Research Administration and Management Program (RAMP)

  • ORSP's Research Administration and Management Program (RAMP) is intended to be either a self-guided or workshop-based program aimed primarily toward Staff Assistants, Project Coordinators and other UM staff members whose primary duties are to assist Principal Investigators with preparation of funding proposals and managing their grants and contracts.  The next live workshop will be offered during the Spring Semester, 2014.  Please watch UM Today for the Spring workshop schedule.  
  • Please feel free to review the modules on your own, directing any questions to either Mickey McLaurin (mclaurin@olemiss.edu) or Joy Shideler (jtshidel@olemiss.edu).
  • RAMP is not intended to take the place of Mandatory PI Education and Training, which is currently being offered through Blackboard. 
Module 1:  The Basics  (currently not available on-line)
Module 1 will provide an overview of the research enterprise at Ole Miss.  Topics will include: how research relates to the University’s mission as a public research institution; how to distinguish between sponsored programs and gifts; how F&A rate (indirect costs) is determined and the purpose; and the role of University offices (including ORSP) that are part of the research infrastructure at Ole Miss.
 
Module 2:  Proposal and Budget Preparation
Module 2 will cover each of the elements of a proposal, focusing intently on the proposal budget.  The budget discussion will include: topics related to direct costs and F&A (indirect) costs; allowable and unallowable costs; cost sharing; and certifications and assurances that are commonly submitted along with proposals to external funding agencies.
 
Module 3:  Overview of Regulations and Compliance
Module 3 will provide an overview of regulations and compliance.  Topics will include: federal agency-specific regulations governing research grants and cooperative agreements; university policies regarding common transactions on sponsored projects; and compliance issues in university research.
 
Module 4:  Post-Award Administration of Sponsored Projects
Module 4 will focus on post-award administration of sponsored projects – what happens when a proposal is funded?  Topics will include: award receipt, award review, award negotiation, award acceptance, account set-up, and the basics of award management.  This module will also provide detailed information on some of the most common post-award administration activities including changes to an existing award, subawards, regrants, reporting, award closeout, and beyond closeout.
 
Module 5:  Financial Administration of Sponsored Projects
Module 5 will provide detailed information on financial administration of sponsored projects.  Topics will include: account set-up; allowability, allocability, and reasonableness of costs; unallowable costs; special costing issues; account oversight; and account closeout.
 
Module 6:  Effort Reporting and Certification
Module 6 will provide detailed information on the effort reporting and certification processes at The University of Mississippi.