COERA Award Process

Awarding: Award Management through COERA

When an OSP contact or the sponsor alerts you that you have received an award, please send the information (attached files and/or links) to the COERA Team inbox.

The COERA Awards Specialist will coordinate the contracting process with OSP, including requests for changes in award budget, contract terms, or information.

Human (IRB) or Animal (IACUC) Subjects:

If your project requires human subjects or animal participants and you have not submitted the necessary IRB or IACUC application, the application MUST be completed and approved before an award and human subjects award spending can occur. Please immediately submit the application to the central Office of Research Support and Compliance (RSC) for processing and approval. Please then send approved applications to your assigned specialist in order to provide the IRB or IACUC details to OSP at this time.

Award Negotiation:

At the award stage, the sponsor will send a contract to you, COERA, or OSP for review and negotiation. Please send any award emails received COERA for review and appropriate routing. Terms and conditions, reporting requirements, and payment terms will be negotiated at this point. Please remain available for questions and authorizations during this process.

Request for Credit:

Occasionally, after confirming that the Sponsor is awarding funds to the University, the Sponsor will take a prolonged period of time to negotiate or draw up a contract. During these types of negotiations, it is typical for COERA to request a Credit Authorization with OSP to cover any immediate project spending needs.  Types of spending likely to need a credit include:

• Appointments, especially for students who need immediate tuition remission.
• Travel Expenses for immediate anticipated trips.

COERA will work with you to determine the necessary items required to request credit and will coordinate that request with OSP.

It is important to remember that a credit request is only made contingent on the determination that an award will be forthcoming. While it is rare for an anticipated award not to be made, it is imperative to understand that if that should occur the credit must be repaid. In those rare instances, the PI is responsible for finding alternative funding sources (a non-26 departmental account) that can recoup these costs. OSP will not use its own money if the award is not made - the PI will be responsible for these costs.

PI Memo:

After contract finalization, OSP will send a PI memo via email. The PI Memo will request faculty acknowledgement and approval of all terms included in the finalized contract. COERA will assist in obtaining your understanding and acknowledgment.

Subawards:

If you are collaborating with a Co-PI at another institution and they are subawarding to us, OSP will use the proposal information to begin the contracting process. Please review the following subawardee proposal items for any necessary changes:

• An itemized budget
• A budget justification
• A statement of work for their portion of the work to be performed

Contracting will be an ongoing process with many steps, and OSP and COERA will walk you through to completion.