We've submitted two or three modular grants and have asked PI's for detailed budgets
to check salaries and the other things that other respondents have listed.  So far
as I can see, this is one of those streamlining devices that streamlines the
sponsor's work but not the applicant's.

Pat Hawk wrote:

>   Hi Jane,
>
>   We out here in Duck Country (Univ. of Oregon) have made an announcement
>   about the availability of modular grants via our office listserve, but
>   haven't worked out how we're going to handle them yet.  We're wrestling
>   with the questions you raise; I'm still not sure how we can avoid asking
>   for a detailed budget for our internal processing.  Seems to me we still
>   have to know if there are graduate students on the budget (tuition
>   remission issue), in addition to other things like subcontracts and
>   equipment.  I think we also need to be assured that the PI has thought
>   about all of his/her costs as a "check" to ensure that the budget matches
>   the technical narrative (I get hung up on the A-110 language that says
>   the budget is the financial expression of a project).  The institution
>   continues to have a responsibility to submit an appropriate application,
>   even if NIH doesn't want an itemized budget.
>
>   This reminds me very much of Phase II of the Federal Demonstration
>   Project when FDP schools were given the expanded authorities that all
>   colleges and universities now enjoy thanks to A-110 revisions (no-cost
>   extensions, rebudgeting, etc.).  These FDP schools still had to have an
>   OPAS/IPAS type system in place to do these things--the difference was
>   that the institution approved them instead of the funding agency.  There
>   was no change in the "paperwork" or process involved at UVa (where I had
>   my FDP experience).  There still had to be a system in place to review
>   and approve those changes, and there still had to be a justification for
>   these actions even though the sponsor didn't care to know about them.
>
>   I'll be interested to hear what others say about this.
>
>   By the way, I think the Scarlett O'Hara method is a great philosophy to
>   follow.  Beats the heck out of the Rhett Butler method.
>
>   Pat Hawk
>   Sponsored Projects Administrator
>   Research Services and Administration 106 Riverfront Research Park
>   voice:  541/346-2504
>   fax:  541/346-5138
>   internet:  xxxxxx@oregon.uoregon.edu
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
> Subject: NIH Modular Grants
> Author:  Research Administration Discussion List <xxxxxx@hrinet.org> at
> GATEWAY
> Date:    1/14/99 12:37 PM
>
> After the next big NIH deadline on February 1, the new era of modular grants
> is upon us.  I'm wondering if any of you have given thought to how you are
> going to handle these, particularly at the proposal end.  Will you required
> detailed budgets or not?  Are you planning on having any special faculty
> awareness programs regarding the modular grants?  Are you planning on
> putting any special procedures into effect for modular grants?  Or, do you
> just want to get through February 1 and think about modular grants later
> (aka the Scarlett O'hara syndrome, of which I am chronically afflected...)?
>
> Admittedly, the NIH Guide announcement was fairly recent, but I was just
> curious if any of you had given this much thought yet.
>
> Hoping all of you in the cold country are staying warm...
>
> Jane
>
> Jane A. Youngers
> Director
> Office of Grants Management
> University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
> 7703 Floyd Curl Drive
> San Antonio TX  78284
> voice:  210-567-2333
> fax: 210-567-2344
> email:  xxxxxx@uthscsa.edu
>
> =============================================================================
>
> =============================================================================

--
Peter J. Dolce, Ph.D., Director
Office of Research Support Services
Meharry Medical College
Nashville, TN  37208
P (615) 327 6703
F (615) 327 6716

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