Policies & Compliance
- Research Conduct
- Combatting Human Trafficking
- Federal Disclosure Requirements
- Research Handbook
- 1. Roles & Responsibilities
- 2. Standards for Conduct of Research
- 3. Overview of Sponsored Projects Administration
- 4. Funding Sources & Opportunities
- 5. Proposal Development
- 6. Budget Development
- 7. Procedures for the Submission of Proposals
- 8. Award Acceptance
- 9. Award Management
- 10. Research Related Regulations, Policies & Procedures
- 11. Other Conduct of Research Issues
- 12. Acronyms & Definitions
- 13. Glossary
- Procedure Library
- Regulations Library
Award Acceptance
8.6 Pre-Award/Preliminary Project Set-Up
In limited circumstances, a preliminary (pre-award) project may be established to allow work to begin prior to receipt of a fully executed award document. Preliminary project set-up is intended to support time-sensitive research activities when there is a reasonable expectation of receiving an award.
The Principal Investigator (PI) or a designated departmental administrator may initiate a request for a preliminary project or extension by submitting the appropriate request through the University's pre-award spending process. Guidance and required documentation are available in the Pre-Award Preliminary Spending Request procedure.
The level of institutional risk associated with a preliminary project varies based on the type of anticipated funding mechanism and the University’s relationship to the award. Contracts and purchase orders (non-grants) generally present a higher risk, as they typically do not allow pre-award spending and may be subject to substantive negotiation or execution delays.
Lower-risk preliminary projects may include federal grants or subawards for which the pass‑through entity has already received and accepted the prime award, where pre-award spending is authorized and sponsor approval is reasonably assured.
These factors inform whether a preliminary project is appropriate and, if approved, under what conditions.
