UW Research

Non-Federal

Non-federal sponsors include nonprofits, industry partners, healthcare institutes and hospitals, international institutions, foreign governments, associations, other institutions of higher education, as well as local and state governmental entities.

Regardless of whether or not it is a sponsor requirement, it is a UW Policy that the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) submit proposals to external entities.

Review GIM 1 – Review and Submission Requirements for Proposals.

For industry sponsored clinical studies and trials review industry clinical trials.

Contents

Non-Profit Sponsors

Some sponsor systems are used strictly to submit proposals and others are for pre-award and post-award management of the application and award.

Some industry sponsors have separate foundations that provide grants or fellowships which may have special guidelines. OSP will verify foundation non-profit status.

Many non-profit sponsor applications ask for the UW Technology Transfer Officer contact, the UW’s Tech Transfer Office is CoMotion and our UW Tech Transfer Officer: Bunny Grewal email: innovations@uw.edu

American Heart Association (AHA)

AHA uses ProposalCentral for proposal submission. Review more information including applicant instructions at AHA Applicant Information.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

All BMGF grants are made to the UW Foundation (UWF). eGC1s route to OSP, which coordinates the review, submission, and award set up with the UWF.

BMGF has an Open Access policy and Humanitarian License terms that apply to all of its grant agreements. Please work with your OSP reviewer for these agreements.

BMGF Facilities & Administration (F&A):

  • The UWF receives 15% F&A on these awards.
  • BMGF indirect cost policy allows F&A on most direct cost categories.
  • Prepare your budget using 15% F&A on total direct costs (TDC).
  • Flow-through funding from BMGF is made to the UW using a 10% F&A rate on TDC.

BMGF Proposal

  • Find BMGF Funding Opportunities
  • Complete BMGF proposal
  • List Mary Gresch, President UWF, as the authorized signer
  • Contact email is uwfdn@uw.edu
  • Use this address: 407 Gerberding Hall, Box 351210, Seattle, WA 98195-1210
  • EIN is 94-3079432 and Tax Status is 509(a)(1)
  • Attach to an eGC1 in SAGE to route the proposal to OSP
  • OSP coordinates with UWF to obtain signatures for submission
  • Please provide a named BMGF contact for the cover letter

BMGF eGC1 Submission

Attach the following documentation to the BMGF eGC1 in SAGE.

Reach out to osp@uw.edu to obtain the UW PI Intellectual Property (IP) Questionnaire & the UW IP Disposition Memo needed for all BMGF proposals.

  • Attach complete BMGF proposal
  • UW PI IP Questionnaire
  • UW IP Disposition Memo, signed by PI(s), Chair(s), and Dean(s)
  • BMGF IP Report, if applicable per the Grant Proposal Narrative

Failure to submit the IP documentation with the eGC1 will result in delay and possible loss of funds. BMGF typically has a deadline to accept these terms.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF)

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund only makes awards to degree-granting institutions.

Researchers and Mentor / Sponsor must be employed by the UW, or have an affiliate appointment with the UW and also be a member of an affiliate institution to submit proposals to BWF at the UW.

UW departments submitting proposals on behalf of an affiliate researcher must be willing to provide typical and extensive post award administrative duties with zero cost recovery.

BWF may require a letter of institutional commitment for items such as but not limited to, faculty appointment, salary, laboratory start-up funds, etc. These letters must be provided by the PI’s primary Institution, signed by the official authorized to make the commitment and attached to the eGC1.

BWF reserves the right to terminate a grant if this commitment is judged to be inadequate.

eGC1 Requirements

UW PI:

If required in the application, attach an Institutional letter of commitment.

Affiliate Faculty:

  • If required by the application, attach an Institutional letter of commitment provided by the Affiliate institution.
  • UW department comment acknowledging: willingness to handle any post award administrative duties with zero cost recovery, including compliance oversight (IRB, IACUC, etc.), budget monitoring & managing, annual reporting, requesting & monitoring subawards, and more.

Non-profit Organizations using proposalCENTRAL

This system is used by many non-profit organizations including:

PIs must create their own proposalCENTRAL accounts.

The PI must give OSP access, and OSP submits the application on behalf of the UW.

Steps to give OSP access:

  1. Log into proposalCENTRAL and open the proposal
  2. Select ‘Enable Other Users to Access this proposal’
  3. Enter ‘osp@uw.edu’ in the ‘User Selector’ box, select ‘find user’
  4. Carol Rhodes should be listed in  ‘Proposal Access Rights’
  5. Type her role into the relevant box – i.e. Business or Signing Official
  6. Use ‘Permissions’ drop-down to select ‘Administrator’.
  7. Select ‘Auto Notify’ to send OSP auto-notifications for this proposal
  8. Select ‘Accept Changes’

Many proposalCentral applications also ask for the UW Technology Transfer Officer contact, the UW’s Tech Transfer Office is CoMotion.

