Research and Cost Accounting Blog

Search for PI/Co-PI has been combined for comprehensive reporting

What: The PI/Co-PI prompt has replaced the Award PI prompt, and the Co-PI name field has been added to all dashboard views except Labor Distribution Details and Labor Encumbrance Details.

Why:  This combined prompt allows faculty and administrators to prepare a comprehensive grants report for a PI whether they serve as PI or Co-PI on a project/award.

F&A Rates now included on the Award Overview report

What: Project/Award F&A rate will be included as a column on the Award Overview page. F&A Rate is also included as a hidden field on the Balance Details, Award Overview, and PI Project Summary pages.

Dashboard tip: Columns can be hidden or displayed using the right-click feature and selecting include or exclude. View more tips on the Dashboard Tips and Tools QRG.

Why: Displaying the F&A rate on the reports allows faculty and administrators to more easily validate the Project/Award F&A rate while reviewing financial reports.

Hello Research Administrators,

We are pleased to share that registration for the Skills Training for Administrative Research Staff (STARS) program is now open! STARS is a new training program offered to research administrators across Rice University. The program intends to enhance collective expertise, develop new skills, and promote professional growth. Through the duration of ten workshops, a variety of subject matter experts across campus will cover topics encompassing the grant lifecycle, including the pre-award process, sub-award process, personnel, compliance, and much more. The program is an opportunity to create true communities of practice and contribute to the Rice research enterprise.

Registration opens today, Thursday, August 1st, via Learning in iO. Please use this link if you have any questions on how to register.  It is crucial to attend all ten sessions in person to fully reap the benefits of the program and build connections. Registration will close Wednesday, August 28th at 5:00 p.m. or when the cohort is filled. Below you will find the direct link to register and a registration guide.

STARS Registration link: Click here

Enrollment Guide: Click here

The STARS program is a great opportunity to learn something new, refresh your understanding of the grant lifecycle and connect with other research administrators across Rice. Please join us!

All the best,

STARS Training Group

Basically everything is pushed back two days due to hurricane Beryl:

July 12   Original entries to be submitted

July 15   First close reports available on dashboards

July 19   Second close – final day for corrections to be submitted

July 29   Final reports available on dashboards after 10 p.m.

Please contact crystald@rice.edu if you have questions.

Effective February 15, 2024, RCA will adjust the accounting process for Cost Share F&A.

Currently F&A is being charged on cost share projects where no specific exclusion was requested in the award cost share agreement.  F&A on cost share charges is being recorded in the Cost Share Project and debited to COA with an expectation for the department to fund.

F&A for the cost share charges will be recorded in the Cost Share Project.  However, there will be no debit to the CoA, effectively forgiving the obligation for the department to fund.

F&A charges on cost share projects made prior to February 15 and that have already debited CoA accounts will be reversed by RCA prior to the end of FY24.

We have received multiple emails and helpdesk tickets regarding the ability to access FY24 dates in SPFF.  The GL Accounting Period filters are not functioning as expected on the Admin and PI SPFF Dashboards.  The iO support team is working to reset the filters.  The target date for a resolution is 02/16/24.  Please check the Known Issues page (https://ioevolution.rice.edu/known-issues) for updates.

The Finance Dashboard Redesign Committee is excited to share the launch of the redesigned Finance Dashboard that will improve your experience and streamline financial reporting. The committee has been testing the dashboard for several weeks and think you will appreciate their favorite new features:

• Faster response time and smoother navigation

• Ability to view and filter on the Full Chart String or individual segments

• Classification has been added to the table and filter options

• Drill-down capabilities take you directly to details of the expenses

• Updated CoA hierarchy makes it easy to view remaining budget in Supplies and Expenses categories separate from Salaries and Wages.

Training

Crystal Davis will host a webinar to preview the faster and enhanced design on Wednesday, January 31, at 3:00 pm.  After you attend or view the recording of the webinar, which will be posted on the iOEvolutiOn website, sign up for a hands-on workshop February 12 – 16 or in mid-March.  All details can be found on the iO EvolutiOn events page.

Hello, all:

As requested during the most recent Research Administrators Forum, I have uploaded the RCA portion of the presentation from December 14th.  The PowerPoint can be found here:

https://rice.box.com/s/ef916algy2qrol307hpr34reqk6h10g4

The expense workflow issue causing reports to not route correctly has been identified and corrected.  With the correction comes a long-awaited feature:  negative expense reports can now be processed.  You no longer have to wait for offsetting charges to process a credit to your p-card.

Emails were sent to Cost Center and Project Managers to announce both the issue and correction (see December 11 email here and December 20 email here).

An Oracle bug was introduced with the November 17th Quarterly Update that has caused all labor costs between 7/1/23 and 12/5/23 to be redistributed multiple times. This is visible in the Wages and Fellow Payments reports in the Finance Dashboard (Payroll Actuals, Gross Pay, and Graduate Student Pay reports). This issue does NOT impact actual pay to employees. The detailed email sent to Cost Center Managers, Project Managers and HCM initiators is viewable on the iO EvolutiOn Communications page.

Co-Hosted by Research and Cost Accounting and the Office of Sponsored Projects

Research Administrators Forum is a standing meeting for Rice Research Administrators to discuss various topics related to research on campus.

Next meeting: 10:00am-11:30am, Thursday, December 14th 2023

Location: McMurtry Auditorium in Duncan Hall