Frequently Asked Questions
Why does an ePA-005 need to be completed?
The ePA-005 is the University’s proposal pre-approval electronic application used by investigators who are submitting proposals to external sponsors. An ePA-005 must be initiated prior to proposal sign-off and submission. The form serves two purposes: (1) It documents administrative, budgetary and compliance information about the proposal and provides Chairs, Center Directors, Deans and Vice Presidents with a summary of that information. (2) Campus signatures are the Office of Sponsored Program's authorization to submit the proposal to an external sponsor.
When does an ePA-005 need completed?
An ePA-005 needs to be initiated after the budget has been approved by the Sponsor Program Officer (SPO) and before the proposal is submitted to the sponsor. If the ePA-005 is not submitted prior to submission, your proposal may not be submitted or if funded, accepted.
How do I know what to select if my proposal is NOT for federal funds?
Section 2 of the ePA-005 asks for you to select if the sponsor is a federal sponsor or a subproject supported by federal funds. If you select “no” for federal funds, you then must select one of the following: Foundation, Industry, Industry-Clinical Trial, or other. Foundations are typically tax-exempt and are governed by boards, while industry sponsors focus on proprietary research and may involve intellectual property negotiations. Clinical trials are a subset of industry sponsors with specific research phases. Importantly, commodity groups—though funded by producers—are considered non-profit and should be classified under "Other." Proper classification ensures efficient routing and timely review, so when in doubt, contact the office for guidance before submission. Please reach out to Kathy Mann(.167) or Shannon Hollis(.69) if you have questions on the Sponsor-Type before submitting the ePA-005 form.
What if my proposal is a subaward, how do I fill out an ePA-005?
If OSU CFEAS will be a subaward to another organization, please fill out the total amount requested from the sponsor (section 5B) on the ePA-005 to match the OSU portion of the proposal.
Is there any importance to the order of cost centers listed on the ePA-005 form?
Yes, if adding more than one cost center, the first cost center added is considered the “administrative home” if awarded. All co-PIs contributing to the intellectual development of the proposal, or where a substantial part of the work will be conducted, should be listed with their corresponding cost centers as well.
How do I account for my Discovery Theme appointment?
As of July 14, 2025, the CFAES Discovery Theme cost center is no longer an available option when filling out the ePA-005. Going forward, CFAES Discovery Theme faculty are required to include the ERIK cost center 14140 and the corresponding Discovery Theme cost center aligned with their appointment. These designated cost centers are listed in the chart below. When entering these cost centers, no allocation details are necessary for that entry. *An ERIK working group is currently developing further clarification and definitions to address this topic.
Discovery Theme Cost Centers
- Chronic Brain Injury - CC10681
- Foods for Health - CC10677
- Infectious Diseases - CC10995
- Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research - CC10971
- Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability - CC10969
- Sustainability Institute - CC10658
- Translational Data Analytics - CC13305
What does “% expenditure allocation” refer to? (Section 4B)
This represents how the funds are to be distributed among the cost centers. Expenditure allocation determines how financial outcomes of a project are shared among participating units. Including indirect cost recovery, responsibility for cost overruns, and distribution of approved residual funds at project closeout.
What does “% proposal/award allocation” refer to? (Section 4B)
This represents who gets the credit for the award (non-financial). Award allocation refers to the planned distribution of credit or responsibility for a sponsored project among investigators and their respective departments or units. The purpose of the Award allocation is to reflect each individual’s intellectual contribution and role in the project for use in academic recognition (e.g., tenure and promotion) and acknowledgment of effort and leadership.
Relationship Between Award and Expenditure Allocations - Award and expenditure allocations are often aligned but not always identical. Both are typically negotiated among the investigators to ensure a fair and mutually acceptable distribution of credit and financial responsibility.
How do I know what F&A rate was used in my proposal?
Section 5E (2) asks for the F&A rate used in the proposal. This information can be found in the approved budget as the percentage F&A (indirect costs) used when determining the request project amount.
Why can’t I edit section 5E (1)?
Recent updates to the ePA-005 form now auto-populates section 5E (1) based on the selections made in section 2(A) regarding federal funds vs. industry funds and OSU’s federally negotiated F&A rates.
What is the difference between section 5C & D, regarding cost share and section 7’s cost-share?
For 7a, the initiator should select “yes” if there is an outside entity providing third-party cost share. If it is just OSU cost-share, then answer “no”. While both section 5C & D and section 7 address cost share, section 5C & D is intended to capture the general financial commitments involved in the proposal and confirm and section 7 is intended to allow for a conflict-of-interest review, particularly to ensure OSU is aware and is reviewing any foreign influence/support tied to the award. Section 5C & D “other” capture the cost share *amount* whereas section 7 captures the actual entities providing the cost share.
What files (or attachments) need to be uploaded?
Required documents that need to be uploaded to the form include the SPO approved budget and budget justification (preferred excel sheet to show calculations). If the sponsor does not allow OSU to utilize the full indirect cost rate, please attach documentation from the sponsor to the form. If there are additional documents that would help with the review process (RFP, supporting documents), please feel free to include those as well.
What does “Pre-review” mean?
Effective March 15, 2025, if there is a compelling reason to consider a reduction in the industry-approved F&A rate (currently 68.2%), it should be noted on the ePA-005. The ePA-005 initiator must also then submit an accompanying justification as an attachment, which will be reviewed by ERIK leadership. If planning to request an exception, please allow one week for feedback on the request. Bypassing this approval process may impact award acceptance. The ePA-005 will enter a “pre-review” stage if in section 2(A) you select “no” for federal funds, select “industry or industry clinical” in section 2(B) AND where the F&A rate in section 5E2 does not match section 5E1.
Why can’t I as PI approve my completed ePA-005?
When the ePA-005 is flagged for “pre-review”, the PI cannot approve the form until AFTER the form has been approved by ERIK for using a different F&A rate than the negotiated industry rate of 68.2%. Following approval from ERIK, the PI will receive an email stating the form is either approved or not. At that time, the PI and others will be able to review and approve the ePA-005 form.
How should I proceed if I have questions about the form?
If you are not sure what information the section is requesting, please click on the red, hyper-linked text within the ePA-005 form. This will take you to the University’s guidance and explanation of that section. If you still have questions, please contact Kathy Mann(.167) or Shannon Hollis(.69).
Created February 2026