Post-Award Assistance

Award Acceptance

In most cases, the Office of Grants and Sponsored Program will be among the first to receive notifications of an award. If the Office is not initially included in communications regarding an award, the Principal Investigator and other University officials should reach out to the Office to provide information about the award and get help with next steps.

After receiving notification of an award, the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs consults with the Principal Investigator and other relevant personnel to determine if KSU will accept the award. Awards for proposals that did not undergo the normal internal processing, review, and approval through the Office may be refused by the University.

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs participates in any pre-award discussions that the funding agency may require, collaborates with Principal Investigators to revise budgets as needed, obtains signatures on acceptance documents, and submits the acceptance documents to the sponsor on behalf of the University.

Creation of Accounts

After an award has been accepted and the budget has been approved by the funding agency, the Principal Investigator should complete a Request for Budget Establishment (RFBE) Form, obtain the required signatures on the form, and submit it to the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs. The Office will review the form and then send it to Grants Accounting, which will set up an account for the project. The RFBE Form can be found on the Forms page.

When the RFBE Form is sent to Grants Accounting, it should be accompanied by all relevant documents, including the grant award notification and the approved budget. If the RFBE is for a subcontract or subaward, the fully executed subcontract or subaward agreement should be submitted with the RFBE.

If an award requires a one-for-one cash match, a cost sharing account must also be established, to which charges will be applied. If the cost sharing is in the form of in-kind services, the Principal Investigator should maintain records tracking the delivery of the services and showing the value of these services.

Other Post-Award Assistance

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, along with Grants Accounting, strongly recommends that Principal Investigators maintain well-organized files for grant awards and a record of grant expenditures on a spreadsheet. In doing so, Principal Investigators will be able to track on their own how expenditures align with the approved budget and timeline and plan early for any changes that might be needed.

At the same time, the staff of the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs is committed to helping address any questions that come up regarding the proposed activities and budget of a grant. Close coordination with the Office on the submission of a proposal and acceptance of an award will ensure that the staff is well-informed about a grant and can be an effective resource and advocate for Principal Investigators.

The following are aspects of a grant project that Principal Investigators should always reach out to the Office for help with, and for which the Office will be the main point of contact:

Changes in Budgets: On occasion, a modification of a budget will be needed in order to facilitate the achievement of project objectives. If the prior approval of the funding agency is required for the modification, the Office will work with the Principal Investigator to prepare and submit a request for approval. The budget modification will not be processed until written approval is received from the agency.

Change of Principal Investigator: Circumstances may arise that necessitate a change in the Principal Investigator for a sponsored project. The selection of a new PI should be made in consultation with the Chair, Dean, and the funding agency. The Office will submit the request for a change of PI to the agency, along with an explanation of why the change is necessary and any other documentation that is needed.

Request for a No Cost Extension: If a Principal Investigator determines that more time is needed to complete work on a project beyond the expiration date of an award, a no-cost extension may be requested from the funding agency. The Office will work with the Principal Investigator and will prepare and submit the request.

Transfer of Award: If a new faculty or staff members wishes to transfer an award from the institution where they were previously employed to the University, and the transfer has been approved by both the funding agency and the previous employer, the Office can assist with the process. Similarly, if a Principal Investigator accepts a position at another institution and wishes to transfer an award that they received while employed at the University to their new institution, the Office will be involved in determining if the University and funding agency approve of the transfer. Approved transfers will occur only after Grants Accounting has determined that a balance remains for transfer to the new institution.