Budgets
Budget Justification
General
MRG
Resubmissions
Post-Award
Budgets
Does the Biotechnology Center allow facilities or equipment use as part of the match?
The Biotechnology Center does not allow facilities or equipment to be used as part of the match for a proposal, except for the Faculty Recruitment Grant (FRG) in which case only newly purchased equipment to be placed in the new recruit’s lab space is allowable towards the match.
How do I calculate how much match I have to put into the budget?
The required match amount is a percentage of the amount requested. For example, if the maximum grant award is $250,000 and the program requires a 10% match, you may request $250,000 and must have an additional $25,000 for the match for a total of $275,000.
Do I need to request the full grant amount?
No, the amounts shown are the maximum you may request for each grant. If you don’t need the full amount or are only able to get a smaller match, then you can request a lesser amount.
Does the university’s contribution toward PI salary count as matching funds?
No. The Center does not allow any faculty salary to be used for matching funds. However, salaries for Post-docs or Technicians can be used toward matching funds.
Can graduate student salaries be used as matching funds?
It depends on the program. Graduate student salaries can only be used as a match for the Multidisciplinary Research Grant (MRG) Program.
What is meant by “percent effort” on the budget form?
Enter the amount (percent) of work time that will be devoted to the project. If you have questions on this we encourage you to contact your sponsored programs office for assistance. “Percent effort” has a very specific meaning according to federal regulations and/or university policies. Universities have to document what’s called “certification of effort” on all federal funding.
Can I request funds for PI salary?
Yes, but faculty salary from the university can not be used as a match.
How do I list supplies that cost over $5,000?
Supplies should be listed in categories that cost no more than $5,000. For example, if you have $6,000 in “tissue culture supplies” you can break it down into broad subcategories such as media and, plastics, or further into syringes, centrifuge tubes, etc. It is not necessary to list every item.
I have a 2-year Collaborative Funding Grant (CFG) and want to apply for a 3rd year. What is the procedure?
You may only apply for a 3rd year of funding if it was indicated in the original proposal. You need to contact Ginny DeLuca, Core Programs Director at (919) 549-8842 or virginia_deluca@ncbiotech.org at least 6 months before the end of your initial award period.
Could DOD/NIH funds for staff salaries be counted as matching funds, or should matching funds be provided by the university?
Matching funds must be provided by the university.
Can I use grant money to pay for a graduate student’s tuition?
On grant programs that allow support for graduate students, funds can be used towards salary support for graduate students but not for tuition.
Budget Justification
What information is required in the budget justification?
Include how the funds will be used for specific research. Do not just provide a detailed list of supplies. See example below.
Budget Justification Example
Year 1, Personnel:
$11,500 - PI-1: Covers one course release during the first year and one month of summer salary. This will allow for more time to focus on coordinating the project and working with students in the lab.
$12,700 - Co-PI-2: Covers one course release during the first year as well as one month of summer salary. This will allow for more time to focus on performing experiments, manage the project, and working with students in the lab.
$30,500 - Technician: Covers salary for technician necessary for field planting, data collection, sample preparation, pollinator management, and statistical analysis of results.
$19,000 - Graduate student: This competitive stipend will allow recruitment of an outstanding student for this project. This is an excellent opportunity for a student to work on a project involving the areas of biology, genetics, and chemistry.
Year 1, Equipment:
$1,750 - Analytical balance: Balance with 0.01 mg precision is required for precise quantitative analysis of plant alkaloids.
We are requesting funding to increase the efficiency and sample throughput capacity of the lab to accomplish the proposed aims within the grant period. To maintain work continuity and efficiency to minimize the risk of sample loss or contamination, most of the necessary equipment for rapid PCR and DNA sequencing must be present within one primary lab space:
- $9,500 - Thermal cycler: This will be more rapid than our current machine, and will increase the efficiency and sample throughput capacity of the lab.
- $9,500 - Benchtop centrifuge and rotors: This is needed to accommodate up to 30 microcentrifuge tubes or 96-well sample plates.
- $17,000 - Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer: Digital visualization and documentation system for purity and quantification analysis of PCR product; determine consistency among samples; faster and eliminates need for agarose gel electrophoresis of PCR product.
- $5,985 - Sample concentrator needed to prepare samples for electrophoresis on Genetic Analyzer.
- $2.500 - Autosampler that allows for good reproducibility of injections, reducing error and improving precision.
Year 1, Supplies and Travel:
Lab reagents are requested to perform DNA extraction, PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of three regions. Funds have been requested for enough reagents to generate the following number of DNA sequences: 20 populations, 3 individuals each, 3 markers, 2 primers per marker = 360 sequences.
