RIC Award Management Requirements

Remember that in receiving an award you agree to serve the sponsor's interests in managing your program effectively, both financially and programmatically, and you also have a responsibility to the College in abiding by policy and using College resources effectively in conducting your sponsored activity.

Your responsibilities

The initial elation you feel when awarded a grant is often dampened when you realize the extent of the obligation undertaken. Not only must you focus your attention on implementing the plan of action and fulfilling grant objectives, you must also become familiar with the operational idiosyncrasies of the bureaucracy - the policies and procedures that must be followed to hire personnel, purchase equipment and supplies, disburse travel funds, and otherwise manage the grant.

The funding agency and the College assume that the Principal Investigator, operating within the framework of the approved grant, and assisted by appropriate College officials, is responsible for the program and fiscal management of the project. It is assumed further that the Principal Investigator will operate the sponsored program in accordance with any specific departmental or College procedures. This means that you are professionally responsible for tracking the overall status and availability of your budget. We will review the allowability of costs to your grant program only. Financial reports are managed by the Grant Accounting Office, but you should have budgetary information available if needed and programmatic reports will still fall to you to produce.

As Principal Investigator, you should consider the Office of Research and Grants Administration your ally and advocate within the institution - not another layer in the bureaucracy. To make the partnership effective, there should be early and regular contact between the Principal Investigator and our staff. Of course, it is not possible to include all the situations that might develop in the management of your grant. We encourage anyone with a question to call on us first. If we don't have the answer, we will get it for you!

When the award is made...

When the Office of Research and Grants administration receives a sponsor's Notice of Grant Award, or NGA, we establish an account for your grant to be managed on and charged against. An internal NGA is then sent via email to you and all involved parties on campus, noting the account number and the grant term. While the sponsor's grant term dates mark the official beginning and end of your program, our notice marks the official time when you may begin spending money against the funds provided. The corresponding account number provided is the account or "department" number to be used in all requisitions and forms, and virtually all forms are sent to our office first for approval.

Sponsor Requirements