Grants & Contracts

Surgery Grants & Contracts

Surgery Grants & Contracts (SGC) provides a full range of pre- and post-award services related to sponsored projects, including budget development, proposal preparation, Just in Time submissions, preparing RPPRs and other progress reports, requesting no-cost extensions and carry forward requests, reviewing sub-award invoices and Notice of Awards and liaising with DOS accountants and Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA).

Our mission is to further the Department of Surgery’s research goals by providing exceptional service that meets the needs of our researchers. We strive for excellence, accuracy, and efficiency in the assistance that we provide.

General Contact Information:
Phone: (612) 625-0228
E-mail: dosgrants@umn.edu

SGC Team
Requests for Services Form Suggested Grant Submission Timeline Summary of Funding Opportunities

SGC Members:

Pre-Award Team

Hang McLaughlin, MEd
 Grants & Contracts Manager
 mcla0030@umn.edu

Sarah Nelson, PhD
 Grants & Contracts Professional 3
 nels8084@umn.edu

Jillian Rung
 Grants & Contracts Professional 4
 rung0020@umn.edu

Kelly Swenson
 Grants & Contracts Professional 2
 Schulze Diabetes Institute
 malon187@umn.edu

Post-Award Team

Hang McLaughlin, MEd
 Grants & Contracts Manager
 mcla0030@umn.edu

Megan Findlay, MA
 Grants & Contracts Professional 2
 find0020@umn.edu

Mellani Lubuag, MA
 Grants & Contracts Professional 4
 lubua001@umn.edu

Jillene McWhite, BA
 Grants & Contracts Professional 2
 jmcwhite@umn.edu

Kelly Swenson
 Grants & Contracts Professional 2
 Schulze Diabetes Institute
 malon187@umn.edu

Roles & Responsibilities - What support do you need?

Pre-Award Coordinators

The SGC pre-award coordinators work with the PI to:

  • Help identify funding opportunities

  • Create detailed budgets and budget justifications

  • Verify correct F&A and fringe rate calculations

  • Obtain necessary subaward documents for proposals

  • Collect biosketches and letters of support

  • Work with SCTO and other University groups to obtain pricing for support services

  • Creates and routes the Proposal Routing Form (PRF)

  • Liaise with SPA to ensure the successful submission of proposals

  • Respond to Just-in-Time (JIT) and other sponsor requests prior to the award being issued

Post-Award Coordinators

The SGC post-award coordinators work with the PI to:

  • Review notices of award to ensure sponsor and University requirements are met

  • Assist with progress reports to the sponsor

  • Created detailed budgets and budget justifications for the next project period

  • Work with administrative and accounting staff on other support documents

  • Liaise with SPA to ensure that subawards are set up

  • Collaborate with administrative staff to ensure accurate agreements are in place for contractors and consultants

  • Liaise with SAC accounting, SPA and SFR to ensure accurate invoicing to the sponsor 

  • Monitor subaward invoicing for anomalies

  • Work with SAC accounting, SPA, and SFR to ensure proper grant closeout

FAQ's

What if I didn't know about the opportunity prior to the Intent to Submit deadline?

Please submit the Request for Services form as soon as possible!

Please submit the Request for Services form as soon as possible!

We will do our best to acquire all the required signatures, but can't guarantee that the review will take place. The signatories are required to review the budget before signing the PRF.

I am new to grant writing. Are there tips/training on how to write a grant?

Yes, there are a number of resources available!  The Medical School's Faculty Affairs office offers a Proposal Preparation Program (P3).  If you prefer something less structured, the NIH's website has instructions for applying for a NIH proposal. NIH's Center for Scientific Review has published some tips to write better NIH grants. There are also many online resources with general grant writing tips (NIH Grant Writing Tips and NIH Grantsmanship Suggestions). There are also many experienced researchers in the Department of Surgery that you can reach out to for assistance!

What is the NIH's new DMSP policy?

We are so glad you asked. A summary of the changes to the DMSP policy is available in the New NIH DMSP Policy Handout for PIs and in the DMSP Helpful FAQs. Feel free to reach out to anyone on our team for more information.