Frequently Asked Questions

1.1  How do I submit a proposal to OCGA?

All proposals requiring OCGA review and submission should be routed to the OCGA Proposal Intake Team in the electronic EPASS System. For additional information, see the Proposal Preparation page.

For additional information, you may visit the Proposal Preparation page.

1.2  How close to a deadline may I submit a proposal to OCGA for review and institutional approval?

OCGA requests proposals be submitted for review and institutional approval at least five (5) business days in advance of the submission deadline. OCGA prioritizes proposals for review by the order in which they are received by the OCGA Proposal Intake Team in the electronic EPASS system. Please keep in mind that if a proposal is received with less than five business days before the sponsor deadline for standard proposals, OCGA may not be able to provide a complete review in advance of the sponsor's deadline.

1.3  How will I know if my proposal has been received by OCGA?

When proposals are routed to OCGA Proposal Intake Team in the electronic EPASS system, the PI department/unit administrator will receive an acknowledgement email from the OCGA Proposal Intake Team (proposals@research.ucla.edu) within two to four business hours. However, if a proposal is received after 4pm, the acknowledgement email may not be issued until the next business day. The acknowledgment email is not automated and is created and sent as part of the OCGA Proposal Intake process.

1.4  Will the Contract & Grant Officer or Analyst assigned to my unit review my proposals?

In most cases, the Contract & Grant Officer or Analyst assigned to your unit will review your proposals. However, OCGA Leadership may change the Officer or Analyst assigned to a proposal. This will typically occur i) when the Officer of Analyst assigned to your unit is out of the office; ii) to balance the proposal workload and to ensure that proposals are submitted prior to sponsor deadlines; iii) to ensure that complex proposals are reviewed by an Officer with the requisite knowledge and experience; or iv) when the reassignment of a proposal will help facilitate OCGA training.

1.5  What is the NIH Salary cap? And when do I use it?

For the latest information on the DHHS salary cap, please see Salary Cap Summary.

1.6  What is the indirect cost rate?

An indirect cost rate represents the ratio between the total indirect costs and benefiting direct costs, after excluding and or reclassifying unallowable costs, and extraordinary or distorting expenditures. (i.e., capital expenditures and major contracts and subgrants). See the Indirect Costs page for additional information.

1.7  When do I use the off-campus indirect cost rate?

The off-campus rate should be used only when work is either done at facilities owned or leased by other organizations, or in a building for which rent is being directly charged to the project.

2.1  Am I the award recipient or is it the University?

Awards made to UCLA are received in the name of The Regents of the University of California. Thus, the University is the recipient of the record. Individual fellowships may be made directly to the investigator. In these cases, those fellowships are processed by UCLA Graduate Education.

2.2  What are the risks, liabilities and limitations of Pre-award Spending?

The risks, liabilities and limitations associated with pre-awarded spending must be carefully considered prior to requesting authorization to spend funds in advance of receiving an award.

Risks: Whenever the University authorizes pre-award spending, the University is risking monetary loss. The Federal sponsor is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason the University does not receive an award or if an award is delayed or is less than anticipated and inadequate to cover such costs.

As such, the PI must identify alternate non-federal, unrestricted funding sources that are available to cover the risk of a delayed start date, costs potentially disallowed by the sponsor, or instances where a sponsor cancels the issuance of an award.

Liabilities: Special care must be exercised in assessing the impact of pre-award spending on the legal obligations of the University prior to requesting or approving advance spending. The University must consider the impact of not having a fully executed grant or cooperative agreement on its legal obligations regarding intellectual property rights, subject injury, indemnification, etc.

Limitations: A sponsor's policies, the terms and conditions of the anticipated award, and campus policies and proactively determine whether or not pre-award spending or pre-award activities are allowable. Restrictions differ depending on the funding agency and the type of award anticipated. Additional information can be found in Policy 920.

2.3  What is TIF?

Technology Infrastructure Fee (TIF) is the monthly charge for university technology services based on the number of faculty, staff and student Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employees. Additional Information can be found at Technology Infrastructure Fee FAQs.

2.4  Who do I contact for gifts?

For gifts and gift related questions, please contact UCLA Development.

