OSPA Checklist Helps Track and Complete Required Award Items
January 28, 2026: To improve transparency and ensure all required items are completed, the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) has implemented a new “N” (Notification of Award Received) status in the OSPA database along with an Account Setup Checklist.
When a project moves to N status, it means OSPA has received the Notice of Award (NOA) and account setup is underway. A checklist is generated to track the key documents, approvals and actions needed before the account can be established. This shared tool for OSPA and Collaborative Grant Services (CGS), shows what is still needed, what has been completed and overall account setup progress.
Examples of checklist items include:
- PI approval
- IRB or IACUC approval (if applicable)
- Conflict of Interest (COI) review
- Receipt of a fully executed agreement
Completed items are date-stamped, allowing accounts to move forward efficiently, bottlenecks to be identified early, and additional documentation or approvals to be flagged promptly. Over time, this also provides better insight into timelines associated with sponsor negotiations and approvals.
Ultimately, the checklist helps ensure required approvals and documentation are completed, so research activities can begin as soon as possible after an award is issued.
Why this matters for PIs: This checklist helps track required items and will form the foundation for future reporting that provides PIs with clearer visibility into where their award is in the account setup process.
OSPA is collaborating with the Research Analytics team to develop future Tableau reports that will offer additional transparency into award and account setup timelines for the research community.