ResearchUVA

eSPAR FAQs

eSPAR FAQs

The eSPAR form currently supports the following types of requests: At-Risk Preliminary, Just in Time, Offer Acknowledgement, At-Risk Extension, Change PI, and Change Scope. If you still have questions, reach out to your OSP contact or send a note to [email protected].

  • Getting Started

  • Post Proposal Requests

    • Just in Time (used when a sponsor requests additional information for a proposal that has been submitted but not yet awarded)
    • Offer Acknowledgement (used when a sponsor sends an offer notice before a NOA and requires a response)

  • Project Requests

  • Award Requests

  • Non Financial Reporting

    • Reporting (used to request submission of a non financial report on an award)

 

Getting Started

1. How do I start and complete an eSPAR?
The eSPAR is now a ‘smart’ form to enter specific types of requests, helping us minimize errors and duplicative data entry.
Start an eSPAR from the ResearchUVA dashboard:
Choose the type of request you want to make.

2. Why aren't other types of requests available?
The available request types are the first to be released, but additional types will follow.  During this transitional period, please continue to make other requests via the SP23 form.

At-Risk Preliminary

1. What proposal number should I enter?
Enter the number for the pending proposal, which you expect to or have received a NOA and are requesting an At-Risk Preliminary account for.  Proposals that have been previously awarded or rejected will not appear in the lookup.

2. What is the guarantee PTAO?
As an At-Risk Preliminary request, the Department must agree to cover all charges incurred on the account with local funds, under control of the department, if the proposal ends up not being funded. The guarantee PTAO is that account number.

3. What sort of justification do I need to provide for an At-Risk Preliminary request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved. Be sure to include any details from the sponsor indicating that an award is likely to be made.

4. What information do I need to provide to request Pre-Award Costs?
Approval of Pre-Award Costs requires specification of a Pre-Award Start Date and uploading of Sponsor Pre-Award Cost Documentation.

5. What dates do I need to provide for start date and end date?
Provide the dates for when the At-Risk Preliminary account should start and end.

6. What do I need to provide for the regulatory compliance documents?
Provide any complementary documentation for IRB Approvals, Human Subject Education, or IACUC Approvals which the request may depend upon being completed.

Just in Time

1. What proposal number should I enter?
Enter the number for the pending proposal, for which the sponsor has requested more information.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide for a Just in Time request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved. Be sure to include any details from interaction with the sponsor.

3. What information do I enter into other fields?
As a proposal change request, you only need to enter information into fields that differ from what was originally submitted to the sponsor.

Offer Acknowledgement

1. What proposal number should I enter?
Enter the number for the pending proposal, which you have received an award offer notice for.  Proposals that have been previously awarded or rejected will not appear in the lookup.

2. What date should I choose for Sponsor Due Date?
Enter the due date the sponsor has provided in their offer letter.

3. What should I enter in the Offer Acknowledgement Description?
Provide a brief summary of what is being offered in the letter and what is required in response.

Transaction Controls

1. What project number should I enter?
Enter the project number for an on-hold or active project which needs expenditures to be released.

2. How do I indicate the controls where I need a change?
Select the control from the Expenditures box on the left and then click the right arrow button to move it over to the "Selected expenditures to be released" box.   Multiple Expenditures can be selected.  Enter any additional details for your request in the General Comments box and upload any additional documentation you may have.

At-Risk Extension

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the award number for which you are requesting an At-Risk Extension.  Awards that are On-Hold or have previously been Closed will not appear in the lookup list.

2. What is the guarantee PTAO?
As an At-Risk Extension request, the Department must agree to cover all charges incurred on the account with local funds, under control of the department, if the award ends up not being extended. The guarantee PTAO is that account number.

3. What sort of justification do I need to provide for an At-Risk Extension request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved. Be sure to include any details about why the project needs to be extended and any initial indications from the sponsor regarding whether it will be approved.

4. What information do I need to provide if sponsor approval is required?
Upload communication with the sponsor, such as a contract amendment, request letter, or other sponsor approval document.  Include the name and email of the person responsible for contracts at the sponsoring entity.

5. What date do I need to provide for At-Risk Extension of the award?
Enter your extension date.

6. What do I select for "Do you want to use the new requested end date entered above for all projects"?
If the award has multiple projects, you can either apply the same extension end date to all child projects or choose to request different end dates for each projects.

7. Why are the key personnel shown on the request form?
Key personnel appear as a convenient reminder of compliance status for key personnel on the award.

8. What do I need to provide for the regulatory compliance documents?
Provide any complementary documentation for IRB Approvals, Human Subject Education, or IACUC Approvals which the request may depend upon being completed.

No Cost Extension

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the award number for which you are requesting an No Cost Extension.  Awards that are On-Hold or have previously been Closed will not appear in the lookup list.

2. What sort of justification for an No Cost Extension request do I need to provide?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved. Be sure to include any details about why the project needs to be extended and any initial indications from the sponsor regarding whether it will be approved.