2.5  My proposal has been awarded. When can I get a fund number?

A fund number being assigned is dependent on a multitude of factors including, but not limited to: Completeness of proposal file and compliance documents, complexity of the received award, responsiveness of the sponsor for negotiation of the agreement, volume of proposals to be submitted by OCGA to the sponsor. If all compliance, internal documents and finalized agreement are in place, then it can take up to three (3) business days for a fund number to be established.

2.6  Where can I see a copy of my award?

The ORA Online Resource Center is a web-based portal for UCLA's research community. It is a single point of access to research-related information and resources. It is intended to enhance overall communication between campus and central administration.

2.7  How do I get an extension on my award period?

The fact that funds remain at the expiration of the grant is not, in itself, sufficient justification for a no-cost extension (NCE). First time requests and additional request have different handling and may be impacted by the terms and conditions of the award. For additional information, see the Prior Approval Request page.

2.8  I have a PI that wants to transfer to another university. What do I do with their grants?

It is important to note that grants are issued out to The Regents of the University of California, and not the individual recipient. Given this, if the Principal Investigator has accepted a position at another University, they must work with their Department, their OCGA contact and the sponsor in order to receive approval to transfer the grant to their new institution. The criteria will vary by sponsor, so it is important to work with OCGA in order to understand the sponsor’s guidance for transferring the award to a new institution. For instructions on transferring an award to another institution, see the Prior Approval Request page.

2.9  I have a PI that will be transferring to UCLA. How do I transfer their grants?

It is important that the Principal Investigator work with their current institution and sponsor in order to initiate the transfer of the award to UCLA. It is recommended that the initiation of the transfer be started earlier in the process as the transfer of the grants can take time. In some cases, OCGA may have to submit a proposal application for the transfer of the grant to UCLA. For instructions on transferring an award to UCLA, see the Transfer Awards to UCLA webpage.

3.1 What is an Outgoing Subaward?

When UCLA receives an incoming grant or cooperative agreement from a sponsor (sometimes referred to as "the prime"), and UCLA plans to work with a third-party entity (aka the subawardee or subrecipient) to perform a portion of the scope of work under that incoming agreement, UCLA uses an Outgoing Subaward. An Outgoing Subaward is a formal written agreement between UCLA and the subrecipient. The Outgoing Subaward outlines the subrecipient’s scope of work, which is expected to involve an intellectual level of effort, as well as the project/budget periods, funding arrangements and deliverables. The terms and conditions contained in UCLA’s incoming sponsored agreement are generally incorporated into the subaward agreement. Modifications to the terms being flowed down may be required depending upon the nature of the work being funded and the type of third-party entity involved. Subawards must be monitored to ensure that the subrecipient satisfactorily completes the scope of work and complies with the terms of the subaward. Note, a subaward is neither a subcontract or a vendor contract.

3.2  Why is it important to determine if the third-party entity that we plan to work with qualifies as a subrecipient? When should that determination be made?

The federal government, through the Uniform Guidance, requires that UCLA make a determination as to the type of work a third party is doing for UCLA. It is also important to identify whether a third-party entity qualifies as a subrecipient, contractor/vendor, consultant, etc., at proposal stage because it impacts how UCLA will be working with the third party and how UCLA will be managing its project. The determination of that third party type could affect the selection process for the entity, the Facilities and Administrative costs of the project budget, the terms and conditions that UCLA flows down to the third party, and the office that will be handling the outgoing agreement.

3.3 What is a Multi-Campus Award (MCA)?

A Multi-Campus Award (MCA) is an agreement that transfers a substantive portion of a project under an incoming grant, cooperative agreement, or contract to another UC campus. The UCLA OCGA Outgoing Subaward Team (OST) issues all outgoing MCAs under incoming grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts accepted by OCGA.

3.4  What is the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Expanded Clearinghouse?

A cooperative initiative among Federal agencies and institutional recipients of Federal funds. It was established to increase research productivity by streamlining the administrative process and minimizing the administrative burden on PIs, while maintaining effective stewardship of Federal funds. The FDP Expanded Clearinghouse is an online database that provides publicly available organizational profiles for pass-through entities. The FDP FCOI Clearinghouse is a central online platform for institutions to self-certify compliance with U.S. federal funding agency regulations regarding Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI).

UCLA is participating in the national FDP Expanded Clearinghouse. In order to reduce the administrative burden related to incoming and outgoing subawards, participant institutions rely on institutional information from profiles housed on the FDP Expanded Clearinghouse website (ex. institutional information about indirect cost rates, fringe benefit rates, audit status, etc.). To see if your subrecipient is a member, visit the FDP Expanded Clearinghouse website.

