Sponsored projects include grants and contracts received from sponsoring agencies.
A grant is an agreement with a sponsored agency that provides funds for the University to accomplish designated activities in an area of mutual interest.
A contract is an agreement with a sponsoring agency that provides funds for the University to provide specific services or products to the agency.
The Principal Investigator (PI) is the employee who is primarily responsible for administering the grant or contract. The PI can be either the department head or another employee.
Each department and center has a designated pre-award project administrator who will handle all proposals regardless of sponsor. Once awarded, project administration is assigned by sponsor and a finance team is responsible for revenue collections and account reconciliations.
Cost sharing refers to that portion of the total costs of a sponsored project borne by the university. To qualify as cost sharing, a cost must be:
Verifiable from the university's records
Necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient accomplishment of the project or program objective
Allowable under Federal cost principles and administrative regulations (OMB Circulars A-21 and A-110).
The university requires effort certification for faculty, staff and students funded by projects sponsored through federal and state agencies, private foundations, organizations, and industry. In addition, university funding of faculty, staff or student effort committed to a project as cost sharing is included in the effort certification process as well as all other university funds. Certification is documented on the individual’s Personnel Activity Report (PAR).
All committed (mandatory as well as committed voluntary) cost sharing must be adequately documented in the university's records. The university will make a cost-sharing commitment only when required by the sponsor or by the competitive nature of the award and then only to the extent necessary to meet the specific requirements of the sponsored project.
All expenditure transfers to or from a sponsored project must be recorded in the receiving fund within 90 days after the initial charge was recorded or prior to the submission of the final expenditure report to the sponsor, or the final request for reimbursement from the sponsor, whichever occurs first.
Reviewing and approving research proposals and budgets of faculty before they are submitted to Office of Sponsored Programs
Approving any commitment of departmental resources, including space, personnel and financial support
Ensuring the university’s monthly budget and expenditure reports are reconciled to departmental records
Ensuring, along with the Principal Investigator, that any subcontractor’s activities are in accordance with the primary agreement, the work has been performed, and the changes are appropriate
Reviewing accounts for reasonableness and following up immediately on over-expenditures or other unusual items in the accounts