3. What information do I need to provide if sponsor approval is required?
Upload communication with the sponsor, such as a contract amendment, request letter, or other sponsor approval document.  Include the name and email of the person responsible for contracts at the sponsoring entity.

4. What date do I need to provide for No Cost Extension of the award?
Enter your extension date.

5. What do I select for "Do you want to use the new requested end date entered above for all projects"?
If the award has multiple projects, you can either apply the same extension end date to all child projects or choose to request different end dates for each projects.

6. Why are the key personnel shown on the request form?
Key personnel appear as a convenient reminder of compliance status for key personnel on the award.

7. What do I need to provide for the regulatory compliance documents?
Provide any complementary documentation for IRB Approvals, Human Subject Education, or IACUC Approvals which the request may depend upon being completed.

Change PI

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to change the PI.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide for a Change of PI request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved.

3. What information do I enter into other fields?
In order to complete the form, you must complete a few additional fields: 
    •    Is Sponsor prior approval required?  If you check yes, you must provide documentation showing approval.
    •    Will this change affect all associated active projects?
    •    New Principal Investigator (enter PI name or computing id)

Pre-Award Costs

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to request Pre-Award Costs.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What does it mean "do I have FDP(Federal Demonstration Partnership) authority"?
If a sponsor is covered under FDP authority, then you can choose Yes.  If not, then choose No.  Answering No will require responding to whether you have Sponsor Approval for Pre-Award Costs.  If you answer Yes to this, then also upload Sponsor Pre-Award Cost Documentation.

3. What do I enter in the Pre-Award Start Date box?
Enter the date which the sponsor approved for pre-award costs to begin.

Change Sponsor

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to change the sponsor.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide for a Change of Sponsor request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved.

3. What do I enter in the Immediate Sponsor and Originating Sponsor boxes?
Like on the ePRF, the Immediate Sponsor is where the funding is coming directly from and the Originating Sponsor (if different) is where the funds originate from.  Enter the name you know and the system will look it up in the list of existing sponsors.  If the name does not match, then a Create New Sponsor link will appear and you can enter the name you know to request that OSP setup a new sponsor.

Change Scope

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to change the scope.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide for a Change of Scope request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved.

3. What information do I enter into other fields?
In order to complete the form, you must complete one additional field: Is Sponsor prior approval required?  If you check yes, you must provide documentation showing approval.

Internal Budget Transfer

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to process the internal budget transfer.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide for an Internal Budget Transfer request?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved.

3. What information do I enter into other fields?
In order to complete the form, you must complete one additional field: Is a new project need?  If you check yes, you must provide all the required information pertaining to the project.

End Grant or Contract Early

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to end the grant or contract early.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide to end Grant or Contract early?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved.

3. What information do I enter into other fields?
In order to complete the form, you must provide all the required information pertaining to the early termination of the award.

Other Sponsor Prior Approval

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to obtain sponsor prior approval.  The award must be active or on hold.

2. What sort of justification do I need to provide to obtain sponsor prior approval?
Prove your reasoning for this request and why it should be approved.

3. What information do I enter into other fields?
In order to complete the form, you must provide all the required information pertaining to the other sponsor prior approval request.

Reporting

1. What award number should I enter?
Enter the number for the award where you need to submit a report.  The award must be active.

2. How do I specify the type of report I need to submit?
Once you have selected an award and saved, the form will then present a tab with the choices of: Invention/Patent, Property/Equipment, or Progress/Technical.  Choose the type of report you need to submit.  Once a box is checked, additional fields will appear to show and confirm data about key personnel for the award, allow for general comments, and then allow for upload of the actual report.  If compliance issues are highlighted in yellow on the key personnel section, those should be addressed.  Multiple report types can be selected on a single form if needed.

Routing and Submitting

1. How do I route my eSPAR request?

1. Once the required questions have been completed and the form has been saved, the tab will display a green check mark, like this:
2. Select “Review” button in summary window.

This brings up all of the data entered in one window. Scroll through and review for accuracy and completeness.
Edit (as necessary) by clicking on “Edit” next to any section that needs to be revised.
3. Go to the bottom of the review page and find the "Email Approvers" button.
4. Enter the names of the individuals who need to approve the eSPAR request.  Individuals who will have appropriate access to the request will automatically be in the lookup for selection. At least the PI must approve the request.  If desired, enter a message to the approvers in the Additional Info box and this will be included in the approval request email.

The individuals appearing in the approval lookup have relevant approval roles related to the affiliated organizations on the form. Anyone with a Center Director role will also appear.  In order for a Center Director to approve, they must be sent a request via the Email Approvers button.
Request that they review for accuracy and completeness.
Approvers should:
    •    make edits, as necessary
    •    review certifications and prior approvals (if necessary)
    •    select the “Approve Form” button

2. How do I submit my eSPAR request to OSP?
Once approvals are complete, email the URL to the School Signatory to Submit to OSP.
Request that they do a final review for accuracy and completeness and then submit to OSP.  When at least one electronic approval (or uploaded approval document) is received, the “Submit to OSP” button will become available to users with the Dean's Office Signatory role.