Research Development The Research Development office partners with faculty to accomplish the following objectives: -Develop and maintain sponsored agency relations -Strategic proposal development, including team meetings and formation of collaborative initiatives -Submission of proposals to sponsored agencies on behalf of the University -Receipt, review and acceptance of sponsored agreements, grants and contracts Proposal Notice Form Are you planning on submitting a grant proposal soon? Be sure to notify us!  *We request you submit the proposal notice forms AT LEAST 15 business days prior to submission date* ➡️ PROPOSAL NOTICE FORM   Questions? Contact research@astate.edu .  Investigator's Toolbox Find Funding Contract Opportunities  [previously Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOps) ] National Science Foundation Funding (Opportunities Search) National Science Foundation (Email Updates) National Institutes of Health (Opportunities Search) Federal Grants (Opportunities Search) Department of Education (Opportunities Search) U.S. Department of Agriculture (Opportunities) National Endowment for Humanities (Opportunities) William and Mary Curated Humanities Opportunities Proposal Preparation/Pre-Award Communication Contacting a Program Officer Reframing A Proposal's Language, DEI Words to Avoid RTT Proposal Point of Contact Research and Technology Transfer, Proposal Point of Contact ABI Affiliated Faculty Researchers Internal Forms Time Commitment Conversion Chart Budget Template 2026 September NIH Consortium/Contractual Arrangement Rates Estimated Fringe Rates for CY2026 Budget Office (Salaries) Tuition & Fees ASUJ Information Institutional Profile Student and Faculty Demographics from Institutional Research ABI User fees A-State Governing Principles for Externally Sponsored Programs A-State Governing Principles for the Responsible Conduct of Research NSF Related (Some of these documents are available in the Attachments menu) NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, May 2024 NSF Funding Search Tool NSF Common Parts of a Proposal NSF General Use Proposal Checklist NSF Collaborators & Other Affiliations Template NSF Policy Updates, July 2024 NSF Prior Support Template NSF Mentoring Plan Template NSF Facilities Equipment, and Other Resources Template NSF Data Management Plan Template NSF Current and Pending Support Template NSF Broader Impacts Review Document NSF A-State Letter of Collaboration Template NSF Synergistic Activities Template NSF Biosketch Template Using SciENcv Guide NEH Related NEH Implementation of Recent Executive Orders, March 2025 NEH Tips for Successful Grant Writing NIH Related SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for NIH and Other PHS Agencies NIH How to Apply- Application Guide NIH Sample Applications and Documents U.S. Department of Education Related ED Data Express Data Management Services A-State has several resources available to researchers to support their data management as dictated by grant guidelines. The Institutional Repository Librarian can assist with: Data Availability Statements If your data isn't being directly published, a data availability statement will let others know how to request your research data. This is important for transparency, replicability, and interoperability. (See the FAIR Principles ) Data Management Plans Most grants required a plan for how research data will be handled. There are templates available and the IR Librarian can assist with building the plan particularly in regard to file types, publishing options, and organization. Data hosting is available through ARCH, at no cost to researchers. Data files must be cleaned prior to deposit (all PII and extraneous info removed). It is strongly encouraged for researchers to include a brief text explaining the organization of the data and any abbreviations/codes used within. All file formats are acceptable, please contact the IR Librarian for guidance and coordinating the deposit. A Data Catalog is available in ARCH for researchers who prefer or are required to publish their data in another repository. You can use this flow chart to determine which GREI repository will fit your needs best. Once your data is deposited, please send the link and accompanying information to the IR Librarian for it to be included in the Data Catalog on ARCH. This will provide an additional point of access to your data. ORCID is required by many grant funders and is increasing in necessity. Sign-up for your free ORCID today and contact the IR Librarian for assistance in populating your profile. There are regular workshops called “ORCID Parties” hosted at the library. These hands-on sessions will discuss the advantages of ORCID, go over profile options, and provide open time for direct assistance from the IR Librarian. Contact: Meredith McFadden, Institutional Repository Librarian (ARCH) mmcfadden@astate.edu 870-972-3353 Library 227 Other Resources Arkansas Research Alliance, TEConomy Report, August 2024 Arkansas Science & Technology Plan Office of Student Research and Scholarship   Find information