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IRIS Proposals User Guide

Copyright Disclaimer

The material featured in this document is subject to copyright According to the Copyright and Related Rights

Act 2000 The material may be downloaded to file or printer for personal use only Where this material is

being issued to others the source and copyright status must be acknowledged Authorisation to reproduce

such material must be obtained from the copyright holders concerned

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Contents

Introduction 3

Prerequisites 3

Access and Support 4

Getting help 4

Creating an Application 5

Part 1 ndash Main Proposal Details 5

Proposal Information 5

Funding Information 6

Multi-partner Project 6

Grant Writing Contributors 6

Part 2 ndash Grant Approval 6

Part 3 ndash Team 7

Principal Investigator 7

Other Personnel 7

Part 4 ndash Creating a Budget 9

Overview 9

Budget Display 9

Issues to Consider 11

Equipment 11

BSU Services 11

Travel 11

Student Fees 11

VAT 11

Overhead Costs 12

Part 5 ndash Cost Sharing 12

Part 6 ndash Subcontracting 12

Part 7 ndash Attachments 12

Confirm and Submit 13

Principal Investigator Declaration 13

Submission Checklist 13

Submitting your Proposal Review Form 14

Printing your Proposal Review Form 14

Track your Proposal Review Form 14

Email Alerts 15

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Introduction

IRIS Proposals is an online application used for recording and managing funding research proposals in

UCC IRIS Proposals is used by UCC Researchers and by the Research Officers within the Office of the

Vice-President for Research amp Innovation

Using IRIS Proposals researchers can electronically create and submit a Proposal Review Form

(Appendix A) for approval of their funding research proposal replacing the previous paper-based

process Once submitted researchers can view and track the proposal progress through the various

stages of the approval

This service enables researchers to view and manage their portfolio of research grants and provides

easy access to information such as team members project details and budgets

In this user guide you can find step-by-step instructions on how to apply complete and track an

application as well as how to sign-up for email subscription to receive email alerts about new Grant

Opportunities

Prerequisites

In reviewing these materials it is important that you have read the related call and policy

documentation provided by the Funding body

REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR PROGRESS REGULARLY

IF YOU ENTER INFORMATION INTO A TAB AND DO NOT SAVE BEFORE NAVIGATING AWAY

FROM THIS TAB THIS INFORMATION WILL BE LOST

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Access and Support

IRIS Proposals can be accessed via the Institutional Research Information System (IRIS)

httpsirisuccie using your IRIS username and password

If you are a first-time user or if you have forgotten your password click on the lsquoForgotrsquo button next

to the password box enter your email address and click on the Send button to be sent a new

password

Once you log in with this password you can change it to your own preference by clicking on the lsquoUser

Preferencesrsquo button and selecting lsquoChange Passwordrsquo

Getting help

IRIS has been designed to be fully accessible and easy to use This manual will assist new users in

getting started with creating their web profiles while also providing more in-depth information of the

system functionality

On screen help

Help hints appear on the right hand side of each page highlighted in blue boxes These handy easy-

to-understand hints aid the user with all aspects of the system

Should you require further assistance please email the System Administrator at irisuccie

If yoursquore having problems completing the process view our Frequently Asked Questions

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Creating an Application

Select lsquoGrantsrsquo from the main IRIS toolbar and click on the Add button under lsquoMy project

Proposalsrsquo to create a new proposal

Next you will be presented with the following screen

Part 1 ndash Main Proposal Details

Please note if you enter invalid or incomplete information in a required field you will receive an error

message upon leaving the field

Proposal Information

You can freely add the Proposal Title Acronym a Link (if available) for the proposal and a Proposal

Abstract

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Funding Information

The following fields are mandatory and you need to pick a category from the drop-down menu -

Funding Bodies Funding Programmes Grant Types Proposal Types and Application deadline

Should you require an item to be added to this listing please contact the IRIS Co-ordinator

Multi-partner Project

If the proposed project involves more than one partner that will benefit from funding this information

should be recorded in your proposal UCCrsquos role in the multi-partner project (Coordinator Partner or

Other) should also be recorded

Grant Writing Contributors

In this section you can record the names of research staff who have contributed substantively to the

writing and preparation of the funding proposal (defined as gt20 of time taken to prepare the

proposal although this is at the discretion of the PI)

