FAQs

You can see a sample of a few different applications on the NIH website.

You can find the NU Facts sheet here.

Companies can apply for an EIN on the IRS webpage.

You can search multiple search engines such as EDGAR, Massachusetts Corporate Search, Melissa, or Google.

We are so excited that you are interested in applying for and managing research grants here at Northeastern University! Below is some basic information you will need to get you started on this exciting endeavor.

1. First, are you eligible to be a Principal Investigator?
   • The privilege to act as a Principal Investigator (PI) or a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on an externally-funded project is automatically conferred upon all Northeastern faculty members. Those without a faculty appointment must work with their college administration to determine if the college’s policies and procedures allow the college to confer temporary PI status. By approving the ePAWs record, the college will convey to NU-RES that they approve of the named PI. Please see attached guidance.
2. Choose a funding opportunity
   • Where do you want to apply? Do you have an agency in mind or do you need to find an opportunity?
   • Funding Opportunities lists various search engines that can assist you
3. Once you have your opportunity in hand, get familiar with the proposal requirements.
   • Read the directions, most proposals are rejected simply because the directions were not followed correctly!
4. Use either ePAWs and the sponsors submission portal, or our proposal submission application COEUS
   • Visit our Proposal Preparation webpage for more info…
5. Proposals must be submitted to the Office of Research Administration and Finance no later than 5 business days before the sponsor’s deadline
   • This allows us to review your proposal and make sure you haven’t missed anything and that your submission will receive the complete sponsor review that it deserves
6. We understand that there are a lot of elements that go into creating a great proposal, so please contact your school’s Grant Officer with your questions – we are here to help you!
   • Find my Grant Officer

There are several websites that offer basic proposal writing assistance, please visit here for a list of helpful sites.

To apply for a grant opportunity using the Workspace, you need to be registered with Grants.gov. See the instructions on how to register. See the instructions on how to register here.

If you are a member of the Northeastern’s faculty or staff, or a Northeastern University student, and you are the person responsible for the conduct of the study (PI), you must get Northeastern’s IRB approval to conduct your research regardless of where the research takes place. Investigators should contact the IRB office whenever collaborative research is occurring. Separate applications for each institution may be necessary; however, in order to avoid duplicate review, an IRB Authorization Agreement may be arranged with the other institution to establish one IRB as the designated IRB to review and approve the research.

Yes. Early in the planning stage of your project, we recommend you contact a program officer. You can find them by talking to colleagues or by checking out our websites. They are listed in section seven of our funding opportunity announcements (FOA). You can also search individual institute’s or center’s websites, or search for your area of science in RePORTER and see which program officers might be the right fit.

Program staff are your primary source of information for scientific, funding and programmatic matters, and they can advise you regarding:

• An institute/center’s potential enthusiasm about your research area
• Potential application topics
• The appropriate FOA through which to apply
• Investigator-initiated research: topics of interest and new scientific directions
• Additional information about an initiative such as a request for applications or program announcement
• Requirements for special areas such as human subjects and vertebrate animal research
• The appropriate study section to request in your cover letter

Yes, they are busy people. So we recommend you e-mail them first rather than play phone tag.

If you are, be aware that Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 46; defines a “human subject” as a living individual about whom an investigator obtains:

1. data through intervention or interaction with the individual, (such as, interviews, surveys, clinical testing, or any other physical intervention or personal interaction), or,
2. identifiable private information.

Legal requirements to protect human subjects apply to a broader range of research than many investigators realize. Protections are required for research that uses:

• Bodily materials, such as cells, blood or urine, tissues, organs, hair or nail clippings, even if you did not collect these materials.
• Residual diagnostic specimens, including specimens obtained for routine patient care that would have been discarded if not used for research.
• Private information, such as medical information that can be readily identified with individuals, even if the information was not specifically
  collected for the study in question. Research on cell lines or DNA samples that can be associated with individuals falls into this category.

Please visit the Office of Human Subject Research Protection for more information.

If you don’t know the EIN, the NU-RES Help Center will work with you/the other party to identify it. Your proposal or contract will not be delayed due to a missing EIN.

The IRS recommends for foreign entities complete the Form SS-4.

The IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN) is used to identify a business entity. It is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number. Please see the video here to learn more about EIN.

Users can prepare and submit full, research proposals in Research.gov.  Research.gov runs in parallel with existing FastLane proposal preparation and submission capabilities, so users can choose to prepare and submit full, research proposals in Research.gov or in FastLane. Click here for more details on how to register and add roles.

The Fly America Act is a federal regulation that requires the use of U.S. carriers for travel that will be reimbursed from federal grants and contracts. Travelers who will be reimbursed from federal grants and contracts can also use foreign air carriers with code-sharing agreements with U.S. flag carriers.

Open Skies Agreements – U.S. currently has Open Skies Agreements in effect with European Union, Australia, Switzerland, and Japan.

As of January 1, 2021, The United Kingdom (U.K.) is no longer a member of the EU. Consequently, the Open Skies Agreement with the EU does not pertain to the U.K. Travelers must use a U.S. Flag Carrier to travel from the U.S. to the U.K. and not a U.K. airline (e.g., British Airways), unless they use a different Fly America Act exception. Travelers may continue to use an EU agreement for travel from the U.S. to the U.K. as long as the flight stops in the EU prior to arrival in the U.S. or the U.K.

