Webinars presented by the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA).

Instructions for free access to the webinar.

• PLEASE NOTE: If you do not have one already, you must register for an NCURA account (free) to view the webinar.

Description

The transition from award receipt to project spending is one of the most critical…and often most inconsistent…phases of the research lifecycle. Decisions made during award set-up directly impact compliance, financial accuracy, audit readiness, and the overall success of a project. In this highly interactive workshop, participants will work through the full award set-up process from notice of award to first spend. Through guided exercises, real-world scenarios, and facilitated discussion, attendees will explore how to review and interpret award terms and conditions, establish budgets and accounts, align institutional systems, and effectively coordinate with principal investigators and internal stakeholders. The workshop will also surface common breakdowns in this phase…such as misinterpretation of sponsor requirements, delays in account setup, and communication gaps…and provide practical tools and frameworks to address them. Participants will leave with actionable strategies, checklists, and process improvements they can immediately apply to strengthen accuracy, efficiency, and compliance at their institutions.

Level: Overview

Target Audience

• Pre-award and post-award administrators seeking to strengthen lifecycle coordination
• Departmental administrators and grant managers
• Central office staff focused on improving consistency and compliance

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze a Notice of Award (NOA) to identify key financial, compliance, and administrative requirements that impact award set-up.
2. Translate award terms and conditions into accurate budget structures, account setup, and spending parameters.
3. Apply a step-by-step framework for moving an award from receipt to first spend, including roles and responsibilities across pre-award, post-award, and departmental teams.
4. Evaluate common risks and process gaps (e.g., delayed setup, misaligned budgets, unclear restrictions) and determine strategies to mitigate them.
5. Develop a standardized checklist or workflow to improve consistency and efficiency in award set-up at their institution.
6. Demonstrate effective communication approaches for engaging PIs and stakeholders during the transition from award to spending.
7. Assess how early decisions in award set-up impact downstream compliance, reporting, and audit outcomes.

Faculty

• Eric Miller
  Director of Research Administration
  University of Florida Health Cancer Institute
• David Schultz
  Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Programs
  Office of Contracts and Grants, University of Houston
• Amy Thomas
  Director of Research, College of Sciences and Mathematics
  Auburn University

Questions? 
Contact Chelsea Elliott at chelseae@wustl.edu.

This NCURA webinar is brought to you by Research Education & Information.