Finding Funding Proposal Preparation Award Setup Award Management Award Closeout

Proposal & Award Budget Info

• Faculty Salary Conversion Guide compiled by HR Classification Services. 
• Faculty on nine-month contracts are eligible for no more than 15 weeks of summer salary.  Summer teaching time is calculated as follows: load hours x 1.25 = # of weeks.  To figure weeks available for research effort, subtract the # of weeks teaching from 15. (AY salary/37 = weekly rate)
• Consultant rates - must be reasonable in relation to the services rendered
• Pay raises - estimate 4% per year for faculty; 3% per year for non-faculty
• Permanent equipment definition: $5,000 + per piece of equipment and life of 1 or more years
• See the current tuition and fees for tuition waiver amounts to include in proposal budgets, when used to meet required cost share; increase by 3% each year

Facilities & Administrative Costs

• UA F&A Rate Agreement (Effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2028*):
  • 52.0%   Research, on-campus
  • 50.5%   Instruction, on-campus
  • 35.5%   Other Sponsored Activities, on-campus
  • 26.0%   Off-campus

*Rate extension continues the 2019-2024 rates through 6/30/2028

Pooled Fringe Benefit Rates 

UA uses a pooled fringe benefit method to charge benefit expenses to all university accounts.  The fringe benefit rate includes Life Insurance, Fee Remission (Employee Only), Medical, Medicare, Retirement, SERS Surcharge, Unemployment, Vacation/Sick Leave Payoffs, and Worker's Compensation. This will not include expenses for Parking Permits and Dependent Fee Remission.

Rates are calculated for each major employee group and must be updated annually and approved by UA's federal cognizant agency. In FY19, UA's benefit pool categories were reduced from six to three thereby eliminating the differentiation between faculty, staff, and contract professionals.  The three categories are more representative of the true cost of employee benefits, and reduce the administrative and budgetary complexities that developed in the previous structure.

For the current year's official rates, see the Office of Resource Analysis & Budget (RAB). 

Travel

• Policies and forms
• Meals: In-state and domestic - per diem, unless otherwise limited by sponsor; conform to UA Travel Policy; Foreign - use federal per diem rates
• Mileage: full mileage rate per UA Travel Policy, unless otherwise limited by sponsor. UA follows the federal mileage rate which traditionally increases annually effective January 1st.
• Lodging: In-state and domestic - actual reasonable costs; Foreign - use federal per diem rates

Separate Budgets/Project Accounts REQUIRED for Multi-Investigator Awards

An increasing number of reports (NSF, AUTM) require information based on grant expenditures rather than award dollars. In addition, faculty generation of external funding can only be captured through grant expenditures under their name. To insure appropriate credit is given to all faculty involved in multi-investigator awards, ORA will set up separate “project accounts” for each within the award. This change allows grant expenditures to be attributed to the unit in which the expense is incurred.

When an award with Co-investigators is received, the investigators will need to determine how much of the total budget is to be allocated to each individual. The award will be set up with separate project accounts for each investigator. Awards will not be issued until separate budgets are received.

As of July 1, 2013:  The F&A share to each investigator and their respective units is based on the total direct budget dollars allocated to their account.