Grant Management

At UMKC and the hospital affiliates located within the UMKC Health Sciences District, the management of research projects, grant awards, grant subcontracts, clinical trials contracts and research gifts administered by the institutions is dependent on the sponsor and intent of the funds.

To protect human subjects who participate in research, all research activity at UMKC must be reviewed by the UMKC Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the UMKC Research Compliance office.

Virtually all human subjects research projects conducted at University Health (UH) are reviewed and approved by the UMKC IRB unless the institution has entered into an IRB reliance agreement with an external IRB that allows this second IRB to review and approve the project. UMKC does have an IRB reciprocity agreement with other entities in Kansas City.

Grant Management Quick Facts

  • Federally funded grants, including subcontracts from other universities and institutions as well as foundation-supported research grants (e.g., American Lung Association) are processed through UMKC. This includes federally supported research projects that involve the consent and enrollment of study participants at UH. The School of Medicine Office of Research Administration (ORA) works closely with the campus Office of Research Services (ORS) to process the grant proposal process (Pre-Award) and spending and allocation of resources on grants (Post-Award) for faculty. 
  • Philanthropic support to the university to support a program or university faculty member’s projects are considered gifts and are managed by the UMKC Foundation.
  • Clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical and device industry manufacturers are coordinated and contracted via University Health and the physicians’ employer (e.g., University Health Physicians). UH and University Health Physicians are collectively listed as the party in clinical trial agreements with industry research sponsors. The ORA negotiates with study sponsors the terms and requirements of the clinical trial agreements. Review the research process for UH. 
  • Gifts and monies to support University Health’s mission and its requests related to patients are managed by the UH Charitable Foundation.
  • Government grants and awards related to patient care at University Health are requested and managed through the UH Government Relations Office. Contact Jim Giles at 816-404-2350.

Other Grant-Related Information

1. University employed faculty salary effort on University grant awards

The federal government and other grant sponsors require that the effort (or amount of time) devoted to a sponsored project be appropriately documented. Principal Investigators, university grant project staff and ORA work with university fiscal officers to allocate salaries to grant awards in the university system. The university requires semiannual certification of grant salary called effort verification reporting.

2. Salary cap monitoring of University employed personnel on grant awards

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other grant funders such as Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) may limit the amount of annual salary paid from a grant award, which is known as a “salary cap”. The university refers to any grant effort allocated to a grant award, but paid from institutional resources (non-grant) as cost-sharing. The university creates cost-sharing accounts to track and monitor mandatory and voluntary salary cost-share to meet sponsor requirements.

Review current NIH salary cap limits.

3. School of Medicine faculty clinicians employed by University Health Pysicians and salary cap monitoring

Similar to the requirements for University employees, other entities such as University Health Physicians may have to use cost-sharing when required by the funding agency or when proposed by the principal investigator. Invoices for University Health Physicians clinicians shall include cost-share details and the principal investigator shall certify the cost-share when approving the invoice for payment by the University for allocation to a grant award.

4. Cost Share

Review cost share flow chart (PDF)

5. School of Medicine faculty clinicians employed by University Health Physicians

The University has a formal agreement with University Health Physicians (formerly UPA) to allow invoicing of salaries, fringe benefits and other expenses approved in the grant proposal on university grant awards. This agreement precludes the necessity of a per project subcontract. The university and UH also have a similar agreement for invoicing and allocating appropriate UH expenses, such as study coordinator salary expenses on university awards.

Federal guidance indicates that clinical practice plan compensation is the appropriate salary expense to use for University Health Physicians’ faculty when incorporating institutional base salary on a grant award.

Salary allocation for the medical school faculty primarily employed by University Health Physicians is accomplished when principal investigators certify and approve their grant effort on invoices and submit to ORA for payment and allocation to the grant.

6. Expenses for individuals employed by Saint Luke's Hospital (SLH) and Children's Mercy Hospital (CMH) that collaborate on university grant awards

The University must enter into a per project subcontract with SLH or CMH so that the other entity (SLH or CMH) may comply with federal regulations and hospital affiliate requirements regarding invoicing, effort reporting, managing conflicts of interest, and other federal requirements that the University must adhere to.

7. CITI research training and annual financial disclosure