Throughout this Proposal Development Series (past articles), we have taken the reader through the regular stages of proposal development. By now you and your assigned DER research administrator have:
- completed your Proposal Processing Form (PPF),
- received your assignment confirmation email,
- closely familiarized yourself with any solicitation requirements,
- built your budget,
- provided all final non-technical and technical documents,
- and we have pushed your compliant proposal forward for submission.
At this point you may be asking yourself, “What happens next?”
As your pre-award support office, DER helps you develop first-class sponsor-compliant proposals. Once that step is completed, we work with our counterpart(s) in the appropriate MSU Central Office to complete final compliance reviews, provide needed university signature(s)/endorsements, and finalize the submission (as applicable).
Now let us venture into the roles and responsibilities of those MSU Central offices as you move beyond proposal submission. Who are the university-level offices responsible for pre- and post-award at MSU, and how do they differ from each other? Though the answer seems complicated, here are a few useful details to help differentiate these important offices within your MSU Team. In addition to the information below, definitions and descriptions regarding roles and responsibilities related to your funded proposal can be found at “Roles and Responsibilities.”
Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
Mission Statement: OSP’s mission is to provide superior pre-award support to faculty, staff, and the Contract & Grant Administration.
OSP has two primary types of teams, who provide pre-award support for all federal funding (direct funding or pass-through), as well as other not-for-profit sponsors.
- Proposal Teams
- Advise faculty and staff about external funding agencies
- Review and approve budgets
- Review & approve proposals
- Assist with Just in Time activities, when a sponsor needs clarification or additional information
- Contract Teams
- Negotiate agreements and accept awards through authorized signatures
- Either Proposal Team or Contract Team may:
- Liaise with funding agency prior to award/contract
- Act as MSU’s Authorized Representative for sponsored projects
Business Connect
Mission Statement: Business Connect serves as MSU’s front door for corporations, directing business to the right MSU resources – from recruiting students to finding a researcher for a specific project – and enabling two-way strategic communications and planning for business customers. The Business Connect team also supports entrepreneurial and regional economic development efforts. We, as well as MSU Technologies and Spartan Innovations, are part of the MSU Innovation Center.
- Facilitates rapid, high-quality customer connections with Michigan State University’s research and service knowledge base and to provide support to entrepreneurs.
- Ensures alignment of customer business goals and needs with MSU’s intellectual capacity and ability to deliver.
- Coordinates the timely completion of contractual negotiations and other business agreements between MSU and partner organizations.
Contract & Grant Administration (CGA)
Mission Statement: CGA is a unit dedicated to superior post-award administration. CGA’s mission is to support MSU's research and creative endeavors by providing timely, accurate, and courteous assistance to faculty and support staff with the financial and contractual administration of their grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts.
CGA has four teams that function to address all your post-award needs, monitoring awards from account set-up through close-out and even audits. CGA is the post-award/compliance office once a grant/agreement/contract is signed in OSP.
- Awards Group
- Sets up accounts
- Completes effort Reporting
- Manages no Cost Extensions
- Transactions Group
- Processes expenses, and monitors allowability
- Reports Group
- Performs financial and technical reporting, as well as account close-out
- Cash Management Group
- Submits reporting for Line of Credit (LOC) accounts and deals with check deposits.
- Other (depending on the specific issue, individual teams)
- Advise faculty and staff about external agency regulations
- Liaison with sponsors for post award transactions including amendments, prior approval requirements, progress reports, and other inquiries
As we conclude this Proposal Development Series, we hope you have gained a better understanding of the steps/phases of the proposal development process as well as the individuals involved throughout your project’s lifespan. Utilizing these effective resources will give you the strongest foundation for success. Remember, DER is here to help. If you have specific questions related to your upcoming proposal development, submission, and perspective awards, please send an email to proposals@egr.msu.edu.
Article by: Jennifer Sergeant, DER Research Administrator and Robert Nelsen, DER Research Administrator
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