about activities and programs for student researchers and students interested in applying for distinguished fellowships and scholarships here: ➡️ Office of Student Research and Scholarship Internal Competitions Arkansas State University, Faculty Research Awards Committee The Faculty Research Awards Committee is now accepting proposals for the 2025 FRAC cycle. Proposals are being accepted for the Eleanor Lane Endowment, the Nathan Deutsch Research Fund, the Provost's Travel Award, Faculty Research Award, Off-Campus Duty Assignment (Compensated Leave), and the Provost's Challenge Research Seed Fund. All proposal information, documents, and submission can be found in ➡️ InfoReady . Deadline for *this* submission is October 17, 5:00 pm CST. For questions, please contact frac@astate.edu . Limited Submission, Standard Operating Procedures Standard Operating Procedure for Limited Submission Process   Purpose This procedure applied to all faculty and staff at Arkansas State University eligible to submit proposals to funding mechanisms with limited submission requirements. This document outlines Arkansas State University’s process for managing limited submission opportunities, where the number of proposals an institution can submit is restricted by the funding agency. This ensures the strongest proposals move forward for submission. Procedure 1. Call for Applications The Research and Technology Transfer (RTT) office announces an internal competition via email to identify proposals for submission to the funding agency. The announcement includes details about the funding opportunity, submission limits, and internal deadlines. The announcement will be shared with the college deans, carbon copying the members of the Faculty Research Awards Committee, so they are aware of their upcoming responsibility in the process. The deans are responsible for broader dissemination to the departments. RTT will also provide a 3-day Daily Digest notification of the limited submission opportunity for direct, campus-wide dissemination. 2. Submission Interested applicants must submit a one-page project summary via email to research@astate.edu . The summary should include the elements below, as they pertain to the solicitation: Description of the proposed project and its An estimate of the cost, including any plans for academic year buy- Faculty research activities that will be enabled by the Student research training Preparatory activities completed for the Intellectual merit and broader impacts of the proposed research A letter of commitment from the relevant dean or department chair, indicating support for the project based on the RTT-provided template, must be included. 3. Internal Review Process The internal review process consists of two steps: Eligibility Review : RTT will review the project summaries to ensure they meet the funding agency's program requirements and that the applicant is eligible to apply. Committee Review : The Faculty Research Awards Committee (FRAC) will review eligible project summaries to select the strongest proposal(s) for submission. FRAC will use a 1 (strongest) – 10 (weakest) scoring system to evaluate the The mean of the scores will be used to determine the top scoring proposal. 4. Notification of Selected Proposals RTT will notify applicants of the outcome of the internal competition. This notification will include next steps for the selected applicant to prepare the full proposal. Timeline An example timeline is provided below for the Limited Submission process. This may be modified depending upon the time between original notice and sponsor deadline for full submission. Announcement of Internal Competition : As soon as RTT is notified of the opportunity Submission Deadline for Project Summaries : Two weeks after initial notification Internal Review Period : Two RTT will send a reminder to FRAC members who have not completed their scores one week before the deadline and one day before the deadline. Notification of Selected Proposals : One business day after the deadline for internal review Finalized Proposal Documents: Must be sent from the PI to RTT 10 business days before the sponsor deadline Submission Deadline to Funding Agency : One business day before sponsor deadline Updated November 21, 2025 Facilities and Administration Negotiated Cost Rate COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES RATE AGREEMENT EIN: 71-6000556 ORGANIZATION: Arkansas State University P.O. Box 2100 State University, AR 72467-2100 Date: 05/05/2023 FILING REF.: The preceding agreement was dated 03/02/2020 The rates approved in this agreement are for use on grants, contracts and other agreements with the Federal Government, subject to the conditions in Section Ill. SECTION I: Facilities And Administrative Cost Rates RATE TYPES: FIXED FINAL     PROV. (PROVISIONAL) PRED. (PREDETERMINED) TYPE FROM TO RATE (%) LOCATION APPLICABLE TO PRED. 07/01/2022 06/30/2026 41.30 On Campus All Programs PRED. 07/01/2022 06/30/2026 14.50 Off Campus All Program PROV. 07/01/2026 Until Amended     Use same rates and conditions as cited for fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 *BASE Modified total direct costs, consisting of all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). Modified total direct costs shall exclude equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs. *A formal copy of the university's Facilities and Administrative Cost Rate agreement is located in the Attachment section of this page. Research and Technology Transfer, Proposal Point of Contact Callie Beaird-Campbell Proposal Coor dinator Greg Umhoefer Proposal Coordinator Molly Alexander-Steele Executive Director for Research Development College of Agriculture College of Business Arkansas Biosciences Institute, supporting Luis “Lucho” Nopo and Prathima Pattada Department of Art + Design Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty whose last name starts with A-L Advancement, working with Ravan Gaston Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty whose last name starts with M-Z Department of Chemistry & Physics   Ecotoxicology Research Facility Computer Science   College of Education, Faculty whose last name starts with A-L Delta Heritage   Department of Engineering College of Education, Faculty whose last name starts with M-Z   Department of History University Police Department   College of Nursing Department of Political Science   College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Psychology and Counseling     Department of Music   Subawards Requirements for when A-State faculty are the sub-awardee, and when A-State faculty include a sub-awardee in their research proposals. For most federal grants applications, a sub-awardee (subrecipient) is required to provide a package of documents to the lead applicant/institution. The exact requirements vary by sponsor (NIH, NSF, USDA, HRSA, DoD, etc.) but the following documents are commonly required. Common Sub-Award Documents Include Statement of Work Scope of Work Detailed Budget Budget Justification Subrecipient Commitment Form (Letter of Intent) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Biographical Sketches Current and Pending Other Support Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources A-State faculty who include a sub-award in their proposal are required to connect A-State's Research and Technology Transfer office with their counterpart at the sub-award institution for the coordination and collection of documents. A-State's required documents from sub-awardees include: Statement of Work Scope of Work form Subrecipient Statement of Collaboration form Detailed Budget Budget Justification Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources Biographical Sketches Senior/Key Personnel form Performance Site Location form Letter of Commitment Signed by the sub-awardee's Authorized Organizational Representative Addressed to Travis D. Marsico, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Research, Innovation, and Discovery Subrecipient Intent to Collaborate form Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Guidelines for Faculty Salary Calculations ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES FOR CALCULATION OF FACULTY SALARIES IN EXTERNALLY SPONSORED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for calculation of salary expenses as they are allocated to specific grant and/or match accounts. 3.0 DEFINITIONS Institutional Base Salary . The faculty member’s institutional base salary is the amount that appears on the letter of contract each year.   Contracts for 9-month faculty members are renewed at the start of the academic year (August 16), and summer base salary calculations are based on the academic year salary that was just completed. Buyout. Buyouts are course releases that are generally used to foster increased research activity. Buyouts are often grant-funded but may also be funded by the University. Buyout amounts are based on the faculty member’s institutional base salary, where the funds associated with course release are paid by an external source to the faculty member’s department to accommodate an adjunct or instructor replacement for the reassigned course(s). Effort Certification. Required by the government for federally funded projects under Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200.430 Subpart 8 (i), effort certification is a process whereby investigators certify the time that they have spent on sponsored activities. The time devoted to a particular activity is expressed as a percentage of the total time spent. Faculty Workload. The typical load for a tenured or tenure-track faculty member is to teach four classes (12 student credit hours) each semester during the academic year, which includes some commitment to research and service, though this may vary by academic unit depending upon accreditation and other factors. Consistent with the Faculty Handbook Section II.B., faculty members with very active research programs may be reassigned to lower teaching loads or permitted to buyout their teaching time. Reassignment. Reassignment of teaching load is generally granted to support research and creative activities. Unlike buyout, funds are not provided by an external source to the faculty member’s department to accommodate the course release (Faculty Handbook Section II.B). This approach is generally taken when there are cost share requirements on sponsored funds. 