Guidelines for Pre-Proposals for the FY2024 SDSU Water Resources Institute Competitive USGS 104b Grants
The South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University Water Resources Institute (SDSU WRI) is soliciting pre-proposals for its annual competition for research funds provided by Congressional appropriation to Water Resources Institutes through the U.S. Geological Survey.
The deadline for pre-proposal submission to the SDSU WRI is 5 p.m. on March 15, 2024. E-mail pre-proposals to the SDSU WRI in Word or PDF format as a single file. Pre-proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the SDSU WRI’s external review panel and those selected for submission of a full proposal will be notified no later than March 30, 2024. The highest-ranked full proposals will be funded based on budgets and total research funds available. The anticipated start date for these one-year research projects is Sept. 1, 2024.
Pre-proposals Guidelines
Formatting
- Font size must be at least 12 point.
- Margins must be at least one inch in all directions.
Must Include (Limited to three pages)
- Title. Concise but descriptive.
- Project Type. Research, Information Transfer, Information Management System, Education or Other (please specify)
- Focus Categories. Choose a maximum of three focus categories from the list provided (Appendix A), with the most preferred focus category first.
- Keywords. Enter keywords of your choice descriptive of the work.
- Research Category. Choose from the following the one category that most closely applies: Social Sciences, Ground-water Flow and Transport, Water Quality, Biological Sciences, Engineering or Climate and Hydrologic Processes.
- Start Date.
- End Date.
- Principal investigator(s). Provide name, academic rank, university, email address and phone number of ALL principal investigators.
- Statement of regional or State water problem. Include an explanation of the need for the project, who wants it and why.
- Overall hypothesis or goal.
- Project objectives, including a timeline of activities.
- Methods, procedures and facilities. Provide enough information to permit evaluation of the technical adequacy of the approach to satisfy the objectives
- Training potential.Estimate the number of graduate and undergraduate students, by degree level, who are expected to receive training in the project.
Should include (not in the three page limit)
- Budget and budget justification. Include matching funds.
Example Budget:
Category | 104b Request | Non-Federal Match | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Salaries and Wages PI Staff Students | $0 $0 $5,000 | $4,000 $4,000 $0 | $4,000 $4,000 $5,000 |
Student Tuition Remission | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
Total Salaries and Wages | $10,000 | $8,000 | $18,000 |
Fringe Benefits | $50 | $2,000 | $2,050 |
Materials and Supplies | $1,000 | $0 | $1,000 |
Equipment | $1,500 | $0 | $1,500 |
Contractual | $1,500 | $0 | $1,500 |
Travel | $800 | $0 | $800 |
Other Direct Costs | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total Direct Costs | $14,850 | $10,000 | $24,850 |
Indirect Costs on Federal Share | XXXXX | $4,850 | $4,850 |
Total Estimated Costs | $14,850 | $14,850 | $29,700 |
Budget Justification Format:
Principal Investigator:
Project Title:
Date:
Senior Personnel Costs - Total cost $_________
$_______ is requested for __________, who will serve as the Principal Investigator and will be responsible for the overall project goals and objectives. The PI will also be responsible for _____________. The total effort the PI will dedicate to this project each year will be ______% of the PI’s ______ months, which is equivalent to________ months for each year.
$__________ is requested for __________, who will serve as the Co-PI and will be responsible for _____________. The total effort the Co-PI will dedicate to this project each year will be _______% of the Co-PI’s ______ months, which is equivalent to ________ months for each year.
Other Personnel Costs – Total Cost $____________
$______ is requested for Click here to _________, who will support the project as a _________. The total effort that the _________ will dedicate to the project each year will be _____% of _______months, which is equivalent to _____months each year. _______will be responsible for the following activities: Click here to enter text.
$_____ is requested to support ______ graduate student(s) participating in this project. They will: ________.
$______ is requested to support _____undergraduate student(s) participating in this project. The students will: ____________
Fringe Benefits Costs – Total Cost $_______.
Fringe benefits for the Senior and Other Personnel above is calculated based on % of time on the project at a rate of 15% plus an annual stipend of $9,872 for health and life for a total of $_______. One percent fringe is calculated for graduate and undergraduate personnel for a total of $______.
Equipment Costs – Total Cost $ ___________.
Equipment/ Purpose | Amount | Year Purchasing |
---|---|---|
Travel Costs – Total Cost $______.
Domestic Travel
Name | |
---|---|
Meeting/Purpose | |
Year(s) | # Trips, #Days, Totals |
Mileage | |
Per Diem | |
Lodging | |
Airfare | Registration |
Total for Meeting |
(copy table as needed for additional personnel)
Foreign Travel: Provide same type of detail as domestic travel.
Other Direct Costs – Total Cost $__________.
- Materials and Supplies: $______ is requested for the following supplies. Click here to enter text.
- Publication/Documentation/Dissemination: $__________ is requested for the publication costs, at an estimated cost of $Click here to enter text. per publication.
- Contractual/Consultant: $___________ is requested for __________, whom will assist the PI and Co-PI with the following activities: ______________. _________________ was selected for his/her expertise in ________________, which is critical to the proposed project. ________________. The rate per day is $_____________
Repeat for each individual contractor/consultant on project.
- Computer Services: $_____________is requested per year for necessary computer services. These services include ____________ to be used for ________________.
- Tuition Remission: $_____________ is requested for _______________ students for a total of $_________ for Year 1. Tuition Remission is based on a base tuition rate of $_______________ in Year 1, increasing by $200 each year thereafter, plus a program fee rate set by the South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Board of Regents based on the graduate student’s specific program’s need.
- Other costs such as equipment/facility rental, user fees, speaker/trainer fees, honorariums, fabrication of equipment should be considered.
Facilities and Administration (F&A) Costs – Total Cost $____________.
F&A costs totaling $____________ is associated with the proposed project at the rate of _____% of $____________. Modified Total Direct Costs include Total Direct Costs excluding equipment, capital expenditures, tuition remission, and rental costs of off-site facilities, scholarships, and subaward amounts over $25,000.
SDSU’s current federally negotiated rate agreement is valid for the period (7/1/18 – 7/1/23). The cognizant agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The cognizant agency point of contact is Helen Fung at 415-437-7820.
Investigator’s qualifications. Include resume(s) of the principal investigator(s). No resume shall exceed two pages or list more than 15 pertinent publications.
Matching funds
- Each applicant must match each Federal dollar provided with not less than one dollar from non-federal sources.
- Matching funds shall be obligated during the period of performance.
- The matching requirement should be met during each 12-month budget period.
- Matching funds may contain indirect costs and non-federal salaries and benefits. The applicant’s negotiated indirect cost rate (NICR) may be applied to both qualifying federal and non-federal direct costs, and the result used to satisfy part of the matching requirement under the non-federal share. The NICR shall not be applied to tuition and equipment costs. Federal funds shall not be used to pay indirect costs.
- Regulations pertaining to allowable matching funds are provided in the Code of Federal
- Regulations at 43CFR12.64 and in the following OMB Circulars:
- Circular A-21 for Educational Institutions
- Circular A-87 for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments
- Circular A-122 for Private Nonprofit Organizations
- Acid Deposition ACD
- Agriculture AG
- Climatological Processes CP
- Conservation COV
- Drought DROU
- Ecology ECL
- Economics ECON
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- Geochemical Processes GEOCHE
- Groundwater GWw
- Hydrogeochemistry HYDGEO
- Hydrology HYDROL
- Invasive Species INVnv
- Irrigation IG
- Law, Institutions, And Policy LIP
- Management And Planning M&P
- Methods MET
- Models MOD
- Nitrate Contamination NC
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