Prepare Your Proposal

If you’re not sure whether the proposal you are preparing will lead to a grant or a contract, find out more here: Grants Versus Contracts: What's the difference?

Overhead costs are those indirect expenditures incurred by the university in the conduct of research which are not readily identifiable as specific expenses to a project. They are real costs to the university which include, but are not limited to, items such as:

• building occupancy and operating costs
• facilities maintenance and upgrade
• management and administration of research
• support for regulatory requirements and research compliance
• support for intellectual property and technology transfer activities
• library and electronic resources
• communications and IT support
• faculty and departmental service to support research
• research promotion and developmental activities

These costs are defined as indirect and are recovered through an overhead charge incorporated in the project funding and budget.

Overhead must be included in all budgets for applicable contracts and grants as a cost item. In cases where the funder has an established policy which specifies an overhead rate that is different from the university rate, the university will accept that rate provided this is verified in a way that is acceptable to the university.

Applicable rates of overhead on research funds vary according to the funder and agreement type, and are described full in the university’s Overhead on Research Funds Policy.

What happens to overhead funds collected from your project?  The funds are distributed according to the schedule noted in the university’s Overhead on Research Funds Policy.

If your research will require human or animal subjects, or will involve biohazardous materials, consult the Responsible Conduct section of our site for full information on how to plan and apply for the necessary certifications.

If you plan to hire employees using funds from a grant or contract, please be aware that benefits are payable to them at established rates (note: benefits are not payable on student stipends).

For more information, please see the information on Hiring Grant Paid Positions - includes Grant Paid Offer Letter Template [login required] and contact Employee Benefits in Human Resources at benefits@dal.ca.

If you are applying to any of these US government funding agencies, here is key information you will need when preparing your application:

Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)

• Pre-application: via the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP).  Enter the International Research Facilitator as the Business Contact. 
• Full application:
  • Grants.gov is the Internet source used to find and apply for US federal funding.
    
  • Full applications can only be submitted to Grants.gov by an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). At Dalhousie, AOR status is held by the International Research Faciliator in DRS. Please contact the IRF in order to arrange for submission of your application.
    
  • Indirect costs must be added to every budget. Check with the International Research Facilitator for Dalhousie's current US federally-approved rate.
  • Send a copy of your application, along with a signed Investigator Checklist, to DRS. The International Research Facilitator will review your application and, if appropriate, will make comments or suggestions for revisions to your application. The IRF will then electronically submit your application once an approved final draft is complete.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Full application:
  • Via Grants.gov, as above for CDMRP. Use of NIH's new online application portal, ASSIST, is strongly encouraged.
    
  • Applicants require an eRA Commons username at application stage. Contact the International Research Facilitator to have your eRA Commons user name issued.
  • Indirect costs must be added to every budget. Budget for these at 8% of total direct costs.
  • Dalhousie's NIH Entity ID: 190002844A1
  • Progress reports are to be made via eRA Commons.
    

National Science Foundation (NSF)

• Fastlane is an interactive real-time system used to conduct NSF business online. Every participating institution, including collaborating institutions, must submit via Fastlane.
• Contact the International Research Facilitator to have a user name issued. All researchers are coded as PIs.
• The International Research Facilitator will institutionally submit and electronically sign the application on behalf of Dalhousie.

If your grant application includes requirements related to EDI, please refer to the guidance and resources compiled on the ORS Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) – Research Resources webpage.