UW Tech Transfer Officer: Bunny Grewal, email: innovations@uw.edu

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions.

PCORI Online is a “one-stop-shop” for all aspects of the award lifecycle: from proposal submission to reporting and management.

  • The PI gets access to this sponsor system when initiating a proposal
  • OSP is the Administrative Official (AO) in the system
  • Use osp@uw.edu when assigning an AO to your proposal
  • Ensure that OSP can “View PDF” in the system
  • OSP (as the AO) approves the proposal online
  • PI submits to the sponsor

PCORI Funding Opportunities

Industry Sponsors

Limit preliminary discussions with prospective funding sources to the scientific aspects of the work. Full proposal documentation requires OSP approval. All industry collaborations must adhere to UW principles.

Many situations may also require a separate agreement between the UW and the collaborators.

Such as:

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs

SBIR is a federal program to provide research and development funding to small business concerns to stimulate innovation with a potential for commercialization.  The small business entity partners are encouraged to work with an institution of higher education.

STTR is a federal program to facilitate cooperation between a small business concern and an institution of higher education, with the results having potential commercial value.

Both programs typically have three phases:  Feasibility study, R&D, and commercialization.

Applicants to an SBIR or STTR program are the for-profit entities.  In order for UW to participate, the small business includes the UW proposal within its proposal to the federal agency.  If awarded, the small business issues a subaward to UW.

More information about SBIR and STTR  is available from the U.S. Small Business Association.

Affiliated and Collaborating Institutions

The UW partners with a number of institutions in the region to accomplish a variety of research and health services. There are special processes in place to facilitate these partnerships.

There may also be sponsor specific proposal requirements for affiliate faculty proposing research through a UW department. For example: Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF)

Outgoing Staff Assignments

Staff assignments provide a way to compensate salary, benefits, and related personnel expenses (e.g. tuition) for UW personnel working at another institution. These are not subawards.

Outgoing staff assignment set up is requested through Procurement Services. Submit a Workday Requisition to Procurement (which will then become a Purchase Order after approvals).

Important: if you need a specific contract agreement between the UW and the other entity, please be sure to note that on the Requisition, and Procurement will assist and sign.

Set up for Incoming Staff Assignments (to the UW from other institutions) are requested via an eGC1 in SAGE. Review specific instructions for requesting incoming staff assignments for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (FHCC)

FHCC and UW jointly determine which institution receives a grant or contract (primary institution).  A staff assignment or subaward is used to compensate for the costs of the secondary institution with personnel involved in the project at the primary institution.

A subaward is used when the secondary institution is carrying out a portion of the prime award, participating in programmatic decision-making, and adhering to program requirements.

FHCC Staff Assignments

Staff assignments provide a way to compensate salary, benefits and related personnel expenses (e.g. tuition) for those working at the primary institution, such as:

  • Non-resident graduate students
  • First-year students enrolled in the joint UW-FHCC Molecular and Cellular Biology training program
  • Faculty with joint appointments at both UW and FHCC
  • Individuals jointly recruited and who have:
    • A faculty appointment at only one institution
    • Responsibilities critical to the mission of both institutions
    • Specialized expertise

Outgoing staff assignment set up is requested through Procurement Services. Submit a Workday Requisition to Procurement (which will then become a Purchase Order after approvals).

Set up for Incoming Staff Assignments (to the UW from other institutions) are requested via an eGC1 in SAGE.

Staff Assignment Administrative Fee:

10% of total direct costs, up to a maximum of $2,500 per year, will be included in the staff assignment budget for administrative costs except:

  • Staff assignments for non-resident graduate students
  • Staff assignments for first-year students enrolled in the joint UW-FHCC Molecular and Cellular Biology training program

FHCC Subawards & T32 Collaborations

Subawards with associated F&A are used for projects that involve personnel and other expenses (e.g., supplies, equipment, etc.) at the secondary institution.

A subaward will be used for each T32 Trainee to or from FHCC. Review more information on UW and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCC) T32 Collaborations.

For other T32 post award budget allocation, invoicing, and/or reporting questions please contact GCA at gcahelp@uw.edu.

Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI)

SCRI and UW jointly determine which institution receives a grant or contract (primary institution). A staff assignment or subaward is used to compensate for the costs of the secondary institution with personnel involved in the project at the primary institution. UW Faculty and staff may be assigned to SCRI. In order to compensate for salary, fringe, and associated costs, SCRI issues staff assignments (SAAs) to UW.

Outgoing staff assignment set up is requested through Procurement Services. Submit a Workday Requisition to Procurement (which will then become a Purchase Order after approvals).

Set up for Incoming Staff Assignments (to the UW from other institutions) are requested via an eGC1 in SAGE.

Staff Assignment Approval Process

  • Most Staff Assignment Agreement (SAA) are issued for one fiscal year at a time.
  • After working with the SCRI Center Business Manager to complete the Staff Assignment Agreement (SAA) fields according to the instructions, it is signed by the UW Department and SCRI Office of Sponsored Research.
    • UW units have been delegated authority from UW OSP to sign the Staff Assignment Agreement
    • SCRI Office of Sponsored Research signs the SAA on behalf of SCRI. UW departmental representative sends to resadmin@seattlechildrens.org for signature, using “UW Staff Assignment” in the subject line.
  • If you already have an approved eGC1 in place for the SAA, submit an Award Setup request for each individual fully-executed Staff Assignment.
    • Name the individual who will be assigned at Children’s
    • Prepare a SAGE Budget Worksheet for the estimated maximum billable amount
      • If tuition is included, prepare a separate SAGE Budget Worksheet for tuition
    • Activity location=Seattle Children’s Research Institute
    • Project Type=Grant
  • If you do not have an approved eGC1 on file, route an After-the-Fact eGC1 for each individual with a staff assignment, with the signed SAA attached and include the following:
    • Name the individual who will be assigned at Children’s
    • Set out line item and totals in the eGC1 budget for the total estimated billable amount as reflected in the SAA
    • Prepare a SAGE Budget Worksheet for the maximum estimated billable amount
      • If tuition is included, prepare a separate SAGE Budget Worksheet for tuition
    • Activity location=Seattle Children’s Research Institute
    • Project Type=Grant

The UW sets up an award per staff assignment in Workday Finance. This results in an individual worktag for each staff assignment. SCRI reimburses the UW based on the SAA.

Staff Assignment Modification Approval Process

A modification to the staff assignment is only needed for changes that result in exceeding the total estimated billable amount or changes to the start or end dates

If a modification to the SAA is needed, work with the SCRI Center Business Manager to complete the Staff Assignment Agreement (SAA) to reflect the modification, according to the instructions.

  • UW units have been delegated authority from UW OSP to sign the Staff Assignment Agreement
    SCRI Office of Sponsored Research signs the SAA on behalf of SCRI.
  • UW departmental representative sends to resadmin@seattlechildrens.org for signature, using “UW Staff Assignment Modification” in the subject line.
  • Once it is signed, submit an Award Modification for each individual fully-executed Staff Assignment Modification.
    • Prepare a SAGE Budget Worksheet for the estimated billable amount, if changed.

SCRI SAA Best Practices:

  • Set up staff assignments with an end date of 6/30 or earlier.
  • Ensure promotions are completely processed in the UW payroll system before submitting a staff assignment.
  • Incorporate anticipated increases in your calculations when working with the SCRI Center Business Manager on SAA amounts.

SCRI Staff Assignment Administrative Fee:

4% of total direct costs will be included in the SCRI staff assignment budget for administrative costs.

SCRI SAA Contacts

Non -Pediatric Departments Pediatric Departments Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
Kim Lambright Patrick Lennon Tim Mhyre
School of Medicine
ABC Shared Services Center
Administrator for Research Pediatrics OSP Manager
Email: abcsaa@uw.edu
Phone: 206.221.6701
Email: plennon@uw.edu
Phone: 206.221.1461
Email: osp@uw.edu
Phone: 206.543.4043

SCRI Subawards

Subawards with associated F&A are used for projects that involve personnel and other expenses (e.g., supplies, equipment, etc.) at the secondary institution.

Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research (SIBCR)

SIBCR administers non-Veteran’s Administration (VA) funds in support of research affiliated with VAPSHCS. A Joint Personnel Agreement (JPA) or subaward is used to compensate for the costs of the secondary institution which has personnel involved in the project.

The prime recipient of the funding (primary institution) is where 50% or more of the direct costs occur (including value of joint faculty with unfunded effort but excluding equipment and subawards).

Joint Personnel Agreements (JPA) compensate the secondary institution for salary, benefits and related personnel expenses for joint faculty appointments or non-faculty research staff who are working at the primary institution. JPAs cover only up to a one-year period at a time.

