Communicate with PI & Key Staff

The Principal Investigator is responsible for all aspects of conducting a project including overall financial administration of the project, following accounting standards, and adhering to all University and sponsor policies and procedures. Therefore, it is important to review and discuss Award Notices, Terms and Conditions and any changes to items like the budget or scope of the project with the PI / key staff. Face-to-face meetings with investigators are preferred when practical to do so and should cover the following:

• Planning for the awarded budget versus proposed budget and potential impact to the scope of the project.

• Discussion of terms and conditions related to the award.

• Confirmation of university space that will be used for the project.

• Scheduling standing project review and planning meetings.

• Discussion of PI & study team expectations - you may also need to:

  • • Demonstrate how to M-Reports

    • Help investigators Assign Secondary Access to a Project/Grant

    • Provide guidance on the roles and responsibility of the PI vs. the Primary Post-Award Contact

    • Review expense allocation guidelines

    • Review procurement policies and procedures

Based on discussion and guidance from the PI, you may need to take one or more of the following actions related to the project:

• Budget Reallocation to allocate the budget

• Enter Encumbrances (Unit Defined Commitments) for Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) or other known recurring expenditures not captured in the financial system

• Request and establish internal Subprojects (Subaccounts) to other participating UM participating investigators or units

• Initiate Subcontract requests for external (non-UM) participating investigators

• Appoint faculty, staff and students conducting the research to the project

• Communicate or document space commitments for the project

• Procure goods or services so work can begin