Award Acceptance and Negotiation - E01

Purpose

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) is responsible for the review and acceptance of awards for restricted and sponsored projects made to Ohio University to ensure that the award terms and conditions are acceptable to the University and that the award can be managed properly under the University’s policies and procedures for sponsored projects.

Scope

This procedure applies to all sponsored projects subject to OU Policy 19.045 Administering External Grants and Contracts set up as separate accounts in the OHIO Financial Management System (FMS) that include special terms and conditions.

Procedure

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) reviews the terms and conditions of every award received. Terms and conditions are negotiated in accordance with Ohio University policies, State and Federal laws. Terms and conditions are usually pre-determined in Federal grant awards; however, negotiations may be required for Federal contracts. Additionally, most non-federal projects require negotiations, especially those agreements with industrial sponsors.

Review of the award document includes consideration to the following:

Type of award (e.g., contract, grant, subaward, clinical trial)
Type of activity (research, training, other)
Amount of award
Budget/project period
Variances from period or amount proposed
Sponsor general and program-specific terms/conditions, including terms incorporated by reference
Reporting requirements
Payment terms
Restrictions on use of funds
Publication terms
Intellectual property terms
Liability and indemnification terms
Insurance terms
Any compliance restrictions (e.g., human subjects, animal subjects)
Export control concerns
Information security terms

Award Negotiation

The ORSP will follow up with the Sponsor to clarify award terms or request changes to ensure that the award is acceptable to the University and supportive of the project.