After You Submit
Even before the sponsor's decision is final, you may be contacted by the sponsor with requests for more information. (If you're working with NIH, these items may be called a Just in Time request.) Examples include the following:
- Updates to budget
- Salary support quotes
- Questions about expense calculations
- Correcting errors
- Compliance approvals (IRB, IACUC, etc.)
These requests should be handled by the office that submitted the proposal: OSP, CALS, CVM.
Award Review and Finalization by OSP
Cornell's Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) reviews and finalizes all sponsored awards on behalf of Cornell. Some awards are accepted by Cornell without negotiation. Others require further review of terms and conditions, and may require negotiation. OSP will always handle this stage of the process. This stage can vary in length. You can see notes and updates in the Research Administration Support System (RASS).
OSP should be notified by the sponsor when an award has been made. If a sponsor sends you notification of an award and does not include OSP as a recipient, please notify OSP by sending an email to cu_awards@cornell.edu.
OSP will assign a Grant and Contract Officer (GCO) to work on the award. The GCO will review the requirements and will let you know if you need to complete requirements such as an IACUC protocol or NIH-specific COI requirements.
Once the award has been finalized, the award information will be updated in RASS and you will receive an email from cu_awards@research.mail.cornell.edu notifying you that the award has been finalized and your project has been awarded by the sponsor.
A sponsored award should be publicly announced only AFTER the grant or award agreement has been finalized by OSP and is in effect. Receiving a “notice of award” from the sponsor is not the same as a finalized grant or award agreement. See Announcing Externally Sponsored Awards: Guidance for Researchers.
Note about Terms and Conditions: The PI is responsible for understanding all of the terms and conditions for the award. A copy of the complete award document will be included as an attachment with the notification from OSP that the award has been finalized. The Additional Project Information PDF, attached with the same notification, will call attention to certain non-standard terms and conditions. (See Highlighted Terms and Conditions in the Additional Project Information PDF.) Non-standard terms and conditions may include, for example, no-cost extensions, carryover, restrictions on the public announcement of the award, and publications review by sponsor.
Upon distribution of the award, if no pre-award account has been established, your unit or Business Service Center will initiate a Contract Control Account in the Kuali Financial System. Once the Account is in Final Status, it will be available in the general ledger for financial activity.