ACCEPTANCE OF AWARD

All grants and contracts awarded to Indiana State University are reviewed to make certain that each agreement is supportive of ISU's mission and that the rights of the researchers are protected. Because Indiana State University (not the school, department, center, or individual faculty member) is the legal entity for all awards, there is a process for central review of incoming awards to ensure that ISU can accept any conditions imposed on the award.

Who receives and negotiates awards?

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is responsible for reviewing and negotiating any awards that are received from external sponsors.

What if a check or agreement is sent directly to me?

Please do not sign any agreement on behalf of ISU! Only employees who have been delegated signature authority by the ISU Board of Trustees are authorized to sign these agreements. If you receive an agreement in this way, please forward them to The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). It is also important to note that the OSP staff has the experience to deal with agencies to negotiate fair and reasonable terms.

Also, please don't sign or deposit any accompanying checks. Only the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) should handle and deposit funds received from external agencies. This is important for OCG’s record keeping. Also, university internal controls require that OCG deposits these funds for externally funded projects.

After the agreement is accepted what happens?

After the award is accepted, OSP will send the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) the all signed agreement. OCG will then work with Financial Accounting to establish a grant index. OCG will contact your department and work with the project director and/or their administrative staff on any specific information needed to set up the grant index. After all the necessary information is obtained and all compliance issues are met, the OCG will email the grant procedures and the new grant index to the project director and their administrative staff. The information sent in this email is very important to the award management of the new project and should be reviewed closely.

What could delay the release of the award’s index?

There are several items that could delay the release of your new grant index. Some of the delays include:

• Non-receipt of signed award letter
• Need approved budget
• Sub agreement for partnering institutions, if applicable
• Compliance issues not met
  • IRB – Institutional Review Board
  • COI - Conflict of Interest
  • IACUC – Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
  • RCR – Responsible Conduct in Research

What are the principal investigator’s roles and responsibilities?

• Once an award has been accepted, the first step for a PI is to read the award document – the terms and conditions are a guide in managing the funds and it is important from the outset to have a clear understanding of the sponsor requirements.

• It is recommended after an award has been accepted that the PI and the administrative support meet with OCG staff to discuss their new project and become familiar with the projects reporting requirements, terms and conditions, and answer any questions. This meeting is especially important if the PI is a new researcher, if the PI is working with a new agency and/or if the project has unique terms and conditions. This meeting will not only help answer questions for the PI but will give the OCG staff a better understanding of the projects goals and objectives.

• The PI is responsible for the conduct and reporting of scientific design.

• The PI is responsible for the direction, oversight, conduct, financial management, successful completion, and reporting of the sponsored project, and to manage any collaborative relationships.

• As the Principal Investigator for this new grant award you are responsible for reviewing expenses charged to the index being assigned to your project.  Please ensure that the costs charged to this new index are related to the completion of project activities and are allowable based on your approved project budget, university guidelines and the applicable guidelines of the funding agency providing this award to you.  In the event that unallowable costs are found to be charged to your grant index, you must follow university procedures to move the unallowable expense to your departmental index in a timely manner.  If you have questions, please contact Sarah Ber, the Contracts & Grants Director.

• The PI should coordinate with department administrators, college administration, and central administration personnel to conduct research in compliance with Federal regulations, sponsoring agency policies and regulations, and ISU policies and procedures when making crucial financial decisions related to expenditures on a research grant, cooperative agreement, training project, contract or other sponsored agreement.

• The PI reports to a department head or other designated official.