Award Review and Acceptance
Overview:
The Office of Research and Grants (Grants Office) is responsible for review and acceptance of awards for sponsored projects made to Grand Canyon University. The Grants Office will ensure the award terms and conditions are acceptable to the University and that the award can be managed properly under the University’s policies and procedures.
Contracts with outside entities must also be reviewed and approved internally before being signed by the university’s authorized official. The Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for routing agreements to the Grants Office prior to signature
Process:
When a sponsor has approved an award for a sponsored project, a notice of award or an award letter is sent to the Office of Research and Grants (Grants Office). The notice of award is a legally binding document that notifies Grand Canyon University and the Principal Investigator (PI) that an award has been made, contains or references terms and conditions of the award, and documents the obligation of funds and the period of performance.
If an award notice is received directly by the PI, it must be forwarded to the Grants Office as soon as possible.
Grants Office review of the award document includes attention to the following:
Award Negotiation:
Occasionally a sponsor will express interest in supporting a proposed project provided that certain changes are made. These may include:
The Principal Investigator/Project Director (PI/PD) and the Grants Office should review the proposed revisions and determine whether the revised project would be in the best interest of the university. For instance, if a sponsor wishes to reduce the amount of a budget without a comparable reduction of objectives, the project will probably not be in the best interest of the university and the PI/PD.
If the sponsor-suggested changes can be made and the PI/PD revises the overall proposal, the revised proposal should be submitted to the Grants Office to start the approval process.
Note: Negotiations regarding the programmatic or technical content of the proposal are the responsibility of the PI/PD. However, all questions relating to fiscal and administrative aspects of the proposal should be referred to Grants Office staff, who will, in close collaboration with the PI/PD, negotiate on behalf of the university. Researchers are reminded that they do not have the authority to commit the university contractually.
Award Acceptance:
Once award negotiation is complete, if applicable, the grant agreement/award notice will be directed to the Grants Office. The Grants Office will send the award documentation for approval and signature following the process flow below. Approval is required by the college dean, accounting, and the provost prior to signature. The Provost is the final signatory. The Grants Office sends the final signed copy to the sponsor.
Withdrawal of Proposal:
If for some reason it becomes necessary to withdraw a proposal before it has been acted upon by the sponsor, the PI/PD should notify the Office of Research and Grants (Grants Office). The Grants Office will take appropriate action for the withdrawal of the proposal.
Denial of Funding:
When the Grants Office receives notice that a proposal has not been selected for funding, the PI/PD is notified. If a denial notice is received by the PI/PD, a copy should be forwarded to the Grants Office.
In the case of denied funding, the PI/PD is encouraged to request from the sponsor an evaluation summary of the review. This evaluation may point out omissions and weaknesses in the proposal which if addressed could result in a much stronger subsequent proposal. First-time applications, on average, are less successful than subsequent applications. The PI/PD is encouraged to share reviewers’ comments with Grant Office staff and discuss resubmitting the application to the same sponsor or seeking other possible funding sources.