4.0 APPLICABILITY These guidelines are applicable to all University employees who apply for or receive grant or contract funding from external sponsors. 5.0 REGULATIONS Office of Management and Budget 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance Arkansas State University Faculty Handbook 2018 as Amended 12/2023 Arkansas State University Governing Principles for Effort Certification (Draft) 6.0 GUIDELINES 6.1 Overview The salaries of full-time faculty members, chairs of academic departments, and directors are full compensation for regularly assigned activities performed in the areas of teaching, research, administration, or service for or in the name of the University. For the most part, the University pays faculty salaries; however, sometimes, external agencies fund faculty salaries and benefits in exchange for their work on sponsored program activities. These guidelines address methods for calculation of salary expenses associated with externally funded grant and contract proposals. They also address the circumstances under which the faculty may receive extra compensation that is associated with research activities. 6.2      Faculty Buyout As proposals are developed, faculty are required to estimate their commitment of effort and request project-related salary and fringe benefit buyout to the fullest extent possible. Buyouts are calculated by determining the percent of effort required for the activity each semester. Twenty-five percent effort is usually equal to the level of effort required to teach one class. Though commitment of salary and fringe benefit expenses to the direct costs of a grant is preferred, it is also possible to use the faculty’s commitment of time when cost-sharing is required. Faculty buyout of any kind, whether funded by an external source or by the University, must be approved by the chair and dean of college. The faculty member’s base salary and percent of monthly effort are utilized to determine the amount of the buyout. For example: Ex. 1 for a nine-month faculty member: Nine-month base salary = $70,000 Monthly salary = $70,000/9 One month of buyout = $7,778 One three-credit course = 1.125 months ($8,750) Ex. 2 for a twelve-month faculty member:  Twelve-month base salary = $90,000 Monthly salary = $90,000/12 One month of buyout = $7,500 6.3 Summer Salary for Nine-Month Faculty Nine-month faculty are eligible for summer compensation (the off-contract period between May 16 and August 15) from externally funded sources, provided that the grant/contract allows such expenditures. Summer salary for research activities is calculated using the faculty member’s institutional base salary for the academic year, dividing by 9, and multiplying by the percent of effort. For example: Nine-month base salary = $70,000 Monthly salary = $70,000/9 ($7,778) One and one-half months of summer salary = $7,778 * 1.5 ($11,667)  Twelve-month faculty are not eligible for summer salary. 6.4 Salary Enhancements The University has adopted the federal government’s prohibition concerning utilization of externally sponsored programs to enhance the salaries of any of its employees. Specifically, charges to sponsored agreements may not exceed the proportionate share of the faculty member’s base salary (2 CFR 200.430 Subpart 3) 6.5 Extra Compensation for Sponsored Programs’ Activities State Limitations. The State of Arkansas allows payment of extra compensation under limited circumstances but caps the total amount of compensation that nine- and twelve-month faculty may receive in any given fiscal year. The maximum extra compensation that a faculty member can receive during a contract period is limited to 20 percent of the individual’s contracted salary. The maximum extra compensation that a faculty member can receive during the summer is limited to 20 percent of the individual’s salary for a full-time summer teaching load. For more information concerning these limits, contact Research and Technology Transfer. Extra Compensation Eligibility. The University has adopted the federal government’s limitations concerning extra compensation to sponsored programs’ activities. Specifically, extra compensation is limited to the following circumstances as outlined by 2 CFR 200.430 Subpart 3: Intra-Institution of Higher Education Consulting: · In unusual cases where consultation/work is across departmental lines or involves separate or remote operations, and the work performed by the faculty member is in addition to regular responsibilities. Any charges for such work representing additional compensation above institutional base salary are allowable provided such consulting arrangements are specifically provided for in the Federal award or approved in writing by the Federal awarding agency. Extra compensation for research activities that are outside of these boundaries is prohibited.