SRAs and Service Agreements are subject to WCM’s federally negotiated F&A rate (also known as "IDC"). The WCM faculty or research staff member that initiates a discussion with an external entity to provide funding for a WCM research activity is responsible for notifying the Sponsor of the F&A rate at the beginning of the negotiation process. OSRA is available to assist with negotiating budgets and informing sponsors of the prevailing rate.
The application of WCM’s federally negotiated F&A rate to SRAs and Service Agreements is consistent with the policies of our peer institutions. The indirect costs associated with conducting basic research are the highest of any activity at the institution. The requirements for bench space and associated costs must be recovered. WCM does not cost share with for-profit pharmaceutical companies that benefit tremendously from the outcome of the research.
Pharmaceutical companies are accustomed to paying the federally negotiated IDC rate in addition to the direct costs of the research project. Upon request, OSRA will check to determine if there are existing and historical sponsored research programs demonstrating that the company has previously paid the federally negotiated rate.