Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
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  1. IN
  2. NAU Research
  3. Proposal and award management
  4. Award setup

Award setup

In order for a project team (PI, department administrator, researchers) to begin spending on a sponsored award, certain steps must be completed in order to set up the account or authorize pre-award spending. Intended for administrators, this section covers Notice of Grant Award, account setup, and pre-award spending.

Notice of grant award

A notice of grant award, NGA, sponsor notice, or award letter-is a notification from a sponsor indicating that a proposal has been funded. Notice of grant awards are typically received by the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), although on occasion a PI may be notified directly. This notification may require the signature of an authorized university official. Notices should be forwarded to the OSP for review and processing.

Review of terms and conditions

Before accepting an award on behalf of the university, the OSP reviews all terms and conditions, regardless of the sponsor, and is responsible for negotiating acceptable terms if an award fits into one of the following categories.

  • contains provisions that are incompatible with the university’s policies on sponsored research
  • inconsistent with applicable government-wide regulations
  • fails to include all elements agreed upon prior to the award
  • requires modification to conform to the Principal Investigator’s needs
  • includes non-standard terms and conditions (patent and/or licensing, publications, termination, indemnification, etc.)

Specifically, one area that requires special consideration is when university equipment and/or facilities involved in the research have been financed through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds. Internal Revenue Code regulations governing such research impose certain requirements on the licensing of intellectual property that arises from research sponsored under such agreements.

When the notice of grant award and related terms and conditions are accepted by the university, an account activating the award is set up in PeopleSoft. The PI along with several department based contacts receive a Notice of Award Action which details the account number, period of performance, and dollar amounts.

Account setup

Upon receiving a sponsor award notice or update to an award, a Pre-Award Administrator, Intermediate (PRAI), collaborates with the Post Award Administrator to initiate the account setup/modification process. New accounts are setup or modified in the PeopleSoft Financial System (Grants Management Application Suite), the official record for all sponsored accounts at NAU. Once the account(s) are established, a Notification of Award Actions is sent out to the PI and designated department contacts regarding the sponsored award accepted by the university. The notification includes the award terms and conditions, project dates, funding amounts, and the accounts established for the award.

Notice of award action

The Notice of Award Action provides pertinent information regarding the award setup in the PeopleSoft Financial System such as:

  • type of action (project activation/modification)
  • project number
  • speedchart number
  • project start and end date
  • funded amount
  • agency name and award number
  • indirect rate
  • cost sharing information, if applicable

This document is recommended reading if you perform or oversee the financial administration of sponsored awards. The notice provides information with the understanding that the reader has a basic knowledge of the university’s financial system.

Transferring sponsored projects to NAU

Learn about the process for transferring a sponsored project to NAU.

Questions?

If you require assistance reach out to your OSP contact.