Reporting Cost Share And Institutional Support Expenditures
Upon receipt of a sponsored award, OSP obtains a project account number and a cost sharing account number from either Grants & Contracts Accounting or GTRI Accounting, as appropriate. This process opens chargeable accounts for the PD/PI and the responsible unit to use during the project. The project and cost sharing account budgets, provided by OSP to the appropriate accounting office, will be valued at the funded amount of the sponsored award and at the associated amount of committed cost sharing, respectively. It is the responsibility of the PD/PI or the unit business officer to work with appropriate personnel in the Dean’s Office or the Office of the Executive Vice President of Research to request allocations of committed cost sharing or institutional support funds from that authority's sources.
It is important that the PD/PI and their unit business officer identify appropriate charges to be applied against cost sharing accounts as incurred throughout the life of a sponsored project. Certain expenses, such as salary, must be applied within the fiscal year incurred and all cost share expenses must be applied before the end of the project period. All required cost sharing obligations must be met and properly documented in the Institute accounting system before the project accounts can be financially closed out. Failure to meet cost sharing commitments will normally result in a return of at least a portion of the sponsored funds and the resulting deficit must be covered by the unit(s) responsible for the project.
How is the cost share request documented and formally submitted?
The PI (or delegate) breaks down the cost share request on the Cost Share form. The EVPR’s office does not require signatures on the form itself, though local units might.
- The financial administrator of the lead PI uploads the following information into GT-TRACS, in the attachment section, in support of the cost share request:
- Cost share form
- RFP
- Budget
- Any pertinent correspondence or history in support of the proposal's cost share.
Note that while fringe, F&A cost and tuition should be included on the cost share form, these items should be deducted from the totals ultimately entered on the “Commitments” tab in GT-TRACS, as they are not hard cash commitments for any unit. However, because these costs must be paid at an institute level, they will be reported to the sponsor.
- All involved units approve their commitments in GT-TRACS.
- OSP submits the proposal.
- The PI’s financial manager requests the funds if/when the proposal results in a sponsored award.
- Awards that include cost share are tracked in the Grants and Contracts Accounting system and are reported to the sponsor.
Return to Main Cost Share Page
What documentation is required for an Institutional Support Request?
- The PI (or delegate) breaks down the request on the Internal Institutional Support Form. The EVPR’s office does not require signatures on the form itself, though local units might.
- The financial administrator of the lead PI creates a GT-TRACS package, using the Other package type, and the Institutional Support subtype. The package must include the following attachments:
- RFP
- Budget
- Institutional Support Form
- Any pertinent correspondence or history in support of the proposal's cost share.
Note that while institute-level costs such as fringe, F&A reimbursement and tuition should be included on the internal support form, these items should be deducted from the totals ultimately entered on the “Commitments” tab in GT-TRACS, as they are not hard cash commitments for any unit.
- All involved units approve their commitments in GT-TRACS.
- OSP submits the proposal.
- The PI’s financial manager requests the funds if/when the proposal results in a sponsored award.
How does a PI request New Investigator Support?
- The PI does not need to engage in the same type of conversations that they would for other types of institutional support. The EVPR’s office will provide $20,000 in funds for all faculty who receive a federal new investigator award such as NSF CAREER, ONR Young Investigator Award, or DARPA YFA.
- If the PI has any questions as to the eligibility of a proposal for new investigator support, they should contact the EVPR office.
What documentation is required for a new investigator support request?
- The PI (or delegate) breaks down the request on the Internal Institutional Support Form. The EVPR’s office does not require signatures on the form itself, though local units might.
- The financial administrator of the lead PI creates a GT-TRACS package, using the Cost Share package type, and the Institutional Support subtype. The package must include the following attachments:
- RFP
- Budget
- Institutional Support Form
- Any pertinent correspondence or history in support of the proposal’s cost share.
Note that while institute-level costs such as fringe, F&A reimbursement and tuition should be included on the internal support form, these items should be deducted from the totals ultimately entered on the “Commitments” tab in GT-TRACS, as they are not hard cash commitments for any unit.
- The EVPR office approves their commitments in GT-TRACS.
- OSP submits the proposal.
- The PI’s financial manager requests the funds if/when the proposal results in a sponsored award.
