OCGA: Fellowships

Criteria

Individual Fellowships that are administered by the University through a Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) will meet the following four criteria:

1. Merit Based – in response to a competitive application/announcement
2. Awarded to a Specific Individual – the award follows the individual should they leave the University
3. Mentored – awardee is not an independent investigator and will be guided/hosted by a UC San Diego faculty member in their lab
4. Intended to enhance an individual’s potential to develop into an independent researcher/scholar

Exclusions

At UC San Diego, individual fellowships that are administered by the University through a SPO do not include:

• Awards to faculty – these will be handled as grants or contracts
• Undergraduate fellowships – these will be handled on a case-by-case basis if University administration is required
• Postdoc Pay Directs and Graduate Students paid directly – these are not administered by the University
• Fellowship programs administered by the University where the University picks the fellow(s) – these are classified as grants or contracts
• Programs or fellowships funded by gifts – these are administered through the Gifts Processing Office

Tabs in Kuali Research

When completing the Kuali Research record for a fellowship proposal complete the record as you would a grant or contract with the following differences:

When Creating a Proposal

• For "Anticipated Award Type" select Fellowship

Key Personnel

• Proposed Fellow will be entered as the Principal Investigator (PI) on all Fellowship Proposals.
• Faculty member (mentor/sponsor) will be entered as a Co-Investigator (Co-I) if a Conflict of Interest disclosure is required. OR
• Faculty member (mentor/sponsor) will be entered as a Key Study Person if a Conflict of Interest is not required.

Special Review Tab

• Departments will be required to enter a COI special review line for 700U sponsors. Enter a line with status as "Pending" and your SPO analyst will update the record.
• PI Exceptions are not required for fellowships.
• Departments will be required to enter a PI Exception special review line for non-PI eligible title codes. Enter a line with status as "Pending" and your SPO analyst will update the record. This will also trigger the PI Exception Questionnaire, answer "yes" on the questionnaire.

Resources

Clearly Defined Intent in Sponsor Funding Opportunity

For both Federal and Foreign sponsors, you must have a specific funding opportunity to reference for identifying the intent.

When the Intent Undefined or Unclear

It is important to be very careful about the sponsor's intent and determine the intent of the funding for both non-profit and industry sponsors.

If Indirect Costs are allowed they need to be requested/budgeted. 

The appropriate federally-negotiated rate is to be used, though a reduced rate may be allowed if the sponsor meets the following conditions: 

• Federal – has a clear written policy in funding announcement or other documentation
• Non-profit – has a written policy for the rate (funding announcement, website, FAQ, letter from funder); if total costs are capped or the IDC policy is unclear, work with your SPO analyst to confirm the correct rate
• Industry – reduced IDC (lower than the federally-negotiated rate) may be allowed under very specific conditions for a fellowship, work with your SPO analyst to confirm the correct rate
• Foreign government – has a clear written policy in original funding documentation, SPO analyst will work with foreign institution to confirm the correct rate

When COI is required

• Federal PHS funding and sponsors that have adopted the PHS FCOI policies: disclosure is required for the PI (fellow) and all senior/key personnel, which includes the faculty mentor/sponsor.

When COI is not required

• Non-Federal 700U disclosures are not required for non-profit or for-profit fellowships.

For more information on COI disclosure requirements and Kuali COI tutorials.

If the fellow applies directly without going through a UC San Diego office, do I need to start a Kuali Research record?

Yes, a Kuali Research record will always be necessary to set up the fellowship funding. The fellow may submit directly to the sponsor if no institutional approval is required, however, a proposal record is needed to set up funding when the award is received by UC San Diego. The award cannot be setup until the Kuali Research record is competed.

For review and triage purposes, a Kuali Research record is required at the time of proposal when your department is assisting the applicant with the proposal or the proposal requires an institutional signature or submission.

What should I do if the sponsor allows for an institutional allowance or other type of institutional administrative cost, but not IDC?

The administrative allowance will not be assessed as IDC by the University. The fellow’s home department will determine how the funds are to be used based on their department polices and any guidance or restrictions of the funding agency. These costs are commonly used to pay for the fellow’s benefits or other training costs.

What is the difference between a duel degree and a joint degree program?

A dual degree program will result in two degrees from UC San Diego, for example the M.D./Ph.D. program through the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP).

A joint degree program is a collaboration between UC San Diego and another educational institution that results in a single degree, for example the PhD in Public Health Epidemiology through the UC San Diego/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program.

Do I need to create a Kuali Research record for a Grad Student applying for fellowship funding from the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) grant UC San Diego has received?

No, the funding is received by UC San Diego as part of the GRFP grant administered by GEPA.  While the individual graduate students are required to apply to NSF to receive a fellowship from this grant, the funds are paid to the university through the institutional fellowship program grant and not as a separate fellowship award to the student, and as such are not considered separate funds requiring a Kuali Research record.  The graduate student should work directly with GEPA for any questions or issues with proposal submission or fund allocation.  For more information visit the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs site.  

Do I need a Kuali Research record if the fellowship is funded by internal funding?

No, fellowships funded through internal UC San Diego or departmental funds are an internal fund transfer, aKuali Research record is only needed for extramurally funded fellowships.

I cannot find the Fellow’s name when I try to add them to the Key Personnel tab in Kuali Research.

Contact eraphelp@ucsd.edu for assistance with adding the Fellow to the Kuali Research record.

What Activity Type should I choose in Kuali Research for a Fellowship proposal record?

Select Basic Research as the Activity Type.