Obtaining Grant or Contract Awards and Administration Policy

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Effective Date: July 1, 2024
Issuing Authority: Provost
Policy Contact: Senior Vice Provost for Research, provost@mercer.edu, 478-301-2110

Purpose

Mercer University has established guidelines for sponsored projects.

Scope

This policy applies to any faculty or staff who is seeking to apply for external funding for sponsored projects.

Exclusions

None

Policy Statement

All contracts and/or subcontracts solicited by the Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) and/or funded by the Department of Defense, either directly or indirectly, shall be under the administrative oversight of MERC. Any requests/application (e.g., proposals, white papers, etc.) for a contract and/or subcontract under the oversight of MERC as so defined shall be submitted to the Director of Contracts and Administration at MERC for approval prior to its submission to the contract grantor.

All other sponsored program applications including grants, contracts, subcontracts, and those exceptions noted above are to be submitted to the Grants & Contracts Office (GCO) for approval. When applicable, the following approvals are necessary prior to submission of a sponsored program application to the GCO:

  1. Approval must be received from the Senior Vice President for University Advancement prior to soliciting any private foundation, corporation, or individual for grant funding. This applies to all applicable grants University-wide.
  2. Any commitment, either stated or implied, for cost sharing by Mercer University, including matching or in-kind funds, as a part of the budget of any sponsored program application requires the advance written approval from the Department Chair and the Dean of the School. Written approval documentation must include the amount and source of the matching and/or in-kind funds along with specifications explaining exactly how these funds will be applied to the effort. This documentation will allow the Grants & Contract Office, Advancement, and Provost’s offices to expedite their budget review and approval.
  3. Approval from the Provost’s Office is required prior to soliciting any contract or grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Education (including FIPSE and Upward Bound), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a National Science Foundation grant for student education, or the National Education Association (NEA).

The University may reject any award if the proper procedures/approvals have not been received.