The Office of Sponsored Programs, Research & Outreach, known as OSPRO, is a vital part of the UWA campus. Located in Webb Hall, OSPRO is a service division providing assistance to faculty, staff and students seeking external funds through proposal development and aid in the management of awarded grants. OSPRO is here to facilitate and enhance the grant writing process with experience and oversight. We want to help you do something that matters! 

Contacts

Rodney Granec 
Director  
rgranec@uwa.edu 
(205) 652-5392 
Webb Hall 215 

Chris Theriot 
Director of Grants and Resource Development Liaison   
ctheriot@uwa.edu 
(205) 652-3950 
Webb Hall 310 

Hoda Hassan 
Grants Specialist 
hhassan@uwa.edu 
(205) 652-3418 
Webb Hall 201 

How to Access Qualtrics 

Follow the steps below to access your Qualtrics account through UWA: 
1. Follow this link specifically: https://westal.qualtrics.com 
2. Enter your UWA login information 
3. Enjoy User-Friendly Qualtrics 

2023 Seed Grant Information  

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research offers seed grants to faculty and staff to develop small research and outreach projects. Awards are made in the Spring and Fall.  Follow the links below for grant guidelines. 

OSPR FACULTY/STAFF GUIDELINES  

Fall 2022  Friday, October 7, 2022  (by 5:00 p.m.)
Spring 2023 Friday, March 3, 2023  (by 5:00 p.m.)

OSPR SSG GUIDELINES 

Fall 2022  Friday, October 14, 2022  (by 5:00 p.m.)
Spring 2023  Friday, March 10, 2023  (by 5:00 p.m.)

For username and password information, contact OSP at 3424.

Quick Facts 

Legal Name: The University of West Alabama  

Employer Identification Number (EIN): 63-6001100 
 
Address: 201 Webb Hall 
UWA Station 47 
Livingston, Alabama, 35470 
 
DUNS Number: 968832394 
 
Type of Applicant: Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education 
 
AOR (Authorized Organizational Representative): Mr. Rodney Granec 
This is the designation for the person authorized to submit grants on behalf of the institution. 
 
County: Sumter County 
 
AL House of Representatives District: N/A 
 
AL Senate District: N/A 
 
U.S. Congressional District: AL-007 

Fringe Benefits: The costs associated with providing benefits to University employees identified as sponsored-project staff are charged to sponsored projects as a specified percentage of salary and wages. Contact OSP for Fringe Benefit percentage amount. 

Calculating Fringe Benefit Costs: Health Insurance contribution, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Retirement Matching contribution 

Students: Undergraduate Student Wages (Minimum Wage as of 7/24/09: $7.25) 
Graduate Students Monthly Wage: $860.00. 

Stock Statements and Data 

Information found here can be used by faculty or staff in developing grant proposals. While OSP makes every effort to keep information updated, we may not always have the time or assistance to give the most recent data in every circumstance. Documents here should be viewed as supporting material. 
 
History of UWA 
UWA Designations 
Facilities & Capacity 
Demographics of Service Area 
Demographics of Schools in Service Area by County 

Links to External Data 

These are links to sites that, when possible, reflect regional, state, and national data 

Demographics 

Education 

Workforce 

Health & Healthcare 

Crime 

Policies, Procedures and Forms 

Submitting a Grant Proposal 

Notification and Final Routing Guide 

Proposal Tools 

Program Planning & Proposal Writing Checklist 
Grant Search Engines 

Financial Management 

UWA Purchasing Procedures  
Budgetary Cost & Accounting Procedures 
Budget Template (xls document)  
Fixed Price Residual Balances Policy 

Compliance 

IRB – FWA Number 
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Plan  
Intellectual Property Policy
Effort Certification Policy 

Forms 

Instructions for Submitting IRB Applications 

Choosing the Right CITI Course 
IRB – New Protocol Application 
IRB – Project Description Template 
IRB – Informed Consent Template 
Waiver of Parental Consent Template 
Intellectual Property Waiver  
Invention Disclosure Form  
Cost Sharing Authorization Form 
Time & Effort Certification Form  
Confidentiality Agreement  
Statement of Potential Conflict of Interest Form 

Compliance 

When submitting a proposal or accepting an award, you as the investigator as well as UWA as the fiscal agent, are committing to a number of assurances, certifications, terms, and conditions. It is very important that the investigator understand these compliance issues before submission and before award. Below is a link to a number of common compliance concerns that the investigator should be aware of, including those handled internally, like human/animal subjects and biosafety. For related forms and policy, please refer to the section above. 

