Services
The Grants Development Office (GDO) is responsible for coordinating all campus
activity related to externally funded grants and contracts. Its mission is to assist the faculty and staff of California Polytechnic State University in every way possible to successfully pursue external grant and
contract support for research, creative activity, professional development,
instructional programs, and other special initiatives sanctioned by the
University. GDO assistance is
available for all phases of grant development including sponsor search; project
design; writing; campus approval; production, mailing and follow-up; contract
negotiation; and post-award liaison.
A resource library, containing source books on funding and handbooks on proposal
writing is available for faculty and staff reference.
The Office periodically presents general interest grant
development workshops and will provide special seminars for departments and
colleges by arrangement.
A series
of informational materials on various aspects of external grant development has
been prepared by GDO specifically for Cal Poly faculty and is available in the
Office.
The Grants Development Office maintains up-to-date files on funding opportunities
for research, curriculum development, and other sponsored activities.
Information is maintained on federal and state agencies and on private
and corporate foundations. Current
application forms for most major sponsors and fellowship programs are also
available or will be obtained by GDO as necessary.
The Office provides interpretation of guidelines and/or obtains
clarification from funding agencies as necessary. GDO also provides guidance and advice to faculty on planning approaches
to professional development and appropriate grant programs for initiating and
continuing their research efforts.
Notices are posted on the Grants Development Office website. Posted notices include:
- News about federal and state appropriations for research and grant programs,
- News about other grant related activities or events,
- Deadlines of current grant programs or requests for proposals,
- Tips on proposal writing and grant development strategy,
- A forum to discuss matters affecting research and sponsored project development at Cal Poly.
A
Faculty Interest Database is maintained in which research and creative activity
interests submitted by individual faculty are sorted by area, subject, and
academic discipline. The Grants
Development Office receives and reviews a number of newsletters and other
publications, including the Federal Register, for information on grant
deadlines. Faculty participating in
the database are alerted to opportunities in their fields through e-mail,
personal memos or telephone calls.
The
GDO provides assistance to individual faculty and interdisciplinary teams in the
identification of potential sponsors for specific projects, in developing
appropriate concept statements and proposals for presentation to such sponsors,
and in facilitating communication linkages with funding agency program officers.
Once
a sponsor has been selected and a proposal has been drafted, the Office reviews
the proposal and makes suggestions, as needed, regarding style, structure,
format, presentation and adherence to guidelines. GDO may, as appropriate, coordinate the writing of
interdisciplinary proposals on behalf of faculty and administrators. The GDO assists in the development of project budgets; provides
capability and background statements on University resources, faculty, history
of activities in a given field, and other standard University background
materials often required by sponsors; and prepares all institutional forms and
certifications to meet federal and state requirements.
The
Grants Development Office works with the principal investigator and the Office
of Research and Graduate Studies to secure human subjects or animal care and use
committee approval when necessary.
The
Grants Development Office is the campus clearinghouse for all sponsored
projects, whether generated through proposals or direct grants. The Office provides full logistical support in the final preparation,
review and submission of proposals to meet sponsor deadlines. When a proposal is ready to be sent off campus, the GDO approves the
proposal for format, budget, and sponsor requirements and coordinates the
required presubmission institutional review and approval of the proposal by
University and Foundation administrators. Institutional
review of direct contracts and awards is also coordinated by the GDO prior to
establishment of an account by the Foundation or the University business office.
The
Grants Development Office develops and maintains model research agreements for
various types of projects as well as contract "boilerplate" for use in
negotiation of sponsor agreements. When
an award is made, the Cal Poly Foundation Sponsored Programs Department usually
provides post-award administration, although some projects are administered by
University Accounting.The GDO
coordinates pre-award contract negotiation in consultation with the Sponsored
Programs Department or Business Affairs. The Grants Development Office maintains continuing liaison
with the post-award offices on sponsored projects to provide assistance as
needed in resolving post-award problems. The
stages and relationships in the sponsored project development process are
illustrated in Attachment B.
The
Grants Development Office is located in building 38, room 152; telephone 805-756-2982.