3.6  What should be included in the subrecipient’s statement of work (SOW)?

The subrecipient’s statement of work (SOW), to be completed by the subrecipient and reviewed by the UCLA PI, should include a clear description of the work to be performed, what the subrecipient expects to accomplish, and proposed timelines and deliverables.

3.7 How is the subaward packet entered in Cayuse when we submit an R01 grant with detailed budget?

See the UCLA OCGA ERA website for S2S Grants/Cayuse, particularly the Training Module 7 on Proposal Budgets – g-j on Subawards. If you have questions, the email address for S2S Grants help is located on that page. See Monthly OCGA Training Topics for OCGA training in using S2S Grants. If you are not already on the ORA News ListServ, sign-up now at ORA Training Programs page.

3.8 After an award is made, how is a subaward established?

Subawards are not automatically initiated once UCLA's award is finalized. A subaward is only initiated after the department submits a subaward request package (aka Request Form package) to the Outgoing Subaward Team (OST) central e-mail at ocgasubawards@research.ucla.edu.

The OST recommends that as soon as the PI is aware that an award will be made, the department should review the subaward documents collected at proposal stage to determine if anything is missing or needs to be updated. When notification is received from OCGA confirming the final setup of the award (i.e. when their fund number is setup), the department should:

1. Submit a Requisition to UCLA Purchasing via Bruin Buy+, and
2. Submit the OCGA Subaward & MCA Request Form package (along with any other applicable backup documentation) to ocgasubawards@research.ucla.edu, requesting setup of the subaward(s).

TIP: The OST does not have access to Bruin Buy+. Outgoing subaward requests must be forwarded to the Outgoing Subaward Team (OST) central e-mail box at ocgasubawards@research.ucla.edu.

3.9 What is the OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form and how do I fill it out?

The OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form is the form that the department uses to request a subaward action (new or amendment). Using the OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form, the department communicates to the OST:

• The start and end dates of the subaward
• Amount of money to be awarded to the subrecipient, and
• Any additional reporting requirements, etc.

For more information on how to fill out the OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form, see OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form Instructions. 

3.10 If the subrecipient’s scope of work includes work with human or animal subjects, what documentation do I need to send to the OST?

As the sponsored awardee, UCLA is responsible for all subject work, including confirming that our subrecipient's IRB/ARC approvals are in place prior to commencing work with subjects. The department is responsible for collecting those approvals. If submission of the Request Form is being held up by the subrecipient’s IRB/IACUC approval, please reach out to the OST. The OST may still be able to begin working on the subaward agreement.

Exception: Since MCAs are for work with sister-campuses, IRB/ARC approvals for that participating UC campus do not need to be collected. Per UC MCA Policy, "Participating Campus will ensure that all campus policies and prime sponsor terms and conditions, including as applicable COI, IRB, IACUC, or other ancillary approvals, have been met and followed. Appropriate approvals will be in place prior to commencement of any affected work, and that work will not take place outside of the approved period."

3.11 Does the subaward team have a portal for departments to check on the status of their subaward request?

The OCGA OST does not currently have a portal. When your requested action is assigned to an OST negotiator, the UCLA Department Contact, named on the OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form, will receive an automated email informing them of the assignment and to who the Subaward/MCA transaction has just been assigned. For any other questions, feel free to reach out to OST’s Intake at OCGAsubawards@research.ucla.edu.

3.12 Does the OCGA Outgoing Subaward Team (OST) handle requests when the source of funding is a gift, departmental funding, or an award internal to UCLA?

Because of our delegation, the OCGA OST is only authorized to handle outgoing subaward agreements under incoming agreements that were handled by OCGA. The OST is not authorized to handle outgoing agreements under incoming gift funds, departmental funding, or internal awards. We recommend reaching out to Purchasing to see if they can help with the outgoing agreement.

3.13 How do I tell what deliverables are required from a subrecipient under an outgoing subaward?

Most of the OST’s subaward templates follow the same format. For basic technical reporting requirements, we recommend that the department reference Attachment 4 - Reporting and Prior Approval Terms. For further detail on whether a subrecipient is expected to complete specific project deliverables, the department can also reference the subrecipient’s Statement of Work (SOW), included as Attachment 5 in a standard OST subaward.

