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GENERAL APPLICATION GUIDE FOR NIH AND OTHER PHS AGENCIES
SF424 (R&R) - Forms Version E
Released: September 25, 2017
Revised: December 7, 2018

G.300 - R&R Budget Form

Who should use the R&R Budget Form?

There are two primary types of Budget Forms: detailed R&R and PHS 398 modular. Generally, you must use the R&R Budget Form if you are applying for more than $250,000 per budget period in direct costs, and you must use the Modular Budget Form if you are applying for less than $250,000. However, some grant mechanisms or programs (e.g., training grants) may require other budget forms to be used. Refer to your FOA and to the following instructions for guidance on which Budget Form to use.

Note: The terms "detailed budget" and "R&R Budget" are used interchangeably.

If you are requesting a budget with $500,000 or more in direct costs for any budget period, contact the awarding component to determine whether you must obtain prior approval before submitting the application. For more information on applications that request $500,000 or more in direct costs, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 2.3.7.2: Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications Requesting $500,000 or More in Direct Costs.

Special Instructions for Foreign Organizations (Non-domestic [non-U.S.] Entities): All competing (new, renewal, resubmission, and revision) grant applications from foreign (non-U.S.) institutions must use the R&R Budget Form. Do not use the PHS 398 Modular Budget Form. For additional information, see NIH Guide Notice on the Requirement for Detailed Budget Submissions from Foreign Institutions and the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 13.3.1: Budget. Applications from foreign organizations must request budgets in U.S. dollars.

Note on Subawards/Consortiums: If you have a subaward/consortium, you must use the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form in conjunction with the R&R Budget Form. The prime must extract the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) from the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form and send the extracted file to the subaward/consortium. The consortium should complete the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment, following the instructions here and in G.310 - R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form.

For more information:

For more information on how to prepare your budget, see NIH's Develop Your Budget page.

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Who should use the R&R Budget Form?

All career development applications must use the R&R Budget Form. The PHS 398 Modular Budget Form is not permissible.

Refer to your FOA for information regarding allowable costs for the candidate and any allowable research development or other costs. Contact the targeted awarding component if you are uncertain about allowable amounts for the applicable career development award mechanism. Keep in mind that amounts vary with awarding components.

Transitional Career Award applications: NIH intramural candidates applying for transitional career award support (e.g., K22, K99/R00) should follow instructions in the applicable FOA. For the mentored phase of these awards, budgets are negotiated with the sponsoring intramural laboratory. For awardees who receive approval to transition to the extramural phase, a budget will be required as part of the extramural sponsored application.

Additional Instructions for Training:

Who should use the R&R Budget Form?

T90/R90 applications: Use the R&R Budget Form in conjunction with the PHS 398 Training Budget Form for the R90 portion of the application.

K12, D43, D71, T37, and U2R applications: Use only the R&R Budget Form.

All other Training applications: Most training applications should use the PHS 398 Training Budget Form. Use the R&R Budget Form only when allowed or required in an FOA. See also instructions in G.420 - PHS 398 Research Training Program Plan Form.

Additional Instructions for Multi-project:

Developing a Multi-project Budget: The structure of a Multi-project application reflects where the work will be done and not necessarily the flow of funds. If most of the work for a particular component is done by a collaborating organization, then that organization can be set up as the lead organization for that component.

The main budget form for the component must reflect the DUNS for the lead organization and Project for the Budget Type. If the applicant organization is responsible for a portion of the work for that component, then their costs would be reflected on a Subaward Budget Form with the applicant organization DUNS and Subaward/Consortium for the Budget Type. Subaward Budget Forms simply record budget data. They do not indicate that funds must flow through the lead organization for the component.

The DUNS on each budget form is used to identify the budget data associated with each organization. When the DUNS on the budget form is the same as the DUNS on the Overall Component's SF424 R&R form, the budget data is associated with the applicant organization. When the DUNS is different, it is seen as belonging to a subaward.

For more information, refer to NIH's Frequently Asked Questions on Applying Electronically.

Overall Component: Most budget data is collected within the Other Components. Complete only the G.200 - SF 424 (R&R) Form, Estimated Project Funding section and the G.350 - PHS Additional Indirect Costs Form (if applicable). The PHS Additional Indirect Costs Form is used to gather any additional information allowable under the grantee's negotiated F&A rate agreement needed to calculate the F&A rate for the Overall Component's first $25,000 on each subaward that leads an entire component. The PHS Additional Indirect Costs Form should not be used when all components are led by the applicant organization.

System-generated budget summaries (including a Composite Application Budget Summary) based on budget data collected within the Other Components are included in the summaries section of the assembled application image.

Budget summaries will:

  • appear in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons;
  • will be compiled from R&R budget data collected in the Other Components; and
  • will be generated upon submission.
Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

Fast-Track SBIR/STTR Applications: You will need to create three separate budget periods to cover your Phase I and Phase II overall budget period: one budget period (6-12 months) for Phase I and two budget periods (one year each) for Phase II. Complete a separate G.300 R&R Budget Form for each of the three budget periods.

