2021 - 2023 Award Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions for awards made in 2021 through 2023 were outlined in the award letter and linked to the URC policy page.  Template award letter language provided below for reference only. See your award letter for details that may be unique to your award. 

  • The Awardee must notify the URC office promptly if funding received from another source overlaps the aims and allocated expenses of this award. In such instances, it may be necessary to relinquish all or part of URC funding.
  • The project should adhere to the 12-month award window and the stated budget allocations outlined in your application.
  • Information on allowable expenses and other relevant details can be found below.
  • An END OF AWARD REPORT should be submitted within 30 days following the last day of the award cycle through URC grant portal. Submission of the EOA report is a criterion for eligibility for future URC awards.

Other Conditions

  1. The project must follow the URC award criteria found on the URC website. Detailed guidance is located in the GRANTS AND PROGRAMS
  2. Allocated grant funds are for the specific project described in the grant proposal budget. If it becomes necessary to reallocate funding, a written request to the URC co-chairs detailing the specific reason for the reallocation are to be submitted priorto any expenditure or movement of Failure to do so may result in the exclusion of relevant expenditures or loss of funding for the remainder of the award cycle.
  3. The Awardee must notify the URC office promptly if funding received from another source overlaps the aims and activities of this URC In such instances, it may be necessary to relinquish URC funding.
  4. ECAS faculty who have received course release(s) are expected to stay in residence and participate fully in all faculty service-related responsibilities. (updated 2023)
  5. Purchase of general-purpose equipment including, but not limited to, desktop computers, laptops, tablets/pads, video/voice recorders is not allowable under the URC
  6. Specialty equipment purchased with URC funds becomes the property of the
  7. All publications resulting from the use of the URC funds shall acknowledge this award using the following language: “This research was supported in part by the University Research Committee of Emory University and the Halle Institute for Global Health.” Please send copies of publication(s)(electronic) to the URC (updated 2023)
  8. An End of Award Report (EOA) must be completed and submitted through the URC Online Portal, within 30-days after the last day of the award cycle, detailing both the research and the financial progress throughout the entire Failure to submit the EOA will deem the applicant ineligible for future URC awards.
  9. Any portion of awarded funds not utilized by the end of the 12-month award cycle will automatically revert to the University Research Committee.
  10. With your acceptance of this URC award, you agree to review and score new URC proposal submissions for a period of three (3) consecutive years, beginning in the calendar year following the date of this award notification.

The following language reflects the URC policies and conditions outlined on the website for the subject award years. These terms and conditions apply to awards made during this period.

The URC grant is valid for a period of 12-months from the time of award notification. Awarded applicants may apply for subsequent URC funding no earlier than three years following the initial award, provided the REQUIRED End-of-Award (EOA) report has been submitted.

The End-of Award (EOA) report is mandatory. Failure to submit the Report within 30-days following the end date of the URC grant will deem the award recipient ineligible to apply for another URC grant until the EOA report is submitted and accepted by the URC.

Grant Impact Survey - The University is responsible for tracking and reporting the impact of the significant total funds provided annually by the institution to underwrite these awards. Therefore, an email containing a link to a short follow-up questionnaire, the Grant Impact Survey, will be sent to all awardees annually for three years following the completion of the project. Please complete and submit the questionnaire within 30 days of receipt.

No-cost Extension (NCE)

It is not standard practice for the URC to grant No-cost Extensions. URC awards are small, non-renewable grants, designed to be completed within one 12-month time period, beginning to end; however, on occasion, additional time is needed due to extenuating circumstances* that may have hindered the completion of the project within the standard 12-month time period. Upon approval by the URC co-directors, only one NCE (up to 6 months, maximum) is permitted for a project during the original 12-month award cycle.

*Extenuating circumstances are defined by the URC co-directors on a case-by-case basis. We realize that the start of some URC projects could be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If this is the case for your project, please keep track of time lost due to the pandemic, and provide that information to the URC should you submit a request for no-cost extension in Spring 2021 (removed in 2022).

The URC co-directors will consider written requests for No-cost Extensions to include the following:

  • Requested NCE date range (up to 6 months, maximum). Include the begin and end dates.
  • Research progress - An explicitly detailed timeline of progress made on the current awarded project. Include the date research actually began.
  • A brief narrative stating the reason(s) preventing completion of the current URC project. Include the awarded end date.
  • A detailed justification for No-cost Extension request that includes a list of planned steps leading to the completion of the project by the end date of the NCE
  • If the original budget is reallocated or adjusted, include the new budget and a detailed justification for the budget changes.

Budget and Policies

Budget is not a criterion for assessing the scholarly merits of an application; however, reviewers may comment on the appropriateness of specific funding requests. Please ensure that all requested funding is appropriate for and aligned with the proposed research needs.

URC awards, available on a competitive basis, are short-term (12-month), non-renewable grants, capped at the amount specified in each category. All fees and expenses must fall within the total dollar amount awarded and should be spent within the 12-month award period.

OF NOTE

  1. Nothing that binds the University to a future expense or commitment is permissible.
  2. Nothing that could be construed as part of a faculty member's usual operating expenses is permissible (e.g., the purchase of a pc/laptop/tablet/cell phone; conference travel and/or attendance, regular salary/benefits, or any other regular operating expense not listed herein).

 

Allowable expenses

  • Course Release: Individuals requesting course releases should include a maximum of $12,500 per course within the proposed URC (or Halle-URC) budget, up to a maximum of $25,000 per application. The application must include a formal school-generated document designating approval for course release. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain formal approval for course release from your Dean, and, as appropriate, through your unit head (e.g., Department Chair). Applications including a request for course release funds that lack supporting documentation with a Dean’s formal approval will not be considered. If the budgeted amount in the application is not sufficient to support the school’s expectation for funding the requested course release(s), the applicant and the applicant’s Chair in consultation with their Dean are responsible to find other (non-URC) funds to fill the gap. The format for documenting Dean (and Chair) approval is left to each of the participating schools. (updated 2022)
  • Direct expenses for the currently awarded project.
  • Subcontracts (with justification) are accepted only with the following Emory affiliated entities:

-Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA)

-Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering

  • Student Assistance. URC applicants may request funding for coworker assistance, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. If you are including coworker support within your budget, please ensure that additional funding sources are available to cover coworker compensation beyond the 1-year period of URC funding (as needed).

All policies apply to currently awarded URC grants and are not retroactive.

Non-allowable expenses include, but are not limited to:

  • Purchase of equipment of a sort involving normal operations (e.g., personal computers, standard laboratory equipment in the field);
  • Purchase of books or computer software, subscribing to professional journals;
  • Publishing costs of any kind;
  • All costs for conference attendance;
  • First/business class airfare