3.14 How do I tell if carryforward is allowed on an outgoing subaward?

The carryforward term on a standard OST subaward can be found on Attachment 4 under "Prior Approvals." The OST's general practice is to only include carryforward restrictions when UCLA's sponsor has partially or wholly restricted carryforward. When prior approval is not required to carryforward funding under UCLA’s award, that automatic carryforward is flowed down to the subrecipient. An exception to this may be when the subrecipient is identified as Medium or High Risk.

3.15 How will I receive invoices from my subrecipient?

The terms of our subaward agreements require invoices to be submitted via e-mail directly to Purchasing's Bruin Buy + system (NoReply@invoices.ucla.edu) along with a cc to the UCLA department invoice contact named on the OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form. The UCLA Department contact named on the Request Form is noted as UCLA's Financial Contact in Attachment 3A of the standard OST subaward agreement. If you are having trouble receiving invoices, please reach out to the subrecipient's Financial Contact noted in Attachment 3B.

3.16 For my MCA, how will I be receiving intercampus requests for reimbursement (IRRs) from the Participating Campus?

For MCAs, the department will see in the MCA terms, on page 1 of the MCA award, that intercampus requests for reimbursement (IRRs) are submitted directly to EFM (via e-mail UCLAintercampus@research.ucla.edu), along with a copy to the UCLA Department/Financial contact listed on the same page. For further detail, please reference UC Office of the President MCA procedures (UCOP RPAC-23-04).

3.17 My NIH award has been renewed, do I need a new PO?

Yes, when an NIH award is renewed for a new competitive period, even if you are continuing work with the same subrecipients, the subaward agreement under the renewed NIH award is considered new and a new UCLA PO is required.

3.18 My subrecipient’s name has changed. What steps do I need to take?

Please reach out to Accounts Payable to see if a new PO will need to be issued for the subaward. If a new PO is required, you can notify the OCGA Outgoing Subaward Team at ocgasubawards@research.ucla.edu.

3.19 My PI is transferring to another institution, what needs to happen with active subawards under my PI’s awards?

As soon as the department becomes aware that its PI is transferring institutions, it should reach out to its OCGA Grants contact to coordinate any necessary sponsor communications. See the Prior Approval webpage for details.

3.20 My award is ending early. What do I do about the subawards under my award?

Please be sure to reach out to the Outgoing Subaward Team (ocgasubawards@research.ucla.edu) to coordinate the early termination of any subawards/MCAs under any of your closing awards. Include an OCGA Outgoing Subaward & MCA Request Form with the revised project dates. The following information will be helpful to the OST in the processing of the revised end dates:

• Is all work under the subaward expected to stop prior to the new end date?
• Are any new costs expected to be incurred after the new end date?
• Have any of the required final deliverables (including the final invoice) been collected from the subaward?

4.1  Does my PI need to register for an account in Grants.gov?

No, applications are submitted through the University, and the institution already has an account with Grants.gov.

4.2  What should I do if I cannot find my PI  in S2SGrants (Cayuse)?

If no Professional Profile exists for a UCLA PI or administrator, an administrator from the home department with existing access to S2S Grants (Cayuse) creates a Professional Profile in S2S Grants for the new user and then requests access. In order to ensure the most effective use of the system, a complete Profile per the guidelines in the S2S Grants Business Processes and Procedures is necessary. When the Professional Profile is complete, the administrator sends an e-mail to erahelp@research.ucla.edu confirming the email address and UID number of the new user(s). OCGA eRA Help will then grant new user access.

4.3  I am signed into S2SGrants (Cayuse), but I do not see a specific proposal under the "Proposals" tab. What should I do?

If you are able to log in to the system and cannot see a proposal you are looking for select the “Show All” link. This will reveal any proposals you have permissions to, as well as those you have not yet viewed. Alternatively, you can use the search function under the tabs.

4.4  How do I get an NIH eRA Commons User ID?

To obtain an NIH eRA Commons User ID, send the following information required to OCGA eRA Help:

• First Name
• Middle Name/Initial (if applicable)
• Last Name
• E-mail address
  • This e-mail is used for account information retrieval. For scientific roles, NIH recommends using an e-mail address that the user will have continuous access to, regardless of institutional affiliation, such as a personal e-mail.
• Other organizations/institutions that you’ve been affiliated with as a PI, post-doc, graduate student, undergrad, trainee
• Requested eRA Commons Role:
  • Review the eRA Commons User Roles and indicate the role(s) needed.

