Externally Funded Sponsored Projects (Non-Grant)

The Standard Sponsored Project Agreement should be used for all sponsored projects unless the project meets the special criteria outlined for the Limited Services/Testing Agreements or the Short Form Sponsored Project Agreement. 

Please read the Sponsored Research Agreement Template

The Short Form Sponsored Project Agreement is appropriate for low-risk, short-term projects or Limited Services Agreement (LSA) projects with Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics content. A project using the Short Form Sponsored Project Agreement must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Duration ≤ 12 months
• Amount ≤$50,000
• Fixed-price agreement
• Full F&A rate is applied

This form should NOT be used for projects with export control concerns with the following exceptions:

• A project involving Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics content may be executed using the Short Form Agreement if ALL LSA criteria are met.

An LSA is appropriate for low-risk, short term service projects that meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Routine services
• Duration ≤ 9 months
• Amount ≤$25,000
• Fixed-price agreement

All funds are disbursed in 1 (general approach) or 2 installments (if a school district or non-profit) and overhead costs are kept low allowing for a reduced IDC (lower limit 20%).  However, if the project is eligible for the negotiated off campus rate and/or the sponsor has a published reduced F&A policy that applies to all projects of less than 20%, then then those rates are followed. 

An LSA is appropriate only for short term projects in which BGSU is providing technical services, teaching, workshops, and/or a public service to the sponsor. In such cases, the sponsor determines the work to be performed with little or no input from BGSU, except in cases where simple modification of existing methodologies are involved. Such activities are typically routine in nature and have no potential for the development of intellectual property. Financial support may, or may not, be associated with these types of agreements.  

This form should NOT be used for multi-phasic or renewable projects, for projects involving Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics content, or for projects which may have export control concerns

Supplemental compensation must be pre-approved and is only available for faculty when they are performing additional services beyond their assigned duties/responsibilities for non-grant related work. Thus, these types of services fall outside the departmental promotion, tenure, and merit processes. Individuals can be rewarded through the submission and approval of the Form for Supplemental Payment when services are performed in compliance with the Academic Charter.

An LTA is appropriate for low-risk, short term testing projects that meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Routine tests
• Duration ≤ 9 months
• Amount ≤$25,000
• Fixed-price agreement

All funds are disbursed in 1 (general approach) or 2 installments (if a non-profit) and overhead costs are kept low allowing for a reduced IDC (lower limit 20%).  However, if the project is eligible for the negotiated off campus rate and/or the sponsor has a published reduced IDC policy that applies to all projects of less than 20%, then then those rates are followed. 

An LTA is appropriate only for short term testing projects which involve the performance of routine tests and/or measurements to produce information specific to the test being performed or the item being studied. Such projects do not involve the extensive development of new methods or protocols to perform the work, and it is not a goal to produce generalizable knowledge.

This form should NOT be used for multi-phasic or renewable projects or for projects which may have export control concerns. 

Supplemental compensation must be pre-approved and is only available for faculty when they are performing additional services beyond their assigned duties/responsibilities for non-grant related work. Thus, these types of services fall outside the departmental promotion, tenure, and merit processes. Individuals can be rewarded through the submission and approval of the Form for Supplemental Payment when services are performed in compliance with the Academic Charter.

Student Project Agreements are used when a BGSU faculty member engages students in a class project (individually or as teams) with an external entity under the faculty member’s guidance.  Financial support may, or may not, be associated with these types of agreements.

The following must be considered when developing and executing a Student Project Agreement:

• No confidential or proprietary information or solutions will be shared with BGSU; 
• The Student Project Agreement must fully describe the project and its associated expectations.  A standard template agreement developed by OTTS may be used or, if needed, OTTS will develop a new one particular to the project in question;
• The agreement must be approved by OSPR, OTTS (and OGC, as appropriate) before submission to External Partner;
• The signed agreement must be filed with OTTS.

A formalized agreement between an external entity and the university in the performance of a defined scope of work to the mutual benefit of the parties involved but which does not involve financial payment from the external entity.

