1. Executive summary

Faculty members and others within the University often develop grant proposals involving the use of computer technology. In order for OIRT to most effectively help you develop your grant proposal these guidelines have been created. The most important component of this process is timely and open communication between the grant writer and OIRT. The university is strongly supportive of faculty applying for grants to support their research and teaching. However, the the hidden costs associated with accepting such grants can sometimes make them less attractive. Careful planning prior to the submission of a proposal can ensure that the grant proposal is attractive to the funding agency and that we have accounted for all hidden costs. A number of factors should be addressed including integration into the University's current technology infrastructure and hidden costs such as electricity, data wiring, bandwidth costs, and personnel costs.

The university has standardized on a number of technology products and services. Standardization enables FDU to achieve overall cost savings and other benefits, including cost compliance, reduction of complexity, better use of personnel time, improved operational efficiency and interoperability, and/or assurance of continued availability of products and services. Exceptions to standards and best practices should only be considered when a non-conforming technology is essential to the fulfillment of a specific function and mission, and it is the role of the Office of Information Resources and Technology (OIRT) to assure that any non-conforming technology serves the best interests of the University. To that end, it is essential that all requests for such technology be approved by OIRT.

Furthermore, most technologies involve costs that can be hidden to the end user. For example many new applications substantially increase the University's need for network bandwidth, require electrical installations, or require substantial work by OIRT personnel to integrate into existing systems. Other technologies incur expensive recurring costs, such as printer cartridges or projector bulbs. While it is usually not possible to anticipate all such costs, it is desirable to fully articulate as many such costs up front as possible.

OIRT recognizes the importance that grants mean to the university and that faculty seeking grants have special needs. Given sufficient lead time and available resources, OIRT staff will be glad to provide whatever assistance necessary in the development and support of a grant.

2. Guidelines and considerations

2.1 Approval Process
The most important goal of the approval process is to establish timely and effective communication between the grant writer and OIRT. The first step in this process is to setup a meeting with OIRT to discuss the specific needs. The sooner a grant author contacts OIRT (see contact matrix in section 2.3) to discuss the proposal.,the faster OIRT can determine if the equipment being requested can be integrated into and supported by the university technology environment.

2.2 Requests for Information (Specifications, Budgetary Position)
Once OIRT has a complete understanding of the grant project and needs, OIRT can provide an appropriate quote for the technology and support funding. In almost all cases, OIRT should be able to provide this information within two weeks after the initial meeting. It should be noted that requests for pricing, availability, custom configurations, and those that contain numerous components often take considerable time and effort to do correctly. Furthermore, although OIRT may request information from vendors as quickly as possible, OIRT has no control over vendor response times. So, while OIRT will make every effort to complete requests as quickly as possible, complex requests may take longer than expected. By way of example, external Storage Area Network (SAN), Local Area Network (LAN) expansion and Video Conferencing solutions can take as long as a month of continued interactions between OIRT and the grant writer to design and obtain. Estimates provided by OIRT will, by design, be conservative. Ambiguous or incomplete requirements may result in estimates that are understated or overstated. Decisions will be based upon best available information and will be governed by adopted best practices and may result in estimates that may be higher than expected.

2.2.1 Other Planning Considerations
OIRT's main goal is to ensure that that the university can adequately support your proposed project. Some grant proposals introduce additional bandwidth costs, network storage costs, server backup solutions, operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning expenses. Sometimes it is necessary to increase the university's capabilities in order to accommodate. In any case, the OIRT review will help to identify hidden costs for budgetary consideration. Please note that these costs do not necessarily need to be included in the grant proposal, however, together with OIRT, you, your college Dean and the Provost we will need to identify appropriate funding sources for such costs before the project can be approved.

Before network electronics, servers, and network attached storage devices are included in a proposal, a discussion with OIRT must take place to determine the feasibility of such requests as interoperability issues are not limited to manufacturer and/or type of equipment. For these types of equipment, it is required that OIRT's Systems and Security department determine how the equipment will integrate into the university computing environment.

2.3 OIRT Contact Matrix

OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTACT MATRIX

3. Adopted Standards

The following categories of items are for guideline purposes only. You can use this information generically when developing a grant proposal. The model numbers and costs listed below are for illustrative and budgetary purposes only. Actual items and costs vary so frequently that it is impossible to maintain an accurate list. For specific details, custom configurations and/or ordering information, the end-user must contact OIRT.