Grant Preparation and Support
Submitting a proposal is an investment in a scholar’s development and advancement. In today’s electronic world, having a compelling narrative is just part of the process; you also must be able to navigate the Vanderbilt and funding agency systems. Each submission begins with an initial meeting with Dr. Piano and her grants team.
Funding opportunities and research policy updates are available at the VUMC VICTR site, RDS, etc. Researchers should join relevant mailing lists in their areas of study. For assistance, please contact Mariann R. Piano.
Upon notification of the grant award, the investigator should contact Gay Nell Krauss, who will ensure fiscal oversight and compliance with VU and funding agency guidelines.
Resources
In preparation of submitting proposals and applying for grants, the following resources may also be useful:
CRDS team members can help researchers in their proposal submission process by:
- Reviewing proposal guidelines to ensure compliance
- Non-Fellowship BioSketch Template
- Fellowship BioSketch Template
- Vanderbilt Facilities Boilerplate
- Assisting with budget planning
- IRB application guidance
- Coordinating with the Vanderbilt University Office of Sponsored Programs Administration.
CRDS team members can assist researchers with their award setup, management, and closeout by:
- Coordinating with the VU Finance Department for award allocation.
- Assisting with project-specific award management requirements such as financial reporting and invoicing.
- Reviewing and reconciling all project expenditures and encumbrances on a monthly and/or quarterly basis.
- Advising and assisting the PI in fulfilling the departmental award closeout requirements.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Gay Nell Krauss.
CRDS team members can help conduct literature searches to review existing literature regarding your topic.
If you have questions, please contact Daien Sanchez.
A consultation for data analysis for an ongoing project, proposal, or application can be arranged by contacting Mary Dietrich.
When deciding how to collect and measure data, CRDS team members can assist our researchers by:
- Providing survey design consultations
- Providing assistance database development and management
- Troubleshooting design issues
If you have any questions, please contact Mary Dietrich.
CRDS team members can provide:
- Consultations during proposal development to determine RA needs
- Assistance with RA hiring
- Scheduling of available staff to support research activities - Note that CRDS does not employ a cadre of research assistants available for data collection, subject enrollment, etc.
If you have any questions, please contact Gay Nell Krauss.
All grant related purchases for equipment or lab supplies should be handled by the Principal Investigator’s support person. If that person is unavailable, please contact Gay Nell Krauss.
The Professional Services Agreement (PSA) is used as a "Blanket Agreement" to contract with a consultant for a specific period of time. The following documents are approved for use by the VU Finance office.
- Professional Services Agreement (PSA) Checklist Updated 12/1/2021
- Professional Services Reference Guide (Reference of information that may be required further down the line) Updated 11/2019
- Professional Services vs Skilled Trades Matrix (Reference for what is and is not considered a professional service) Updated 10/18/19
- VU Professional Services Agreement (PSA) (Required if $5,000 or more) Updated 11/2019
- PSA Schedule A (Required for all professional services requisitions) Updated 11/2019
- Conflict of Interest (COI) Statement (Required if the VU PSA is not used) Updated 11/2019
- Location of Services Statement (Required whenever any portion of the services are performed outside the United States) Updated 10/18/19
- VU Protection of Minors (Required contract addendum when the contractor’s work requires interaction with minors)
- IRS W-9 Form (Required if contractor is U.S. based) Updated 10/18/19
- IRS W-8BEN Form (Required if contractor is a foreign entity) Updated 10/18/19
- IRS W-8BEN-E Form (Required if contactor is a foreign individual) Updated 10/18/19
- PSA Supplier Invoice Instructions Updated 12/19
If you have any questions about the PSA process, please contact Daien Sanchez.
All travel requests for research-related funds must be in compliance with the VU Travel Policy and VUSN Travel Guidelines.
- Prior to booking travel, you must complete and submit the VUSN Travel Authorization Form to Gay Nell Krauss for approval.
- Upon receiving approval for travel and the notification of the amount of travel support, you may proceed with booking your airfare and hotel accommodations through Concur. If there is block of rooms with a conference rate, book your hotel and then contact World Travel so that they can upload this into your expense report.
- Once travel is completed, you must log in to Oracle to submit your travel expense report for reimbursement.
- Travel Expense Report Checklist Updated 8/2022 - please download prior to filling out
- VUSN Guest Travel Authorization Form Updated 8/2022 - please download prior to filling out
If you have questions about this process, please contact Gay Nell Krauss.