Using the R&R Budget Form:

The location of the R&R Budget Form may vary with the type of submission (e.g., under an "Optional Forms" tab).

You must complete a separate detailed budget for each budget period requested. The form will generate a cumulative budget for the total project period. If no funds are requested for a required field, enter "0."

You must round to the nearest whole dollar amount in all dollar fields.

Competing Revision Applications: For a supplemental/revision application, complete fields for which additional funds are requested in addition to all required fields. If the initial budget period of the supplemental/revision application is less than 12 months, prorate the personnel costs and other appropriate items of the detailed budget.

Introductory Fields

Organizational DUNS:

This field is required. This field may be pre-populated and should reflect the DUNS or DUNS+4 number of the applicant organization (or of the lead organization for the component of a multi-project application).

Enter name of Organization:

This field may be pre-populated. Enter the name of the organization.

Budget Type:

This field is required. Check the appropriate box for your budget type, following these guidelines:

If you are preparing an application that includes a subaward/consortium that performs a substantive portion of the project, in addition to completing this form, see also the instructions for G.310 - R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form.

Additional Instructions for Multi-project:

Project: The budget being requested is for the organization leading the component.

Subaward/Consortium: The budget being requested is for other organizations performing work for the component. When the applicant organization is participating on a component, but not leading that component, their costs should be reflected on a Subaward/Consortium budget. This is true even if the money will not flow through the lead organization. The budget justification can be used to clarify the flow of funds.

Budget Period:

This field is required.

Identify the specific budget period (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Start Date:

This field is required and may be pre-populated from the SF 424 R&R Form. Enter the requested/proposed start date of the budget period. For period 1, the start date is typically the same date as the Proposed Project Start Date on the G.200 - SF 424 (R&R) Form.

End Date:

This field is required. Enter the requested/proposed end date of the budget period.

A. Senior/Key Person

Who to include in A. Senior/Key Person:

Include the names of senior/key persons at the applicant organization, (or organization leading the component of a multi-project application), who are involved on the project in a particular budget period. Include all collaborating investigators and other individuals who meet the senior/key person definition if they are from the applicant organization.

Consultants designated as senior/key persons in the Senior/Key Person Profile Form can be included in the "A. Senior/Key Person" section only if they are also employees of the applicant organization. Otherwise, consultant costs should be included in Consultant Services in Question F of this form.

Who not to include in A. Senior/Key Person:

Do not list details of collaborators at other institutions here, as they will be provided in the Subaward Budget for each subaward/consortium organization.

Personnel listed as other significant contributors who are not committing any specific measurable effort to the project should not be included in the Personnel section (sections "A. Senior/Key Person" and "B. Other Personnel") since no associated salary and/or fringe benefits can be requested for their contribution.

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Include information only for the candidate in the "A. Senior/Key Person" section. Do not include the mentor(s) or any other senior/key persons. For the candidate, provide the base salary, person months, and requested salary and fringe benefits. career development programs include a minimum effort requirement, usually 75% or nine person months.

Salary description: For the salary column, most NIH ICs limit the amount of salary contribution provided for career development programs. However, applicants should include information on actual institutional base salary and fringe benefits, and the actual amount of salary and fringe being requested. ICs may request updated salary information prior to award. Any adjustments based on policy limitations will be made at the time of the award.

The total salary requested must be based on a full-time staff appointment. The salary must be consistent both with the established salary structure at the institution and with salaries actually provided by the institution from its own funds to other staff of equivalent qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in the department concerned. If full-time, 12-month salaries are not currently paid to comparable staff members, the salary proposed must be appropriately related to the existing salary structure. The total salary contribution provided by the NIH may not exceed the legislatively mandated salary cap. See NIH's Salary Cap Summary.

Salary supplements: The sponsoring institution may supplement the NIH salary contribution up to a level that is consistent with the institution's salary scale. However, supplementation may not be from federal funds unless specifically authorized by the federal program from which such funds are derived. In no case may PHS funds be used for salary supplementation. Institutional supplementation of salary must not require extra duties or responsibilities that would interfere with the purpose of the career award.

Prefix:

Enter the prefix (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Rev.), if applicable, for the name of the senior/key person.

First Name:

This field is required. Enter the first (given) name of the senior/key person.

Middle Name:

Enter the middle name of the senior/key person.

Last Name:

This field is required. Enter the last (family) name of the senior/key person.

Suffix:

Enter the suffix (e.g., Jr., Sr., PhD), if applicable, of the senior/key person.

Base Salary ($):

Enter the annual compensation paid by the employer for the senior/key person. This includes all activities such as research, teaching, patient care, and other. An applicant organization may choose to leave this blank; however, NIH or other PHS Agency staff will request this information prior to award.