To learn more visit the Policies and Guidelines page.

Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG 20-1)

Visit our Policies & Guidelines webpage.

Please visit the University Decision Support site.

Northeastern Research Development Office can assist you in getting started in applying for a grant. Below is some basic information you will need:

1. First, are you eligible to be a Principal Investigator?
   • All NU faculty are automatically eligible, all others must request temporary PI status.
2. Choose a funding opportunity
   • Where do you want to apply? Do you have an agency in mind or do you need to find an opportunity?
   • Research Development’s funding resources page lists various search engines that can assist you.
3. Once you have your opportunity in hand, get familiar with the proposal requirements.
   • Read the directions, most proposals are rejected simply because the directions were not followed correctly!
   • Is it being submitted electronically? Read the funding opportunity announcement to determine submission requirements.
   • Does your solicitation requires a paper submission? Check out our fact sheet on the Policies & Guidelines webpage.

Questions about your solicitation should be directed to your Grant Officer; questions about the ePAWs application should be directed to NU-RESHC@northestern.edu.

If you would like to apply for funding or negotiate a sponsored research agreement from industry or corporation please contact Eva Pasadas via email at Eva Pasadas or via telephone at 617-373-5316.

If you would like to negotiate a CDA, NDA, MTA, or Data Rights Agreement please contact Eva Pasadas, or via telephone at 617-373-5316.

This is an internal control for NU-RES in verifying external parties, so we need it regardless of whether there is a dollar amount associated with the contract/agreement.

No. There are no instances when alcoholic beverages would be either appropriate or allowable unless the awarding agency specifically provides approval in the award notice.

Before making travel arrangements please examine, in collaboration with the Northeastern University Research Enterprise Services (NU-RES), the terms of your contract or grant award regarding foreign travel for which you plan to claim reimbursement using funds from a sponsored award. NU-RES should be consulted well in advance of booking arrangements. For additional information please review the Northeastern University Travel Policy.

Did you know that the eRA Commons allows principal investigators the ability to grant permission to have others at their institution help with some grants administration tasks? You might want to consider whether delegating any or all of the following tasks is right for you.

Coeus Awards Module in Coeus Lite is available for users to see a summary of the Award information, and to have access to attachments from all modules, including ePAWs. Users will now be able to search for department Awards, glance at a summary view of the entire Award, and view all related project documents. See the quick card for guidance on how to use My Awards.

Yes, please use the attached D-PAY form, which includes a checklist to assist you in providing the necessary documentation.

Participant Costs Appendix

Before requesting a subcontract, please determine if it is more appropriate to issue a subcontract or vendor agreement. For more information visit Subawards on your Proposal as well as Subawards under Manager Project.  If in doubt please contact via email NU-RES@northeastern.edu.

Costs associated with individuals who participate in research and sponsored programs are known as participant support costs – these include incentive payments participants in human subjects research studies as well as participants in training programs and conference grants; costs include stipends, allowances and other related expenses. See the guidance documents for more information.

• NU Research Sponsored Programs Participant Guidance
• Participant Costs Cash Management Guidance

• 78010 Study Subject Payments/Incentives
• 74600 Participant Support Costs – Stipends
• 74601 Participant Support Costs – Other

The NU-RES website has a guide for Costs for Sponsored Agreementsthat gives an overview and lists a matrix of commonly found allowable and unallowable costs.

Your Grant Officer or Sponsored Account Analyst is always available to help you manage both non-financial and financial related aspects of your grant.

Find your point of contact on our Contacts webpage and select the resource based on department (for Research Administration related questions), College (for Research Finance related questions), or Subject Matter Expert.

SSB and E-print are the tools to view your award in Banner, information on interpreting both can be found on the Banner Finance Help page via your MyNEU Services and Links tab. In addition there is a Banner Finance for Research Tip Sheet available to assist you. In the event you are new to the University it’s important to note that Banner Finance access to view your awards isn’t automatically granted, it must be requested. The instructions and forms to request Banner Finance access can be found on the NU-RES Finance Resources page.

For Banner, in some cases, you may already have access based on your position and role within your department. Access to Cognos must be requested. In the event you that you do not have access to Banner Finance, you can request access through the Budget Office. The instructions and forms to request Banner Finance access can be found on the Budget Office website under Links, Forms and Lists. General information, including the Banner Access form and the Cognos Access form, can be found on the following links:

• Financial Planning, Strategy, and Analytics Office
• Requesting Banner Finance Access
• Cognos Access Request Form

For Cognos training, visit the Cognos Training Calendar and sign up for a session.

The Budget Statement-Inception to Date E-print report (FZRB090) is an ad hoc report that is run monthly and can be accessed through Banner e-print reports. This report contains information such as total budget, expenses, and available balance from the start of your award through the month selected. The following link displays a Budget Statement and provides information on how to interpret the report.

