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Faculty and Staff Incentive Plan for Sponsored Program Activity

Overview

SUNY Oswego’s Faculty and Staff Incentive Plan for Sponsored Program Activity is designed to encourage and recognize faculty and staff engagement in externally funded research, scholarship, and creative activity. The plan reinvests a portion of Facilities & Administrative (F&A) cost recovery back into the campus community, supporting investigators, departments, and strategic research initiatives. This approach aligns with SUNY Oswego’s strategic priorities to Grow, Connect, and Thrive.

Informational Documents:

Flowchart showing SUNY Oswego’s F&A incentive distribution process: recovered funds first cover essential obligations, then remaining funds are distributed to investigator incentives (up to 40%), department and school support (up to 30%), and strategic research investments (up to 30%).

Incentive Plan Breakdown

How F&A Funds Are Used

F&A cost recovery supports the infrastructure required to administer sponsored programs. Before any incentives are distributed, recovered funds are used to meet essential institutional obligations, including:

  • Research Foundation (RF) assessment
  • ORSP staffing and operations
  • Research-related institutional contract costs
  • At-risk sponsored program support (for projects awaiting full award execution)
  • Future-year research commitments (e.g., bridge funding, compliance investments)
  • Presidential reserves

Only remaining realized F&A funds after these commitments are met are eligible for incentive distribution.

Who Is Eligible

This plan applies to:

  • Principal Investigators (PIs)
  • Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs)
  • Academic departments
  • Schools and colleges

All eligible projects must be administered through the Research Foundation for SUNY (RF).

Incentive Structure

Incentives are based on the level of F&A recovery associated with each sponsored award:

  • Tier 1: Federal awards at SUNY Oswego’s full negotiated rate
  • Tier 2: Awards with reduced or capped F&A rates
  • Tier 3: Awards with no F&A recovery

This structure recognizes differences in sponsor policies while ensuring that all sponsored activity is valued.

How Incentives Are Distributed

After annual reconciliation, available funds may be distributed across three areas:

  1. Investigator Incentives (up to 40%)
  • Provided to PIs and Co-PIs based on project contribution
  • Typically issued as research support funds
  • Example ranges:
    • Tier 1: up to 10% of realized F&A
    • Tier 2: up to 5%
    • Tier 3: modest recognition award
       
  1. Department and School Support (up to 30%)
  • Allocated to the PI’s home department or school/college
  • Supports research infrastructure, student engagement, and seed funding
     
  1. Strategic Research Investments (up to 30%)
  • Managed by the Provost’s Office
  • Supports internal grant programs, bridge funding, and research capacity-building initiatives
Timing and Distribution
  • Incentives are not automatic and depend on available realized F&A
  • Distributions occur annually after fiscal year reconciliation (typically in late Q1 of the following fiscal year)
  • Funds are provided as research support accounts and must be used for allowable research-related expenses
  • No incentives are distributed if F&A recovery is insufficient after required obligations are met
Transparency and Reporting

To promote transparency and shared understanding, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) will publish an annual report summarizing:

  • Total F&A collected
  • Allocation of funds
  • Incentive distributions
Oversight and Continuous Improvement

This plan is administered by ORSP and reviewed annually by campus leadership. Adjustments may be made to ensure alignment with institutional priorities, financial realities, and SUNY and Research Foundation policies.

Questions?

For more information about the incentive plan or sponsored program opportunities:

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP)
📧 [email protected]
📞 315-312-2888