Types of Awards
Grants
A grant is an assistance instrument, the primary purpose of which is to support the University in the pursuit of its mission. The project is initiated by the SUU Principal Investigator or Project Director, and the sponsor generally has no substantial involvement in the conduct of the project.
Cooperative Agreements
A cooperative agreement is an assistance instrument used by federal agencies in cases where the agency anticipates being substantially involved with the awardee in the programmatic aspects of the work.
Contracts
A contract is a procurement instrument. The primary purpose of a contract is to enable the sponsor to purchase services or goods from the University. Typically, the sponsor determines the scope of work and the desired outcomes and often specifies the methodology as well. Contract performance is closely monitored by the sponsor to ensure that the purpose of the contract is met. Title to equipment purchased under a federal contract will vest with the government and not SUU.
Gifts
The OSRG does not involve itself with gifts or unrestricted funds that are administered by the Development Office. The following definition is important in distinguishing between a gift or a grant.
Sponsored Programs are research, training or instructional projects involving funds, materials or other forms of compensation or exchanges of in-kind efforts from sources external to the Southern Utah University under awards or agreements which contain any one of the following criteria:
- The award is made by a governmental agency;
- The award binds the University to a scope of work that is specified to a substantial level of detail. This would, for example, include funding that is dedicated to an investigator’s particular research project, a grant to a department under which seed money for particular projects would be distributed, and the training of graduate students on specific projects. It would not include funding that provides general research support;
- A line item budget is involved. A line item budget details expenses by activity, function or project period. The designation of indirect or administrative costs qualifies a budget as a “line item”;
- Financial reports are required and/or expenses are subject to audit;
- The sponsor defines a period of performance during which the funds may be used and/or unused funds must be returned to the sponsor;
- The award or agreement provides for the disposition of either intangible or tangible properties which may result from the project. Tangible properties include equipment, records, formal activity reports, thesis, and dissertations. Intangible properties include rights in data, copyrights, inventions or research related materials.
Sponsored Programs
Rsearch, training or instructional projects involving funds, materials or other forms of compensation or exchanges of in-kind efforts from sources external to the Southern Utah University under awards or agreements which contain any one of the following criteria:
- The award is made by a governmental agency;
- The award binds the University to a scope of work that is specified to a substantial level of detail. This would, for example, include funding that is dedicated to an investigator’s particular research project, a grant to a department under which seed money for particular projects would be distributed, and the training of graduate students on specific projects. It would not include funding that provides general research support;
- A line item budget is involved. A line item budget details expenses by activity, function or project period. The designation of indirect or administrative costs qualifies a budget as a “line item”;
- Financial reports are required and/or expenses are subject to audit;
- The sponsor defines a period of performance during which the funds may be used and/or unused funds must be returned to the sponsor;
- The award or agreement provides for the disposition of either intangible or tangible properties which may result from the project. Tangible properties include equipment, records, formal activity reports, thesis, and dissertations. Intangible properties include rights in data, copyrights, inventions or research related materials.
Grants Home
