Mike,

Two years or so ago, I did a survey which I will be glad to share, but it is
dated, and the figures are all over the map. There is no way to figure an
average or customary split. The categories of organizational units which
recover include: PI, program, department, college or division, dean, R&D
fund/internal grant program, VP Research/VP Academic Affairs/Provost, VP
Finance, President.

There is something you might want to consider outside of your percentage
conversation if you haven't already. If you are returning F&A (federal)
dollars, they cannot be used as match for federal dollars. If F&A recovery
goes into the pot and is used to cover facilities costs, and the institution
uses its own funds to establish a research and development account, then
these dollars could be used to match federal grants.

The amount of this fund could be determined by the amount of F&A dollars
recovered the prior year. The reason for basing the internal account on F&A
dollars would be to provide an incentive and to "justify," internally, the
appropriate level of internal support for grant activities. In some way,
this feels like activity = support.  Also, F&A dollars are relatively
flexible in their use. The finance people love to retain control of them for
that reason. You may have less of a struggle (it is counter-intuitive, I
know) getting them to agree to use institutional funds than you may have in
getting them to give up F&A recovery.

Here, the VP Academic Affairs receives 50% of the amount recovered through
F&A in the prior year. He splits that 50%/50% with the dean in the
generating division. The deans use those funds to support grant activities
at their discretion.

At 04:30 PM 3/19/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Listserv members,
>
>Are there any institutions that have a mechanism in place for ensuring
>distribution of administrative support dollars on federal grants based on
>indirect cost recovery? If so, how does it work?
>
>Mike Luczak
>Grants Administrator
>Research Administration - HSC
>xxxxxx@wpogate.slu.edu
>Phone:  314-577-8108
>Fax:  314-268-5551
>
>