As the most significant cost to sponsored programs is salaries, wages, and related fringe benefits, ensuring proper management of these funds is a priority of the University of Florida. To ensure compliance with the Federal government’s effort management requirements, the University of Florida established an Effort Reporting Policy and related Directives and Procedures. For more information about the University’s management of effort, visit the Effort Certification webpage. Guidance for and information regarding the entry of effort commitments in UFIRST and myUFL is available using the UF Commitment Entry Guidelines (pdf).
Training in effort management and certification is required by University faculty and support staff engaged in sponsored activities. Both courses can be accessed in the University’s online training system, through myUFL.
Grant regulations at 2 CFR 200.430 recognize that faculty duties (research, teaching, service, and administration) in an Institute of Higher Education are often intermingled in an academic setting.
Many programs encourage students to seek funding as demonstration of their scientific progress. If funded, the award is considered student augmentation if it is primarily for the benefit of the student; if the student leaves the lab or University, the funds do not remain with the UF faculty mentor for general furtherance of their program. Doctoral dissertation programs and undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships fall into this category.
Effort Reporting Directives & Procedures indicate no committed effort is required from the faculty mentor on student augmentation awards. If there is a quantifiable commitment for the mentor communicated to the Sponsor, tracking of the effort commitment is required. For the purposes of tracking effort commitments on these fellowships, the fellow is not considered the PI even if their name is listed as the PI in UFIRST/on proposal forms.
If the mentor has substantial involvement, including responsibility for the conduct of any of the research (performing analysis, project design, or project implementation), the project may not meet the definition of student augmentation and lacking any quantifiable commitment, the Effort Reporting Directives & Procedures requires at least the 1% de minimis effort for the mentor.
Some indicators of whether the project is student augmentation or research are listed below:
| Student Augmentation | Research Project |
|---|---|
| Faculty PI mentoring student | Faculty PI performing analysis |
| Faculty PI overseeing project | Faculty PI responsible for project design |
| Faculty PI advising student/ fellow | Faculty PI involved in project implementation |
| Faculty PI tangentially involved | Faculty PI ultimately responsible for the project |
References: