Unusual Circumstances

Applications that Do Not Require Detailed Budgets – When Are They Due, What Is Needed?

While most proposals submitted by Syracuse University will contain a detailed budget representing the actual costs needed, some sponsors require budget formats that present cost differently.

The most common example of a sponsor that requires budgets presented in a non-traditional format is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which uses a budgeting format referred to as a modular budget.  Another common proposal mechanism that does not require a detailed budget is called a fixed price proposal.  Fixed price funding mechanisms are most commonly used with industry sponsors, but might also be used occasionally by government sponsors.

While the budget format required by a sponsoring agency may lack budget detail, the basis for creating the submission budget should always start with a detail budget developed using the OSP budget template.  This ensures that Syracuse University is neither proposing work for less than it costs to deliver the work, and along the same lines, is not proposing work for a cost at a higher price than it costs to deliver the work.  Building a detail budget up front provides assurance that the University is responsibly representing its actual costs regardless of whether the details of a budget are shared with the sponsor or not.