Re: HRSA Training Grants & Cost Sharing Sandra Nordahl 09 Dec 2004 09:33 EST
Rick, Once the cost sharing is "offered up", it must be documented. Also, you need to ensure that they are not using the same cost sharing again. I will defer to someone who is an expert regarding the F & A implications. Sandra M. Nordahl, CRA Manager, Sponsored Research Administration San Diego State University Foundation 5250 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-1934 619.594.4172 (voice) 619.582.9164 (fax) e-mail: xxxxxx@foundation.sdsu.edu -----Original Message----- From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On Behalf Of Smiley, Rick Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 7:58 AM To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG Subject: [RESADM-L] HRSA Training Grants & Cost Sharing I have encountered an issue into which I would like some insight. We submit training grant proposals to HRSA from the Schools in our Medical Sciences Division. In these proposals, our PIs regularly include large amounts of detailed "In-Kind Contributions" in the narrative (mostly the salaries of teaching and clinical faculty). These add up to large sums - over $250,000 in the most recent proposal. Our investigators do this in close consultation with HRSA program officers and feel strongly that HRSA expects to see this sort of detail in the proposal. It must be noted that these Schools have been very successful in winning these grants, so they are clearly doing a great many things right and well. The investigators also argue strongly that HRSA does not consider these representations to constitute committed cost-sharing and note that the program guidance specifically states that cost-sharing is not required (they recognize that the latter statement does not prove the former). Rather, they argue that HRSA wishes to see the level of institutional resources available to the program, while not requiring they be dedicated solely to the grant objectives. The firm assertions that these resources will be provided, coupled with the detail in which they are listed, raises a red flag here in OSP - this seems to us to be indistinguishable from committed cost sharing. Regardless of what HRSA may think or say, we think an auditor would be expecting, based upon any number of rationales, effort reporting and other documentation of the expenditures so boldly detailed in the proposal. We will skip the implications of this amount of voluntary cost sharing for our F&A negotiations. Our PI notes that she has attempted to raise this issue in off-campus professional meetings and has found no other University where OSP considers this an issue (with regard to HRSA training grants). Does anyone have any insight into this? I am especially interested in anyone with experience with HRSA training grants specifically. Riddick S. Smiley Grant & Contract Officer Office of Sponsored Programs Greenville Centre, Rm 2906 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353 (252) 328-9539 office (252) 328-4363 fax xxxxxx@mail.ecu.edu http://www.research2.ecu.edu/osp/ ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ====================================================================== ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================