Paperwork

Many think that it’s just Junk!

No!!! It’s just icing on the cake!

But you have to have a But you have to have a well-baked cake to decorate it! cake to decorate it!

NSF Proposal Checklist

• Cover page• Table of content• Summary• Project description• References cited• Biographical sketches• Budget and budget justification• Current and pending support• Facilities and equipment

Your final proposal will have only these three items.

Summary Page

• Project title, PI and Co-PIs, Institution’s name at the top

• Not an abstract but summary: stand alone• Written in third person for lay but literate people• One page limit (at least 10 size font or larger)• Clearly address two review criteria (refer to earlier class notes)

– Intellectual merit– Broader impact

• Just type on a piece of paper, no special form!

Table of Contents

• There is a form for this• Download a form (Table of Contents.doc) from:

http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi/publish/data/forms/ Or from class web site

• Needed for reviewers and officials to know how many pages you used per heading?

• Keep these page limits in mind:– Summary 1 page– Project description 15 pages– Biographical sketch 2 pages per PI or Co-PI

Biographical Sketch• Needed for each PI/ Co-PI/ senior personnel• Limit two pages per person• Start with the name, position, address etc.• Professional preparation: degrees obtained/year (when)• Appointments: last one first (reverse order) list all• Up to Five publications most relevant to this proposal, and• Up to five other significant publications• Synergistic activities: 5-10 if you have any..• Collaborators/coauthors in last 4 years• Graduate and postdoctoral advisees (your students)• Your own thesis advisor and postdoctoral supervisor • Why they need this information? COI

Budget

• Again, you need one form per year plus one summary budget page for the entire proposed period (3 for 3 years + 1 cumulative page)

• One-three pages of budget justification• Download the following two forms from:

– http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi/publish/data/forms/ • Budget worksheet (excel)• Budget • Also useful data tables:

– Fringe benefit rates (also has Facilities and administrative costs)– GRA stipend fees

Budget details first….

• Write down the following data first on a piece of paper:– PI salary ($50,000 for 9 months) include 1 month summer salary– Co-PI salary ($80,000 for 9 months) include one summer month– Fringe benefit rate (different for regular and summer) (see form)

• Regular 42.4%; Summer 20.2%; temp 10%, grad student 3.4%

– Postdoc if needed ($30,000/year) and 12 months per year– Graduate student (how many? see the GRA stipend form)– Graduate student tuition and fees (calculate from the GRA form)– Travel? National/ international? What for? Who will go? How

many times? What is the cost?– Equipment >$5000? If yes, include– Materials and supplies; publication cost; any other expenses?– F & A rate: 56% on campus

Excel sheet

Data forms useful in filling some budget details

Use Fall 07 as a starting date for this proposal

Calculate fee according to your department/schoolUse one credit for summer and 9 credits for fall and spring semesters

Budget page

A. Senior PersonnelB. Other personnelC. Fringe benefits (total)D. EquipmentE. TravelF. Participant cost: GRA feesG. Other costs: M & S, pubs etc.H. Total direct costI. Indirect cost (56%)J. Total amount of request

Repeat the same for year 2 and 3Prepare budget summary page

Budget Justification

• Write a narrative for each category: A to J• How this money will be used? A to J• Show your calculations here in narrative form• 1-3 pages maximum (normally just 1 page)• Should be self explanatory. Use direct data.• If budget is reduced, this will help you and

program manager to decide what can be cut? By how much? Helps reviewers and panel too!

You got the bottom line figure of how much this project will cost

Cover page

Download coversheet fromhttp://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi/publish/data/forms/

I have filled yellow highlighted spaces assuming that this project will be submitted via MTU.

You will fill up green highlighted spaces.

Fill in the blanks when necessary

Include your advisor as Co-PI (No need of SSN)

Current and Pending Support

• NSF et al. want to know what current support you have & what for? Include all.

• What are the pending grants and is there any overlap with the current project?

• Can you really spare time to do this?

• Are you overloaded?

• How successful you are? Can you handle one more feather in your hat?

Money follows money!

Another form (Current and pending support) to fill

If you have no funding, include a blank form with your name at the topIf your advisor wishes to share, you may add this information or let it be empty

http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi/publish/data/forms/

Facilities and Equipment

• Type on a sheet of paper!• Highlight what you (MTU) have?• Laboratory space, computer, office, other

(Green house) (FACE site)• Major equipments needed for the project

and availability/accessibility• Anything else you want them to know!

(other resources: machine shops, special facilities, videophones)

Checklist

• Cover page• Table of content• Summary• Project description• References cited• Biographical sketches• Budget and budget justification• Current and pending support• Facilities and equipment

MTU Transmittal Sheet(you need acrobat writer to save the filled form)

• Download MTU Transmittal sheet from: http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi/publish/data/forms/ • Most of the form is self-explanatory• Fill in the title, PI/Co-PI details, sponsor, deadline, who

pays for mailing, submission type, funding source and project type: Research

• Duration, F & A rate, budget summary• Conflict or interest: yes or no• Many signatures.. (you do not have to take any for this

mock proposal)• Print and submit a hard copy to me by November 14th,

2006.

Which forms you need to submit and when?

• Transmittal hard copy (submit if possible)

• Year 1 Budget hard copy (I will send you a budget justification sample but you do not need to submit

it along with your budget next week)

• Cover page hard copy

• Due on November 14, 2006. No email submissions to Megan necessary.

Final proposal due on November 28th 2006

• Summary one page

• Project description up to 15 pages

• References cited

• Make a pdf file containing these three items listed above and email it to me.

• No forms and budgets necessary..