via Email | Laurie P. Chamness, Director | Office of Research & Grants Administration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*CofC policies do apply to external grant funded purchases, personnel hires, travel, etc.* Generally speaking, some kind of CofC form must be filled out *before* you commit to purchasing goods or services, hiring someone, or traveling using grant funds. This will avoid unauthorized procurements, personnel hires, and travel.
*CofC fringe benefit rates have recently changed.* We have posted the new rates on our website at http://www.orga.cofc.edu/admin_cofc_facts-figures-rates.shtml
*Finding sources of grant funding:* To subscribe to our office’s grant opportunity e-mail notification lists, please go to http://www.orga.cofc.edu/subscribe2lists.shtml
*Grant funded Add Pay:* Human Resources requests that paperwork for *all* types of additional pay be processed *before* you begin the work.
*Indirect Cost Rate and Base:* For *new* awards, the College’s Indirect Cost Rate is 40% (on-campus) and 17.1% (off campus) of *Total Direct Costs*, excluding equipment and that portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000. Our old rate and base still apply to supplements to awards and continuations of awards that have a project begin date of June 30, 2006, or earlier.
*Undergraduate student employment that is for research:* Career Services allows undergrad students employed to conduct research to be paid a lump sum, instead of by the hour. (You can also pay temporary employees a lump sum, instead of by the hour.) The advantage of using the lump sum method of payment is that it makes it easier for you to keep track of your grant budget because the amount is encumbered on FRS. When you pay someone by the hour, the amount is *not* encumbered on FRS. The disadvantage of using this method is that the student receives the lump sum regardless of how many hours are actually worked. See the link below for the special Career Services form that must accompany the regular student hire form when the undergrad student is to be paid a lump sum. The description of duties can be very brief. All it has to say is that the payment is for research work. http://www.cofc.edu/~career/lumpsumrequest/index.html
*Grants with foreign components:* If your grant involves any kind of foreign component, please let us know so that we can make sure there are no federal Export Control issues that we need to address. Examples of a foreign component: the project involves a foreign national (including faculty, staff or students), either outside or inside the USA; part of the project takes place outside the USA or involves shipment of materials to a foreign country; the project involves an entity (sponsor, collaborators, consultants, suppliers, etc.) outside the USA.
*For assistance:* Please refer to the Office of Research and Grants Administration website at http://www.orga.cofc.edu/about_orga.shtml or contact Susan Anderson at AndersonS@cofc.edu (953-4973) or Laurie Chamness at ChamnessL@cofc.edu (953-5885).
________________________________________________________________
Laurie P. Chamness, Director
Office of Research & Grants Administration
College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Campus Location: 407-G Bell Bldg.
Voice: 843.953.5885 Fax: 843.953.6577
E-mail: chamnessL@cofc.edu
Internet: http://www.orga.cofc.edu/
