External Funding

Start searching for the right funds. If you need help, try the resources listed below or contact Foundation and Corporate Relations (foundation and corporate opportunities) or the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (local, state, and federal government opportunities) and we will help you to find a match. Visit any of the links below to search for funding sources and calls for proposals that may meet your research interests and needs. For assistance with funding searches, contact us.

Funding Databases

• GrantForward
  • The University of the Incarnate Word has subscribed to GrantForward Funding Opportunity Search and Recommendation service, which is open to all members of our institution. We invite you to sign up to use the service to keep your awareness of funding opportunities. GrantForward (see quick overview video) helps you find grant opportunities that suit your research needs with a database of grants from over 12,000 sponsors that is updated daily. You can search for grants by keywords and advanced filters, save your favorite searches for new grant alerts, and save your favorite grants to keep track of them. GrantForward also recommends grants to you based on your CV, past publications and research interests.
• Grants.gov

Your dean or supervisor will need to sign this form, so make sure you've allowed time to meet and discuss the project. If the project includes cost-sharing or any other form of institutional commitment, it is critical that these elements of the proposal are discussed with your supervisor and all necessary institutional officials.

Form

If you need assistance writing the proposal, contact:

Contact - governmental (local, state, federal) funding opportunities

Mark Nijland
Dean of Research and Graduate Support
Phone: (210) 805-3555
E-mail: nijland@uiwtx.edu

OR

Contact - non-government (foundations, companies) funding opportunities

Jon Gillespie
Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations
Phone: (210) 829-3948
E-mail: jong@uiwtx.edu

Make an appointment with the Sponsored Project Coordinator in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies to review your budget and justification. Allow 2 weeks prior to the due date for budgets less than $250,000. For larger budgets allow 3 weeks prior to the submission deadline. This will help you save time later by identifying allowable or unallowable costs in advance. A sample budget template can be used to develop the budget internally, although the sponsor’s budget forms must be used for the final proposal submission.

Contact

Natalia Garcia Luna
Sponsored Projects Coordinator
Phone: (210) 805-3555
E-mail: pre-award@uiwtx.edu

The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a registered organization/institution with eRA Commons.

The eRA Commons is an online interface where signing officials, principal investigators, trainees, and post-docs at institutions/organizations can access and share administrative information relating to research grants with the Department of Health and Human Services. Users can shepherd their application in eRA Commons through the grants lifecycle from receipt to closeout. THIS IS A SERVICE PROVIDED BY NIH.

To do anything in eRA Commons, you will need an account. The Accounts Administrator/Business Official/Signing Official (AA/BO/SO) can register the Principal Investigator (PI) by creating an account with the PI Authority role. When an account is created for a PI, the PI will receive an email to go to the Commons to verify the PI's profile information.

Notes

1. If you are a PI and already have an eRA Commons ID with another institution, complete the form below to request that your ID is affiliated with UIW.
2. New administrative accounts will require a new user ID.
3. Grants.gov is our preferred submission portal when you are submitting a proposal to NIH, HRSA, etc. If the funding opportunity does not list grants.gov among the accepted submission methods, follow the instructions.
4. For instructions relating to grants.gov, open our grants.gov User ID Request section below.

Form

Get ready to submit. Attach your submission packet to a completed Final Grant Proposal Approval Form and submit it for internal routing by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. The form will require signatures from several offices, so please start the process no later than three weeks before your submission deadline.

Form

• Final Grant Proposal Approval Form

• Find funds: GrantForward.com
• Preliminary Approval Form
• Final Grant Proposal Approval Form
• Budget Template
• eRA Commons User ID Request Form

An award to the University from a sponsoring agency is a document that contractually obligates the University. An award may simply take the form of a letter issued by an authorized agent of the sponsor or it may consist of a lengthy contractual document. The UIW President or CFO and Vice President for Administrative Services are authorized to accept and execute contracts on behalf of UIW. Any questions or revisions before the award is accepted will be discussed with the Principal Investigator and the Grants Accounting Office.

Upon acceptance of a new award, the PI/PD is responsible for setting up an appointment to meet with the Grants Accounting Manager in the Grants Accounting Office to discuss all materials related to the new award. A New Account Memorandum will be issued by the Grants Accounting Manager authorizing the accounts necessary to administer the fiscal aspects of the award. No expenditures may be made prior to receiving this New Account Memorandum.

The Grants Accounting Specialist distributes monthly organization status reports to the PI/PD by the 20th of each month. In addition, real-time detailed budget information may be accessed through the Banner system. Please contact the Grants Accounting Staff if you have any questions or need additional information. Project accounts should be reviewed monthly by the PI/PD to ensure expenditures are within the grant guidelines.

Time and Effort Reporting

Time and Effort Reports must be completed for all individuals with grant-funded salaries. These reports must be submitted by the end of each semester to the Grants Accounting Office and must be approved by the supervisor and the PI/PD.

