Award Setup

The Office of Sponsored Projects in conjunction with the Principal Investigator is responsible for reviewing all terms and conditions of an award prior to acceptance by the College. 

When a Notice of Award is Received

The first formal indication that a sponsored project award has been funded is usually in the form of a sponsoring agency Notice of Award (NOA). This notice is sent directly to the Office of Sponsored Projects. The NOA will include:

  • Dates of the budget period or other specified funding period.
  • The amount of the funds authorized for obligation by the sponsor during the period indicated.
  • Special terms and conditions binding upon the award.
  • Outline all general terms applicable to the award.
  • An additional notification will be a schedule for filing technical and financial reports.

Verbal notification from a sponsor is not sufficient for the College to authorize work to proceed. Under most circumstances the NOA must be received by the Office of Sponsored Projects before the project can begin or anticipated funds may be expended.

Negotiation and Acceptance of Sponsored Agreements

The Office of Sponsored Projects in conjunction with the Principal Investigator is responsible for reviewing all terms and conditions of an award prior to acceptance by the College. The Office of Sponsored Projects is also responsible for assuring that sponsor's requirements are compatible with College sponsored project policies, consistent with government-wide regulations applicable to educational institutions, and reflect the understandings agreed upon prior to receiving the award. The Office of Sponsored Projects has primary responsibility for resolving any disagreements between the College and sponsor with regards to terms and conditions of awards.

Acceptance of sponsored project funds binds both the sponsoring agency and Dartmouth College to certain financial commitments as outlined in the approval and acceptance of the final budget. While the Office of Sponsored Projects maintains complete financial records on cost-sharing, matching funds, and in-kind contributions, the Principal Investigator is the Dartmouth College representative most responsible for overseeing cost-sharing, and soliciting matching funds, as outlined in the funded proposal.

Award Terms and Conditions

Acceptance of an award from a sponsor carries with it the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions of the award. The terms and conditions are either attached to the award document or incorporated by reference and can be found on the sponsor’s website with detailed informaton.

It is important to read and understand the terms and conditions as they contain information about prior approval requirements, spending limitations, requirements for billing and reporting, budget, expenditures and unallowable costs.

In addition to the general terms and conditions of an agency, awards may be issued with specific terms and conditions as outlined in Notice of Award (NOA) documents or program guidelines. When there is a question about what terms and conditions apply to an award, the following order of precedence should be followed:

  • Award-specific terms and conditions
  • Agency's program-specific terms and conditions
  • Agency's general terms and conditions
    • The National Science Foundation (NSF) coordinates the posting of updated Research Terms and Conditions from the various participating Federal agencies on its website
  • For Federal Awards:
    • Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200 for federal awards and federal flow through)

Understanding Your NIH NOA

  • Please click on the following link to view understanding the information presented in an NIH NOA:

Understanding your NIH NOA

Internal Notice of Award Sent

Using RAPPORT, a Pre-Award Grants Officer will send an electronic or scanned copy of the Notice of Award to the Principal Investigator and Department Grant Manager.

Once the Pre-Award Grants Officer processes the Notice of Award in RAPPORT, the Sponsored Research Manager will receive a notification via RAPPORT that the award is now ready to be processed on the Post Award side in RAPPORT.

After the Sponsored Research Manager reviews the Notice of Award, they will let the Department Grant Manager know via RAPPORT of any special terms and conditions, reporting requirements and any other relevant information.

 

Last Updated

Share