The purpose of recording this information is to recognise the role of research staff in the preparation

of funding proposals However this does not in any way relate to the appointment of research staff

should the proposal be awarded funding All appointments of research staff are made via open

competition as detailed in UCCrsquos Employment and Career Management Structure for Researcher Staff

httpwwwuccieenresearchcareers

In addition the inclusion of research staff details in this section does not confer rights to any

intellectual property generated in the project

Part 2 ndash Grant Approval

These fields are mandatory and you need to pick a value from the drop-down menu Select the

College SchoolDepartment or Research Institute that will be part of this proposal from the drop-

down menu You cannot type your own text here You are also required to select the role that this

College SchoolDepartment or Research Institute will have

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When you have finished entering or editing the SchoolsDepartment who will sign off on your proposal

review form click on the Add button

Part 3 ndash Team

Principal Investigator

Enter the expected Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of the Principal Investigator on this project If you are

creating an application on behalf of another individual or you are NOT the Principal Investigator you

need to select the Principal Investigator from the staff look-up listing by typing their name into the

box

Other Personnel

Add the personnel who will be employed on this project from the drop-down listing by selecting their

role and their expected FTE on this project

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Part 4 ndash Creating a Budget

Overview

Before completing your proposal budget please consult the FinanceBudget section of the UCC

Research Office website httpwwwuccieresearchrioapplying_fundingguide3html

The budget works as follows

bull The budget is prepared online and submitted with the rest of your proposal review form

bull The layout of the budget is predefined by IRIS Proposals in order to provide consistency across all

proposals and to help ensure that budget items are categorised correctly

bull You can continue to modify the budget details until you submit the overall proposal for approval

bull If during the review of the overall proposal review form the Research Office requests changes

you can further modify the budget and resubmit to the Research Office

Budget Display

You will create your proposal budget based on the number of years required for the project The

budget sheet is organised into 4 categories

1 Direct Labour Costs

2 Direct Other Costs

bull Equipment

bull Equipment Biological Services Unit (BSU) Services

bull Animal Costs (BSU) Services

bull External ServicesSubcontracts

bull Travel

bull Consumables

bull Student Fees

bull Other Direct Costs

3 Overhead Costs

4 VAT (if applicable)

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The Total Cost of Research Proposal is automatically calculated from the values that you enter As

you enter the data the budget is updated

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Issues to Consider

Equipment

Details of all requested equipment necessary for the research project should be itemised

BSU Services

If the proposed project requires the use of UCC animal facilities managed by the BSU this requirement

must be indicated in the Principal Investigator Declarations Section in your proposal

In addition an outline of all BSU materials and consumables that will be used during the research

project should be entered into this section NOTE these may include access to facilities and services

the purchase of consumables and time of BSU Staff

Please liaise with the BSU when completing this section of your proposal budget

Travel

You are required to outline the details of travel costs directly related to the research proposal Travel

and subsistence costs should be based on standard rates adopted by the College Information on these

rates can be found here httpwwwuccieenfinanceofficefees

An allowance for inflation over the expected life of the project should be included For non-pay costs

an annual inflation rate of 2 should be considered

Student Fees

When costing research students in your proposal do not forget to include postgraduate degree fees

Information on the current UCC fees for postgraduate students is available here

httpwwwuccieenfinanceofficefees

Stipends for PhDMasters research students are usually defined by the Funding Agency Typical rates

are euro16-18000K per annum

Bear in mind that some Funding Agencies make a set contribution per annum for student fees (eg

Science Foundation Ireland)

VAT

For guidance on VAT issues please contact the Research amp Innovation Office

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Overhead Costs

Overheads at an appropriate rate should always be included in your proposal budget You are required

to ensure that the overheads included in the budget are compliant with the UCC Overheads Rates

Policy Please contact the Research Office for advice regarding

bull The correct overhead rate to be included in your research proposal

bull The correct application of the overhead rate

When you have finished entering or editing the budget information click on the Save button at the

bottom of the window If you want to cancel your edits click on the Cancel button instead

