Awards

When a grant is awarded, SPA works with the department to ensure that all terms and conditions of the sponsor are understood and that the required documentation is kept and maintained for research and financial reporting. Award management can include, but is not limited to the following policies and procedures:

• Account Set-up - occurs after SPA receives the award and its terms and conditions are acceptable.
• At-Risk Accounts - when a Principal Investigator has been informed that an award is about to be made, his or her department may authorize an at-risk account prior to actual receipt or acceptance of the award document. The department completes and signs the Advance Account form. Please note that in the event the award is not made or accepted, the department will assume responsibility for expenses incurred.
• Sponsored Budget Tool - departments use this tool to enter line item (object code) budgets for each sponsored account. and upload them into the General Ledger. For more information about the Budget Tool, contact Kristie Froman at kristie_froman@hms.harvard.edu or 617-432-3158.
• Expense Guidelines - provides guidance on what types of expenses can be charged to direct costs and also provides information about Cost Transfers.
• Cost Sharing - occurs when a specific portion of the project costs that are not funded by the sponsor; cost sharing cannot be funded from another Federal project.
• Effort Certification - required by federal regulations to certify all salaries and wages charged to federal projects that directly benefit that project
• Post-award Maintenance -- stresses the importance of keeping proper documentation and reporting for the life of the grant.

If you have questions, your SPA representative can help guide you through this process.