Manage an Award

Once a new award has been received, your Sponsored Research Officer (SRO) will schedule a New Award Kick-off Meeting including:

• the PI, co-PIs, other project staff
• project budget manager
• Grant Accountant from Controller's Office
• If privately funded: representative from the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations

to orient all personnel supporting this project with the award's specific terms and conditions, budget, prior approval requirements, SU-related policies and procedures, and reporting deadlines.

A New Award Overview, updated with the project's specific information, will be reviewed and provided to all attendees.

The New Award Kick-off meeting and remaining sections of this webpage, Sponsored Projects Expenditure Guide, and the Budget Management webpage serve to support the PI and project budget manager throughout the life of the project. Please contact your SRO or the OSP with specific questions!

Once an award is received, the project staff needs to carefully review the award agreement or contract, including award attachments and adhere to all terms and conditions. OSP will assist in communicating with SU legal and the sponsor, should any provisions need interpretation.  The PI/PD is responsible for carrying out the project in compliance with all sponsor terms and conditions, federal, state and local laws, and Seattle University policy.

Please note: All new awards, contracts, or subcontracts must be signed by our Authorized Organizational Representative (Provost or designee).

Please review all sponsored project related compliance areas for next steps that may be required within your project.

Review the policy, procedure and CITI instructions

Background

In 2007, Congress passed the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in  Technology, Education, and Science) Act, which required that "each institution that applies for financial assistance from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project." 

Impact

For every grant it holds funded by the National Science Foundation, Seattle University must show that it has provided all relevant personnel with adequate training on the responsible conduct of research. For each NSF award, participating members must show proof of having taken the Responsible Conduct of Research module in the discipline pertinent to the research to be undertaken through CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative). The RCR Coordinator at Seattle University will be responsible for certifying that grant personnel have completed the requisite training.

While the NSF requirement applies only to students funded by NSF grants , we strongly encourage CITI’s RCR training for all faculty, students, and staff who engage in research of any kind at Seattle University. Seattle University is committed to the highest possible ethical and scientific conduct in the pursuit of research. 

It is the responsibility of the PI or Program Director to reconcile your financial transactions to ensure accuracy. The Controller's Office provides several tools to assist:

• Power BI: SU financial reporting system based on fiscal year
• Projects Accounting: Grant specific financial reporting system based on project period and includes a budget to spending comparision
• Quarterly Financial Reports: these reports will be sent for your review and approval from the Grant Accountant

Learn more about managing your budget.

All costs proposed or incurred on a sponsored project must comply with the approved scope of work and budget, general sponsor terms and conditions and University policies and procedures.

The Principal Investigator of a sponsored project is required to report major deviations from budget, staffing, project timeline and project scope. 

When a change is necessary, please complete the Institutional Prior Approval Form (IPAF) (IPAF) and submit the signed form to the OSP. The OSP will review and determine if sponsor prior approval is required based on sponsor policies and the award agreement. Should sponsor approval be necessary, OSP will submit the request and justification as detailed in your IPAF with the sponsor. 

The PI is responsible for submitting accurate and timely reports to the sponsor. OSP offers notification and review support while the Grant Accountant will provide the financial report. After the post-award meeting, OSP will send report reminders to your Outlook calendar. These notifications will remind you of upcoming reports 6 weeks before the sponsor due date. 

Programmatic Reporting. The PI is responsible for completing any technical/programmatic reports required by the sponsor. 

Financial Reporting. The Grant Accountant in the Controller's Office will provide the financial report as required by the sponsor.

If the report requires an institutional signature, OSP will facilitate this through the Provost’s Office. 

At the grant’s end date, the SRO will initiate the close-out process by sending the closeout checklist to the PI and Activity Manager. Closing the grant includes:

• Ensuring all personnel appointments are removed
• Purchases have cleared the budget
• Cost share requirements are met
• Unallowable costs are removed
• Subcontract invoices are received
• Effort reports (if required) are certified
• All sponsor funding is received

This process should take place within 90 days of the grant’s end date.

• Closeout Form - OSP will provide this form at the end of your project's lifecycle to ensure all activities and spending has concluded. 
• Closeout form flowchart
• Closeout Policy