Proposals & Applications: FAQs

• Can a Postdoctoral Fellow serve as PI on a sponsored project?

  As of September 6, 2023, the Office of Research Administration will accept and submit applications for sponsored projects where Postdoctoral Researchers serve in the role of Principal Investigator where the following criteria are met:

  1. The program announcement/solicitation specifically states that postdoctoral researchers are eligible to be PI; and
  2.  The Postdoctoral Fellow Intent to Serve as PI form with all required signatures (Postdoc, Mentor and Department Chair/Division Chief) is submitted to ORA along with the proposal. The form can also be found on the ORA Proposal & Applications: Forms and Templates page.

  Please contact your ORA Grants or Contracts team member with any questions.

• Does NIH have budgeting guidance for Data Management & Sharing Costs and where do I include this information in my application?

  NIH has expanded their Data Management & Sharing FAQs to include more information about DMS budgeting, what to do if you don’t anticipate DMS direct costs, and where to include budget information in your proposal. The full list of NIH DMS budgeting FAQs can be found here.

• I am a federally-funded investigator and have a post-doc working in my lab who is funded by a foreign institution. The post-doc is not working on any federally funded research projects. Do I still need to disclose the post-doc on my Other Support disclosure?

  Yes.   The post-doc’s effort is an in-kind resource that needs to be disclosed on your Other Support. Please consult our Current and Pending Support page for more details.

• I have questions about NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy. Where can I find more information?

  Information and resources about NIH’s new Data Management and Sharing Policy can be found here.

• What Facilities and Administration rate should I use?

  F & A rates are negotiated rates and are based on activity type (Organized Research, Other Sponsored Activity, Instruction) and whether the work takes place on or off campus.  Our current rates are found here.

• When is my proposal or application due to ORA?

  For applications with a sponsor-imposed due date, complete and final applications are due to ORA at least 3 business days prior to submission due date. ORA cannot guarantee a thorough review of any applications submitted less than 3 business prior to the sponsor’s due date.

  You can find deadline guidance here.

• Where can I get help with writing an NIH-compliant Data Management and Sharing Plan?

  Contact JHU’s Data Services for assistance with writing your Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Plan and review the Welch Medical Library’s step-by-step DMS Plan Writing Guide.

• Who can be a Principal Investigator on an application?

  Generally only those with a full time paid faculty appointment can serve as Principal Investigator on a sponsored award. Consult the JHU Faculty Gold Book for information on faculty appointments.

  For guidance on Postdoctoral Fellow eligibility to serve as PI, please consult the Postdoctoral PI FAQ here: https://ora.jhmi.edu/faqs/can-a-postdoctoral-fellow-serve-as-pi-on-a-sponsored-project/

• Who is authorized to sign and submit proposals and to execute awards on behalf of the University?

  Only staff in ORA who have delegated authority are authorized submitters and signatories for proposals and awards. Click here to view the signature authority letter.