The Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) in the College of Education (COE) at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) would like to achieve clarity on the processes by which faculty engage in grantmaking. To maintain R1 status and achieve our collective top tier vision at UNLV it is critical that we abide by clear procedures regarding how we organize our pre award and post award processes for continued success. The objectives of the policies outlined below are to provide clear direction for how Indirect Cost Rates (IDCRs) are split amount units within the college, the processes by which faculty engage with the ORSP for pre and post award support, the processes by which faculty engage in collaborative grants with other colleges and the community, and the ways in which research Centers, Labs, Institutes, and Offices (CLIOs) maintain active research status. The policies are meant to 1) ensure grant submissions are of the highest quality, 2) increase the likelihood that submissions will be funded, and 3) secure the role, responsibilities, and benefits for CLIO directors, principal investigators (PI), and other grant personnel on extramural projects. These policies act in alignment with university level OSP policies for grantmaking https://www.unlv.edu/research/osp.
IMPORTANT: In 2026 OSP has updated their Service Level Agreement and policies, and created the RESEARCHER TOOLKIT (Click Here) containing new mandatory policies and procedures – and also many new resources. Please click the link above while logged in to your UNLV email to access the new toolkit folder with all details.
1. Breakdown of IDCRs by College, Department, CLIO, and PI
- The federally negotiated Facilities and Administrative (F&A) cost rate (currently 51.0%) applies for all research grants. Rates may be lower for grants conducted off campus or with aims related to instruction, community engagement, or research funded by private agencies.
- For all funded projects in which the lead PI is a faculty member in the COE, the COE receives 35% of the total IDCRs that are budgeted for a given project to be distributed to COE units.
- Of the 35% that the COE receives from a funded project, 30% is distributed to the Dean’s Office, 20% is distributed to the PI, 30% is distributed to an affiliated CLIO (if applicable) and 20% is distributed to the department.
- If a CLIO is not affiliated with a grant submission, the portion of the IDCRs allotted to the CLIO is distributed to the Dean’s Office.
- If multiple CLIOs are involved in a project, one should serve as the lead CLIO and collect the full portion of the IDCR’s allotted for distribution. Other partnering CLIOs should be budgeted for the provision of specific services to the grant.
- IDCRs are collected and accumulate transaction by transaction (i.e. only when a transaction occurs) and are distributed on a quarterly basis by the COE business manager to COE level units. If grant funds are not spent, IDCRs related to those funds are not collected.
- The college is required to pay an administrative fee (amount set by the president’s office) that will be allocated before any IDCRs are distributed to COE level units.
- To ensure efficient and timely processing, all grant-related Facilities and Administrative costs will undergo a thorough review and validation process by the COE budget manager to ensure completeness and accuracy. The funds will be distributed according to the IDCR policy described posted on the ORSP website by June 30th and December 31st of each year. Funds from the previous two quarters will be distributed by these deadlines, such that Q3 and Q4 funds from the previous year will be distributed by June 30th, and Q1 and Q2 funds from the previous year will be distributed by December 31st.
2. Faculty obligations – Pre-Award
- Proposals must be provided in a timely fashion to ORSP pre award personnel for review.
- To submit a research grant faculty must complete each step of the process outlined below:
- Notify ORSP about intent to submit the award and provide a link to the call for proposals in adherence with OSP policy (LINK)
- Work with ORSP pre award staff to create a budget and scope of work allowing for internal review of budget.
- Submit a draft narrative of the proposal for internal review.
- Submit any required supporting materials for internal review.
- Sign all routing forms prior to submission.
3. Faculty obligations – Post-Award
- If a grant is awarded, PIs are required to participate in an onboarding meeting to review award details and document future expenditures in ORSP database.
- PIs are required to engage in professional development for hiring and contracts to ensure understanding of budget and HR processes related to awards.
- PIs are required to manage their own research team (e.g. GA’s, RA’s, post docs, etc) in workday including entering hours and initiating hiring requests.
- PIs have the responsibility to initiate and attend meetings with post award staff when budget amendments or budget modifications are required.
4. Tracking and reporting accountability for PI’s
- PI’s are responsible for tracking internal award deadlines and submitting all annual and final reports to the sponsor.
- PI’s are responsible for tracking, monitoring, and completing all of the following pre award responsibilities:
- Carrying out the pre-award process described in section 2 of these policies.
- Conducting all final reviews of grant proposals to ensure they meet sponsor requirements.
- Completing all grant materials on time for submission.
- Meeting all requirements in the solicitation.
- Sharing with ORSP all communication from the sponsor.
- Sharing with ORSP all internal communications about the grant (e.g. IRB).
- Including ORSP on all communication with the sponsor and collaborators
- PI’s are responsible for tracking, monitoring, and completing all of the following post-award responsibilities:
- Fulfilling the scope of work described in the project.
- Spending funds as described in approved budget justifications.
- Submitting pay and time sheets.
- Submitting summer salary requests.
- Hiring GAs and consultants.
- Submitting travel expenditures,
- Managing projects expenses including purchasing materials and supplies.
- Managing subawards
- Scheduling annual meeting with ORSP to review budget and expenditures
- To ensure efficient and timely processing, all grant-related buyout forms will be due from faculty to the COE budget manager by 9/1 (for Fall Semesters) and 2/1 (for spring semesters) to ensure a thorough review can be conducted by the COE budget manager. Buyout funds are returned to the college at the discretion of the UNLV provost’s office.
5. Responsibilities for collaborative grants across colleges
- If a COE faculty member is budgeted in anyway on a grant submission in collaboration with another college or university (including a subawards, contracts with community agencies, or internal grants) the PI needs to alert ORSP about their role on the project in accordance with OSP policy. (LINK)
- Faculty members must provide information regarding guidelines for submission as described in section 2 of these policies.
- A copy of the full proposal must be provided to ORSP pre award staff once the project has been submitted.
- Any changes to the faculty members effort or responsibilities to the grant needs to be alerted to ORSP.
- If awarded, a copy of the award document needs to be provided.
- If awarded, the budget manager for the lead unit on any funded project (e.g. another college, community partner) is responsible for processing any grant related expenditures unless previously negotiated before the project was submitted for review.
Policy on Student Research and Survey Distribution
The College of Education is committed to supporting high-quality student research that aligns with ethical standards and institutional protocols. To maintain compliance with UNLV’s research policies—including IRB procedures, human subjects’ protections, and FERPA-related privacy guidelines—the College of Education does not distribute student surveys or research recruitment materials via college-managed listservs or official communication channels. This includes undergraduate or graduate student listservs, centralized email communications, or other internal broadcast platforms. Instead, students conducting research involving human subjects are encouraged to utilize the following IRB-approved recruitment strategies:
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UNLV Human Subjects Research Pools: Students may work with established subject pools available within the College or broader university, as appropriate to their research design.
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Instructor-Facilitated Recruitment: Students may contact individual instructors to request permission to recruit participants during class time or via course-specific communication platforms, following IRB approval.
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Social Media and Public Forums: Students are encouraged to share their recruitment materials via appropriate online platforms—such as social media, student organization pages, or research interest groups—provided these methods have been approved by the IRB.
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University Resources: Student researchers are also encouraged to contact the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Graduate College to explore additional recruitment or dissemination resources they may offer.
Students or faculty with questions about research recruitment practices or this policy may contact the Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Projects for additional guidance.
