16.6.1 UIUC Sponsored Projects Administration
Project Account Management
New Projects
SPA provides notices of awards to the PI's department. In those instances where the PI or the department receive an official award notice from the sponsor, they are to forward it to SPA to become part of the formal record of the award. SPA cannot establish a budget without the official award notice. When SPA receives notice of award electronically, it forwards the notice immediately to the PI and unit business administrator, even before the award is formally accepted or an account established. SPA's official award notice is made after the award is accepted and the account is established.
Requests for new accounts - All project accounts are established by SPA's Accounting Office. These accounts include the project budget and incorporate numerous account attributes that facilitate the post-award administration of these projects.
Anticipation accounts - It is often beneficial to make staff appointments and incur other expenses prior to the formal notification of an award by the sponsor. When it can be determined with a high degree of certainty that an award will be made, campus units, at their own risk, may incur costs in anticipation of the award. Units should use the Revised Form GC70, Request for Anticipation Grant/Fund - Request to Use Expired or Overdrafted Grant/Fund to establish an anticipation account. Most federal agencies allow pre-award costs for 90 days prior to the formal starting date of a grant, provided that incurring these costs is in the best interest of the project. Others do not allow costs incurred before the project start date, though in some instances, the formal award is received after the project start date. Units should be informed about whether or not pre-award costs are permitted before requesting and placing charges on an anticipation account.
In cases where the funding period has ended and follow-up funding is expected but not yet received, units may elect at their own risk to continue charging the expired account for up to 90 days. Before doing so, they must either complete a Revised Form GC70, Request for Anticipation Grant/Fund - Request to Use Expired or Overdrafted Grant/Fund and obtain approval from SPA, or make an appropriate indication on the Notice of Terminating Accounts form and return it to SPA.
Continuation Projects
A continuation project exists when a project is initially authorized for an extended time (usually two to five years) but funds are provided by the sponsor on an annual basis, generally subject to satisfactory progress as indicated on the progress report and availability of funds.
Because of the difficulties associated with discontinuing and re-starting a project when funding is delayed, units may elect to continue a project pending receipt of delayed continuation funding. Should the funding not be awarded, or should it be awarded at a lower-than-anticipated level, units are responsible for any expenditures not covered by the sponsor.
Usually, the same general and subsidiary ledger accounts are used for all years of a multi-year, continuing project.
All of the major federal funding agencies and many other non-federal sponsors require project status reports before they will provide continuation funding. PIs are responsible for knowing the format and timing requirements of progress reports, and for providing them to the sponsor.
All major federal agencies allow unused grant funds to be carried forward into future budget periods, though some, like the National Institutes of Health, place some restriction on the amount or percentage that can be carried forward or subject large carry-forwards to special review.
Renewal Projects
A "renewal" exists when a project expires, and the proposal for continued support is subject to competitive review and results in a new award. This is different from a continuation project where continued funding is contingent only upon satisfactory progress and availability of funds. New general and subsidiary ledger accounts are established for renewal projects, except in those instances where the sponsor extends the funding period and provides additional funds to the existing award number.
Transferred projects
SPA provides assistance to faculty and departmental personnel when awards are transferred to and from UIUC. For specific guidance, please contact SPA when transferring awards to UIUC.
First Published: May 2002 | Last Updated: November 2024 | Last Reviewed: April 2023