Special Grant Incentive

UT Southwestern’s Special Grant Incentive (SGI) program provides funding to UT Southwestern faculty members that are successful in obtaining federal awards and encourages faculty to further pursue federal awards to advance science and benefit our patients.

All UTSW faculty are eligible.

The program was launched September 1, 2019 (FY 2020).

Funding

  • $10,000 SGI per eligible award.
  • Each eligible award receives only one SGI over the award duration.
  • Maximum of three SGIs ($30,000) per PI per fiscal year.
  • Funded by the Provost Office.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, the PI must first have one current award that meets the following criteria:

  • Funded by a federal agency (e.g., NIH, NSF, DoD, NASA, DARPA). Starting September 1, 2023, AHRQ & PCORI awards are also eligible.
  • Minimum two-year term.
  • Annual total direct costs of at least $100,000 per year that remains at UTSW for the PI’s use.
  • Annual total indirect costs convey the full institutional indirect rate to UTSW or 40% indirect rate as conveyed in AHRQ and PCORI awards.
  • Used for basic or clinical research; not training, construction, career development, outreach, equipment purchase, etc.

The above criteria are required for both the current and new awards. If the following criteria is met, the PI’s second, third, and fourth awards are eligible for SGI funding.

  • The second, third, and fourth awards must be new or competing renewal grant(s).
  • The current award must have at least 6 months remaining at time of new award start date and no cost extensions to meet the six month requirement make the award ineligible.
  • The current award in these criteria does not receive SGI funding; the second, third, and fourth awards would receive SGI funding.

Multiple Principal Investigators (MPIs)

If there are multiple PIs, each sub-PI earns the full SGI only if the amount of his/her subsection meets the incentive criteria.

Subcontracts

When a grant to a UTSW PI includes subcontracts to external institutions/entities, it will be evaluated for SGI eligibility based on the total direct and indirect funding remaining for the UTSW PI’s use after subcontracts.

Transfer Grants

External Grant Transfers – External grants brought to UTSW by a new faculty member may qualify as current awards, but are not eligible for an SGI. To qualify for an SGI, while at UTSW the PI must receive a new grant that meets all the criteria above.

Internal Grant Transfers – Only original grant submitters will qualify to receive the SGI. For example, if a faculty member leaves the institution, and transfers the grants to another UTSW PI, that grant will not trigger a SGI/or act as a current award.

Shortened Award Timelines

An award that is shortened by a grant/program officer to a duration under the two-year requirement will be reviewed for SGI eligibility on a case-by-case basis, if requested by the PI.

New Guidelines, Effective for FY22

Awards received through a flow-through subcontract to a UTSW PI will only be SGI eligible after the second year of funding.

How Awards Are Determined

Each quarter, the Provost Office will automatically review faculty awards to determine which are eligible for SGI. Faculty do not need to submit awards for consideration.

When the Provost Office finds eligible awards, the office contacts the PI to discuss which payment option (listed below) is preferred.

Payment Options

PI must be a UTSW employee at time of payment. SGI payment options at PI’s discretion are:

  1. Pay directly to the PI as personal incentive compensation (applicable taxes will be withheld).
  2. Transfer to PI’s department for academic or lab development funds.
    • Full amount available (no tax).
    • Carry-over allowed.
    • Requires spending within UTSW guidelines.

For More Information

If you have questions about the SGI program, please contact:

Wade Radicioni
Assistant Vice President – Academic & Business Operations, Academic Affairs
Wade.Radicioni@UTSouthwestern.edu
214-648-6490

Wendy Pechero
Director of Research Strategy, Academic Affairs
wendy.pechero@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-8942

Luke Hullett
Assistant Director of Operations, Academic Affairs
luke.hullett@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-8024