Office of Research



Office of Research

New Awards and Account Set-Up

Awarded Funding Report

When OR receives a notice of grant award or completes negotiations on a contract and the award is fully executed, this fully signed award document becomes the basis for issuing an Awarded Funding Report (formerly Report of Grant/Contract Award-Form 650). If the PI has not received an awarded funding report but has had agency contact indicating that a project has been funded, the PI should contact OR.

Once awarded a funding report is generated, and the PI will receive an e-mail from OR. This e-mail will contain general information about the award such as the agency, project title, account number, etc.

A web address will be provided in the e-mail for access to OR’s server. From here the award and other documents can be viewed and printed as necessary. The PI will also receive any agency specific guidelines necessary to administer the project. All materials should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with all award requirements.

Official award documents include:

Official award notices
Letters of intent
Export Control documentation
Amendments and/or change orders
Contracts
Final Budget
Official correspondence concerning award issues
OR retains all original, signed legal documents. Should the PI receive originals of such legal documents, they should be forward immediately to OR.

Modifications/Amendments

Modifications/amendments to awards are processed in the same manner as new awards, as outlined above.

Account Responsibility

Under UCF policy 2-107.7, “the business unit or department initiating the contract is responsible for compliance with the contract’s terms, including being accountable for any deliverables or other requirements in the contract.”” The PI is responsible for all aspects of their award, including financial activities.

The PI should monitor all expenditures and personally approve all major expenditures. The PI must ensure that inappropriate charges are not placed on the grant. The PI should only delegate authority to sign on his/her grant to the appropriate personnel and should approve all changes to the grant hierarchy.

The PI or Business Center staff should regularly monitor the budget versus expenditures to ensure budgetary control and the appropriate recording of expenditures to avoid incurring a deficit.

The PI is responsible for developing an overall plan for the commitment of the awarded funds and supervising the legitimate spending of funds for project activities. Additionally, the PI should assure compliance with sponsor cost principles, UCF policies and OR procedures

All expenses must be:

  • directly related to the project
  • made during the project period

 Plan expenditures so that materials are purchased and consumed during the project period. Equipment should be ordered in sufficient time so that it can reasonably benefit the project and should not be purchased within the last three (3) months of a project.

Sponsors require special permission to spend funds not committed prior to the expiration date even though the necessity to do so may appear obvious. The cost of publishing research results after the project is completed is an example of such an expenditure. Funds must be encumbered with a purchase order prior to the project’s end date. A no-cost extension to the award may also be required.

UCF Guidance and Directive on Direct Cost Charging