All grants and contracts are submitted through the Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. (GSURF). Therefore, awards will be accepted by GSURF and subsequently subcontracted to GSU for the project performance. It should be noted, however, that if GSURF is not an eligible applicant for a particular funding opportunity, the award is accepted by GSU directly.
An award to GSURF or GSU from a sponsoring agency serves as a legal document obligating the University to a contractual commitment. Awards may be in the form of a letter or check issued by an authorized agent of the sponsor, a grant Notification of Award (NOA), or may consist of a complete contractual document. In some cases acceptance by the grantee (and then by the agency) is required before the award is in force, in other cases no formal acceptance is required. When required, Georgia State or GSURF's authorized institutional officials (the Vice President for Research or Associate/Assistant Vice Presidents for Research) are responsible for signing these documents and thereby legally binding the University to the terms and conditions of the grant or contractual document.
PLEASE NOTE: PI/PD, Department Chairpersons, and Deans are not authorized to sign award documents on behalf of GSURF or the University. All original official award documents, if received by the PI/PD, should be forwarded immediately to OSP for processing. OSP will consult with a PI/PD if the award differs from the submitted proposal, so that the award may be accepted, modified through negotiation with the sponsor or rejected.
Award Negotiation
In some cases an award may be issued by the agency after a series of negotiations that may involve revisions to the scope of the project, period of performance and/or proposed budget. OSP, working with Legal Affairs, is the authorized agent for negotiating such revisions, but no changes to a project or a budget are authorized without the consent of the PI/PD. PI/PDs are reminded that the acceptance of a revised scope of work, period of performance or budget is a judgment that only they can make; it is not a judgment or condition that may be unilaterally imposed by the granting agency. If the agency requires the submission of a revised work plan or budget, this must be prepared by the PI/PD and submitted to OSP for institutional endorsement and for forwarding to the agency. Revisions, either programmatic or budgetary, which represent substantial changes to the original proposal must be reviewed and approved by OSP in the same manner as a new proposal.