Due dates for time and effort reporting are:

• Summer – Due Aug. 31
• Fall – Due Jan. 31
• Spring – Due May 31

Financial and Technical Reporting

The PI/PD is responsible for regularly monitoring the budget. Every six months, the PI/PD must review all transactions, especially encumbrances and pending invoices, to settle any unpaid expenses.

The Grants Accounting Manager works with the PI/PD to prepare financial reports as required by the grant or contract and files them in a timely manner. Reporting schedules vary by agency; both the PI/PD and the Grants Accounting office will maintain an up-to-date reporting calendar.

Technical, scientific and programmatic reports of project performance are the responsibility of the PI/PD.

Copies of all final reports must be submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. The ORGS will maintain files of final reports for institutional evaluation of sponsored projects activity.

The Grants Accountant or Grants Accounting Manager provides the close-out schedule to the PI/PD. The Grants Accountant reviews grant activity with the PI/PD to ensure that all transactions have been recorded and all invoices have been paid within the project term. For Title IV grants (Financial Aid), the Grants Accounting staff reconciles financial aid, finance and Department of Education records. For other grants and contracts, the Grants Accountant reconciles finance and agency records.

The Grants Accounting Manager prepares the final financial report as required by the grant or contract and files it in a timely manner. In addition, for each grant and contract, expenditures, receivables, cash receipts and agency reports are reconciled. The Grants Accounting staff follows up on final cash draws to ascertain that the University is fully reimbursed or that excess funds are returned.

All employees of the University of the Incarnate Word are held to the highest standards of ethical conduct. Consistent with Section 7.2 of the University of the Incarnate Word Employee Handbook, UIW employees may not have a financial conflict of interest, direct or indirect, in any contract with UIW. Furthermore, federal regulations require investigators engaged in PHS and NSF funded research to disclose the existence of certain financial interests and require the institution to review those disclosures, determine whether any potential conflicts of interest may exist, and establish mechanisms to manage, reduce or eliminate such conflicts of interest.

Each investigator who is planning to participate in PHS, NSF, or other applicable agency funded research must complete and submit to the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Operations (ORSPO) a Significant Financial Interests Disclosure Form (pdf) no later than the time of proposal submission. Each investigator who is participating in PHS, NSF or other applicable agency-funded research must submit an updated Significant Financial Interests Disclosure Form at least annually (two months prior to the annual progress report due date), during the period of the award. Such disclosure shall include any information that was not disclosed initially or in a subsequent disclosure of significant financial interests (e.g., any financial conflict of interest identified on a PHS, NSF or other applicable agency funded project that was transferred from another institution), and shall include updated information regarding any previously disclosed significant interest (e.g., the updated value of a previously disclosed equity interest). Furthermore, each investigator who is participating in PHS, NSF or other applicable agency-funded research must submit an updated disclosure of significant financial interests within 30 days of discovering or acquiring a new significant financial interest. For all other funding agencies that require disclosure of Significant Financial Interests, disclosure shall be in accordance with sponsor requirements.

For more detail and definitions, see the Financial Conflict of Interest in Research Policy (pdf) and Disclosure Form (pdf).

The Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Operations (ORSPO) administers the human research protection program at UIW. The ORSPO provides administrative support to the University of the Incarnate Word’s Human Subjects Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB ensures university compliance with federal, state, local and university regulations with regard to human subjects research. See the IRB website for an overview of the IRB submission process and the UIW IRB Manual (pdf) for a full description of the regulations for the conduct of human subjects research, responsibilities of the principal investigator, and the IRB application and approval process.

Funding proposals for projects involving the use of human subjects are reviewed before submission by the ORSPO to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. IRB approval is usually not required at the time of proposal submission. IRB approval for projects involving human subjects research is usually required before an award can be made and funds can be expended.

The University of the Incarnate Word does not currently have animal research facilities. UIW researchers planning to submit proposals for projects involving the use of vertebrate animals in field or laboratory activities must identify a collaborating institution with the appropriate animal facilities and an active PHS-approved Animal Welfare Assurance. If awarded, an Interinstitutional Assurance will be negotiated with the collaborating institution and the animal work must be reviewed and approved by the institution’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before the award can be accepted and before carrying out any activities involving live vertebrate animals. In this situation, the UIW researcher(s) will conduct the animal activity at the Assured institution (named as a performance site).

Funding proposals for projects involving the use of animals are reviewed before submission by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. All Institutional Assurances for activities involving live vertebrate animals must be coordinated through the ORGS.

The Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management (EHSRM) office manages the university’s laboratory, biological and chemical safety programs. For more information on laboratory safety requirements, training and guidelines, see the EHSRM website.

Funding proposals for projects involving the use of recombinant DNA, potentially hazardous or infectious biological agents, select agents and potentially hazardous chemicals are reviewed before submission by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies and referred to EHSRM to ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

The Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the Department of State’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) prohibit the export of specific unlicensed technologies for reasons of national security or protection of trade.

