Award or Grant
The terms award and grant are used interchangeably. The award or grant is the provision of funds by SF or SFI, based on an approved application and budget or Progress Report, to an institution to carry out the approved project. For the purpose of these policies, the terms award and grant encompass the term fellowship.
Grantee
The terms institution and grantee are used interchangeably.
Key Personnel
Key personnel include the Principal Investigator and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project to a substantive, measurable degree, whether or not they receive salaries or other compensation. This may include Co-Investigators, collaborators, postdoctoral research associates or equivalent positions.
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigators (PIs) are those individual(s) judged by the applicant institution to have the appropriate level of authority and responsibility to direct the project or program supported by the grant. All PIs must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. The PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant institution and SF or SFI for the proper conduct of the project or activity, including the submission of all required reports. There is no minimum percent effort required for a PI, but it is expected that the PI will join the collaborative community of SF and SFI Investigators, and that the PI will partake in some conferences, workshops and symposia that the Foundation organizes.
The applicant institution may designate multiple individuals as PIs who share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically. Each PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant institution or, as appropriate, to a collaborating organization for the proper conduct of the project or program, including the submission of all required reports. The presence of more than one identified PI on an application or award diminishes neither the responsibility nor the accountability of any individual PI. Each such designated individual will have the title of PI, as the Foundation does not use the title, ‘Co-PI.’
In circumstances where the applicant institution designates multiple PIs, the PI under whose name the application is submitted will serve as the spokesperson PI for administrative purposes. The spokesperson PI must be affiliated with the institution submitting the application. The spokesperson PI will be responsible for communication between the Foundation and the rest of the leadership team.
Co-Investigator
A Co-Investigator is an individual involved with the Principal Investigator (PI) in the scientific development or execution of a project. The Co-Investigator must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree, and be employed by or affiliated with the applicant/grantee institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement. The Foundation does not require a minimum effort from the Co-Investigator. The designation of a Co-Investigator, if applicable, does not affect the PI’s roles and responsibilities, nor is it a role implying multiple PIs.
Collaborator
A collaborator is an individual involved in the scientific development or execution of a project. A collaborator is considered key personnel and may or may not be supported by funds from the grant.
Consultant
A consultant is an individual providing professional advice or services on the basis of a written agreement. These individuals are not normally employees of the organization receiving the services. Consultants also include firms providing professional advice or services.
Postdoctoral Research Associate or Equivalent Employee Position
Postdoctoral research associates (or equivalent employee positions) are individuals who have received a doctoral degree (or its equivalent) and who are engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue their chosen career path. The postdoctoral research associate performs specific services in exchange for compensation and is treated as an employee of the grantee institution, with benefits.
Postdoctoral Fellow
A postdoctoral fellow is an individual who has received a doctoral degree (or its equivalent) and who conducts independent research at a host institution under the guidance of a mentoring Principal Investigator (or Investigators).
Unless stated otherwise in the postdoctoral fellow’s Request for Application (RFA) or award letter, a postdoctoral fellow is not treated as an employee of the grantee/sponsoring institution.
Institution Profile
The Institution Profile is a means for managing the institution’s primary officials, user access and electronic fund transfer (EFT) payment information in the Simons Award Manager (SAM). The institution is required to submit an EFT form and manage contacts and users through the SAM Institution Profile. Anyone from the institution can create an Institution Profile in SAM, but only an Authorized Institution Official (AIO) or an approved contact delegate can manage the SAM Institution Profile. Each institution must have at least two certified AIOs to receive payments. It is the institution’s responsibility to maintain an up-to-date list of active contacts in their SAM Institution Profile.
Authorized Institution Official
An Authorized Institution Official (AIO) has the authority to legally bind the institution in grants administration matters. Two AIOs are required per institution. The AIO manages their institution’s profile. The AIO may or may not fulfill the role of a Signing Official (SO) or Financial Officer (FO) on individual proposals or grants. Users fulfilling both an AIO role and another institution role should select only the AIO role as their system role, as the AIO role will permit users to perform all necessary tasks.
The individual fulfilling this role may hold any of a number of titles at the applicant/grantee institution. The label AIO is used in the Simons Award Manager (SAM) as a system role and is not necessarily the title of the individual.
The Foundation certifies new AIO users after they register. Certified AIOs can view all applications and awards at their institution. Uncertified AIOs can view only applications and awards to which they have been assigned access.
Signing Official
A Signing Official (SO) has the authority to legally bind the institution in grants administration matters. The individual fulfilling this role may have any number of titles in the applicant/grantee institution. The label Signing Official is used in conjunction with the Simons Award Manager (SAM) as a role and is not necessarily the title of the individual. The SO is responsible for the proper administration of the grant, including but not limited to overseeing the submission of the electronically signed award letter, budgets, Activation Agreements, Reallocation Requests, Progress Reports, Carry Forward Requests and No-Cost Extensions. Additionally, the SO is required to certify that all information submitted is accurate, that the terms of the award are acceptable, and that the applicant/grantee institution will comply with all applicable laws and Foundation policies. SOs may be given access to any number of awards. Each award must have at least one SO.
For most institutions, the SO is located in its Office of Sponsored Research or equivalent.
Financial Officer
The Financial Officer (FO) is designated by the grantee institution and is responsible for the proper accounting of grant funds. The individual fulfilling this role may have any number of titles in the applicant/grantee institution. The label Financial Officer is a designation used in the Simons Award Manager (SAM) as a role and is not necessarily the title of the individual. In this role, the individual is required to complete the required annual Financial Statements and any budgets. Additionally, the FO is required to certify that all information submitted in the Financial Statement or budget is accurate, that the terms of the award are acceptable, and that the applicant/grantee institution will comply with all applicable laws and Foundation policies. FOs may be given access to any number of awards. Each award must have at least one FO.
For most institutions, the FO is located in its Office of Sponsored Research or equivalent.
Contact Delegate
A contact delegate is designated by the grantee institution to manage contacts for their institution. In this role, the individual may review and approve Signing Officials, Financial Officers and other contact delegates in the Simons Award Manager (SAM), and deactivate the accounts of individuals who cease to be associated with their institution.
The label contact delegate is a designation used in SAM as a system role and is not necessarily the title of the individual. The individual fulfilling this role may hold any of a number of titles at the applicant/grantee institution. There may be more than one contact delegate per institution.