Research Administrators at the Core

Research Administrators have a central role in making our research projects successful. Research Administrators interact with a wide range of staff and offices, as illustrated in the image below.

They also handle numerous Award Management actions, including the following:

• Project File Maintenance
• New Award Meetings
• Guidance regarding Federal, State, University, & Sponsor Regulations
• Pre-audit and Approval of Expenditures
• Budget Revisions/Explanations
• Release Time and Summer Salary
• Equipment Acquisition/CAMS
• Preaward Costs
• Travel
• Change in PI
• Subcontract/Subaward Approval
• Project Reconciliation
• Task Billing - Milestones/Deliverables Scheduling
• Project Reporting - both Interim and Final
• Project Reconciliation Closeout - Interim/Final

 

If this is your role, explore this section of the RAMP Guide for some tools and tips for handling the complexities of research project management. You will find more information on managing research projects in Section 7 of this RAMP Guide: Post-Award Fiscal Management.

Check Out the Checklist!

With all of the details you must monitor in award management, you may find the "New Award Checklist" pictured below helpful to post and use.

With complicated jobs like yours that are often so complex that it can be a challenge to keep up -- doing everything correctly and on time -- a checklist can often help to prevent oversights.

Using a checklist can help you remember to do what you know needs to be done in the midst of multiple priorities.

If you are not accustomed to using checklists, read more in the "Checklist Manifesto" side bar and give the New Awards Checklist below a try to see if it helps!

New Award Checklist

Examine the following checklist to make sure that you are thoroughly reviewing new awards and planning for the required award management actions and deliverables.

To view the entire checklist, click the form below to download a PDF version. You may print the checklist to post or to make copies for use in your college or department.

New Award Meetings

Office of Contracts and Grants staff can meet with college faculty and staff upon request to "kick off" projects in a New Award Meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss compliance issues, grant details, specific guidelines, and responsibilities.

It's a good idea to arrange one of these meetings through your college research office for new faculty or administrative staff or for particularly complicated or multi-year projects.

Award Management Forms and References

You can find forms and references that you may need on the following Sponsored Programs & Regulatory Compliance Services (SPARCS) and Office of Contracts and Grants (CNG) pages:

• SPARCS Policies
• SPARCS Forms
• CNG forms
• CNG Policies and Procedures

• If you have Award Management related questions that were not answered in this section of the guide or the linked references, contact your College Business Office or research administrative staff for help.

To report broken links or make suggestions for improvement

• New Award Checklist
• SPARCS Policies
• SPARCS Forms
• CNG forms
• CNG Policies and Procedures

Return to RAMP Guide Table of Contents

Click the RAMP link below to return to the RAMP Guide Table of Contents.