Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The following is a list of our frequently asked questions:

1. My research plan may involve animals, human subjects or human embryonic stem cells. What are the relevant policies?
2. I am planning a large application. Are there any special requirements or considerations?
3. I have some questions concerning the application forms and policies. Who should I call?
4. The sponsor has informed me that my grant is likely to be funded, now can I get an account number?
5. I would like to submit a budget showing faculty effort without salary and other commitments from the institution. What should I consider?
6. I am new to HMS. What is important to know about grants management?
7. I am interested in finding a sponsor for a project to study a specific disease or problem. Where do I start?

1. My research plan may involve animals, human subjects or human embryonic stem cells. What are the relevant policies?

   The involvement of human subjects, animals, embryonic stem cells or other special considerations must indicated by the PI at the proposal stage. The PI denotes the involvement on the HMS Proposal Routing form and on the face page of the sponsor application.
   
   All research projects must be reviewed by the appropriate committee in advance of the start of the research project. For competing applications involving human subjects or animals, committee approval may be pending at the time of application. However, approval will be required prior to award. For non-competing continuations, approvals for human subjects or animals must be in place at the time of submission of the progress report.
   
   For specific information on the review and approval process, please refer to: Human Subjects, Animals, Recombinant DNA , Stem Cells

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2. I am planning a large application. Are there any special requirements or considerations?

   Please notify your SPA representative, the Director of SPA and your department administrative staff as soon as possible when you begin to plan a large or complex application. And, be aware that the NIH requires prior approval from a Program Official for any application that requests direct costs in excess of $500,000 in any year. To learn more, review the Proposal Process Overview.

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3. I have some questions concerning the application forms and policies. Who should I call?
   

   Please contact your SPA representative for assistance in either obtaining forms or clarification on the completion of forms.

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4. The sponsor has informed me that my grant is likely to be funded, now can I get an account number?

   Accounts may be requested from SPA if an award is about to be funded. The Advance Account form must be completed and signed by the PI and their department. The signatures provide assurance that the department will assume the costs in the event that an award is not made. Please refer to the Advance Account form at and contact your SPA representative with questions.

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5. I would like to submit a budget showing faculty effort without salary and other commitments from the institution. What should I consider?

   Listing faculty effort without salary is what is termed cost sharing. Some non-federal sponsors require that faculty devote effort to a project without salary. This requirement would be specified in the sponsor's written guidelines. In the event that the sponsor requires cost sharing of salary in their written guidelines, the cost sharing would be considered mandatory. In most instances, SPA will approve mandatory cost sharing if we can document the requirement. The proposal should note the cost sharing on the Proposal Routing form. The Department Chair's signature will signify their agreement for the department to provide the funds for the cost sharing.
   
   Most sponsors do not require cost sharing. HMS policy is that cost sharing will not be provided on applications where it is not required by the Sponsor (i.e.voluntary cost sharing). Voluntary cost sharing will only be approved by SPA under rare circumstances.

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6. I am new to HMS. What is important to know about grants management?

   There are a number of offices that will support in your grants management role. Your SPA representative can answer any questions that you may have related to proposal submission, award set up and award management. OSP provides support on cash management, financial reporting and other post-award transactions. Financial Operations and Analysis can assist in obtaining access and training on Harvard financial systems and answer questions concerning accounting and costing policies. To begin orientation to grants management at Harvard, it is suggested that you meet with your SPA representative

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7. I am interested in finding a sponsor for a project to study a specific disease or problem. Where do I start?

   SPA assists faculty, postdocs and students in identifying sources of funding through a variety of mechanisms. The office maintains an electronic listserve for distribution of funding opportunities, news, and policy changes. If you are interested in receiving electronic bulletins, please signup to receive HMSRAML.
   
   In addition, the SPA web site serves a portal to a number of search engines (SPIN, COS). The search engines allow faculty to search by key words and areas of research interest. The searches can be targeted based upon a number of criteria including PI eligibility, citizenship, etc. HMS also publishes an annual compendium of fellowship and scholar awards ("The Red Book"). In addition, your SPA representative can assist you in answering questions about sponsors.

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