Sponsored Research and Programs
Faculty are encouraged to solicit external financial support in the form of grants, contracts and cooperative agreements from agencies in the public and private sectors. The CSUDH Toro Auxiliary Partners, via its Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (OSRP), assists the university by entering into these agreements with project sponsors on the university’s behalf and by providing post-award fiscal, compliance and administrative support for the term of the agreement.
University faculty and staff members who direct sponsored projects have the principal responsibility to carefully manage these programs. This guide is intended to help the Project Director, and/or their administrative staff, fulfill that responsibility. Its purpose is to assist in carrying out the basic administrative and financial functions required to utilize the funds made available for the project.
Supporting this guide are policies and manuals such as the Project Director Handbook, the Campus Administrative Manual, Campus Administrative Policy, and Sponsored Programs policy and procedures. In addition, the staff of the Sponsored Research and Programs office is available to provide assistance and guidance in administrative, compliance, and financial matters.
Mission & Activities
The mission of the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs is to help the Dominguez Hills community achieve its educational mission by providing efficient and effective post-award management support for sponsored projects and related sponsored project activities. External funding carries with it a host of legislative guidelines and departmental, sponsor, and campus regulations that require concentrated monitoring.
OSRP serves the university in the following ways:
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Administration of grants and contracts for university research, educational, and other related sponsored project activities.
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Administration of institutes and centers and other related sponsored project activities.
In fulfilling office functional responsibilities, staff are engaged in:
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Assisting with the preparation of proposals, and resolving potential financial, compliance or administrative issues before submission;
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Responsible for agreement negotiation, acceptance and award management, administrative and financial advice, guidance, and service to Project Directors to assist them in fulfilling requirements of their research, instructional, or other contract or grant objectives;
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Provision of pertinent financial and technical status information to sponsors to confirm our compliance with the terms of the agreements;
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Submittal and negotiation of federal indirect cost rate proposals;
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Representation to funding agencies;
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Representation of sponsored research and programs activities to various campus-wide committees.
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Cost
Direct costs are those that can be identified specifically with a particular research project, an instructional activity or any other institutional activity; or that can be directly assigned to such activities with relative ease and a high degree of accuracy.
Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs
F&A costs are those that have been incurred from common or joint objectives and therefore cannot be identified specifically with a particular project. Such costs may include: general administration expenses, sponsored programs administration expenses, operation and maintenance expenses, library expenses and departmental administration expenses.
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Acceptance of Grants or Contracts
In accordance with the campus Delegation of Signature Authority, awards made by sponsors based on proposals submitted by university faculty or staff that have been approved through the regular administrative procedures of the university will be accepted by the CSUDH Foundation.
Sponsored Programs Campus Regulations
Office of Sponsored Research and Programs Policy and Procedures concerning the administration of research activity, institutes, and other related sponsored projects on behalf of the university are set forth in, but not limited to, the publications and directives listed. In addition, sponsor regulations and terms may apply. Please call OSRP for further information on the appropriate reference.
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Project Director’s Guide
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Gifts, Grants, and Research
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Policy for the Establishment, Evaluation, and Discontinuation of University Centers and Institutes (Coded Memorandum AA-2014-18)
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Administration of Grants and Contracts in Support of Research, Institutes, and Other Special Instructional Projects (ICSUAM 11000)
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Indirect Cost Recovery and Uses
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CSUDH Foundation policies and procedures regarding hiring of employees (CSUDH Foundation Employee Handbook)
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CSUDH Foundation policies and procedures regarding travel, procurement, etc.
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Docs
Introduction to Sponsored Research and Programs [pdf]
Sponsored Research & Programs Administration Policy [pdf]
Award Acceptance - Negotiation Procedure [pdf]
Pre-Award
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Timeline Policy [pdf]
Post-Award
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Closeout Policy [pdf]
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Cost Transfer Policy [pdf]
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Effort Reporting Policy [pdf]
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Internal and External Audit Policy for Sponsored Programs [pdf]
Grants and Contracts
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Approval Authority
The Project Director (or designee) has authority for all transaction requests including personnel and payroll forms. The signature of the Project Director’s supervisor is required, as directed by CSUDH policy, when payments or reimbursements to the Project Director are being requested.
Demonstration of “approval” (e.g., original signature, electronic signature, email approval) should be in accordance with relevant policy and procedures.
The legal status of the Project Director, also known as Principal Investigator, (PI) should be clearly understood. The Project Director, as an individual, is not the recipient of the sponsored project agreement, and is not authorized to enter into a contract with a sponsor. The CSUDH Foundation is the named entity of the contract or grant.
The monies awarded must be spent by the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs in accordance with the proposal and award terms and as initiated by the Project Director. Although the CSUDH Foundation signs the agreement and is legally and financially responsible to the sponsor, the Project Director is responsible for overall project administration, including, but not limited to: submission of the technical reports, and proper fiscal, compliance, and programmatic management of the project. The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs Post Award team will provide administrative and financial services to assist in these responsibilities and has established procedures to help meet sponsor, university, and CSUDH Foundation administrative requirements.
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