Under-recovery at Proposal Phase

Resources

At proposal, calculate any under-recovery based on the sponsor-approved rates and base. Obtain approval for under-recovery funding from your DLCI before submitting your proposal in KC.

Calculating Under-recovery Institutional Commitments

  1. Prepare your proposal budget using the sponsor-approved rate and base. KC will calculate the under-recovery for the project year. 
  2. In Institutional Commitments, enter the amount per fiscal year for each account funding under-recovery.
    • Sponsored research (WBS 6-series): Enter the DLCI under-recovery allocation account(s) for all DLCIs committing funding, even if using local or discretionary sources of funding instead or in addition. This information is pulled into the Research@MIT under-recovery request.
    • All other projects: Enter local or discretionary sources of funding.

If projected under-recovery changes during or after the proposal phase, contact your DLCI’s approver for under-recovery requests.

Requesting Approval for Under-recovery Funding

Allow for additional time for approval of under-recovery funding requests. You can submit your request while putting together the rest of the proposal.

  • Sponsored research (WBS 6-series): After KC budget is marked “For Submission”, submit your request using Research@MIT (or following DLCI processes)
  • All other projects: Submit your request following DLCI processes.

All DLCIs providing funding must approve requests at proposal. Approvers in DLCIs should ensure the request is in line with DLCI procedures and central funding policies.

Completing Proposal in KC

In KC, for proposals with approved under-recovery funding:

  1. Document approval of funding in KC. If the request was approved in Research@MIT, the approval will automatically be attached to the proposal in KC.
  2. RAS will review the submitted proposal to ensure the budget is in line with sponsor guidelines and the approval is attached. 

Getting Help

  • Using KC or Research@MIT: Contact RA Support (ra-help@mit.edu).
  • Understanding sponsor rates and guidelines: Contact your RAS CA.

Updated November 17, 2025