The process of proposal preparation, transmittal, and compliance has become increasingly complicated. This is due primarily to the rapidly expanding body of state and federal rules and regulations. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is responsible for facilitating the activities of the faculty and administration in seeking external support for their research and creative projects. It is also responsible for assuring that all agency guidelines and university policies are followed. The Office of Sponsored Programs staff assists in identifying sources of external funding and assists faculty and administrators in all aspects of the securing of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements and other types of awards. The Office maintains funding source databases and references, and provides, or will obtain, sponsor guidelines and application forms. The Office staff will also provide advice on funding possibilities, conceptualization of projects, budget preparation, filling out applications, proposal editing and review, as well as any other aspect of the proposal development. In addition, the Office, in consultation with the principal investigator, negotiates the terms of the award.
In short, The Office of Sponsored Programs serves as a facilitator in aiding the principal investigator from beginning to the end in securing external funding. The Office strives to serve as a communication link between the University community and outside sponsors - federal, and state, as well as the private sector such as foundations and corporations. The goal of the Office is to make every attempt possible to help faculty and administrators secure funding and at the same time keep the burden of the myriad of regulations to a minimum.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SPONSORED PROGRAMS
"Sponsored Programs" are defined by the University as those projects or programs that are (1) conducted by members of the faculty and administration; and (2) supported fully or in part by externally restricted funds awarded to the University. Sponsored programs may involve research, instruction, or service. In all sponsored programs, the University has obligations to the funding source in accordance with the terms of a proposal or agreement. These obligations are based on the project description developed by the faculty member(s), as in the case of a proposal, or jointly by the sponsor and the faculty members(s), as in the case of a contract or cooperative agreement.
Although the award may be made on the basis of a specialized proposal, as its formal recipient, MTSU assumes programmatic and fiscal accountability for the project. Therefore, internal review and approval are required.
All sponsored activities are processed through the Office of Sponsored Programs, and awarded funds are placed in restricted accounts in the Business Office for post-award administration. The faculty member directing the project serves as the primary budget officer. The Business Office assists in monitoring all sponsor-related expenditures to ensure oversight and compliance but is not responsible for disallowances. This policy concerning sponsored program funding applies to all individual sponsored program activity as well as departmental and institutional proposals.
RELATED POLICIES
External funding of scholarly activities obligates the principal investigator to adhere to a number of regulations. The following is a list of policies from the MTSU Policies and Procedures Manual that affect the conduct of sponsored activities.