Months (Cal./Acad./Sum.):

NIH and other PHS agencies use the concept of "person months" as a metric for determining percent of effort. For more information about calculating person months, see NIH's Frequently Asked Questions on Person Months.

Identify the number of months the senior/key person will devote to the project in the applicable box (i.e., calendar, academic, summer).

Use either calendar months OR a combination of academic and summer months. Measurable effort is required for every senior/key person entry.

For an explanation of "measurable effort," see the Frequently Asked Questions on Senior/Key Personnel.

If effort does not change throughout the year, it is OK to use only the calendar months column.

However, you may use both the academic and summer months columns if your institutional business process requires noting each separately even if effort remains constant. If effort varies between academic and summer months, leave the calendar months column blank and use only the academic and summer months columns.

If your institution does not use a 9-month academic year or a 3-month summer period, indicate your institution's definition of these in Section L. Budget Justification.

Requested Salary ($):

This field is required. Regardless of the number of months being devoted to the project, indicate the salary being requested for this budget period for the senior/key person.

Salary limitations. Some PHS grant programs are currently subject to a legislatively imposed salary limitation. Any adjustment for salary limits will be made at the time of award; therefore, requested salary should be based on institutional base salary at the time the application is submitted and not adjusted for any limitation. For guidance on current salary limitations, see the NIH's Salary Cap Summary or contact your office of sponsored programs.

Graduate student compensation: NIH grants also limit compensation for graduate students. Compensation includes salary or wages, fringe benefits, and tuition remission. While actual institutional-based compensation should be requested and justified, this may be adjusted at the time of the award. For more guidance on this policy, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 2.3.7.9: Graduate Student Compensation.

Fringe Benefits ($):

Enter the amount of requested fringe benefits, if applicable, for the senior/key person.

Funds Requested ($):

This field is automatically calculated and will reflect the total requested salary and fringe benefits for the senior/key person.

Project Role:

This field is required. Identify the project role of each senior/key person. Roles should correspond to the roles included on the G.240 - R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form. Note that there must be at least one PD/PI per budget period.

Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

STTR: If the budget type is "project," you do not have to list a PD/PI; list the PD/PI in the Subaward/Consortium budget.

Additional Senior/Key Persons:

If you are requesting funds for more senior/key persons than the form allows, you must include an attachment listing the additional senior/key person(s) in this "Additional Senior/Key Persons" field. Use the same format as the budget form and include all the information identified in this section.

Total Funds requested for all persons in the attached file:

If you have attached a file with additional senior/key persons, enter the total funds requested for everyone listed in the attachment in the "Total Funds requested for all Senior/Key Persons in the attached file" field.

Total Senior/Key Persons:

This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the "Funds Requested" column and the "Total Funds requested for all Senior/Key Persons in the attached file" field.

Special Instructions for Joint University and Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.) Appointments: Individuals with joint university and V.A. appointments may request the university's share of their salary in proportion to the effort devoted to the research project. The individual's salary with the university determines the base for computing that request. The signature by the institutional official on the application certifies that: (1) the individual is applying as part of a joint appointment specified by a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the university and the V.A.; and (2) there is no possibility of dual compensation for the same work, or of an actual or apparent conflict of interest regarding such work. Additional information may be requested by the awarding components.

B. Other Personnel

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Skip the "B. Other Personnel" section.

Number of Personnel:

For each project role category, identify the number of personnel proposed.

Administrative, Secretarial, and Clerical Support Salaries: In most circumstances, the salaries of administrative, secretarial, or clerical staff at educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are included as part of indirect costs (Section H. Indirect Costs). However, examples of situations where direct charging of administrative or clerical staff salaries may be appropriate may be found at: 45 CFR 75.403.

Inclusion of such costs may be appropriate only if all of the following conditions are met:

  1. Administrative or clerical services are integral to a project or activity;
  2. Individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity;
  3. Such costs are explicitly included in the budget or have prior written approval of the federal awarding agency; and
  4. The costs are not also recovered as indirect costs.

Requests for direct charging for secretarial/clerical personnel (i.e., administrative and clerical staff) must be appropriately justified in Section L. Budget Justification. For all individuals classified as administrative/secretarial/clerical, provide a justification (in the Budget Justification) documenting how they meet all four conditions. NIH ICs may request additional information for these positions in order to assess allowability.

Postdoctoral and Graduate Students: For all postdoctoral associates and graduate students not already named in "Section A. Senior/Key Person," individually list names, roles (e.g., postdoctoral associates or graduate student), associated months, and requested salary and fringe benefits in Section L. Budget Justification.

Project Role:

List any additional project role(s) (e.g., engineer, IT professionals, etc.) in the blank(s) provided. Identify the number of each personnel proposed.

You may have up to six named roles. If you have more than six, you must combine project roles here and add an explanation about the named roles in Section L. Budget Justification.

