Sponsored Programs

Sponsored Programs

Services

The Sponsored Programs Office provides services to assist faculty and staff in securing external funds to enhance instruction and provide research opportunities for students, and support innovative and scholarly research and educational development. Services include:

Identification of Funding Sources

If you have a specific research interest or an idea you would like to pursue, the staff will assist you in searching for potential funding sources and help you identify others on or off-campus who might be interested in collaborating.

Grants Search Database:

BHSU subscribes to InfoED SPIN, a funding opportunity database that contains more than 40,000 potential sources of funding. Search from anywhere on campus, or create a profile and save your search parameters to receive alerts via email. 

South Dakota 

Regional 

Federal 

Fellowships 

Private Foundations 

Assistance with preparing applications for funding.

Applications generally have many sections, including a summary and narrative, budget, assurance forms, face pages, etc. The staff will help you organize your proposal and assist you with forms and budgets.

Proposal approvals and submission.

All proposals involving BHSU must be submitted through the Sponsored Programs Office to ensure the proper approvals have been secured. The staff will work with you to submit your proposal online or by mail.

Contract negotiations.

All contracts to BHSU must be routed through the Sponsored Programs Office. A contract to BHSU is only valid if the President or Vice President has signed it. The staff prepares agreements from BHSU, reviews agreements to BHSU, and routes all agreements for signatures. Contracts signed by individual faculty and staff members are only valid if they do not involve BHSU--e.g. a consulting or evaluation agreement with a firm or outside agency that is awarded directly to the faculty or staff member and does not involve BHSU facilities, students, or other resources.

Accounting and invoicing for grant and contract funds.

The Business Office and Post-Award Accounting Office (605.642.6707) establish restricted funds for grants and contracts, and monitor fund activity. Grantees should work closely with the Post-Award Accounting staff regarding grantor or sponsor expectations regarding reporting, invoicing, and other fiscal issues.

Guidance regarding compliance and project/grant management. 

The Sponsored Programs Office helps ensure that faculty and staff who are directing projects comply with all of the requirements of their sponsors and funding agencies, and that institutional policies and procedures also comply. The staff provides ongoing assistance with budget monitoring, project management, and compliance requirements.

Peer review of draft proposals.

At your request, a small panel of volunteer faculty/staff peer reviewers will review your proposal and offer feedback. This is a very effective way to ensure that you have responded clearly to all of the requested information in the RFP or grant announcement and that your proposal can be understood by reviewers from various backgrounds.

For additional information, please contact:

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Sheri Gunderson

Director of Grants

Sheri.Gunderson@BHSU.edu

605.642.6371

Woodburn Hall

Box #Unit 9504

 

South Dakota Board of Regents' Effort Certification Policy: BOR Effort Certification Policy.

Effort Certification Pl Manual -- Each topic on the Table of Contents is linked to the page pertaining to that topic.

Effort Reporting is a critical compliance issue. Signed Effort Reports are considered legal documents in which an individual attests to the accuracy of the effort spent on sponsored projects. Effort reporting is a federally-mandated process by which the salary charged to a sponsored project is certified as being reasonable in relation to the effort expended on that project. Sponsors use these reports to confirm that effort expended by an individual working on the project supported what the sponsor paid.

One of the most common audit findings is that effort reports are certified by individuals with insufficient knowledge of the work performed. Both the Pre-Reviewers (with mandatory review authority) and Certifiers must have direct knowledge and a suitable means of verifying the work performed on the sponsored project.

The responsible employee closest to the effort should certify their own effort reports. However, employees may not always be aware of what project they are working on and from what fund source they are being paid. Therefore, the Pl, or someone authorized by the Pl, will have the option to act as an alternate certifier in place of the employee.

Effort Certification has three stages known as Periods -- the Pre-Review Period, the Certify Period, and the Post-Review Period. Most of the actions taken on effort reports will be during the first two Periods. The Pl will need to approve the effort reports by completing a mandatory review for employees paid on sponsored projects for which they are responsible. Also, they may act as an Alternate Certifier with the optional action of certifying effort reports in place of the employees. Finally, they will need to certify their own effort reports if they were paid on sponsored projects.

It is not recommended that a Pl, or anyone else, act as an Alternate Certifier for other faculty members working on their projects. Faculty members should always make every effort to certify their own effort reports.

Contact information for employee training on performing roles in the effort certification process:

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Karen Williamson

Senior Accountant

Karen.Williamson@BHSU.edu

605.642.6319

Woodburn 203

Box #Unit 9504