Office ofSponsored Programs
Sponsored Programs is a branch of the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs. We support faculty and the institution in obtaining grants and other external financial support for research and scholarly activities. We also coordinate and oversee the institutional systems of non-financial compliance relating to sponsored research and related third-party agreements, serve as institutional point of contact for federal agencies, and collaborate with the Business Office by managing the non-financial aspects of funded projects for the life of the award. A more detailed explanation of the respective roles of the Principal Investigator (PI), Office of Sponsored Programs, the Business Office and the Provost in the pursuit and administration of grants in the pre- and post-award phases can be found here. Faculty are encouraged to contact Sponsored Programs early when planning and preparing external grant applications. We will review proposals and budgets to ensure that they comply with internal and external policies and guidelines, and we can offer suggestions. Preliminary draft proposals are welcome.
Faculty Grantsmanship
One way in which Sponsored Programs supports faculty grantsmanship is through subscriptions to several databases that can be used to locate funding for a proposal.
Faculty members should contact our office when planning and preparing grant applications; we will provide comments on proposals, assist with development and preparation of budgets, and act as a resource for other information that is useful to grant applicants. All proposals submitted to outside sources by faculty members require institutional approval prior to submission and are reviewed here to assure compliance with the sponsor's and the Colleges' policies and guidelines, and to ensure budgetary accuracy and completeness. Preliminary draft proposals are welcome.
Getting Started
The Quick Guide is a concise set of instructions for faculty wishing to submit a grant or fellowship proposal for external funding. In addition to providing an overview of the HWS internal process, it also links to OPRA, the Colleges' Online Proposal Routing Approval system. Faculty can upload their proposal documents to OPRA and route them to the appropriate offices for institutional approvals prior to submission to the external agency or sponsor.
Award Implementation
When a proposal is successful and has been awarded funding, the Colleges will receive official notification, usually by email or letter to an institutional official. At that point the post-award phase begins. Following review of the award instrument, which may take the form of a grant, contract, or other type of agreement, Sponsored Programs initiates an Award Implementation Meeting to which Business Office staff and the Principal Investigator are invited. The purpose of the meeting is to review relevant terms and conditions of the award, discuss how project funds may be accessed and expended, and answer any questions the PI may have. At that time reporting responsibilities and any other required deliverables would also be addressed. The Business Office then establishes a unique grant program account that is based on the sponsor-approved budget and to which the program expenses will be charged. Sponsored Programs and the Business Office continue to administer the award on behalf of the Colleges until the period of performance for the award ends, all reporting has been completed, and the project has been officially closed.