4.5  Do undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers need an eRA account for Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs)?

NIH requires all graduate and undergraduate students reported on the All Personnel Form in the PHS2590 or the Participants Section (D.1) in the RPPR have an eRA Commons ID. See the Specific guidance for the use of eRA Commons ID across roles (NOT-OD-13-097).

NOT-OD-13-097 states that “Progress Reports: On/after October 18, 2013, all graduate and undergraduate students reported on the All Personnel Form in the PHS2590 or the Participants Section (D.1) in the RPPR should have eRA Commons IDs in addition to the current requirement for postdoctoral researchers. A warning will be issued for all graduate and undergraduate students listed on the Participant List of the RPPR who do not have an eRA Commons ID. Beginning October 2014, RPPRs lacking an eRA Commons ID for graduate and undergraduate students will receive an error and the RPPR will not be accepted by the NIH without this information. eRA Commons IDs will be encouraged for all other individuals listed on the All Personnel Form or the Participant-s sections of those reports.”

4.6  My PI is using NSF Research.gov to prepare the proposal, am I able to log in an assist?

Yes, an Other Authorized User (OAU) account can be created for you by OCGA eRA Help. A Principal Investigator can add OAUs to their proposal in Research.gov. Administrators and assistants can log into NSF Fastlane to help prepare proposals. See detailed instructions.

5.1  What is a policy?

A policy is a governing principle that mandates or constrains actions.

5.2  What is a procedure?

A Procedure defines the implementation of a policy. Procedures are a step-by-step description of the tasks required to implement organizational policies. Procedures are freestanding documents often located on departmental or sponsor websites. A quick comparison between a policy and procedure can be found in the UCOP Policy Development Toolkit.

5.3  Who is responsible for maintaining UCLA polices?

The UCLA Administrative Policies & Compliance Office is responsible for maintaining UCLA Policies. More information can be found at the Policies and Delegations website.

6.1  What Internal forms are required for a UCLA submission?

In addition to the federal and state required financial interest disclosures, UCLA OCGA maintains and operates the Extramural Proposal Approval and Submission Summary (EPASS) form. This form is completed and submitted in the electronic EPASS system.

6.2  Do I need a 700U or eDGE disclosure?

Correctly disclosing any financial interests or conflicts of interest is a very important aspect of compliance.  OCGA has created the FCOI Disclosure Decision Tool, and Research Policy Compliance office maintains a decisions matrix and the forms for UCLA use.

6.3  What is eDGE?

In accordance with revised PHS financial disclosure regulations, the Office of Research Policy and Compliance (RPC) developed the Electronic Disclosure Gateway (eDGE). Effective August 24, 2012, eDGE replaced the 740 form as the method for disclosing financial interests for projects submitted to PHS or to sponsors that have adopted PHS policy. (Please note: The 740 form is still required for NSF and other federal sponsors.) As before, those required to submit through eDGE are the PI and all others who share responsibility for design, conduct, or reporting of the results of a sponsored project. For more information regarding PHS conflict of interest regulations, please see Frequently Asked Questions on the PHS COI Regulations.

7.1  Does my PI need to register for their own DUNS number?

No, applications are submitted through the University, and the institution already has a DUNS number. UCLA's DUNS number is 092530369.

7.2  Do I or my department need to register with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)?

No, UCLA is registered with the CCR. This registration uniquely identifies UCLA and UCLA's key business officials to the federal government. It will be used by the federal government to help complete some data reporting elements and to disseminate information about these reports. For additional information, you may visit the UCLA Standard Information page.

8.1  Is there any recurring training hosted by OCGA?

Yes, Monthly OCGA Training. Presented by subject matter experts, this training offers monthly, 90 to 120 minute sessions on focused topics of interest to the UCLA research administration community. For additional information, see the Monthly OCGA Training Topics page or the Monthly OCGA Training Calendar.

8.2  Are there any other recurring meetings that address Contract and Grant Administration?

Yes, the Research Administration Forum (RAF) hosted by Associate Vice Chancellor Marcia Smith. More information on the RAF can be found on the RAF web page.