It goes without saying that research administration is a complex profession. Functionally, research administrators support the operation of research, instructional, and other sponsored projects. At its core, there are two crucial research administration phases: pre-award and post-award. Both play a vital role in ensuring the success of a funded project. So what exactly are the differences between pre-award and post-award in research administration?
While pre- and post-award offices vary in responsibilities and staffing, the considerations are similar from institution to institution. To properly explain the differences between pre- and post-award, let’s dive into the specifics of each phase and specialization:
Pre-Award Phase
The pre-award phase typically consists of all activities required to develop and submit a proposal to a sponsoring agency. These activities include assisting investigators in finding a sponsor with matching interests, developing the proposal in compliance with sponsor guidance, submitting the proposal, and following up with the sponsor and investigator on the proposal’s status. Core functions of Pre-Award include:
- Identification of Funding Opportunities: Pre-Award administrators may be responsible for identifying funding opportunities that align with investigator interests. This often involves searching public and proprietary grant databases, monitoring sponsor listservs, and staying informed about sponsor funding priorities.
- Proposal Development: While investigators focus on developing scientific proposal components, Pre-Award specialists may assist with the administrative components. These components may include cover sheets, budget and justification, other support documents, and biographical sketches. Pre-Award specialists may also aid in collecting vendor quotes and required information from contractors and subrecipients.
- Proposal Review: During the pre-award phase, the proposal package is reviewed for sponsor and institutional guidance adherence. Pre-Award specialists at the Departmental and School levels review proposals to ensure adherence to sponsor guidance, such as page limitations, font sizes, and inclusion of proposal components. Central Pre-Award typically reviews for compliance with institutional guidance such as required indirect costs, cost sharing, and disclosures of significant interests.
More Pre-Award Responsibilities
Like many areas in research administration, Pre-Award roles can be highly complex. and multi-faceted. Here are some additional responsibilities that fall under Pre-Award:
- Proposal Authorization and Submission: Once the proposal is finalized, an authorized organizational official approves the proposal for submission. Following approval, Pre-Award facilitates timely and compliant submission to the funding agency. Pre-Award may also be instrumental in registering the institution with sponsor portals for proposal submission and assigning user roles.
- Post-proposal Follow-up: Following submission, Pre-Award serves as the point of contact for inquiries from the sponsoring agency during proposal receipt and review. They assist with post-submission requests for information such as approved human and animal protocols, budget revisions, and other information necessary to make an award.
Effective Pre-Award administration is dependent on collaboration. As such, Pre-Award administrators don’t work in a vacuum. Instead, they work closely with investigators, compliance specialists, and Post-Award to develop and submit a compliant, competitive proposal. But what exactly occurs during the post-award phase?
Post-Award Phase
Once a sponsored project receives funding, the post-award phase commences. The Post-Award phase (sometimes simply called Award) includes financial reporting, performance monitoring, and meeting deliverables. Post-Award administrators review the award, negotiate the terms and conditions, set up the award in the institution’s financial system, and assist with award management and closeout. Core functions of Post-Award include:
- Award Review and Negotiation: The Post-Award team will review and negotiate terms and conditions with the sponsor before the researcher or institution can accept the award. Some awards require complex negotiation of award terms and conditions. Award review, negotiation, and acceptance may be a pre- or post-award function, depending on the institution.
- Award Set-up and Account Management: Post-award administrators establish the sponsored project account, ensuring proper allocation of awarded funds. For awards that include cost share, program income, and equipment fabrication, separate accounts are established and reviewed in accordance with the master account.
- Subaward issuance, monitoring, and closeout: For projects involving subrecipients, a subaward or subcontract must be issued to the subrecipient. Post-award, in partnership with the investigator, monitors subrecipients to ensure spending is timely and in accordance with the award. Subrecipient invoices must be reviewed and processed. For some institutions, subaward activities are handled by a dedicated subaward team.
More Post-Award Responsibilities
Similar to Pre-Award, the jurisdiction of Post-Award is far reaching and requires a lot of expertise. Here are some additional responsibilities that are covered by Post-Award:
- Financial Management and Reporting: Post-award administrators oversee financial transactions, track expenditures, and ensure compliance with sponsor guidance. They also prepare and submit financial reports and may assist investigators with preparing and submitting technical progress reports to the funding agencies. Post-award specialists may also review investigator effort for accuracy before effort certification.
- Budget Monitoring and Management: Post-Award specialists assist investigators with monitoring spending and advising them on potential budget deviations and over- or under-spending. They may perform cost transfers to ensure proper allocation of funds on sponsored projects. They may also assist with budget revisions and other post-award sponsor requests.
- Award Closeout: Central Post-Award prepares the final financial reports detailing how award funds were spent. Investigators are primarily responsible for preparing the final technical report summarizing the project’s achievements. Closeout also involves other units, such as procurement, technology transfer, and property and inventory management.
Though distinct phases, pre- and post-award are intricately linked across the lifecycle continuum. Successful research administration depends on effective communication between pre- and post-award staff, investigators, other institutional units, and sponsoring agencies. By understanding the intricacies of pre-and post-award administration, investigators can maximize their chances of securing funding and achieving their professional goals.
Conclusion: Pre-Award and Post-Award Differences
Although mutually dependent, Pre-Award and Post-Award are distinct from one another. But like much else in research administration, collaboration is key for success. Having synergy across both areas helps to ensure a smooth and efficient process, along with stronger outcomes.
Please feel free to reach out to one of our product experts to discuss the challenges in your Pre-Award and/or Post-Award process. Chances are we have the right research administration software to help alleviate pain points and create more seamless project flow. Our friendly and knowledgeable team will help make the best determinations for your specific needs. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