Do not include consultants in this section. Consultants are included below in Section F. Other Direct Costs.

Months (Cal./Acad./Sum.):

NIH and other PHS agencies use the concept of "person months" as a metric for determining percent of effort. For more information about calculating person months, see: NIH's Frequently Asked Questions on Person Months.

Identify the number of months devoted to the project in the applicable box (i.e., calendar, academic, summer) for each project role category.

Use either calendar months OR a combination of academic and summer months.

If effort does not change throughout the year, it is OK to use only the calendar months column.

However, you may use both academic and summer months columns if your institutional business process requires noting each separately, even if effort remains constant. If effort varies between academic and summer months, leave the calendar months column blank and use only the academic and summer months columns.

If your institution does not use a 9-month academic year or a 3-month summer period, indicate your institution's definition of these in Section L. Budget Justification.

Requested Salary ($):

Regardless of the number of months being devoted to the project, indicate only the amount of salary/wages being requested for this budget period for each project role. The amount entered should reflect the total amount of funds requested for all personnel within a project role.

Salary limitations: Some PHS grant programs are currently subject to a legislatively imposed salary limitation. Any adjustment for salary limits will be made at the time of award; therefore, requested salary should be based on institutional base salary at the time the application is submitted and not adjusted for any limitation. For guidance on current salary limitations, see the NIH's Salary Cap Summary or contact your office of sponsored programs.

Graduate student compensation: NIH grants also limit the compensation for graduate students. Compensation includes salary or wages, fringe benefits, and tuition remission. While actual institutional-based compensation should be requested and justified, this may be adjusted at the time of the award. For more guidance on this policy, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 2.3.7.9: Graduate Student Compensation.

Fringe Benefits ($):

Enter the amount of requested fringe benefits, if applicable, for this project role category. The amount entered should reflect the total amount of fringe benefits requested for all personnel within a project role.

Funds Requested ($):

This field will be automatically calculated and will reflect the total requested salary and fringe benefits for each project role category.

Total Number of Other Personnel:

This total will be automatically calculated based on the Number of Personnel for each project role category.

Total Other Personnel:

This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the Funds Requested for all Other Personnel.

Total Salary, Wages and Fringe Benefits (A+B):

This total will be automatically calculated and represents the total Funds Requested for all Senior/Key persons and all Other Personnel.

C. Equipment Description

The "C. Equipment Description" section is for you to list items and dollar amount for each item exceeding $5,000 (unless the organization has established lower levels).

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Skip the "C. Equipment Description" section.

Equipment Item:

Equipment is defined as an item of property that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (unless the organization has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more than one year.

List each item of equipment separately and justify each in Section L. Budget Justification. Allowable items ordinarily will be limited to research equipment not already available for the conduct of the work.

Additional Instructions for Multi-project:

Other Components: You are allowed to add up to 100 equipment items in this list. For additional equipment items, you must list them in the "Additional Equipment" attachment.

Funds Requested:

This information is required. List the estimated cost of each item, including shipping and any maintenance costs and agreements.

Additional Equipment:

If you're requesting funds for more equipment than the form allows, you must include an attachment listing the additional equipment items in this "Additional Equipment" field. Enter the information in a separate file and attach it as a PDF. List each additional item and the funds requested for each individual item. The dollar amount for each item should exceed $5,000 (unless the organization has established lower levels).

Total funds requested for all equipment listed in the attached file:

If you have attached a file with additional equipment, enter the total funds requested for all the equipment listed in the attachment.

Total Equipment:

This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the "Funds Requested" column and the "Total funds requested for all equipment listed in the attached file" field.

D. Travel

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Skip the "D. Travel" section.

1. Domestic Travel Costs (Incl. Canada, Mexico, and U.S. Possessions):

Enter the total funds requested for domestic travel. Domestic travel includes destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and U.S. possessions. In Section L. Budget Justification, include the purpose, destination, dates of travel (if known), and the number of individuals for each trip. If the dates of travel are not known, specify the estimated length of trip (e.g., 3 days).

2. Foreign Travel Costs:

Identify the total funds requested for foreign travel. Foreign travel includes any destination outside of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, or U.S. possessions. In Section L. Budget Justification, include the purpose, destination, dates of travel (if known), and the number of individuals for each trip. If the dates of travel are not known, specify the estimated length of trip (e.g., 3 days).

Total Travel Cost:

This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the Domestic and Foreign Funds Requested fields.

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs

Unless specifically stated otherwise in a FOA, NIH and other PHS agencies applicants should skip Section E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs. Note: Tuition remission for graduate students should be included in Section F. Other Direct Costs when applicable.

1. Tuition/Fees/Health Insurance:

List the total funds requested for Participant/Trainee Tuition/Fees/Health Insurance.

2. Stipends:

List the total funds requested for Participant/Trainee stipends.

