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What
is the mission of Contract and Grant Administration?
The mission of Contract and Grant Administration is
to preserve and protect the university's research reputation
through fiscal compliance, financial accountability,
and proactive customer service and to build a foundation
for the future growth of research.
What are the characteristics of contract and
grant funds?
Award funds received from external sponsoring agencies,
when placed in contract and grant accounts, are considered
restricted funds. They are time-sensitive, restrictive,
reportable and subject to audits. Investigators are
responsible for meeting agency requirements in order
to receive these funds. The receipt of contract and
grant funds is not guaranteed. Contracts, grants and
other sponsored activities are agreements made between
funding agencies and the University, not individuals.
How
does Contract and Grant Administration manage and maintain
external funds?
Contract and Grant Administration provides operational
services for all contract and grant accounts. These
services include but are not limited to the setting
up and maintenance of accounts, budgets, subcontracts,
facilities and administrative costs, as well as the
tracking of cost share and matching funds. In addition,
Contract and Grant Administration provides financial
reports for funding agencies as well as various organizations
at Indiana University. Contract and Grant Administration
is also responsible for billing and drawing funds for
sponsored projects. To ensure the proper management
of these accounts, Contract and Grant Administrators
also act as liaisons between the funding agencies and
the University.
How
do financial transactions take place on contract and
grant accounts?
Once an award is received, and once a contract and grant
account is established, the business personnel in the
investigator's department may place expenses incurred
for the purpose of the project on the account. Financial
transactions are initiated, reviewed and processed in
the University's Financial Information System (FIS)
by various financial organizations, including Contract
and Grant Administration. Contract and Grant Administration
staff monitors the overall integrity of financial transactions
on grant accounts to ensure that they meet agency and
University guidelines.
What
regulations and guidelines are followed in the administration
of contract and grant accounts?
Contract and grant accounts must adhere to the principles
spelled out in Federal OMB Circulars A-21, A-110 and
A-133 governing the administration of federal or federal
pass through funds awarded to higher education institutions.
Transactions on contract and grant accounts must pass
these four basis considerations: allowabililty, allocability,
reasonableness and consistency. In addition to federal
guidelines, contract and grant accounts are governed
by agency guidelines and Indiana University policies.
The strictest rule is applied when conflicts or ambiguities
exist between Indiana University and agency policies.
How
often are contract and grant accounts audited?
Contract and Grant Administration coordinates the annual
Federal OMB Circular A-133 audit that is completed annually
by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. In addition,
agencies and Indiana University Internal Audit may conduct
audits on contract and grant accounts at their discretion.
Contract and Grant staff will obtain documentation as
requested by an auditor, answer questions regarding
internal controls and procedures, and work to ensure
that the auditor understands the Indiana University
financial system as it relates to sponsored awards.
Acting as a liaison between departments and auditors,
Contract and Grant Administration staff will ensure
the smooth operation of audits and help to resolve any
problems from these audits.
Does
Contract and Grant Administration offer any training
in award administration?
Grant Administration provides a variety of training
services for project directors and departmental grant
administrators in basic account management, agency guideline
interpretation, and compliance monitoring. Contract
and Grant Administration offers hands-on training classes
system-wide that cover a wide range of topics. In addition,
"First Visits" are provided by Contract and
Administration staff when departments have questions
regarding a particular award or agency, or when a new
account manager has been assigned. First Visits may
include a discussion of agency guidelines, a general
overview of the Financial Information System and will
offer exposure to financial tools available to research
administrators and project directors. These include
the IU Research Website, Project Director Reports, and
the Financial Data Retrieval System.
What
is a RAT team and what is its role in award administration?
Four Research Administrator Teams (RAT) have been established,
representing the major research departments on the Bloomington
and IUPUI campuses. Along with preaward offices, Contract
and Grant Administration hosts RAT meetings on a quarterly
basis to share new policies and guidelines we all face
in research administration. These meetings are excellent
forums for departments to ask questions and to share
their experiences in managing external research accounts.
The departments play an active role in shaping the agendas
for these meetings.
Who
does an investigator or a departmental administrator
contact if there is a problem on a contract and grant
account?
Each contract and grant account is assigned to a Contract
and Grant Administrator, who provides oversight for
all account financial activities. The financial administrator
is the primary contact the department has whenever there
are questions about financial transactions, reporting
requirements and agency guidelines. If you are not sure
with whom you need to talk, please contact Contract
and Grant Customer Service at 812-855-6538. You may
also find all the contact information at www.fms.indiana.edu/cg/agencies/mosnotification.asp.
Need
more detailed information?
Project
Director Reports
With a password, a project director or departmental
administrator can monitor financial activities on contract
and grant accounts by accessing "Project Director
Reports" on the Web at https://fdrs.fms.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/pdw/Welcome.pl.
These reports provide an overall picture of the financial
status of the sponsored accounts. Information is refreshed
daily to ensure timeliness and accuracy. Reports breakdown
the expenditures of major budget categories and help
you project future spending rates. Research
Website
The Research Website is a comprehensive central resource
for all information related to research at Indiana
University. Project directors and research administrators
will benefit from the site which covers issues and
current events related to obtaining and administering
sponsored research awards. Visit the Research Website
at http://www.iupui.edu/~resgrad.
Contract and Grant Administration
Web Site
To learn more about award administration
at Indiana University, visit the Contract and Grant
Administration home age at www.fms.indiana.edu/cg/.
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