What is the first step that should be taken in preparing a grant proposal?
Contact the Office of Research staff via email at proposals@wichita.edu as soon as you have decided to apply for funding. At a minimum, your email should contain the solicitation/program number (or link/copy of the announcement), the name of the agency you are applying to, name of the PI and the due date for your submission. 

Once your email is received, a member of the Pre-Award Team will be assigned to assist you and you will be contacted.  We will then begin working with you on developing a budget, preparing your proposal package and completing the  Proposal Routing Form which is required to be signed by various individuals on campus prior to proposal submission.

In order to ensure ALL proposals are submitted on-time, internal due dates have been established as part of our proposal submission policy.  Internal due dates are five (5) working days prior for non-electronic submissions and three (3) working days prior for electronic submissions.  Additional time is required for proposals that contain cost share/match or involve collaborations/subawards with other institutions.

Our Pre-Award Team is here to answer all of your pre-award questions, guide you through the proposal process and make your life easier!

AnchorWho is authorized to sign grant proposals and agreements?
The Office of Research is charged with the responsibility of approving proposals for externally funded programs, negotiating grants and contracts, and managing awards. No faculty member, nor any other official of the University, is authorized to commit University resources to the conduct of research, training, or service without receipt of authorization from Office of Research.  (WSU Policy 9.03)

AnchorHow long does the signature routing process take on proposals and agreements?
The timeline for signatures varies greatly depending upon who must sign the specific document. For proposals, it is best to allow at least five working days for the signature process. Some agreements do not have a deadline for return and should just be sent to the Office of Research as soon as they are received.  All proposals and those agreements where funds are coming into the University require a completed proposal routing form in order to process.  This form must be received by the Office of Research with signatures from the PI, Department Chair, and College Dean.  Research staff will obtain the remaining required signatures.

AnchorWhat is the name of the legal applicant to be used on all grant proposals/contractual agreements?
Wichita State University


AnchorWho is the Authorized Institutional Official?
The Vice President for Research, John Tomblin, PhD, is the authorized institutional official for WSU.

AnchorCan I submit my own proposal to the funding agency?
No, only the Office of Research can submit your proposal to a funding agency/sponsor. WSU reserves the right to decline awards resulting from unapproved proposals.

AnchorShould I submit my proposal early?
Yes!  Most agencies will accept your application thirty days prior to the posted due date.  In fact, some proposals never make it to the reviewer’s desk due to errors that could easily have been caught and fixed if the application was submitted early.  Investigators should be thinking early in terms of days not hours.

AnchorWhere can I find information on our current university rates?
Current university rates can be found on our website.  These rates are updated yearly and should be used when preparing your budget.  Please work with a member of our Pre-Award Team early in the process to develop your budget – proposals@wichita.edu.

AnchorAre there any grant search engines available to locate funding sources?
Yes. WSU subscribes to Pivot and the Grant Resource Center.   You may also access the federal grant search engine at Grants.gov.

If you need assistance with searches, contact the Office of Research Pre-Award Team at proposals@wichita.edu. 

AnchorIf my grant proposal involves the use of human subjects and/or animals, whom shall I contact?
To contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB), please visit our website or send an email to irb@wichita.edu.

To contact the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC), please see our website or email IACUC@wichita.edu.

AnchorWhat are F&A or indirect costs?
OMB Circular A-21 which lists the Cost Principles for Educational Institutions gives the following definition of F&A costs:

“Definition of Facilities and Administration. F&A costs are broad categories of costs. "Facilities" is defined as depreciation and use allowances, interest on debt associated with certain buildings, equipment and capital improvements, operation and maintenance expenses, and library expenses. "Administration" is defined as general administration and general expenses, departmental administration, sponsored projects administration, student administration and services, and all other types of expenditures not listed specifically under one of the subcategories of Facilities (including cross allocations from other pools).”

WSU's federally negotiated F&A rate is 48% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC).  MTDC consists of all salaries and wages, fringe benefits, materials, supplies, services, travel and subgrants/subcontracts up to the first $25,000 of each.  MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, student tuition remission, rental costs of off-site facilities, scholarships, and fellowships as well as the portion of each subgrant/subcontract in excess of $25,000.   (F&A Rate Agreement)

WSU’s policy is to collect full indirects when allowed by the sponsor.  If a sponsor has a policy or an announcement limits the collection of indirects, we will use that rate.  If in doubt, we will call the funding agency.  Waivers must be approved by the Department Chair, College Dean and Vice President for Research.

