Overview and Onboarding

• PI and FORA Research Development (RD) identify appropriate funding opportunities
• RD can advise on next steps, including how and when to contact a program officer
• Conditional: Some programs require an Intent to Apply/White Paper/Preproposal. If letter of intent requires a detailed budget or advanced institutional approval/assurances, it must be reviewed by Harvard’s Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP) prior to submitting. In these cases, PI should contact assigned Sponsored Research Administrator (SRA). If no budget/institutional sign-off is required at the Preproposal Stage, PI can submit Preproposal directly to the sponsor
• PI contacts collaborators to confirm availability

• PI informs their SRA of intent to apply. Provides SRA with full sponsor guidelines
• SRA can provide PI with a checklist of all items that must be completed. Checklist should identify which items PI will be solely responsible for and which items SRA can assist with. It may include specific internal deadlines for certain components
• PI or SRA determine whether access to a sponsor portal is needed. SRA can advise on how to obtain system access
• If PI appointment type does not allow automatic PI Rights, PI works with SRA to submit a PI Rights Request. Instructions can be found here: PI Eligibility
• PI begins to draft proposal narrative documents
• Conditional: If the project will involve collaborators at other institutions/subawards*, PI should place Harvard SRA in touch with collaborators’ SRAs to begin conversation about the subaward process. At a minimum, all subaward recipients will be required to provide a Statement of Work, a Budget, a Budget Justification, and a letter of intent signed by the subrecipient’s authorized business official confirming their approval of the proposed subaward documents
  • *To help you determine whether a collaboration would be considered a subaward or a vendor agreement, consult the Subrecipient vs. Vendor guidance document on the OSP website.

• PI, with assistance of SRA, prepares draft budget and budget justification
• Optional: RD team can provide grantsmanship advice and review draft proposals for responsiveness to program guidelines and sponsor priorities

*NOTE* This is a hard deadline for PIs working with a FORA SRA. Departmental SRAs may similarly set a hard deadline 

• Subrecipients should provide their authorized documents to SRA
• SRA should initiate entry of proposal in GMAS. Required data points include:
  • Name of lead Harvard PI and additional Harvard research team members
  • Harvard org responsible for the project
  • Project title
  • Project dates
  • Names of all subrecipient organizations and their lead PIs
  • If Harvard is a sub, name of lead institution and name/email of lead PI
  • Responses to International Collaborations and Activities Checklist
  • Responses to approval questions? (i.e. human subjects, vertebrate animals, Participant Support Costs, admin salary, etc.)
• GM or SRA should confirm that any necessary PI Rights approvals have been granted
• Conditional: If the application is to a federal sponsor, the PI and all covered individuals must take the mandatory Research Security Training
• Conditional: If the application is to the NSF or NIH or if the PI already has NSF/NIH funding and has not already done so, the PI must also take the OVPR Disclosure training
• Conditional: If sponsor limits Indirect Costs (IDC) to less than the allowable rate, SRA and PI should create a shortfall recovery plan. If IDC waiver is needed, PI should email FAS Dean at fasdean@fas.harvard.edu

*NOTE* This is a hard deadline for all PIs 

• PI provides complete proposal to SRA by the date/time established by SRA
• PI and/or SRA will upload proposal files into sponsor portal, if required by sponsor, in order to facilitate internal review by OSP and FORA. Do not to submit to sponsor until internal review has been completed and OSP has provided written authorization to submit
• SRA uploads final files into Harvard’s internal grant management system, GMAS

*NOTE* This is a hard deadline for all PIs 

• By 9:00 a.m., SRA will forward application to OSP and, if applicable, FORA for internal review and approval
  • All proposal documents must be included in the application package and must be considered final, with the exception of the narrative/scope of work documents, which may be submitted in draft form. (see policy for details on the Submission Timeline)
• Proposals not meeting this deadline will require an exception from the PI's divisional dean. Exception requests are not guaranteed. An exception can be requested by completing the form found here: 5 Day Exception Request Form

• Final technical narrative/statement of work documents must be uploaded to GMAS by SRA for final review

• OSP will review proposal and provide department with feedback
• If required, FORA (see FORA Review Criteria) and/or the OVPR (see OVPR Review Criteria) will also review proposal. If the project involves International Activity, the Research Compliance Program must also review
• If PIs/Co-PIs have not yet completed their Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure, they must complete this in the Outside Activities and Interests Reporting (OAIR) system prior to OSP authorizing the proposal
• If PIs/Co-PIs have not yet completed their Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs authorization, they must complete prior to OSP authorizing the proposal
• Proposal reviewers will provide SRA with notes. PI and SRA will make requested changes
• PI should be available to answer questions and provide revisions as requested during the internal review process

• Once all reviewers have approved the proposal documents, OSP will sign off on the project in GMAS and any forms requiring an authorized institutional signature
• For federal sponsors, OSP will submit to sponsor via government application portals. For non-federal sponsors, the PI may be able to submit the application directly once granted authorization from OSP

• Conditional: If project includes Human Subjects, PI should contact the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects (CUHS) to discuss IRB approval, which must be in place before human subjects work can begin on the project
• Conditional: If project includes Vertebrate Animals, PI should contact the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to discuss approval, which must be in place before animal work can begin on the project.
• Just-in-Time stage and award negotiation:
  • Don’t sign anything! OSP is the authorized signatory for the university, not the PI, Department Chair, or department admin. All award documents must be reviewed, negotiated, and signed by an authorized institutional signatory.
  • PI should forward any agreements they receive to SRA, who will forward to OSP Award Management contact. PI should discuss with SRA if sponsor indicates interest in funding proposal, or if sponsor requires revisions to the original proposal documents, including budget

The Research Development team maintains a list of notable early career opportunities that includes relevant internal and external deadlines, eligibility information, and previous Harvard award recipients. Please note that the eligibility requirements vary by award and that some opportunities require nomination.

