Throwback Blog: Prior Approvals and Expanded Authorities

Prior Approvals All award activities and expenditures require prior agency approval. Prior approval may be granted in the Notice of Award (NOA) when a proposal is funded. For example, equipment and other capital expenditures generally require prior agency approval. By including an equipment purchase in the budget and budget justification, we receive written approval to […]

RPPR Responsibility, Submissions, Tips & Tricks, and Consequences

Part 1: RPPR Responsibility The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and stakeholders in the colleges have developed the Roles and Responsibilities Matrix for each step of the Award Lifecycle. In a compliance-heavy research environment like ours, knowing who does what is very important. For instance, who is responsible for completing and submitting the Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) […]

Throwback Blog: Budgeting and Accounting for GRA Tuition and Fees

Pre-Award: Budgeting for GRA Tuition In a previous blog, Budgeting for GRA Salaries, we discussed best practices and provided examples for how GRA salaries are budgeted at CSU.  If allowed, tuition, differential tuition, and mandatory fees should also be included in the budget that includes GRA salaries based on the amount of effort GRA will spend […]

Overtime on Sponsored Projects

From time to time, someone must work more than their allotted 40-hour workweek to complete the objectives of a particular project. Overtime pay for non-exempt employees may be charged directly to the appropriate 53 accounts in proportion to the effort spent on each project unless specifically disallowed by the sponsor in the award terms and […]

File Naming Conventions in KR PD

OSP would like everyone’s help naming files uploaded to KR PD records. Documents loaded to a KR PD record in any of the Attachments sections should be named and described so that it is easy to identify the content of the file from the filename. While the associated description field in KR PD can also […]

NSF 24-1 Proposal and Award Policy and Procedure Guide (PAPPG) Updates

The NSF 2024 PAPPG and its updated guidelines go into effect for all proposals with due dates on or after May 20, 2024. If you submit a proposal prior to May 20, 2024, that has a due date on or after May 20, 2024, you will need to follow the new guidance. Below is an […]

Common Delays on the Road to Account Setup

Once your award is received, there are still several pit stops and possible speed bumps that occur before an account is successfully set up. Proactive planning and communication can help to reduce many possible delays. Here are the TOP 8 most common delays on the road to account setup. 1. Negotiation and Signatures If an […]

What are Common Forms?

Federal Sponsors, in conjunction with OSTP (the Office of Science and Technology Policy) and NSTC (National Science and Technology Council), have been working to harmonize some of the common forms and disclosures they require for senior personnel on grants and cooperative agreements throughout the award’s lifecycle, specifically the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) […]

Indirect Costs Part II

Part II: Loch Ness Monster, Indirect Costs, and other folklore. November 8, 2023 Unlike indirect costs, there is no real proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists despite the many sightings since ancient times. In recent years all the alleged pictures have been debunked and people claiming to have seen her have been outed as […]

Indirect Costs Part I

Part I: Loch Ness Monster, Indirect Costs, and other folklore. November 1, 2023 Nessie is back! New sightings of the famed ~1500-year-old Loch Ness monster have surfaced recently along with a full investigation of the lake she is purported to live in. Like Nessie, but admittedly less fun, the folklore surrounding indirect costs continues to […]