Awards are made to Oregon State University as the official grantee, or in special circumstances (for some private funds only) to the OSU Foundation on behalf of the University. The Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for the technical work but does not receive the award directly.
OSRAA manages grants and contracts for the University as follows:
Once a sponsor has approved a proposal for support, OSRAA will receive notice that an award has been made or a contract is being prepared. If the PI receives such a notice, s/he must contact OSRAA immediately to ensure that OSRAA has also received the notice. OSU cannot administratively initiate the project without formal sponsor notification. Many award instruments require both sponsor and OSU signatures (bilateral agreement) before they become effective. PIs are not authorized to sign award documents on behalf of the OSU.
The main product of research conducted at Oregon State University is various reports completed by the PI. In most cases sponsors will require a written report or a series of reports over the lifetime of the project. It is the responsibility of the PI to ensure that all reports are timely and complete.
When a project is funded, the sponsor expects the work to be carried out as described within the proposal. However, due to the nature of research there are always unforeseen circumstances that warrant alterations. The conditions in which a project alterations can occur varies between each sponsor. Some sponsors may be permissive while others may have strict policies regarding changes.