A subaward is used to compensate for salary, benefits, related personnel expenses and other expenses (as applicable) for costs at the secondary institution.

JPA Administrative Rate:  To compensate the institution responsible for generating the individual’s paycheck and administer the employee’s benefits, an administrative rate of 10% of total direct costs up to a maximum of $5000 per year and will be included in the JPA budget.

Note, that while the VA follows the Federal Outside Employment and Activities rule:

  • The UW can receive funding from a non-Federal source (such as SIBCR) for VA research work.
  • If a Federal sponsor awards funds to the UW and a VA researcher performs and receives compensation on that award, the payment is allowed, subject to any separate Federal sponsor limitations.

Veteran Affairs (VA) of Puget Sound

The VA may issue an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Agreement to provide cost reimbursement for University staff salary and associated fringe benefits. IPAs do not include Facilities & Administrative costs.

The employee must be a permanent employee of the UW and have been employed for at least 90 days.  An IPA agreement can be made for up to 2 years and may be part-time or full-time. The original or initial assignment may be extended for an additional 2 years less 2 months. IPA assignments of less than 6 months are discouraged.

An employee that has served 4 continuous years without a break cannot be assigned to another IPA without at least a 12-month return to his/her regular employer. Successive assignments without a break in service of at least 60 calendar days are regarded as continuous service.

Review further guidance on IPAs from Federal OPM.

Alternatively, a subaward is used to compensate for salary, benefits, related personnel expenses, and other expenses (as applicable) for costs at the secondary institution when the work is carried out at the secondary institution.

Incoming Subawards

Incoming subawards happen when another institution (pass-through entity) receives funding from a sponsor (aka prime sponsor) and that institution subawards a portion of the work to the UW.

The UW is a participating Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Expanded Clearinghouse entity. Participating organizations agree to use FDP entity profiles to verify institutional information.

Review the UW’s FDP Profile.

Incoming Subaward Relationship Example

UW is the subrecipient. Our sponsor is the institution receiving the prime award and is issuing a subaward to the UW funding.
NSF-UCSD-UW Illustration of an incoming subaward relationship
For example National Science Foundation (NSF) awards a project to UCSD. UCSD awards some of that funding to the UW to complete a portion of the work on their project.

UCSD is the sponsor (pass-through entity) on the eGC1 to the UW.  NSF is the prime sponsor.

What's the difference between an incoming subaward and an outgoing subaward?

The direction of the funding determines if it is an incoming or outgoing subaward.

Outgoing Subawards

When the UW receives funding from a sponsor (aka prime sponsor) and subawards a portion of the work to another institution, it’s called an outgoing subaward.

outgoing subaward relationship diagram

Example

NIH awards a project to the UW, and we award some of the funding to UCLA to complete a portion of the work.

Proposal Processing

The UW works with the subaward recipient (UCLA in this example) to include them as a subaward on our proposal to the sponsor (NIH). Review more information on preparing a proposal with subawards.

At the time of award, the UW department must request a subaward set up using SAGE.

An incoming subaward is funding coming into the UW and an outgoing subaward is funding going out of the UW.

Incoming Subawards

Incoming subawards, happen when another institution (pass-through entity) receives funding from a sponsor (aka prime sponsor) and that institution subawards a portion of the work to the UW.

NSF-UCSD-UW Illustration of an incoming subaward relationship

Example

NSF awards a project to UCSD, and UCSD awards some of the funding to the UW to complete a portion of the work.

eGC1 Routing and Proposal Processing

Incoming subawards are requested via SAGE on an eGC1 just like other external support requests. The “sponsor” on the eGC1 is the pass-through entity providing the UW a portion of the funding from their award from the prime sponsor.

Follow deadlines provided from the pass-through entity (UCSD in this example) NOT the prime institution. This allows UCSD to incorporate our proposal materials into their proposal to to the prime sponsor.

eGC1 Proposal Preparation and Routing

  • UW’s “sponsor” on the eGC1 is always the institution providing UW funding.
  • Prepare documents according to sponsor (pass-through entity) instructions.
  • Route on an eGC1 for UW approval, include:
    • the scope of work,
    • budget, budget justification (at a minimum),
    • and any other documents required by our sponsor
  • eGC1 Sponsor deadline: Use the date the pass-through entity needs UW documents. (Not the prime sponsor due date).
  • OSP attaches a cover letter to eGC1 after review.
  • PI/dept. must send documents, including cover letter, to the pass-through entity for their submission to the prime sponsor.