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Grants & Proposals

The Department’s grant development process is facilitated by Katinka Csigi

(358-2838). She works with Chemistry researchers to ensure that proposals are well organized, logical, free of errors, and meet solicitation requirements before the submission deadline. She assists in:

  • — Assessing funding opportunities
  • — Searching for funding sources for specific projects
  • — Organizing proposals to ensure that they meet requirements and guidelines
  • — Integrating/drafting multi-investigator proposals
  • — Developing draft budgets
  • — Reviewing/evaluating proposal documents
  • — Coordinating final proposal preparation/submission
  • — Serving as liaison to the Boston University Office of Sponsored Programs
  • — Assisting with submission via grants.gov

Boston University Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) on the Charles River Campus (located at 25 Buick Street) helps secure and administer external grants and contracts. The site provides proposal development and rate information, as well as resources and expert assistance through its Assistant Directors.  The OSP proposal contact for Chemistry is Assistant Director Anthony Moy (353-4365). She reviews all Chemistry grants and contract proposals for compliance with agency guidelines and University policies.

Funding Information and Resources

OSP distributes descriptions of individual programs via "Funding Opportunity" e-mail announcements (also posted and archived on their web site). To receive “Funding Opportunity" announcements, contact Kathleen Foster (353-4365). Ms. Foster also creates folders on the OSP server for Principal Investigators to facilitate proposals via the grants.gov system.  "Funding Deadlines " (via The Grant Advisor) provides access to a summary of major program deadlines, arranged by research area and deadline and updated monthly. Federal contract opportunities are announced in "OSP Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOps) Highlights."

The Community of Science (COS) search engine executes funding searches from any computer connected to the University network. It is a global registry that provides accurate, timely, easy-to-access information about what new funding opportunities exist, which investigators are working in key research areas, and where the research is taking place. Boston University's membership in the COS allows faculty to participate in the COS Expertise database.

OSP helps access information on funding sources directly by providing on-line links to Federal and non-Federal agencies. The Office also maintains a substantial resource library of reference materials on funding sources, proposal development, and grant administrative regulations, as well as files with detailed information about individual grant programs not readily available on the web.

FastLane is NSF's mandatory web-based system for submission and review of proposals and project reports. The system also allows investigators to check the status of a submission, submit notifications and requests, and search NSF's database of awards.

In order to use the system, investigators and administrators must be registered and assigned a temporary password. To register as a FastLane user and receive a temporary password, contact Kathleen Foster. OSP provides links to a tutorial on FastLane Proposal Preparation at Boston University, NSF's FastLane Electronic Proposal Submission Manual, and Creation of Project Reports via FastLane at Boston University.

Forms

Boston University Interactive Forms: Proposal Summary Form (iPDF); NIH Modular Grant Budget Worksheet (iPDF); Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure Form (iPDF); Export Control Form, and Documentation of Consultant Services Form.

Department of Chemistry Draft Proposal Requirements

Proposal Elements:

  • Proposal Summary Form (PSF)
  • Conflict of Interest Form
  • Export Control Form
  • Draft Budget and Modular Budget Worksheet for NIH Modular Budget
  • Copy of internal approval of cost-sharing if proposed
  • Draft Science Write-Up

Required Approval Signatures on PSF:

  • Department Chair or Associate Chair
  • Center Director, if proposal goes through a Center (e.g., CMLD-BU, Computational Science Center)
  • Associate Dean
  • OSP Signatures (e.g., D.Bowen, Provost, Vice President for Financial Affairs)

Process:

  • Janine Claysmith makes a copy of the draft Chair-approved proposal prior to it being taken over to the Associate Dean’s office for review and signature. OSP returns processed draft to Principal Investigator. One copy of the final submitted version of the proposal should go to OSP and another to Janine Claysmith for the Department files.