CALS Contracts & Grants: Pre-Award

Our team consists of five Proposal Consultants and a Program Specialist overseen by our Pre-Award Manager (Pre-AM). Our Proposal Consultants work with our PIs to prepare their proposals for submission. Annually, this team submits approximately 800-1,000 proposals. Our Program Specialist is responsible for handling commodities as well as various administrative tasks.

Each consultant manages their own group of department faculty and establishes timelines to ensure timely follow-up and submission of proposals through the University and Sponsors’ systems. The Pre-Award Consultants can act independently in making decisions and authorizing actions such as contacting the sponsor for proposal clarification or providing post-submission award materials, e.g., revised budget, IRB, or IACUC approval letters.

• View the Pre-Award Team organizational structure
• View the Pre-Award Team staff directory
• To view which of our team members are assigned to your department or OUC please view the CALS Contacts by Department Spreadsheet

Overview

In collaboration with NCARS, NC Cooperative Extension and CALS Research Committee, the CALS EHRA Non-Faculty PI and Co-PI Eligibility Guide has been created to provide eligibility guidelines for those EHRA Non-Faculty individuals, who do not fall within the University’s “Research Matrix”, to become Co-PI and PIs on sponsored projects (ledger 5 projects). Please note for those individuals who fall within the Research Matrix, that will continue to be utilized as part of Co-PI and PI requests. 

For those individuals who meet the requirements of the new EHRA-Non-Faculty guide or the Research Matrix, the process starts with the supervisor of the individual reaching out to either the Department Head or District Director, with the individual’s CV and recommendation of a Co-PI or PI role. Please note, typically an Non-EHRA individual will need to be in a Co-PI role prior to moving into a PI role. If approved, the Department Head or District Director would forward the request to cals_preaward@ncsu.edu. CALS C&G will then work with NCARS or NC Cooperative Extension on the request. If approved, the request will be forwarded to SPARCS for final approval. If you have any questions, please reach out to cals_preaward@ncsu.edu.

Resources:

• CALS EHRA Non-Faculty PI and Co-PI Eligibility Guide
• EPA Non-Faculty Job Level Matrix – Research Practitioners and Project Managers

Where to Start

Twenty & Five Policy

Review the CALS Contracts & Grants Pre-Award Twenty & Five Policy. This policy defines the roles of and mutual expectations for PIs and CALS Pre-Award staff during the proposal development and submission process. A short overview video of the policy is also available.

Additional Resources for Getting Started:

• CALS Proposal Developer: Assists CALS faculty with proposal planning and development in conjunction with CALS C&G Pre Award Team.
• Proposal Development Unit: As part of the University’s Research Development Office, this unit enables NC State faculty to pursue transformative, cutting-edge research through proactive planning, facilitation, proposal development, and training. Please visit their webpage for assistance with large proposals and resources.
• CALS Grant Submissions Workshop: This workshop recording provides information about proposal development and grant submissions in CALS.

Submitting a Proposal

Requirements

The first step in working with the Pre-Award Office is to initiate the routing of a Project Information Navigation System or PINS record. The PreAC will set up a kick-off meeting to discuss the proposal and set deadlines per the CALS 20 & 5 policy if the proposals fall under the Green or Yellow Zone.

Workflow

Proposal Lifecycle

Video: Lifecycle of an Award at NC State (NC State Research Administration Education)

Submission Resources

• CALS Budget Justification Template 
• CALS Internal Budget Template
• Commodity Proposal and Budget Form
• Commodity Proposal Instructions
• Commodity Progress Reports & Impact Statement Form
• Commodity Progress Report Instructions
  

Project Information Navigation System (PINS)
PINS is an electronic system used to track proposal data and to verify approvals from all faculty and administrators involved in submitting a particular proposal. The use of the PINS system is a required part of the submission process for all proposals submitted by all university faculty.

• PINS Help Guide

Research Enterprise Data (RED)
University database system for monitoring and recording all submitted proposals and award actions. In addition, this 13 system provides standardized reports and users can run queries on sponsored activity.

In the PINS System, a variety of tasks can be performed including creating a new PINS record; searching proposals; accessing your proposal; checking the status of the proposal; creating a supplement, continuation, or revised proposal, and approving proposals. This guide will help you navigate the PINS system and perform these various functions.

• Download the PINS Help Guide
• PI Instructions to clone a PINS

CALS Proposal Developer
Assists CALS faculty with proposal planning and development in conjunction with CALS C&G Pre Award Team.

Sponsored Programs And Regulatory Compliance (SPARCS)
The University office guides researchers and research staff through the proposal and award process, including subawards (both out-going and in-coming), testing/fabrication agreements, grant agreements, and industry agreements. SPARCS provides education and resources to help you maintain research compliance.

University Contracts & Grants
The Office of Contracts and Grants is responsible for the Post-Award administration of contracts and grants awarded to NC State University, including all financial reporting, financial administration, effort reporting, and financial regulation compliance.

• Training Reference Guides
  

National Science Foundation (NSF)

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Account Creation for PIs
• PIs: Initiating a New Proposal & Sharing Access in Research.gov
  

• CALS Grant Submissions Workshop Recording
• PINS Help Guide
• Pre-Award Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Quick Reference Guide: Testing Service Agreements (TSA)

• CALS Financial Roles Defined
• Financial Roles and Descriptions (University’s Guide)

Research Education Intranet: A comprehensive resource that provides links to in-person training sessions, eLearning, and webinars.

• Find Funding
• Industry-Funded Research Overview training eLearning
• Request for Proposals eLearning
• NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Panel Discussion
• Research Support
• Proposal Development Unit 
• PI Investigator Eligibility and Standing
• NC State ID Numbers and References
•  Using SciENcv and ORCID to Create your Biosketch
• Proposal Budget Development
• Calculating Total Federal Awarded Funds (TFFA)
• Developing Compelling Budget Justifications
• Equipment and Fabricated Equipment Q&A
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Submission Best Practices
• Participant Support Costs

• PI Portal Overview
• Research Process Overview
• Uniform Guidance Certification Training for Principal Investigators