A type of financial assistance awarded to the university for the conduct of research or another program which includes language legally binding the university to a funder for the performance of specific deliverables in exchange for the awarded funds. The amount owed by the sponsor should be calculated according to a pre-determined rate of payment based on the costs of performing the project. Contracts may include additional restrictions involving confidentiality, intellectual property, publication rights, termination, work schedules, liability/indemnification, payment schedules and changes to the scope of work. 

These are indirect costs of a project that are incurred for common or joint objectives which cannot be readily and specifically associated with any individual sponsored project. Relevant examples include costs associated with the use of general research facilities, utilities, administrative support, and general office supplies.

A fixed price contract involves payments of predetermined lump-sum or periodic amounts by a funder to support a sponsored project, sometimes, but not exclusively tied to, completion of specific project deliverables. The amount owed by the sponsor should be calculated according to a pre-determined rate based on the costs of performing the project.

A type of financial assistance awarded to the university for the conduct of research or another program as specified in the approved proposal. A grant is typically used when the sponsor anticipates no substantial programmatic involvement with the recipient during the performance of the activities.

A group created for purposes other than the generation of profit.

A sponsored project is a research, service, testing, or teaching activity that is externally funded and which includes a formal funding instrument such as a grant or contract between the university and the sponsor. A sponsored project involves a transaction that includes a specified statement of work and a reciprocal transfer of something of value.

A sponsored research project is a type of sponsored project which seeks to create new, generalizable knowledge drawn from the analysis and comparison of data and information obtained from experiments or other sources.

A sponsored teaching project is a type of sponsored project which has a pedagogical, training, or public service goal typically benefitting the sponsor.

A technical services and testing project is a type of sponsored project which involves the performance of routine services, measurements, and/or tests to produce information specific to the service being performed or the item being studied. It is not the goal of a technical service or testing project to produce generalizable knowledge and such projects do not typically involve the extensive development of new methods or protocols to perform the work.

Faculty member has colleague in the private sector at ABC Corp. They discuss a potential collaborative project that requires university personnel/effort, use of university equipment, to modify ABC’s proprietary material and identify new uses and applications. BGSU faculty is tasked with designing experiments, based on expertise in the field. Project requires use of several pieces of BGSU-owned equipment, to be operated by PhD students and postdocs. Project will involve research animals and hazardous material. All activities will take place on BGSU property. BGSU faculty and students will publish results. 

Mechanism: Sponsored Project Agreement

• University, not the individual, assumes responsibility.
• Enjoys benefits of infrastructure—Compliance Office, OSPR, Grants Accounting, Payroll, General Counsel, etc.
• Funds are available upon execution of contract.  

Acme Industries contacts BGSU to compile and analyze corporate data. A faculty member has the ability and capability to provide such technical services on a price-per-job basis, and has an established service rate.  The project does not require the use of BGSU-owned equipment, but students may be compiling the data.  

Mechanism: Limited Services Agreement—Fixed Price

• Payment is set and cannot be adjusted because of how much it costs to meet the terms of the agreement, whether more or less than the contracted amount. 
  

Acme Industries contacts BGSU to film and produce a safety training video which meets OSHA regulatory standards.  The script has already been developed, and the BGSU faculty member and her students will be filming Acme employees at the company in various settings.  The BGSU team will be using some university equipment to film, edit, and produce the training video, but additional equipment will need to be rented. The BGSU team has an established service rate. There are hourly costs associated with renting the equipment.  It is unknown how long it will take to complete the project, and thus actual costs will need to be calculated at the end of the project.         

Mechanism: Short Form Sponsored Project Agreement—Cost-Reimbursement

• The Sponsor will reimburse the University for any actual, approved costs.
  

Acme Environmental needs to determine individual clay minerals in order to consider using the material for medical use. BGSU Geology Department has an x-ray refractometer. Faculty have developed and published a standardized fee schedule per sample.

Mechanism: Limited Testing Agreement—Fixed Priced