SPHHP IFR Policy

Preamble

IFR funds include dollars that a granting agency pays to reimburse the University at Buffalo (UB) to compensate for the time a New York State employee spends working for the agency. By law, such funds belong to the State. However, the State allows, and local traditions have reinforced, participation in allocation decisions by the Schools, Departments and individual investigators responsible for obtaining these funds. At UB, this has led to the development of policies promulgated at School and Department levels.

Policy

  • All faculty members (PIs and Co-Investigators) must claim salary (plus fringe) on all grants from agencies that allow such claims. Salary recovery will be equal to percentage effort to be devoted to the grant.
  • IFR salary recovery (including New York State salary recovery) will be divided according to the following formula: 25% to the Dean’s office, 75% to the Department to be used consistent with the research, service and academic mission of the School.
  • Differential Tuition and over the top enrollment allocations will be subject to the same rule as the IFR salary recovery.
  • Chairs of Departments have the responsibility of ensuring collection of IFR funds and the appropriate allocation of such funds.
  • IFR funds are to be used for purposes approved by the UB and in accordance with New York State finance laws and consistent with the research, service and academic mission of the School.
  • Local traditions at UB have allowed individual investigators responsible for obtaining these funds to play a role in decisions relating to their allocation, including the use of a portion of these funds for their own academic advancement. The School encourages individual Departments to continue to foster this tradition, but expects individual Departments to develop their own guidelines with regard to this issue.
  • Distribution of IFR funds relative to 10 and 12 month faculty appointments: All faculty members are expected to budget effort on grants in relation to when the work is conducted.
    • Faculty on 10-month appointments: Insofar as the external funder allows the payment of salary during the academic year and grant-funded work is taking place during the academic year, appropriate faculty time should be funded on the grant. Summer salary should arise in relation to grant work done during the summer months.
    • Faculty on 12-month appointments: General IFR policies apply.

revised 5/29/09