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Principal Investigator's Post-award Responsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities in the Administration of a Sponsored Project:

The Principal Investigator is has primary responsibility for the management of his or her sponsored project. With this responsibility comes the obligation to plan and manage each project with care and diligence, a duty to adhere to all terms and conditions of the award, a commitment to keep the technical work flowing, and an agreement to charge only those costs that are in required for technical fulfillment of the project.

The Sponsored Research Services office (SRS) will advise and assist principal investigators in complying with the requirements of their project sponsor. Sponsored Programs Accounting (SPA) has primary responsibility for the financial reporting, invoicing, effort reporting, cash management requirements, and audit coordination of sponsored projects.

Specific responsibilities of the principal investigator include:

  1. Executing the technical aspects of the program, including all technical report requirements
  2. Staffing the project, initiating employment and payroll actions, and supervising project personnel
  3. Maintaining fiscal stewardship over the sponsored project, ensuring the reasonable and prudent use of the sponsor's funds
  4. Meeting periodically with sponsored research staff to review project details.  If revisions are necessary, the PI will provide to sponsored research staff a rationale and information to support the request.  Sponsored research staff will determine if sponsor approvals and/or notifications are necessary.  If sponsor approval is required, Sponsored Research staff will submit the required request and documention to the sponsor.
  5. Reviewing the monthly accounting statement to determine that all charges and credits are appropriate
  6. Contacting SRS to provide clarification regarding sponsor requirements

The roles and responsibilities of all individuals involved in the administration of a sponsored project will be discussed at the Project Initiation Meeting.

Project Initiation Meeting:

The Project Initiation Meeting (PIM) will take place shortly after a restricted account is established for the sponsored project. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity to review all aspects of the project and respond to questions. The meeting is attended by the principal investigator, co-investigator(s), SRS, and SPA. Any other individual(s) that will assist the principal investigator in the administration of the sponsored project are welcome to attend.

Topics discussed at the PIM:

  • Roles and responsibilities of all persons involved
  • Restricted account
  • Contract terms and conditions
  • Budget, Flexibility & Cost-share
  • Opportunity for questions