The proposal budget does not have to be completed in a single session and will be saved in a draft

form until the proposal is submitted to your Head of SchoolDepartment or Research Institute for

approval

Part 5 ndash Cost Sharing

Where a component of a proposed project budget is co-funded from a source other than the main

funding sponsor details of this financial arrangement should be captured in this section This includes

any co-funding contributions made by UCC

Part 6 ndash Subcontracting

A subcontractor is a third-party individual or company hired by the prime contractor (the University

in most cases) to perform a specific task as part of the overall project In this section relevant details

of subcontractors required for the delivery of the proposed project should be provided

It should be kept in mind that with some funding programmes the services of subcontractors cannot

be used to deliver core parts of the project In addition the cost associated with subcontracting

services cannot be used in the calculation of overhead for some project proposals

Finally it is possible that a tendering process may be required before a subcontractor can be identified

and their services secured Please contact the UCC Procurement Office

httpwwwuccieenprocurement for further details

Part 7 ndash Attachments

If you are required to submit additional documentation you can attach a document as necessary by

following these steps

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bull Click Browse and select the document on your computer (or network drive) which you would like

to upload

bull You may attach a PDF Text Document Word Document or other type of document

bull Once you have selected the document you would like to attach select the Open button You will

return to the Attachments section Finally enter a description of the file

When you have finished adding an attachment click on the Submit button

Confirm and Submit

Principal Investigator Declaration

By submitting this proposal for review the Principal Investigator of this research proposal confirms

the following

bull Conflict of Interest The Principal Investigator (and Co-Investigators) have read and understand

UCCs policy on Conflict of Interest they have made all required disclosures and they will comply

with any conditions or restrictions imposed by UCC to manage reduce or eliminate conflicts of

interest

bull Intellectual Property (IP) Policy The Principal Investigator and all participants in this project have

read and understand UCCs IP Policy I confirm that the Office of Technology Transfer has been

consulted in relation to Intellectual Property and has agreed that the terms proposed fall within

University guidelines

bull Health amp Safety Implications for health and safety and such matters as disposal of waste have

been adequately considered and the costs of any necessary measures have been included in the

budget

bull Space Requirements Research will be undertaken within space already available to my

DepartmentSchoolInstituteCentreUnit or within space already allocated and which will

become available before the project starts and no adaptation andor rental costs are necessary

beyond those included in the cost above

bull Financial Management I confirm that I am responsible for the financial administration of this

proposed project and that it will be completed within the agreed budget Any costs not met by

the funding agency will be met by the relevant DepartmentSchoolInstituteCentreUnit

Submission Checklist

Before submitting your application you should review the check lists included within the Call

documentation

bull Does the research proposal have collaboratorsco-applicants that are external to UCC AND who

will receive funding from the project

bull Will this research project require the use of University animal facilities

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bull Does the research proposal outlined in this submission require approval by the relevant

UniversityInstitutional Ethics Committee

bull Will this research project involve clinical trials

bull Will this research project require the use of background intellectual property (IP)

bull Are the overheads included in the budget compliant with the UCC Overheads Rates Policy

Submitting your Proposal Review Form

Once you are satisfied that your proposal review form is complete you can submit your application

to your Head of DepartmentSchool or Research Institute for approval by clicking on Submit Proposal

The following rules and logic exist around the submission process

bull When the application is submitted all validation rules are applied to the application and the

application will not be submitted if any of these validations fail You will be prompted as to each

validation issue

bull Once submitted and reviewed there may be feedback from the Research Office that will require

you to modify your application (example below)

Clicking lsquoSubmit proposalrsquo is the final step in preparing your proposal review form Once you

submit the application you will not be able to edit the application again unless the Research

Office requests revisions

Printing your Proposal Review Form

Once your proposal has been submitted you can print your application for your records To print

your application go to My Proposals and select the Print button if you wish to print any attachment

Track your Proposal Review Form

You will be informed by email when the status of your proposal has been determined and of any

notes regarding the review process

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bull If your proposal review form has been endorsed then no further action is required until

instructed by the Research Office

bull If revisions are required then you can log in to IRIS Proposals and make appropriate changes

bull If the proposal is declined then no further action is required

Email Alerts

If you would like to receive alerts from the system administrator including reminders of unclaimed

publications and other communications such as grant opportunities click on the YES button in the

User Preferences section of your IRIS Profile If you select NO you will not receive any emails

reminders or alerts from the system