FAQs: Hierarchy

When considering a proposal hierarchy, it’s important to remember a proposal can be routed to multiple participating, non-lead units without using Proposal Hierarchy. (See http://kc.mit.edu/category/faq/routing). Also, anticipation of an Award Hierarchy structure does not necessitate a Proposal Hierarchy. For additional guidance, use the following chart to determine if a proposal hierarchy is needed:

1. Are you preparing a Summary Budget for submission?

2. Does the proposal involve more than one Activity Type (e.g Organized Research and Instruction)?

Please contact the RAS Administrator for your DLC or ra-help@mit.edu for guidance on specific proposal scenarios.

* A proposal can be routed to multiple participating, non-lead units without using Proposal Hierarchy. See http://kc.mit.edu/category/faq/routing 

** Anticipation of an Award Hierarchy structure does not necessitate a Proposal Hierarchy.

Investigators must be certified at the Parent level in Hierarchy proposals. 

Under most circumstances you should not copy a proposal hierarchy parent.

You should never attempt to copy a Proposal Hierarchy Parent with the budget. Instead, each child proposal must be copied and then a new parent and parent budget must be generated from the new lead child proposal.

No. Single Point Entry line items do not use all necessary information required for hierarchy proposals. Using SPE causes miscalculations at the parent.

An “Initiating Child” proposal is created first and the Parent will be generated from it. Other child proposals are created and linked to the parent.

The lead unit of the Initiating Child proposal determines the Lead Unit of the hierarchy parent.

PI of the Hierarchy Parent is determined by PI on Initiating Child at the time the hierarchy is created.

**Determine the PI of entire project before creating hierarchy; this individual must be the PI on the initiating child. **

NOTE:

• Do not delete personnel from the Hierarchy Parent – maintain personnel from within the children and sync to Parent.
• Certifications (and Notify to Certify) must be done at the Parent.
• Questionnaires must be done at the Parent.

Linking and Unlinking:

Changes to the Budget are made in the child proposals. Those changes are then synced up to the parent proposal. Changes to the budget cannot be made directly in the parent proposal with the ONLY exceptions of Modular Budgets and Budget Settings Include Cost Share and selection for Modular budget. Please contact ra-help@mit.edu with any questions.

1. Once linked child proposals remain editable. Additional personnel, attachments and budget edits need to be synced to parent.
2. Do not unlink lead/initiating child from the hierarchy without contacting kc-help@mit.edu first. This should not normally be done as it may alter the parent so its remaining data is no longer correct.
3. Do not unlink all children from the parent unless you plan to create a new parent. A parent cannot be relinked once all children are severed; it is put into Canceled status which is a final and irreversible status.

Changes to the Budget are made in the child proposals. Those changes are then synced up to the parent proposal. Changes to the budget cannot be made directly in the parent proposal with the ONLY exceptions of Modular Budgets and Budget Settings Include Cost Share and selection for Modular budget. Please contact ra-help@mit.edu with any questions.

An “Initiating Child” proposal is created by the lead unit first. Then the Parent will be generated from it and reflect the lead unit of the Initiating child.

Please contact ra-help@mit.edu for possible options available.

No. DETAILED budgets MUST be built in each of the child proposals in a proposal hierarchy.