3. Travel:

List the total funds requested for Participant/Trainee travel.

4. Subsistence:

List the total funds requested for Participant/Trainee subsistence.

5. Other:

Describe any other Participant/Trainee support costs and list the total funds requested for all other Participant/Trainee costs described.

Number of Participants/Trainees:

List the total number of proposed Participants/Trainees. Value cannot be greater than 999.

Total Participant/Trainee Support Costs:

This field is required if any data has been entered in "Section E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs." This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the Funds Requested column in "Section E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs."

F. Other Direct Costs

1. Materials and Supplies:

List the total funds requested for materials and supplies. In Section L. Budget Justification, indicate general categories such as glassware, chemicals, animal costs, etc., including an amount for each category. Categories with amounts less than $1,000 are not required to be itemized.

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

In the "Material and Supplies" field, enter the total research development support being requested for the initial budget period of the career development award. Usually, a specific total amount is allowed for research development and other costs (tuition, fees, research supplies, equipment, computer time, travel, etc.) that do not require individual cost category identification. Unless instructed differently in the applicable FOA, applicants should enter only the total requested research development support (RDS) amount in this box. All remaining budget fields in this section should be left blank.

Please note that while this method of entering only the total requested research development support costs in "Section F. Other Direct Cost" will be simplest for most applicants, some applicants, including some system-to-system applicants, may instead choose to enter those costs in the applicable detailed budget categories. When choosing this option, it is still the applicant's responsibility to make certain the total research development support costs do not exceed the allowable total.

2. Publication Costs:

List the total funds requested for publication costs. The proposal budget may request funds for the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing, or otherwise making available to others, the findings and products of the work conducted under the award. Include supporting information in Section L. Budget Justification.

3. Consultant Services:

List the total funds requested for all consultant services. Identify the following items in Section L. Budget Justification, as applicable:

4. Automatic Data Processing (ADP)/Computer Services:

List the total funds requested for ADP/computer services. The cost of computer services, including computer-based retrieval of scientific, technical, and education information may be requested. In Section L. Budget Justification, include the established computer service rates at the proposing organization, if applicable.

5. Subawards/Consortium/Contractual Costs:

List the total funds requested for:

  1. all subaward/consortium organization(s) proposed for the project and
  2. any other contractual costs proposed for the project.

This line item should include both direct and indirect costs for all subaward/consortium organizations.

Contractual costs for support services, such as laboratory testing of biological materials, clinical services, or data processing, are occasionally sufficiently high to warrant a categorical breakdown of costs. When this is the case, provide detailed information as part of Section L. Budget Justification.

NIH policy provides for exclusion of consortium/contractual F&A costs when determining if an applicant is in compliance with a direct cost limitation. However, you must include the full cost of consortium/subawards in this field. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 2.3.7.1: Applications that Include Consortium/Contractual F&A Costs for policy related to the exclusion of consortium/subaward amounts in determining whether an applicant is in compliance with a direct cost limitation.

6. Equipment or Facility Rental/User Fees:

List the total funds requested for equipment or facility rental/user fees. In Section L. Budget Justification, identify and justify each rental user fee.

7. Alterations and Renovations:

List the total funds requested for alterations and renovations (A&R). In Section L. Budget Justification, itemize by category and justify the costs of alterations and renovations, including repairs, painting, and removal or installation of partitions, shielding, or air conditioning. Where applicable, provide the square footage and costs.

Under certain circumstances the public policy requirements that apply to construction activities may also apply to A&R activities. Refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 10.10: Construction Grants - Public Policy Requirements and Objectives for more information.

Special Instructions for Foreign Organizations (Non-domestic [non-U.S.] Entities): Minor A&R costs (≤$500,000) are allowable on applications from foreign organizations and domestic institutions with foreign components. When requesting minor A&R costs under this policy, please provide detailed information on the planned A&R in the budget justification.

8-10 Other:

Add descriptions for any "other" direct costs not requested above. Use Section L. Budget Justification to further itemize and justify.

List funds requested for each of the items in lines "8-10 Other." Use lines 8-10 for costs such as patient care and tuition remission. If requesting patient care costs, request inpatient and outpatient costs separately, using lines 8 and 9.

Lines "8-10 Other" may also be used to request direct costs related to the use of single Institutional Review Board (sIRB) for multi-site human subjects research.

For more information on charging direct and indirect costs for single IRB activities, see the Scenarios to Illustrate the Use of Direct and Indirect Costs for Single IRB Review under the NIH Policy on the Use of a Single IRB for Multi-Site Research. Note: If you intend to request an exception to the sIRB policy based on compelling justification, do not account for this exception in your proposed budget. the proposed budget must reflect all necessary sIRB costs without an exception (i.e. applicants should not assume that an exception will be granted when considering what sIRB costs to include in the budget). See the FAQs on Costs of the NIH Policy on the Use of a Single IRB for Multi-Site Research for more information.

