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Frequently Asked Questions

1. How far in advance do I have to submit my grant application to Grants & Contracts?
2. If I have a question, who should my point of contact be at GCA under the new team structure?
3. Is there a way for me to find out the status of my grant or contract online without having to take time away from my GCA Team members?
4. Where can I find NIH applications?
5. How can I save fillable PDF forms? It won't work in Acrobat Reader. Help!
6. How can I find out about NIH Career Development Awards?
7. Do I have to use the new NIH forms? Is it okay to mix the NIH forms?
8. Where can I get the ProSum?
9. Who has to sign the ProSum?
10. Who is the Institutional Official who signs grants?
11. What part of the application needs to be submitted to Grant & Contract Administration?
12. Where can I find information on fringe benefit rates and stipend rates?
13. How long does it take to obtain animal care and human subjects approvals?
14. What is COI?
15. Who is required to take Human Subjects Training?
16. Who processes Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) at Yale University?
17. Who can be a PI (principal investigator) on a grant?
18. What is the difference between a postdoctoral associate and a postdoctoral fellow?
19. Where can I find information and instructions for submitting proposals through Grants.gov?
20. Where can I find information about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at Yale University?

1. How far in advance do I have to submit my application to Grants & Contracts?
   University policy requires 5 (five) working days to review your grant application. There are a large number of applications flowing through our office daily. The five day requirement allows us to review your application properly for compliance and other administrative issues, and allows for time needed to resolve any potential problems.
2. If I have a question, who should my point of contact be at GCA under the new team structure?
   Questions about administrative matters involved in a sponsored program that cannot be readily answered from a basic understanding of policies and regulation, or from consulting the GCA Log, should be directed to the GCA Team Leader or her designee. The Team Leader or designee is responsible for providing guidance on regulatory, policy or administrative measures. Often providing a through answer requires some investigation or internal consultation at GCA. Once an answer is known, the Team Leader or designee will convey the answer to the interested party.
3. Is there a way for me to find out the status of my grant or contract online without having to take time away from my GCA Team members?
   GCA has an electronic log showing the status of all work currently assigned to any of the teams. ITS gives online access to the GCA Log when the Department Business Office approves an individual's request. Interested parties are encouraged to consult the GCA Log before calling or emailing the GCA tam simply to find out the status of their proposal or award. Refer to our GCA Log Instructions and Form to Request Access to the Log, for more information.
4. Where can I find NIH applications?
   NIH applications are available from the NIH site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm as always. But, you might just want to stop in at the Forms page of our Grant & Contract Administration website at http://www.yale.edu/grants/forms/ for forms that already have standard Yale information inserted.
5. How can I save fillable PDF forms? It won't work in Acrobat Reader. Help!
   Please see your department’s business manager for a copy of the current version of Adobe Acrobat. Copies can be obtained through the ITS Computing and Media Center located at SHM I-E90 at a very reasonable price. (http://www.yale.edu/its/help/cmc.html)
6. How can I find out about NIH Career Development Awards?
   Go to the K Kiosk for a list and description of all Career Development awards. http://grants.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm
7. Do I have to use the current NIH forms?
   The current forms (rev. 11/07) are required. Applications using older forms will be returned.
8. Where can I get the ProSum?
   The Proposal Summary & Certification Form are available at: http://www.yale.edu/grants/forms/docs/ProposalSummaryandCertificationForm.xls
9. Who has to sign the ProSum?
   Your Department Chair, Department Business Administrator, and the Business Administrators of any departments with which collaborators are attached if those collaborators are providing effort under the grant application.
10. Who is the Institutional Official who signs grants?
    Your department's Grant & Contract Manager, Grant & Contract Administration
11. What part of the application needs to be submitted to Grant & Contract Administration?
    All administrative pages, budgets, other support, an abstract, bios, etc. and a draft of the science are required for "sign-off."
12. Where can I find information on fringe benefit rates and stipend rates?
    Please contact your department's business administrator for current rates.
13. How long does it take to obtain animal care and human subjects approvals?
    Typically, this can take several months. Please check directly with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at http://iacuc.yale.edu and the YSM Human Investigation Committee (HIC) at http://info.med.yale.edu/hic/ or the Yale Human Subjects Committee (HSC) at http://www.yale.edu/hsc/ for procedures to obtain approval and an estimated time for approval.
14. What is COI?
    COI is the acronym for Conflict of Interest. Yale University requires annual disclosure of Conflict of Interest. This must be in place and current before any award can be activated at Yale. See: http://www.yale.edu/provost/html/coi.html for policy and disclosure statements.
15. Who is required to take Human Subjects Training?
    All key personnel involved with the conduct or design of research involving human subjects. Please go to the following links for additional information: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs_educ_faq.htm
    Training Management System (TMS), click on Human Subjects Training
16. Who processes MTAs at Yale University?
    Incoming MTAs and Outgoing MTAs to academic and non-profit institutions are negotiated and signed by the Grant & Contract Administration (GCA) Office. Complete information and forms required for Material Transfers are available at: http://www.yale.edu/grants/mta/.
17. Who can be a PI (principal investigator) on a grant?
    Per the Faculty Handbook, a principal investigator on a grant must be employed full-time by the University and hold an appointment as assistant professor, associate professor, professor, research scientist/scholar, or senior research scientist/scholar. Exceptions require approval of the Provost, or where appropriate, the dean of the relevant professional school. (In some cases, the Provost or dean may delegate approval to the department chair.) See: Faculty Handbook, item X.B.1.f. at: http://www.yale.edu/provost/handbook/handbook_x__university_policies
    _concerni.html#T3
    See: PI Exemption ~ Review of Proposals from Individuals Who Require Special Approval to Serve as PI (including form) at: http://www.yale.edu/grants/forms/docs/PI-exemption.doc
18. What is the difference between a Postdoctoral Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow?
    The primary difference is that Postdoctoral Associates are funded internally while Postdoctoral Fellows are funded with external funds.
19. Where can I find information and instructions for submitting proposals through Grants.gov?
    Grants & Contracts has posted a user-friendly site addressing Grants.gov procedures and training at: http://www.yale.edu/grants/grantsdotgov/.
20. Where can I find information about the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act at Yale University?
    The Office of Grant and Contract Administration has created a webpage at http://www.yale.edu/grants/funding_info/ARRA.html which is entirely devoted to the ARRA of 2009. As information becomes available about implementation of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), it is posted to the "ARRA" webpage.