International Grant Administration
International Grant Administration
Our service enables you to do more with your research and pursue additional sponsored activities in the US and abroad.
How We Support You
Our affiliated-but-separate status allows us to serve as the applicant and awardee for sponsored funding in certain cases, enabling you to tap into additional funding opportunities for your research while we integrate with Harvard systems and staff to provide coordinated oversight and administration.
How It Works
Sponsor Requirements and Regulations Abroad
In certain circumstances, depending on the sponsor’s requirements, the University may request Harvard Global to serve as proposal applicant and awardee, and Harvard Global may elect to do so. Although we are formally awarded and accept the sponsored funding in such cases, Harvard University researchers perform all research activities using University resources, all under contract to us for the term of the award. We use inter-company agreements to clearly establish the relationship and rules of engagement between us, the Harvard School, department, and the researchers.
If an award restricts activities to a certain country and requires a local organization to accept it, we may be able to act as the direct awardee if permissible per local regulations and determined by our Board of Directors. The local Harvard Global entity receives the funds in our in-country bank account, and your Harvard program can use the award locally to support your activities.
We do not accept sponsored awards that violate our values of academic freedom and integrity or that conflict with substantive University criteria and research policies (e.g., intellectual property, freedom to publish) or applicable legal obligations. We’ve adopted and follow the University’s research policies, which are maintained by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
What We'll Do for You
From Start to Finish
Our team will assist with the application process and review your proposal concurrent with the School’s review. If the proposal is awarded, we’ll work with you to:
- Negotiate the award agreement
- Manage the award according to the sponsor’s terms
- Liaise with project partners
- Contract with subrecipients, vendors, and other collaborators for the scope of work
- Fund your direct expenses and seconded employee salaries and fringe if they’re listed in the award budget and paid to us by the funder
- Pursue and obtain any required registrations with government agencies or other authorities to perform the award
Advantages
Opportunities & Connections
Our separate-but-affiliated status enables us to support sponsored activities that Harvard University cannot support due to sponsor requirements or legal limitations overseas, while being able to share University resources and personnel to provide common policies, processes, and infrastructure.
All funded projects proposed through and awarded to us will be recorded and documented in the University’s Grants Management Application System (GMAS). Department administrators and PIs are then able to access their Harvard Global awards through this system.
Staff in the University’s Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP) also hold appointments with us as members of our sponsored research team and maintain similar roles and responsibilities to support and manage our awards.
Frequently Asked Questions for Grant Administration
Generally, we can accept sponsored awards where we have a legal entity.
A variety of sponsored awards flow through Harvard Global. The following list includes examples of current and past sponsors but is not all encompassing:
- European Commission/European Union (e.g., Horizon Europe)
- Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, United Kingdom (FCDO)
- Foreign organizations and governments, as determined by our Board of Directors
- Organizations within the countries where we have entities (e.g., Tata Trusts in India)
- Other sponsors on a case-by-case basis (e.g., Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute)
We do not accept sponsored awards that violate our values of academic freedom and integrity or that conflict with substantive University criteria and research policies (e.g., intellectual property, freedom to publish) or applicable legal obligations. We’ve adopted and follow the University’s research policies, which are maintained by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
Before submitting your grant application to a sponsor, contact us at sponsored@harvardglobal.org to determine if we’re the appropriate applicant institution. If we are, then you’ll need to include our institutional information (legal name, PIC, etc.) at the proposal stage, so we encourage you to contact us as early as possible.
Our proposal process is similar to the University’s, with a few key differences that we can discuss with you before you apply (e.g., entity information, requirements specific to our sponsors). Completed proposals are due to us for review 10 business days in advance of award submission, and our team is happy to assist you throughout the application and submission process.
For our services, we retain a percentage of the sponsored award’s indirect costs. In most cases, we don’t charge a separate fee.
To operate sponsored awards through Harvard Global, your School and Department are generally responsible for the following:
- Obtaining any School and/or Institutional approvals that may be required in connection with the project (e.g., Institutional Review Board, Cost Share, Provostial Review, International Collaborations and Activities, Outside Activity and Interest Reporting, PI eligibility)
- Pre-award spending, without the Sponsor’s prior approval
- Research oversight and associated administrative support (e.g., maintaining monthly timesheets per the Sponsor’s policies)
- Providing access to any facilities, equipment, materials, and services needed to perform the research
- Secondment of researchers to us in connection with the project*
- Providing all other information and/or support that we may require in a timely manner to fulfill our responsibilities to the sponsor
*If we receive the award in the US, then the researchers will remain on the US payroll, and you'll second the researchers to us for work on the award. Secondment does not affect their compensation or your HR obligations to them. See the frequently asked question, "How are PIs and researchers paid for their sponsored award work?" for more information.
Personnel in the US: Harvard University researchers working under our sponsored awards in the US receive compensation included in their Harvard University paycheck. Even though the effort and hours worked under our sponsored award are tracked, recorded, and accounted for separately from effort and hours contributed to typical Harvard University awards, we use the University as our paymaster for on-campus researchers.
Personnel abroad: For sponsored awards received overseas and used to fund an overseas project that we support, the individuals are employed by our in-country entity for their work on the award. This means they receive a paycheck from the local Harvard Global entity.
No, US federal sponsored awards do not flow through our entities.
Sponsors often request the following information to be included in the proposal:
- Legal name: Harvard Global Research & Support Services, Inc.
- Address: 114 Mount Auburn Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Phone: +1-617-496-1889
- Website: harvardglobal.org
- Type of organization/corporate status: Massachusetts nonprofit corporation
- Tax status: Tax exempt under IRS 501(c)(3) effective February 2, 2012; Massachusetts certificate of exemption issued May 6, 2013
- IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN): 45-4535664; This is a multi-purpose tax identification number assigned to all entities which employ people, pay pensions, or open business bank accounts.
- Board of Directors: Sean Caron, President and Treasurer (Vice President for Campus Services, Harvard University); Mark Elliott, Chair (Vice Provost for International Affairs, Harvard University); Klara Jelinkova (Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Harvard University); John Shaw (Vice Provost for Research, Harvard University)
- Key Officers and Management: Belynda Bady, Associate Director, belynda_bady@harvardglobal.org; Sean Caron, President and Treasurer, president@harvardglobal.org; Kelly Morrison (Assistant Vice President, Office for Sponsored Programs), vp-research@harvardglobal.org; Joe O’Regan, Vice President and Clerk, vp-ops@harvardglobal.org and clerk@harvardglobal.org
Our European Commission Participant Identification Code (PIC) number is 953720200. This identifier is required by the EC to participate in Horizon Europe funding. Use it for all EU awards except for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, which can be accepted by Harvard University.
Note: You must contact our sponsored research team before submitting a proposal using our PIC. Email Megan Moore, megan_moore@harvard.edu, and Peggy Darnowsky, peggy_darnowsky@harvard.edu.
Resources for Grant Administration
Where We Can Provide Grant Administration
Contact Us
Let's discuss your grant funding opportunities. Even if we’re not the right solution, we can suggest alternative options.