Additional Instructions for Research:

Special Instructions for Patient Care Costs: If inpatient and/or outpatient costs are requested, provide the names of any hospitals and/or clinics and the amounts requested for each in the Budget Justification.

State whether each hospital or clinic has a currently effective HHS-negotiated research patient care rate agreement and, if not, what basis is used for calculating costs. If an applicant does not have a HHS-negotiated rate, the PHS awarding component can approve a provisional rate. Indicate, in detail, the basis for estimating costs in this category, including the number of patient days, estimated cost per day, and cost per test or treatment. If multiple sites are to be used, provide detailed information by site.

Include information regarding projected patient accrual for the project/budget periods and relate this information to the budget request for patient care costs. If patient accrual is anticipated to be lower at the start or during the course of the project, plan budget(s) accordingly.

Provide specific information regarding anticipated sources of Other Support for patient care costs, e.g., third party recovery or pharmaceutical companies. Include any potential or expected utilization of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program.

Additional Instructions for Multi-project:

Other Components, Special Instructions for Patient Care Costs: If inpatient and/or outpatient costs are requested, provide the names of any hospitals and/or clinics and the amounts requested for each in the Budget Justification.

State whether each hospital or clinic has a currently effective HHS-negotiated research patient care rate agreement and, if not, what basis is used for calculating costs. If an applicant does not have a HHS-negotiated rate, the PHS awarding component can approve a provisional rate. Indicate, in detail, the basis for estimating costs in this category, including the number of patient days, estimated cost per day, and cost per test or treatment. If multiple sites are to be used, provide detailed information by site.

Include information regarding projected patient accrual for the project/budget periods and relate this information to the budget request for patient care costs. If patient accrual is anticipated to be lower at the start or during the course of the project, plan budget(s) accordingly.

Provide specific information regarding anticipated sources of Other Support for patient care costs, e.g., third party recovery or pharmaceutical companies. Include any potential or expected utilization of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program.

Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

Special Instructions for Technical Assistance Costs: NIH offers distinct technical assistance programs to SBIR and STTR Phase I and Phase II awardees. These programs offer specialized, strategic business training and provide access to a vast network of industry experts. If you wish to utilize your own technical assistance provider/vendor, you are required to include this as a consultant in your budget and to provide a detailed budget justification.

You may request up to $6,500 per year for a Phase I and up to $50,000 per Phase II project (across all years) for assistance. You may request up to these amounts for each Phase in a Fast-Track application. Reimbursement is limited to services received that comply with 15 U.S.C. 638(q):

To provide small business concerns engaged in SBIR or STTR projects with technical and business assistance services, such as access to a network of scientists and engineers engaged in a wide range of technologies, product sales, IP protections, market research, market validation, development of regulatory plans, manufacturing plans, or access to technical and business literature available through on-line data bases, for the purpose of assisting such concerns in:

  • making better technical decisions concerning such projects;
  • solving technical problems which arise during the conduct of such projects;
  • minimizing technical risks associated with such projects; and
  • developing and commercializing new commercial products and processes resulting from such projects, including intellectual property protections.

To request technical assistance from your own provider:

  • Label the requested cost "Technical Assistance" on one of the lines from 8-10.
  • Include a detailed description of the technical or business assistance that your vendor will provide, including the name of the vendor and the expected benefits and results of the technical or business assistance provided in the Budget Justification.
Total Other Direct Costs:

This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the Funds Requested column in "Section F. Other Direct Cost."

G. Direct Costs

This total will be automatically calculated based on the sum of the Total funds requested for all direct costs (sections A-F).

H. Indirect Costs

Indirect costs (Facilities & Administrative [F&A] costs) are defined as costs that are incurred by a grantee for common or joint objectives and that, therefore, cannot be identified specifically with a particular project or program. See the NIH Glossary's definition of Indirect Costs.

For more information:

You are encouraged to visit the following Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) Websites or call DFAS staff at 301-496-2444 for guidance: Main DFAS website, DFAS Frequently Asked Questions. The following website has a listing of unallowable and unallocable costs and the related Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) citation for each: NIH Office of Management's Unallowable/Unallocable Costs.

Refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 7.4: Reimbursement of Facilities and Administrative Costs for more information.

Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

In accordance with the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 and the Small Business Technology Transfer Act of 1992, irrespective of the time period in which the costs are incurred, no SBIR/STTR funds can be used to "support" any commercialization (Phase III activities). "Support" in this case includes both direct and indirect costs.

The Small Business Administration's SBIR and STTR Program Policy Directives defined terms:

SBIR agencies must establish an SBIR Program by reserving, in each fiscal year, not less than 3.2 percent (FY 2018) of its extramural budget for awards to SBCs for R/R&D. "R&D activities" include any activities directed toward reducing the technical risk of the technology.

