Voucher Funding Policy

Voucher Application 

The voucher application is submitted using a DocuSign form. To initiate an application, you will need to include the information of the Core Director or Manager for which you are applying. If you have questions or concerns about the application, please contact Mara Baldwin.

Voucher funding Policy and Procedure

Last updated 3/13/2024

POLICY

The CBSD provides vouchers to UM principal investigators to pay core facility fees for the following research core facilities

  • BioSpectroscopy Core Research Laboratory (BCRL)  |  Core Manager: Matt Sydor
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core Facility (NMR)  |  Core Manager: Dan Decato
  • Integrated Structural Biology (ISB) Core  |  Core Manager: Levi McClelland
  • Small Molecule X-Ray Structure Determination (SMXDC)  |  Core Manager: Dan Decato
  • Mass Spectrometry Core Facility (MSCF)  |  Core Manager: Eric Schultz  
  • Molecular Computation Core Facility (MCCF)  |  Core Manager: Dave Holley

Vouchers may be awarded to any UM research track or tenure-track faculty member for projects that are unfunded or to conduct a feasibility study.

All vouchers must adhere to the following criteria:

  • Voucher requests exceeding $1000 must provide an itemized budget in the Project Details section. 
  • Voucher requests for core service charges that have already been incurred will not be approved.  
  • All PIs who receive voucher funding must report to CBSD all grant applications (intramural or extramural) submitted or awarded
  • Manuscripts submitted for publication that are based on work performed using voucher funds must cite the CBSD CoBRE grant P20GM103546. NIH suggested citation: “Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103546.
  • Voucher funds are awarded by fiscal year and therefore expire if not expended by June 30 of each fiscal year. 
  • Voucher funds not used within 60 days of the award will receive a notice of inactivity, and voucher funds will be released from the PI after 90 days of inactivity. 
  • Approval of requests is subject to the availability of funds.

PROCEDURE

  • Applicants should consult with the Core Director/Manager to ascertain that requested services can be undertaken and to determine the cost of services and supplies. Core Directors or Managers are responsible for verifying project feasibility and cost of services, but not eligibility of the applicant for voucher funding.
  • Applications are submitted through DocuSign at least six (6) business days before the 1st of the month you would like to begin the work (e.g., if you would like to start work June 1 your voucher request must be received at least six business days prior to June 1). Late applications will be deferred to the following month. To initiate the voucher application in DocuSign, you will need to include the name and email address of the director or manager of the Core Facility to which you are applying. 
  • Once the voucher application has completed necessary routing, the applicant and Core director/manager will be notified whether the application is approved or denied and the award level. Voucher-supported projects may be initiated only after a voucher application is approved by the CBSD director, and both applicant and Core director/manager have received official notice of award.
  • CBSD will bill Core charges on a monthly basis through UApprove.

IMPORTANT: Cite the CBSD COBRE award in any publications arising from your use of the core. This is essential for continued support of the core by the University and the NIH. NIH suggested citation: “Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103546."

CBSD Mini Pilot Project

NIH CBSD CoBRE:  Call for 2022-2023 Phase III Mini Pilot Project Proposals

Summary: Some projects that request vouchers for use of a particular core, to obtain preliminary data for a grant, require multiple $1,000 vouchers to achieve the goals of the project. This often becomes evident in the course of pursuing work using an initial core voucher. The need to request multiple vouchers can cause a project to start and stop leading to considerable inefficiencies in obtaining preliminary data for a grant proposal. To deal with this circumstance, the Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics (CBSD) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) announces a Mini Pilot Project Program for year 2 of Phase III CoBRE funding. The cost of the proposed scope of work should fall into the range of $3,000 - $5,000 in direct costs and is limited exclusively to the cost of core services. Applications must describe a small research project that fits well with the scientific theme of the CBSD and should provide preliminary data for a substantial extramural research grant application. Mini Pilot Project funding is open to all full-time research, tenure-track or tenured faculty at the University of Montana, with some restrictions (see RFA for full Instructions)