Awards Management
Pre-Awards Management
Proposal Development:
- Timely dissemination of relevant information regarding sources of available funding
- Facilitating proposal development and submission
- Review and support of budget developed by PI
- 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. The final proposal submission is due to ORSP no later than 7 business days in advance of the sponsors due date.
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 as necessary for 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 budget summary and expenditure 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
Kelsey Benton
Keith Palmer
John Sousa, M.F.A.
Award Management Specialist
(615) 898-5894
John.Sousa@mtsu.edu
Michelle Willard
Award Management Specialist
(615) 494-7848
Michelle.Willard@mtsu.edu
Julie Darbonne
(615) 898-2400