  • Commercialization. The process of developing marketable products or services and producing and delivering products or services for sale (whether by the originating party or by others) to government or commercial markets.
  • Phase III is the period during which Phase II innovation moves from the laboratory into the marketplace. No SBIR funds support this phase. The small business must find funding in the private sector or other non-SBIR federal agency funding.

Based on this position, when NIH is negotiating indirect costs with SBIR/STTR grantees/contractors, we are disallowing all indirect costs applicable to commercialization activities related to SBIR/STTR awards.

Commercialization cost categories: Below is a list of cost categories NIH considers to be commercialization.

  • marketing and sales;
  • market research;
  • business development/product development/market plans;
  • legal fees;
  • travel and other costs relating to license agreements and partnerships; and
  • labor costs for the Marketing Director and Director of Business Development, as well as sales and marketing staff who are grantee/contractor employees or contractors hired for those purposes.

Special Instructions for Foreign Organizations (Non-domestic [non-U.S.] Entities): Foreign institutions and international organizations may request funds for limited F&A costs (8% of modified total direct costs less equipment) to support the costs of compliance with HHS and NIH requirements including, but not limited to, those related to the protection of human subjects, animal welfare, invention reporting, financial conflict of interest, and research misconduct. Foreign organizations may not include any charge-back of customs and import fees, such as consular fees, customs surtax, value-added taxes (VAT), and other related charges.

Indirect Cost Type:

Enter the type of indirect cost (e.g., Salary & Wages, Modified Total Direct Costs, etc.) and whether the cost is off-site. If more than one rate or base is involved for a given type of indirect cost, then list them as separate entries. If you do not have a current indirect (F&A) rate(s) approved by a federal agency, indicate "None--will negotiate" and include information for a proposed rate. Use Section L. Budget Justification if additional space is needed.

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Indicate the Indirect Cost type as Modified Total Direct Costs.

Indirect Cost Rate (%):

Enter the most recent indirect cost rate(s) established with the cognizant federal office, or in the case of for-profit organizations, the rate(s) established with the appropriate agency. If you have a cognizant/oversight agency and are selected for an award, you must submit your indirect rate proposal to the NIH awarding IC or to the PHS awarding office for approval. If you do not have a cognizant/oversight agency, contact the awarding agency. This field should be entered using a rate such as "55.5."

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Enter the indirect cost rate as 8%. For all career development award applications, indirect costs are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs (exclusive of tuition and fees and expenditures for equipment) rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement.

Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

If you have an indirect cost rate: If the applicant small business concern has a currently effective negotiated indirect cost rate with a federal agency, that rate should be used when calculating proposed indirect costs. However, these rates must be adjusted for independent [self-sponsored] research and development expenses, which are not allowable by HHS.

If applicable, indicate your organization's most recent indirect cost rate established with NIH's Division of Financial Advisory Services (DFAS) or with another federal agency. If your applicant organization is in the process of negotiating or renegotiating a rate, use that rate in the application.

If you don't have an indirect cost rate: If the applicant organization does not have a current negotiated rate, it should develop a provisional rate for application purposes. Follow the guidelines below.

SBIR and STTR Phase I Applicants: If your organization does not have a currently effective negotiated indirect cost rate with a federal agency, then propose estimated F&A costs at a rate not to exceed 40% of the total direct costs. If awarded at a rate of 40% or less of total direct costs, the rate used to charge actual F&A costs to projects cannot exceed the awarded rate. NIH will not negotiate F&A rates for Phase I awards.

SBIR and STTR Phase II and CRP Applicants: SBIR and STTR applicants who propose in the application an F&A rate of 40 percent of total direct costs or less will not be required to provide further justification at the time of award, and F&A costs will be awarded at the requested rate. However, DFAS will retain the authority to require well-documented proposals for F&A rates on an ad hoc basis. If the applicant SBC has a currently effective negotiated indirect cost rate(s) with a federal agency, such rate(s) should be used when calculating proposed F&A costs for an NIH application. (However, the rates(s) must be adjusted for IR&D expenses, which are not allowable under HHS awards.) SBCs are reminded that only actual F&A costs may be charged to projects. If awarded at a rate of 40 percent or less of total direct costs, the rate used to charge actual F&A costs to projects cannot exceed the awarded rate unless the SBC negotiates an indirect cost rate(s) with DFAS. DFAS will negotiate F&A/IDC rates for SBCs receiving Phase II awards if the requested rate is greater than 40 percent of total direct costs. For more detailed information, see NIH Guide Notice on the Negotiation of F&A/Indirect Costs for Phase II SBIR/STTR Grants.

Indirect Cost Base ($):

Enter the amount of the base for each indirect cost type.

Funds Requested ($):

Enter the funds requested for each indirect cost type.

Total Indirect Costs:

This total will be automatically calculated from the "Funds Requested" column in "Section H. Indirect Cost."