The required reagents and consumables include:
- $1,250 - DNA extraction & PCR plastic sample tubes and pipette tips, Taq DNA polymerase, primers, nucleotides, buffer, adjuvants, QiaQuick PCR purification kit (Qiagen).
- $4,600 - Sequencing plastic tubes & tips, primers, Big Dye® Terminator v3.1 Cycle Sequencing Kit (Applied Biosystems), sequence purification chemicals, and Genetic Analyzer electrophoresis consumables.
Supplies required for analytical HPLC:
- $112 - HPLC solvents: 16 LHPLC-grade acetonitrile.
- $1,000 - HPLC columns: The column is required for the analytical method for quantification of plant compounds. These funds will buy two columns, with one as backup in case severe column contamination occurs.
- $2,000 - Chromatography standards: for best results, standards for all analytes must be analyzed to determine instrument response. We are planning on analyzing at least 10 different compounds.
- $6,200 - Travel: includes allowances for each collaborator to attend a meeting, funds for sample collection trips to distant locations, funds for quarterly meeting travel.
Year 2, Personnel: etc.
General
Is it OK to use an out-of-state contractor for part of the work?
It depends; if there is not an available in-state source of the work and it is well-justified in the proposal and the budget then it may be reviewed positively. However, proposals that do not justify out-of-state work will be unfavorably reviewed.
Can someone with a fixed-term full-time appointment qualify to serve as PI?
Yes, anyone holding a full-time permanent position at a university or non-profit organization can qualify. However, visiting professors are not eligible.
My project has a large clinical component – does it qualify for your grant programs?
The Center does not fund “clinical work,” however, if the research uses patients to collect preliminary data and does not report any diagnostic results directly to patients it may be appropriate for our funding programs.
I have a project to develop a new instrument that will be of value in molecular biology research. Which program is most appropriate?
Although projects such as this have excellent scientific merit and commercial opportunity, the Center does not have any programs for the development of new instrumentation.
What if my PDF file is greater than 1MB – would you still accept it?
This is a technical limit of the system. The file can be no larger than 1 MB. If your file is too large, you will have to make it smaller by eliminating or reducing some graphics, etc.
Where can I find information about proposals funded by the Biotechnology Center?
This information can be found in the Annual Report on page 12 on our Web site at www.ncbiotech.org/about_us/annual_reports/07_annual_report.pdf
What are you looking for in a timeline diagram?
There are many ways to do a timeline diagram – you may use a bar graph, a line diagram, a table, etc. Here are a couple of examples:
MRG
If the research team has worked together on previous projects, can we still apply for a Multidisciplinary Research Grant (MRG)?
If the research team has more than one publication, applied for a federal grant together, or is an otherwise established relationship, then they may not apply for the MRG. This program is designed to foster new relationships.
The Multidisciplinary Research Grant (MRG) program requires equal effort from the PIs – what does this mean?
This means that the research contribution from each of the 3 or more disciplines making up the project must be equal in significance. We also expect that the PIs labs will contribute approximately equal time, but it does not need to be exact.
The Multidisciplinary Research Grant (MRG) program requires that all PIs and significant contributors be listed on the budget sheet. What do I put in the column for “Amount available from other sources?”
This column should be left blank since PI salaries are not an allowable match. However, funds can be requested. If no funds are requested, this column should also be left blank, but the names should still be listed.
Resubmissions
I have been invited to resubmit. Where does my response addressing the reviewer comments go in the proposal? Does it count in the page limitation?
The response should go at the beginning of the proposal and each comment/concern should be addressed directly. The response does not count as part of the page limitation, however, it should still be concise and clearly written and submitted as part of the proposal document.
Post-Award
I was notified that I have received funding and I have a question about the award. Whom should I contact?
Contact the NC Biotechnology Center’s Contracts and Grants Office at (919) 549-8846 or joan_pifer@ncbiotech.org.
I have received an award with contingencies. Where do I send my response?
Responses should be sent to the Biotechnology Center’s Contracts and Grants Office at (919) 549-8846 or joan_pifer@ncbiotech.org.
I have been notified by phone of an IDG award and have a time-sensitive quote for a piece of equipment. Can I order it right away?
No. You must first receive the official letter from NC Biotechnology Center’s Contracts and Grants. Once you receive the letter you can order the equipment. Funds are released as a reimbursement and require the receipt to be submitted to NCBC Contracts and Grants.