Office of Sponsored Programs

Workshop Registration

Registration prior to all workshops is requested as class sizes are limited. REGISTER HERE by selecting Office of Sponsored Programs in the "Offered By" menu and selecting the desired workshop. Select Fiscal Services in the "Offered By" menu for the PI Report and Advanced PI Report Training.

Administering Direct Expenses (non-Labor) on Sponsored Programs

Provides participants an overview of managing direct expenditures. Topics include allowable & unallowable costs, procedures for processing participant pay, petty cash funds, P-card transactions, travel vouchers, equipment purchases, & consultant paperwork. We will look at monitoring expenses & how to remove expenditures from the fund, if needed.

Administering Personnel Costs on Sponsored Programs

Covers topics related to personnel working on sponsored programs. We will focus on hiring, terminating, and changing the funding source for employees. Reallocation of salary, Funding Change & Cost Transfer forms, labor encumbrances, fringe benefits and reconciling labor charges will also be discussed.

Advanced PI Report Workshop

Hands-on workshop provides an opportunity to sort, format, and learn some special features of the PI Reports and PI Reports by Month Range. Attendees will have time to try out shortcuts and easy enhancements to PI Reports. Registration is recommended but not required. This workshop is designed for experienced PI Report users; the basics will not be covered.

Allowable Costs

Short case studies to illustrate allowable cost issues on sponsored projects with a focus on federal funding and OMB Circular A-21. Attendees are encouraged to share specific examples for discussion during this interactive session. 

Budget Development

Provides participants an overview of developing a project budget. Topics include allowable and unallowable costs, personnel costs, collaborator costs, travel, equipment, payments to subject, participant costs, and other direct costs. We will look at several scenarios and discuss the budget considerations.

Cost Share

An overview of the definitions and procedures for cost share on sponsored projects from the beginning stages of the proposal to post award action. Cost share is explained with details on how it is tracked and monitored. The roles and responsibilities of OSP, the PI, and the administrators regarding cost share will also be outlined.

Cost Transfers

A discussion on how to properly document transfer of costs to sponsored funds.  We will focus mainly on transfers of costs to federally sponsored projects, and the University Cost Transfer Policy. General financial management best practices that will help reduce the risk of audit findings and cost disallowance will also be reviewed.  If you have responsibility for reviewing and monitoring financial activity on sponsored project funds, please plan on attending. 

Fall Hiring Refresher

Before you begin your fall hiring, get answers to some common questions about fall pay for faculty, GRAs, and wage employees.

Payroll Certification

Mason has received approval from the Federal Demonstration Partnership and Office of Naval Research to pilot payroll certification as an alternative to effort reporting. Payroll certification uses a project based method to certify salary charged to a federally sponsored project. This information session will cover all the details on the new procedure.

PI Report Workshop

Hands-on workshop provides an overview of two Discoverer reports - PI Reports and PI Reports by Month Range - that display Banner financial data for sponsored projects. The reports provide a high-level summary for projects with the ability to drill for details for all charges including personnel charges. The PI Report by Month Range permits users to view charges to projects during a specified time period.  Registration is recommended, but not required. Access to PI Reports will be confirmed for all registered individuals prior to the training session. 

Preparing Funding Change & Cost Transfer Forms

Participants will be given the opportunity to complete funding change & cost transfer forms for a variety of funding scenarios. Covers the guidelines for determining which form(s) are needed and how to complete the forms. Participants may present specific examples for discussion.

Proposal Process Overview

Provides an overview of submitting a proposal for sponsored funding. Topics include: proposal preparation, budget development and justification, electronic submission & proposal routing process. 

Reconciling Monthly Expenditures

Covers the basics of reconciling grant expenditures.  Sample templates to track both personnel transactions and direct expenses will be provided.  There will be a demo on the various financial reports available to aid in the reconciliation process.  A sample reconciliation will be completed during the session. 

Roundtable

The Office of Sponsored Programs will hold a roundtable session for departmental administrators working with sponsored projects.

Summer Salary – FAQs

Before you begin your summer hiring, get answers to some common questions about summer pay.  What is the  maximum pay for 9-month faculty during the  summer?  Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF) or Funding Change form, which one do I use? Should I  hire a graduate student as a GRA, wage employee, or student wage employee?   How is fringe calculated in the summer? Are there available fund? Participants are invited to bring specific questions or to send them in advance.