A project might be subject to export controls if it involves: shipping items internationally; traveling outside the United States; foreign national collaborators; contractual restrictions; proprietary information; military or space related information, technical data, equipment or software; subjects related to nuclear, chemical, biological, weaponry, missiles or unmanned vehicle technologies; encryption technology; or research with select agents or other pathogens.

If University research is controlled under EAR or ITAR, the University may be obligated to obtain a license from the Department of Commerce or the Department of State in order for foreign nationals to participate in the research, research to be conducted in cooperation with a foreign company or foreign colleagues, research equipment to be sent to foreign countries, or research to be shared – either verbally, visually or in writing – with persons who are not United States citizens or permanent resident aliens.

Additionally, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the Treasury Department administers and enforces boycotts against specific countries. The scope of the boycott varies depending on the country and may change from time to time. Full descriptions of all countries currently subject to boycott programs are available here.

The University is responsible for assisting the PI in assessing the application of export control regulations and OFAC boycotts to specific projects; however, the primary responsibility for compliance rests with the PI.

Funding proposals for projects involving export-controlled data, materials and/or equipment are reviewed before submission by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) to ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

Principal Investigators have the responsibility to cooperate with the ORGS to determine the applicability of export controls before starting any research and notifying the ORGS of any change in the scope or staffing of any research project that could alter the determinations about the applicability of export control regulations. Additionally, the PI must notify the ORGS well in advance of sending scientific equipment, including GPS equipment and encrypted software, out of the country. All nondisclosure agreements must be sent to ORGS for review.

All faculty, staff and students engaged in research at UIW are held to the highest standards for ethical conduct and are expected to maintain exemplary standards of intellectual honesty in the formulation, conduct and reporting of research. Responsible conduct of research (RCR) is defined as "the practice of scientific investigation with integrity." It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research. Certain funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, require researchers who are receiving funding to complete responsible conduct of research training.

The University of the Incarnate Word offers training in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) for those involved in research. RCR training includes instruction on Authorship, Collaborative Research, Conflicts of Interest, Data Management, Mentoring, Peer Review and Research Misconduct. RCR training is available to UIW researchers via the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website. Specifically-designed RCR courses are available for Biomedical, Social/Behavioral, Physical Science, Arts and Humanities, and Engineering researchers, as well as Administrators. Recertification is required every three years. More information on UIW CITI training registration can be found on the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) website.

Funding proposals are reviewed before submission by the ORGS to ensure compliance with applicable Responsible Conduct of Research regulations. Upon award, the ORGS communicates RCR training requirements to the PI and monitors compliance with such requirements throughout the award period. If face-to-face training is required by the funding agency, the ORGS is available to provide a tuition-free course on RCR and will maintain records of attendance for reporting purposes.

Misconduct in science means fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or other practices that materially deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the scientific community for proposing, conducting or reporting research. It does not include honest errors or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data. The University has defined procedures for addressing and investigating allegations of misconduct in science, as outlined in the Policy Statement Relating to Misconduct in Science (Appendix 8 of the Faculty Handbook). All persons engaged in research at UIW, including externally funded research, are subject to this policy.

Intellectual property resulting from research supported by a grant or contract with UIW is subject to the University’s Intellectual Property Policy. The Intellectual Property Policy is published in Chapter 14 of the UIW Employee Handbook.

Regulatory Requirements and Research Compliance Resources

• Significant Financial Interests Disclosure Form (pdf)
• Financial Conflict of Interest in Research Policy (pdf)
• IRB Manual (pdf)
• EHSRM website
• Faculty Handbook (pdf)
• Employee Handbook

• Faculty Handbook
• Employee Handbook
• IRB Manual (pdf)
• Financial Conflict of Interest in Research Policy (pdf)
• Technology Purchase and Replacement Policy
• Intellectual Property Policy (chapter 14 in the Employee Handbook)

• Preliminary Approval Form
• Final Grant Proposal Approval Form
• Budget Template
• Significant Financial Interests Disclosure Form (pdf)
• Time and Effort Reporting Form (pdf)
• Cost-Sharing Declaration Form (pdf)
• Subrecipient Project Certification Form (pdf)

• Sponsored Projects Handbook (pdf)

Contact Person

Full life-cycle assistance with:

• Research and Regulatory compliance
• Funding searches
• Internal approvals
• Proposal writing
• Peer review

Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Phone: (210) 805-3555
E-mail: pre-award@uiwtx.edu

Pre-Award assistance with:

• Funding searches
• Proposal writing
• Preparing application for submission

Jon Gillespie
Director
Phone: (210) 829-3948
E-mail: jong@uiwtx.edu

Contact Person

Pre-Award assistance with:

• Budget review
• Explanation of allowable and unallowable costs

Post-Award assistance with:

• Budget management

Olena Kelley
Grants Accounting Manager
Phone: (210) 805-3571
E-mail: okelley@uiwtx.edu