Cost Sharing means a commitment of University resources or funding that supplements externally sponsored projects. Cost sharing also occurs when effort exceeds the payroll charged to a particular project. When effort exceeds pay, the difference must be cost shared. These costs are not reimbursed by the sponsor and therefore must be supported by University funds. There are three types of cost sharing:

• Committed Cost Sharing – Any cost sharing that is documented in a proposal and agreed to in the Notice of Grant Award is classified as committed cost sharing.
• Uncommitted Cost Sharing – Uncommitted cost sharing represents additional effort expended on the project that was not required by the sponsor. This type of cost sharing occurs when effort exceeds pay (over and above committed cost sharing amounts) and there are no additional funds available from the sponsor.
• Cost Sharing Related to Salary Limitation. Cost sharing related to a salary limitation that restricts the amount of direct salary an employee who is working under a sponsored grant or agreement can be paid by the granting agency. When a sponsor establishes salary limitations, the portion of a RFUMS employee’s salary that is greater than the salary limitation or “salary cap” is cost sharing and is charged to the appropriate non-sponsored account. For example, the NIH Grants Policy Statement establishes and publishes a salary threshold each year that restricts the amount of direct salary an employee who is working under an NIH grant or cooperative agreement can be reimbursed from the granting agency.

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science does not typically cost share on a voluntary basis, consistent with its objective of maximizing sponsor cost reimbursement to support the continued growth of the research enterprise. In instances where the committed effort is expended but not charged to the project, the effort should still be certified to fulfill the required or pledged cost sharing.

All mandatory and voluntary committed cost sharing amounts must be included in the University’s F&A rate base (denominator). As cost sharing increases, the F&A Costs decreases.