Math Department Proposal Guidance

Fiscal Year 2016

Changes to NSF Proposal Preparation:

http://osp.mit.edu/grant-and-contract-administration/sponsor-information/nsf/nsf-news-archive/changes-to-nsf-proposal-p

• Allowability (e.g. computers, administrative staff, meetings) and revised procurement requirements

• Clarifications in “Results from Prior NSF Support” and “Broader Impacts of the Proposed Work” subsections of the project description

• Total # of all collaborator types must now be provided in Biosketch

Finding an Opportunity:

http://math.mit.edu/services/grants/funding.php

Sponsor site examples: http://www.grants.gov http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding http://www.nsf.gov/funding/azindex.jsp

Solicitations:Solicitations, RFP or Program Guidelines will generally tell you

what you need to know to apply.

Illustration by Gabrielle Ceriales

Can I apply to this funding source?Look for:

Eligibility restrictions (citizenship, career level)

Budget limits: $ and years

Required cost-sharing

Limits on indirect costs (under recovery)

Effort required/limits on effort

When to involve your Math Financial Administrator?

The moment you decide to propose for research funding through the Math Department

When you have picked an opportunity

When you need help creating a budget

When you need more information about a solicitation

When you have a question about allowable expenses

What can your Financial Administrator not do?

Unfortunately, they cannot:

Decide which funding opportunity is most appropriate to your research

Provide examples of previously funded proposals

Write your proposal

Choose appropriate conferences for you to attend

Edit the PDF documents you send for the proposal

Edit your LaTeX or original text documents

Review the scientific merit of your proposal

Choose reviewers to recommend to your proposal

Expedite the NSF review and award notification process

Financial Approx. #s:26 PI w/ Monthly Projections

25 PI w/ Quarterly Projections

116 people eligible to propose in Math Dept.

Financial Administrator receives on average over 300 emails per month (about 10-15 requests per day)

FY15 47 proposals submitted (9 proposals in the span of 4 days)

FY15 Proposal Submissions:NSF:

Analysis, Combinatorics and Computational Math (2 each)

Algebra and Number Theory, Computing and Communications Foundations, CAREER, Fluid Dynamics, Focused Research Groups in Math (FRG), Mathematical Sciences Infrastructure Program, Particulate and Multiphase Processes, Physics of Living Systems (PoLS), Probability (1 each)

Supplement (5)

Conference (3)

Revised Budgets (6)

Topology (6)

Other: (sponsors including AFOSR, NSA, ONR, The Simons Foundation) (12)

Planning your proposal:Make sure to mention every part of the project that requires

funding

Will you need supporting letters?Unfunded collaborators must commit to the project in writingCollaborative visits to other schools should include letters of

invitation

Give yourself adequate time to complete the proposal

Determining the Budget:What will you need to complete your proposed

project?

Resource to help you:• Budget Worksheet (PDF questionnaire)

*Please email your Financial Administrator with the desired budget details and they can generate the needed budget for the proposal. Your confirmation of the final budget will be necessary.

COI (Conflict of Interest):You will receive an automated email once your Financial

Administrator has generated the proposal in KC (Kuali Coeus)

The completion of your COI in KC is required for all proposals and awards

Contact coi-help@mit.edu for COI ?s

Contact for kc-help@mit.edu technical ?s

http://coi.mit.edu

https://coeus.mit.edu/coeus/coi.do?Menu_Id=004

Writing your proposal:For NSF proposals:http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf14001/gpg_index.jsp

Download the NSF proposal template from: http://math.mit.edu/services/grants.html

All other Sponsors, follow solicitation guidelines and/or contact the Financial Administrator

NSF Proposal Documents:The LaTeX NSF templates include:

Project Summary (1 page)

Project Description (15 pages)

References Cited (no limit)

Biographical Sketch (2 pages)

Data Management Plan (1 page)

*the Data Management Plan is not part of the NSF Master File

Project Summary:Must include 3 sections:

Overview

Intellectual Merit

Broader Impacts

Project Description:*those in bold are required sections by NSF

Introduction

Intellectual Merits

Broader Impacts of the Proposed Work

Background

Research Problem(s)

Proposed Approach

Results from Prior NSF Support

Results from Prior NSF Support: If you have no prior NSF support, you must indicate: “The PI has not previously

been supported by the NSF”

If you have prior support currently or in the past 5 years, you must include the following information for the one award most closely related to the proposal:

a. NSF award #, amount and period of supportb. Title of the projectc. Summary of results explained in 2 subsections

• Intellectual Merit of the prior support• Broader Impacts of the prior support

d. Publications resulting from the prior NSF award (if none, PI must state, "No publications were produced under this award”)

e. Evidence of research products (i.e. data, publications, samples, physical collections, software, and models)

f. Description of the relation of the completed work to the proposed work (only if the proposal is for renewed support)

References:• Each reference must include: the names of all authors

(in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.

• Include website(s) (if applicable)

• Follow accepted scholarly practices in providing citations

• If there are no references, send a PDF document that states, "Not Applicable."

Biosketch:Professional Preparation

Appointments (in reverse chronological order)

Products

Synergistic Activities

Collaborators & Other Affiliations Collaborators (for past 48 months) and Co-Editors (for past 24 months) (must

include current organizational affiliations, be in alphabetical order and include the total #)

Graduate Advisors and Postdoctoral Sponsors (must include current organizational affiliations and total #)

Thesis Advisor (all time) and Postgraduate-Scholar Sponsor (for past 5 years) (must include organizational affiliations the total # for all time)

Submission Process:

Math Department Deadline is 2 weeks before the sponsor deadline!*Please note that if an institute holiday falls in that time, it does not count as part of the 2

weeks.

2 days for Financial Administrator and Administrative Officer’s compilation of administrative documents, set-up of proposal in KC and sponsor the site, reviews and corrections

3 days for Dean’s review and corrections

5 days for Office of Sponsored Programs: review, corrections and submission as needed

Contact Information:

Gabrielle Stump Ceriales

Financial Administrator

MIT Math Department

gstump@mit.edu

617-452-2231

Finance Proposal Guide 08/26/2015