​What is BETR Grants? 

Bringing Efficiency To Research (BETR) Grants is an ongoing focus of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) University Alliance Group (UAG). 

Through BETR Grants, UAG aims to promote the efficient use of resources and spending of sponsor funding at universities and research institutions by effectively reducing the direct and overhead costs of research through efficient practices and facilities. The UAG believes that a systematic change towards efficient laboratories will ultimately minimize the environmental and social footprint of research while also helping to relieve the pressure of the current competitive funding environment, thereby allowing more science to be funded.

Suggested Topics to Include in Grant Proposals

As a first step in this systematic change, the UAG is calling for voluntary inclusion of a description of efficient practices and/or facilities into grant proposals.

Equipment Sharing

Space Utilization

Energy & Water Conservation

Lab Assessment & Other Areas

Help Your Grant Proposal Standout From the Others

Including information about how you and/or your campus incorporate efficiency into your research program may help your proposal stand out from others, especially in the current, highly competitive funding environment. 

Such language could be included in the:

• "Broader Impacts" section of NSF proposals
• "Budget Justification" sections
• "Resources and Environment" and/or "Resource Sharing Plans" sections of NIH proposals
• "Facilities and Other Resources" sections found in many agency proposals (section names may vary between agencies)

In general, it is important to keep language describing the benefits of your effort in your proposal to terms such as "efficiency", "avoided costs", and "maximizing impact of funding" rather than "sharing costs" with the sponsor unless the funding opportunity from a research sponsor requires cost sharing as part of the submission.   Furthermore, it is important to not quantify the actions with a dollar amount or even a percentage unless again the funding opportunity requires that information.  The reason for not quantifying and for avoiding the "cost sharing" language in proposals is because that will set-off a need for your institution to track the cost sharing which is a significant administrative burden to your institution and could limit the ability of your institution to negotiate your most beneficial overhead rate with your federal cognizant agency.  

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