Cognizant Federal Agency:

Enter the name of the cognizant Federal Agency and the name and phone number of the individual responsible for negotiating your rate (your point of contact). If no cognizant agency is known, enter "None."

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

You may either follow the general instructions above to complete the "Cognizant Federal Agency" field or you may enter "Not Applicable." Either response is acceptable since indirect costs will be reimbursed as 8% of modified total direct costs rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement.

I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs

This total will be automatically populated from the sum of Total Direct Costs (from Section G. Direct Cost) and the Total Indirect Costs (from Section H. Indirect Costs).

Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

Award Limits: According to statutory guidelines, total funding support (direct costs, indirect costs, fee) normally may not exceed $150,000 for Phase I awards and $1,000,000 for Phase II awards.

SBA may occasionally update these budget guidelines and, therefore, the hard caps listed below for inflation.

For more information, see the SBIR and STTR websites.

NIH deviations from statutory guidelines: The ability to deviate from the statutory guidelines applies to NIH only. With appropriate justification from the applicant, Congress will allow awards to exceed these amounts by up to 50% ($225,000 for Phase I and $1,500,000 for Phase II, a hard cap). As written in the statute and under appropriate circumstances, NIH can apply for a waiver from SBA to issue an award exceeding $225,000 for Phase I or $1,500,000 for Phase II, if this hard cap will interfere with NIH's ability to meet its mission.

Award waivers from the SBA are not guaranteed and may delay the release of funds. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIH program officials prior to submitting any award in excess of the guidelines. In all cases, applicants should propose a budget that is reasonable and appropriate for completion of the research project.

The ability to deviate from the statutory guidelines applies to NIH ONLY.

SBIR Phase I applications to CDC and FDA are limited to a total cost of $150,000.

SBIR Phase II applications to CDC and FDA are limited to a total cost of $1,000,000.

J. Fee

Do not include a fee in your budget, unless the FOA specifically allows inclusion of a "fee." If a fee is allowable, enter the requested fee.

Additional Instructions for SBIR/STTR:

A reasonable fee, not to exceed 7% of total costs (direct and indirect) for each Phase (I and II) of the project, is available with SBIR/STTR awards. The fee is intended to be a reasonable profit factor available to for-profit organizations, consistent with normal profit margins provided to profit-making firms for research and development work.

Example:
$70,000 direct costs (includes all third party costs) + $28,000 F&A costs (40% * 70,000) = $98,000.
Maximum allowable fee = 7% * $98,000 = $6,860 fee.
Total Award = $104,860.

Explain the basis and the amount requested for the fee in Section L. Budget Justification.

The amount requested for the fee should be based on the following guidelines:

  • it must be consistent with that paid under contracts by the PHS for similar research conducted under similar conditions of risk;
  • it must take into account the complexity and innovativeness of the research to be conducted under the SBIR/STTR project; and
  • it must recognize the extent of the expenditures for the grant project for equipment and for performance by other than the grantee organization through consultant and subaward agreements.

The fee is not a direct or indirect "cost" item and may be used by the small business concern for any purpose, including additional effort under the SBIR/STTR award. The fee applies solely to the small business concern receiving the award and not to any other participant in the project. However, the grantee may pay a profit/fee to a contractor providing routine goods or services in accordance with normal commercial practice.

Note: The electronic system automatically rounds up. If you get an error "The fee must be less than 7%," try using 6.99% as the rate.

K. Total Costs and Fee

This total will be automatically calculated from the sum of Total Direct Costs and Fee (from sections "I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs" and "J. Fee").

L. Budget Justification

The "Budget Justification" attachment is required. Attach only one file.

Use the Budget Justification to provide the additional information requested in each budget category identified above and any other information the applicant wishes to submit to support the budget request. If you have a quote(s), you may include it here. The following budget categories must be justified, where applicable: equipment, travel, participant/trainee support, and other direct cost categories.

In addition to the justifications described in the above sections, also include a justification for any significant increases or decreases from the initial budget period. Justify budgets with more than a standard escalation from the initial to the future year(s) of support.

Also use the Budget Justification to explain any exclusions applied to the F&A base calculation.

If your application includes a subaward/consortium budget, a separate Budget Justification must be submitted. See G.310 - R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form.

Additional Instructions for Career Development:

Use the Budget Justification to provide a detailed description and justification for specific items within the Research Development Support costs (e.g., all equipment, supplies, and other personnel that will be used to help achieve the career development and research objectives of this award).

Research & Related Budget - Cumulative Budget

All values on this form are automatically calculated, and the fields are pre-populated. They present the summations of the amounts you entered previously, under Sections A through K, for each of the individual budget periods. Therefore, no data entry is allowed or required to complete this "Cumulative Budget" section.

If any of the amounts displayed on this form appear to be incorrect, you may correct it by adjusting one or more of the values that contribute to that total. To make any such corrections, you will need to revisit the appropriate budget period form(s).