AnchorWhat is Cayuse424 and why should I use it?
Cayuse424 is a system to system web based program to assist in proposal development and submission.  Cayuse424 has a sophisticated validation program that can help prevent submission errors, can be accessed from any computer with internet access and is user friendly.  Please contact proposals@wichita.edu to get training or get started or to determine if a particular proposal can be submitted through Cayuse424.

AnchorWhat happens once my proposal is funded?
Once a proposal is funded by an agency, Research experts in compliance and contracts review the award documents and process for signature.  This process can take longer than expected as it may involve negotiation of terms & conditions acceptable to the University.  During this process, a member of the Pre-Award Team assigned to your award will keep you informed and will work with you to finalize a budget.  Once all signatures are in place and you have approved the budget, your award will be passed to the Post Award Team for setup.  The Post Award Team will provide you with your Banner number, usually within five business days.

AnchorCan I get a No-Cost Extension for a project funded by NSF, NIH, ARO, AFOSR, NEA, NEH, DOE or Dept. of Ed?
Yes!  If this is the first no-cost extension on a project sponsored by one of these federal agencies, the Principal Investigator/Program Director must send an email to amy.delgado@wichita.edu at the Office of Research, requesting the no-cost extension (NCE).  The Office of Research will review your request and notify you when it is approved.  The email should contain the following information:

  • PI name
  • Department
  • Telephone #
  • Sponsor Name
  • WSU Grant/Fund #
  • Award Title
  • Current Expiration Date
  • Requested Termination Date
  • Justification for the Extension

If this is NOT the first no-cost extension, the Principal Investigator/Program Director should write a letter to the Program Officer stating the reason why the extension is necessary. The letter should clearly indicate the sponsor’s award number and the requested expiration date.  The letter should be forwarded to proposals@wichita.edu for submission to the sponsor who will either approve or deny the request.

AnchorCan I get a no-cost extension for my FAA Cooperative Agreement or projects funded by FAA, ONR or DOD?
The Principal Investigator/Program Director should write a letter to the Program Officer stating the reason why the extension is necessary. The letter should clearly indicate the sponsor’s award number and the requested expiration date.  The letter should be forwarded to proposals@wichita.edu for submission to the sponsor who will either approve or deny the request.

AnchorCan I get a no-cost extension on my Subaward/Subcontract?
The Principal Investigator/Program Director should write a letter to the Program Officer stating the reason why the extension is necessary. The letter should clearly indicate the sponsor’s award number and the requested expiration date.  The letter should be forwarded to proposals@wichita.edu for submission to the sponsor who will either approve or deny the request.

AnchorCan I get a no-cost extension for a Non-Federal Award/Contract?
Yes! The Principal Investigator/Program Director needs to send an email to amy.delgado@wichita.edu requesting the no-cost extension. The Office of Research will review your request and notify you when it is approved. The email should contain the following information:

  • PI name
  • Department
  • Telephone #
  • Sponsor Name
  • WSU Grant/Fund #
  • Award Title
  • Current Expiration Date
  • Requested Termination Date
  • Justification for the Extension

AnchorHow do I know if my Grant has been set up yet?
Once your grant has been set up in Banner by the Post-Award Team, Principal Investigators are notified via email of their Grant Number.  Any questions regarding a new Grant set-up should be sent via e-mail to Sarah.hunt@wichita.edu or amy.delgado@wichita.edu.

AnchorHow do I know if invoices have been sent out for payments?
Invoices are generated based on the terms outline in the award documents.  To check on the status of a specific invoice, please send an email to marsha.olson@wichita.edu.

AnchorWho should I contact if I have questions on payments received on my current Grant?
Any questions regarding payments should be sent via e-mail to marsha.olson@wichita.edu.

AnchorWhat is my Org number?
Any questions regarding new Org numbers should be sent via e-mail to sarah.hunt@wichita.edu or amy.delgado@wichita.edu.

AnchorWhere can I go to find out the current balance on my Grant?
Sign into myWSU and click on the “Grant” Icon to the upper right of the screen between the A-Z Index and the EmpHelp. If you have a more specific question, please send an e-mail to sarah.hunt@wichita.edu or Kathy.riker@wichita.edu.

AnchorWhere can I go to find out the current payroll balance on my Grant?
Sign into myWSU and click on the “Grant” Icon to the upper right of the screen between the A-Z Index and the EmpHelp. Look for the Salaries and Fringe categories, and the available budget column should be the balance. If you have a more specific question, please send an e-mail to researchpayroll@wichita.edu.

AnchorWho can help me with a payroll projection?
Inquiries regarding payroll projections should be sent via e-mail to researchpayroll@wichita.edu.