential PI’s CV or Biosketch. Please ensure to carbon copy Tracy Brown (tracy_brown@ncsu.edu), Pat Hayes (phayes@ncsu.edu), and preaward-coe@ncsu.  Once vetted through the proper channels, the ADR will provide the results.  Don’t forget to include approval notification in PINS.

Yes. However, there must be an active HR record, even if it is for ‘Access only/No Pay’ and no sooner than 6 months from the hire date. The department administrator must provide CRO with a copy of the offer letter confirming the hire date, salary, and appointment. Pending this and the department’s request, we can request the new PI PINS/Radar access.

NOTE: All proposals must have a period of the performance start date on or after the hire date.

COE Budget Template. You will need to download it before it can be used. We recommend downloading it to your Google My Drive first: build the budget before downloading it to your desktop for PINS. If there are any warnings when downloading, just click okay or accept.

Fringe Benefits

Breakdown calculation examples of each employee type

“Participant support costs are those [individual] costs paid to (or on behalf of) participants [not NCSU employees] in meetings, conferences, symposia, training activities, workshops, and similar events.” Common PSC costs budgeted in proposals are stipends for participants. “PSCs should not be confused with general costs which may be incurred by [NCSU] principle investigators and others as those costs relate to individual research and other projects” like materials and supplies, travel, conference/workshops, and even research incentives. PSCs are excluded from the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) calculation. SPARCS offers information on Participant Support Costs.

North Carolina State University Tuition Resident and Nonresident

No, per the July 22, 2019 memo, unless ‘where funding opportunity explicitly allows fees. Fellowships are a common exception.’

Current Indirect Costs rates

1. Stated in the solicitation
2. Sponsor’s website or FAQs
3. An official letter on letterhead from sponsor representative who has proper authority; i.e. president, CEO, from the sponsor
4. NC State’s Pre-approved F&A Justification Codes
5. F&A waiver approved by college AD of Research and SPARCS

Research Administration and Compliance: NC State ID Numbers and References
University Controller’s Office: Frequently Asked Questions about University Tax Compliance

Yes, if an Authorized Organizational Representative is required to sign or submit, otherwise, it is not required. However, the PI and/or Department can still choose to process one.

It is recommended to first refer to the sponsor solicitation and guidelines. In lieu of this information, the University requires a Letter of Intent (LOI) Statement of Work (SOW) Budget by cost breakdown, Budget Justification, a Curriculum Vitae (CV) or BioSketch, and finally, the internal Subcontractor vs. Contractor form completed and signed by PI/Dept.

The University Research Administration Cost Share website

Research Compliance

The Office of Research Commercialization (ORC)

• Just-In-Time, PRAM, FRAM
  • No. However, email preaward-coe@ncsu.edu so that they can submit it. They will also upload the final version to RED for record-keeping.
• RPPR and Final RPPR
  • Yes, follow the PINS guideline
• Invention disclosure and FFR
  • No; follow up with your department contract manager to complete these actions.

A preliminary review provided from the college consultant is compliance-based on the applicable sponsor, University, state of NC and federal policies, regulations and processes. The college processor provides the PI and department administrator recommendations to the budget, justification, overall proposal and PINS record.

For proposals strictly for a workshop or conference that will last a short duration, then it is advised the period of performance is 180 days to allow time for proper administrative processing of the award and project.

University training can be found via Research Education

Refer to 3D Memo dated October 25, 2017.

“Participant support costs are those [individual] costs paid to (or on behalf of) participants [not NCSU employees] in meetings, conferences, symposia, training activities, workshops, and similar events.” To that end, PSCs should be for the participant’s benefit and not necessarily the research project.  If the purpose of the activity covered under the PSC category benefits the research, they most likely do not qualify as participant support costs.

Additionally, do not confuse PSCs with general costs incurred by principal and co-principle investigators and others, as those costs should be budgeted in their respective related research expense categories, such as materials and supplies, travel, conference/workshop, and even research incentives.  Research incentives, payments made to human subjects as an incentive to participate in a research study, affect the research results, so they are not PSCs. Therefore, research incentives apply to F&A.

It is important to budget the costs correctly because PSCs are excluded from the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base.

You will want to immediately forward this request to the Department Head, College ADR, and Research Administrative Director. The college Research Administrative Director will notify Contracts and Grants and General Counsel Offices, who will work with you and your sponsor on how to proceed.