Award Setup: How it Works
After an award is acknowledged, the Principal Investigator or Project Director (PI/PD) works with the grants specialist to set up the project’s account and start incurring expenses. New investigators and project managers should hold ‘Award Kick-off’ meetings with OSP’s Managing Director and grants specialist, and possibly IRB members and relevant academic/administrative units.*
*Mandatory meetings with the Grants Specialist & OSP Managing Director MUST be held each quarter once an award is acknowledged. Contact OSP at [email protected] to request a meeting.
Federal sponsors may allow pre-award expenses up to 90 days early if justified. The PI/PD should email the grants specialist to request permission, ensuring costs are reasonable and allowable.
Federal regulations require institutions to ensure compliance with specific conditions and policies to avoid jeopardizing federal funding. Please refer to the OSP Handbook for detailed information on compliance. Some helpful resources and relevant forms are listed below:
PI/PD
- Ensuring proper technical conduct of the research
- Managing project funds within the approved budget
- Complying with all university policies and sponsor terms and conditions related to the award
- Initiating all project-related transactions, including requisitions for equipment, supplies, and services
- Collaborating with department Human Resources staff to ensure timely and accurate personnel appointments
- Completing and submitting all required technical reports to the sponsor on time
Department
- Monitoring the financial status of the award
- Assisting the principal investigator with personnel appointments, procurement requests, and problem-resolution
- Covering any costs that exceed the award amount, or any expenditures disallowed by the sponsor or as a result of an audit
OSP
- Managing the financial aspects of their projects
- Obtaining the necessary goods, services, and personnel to conduct the research effort
- Billing sponsors and collecting funds
- Providing required financial reports
- Responding to sponsor and university audit requests regarding sponsored project expenditures
Grant project expenditures are the costs incurred during the execution of a funded project.
These typically include:
- Personnel Costs: Salaries, wages, and benefits for staff and researchers working on the project.
- Equipment: Purchase or lease of equipment necessary for the research.
- Supplies: Consumables and materials required for the project.
- Travel: Costs related to travel for project-related activities, such as conferences, fieldwork, or collaboration meetings.
- Contracted Services: Payments to third parties for services directly related to the project.
- Indirect Costs/Overhead: Costs for general administrative support and facilities that are necessary for the project but not directly attributable to specific activities.
- Publication Costs: Fees for publishing research findings in journals or other media.
- Capitalized Expenses: Long-term investments in facilities or large equipment.
- Other Direct Costs: Miscellaneous expenses directly related to the project, such as participant incentives or software licenses.
For detailed guidance on processing non-travel or travel expenditures, please refer to the OSP Handbook.
Note:
- If a PI/PD wants to begin spending funds before the award’s start date, a Pre-Award Cost Authorization (PCA) Form must be completed and signed.
If income beyond the sponsor’s award is generated during the project period, it must be separately accounted for and identified with the grant number(s) of the sponsored award involved. This income is referred to as Program Income.
Expenditures made on sponsored awards require monitoring to make sure they are allowable, allocable and reasonable to be charged to a project. PI/PDs are responsible for monitoring the spending rate on their sponsored projects. Post-Award Resources can be found here.
The award document outlines technical reporting requirements (e.g., frequency & submission instructions). Late submissions may delay invoice payments, proposal reviews, funding increments, and award actions.
Main Contacts:
- Managing Director of OSP: Emily Pujadas Liwag, Ph.D.
- Director of Grant Writing: Lynn Haff, M.A.
- Grants Management Director: Chrystie Naeole, Ph.D.
- Grants Financial Manager: Andrew Perez
- Vice Provost: Janet Davidson, Ph.D.
- Provost: Lance Askildson, Ph.D.
