Awards Management
Pre-Awards Management
Proposal Development:
- Timely dissemination of relevant information regarding sources of available funding
- Facilitating proposal development and submission
- Assist with the development of budgets for grants and contracts
- Preparing and negotiating contracts
- Pre-Submission Review! Multiple eyes on multiple drafts of grant proposals increases the likelihood of funding. As part of our commitment to help faculty succeed in the pursuit and performance of externally-funded scholarship, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs facilitates pre-submission review of proposals for external funding. Proposers provide ORSP with a complete draft of the proposal narrative, budget and budget justification elements, 30 calendar days or more prior to the due date, and we provide written comments by two or more reviewers and the opportunity to interview with us about those comments, no less than 14 days prior to the due date, allowing proposers to make the necessary edits before final submission.
Who can be a PI?
Principal Investigator (PI)
Person responsible for the intellectual content and administrative leadership of a
sponsored program. The PI accepts overall responsibility for directing the research,
the financial oversight of the award's funding, as well as compliance with relevant
University policies and federal regulations, as well as, sponsor terms and conditions
of an award.
Project Director (PD)
Person responsible for the programmatic content and administrative leadership of a
sponsored program. The PD accepts overall responsibility for directing the project,
the financial oversight of the award, as well as, compliance with relevant MTSU policy
and sponsor terms and conditions.
Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)
Co-PIs are key personnel who have responsibilities similar to that of a PI on research
projects. While the PI has ultimate responsibility for the conduct of a research
project, the Co-PI/Co-I is also obligated to ensure the project is conducted in compliance
with applicable laws and regulations and institutional policy governing the conduct
of sponsored research.
Full-time faculty with the titles Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Chair of Excellence, Clinical Faculty, or Research Scientist are eligible to serve as PI of sponsored projects. Additionally, Professors Emeriti and faculty with active-retiree status are eligible to serve as PI for sponsored projects. In addition to the aforementioned faculty, full-time, salaried administrative and professional employees, whose responsibilities include financial and personnel supervisory authority, may be eligible to serve as PD of sponsored projects, pursuant the sponsor’s description of duties for a PD.
In order to serve as PI for the submission of a proposal or acceptance of an award, an eligible employee must also be current on required trainings, certifications, and disclosures.
Exceptions to these eligibility requirements may be requested in writing from the Vice Provost for Research and require the endorsement of the Provost and the respective supervising Department Head and Vice President.
Post-Award Awards Management
- Establish accounts for awarded grants and contracts
- Provide administrative support for all aspects of execution of awarded grants and contracts
- Review, approve and reconcile all grants and contracts-related spending
- Maintain accurate time and effort reports
- Periodically generate monthly spending reports
- Administer all F&A related accounts and spending
- Administer the Faculty Incentive Program
- Administer the University's matching account
- Administer Tennessee's Public Records Act (T.C.A. 49-7-120) relative to sponsored research and services
Awards Management Staff
Our Awards Management staff is responsible for increasing faculty and staff research and sponsored programs by the development and delivery of training, partnership development, pre-proposal planning, and proposal development. The staff provide dual control and administrative support to Principal Investigators/Project Directors to ensure timely and proper administration of externally-funded activity. The Award Management Specialists’ roles include initiating the set-up of new awards in Banner for finance and human resources functions, reviewing for approval of all financial personnel transactions requested on each assigned award, and conducting periodic comprehensive desk review/audit of each award.
Janie Becker
Award Management Specialist
(615) 494-8751
Janie.Becker@mtsu.edu
Joe Driver, MBA
Award Management Specialist
(615) 904-8306
Joe.Driver@mtsu.edu
Sharon E. Scott, MBA
Grants Support Analyst
(615) 494-8720
Sharon.Scott@mtsu.edu
The duties of the Grants Support Analyst are to maintain and reconcile grant and match
account budget expenditures; place orders and receive invoices; initiate cost transfers,
salary redistributions, payment authorizations, travel claims and other types of forms
as needed; maintain correspondence files and financial records; and serve as a resource
to the Dean, PI’s and ORSP.
John Sousa, M.F.A.
Award Management Specialist
(615) 898-2116
John.Sousa@mtsu.edu
Mike Zierman
Award Management Specialist
(615) 494-7600
Mike.Zierman@mtsu.edu
