Proposal Guidelines

Overview

The Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR) allows consortium partners (the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Rutgers University, the University of Maine, the University of Maryland Center or Environmental Science, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) to submit proposals to NOAA through the Cooperative Agreement #NA09OAR4320129. Guidelines for submission of CINAR proposals for both WHOI and partner Institutes are outlined below. Each instititution should follow their own internal proposal guidelines as well as those designated for CINAR. If there are any questions regarding the CINAR proposal submission process, please contact Ann Stone at 508-289-3837 or astone@whoi.edu.

Current Deadline for Proposal Submission

Submitting to the CINAR Office for FY13 Funding is NOW open - FINAL Date to receive proposals has been EXTENDED to  June 21,2013

WHOI Proposal Guidelines

1. PI’s Dept. Office contacts Ann Stone of the CINAR Office (x3837) to let her know about the proposal.
2. Dept. Office completes budget within WHOIgrants as per normal procedures. Select “NOAA cooperative Inst.” as Agency. For division, select the section of NOAA that will provide the funding – for example NOAA-OAR, NOAA–NMFS, NOAA-NOS.  Select "CINAR" as the Program.  Proposal dates must be within the current cooperative agreement period – July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2014.
3. Dept. office downloads, and completes, appropriate grant application package from grants.gov ( https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms_apps_idx.html ) using appropriate CFDA number  = 11.432 and federal funding opportunity (FFO) numbers assigned to CINAR: OAR: NOAA-OAR-CIPO-2013-2003551 or NMFS: NOAA-OAR-CIPO-2013-2003549
   
4. On grant application page (first page of application package) – please use the following naming convention in the Application Filing Name field: WHOI Proposal #, Instituion, PI name (based on the following example) - WHOI Prop No 12345.00 WHOI, Anderson
5. Include the WHOI Budget from WHOI grants.
6. Please include the 424 R&R report from WHOIgrants, as NOAA is now asking for salary rates by individual. Including this form with the original submission will avoid delay in the grant process at NOAA.
7. Please include a WHOI Negoiated Rate sheets as found on the GCS site  WHOI's negotiated rate agreement online -http://controller.whoi.edu/geninfo/gov_reports.html this should be included in the budget justification.
8. The Budget Justification needs to include details of what is being purchased and why and it should contain references to the "section" in the WHOI budget (for example: 6. Other 1.a).  Also, a "generic" item like "Laboratory Supplies - $2,000"  should be detailed in the justification, i.e.  glassware, chemicals, rubber gloves (or whatever).
9. Different from WHOI Policy - Any items that are $5,000.00 or over
1. Description of the item of how it will be used in the Project.
2. Provide a statement describing whether the item has a lease versus a purchase agreement.
1. If purchasing item - sole source justification statement is needed.
10. Dept. office completes “CINAR cover sheet” and includes as first page of project narrative within grants.gov application package. 
    
11. CINAR Office recommends that you review the CI Proposal Application Outline at this link http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci/policy/docs/CI-Proposed-Application-Outline.pdf as it will assist you in formatting and completing proposals with the correct information that the NOAA CI Program Office requests.
12. Note that brief non-technical abstracts are required for CINAR proposals.  These are distributed by NOAA to Congressional staff prior to funding. The abstract should be included in the Project Narrative, right after the CINAR cover sheet. 
    • Please make sure that the Abstract, and both narratives have a footer i.e. Project Narrative_WHOI Prop. No. #### WHOI PI Name           page 1 of n
13. File name of Project /  Budget Narratives should not exceed 50 characters- use: Project_CINAR_No####_##WHOI_PIlastname  AND Budget_CINAR_No####_##WHOI_PIlastname
    
14. Email packet to astone@whoi.edu or if email is down / call CINAR Office to let them know you left the pdf version of the final grants.gov packet on the WHOI NOVELL 'Y' Drive in advance of green sheeting the proposal. Y - u - CINAR - dropoff
15. CINAR Office will contact Dept Office via email - letting them know when it is approved and ready to be routed for signatures.
    
16. Please allow default access to Ann Stone on WHOIgrants
17. WHOI Grants - make sure that the agency is listed as Coop Inst (NOAA) so that the Co-operative Institute Office signature line shows up on the Green sheet.
    
18. The CINAR Administrator, Judy Kleindinst (or her designee), will sign off on the Green Sheet.  Dept. office routes the Green Sheet to the CINAR Office for sign-off prior to sending to GCS. Indicate on the green sheet under special instructions that a paper copy be sent to Judy Kleindinst, CINAR Administrator MS#32.
    
19. Indicate on the green sheet under special instructions for GCS to send the Grant.gov notification, confirmation and agency tracking numbers to the CINAR Office - astone@whoi.edu
20. CINAR Office will send the proposal to GCS after CINAR review and sign-off.  GCS will review for the Institution and obtain other signatures as necessary.
21. GCS will submit the proposal via Grants.gov.
22. If requested on the Green Sheet an email message with the Grants.gov tracking number can be sent to the NOAA program manager(s). The proposal will not be sent.

Partner Proposal Guidelines

1. PI and NOAA program manager agree on statement of work and budget
2. Partner contacts CINAR Office (presumably this contact would be from someone in the partner’s grants or research administration office, as designated) to let us know of proposal and any special requirements, due dates, etc.
3. PI completes proposal paperwork as required by partner organization
4. Partner administrative office downloads, and completes, appropriate grant application package from grants.gov using appropriate federal funding opportunity (FFO) numbers assigned to CINAR:OAR: NOAA-OAR-CIPO-2013-2003551 or NMFS: NOAA-OAR-CIPO-2013-2003549
   
5. On grant application page (first page of application package) – please use the following naming convention in the Application Filing Name field: WHOI Proposal #, Institution, PI name (based on the following example) - WHOI Prop No 12345.00 UMCES, Houde
6. Partner administrative office completes “CINAR cover sheet” and includes as first page of project narrative within grants.gov application package. 
   
7. CINAR Office recommends that you review the CI Proposal Application Outline at this link http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci/policy/docs/CI-Proposed-Application-Outline.pdf as it will assist you in formatting and completing proposals with the correct information that the NOAA CI Program Office requests.
8. The Budget Narrative needs to include details of what is being purchased and why and it should contain references to the "section" in the WHOI budget (for example: 6. Other 1.a).  Also, a "generic" item like "Laboratory Supplies - $2,000"  should be detailed in the justification, i.e.  glassware, chemicals, rubber gloves (or whatever).
   1. NOTE- Any items that are $5,000.00 or over
   1. Description of the item of how it will be used in the Project.
   2. Provide a statement describing whether the item has a lease versus a purchase agreement.
   1. If purchasing item - sole source justification statement is needed.
9. Note that brief non-technical abstracts are required for CINAR proposals.  These are distributed by NOAA to Congressional staff prior to funding. The abstract should be included in the Project Narrative, right after the CINAR cover sheet.
10. Partner emails PDF generated from grants.gov to the CINAR Office
11. CINAR Office routes for WHOI signatures
12. WHOI Grants and Contract Office (GSC) then submits through grants.gov following WHOI procedures.