For Your Information
One of the demographics you can find in MAP for any project/award is a list of individuals who are central to the oversight or operation of the project. These roles incluse the Principal Investigator, or PI who initiated the research project; a Co-PI, if there is one; the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) representative(s) who is assisting the PI in getting their proposal reviewed and hopefully funded; the grant funding agency which has agreed to pay for the project; and one or more members of the central accounting staff in Sponsored Research Accounting who will be tracking the financial aspects of the project from start to finish.
The graphic below displays a flow-chart outlining the major steps in the life cycle of a typical research grant at WVU.
Funding agencies publish a call for proposals indicating the types of academic research projects they are interested in funding. A researcher (PI) here at WVU may have an idea for a research project they would like to pursue which might align with the funding organization's goals, and they prepare a research proposal outlining what they want to investigate and methods for doing so. The PI submits their proposal to the Office of Sponsored Programs, who will assist with making sure the proposal meets the requirements of both the funding agency and WVU's research guidelines. OSP will help the researcher to polish the proposal and submit it to the funding agency.
If the funding agency opts to accept the proposal, the PI and OSP will be notified of the amount of funding approved and if there are any special terms or conditions that must be observed. OSP will then begin setting up accounts with the budgeted amount in the MAP system. Once the funding is in place, OSP sets the start date and distributes the award to the PI. This means that the PI may begin using the MAP POETA account number to pay for purchases or payroll expenditures for the research to get under way.
As the PI and research staff begin to carry out experimentation or data collection, the central accountants in Sponsored Research Accounting will also begin their work of monitoring the financial details of the grant. They will watch to make sure the project stays within budget and that the funds are distributed and used properly. They will also prepare financial reports for the university and for the funding agency if required during the research phase. Depending on the length and format of the project, the PI will also prepare research progress reports submitted to the university and/or funding agency.
When the research phase of the project is concluded, the PI will work with OSP to submit final reports on the project; the grant agency accepts the research findings. The PI will also begin writing articles or presentations in order to share their research findings with the academic community. When the project reaches its end date, Sponsored Research Accounting will conduct a review of all finances related to the project to ensure that it is ready to be closed on the close date. Financial reports are preapred at the close of the project.