Award Acceptance and Setup
Research Services negotiates agreements with sponsors on behalf of the University and the Georgia Southern University Research and Service Foundation (GSURSF). If an application, proposal, or contract is not processed through Research Services and properly reviewed and approved by the institution’s many academic and administrative units, there is the risk of an award not being accepted or unnecessarily delayed. Contracts, agreements, MOUs, facility use permits, material transfer agreements, data use agreements, etc. (collectively referred to as contracts) may not be signed at the department or college level, except for those which have been specifically delegated in writing by the President.
Furthermore, no person shall sign any contract binding upon the University unless such individual has been appointed, in writing, as the designee authorized to sign. Contracts related to sponsored projects in the name of Georgia Southern University Research and Service Foundation or the University must be sent to Research Services.
If a project is solicited by a third-party, and work is performed on this project in absence of a recognized and fully executed sponsored program (grant or contract), the principal investigator alone maintains ultimate liability for any and all requirements of the research program. Furthermore, the principal investigator must reimburse the University for any and all costs associated with the use of University resources commonly associated with the pursuit of this research.
Institutional Acceptance of Award and Award Setup Responsibilities
Research Services ensures that the university doesn’t commit itself to legally binding terms and conditions that the university is unable to fulfill. Research Services determines whether to accept the award, negotiate a better deal or whether to exclude some terms and conditions that the university is unable to legally meet. Research Services establishes the award in the electronic proposal/award system using the information obtained during the contract review and negotiation process.
Institutional Acceptance of Award and Award Setup Procedures
| Award Negotiation and Acceptance | Research Services reads each award instrument i.e., award notice, cooperative agreement, contract, sponsored agreement, etc. paying particular attention to the terms and conditions to ensure that any negative impacts on the institution and/or the project are minimized prior to signing the award instrument or drawing down funds. Any adverse terms are negotiated (counter offer) prior to award acceptance. |
| Research Integrity Compliance | Research Services confirms that all research integrity training and administrative oversight have been completed by the team. |
| Award Status Notification | Research Services sends out a series of email award status notifications in the event that award processing is delayed beyond normal processing time of 3-4 days; Research Services will utilize 2 email templates for this purpose: template 1 is emailed when a delay beyond normal processing is anticipated; template 2 is emailed when any continued delays occur. This exchange will continue until the award has been processed. |
| Award Notice Creation | Research Services sets up the award in Cloud Express and generates an internal award. This packet gets submitted to Research Accounting for budget setup in PeopleSoft. Research Services maintains documentation of the award via a hard copy award folder that contains: funding instructions, any proposal communication, final application submitted to the funding agency, the executed award instrument, and any subsequent pre-award changes that required sponsor approval. |
Last updated: 7/7/2022