Winona -

I work in a department, not a central OSP, and read about 250 proposals
a year. I'm not looking for science (though I've learned much) I'm
looking for

1) Compliance - Animal Care, Human Subjects, Radiation, Biosafety. Have
they done their applications, etc...

2) Cost Sharing/Match - What are they committing us to, and what are
they claiming they'll get as in-kind support. It's saved our bacon a
time or two.

3) Major equipment purchases - Usually not that big of a deal, since we
tend to buy expensive equipment and then throw it off the boat. But . .
. I had a faculty member slip in a new muffle furnace in a proposal
(luckily before I started reviewing). The proposal was funded, he
ordered the muffle furnace, and then told our facilities people that
they needed to figure out how to install it. What a fiasco!

4) Connections to make. Since I read their work, I know who is doing
what, and have actually successfully hooked some of our faculty up when
they were doing similar science, but didn't realize it. If I can help
them collaborate and make contacts, that's great!

5) Following agency guidelines, and I'm a glorified copy editor too. To
quote one of my faculty "You have to let the author's voice speak, even
when he's mumbling".

Most of the other that I can think of is really compliance related -
restrictions on citizenship of participants, IP issues, etc.

In my experience on both sides -- pre and post award -- if you don't
have someone reviewing the proposals, you end up with a bucketload of
trouble when/if they get funded. If nothing else, appeal to their ego -
this proposal represents them and the organization. Wouldn't they feel
better if it had a quick check to make sure that nothing egregiously
obvious and embarrassing is in it?

Tania

--
 Accountability and accounting are not the same thing

Tania H. Clucas, CRA                      mailto:xxxxxx@sfos.uaf.edu
Sponsored Programs Manager                       Voice 907.474.6736
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences           Fax   907.474.7204
University of Alaska Fairbanks              http://www.sfos.uaf.edu

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