IRB 

The Internal Review Board (IRB) is comprised of UWA faculty, staff and external representatives who review proposed research studies involving living persons. 

The IRB ensures that the basic rights and welfare of research participants are fostered and protected. The IRB supports researchers through its coordinated activities in education, regulatory compliance oversight, and post approval monitoring. All research involving human subjects performed at UWA and/or by UWA students, staff, and/or faculty must be reviewed and approved by the Internal Review Board prior to beginning the research. 

IACUC 

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees the use of animals for research, teaching, and testing conducted at or by UWA. UWA has an agreement with the University of Alabama to perform IACUC review protocols and conducts evaluations of the institution’s animal care. The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare defines an animal as any live, vertebrate animal used or intended for use in research, research training, experimentation, or biological testing or for related purposes. If your research includes live vertebrae animals please contact OSPR for up to date procedures for approval. 

Biosafety 

The University of West Alabama has an institutional biosafety training program established to ensure that all research, testing and teaching activities involving the use of biohazardous materials and the facilities used to conduct such work are in compliance with all external regulations and applicable University policies. Applicable regulations and guidelines include but not limited to: 

  • Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th edition 

The University of West Alabama reserves the right and the obligation to impose additional terms and conditions on investigators who conduct research or testing or engage in teaching activities that involve microorganisms harmful to humans, animals, or the environment. UWA has purchased a Biosafety Training Module from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) in order to train students, faculty and staff on the issues of biosafety. This module is ready for use campus-wide. 

Responsible Conduct of Research 

The University of West Alabama is committed to creating a research climate that promotes faithful adherence to high ethical standards in the conduct of research and scholarships without inhibiting the productivity and creativity of persons involved in research. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training plans are required by both NSF and NIH and UWA is in the process of developing a new RCR plan to describe the requirements for training and to provide information related to the fundamental areas of RCR. The University of West Alabama has selected the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online training to meet federal requirements in RCR. The CITI online courses are designed for faculty, staff (e.g. post docs), graduate students, and undergraduate students who have an interest or focus in the research areas targeted by federal support and serve to satisfy federal regulations that require RCR training as a part of grant. The modules contain information about responsible conduct in research, case studies and quizzes related to each of the areas. Expect more information regarding the upcoming UWA RCR Plan soon. https://www.citiprogram.org/ 

Data Management Plans 

Some funders now require that researchers supplement their grant proposals with a Data Management Plan (DMP). DMPs are short, formal documents that outline, at the onset of a new project, how you will handle your data both during your research and after the project is completed. They help to ensure that, in the present, your data are collected and analyzed in an intelligent and sustainable way, and that your data are able to be shared and preserved for future use and re-use. 

Data often have a longer lifespan than the research project that creates them. Researchers may continue to work on data after funding has ceased, follow-up projects may analyze or add to the data and data may be re-used by other researchers. Well organized, well documented, preserved and shared data are invaluable to advance scientific inquiry and to increase opportunities for learning and innovation. 

Export Controls 

The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce regulate technology and/or information that is export controlled under either the State Department’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Administration Regulation (EAR). Export controlled technology and/or information includes activities, items, and information related to the design, development, engineering, manufacture, production, assembly, testing, repair, maintenance, operation, modification, demilitarization, destruction, processing, or use of items with a capacity for military operations. Usually this does not include basic marketing information on function or purpose; general system description, or information concerning general scientific, mathematical, or engineering principles commonly taught in schools, colleges, and universities or information in the public domain. 

Under ITAR and EAR regulations it is unlawful to send or take export controlled technology and/or information out the United States; disclose orally or visually, or transfer export controlled technology and/or information to the foreign person inside or outside the United States without proper authorization. A license may be required for foreign nationals to access export controlled technology and/or information. A foreign national is a person who is not a U. S. citizen or permanent resident alien of the United States, and makes no exceptions for foreign students. 

Grand Award Management 

If you have a grant application that has been awarded, find instructions for guidance on how to manage the award here.