CPRA key terms

Externally funded activity conducted under a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract, where an outside entity imposes terms, deliverables, or reporting obligations on the institution.

A financial award giving a recipient institution support for a defined project, with the funder expecting performance but not direct control over the work or a specific product.

An award in which the funding agency anticipates substantial involvement in carrying out the funded activity, distinguishing it from a grant where the funder stays largely hands-off.

A procurement-type award in which the funder purchases a specified service or deliverable and exercises close control over scope, schedule, and performance terms.

The individual designated by the institution to direct a sponsored project and accept responsibility for its scientific conduct, compliance, and reporting obligations.

A key personnel member who shares substantive responsibility for designing or conducting a sponsored project alongside the principal investigator, often named in the proposal budget.

Individuals identified in a proposal as essential to the project's success, whose time commitment and roles are typically specified and monitored during the award.

The published announcement through which a sponsor solicits proposals, specifying eligibility, review criteria, required components, budget limits, and submission deadlines.

A sponsor's formal request for applications or proposals, which may take the form of a notice of funding opportunity, request for proposals, or program announcement.

The package of documents an institution submits to a sponsor requesting funding, including narrative, budget, justification, and required assurances or certifications.

The sponsor's staff member who manages a funding program, answers applicant questions, and may advise on fit between a proposed project and the sponsor's priorities.

The internal pre-submission process in which research administration staff check a proposal for completeness, compliance with sponsor rules, and consistency with institutional policy.

The internal circulation of a proposal and budget for review and sign-off by department, dean, and central research administration before submission to the sponsor.

The institutional official empowered to sign and submit proposals and accept awards on behalf of the organization, binding it to sponsor terms.

A narrative explaining and defending each cost in a proposal budget, linking expenditures to project activities and demonstrating reasonableness, allowability, and allocability.

A cost that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project with a high degree of accuracy, such as project salaries, supplies, and travel.

A cost incurred for common objectives that cannot be readily assigned to one project, recovered through a negotiated rate applied to a direct cost base.

The negotiated percentage used to recover indirect costs, comprising facility costs such as space and utilities plus administrative costs such as sponsored programs staff.

The portion of project costs borne by the institution or a third party rather than the sponsor, which may be mandatory or voluntary and carries documentation obligations.

A cost that meets sponsor and institutional tests for being reasonable, allocable, consistently treated, and not prohibited by the award terms or applicable regulations.

The process of assigning a cost to one or more benefiting projects using a documented, defensible method, especially for shared or pooled expenses.

The documented certification of the proportion of time personnel devote to sponsored projects, used to support salary charges and cost-sharing commitments.

A situation in which a researcher's financial or personal interests could improperly influence the design, conduct, or reporting of sponsored work, requiring disclosure and management.

The committee that reviews and approves research involving human subjects, ensuring protections such as informed consent and risk minimization before work begins.

The committee that reviews and approves protocols involving vertebrate animals, confirming humane care, appropriate justification, and regulatory compliance.

Systematic investigation involving living individuals, including identifiable data or biospecimens, that requires ethics review and usually written informed consent.

The documented voluntary agreement of a research participant after receiving understandable information about purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and alternatives.

The institutional act of formally agreeing to a sponsor's terms and conditions, typically performed by the authorized organizational representative after review.

The contractual provisions in an award that govern allowable costs, reporting, intellectual property, publication, and closeout obligations for the recipient.

Written sponsor consent required before certain post-award changes, such as significant budget reallocation, scope change, or absence of the principal investigator.

Shifting funds among budget categories during an award, permitted within sponsor thresholds but requiring prior approval when limits are exceeded.

An approved extension of an award's end date without additional funding, allowing remaining work to be completed within the original budget.

A document defining the scope, deliverables, timeline, and performance standards of a contracted project, forming the basis for sponsor oversight and payment.

A specific product, report, or milestone that a recipient must provide to the sponsor, commonly specified in contracts and cooperative agreements.

A scheduled checkpoint in a project where defined progress is demonstrated, sometimes tied to sponsor review, continuation decisions, or incremental funding.

An entity that carries out a portion of a sponsored project under the recipient's direction, subject to subaward monitoring rather than vendor procurement rules.

A formal agreement through which a recipient passes a portion of sponsored work and funding to another organization for programmatic performance.

A vendor providing goods or services to a sponsored project under procurement terms, without programmatic responsibility for the funded research aims.