Yes, many agencies and sponsors have electronic funding alert services, including those listed below. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

National Science Foundation Update: A daily email alert service with subscription options that include new research opportunities, upcoming deadlines, and other content categories. 

NSF Find Funding Search Tools 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

NIH News Releases: A daily news bulletin of new programs and findings from the NIH. 

NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: The official publication for NIH medical and behavioral research Grant Policies, Guidelines and Funding Opportunities. Each week (usually on Friday afternoon), the NIH transmits an e-mail with Table of Contents (TOC) information for that week’s issue of the NIH Guide, via the NIH LISTSERV. The TOC includes a link to the Current NIH Guide Weekly Publication as well as links to each NIH Guide RFA, PA and Notice published for that week. 

NIH Email Updates and RSS Feeds

Advanced Funding Opportunities & Notices Search Results

NIH Find Funding Search Tools

NASA 

NASA Research Solicitation Announcements: An electronic Subscription Service available to obtain notification of the release of NASA research solicitation announcements. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Environmental Protection Agency: A list of all open announcements, not an automated search site. 

Department of Energy (DOE)

DOE Office of Science 

DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewal Energy (EERE): Sign up to receive the latest information about EERE’s clean energy funding, prize, and competition opportunities. 

Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E): Subscribe to the ARPA-E email list or connect on social media 

Other Federal Resources 

Grants.gov: Subscribe to receive email notifications of federal funding opportunities.

Through Harvard’s institutional subscriptions, all Harvard University affiliates have access to several funding search engines and databases. For questions about these databases or to set up weekly alerts for funding opportunities based on keywords you select, please contact Research Development.

The Research Development team in the FAS Office of Research Administration performs individualized funding searches to locate those opportunities that best suit your sabbatical plans. We offer advice on strategies for submitting competitive proposals and will review your proposal against sponsor requirements. Please contact Research Development to discuss your sabbatical needs.

Sabbatical funding opportunity deadlines often fall at least a year before your leave start date. Some sponsors run competitions even earlier; the National Endowment for the Humanities has a May deadline for projects beginning as early as January the following year and as late as the following September.

Some appointment types in the FAS receive automatic, continuous PI Rights, making them eligible to serve as a PI or Co-PI on any outgoing proposal. Others have limited PI Rights, granted for a limited scope of activities. To check your eligibility and, if not automatically eligible, to apply for Exceptional PI Rights, see the FAS webpage on Principal Investigator Eligibility.

Faculty in the Science Division and some Social Science departments have designated sponsored research administrators. For departments that do not have a designated sponsored research administrator, please contact FAS Office of Research Administration to see what support our office is able to provide. This may include assistance with proposal preparation, budget preparation, submission of grant applications, and managing awards. Faculty and administrators in the Arts & Humanities Division or from non-Divisional Departments and Centers should contact Katherine Zuccala for advice and assistance. Faculty and administrators in the Science or Social Science Divisions in a department without a designated sponsored research administrator should contact Jimmy Matejek-Morris.

Proposals for awards that will be awarded/issued to Harvard University require institutional authorization and must be submitted through Harvard’s Office of Sponsored Programs for institutional review prior to submission to the sponsor. Certain fellowship and sabbatical opportunities specify that resulting awards will be awarded/issued directly to the faculty member; proposals for such opportunities may be submitted directly to the sponsor by faculty member without the requirement of internal review. Please contact your sponsored research administrator as early as possible with any intention for proposal submission to review and confirm the required process for each opportunity.

Indirect Costs are also commonly referred to as overhead, facilities and administrative costs (F&A), IDC, or indirects. Charging assessments on gifts and allocating indirect costs on grants enables the FAS to recoup a portion of the overhead costs associated with externally funded activities and the reimbursement of these costs provides the FAS with a source of revenue to reinvest in its infrastructure, which, in turn, supports the academic pursuits of our faculty. More information on current federal rates, as well as the FAS policy regarding sponsors that do not cover the required minimum 15% overhead, can be found here.

Assessments are categorically waived on the following classes of funds: Financial aid, or other student support; grants for construction; grants for equipment and instrumentation; assessments that are limited or prohibited by law or other governmental restriction. Capital equipment expenditures on sponsored awards are also exempt from this policy. Of further note, it is recognized by FAS/SEAS that postdoctoral fellowships, early career awards, and sabbatical fellowships normally have a specific limit to assessments or indirect cost rate. FAS/SEAS will recognize any assessment/IDC limits to such awards, and does not need further action, such as a waiver or direct charge of other costs.