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Class Descriptions

  1. Overview of Sponsored Awards Management
    • Appreciate the important role research administrators play at Penn State
    • Understand the lifecycle of sponsored research
    • Gain awareness of the roles different offices play in supporting research administration
    • Gain familiarity with some of the basic vocabulary and resources
    • Embrace future challenges
    • Introduction to the Circulars (highlight most important sections/items if time permits)
    • Introduction to RA at Hershey and ARL
  2. Proposal Preparation
    • Create proposals using processing basics per University and Sponsor guidelines
    • Locate and interpret agency guidelines
    • Identify University requirements for proposal submission
    • Learn some of the lingo
    • Discussion of the changes to proposal preparation that have occurred with the move to electronic submissions
  3. Budgeting I
    • Describe the importance of an accurate budget in a grant or contract proposal
    • Apply basic proposal and award budget/cost criteria from OMB Circular A-21
    • Define and understand basic budget terms
    • Understand and apply budget principles and calculations
    • Configure and calculate a budget in the context of a hypothetical proposal
  4. Budgeting II
    • Utilize basic budget building concepts, while integrating advanced budgeting skills
    • Identify and understand components of multitask budgets, subcontracts and cost sharing
    • Reconfigure a basic budget to include advanced budget concepts and recalculate budget categories
    • Distinguish between different types of sponsors and their various requirements and restrictions
  5. ERA Systems
    • Introduction to grants.gov
    • Introduction to other ERA systems TBD
  6. Research Integrity
    • Explain what is covered by Penn State's research misconduct policy and outline the steps in the process
    • Define the various types of conflicts of interest and detail the mandated disclosure process, management plans, and annual reporting requirements
    • Identify and describe good data management practices
  7. Research Protections
    • Define the terminology associated with research
    • Explain why a submission to the appropriate compliance committee is important
    • Advise researchers on the required submission process
    • Inform researchers about issues that can affect the status of their research budget
    • Explain how submissions affect the AURA budget process
  8. Research Security and Intellectual Property
    • Research Security:
      • Learn how to handle:
        • Publication Restrictions
        • Export Control Regulations
        • Foreign National Restrictions
        • Proprietary Information
      • Learn how to identify the risks
      • Learn how to collect relevant information
    • Intellectual Property:
      • Determine who owns IP developed at Penn State
      • Identify IP language in research agreements that would be problematic to Penn State
      • Explain to researchers how the OTM can help them manage research inventions and materials
      • Advise faculty about what is protected by copyright and how to copyright their own work
  9. Contracting and Negotiation I
    • Relate research conducted under grants or contracts to the University's mission as a non-profit land grant educational institution
    • Ensure the performance of research complies with the University's mission
    • Explain to researchers how terms and conditions can effect their ability to comply with the University's mission
  10. Congracting and Negotiation II
    • Benefits and challenges of working with industry
    • Confidential Disclosure Agreements and Material Transfer Agreements
    • Setting up subawards
    • Working with the Commonwealth and the Master Agreement
    • Working with foundations
    • Introduction to research centers
  11. Administering the Circulars
    • Differentiate between direct costs and indirect (Facilities and Administrative) costs
    • Identify and minimize potential costs questioned and related audit risks with respect to sponsored programs
    • Administer OMB A-110 Subpart C
    • Describe relationship between A-110 and University policies and procedures
  12. Personnel and Labor Rules
    • Understand the different types of personnel assignments used by the University
    • Implement labor rules and standards required by University policy and sponsor requirements
    • Apply fringe benefit rates to different personnel classes
    • Identify resources and tools available for making effective personnel and effort decisions
  13. Purchasing, Travel, and Equipment Policies
    • Select and implement appropriate procurement methods for making purchases
    • Differences between purchased services, consulting, and subcontracting
    • Help ensure compliance with the University travel policy
    • Follow policies and procedures regarding equipment
  14. Research Accounting
    • Fundamental principles of research accounting
    • What role does Research Accounting serve
    • How do grants administration and research accounting interact; who is responsible for what tasks
    • Setting up accounts in IBIS
    • Checklist for setting up award accounts
    • Setting up accounts for pre-award costs
    • Manage restricted accounts in IBIS
    • Resources for tracking PI spending
      • The kinds of reports that CAN be generated
    • Finalize the financial aspects of the project
    • Closeout the account in IBIS
  15. Advanced Project Management
    • Calculating rates and charge outs
    • Managing cost sharing and how to be accountable for cost sharing
    • Management of subawards and subcontracts
    • Transferring PIs in and out of the University
  16. Roundtable Discussions are held at the end of each semester as a chance to cover advanced topics, review course material with instructors, and ask questions.