Establishing an account for an award involves both the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Financial Services. Upon receipt of an official award, OSP staff assigned to the project will request a project number assignment from RFS and prepare and distribute a Notice of Award to the PI/PD, Department Chair, Dean, and other administrative offices. The Project Transmittal Form indicates the project number established for the project and details pertinent award information, including the RFS staff assigned to the project, the budget, and any cost-sharing obligations. To protect the PI/PD and the University, expenditures should not be incurred against a sponsored project until OSP has received and processed the original award notification from the sponsor and a project account number has been assigned.
If compliance issues (human subjects, animal use, biohazards, or radiation) are involved, OSP will not release funds until the appropriate review board has approved the protocol.
The issuance of the project number for the award is a form of credit line against which the PI/PD may charge obligations and expenditures, without concern for sponsor payments and cash flow considerations. In reality, sponsoring agencies do not pay the University in the majority of cases until expenditures are incurred and invoices are submitted to the agency by Research Financial Services.
Account Set-Up
Based on information in the budget approved by the sponsoring agency, Research Financial Services staff review and record critical award information into the Financial Accounting System to allow proper processing and tracking of project accounting data. This information includes, but is not limited to:
NIH Modular Budgets
Once awarded, Principal Investigators need to provide their OSP representative a detailed budget in University budget categories, including any cost sharing requirements.
Advance Project Number
It is recognized that on some occasions receipt of the actual award documents authorizing expenditures for a project may be delayed. It is possible to obtain permission to initiate limited expenditures for a short time. For this purpose, an advance project number may be requested. Requests for an advance project number should be submitted on the Request for Approval under IPAS. This form must be signed by the PI/PD, the Department Chairperson, and the Dean of the college or school. Included on this form is a statement of assurance that commits the department to reimburse project accounts in the event that the expected sponsor authorization is not forthcoming. Because the financial risk for expenditures is on the department's part, OSP will approve an application for an advance project number if the appropriate administrators agree to assume this responsibility. A completed and signed form must be sent to OSP to initiate action.
Questions? Contact OSP