• ePrint example

Self Service Banner (SSB), Banner e-print reports, and Cognos are the tools in place to help you manage your research budget. Information on interpreting both SSB and e-prints can be found on the Banner Finance Help page via your MyNEU Services and Links tab. In addition, there is a Banner Finance Research Tip Sheet and E-print Tip Sheet available to assist you.

Please contact Dolliff & Co., Inc. for assistance with import/export issues. They hold a Customs Power of Attorney for Northeastern and can help with any of your shipments. Call Stuart Eldridge at 617-561-0900. To save time, when you are ordering internationally, instruct the shipper to do these three things: (1) consign the shipment to Northeastern University; (2) notify Doliff & Co.; and (3) fax copies of shipping documents to Doliff $ co. You will be subject to fees associate with Customs Entry processing, generally a $125 entry fee, local delivery charges, and airline terminal charges. In some cases, there will need to be a bond (if the item is valued >$2000). Stuart Eldridge can help with all of that. Note that you will need to use a Northeastern Purchase Order for your transaction. This process is only available for university-approved business.

Closing out your award is a multi-step process involving NU-RES, the PI, and the Department Administrator. For more information visit the Closeout Project page.

Closing out your award is a multi-step process involving NU-RES, the PI, and the Department Administrator. The formal process is initiated by NU-RES once your award is within approximately 60 days of ending. A checklist of action items and an email notification is sent to the PI and Department Administrator. All final expenditures must be posted as an activity within the project period/ end date. Future commitments must be removed and/or adjusted to other Funds as appropriate. Sub-recipients will need to Final Invoice NU typically 60 days prior to the end date. Procurement cards must be canceled and cost-sharing must be expended within the project period.

Research sponsors may require NEU to share the cost of research projects. Therefore, cost-sharing is that portion of a project or program cost that is not reimbursed by the sponsor. In some instances, in-kind contributions can qualify as cost-sharing. To ensure that NEU has fulfilled its cost-sharing commitment made as a condition of an award. Cost-sharing expenditures are recorded in a separate Index /Fund. Some sponsors also require that NEU’s cost-sharing expenses be included on all invoices for reimbursement. All federal cost-sharing agreements are legally binding and subject to audits and failure to provide the level of the commitment could lead to the return of award funds and /or termination of the project. NEU funds the overhead cost associated with cost-sharing commitments.

In accordance with Section 8.1.1.1 of the NIH Grants Policy Statement, recipients of NIH grant awards under the SNAP mechanism are required to report, as part of the grant’s progress report, whether the estimated unobligated balance (including prior-year carryover) is expected to be greater than 25 percent of the current year’s total approved budget. Visit the NIH RPPR Estimated Unobligated Balance webpage to learn more.

NSF PIs must complete a support section as part of the RPPR. As a reminder, the section should only be completed if the funding support is provided from a source other than award being reported on. PIs should not list effort on other awards, this is not the same as other support. See RPPR Format For Interim Project Reporting. Note that these instructions should be followed until further notice.

Federal regulations discourage the charging of salaries for administrative and clerical staff as a direct cost to a project. OMB Uniform Guidance states that administrative and clerical staff should normally be treated as Facilities and Administrative costs and not as a direct cost.

For grant and contract funded research, the Summer Salary is limited to 3.2 months or 40% of the faculty member’s academic year salary (Northeastern University’s academic year is generally 8 months). To calculate summer salary simply divide your academic year salary by 8 and then multiple it by 3.2 (or the portion of the summer available to you after teaching, other duties, and/or vacation time have been accounted for). Please note that certain external sponsors may have their own policies regarding summer salary payments to faculty and/or principal investigators.

A faculty buyout occurs when an effort is conducted during the academic term (generally September 1st through April 30th) and charged to a research grant or contract. Consequently, academic term salaries shall not be augmented either in rate or in the total amount for research performed during the academic term. When part of a faculty member’s services are to be charged as project costs, it is expected that the faculty member will be relieved of an equal part or all of his or her regular teaching or other obligations.

Summer salary is compensation paid to faculty that perform research on a grant or contract during the summer months of May, June, July, and August.

Federal regulations require that Institutions maintain an effort activity reporting system. OMB Uniform Guidance requires faculty and staff involved in federally sponsored research to report activities (e.g. sponsored projects, instruction, administration) for which they are compensated. Under this system, the distribution of salary and wages by the Institution will be supported by certification reports which are required to be signed by the Principal Investigator (PI) or responsible official.

The Principal Investigator (PI) is ultimately responsible to ensure that all salary charged to the externally funded project is commensurate with the employee’s effort on the project. The PI is required to sign the report and return it to NU-RES in a timely manner where it is kept on file for audit purposes.

Travel is restricted to the personnel working on the Research Project, whether it is employees or non-employees. In general, travel should be done within the sponsor-approved budget and guidelines. Federal guidelines prohibit certain expenditures such as alcohol and entertainment.

The federal government has increased oversight with regard to travel to foreign countries in connection with sponsored research. All foreign travel using federal funds must follow certain criteria such as the Fly America Act and other A-21 requirements. The following link will give you information pertaining to Northeastern University’s policy on Foreign Travel: Policy & Procedure on Foreign Travel in Connection with Sponsored Research.