We are an undergraduate teaching institution.  Faculty teach a full
twelve units each of three academic quarters per nine month academic
year.  Faculty must be bought out of their teaching responsibilities to
participate in research, since no University funding is provided for
their undertaking these activities.

My question relates to the maximum allowable buyout of of an
individual's time for work on research supported by federal sponsors.  I
am particularly interested in a combination of projects that are funded
by NSF and NASA.

The NSF 00-2 (page 10) says "NSF recognizes that salaries of faculty
members and other personnel associated directly with the project
constitute appropriate direct costs and may be requested in proportion
to the effort devoted to the project."  It goes on to say that grant
funds may not be used to augment the total salary or rate of salary of
faculty members during the period of the appointment or to reimburse
faculty members for consulting or other time in addition to a regular
full-time organizational salary covering the same general period of
employment.  Am I correct in interpreting this to say that it is OK
for a faculty to be bought out of a maximum of up to 100% of their
academic year teaching assignment on the aggregate of FEDERALLY
sponsored projects?  or NSF projects only?

NSF will pay up to 2 months Summer on the aggregate of all NSF projects.
Can the 3rd summer month be bought out by NASA?  What if I throw
corporate funds into the mix?  Can they be used for "added compensation"
over and above the agency academic year buyout?  What about Summer?

Does NASA have a maximum for the amount of time faculty can be
released from their teaching load or Summer effort to work on NASA
projects?

Thanks as always for your expertise!

Sharon

Sharon Kuhlenschmidt
Grants Development Analyst
Building 38 Room 152
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
(805) 756-5963
fax:  805/ 756-5466
e-mail:   xxxxxx@calpoly.edu

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