Funding Transition Updates: Please see Federal Transition Updates 2025 for the latest federal executive orders and research activities.
Sponsored Project Agreements
Sponsored Project Agreement (SPAs) are formal grants or agreements between GW and an external sponsor that are financial in nature, meaning that they provide funding for a specific sponsored project activity. External sponsors may be federal agencies, other government entities, foundations, non-profit, for-profit entities, and foreign entities. More information on what is considered a Sponsored Project can be found in our Categorization of External Funding Policy.
A SPA file Agreement Number in myResearch will reflect the following format: SPA######## (example SPA00005555).
Process
- SPAs require an approved Funding Proposal in myResearch. Information on how to initiate a Funding Proposal can be found here.
- Once the Funding Proposal is approved and OSP receives the award, the OSP Intake Team will create a SPA file in myResearch (example SPA00005555) and assign it to an OSP Contract Officer (CO).
- The CO reviews the information provided in myResearch and reaches out to the PI with any questions, as needed.
- The CO acquires any relevant input and compliance approvals from the relevant internal stakeholders and negotiates the SPAs directly with the outside entity.
- The CO notifies the PI when the SPA is fully executed, provided to the outside entity, and input into myResearch. At this time, the file will move to the Award Setup team for setting up the award in our system. For more information on this process, see here.
Resources
- myResearch (GW Login required)
- For questions regarding the funding proposal, please see here.
- For questions regarding the setting up of your award after the SPA is input into myResearch, please see here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- If I do not have a Funding Proposal, how do I start that process?
Please reach out to your RST to start that process. See here.
- Are all agreements that provide funding for a specific sponsored project activity considered SPAs handled by the OSP Contracts and Award Acceptance Team?
- Generally, yes. Although there are a few exceptions:
- The Contracts and Award Acceptance Team does not handle clinical agreements. Please see here for information on how that agreement will be handled.
- The Contracts and Award Acceptance Team does not handle commercial/vendor service agreements. Please see here for information on how that agreement will be handled.
- Generally, yes. Although there are a few exceptions:
- What do I do if the sponsor does not have an agreement template?
We prefer to use GW templates, as they are specifically designed, taking our status as a non-profit research institution into account. Using our template will likely cut down on the time it takes to negotiate and sign the SPA. GW has many templates for different types of SPAs. If the sponsor does not have a template, we will be able to generate our own template internally and provide it to the Sponsor when the Funding Proposal is approved. If you have any questions about our templates, please send an email to osp_contracts
gwu [dot] edu (osp_contracts[at]gwu[dot]edu).- How long does it take to negotiate a SPA?
It depends on the complexity of the grant or agreement and the project. Using our template will likely cut down on the time it takes to negotiate and sign the SPA. Regardless, the CO will work diligently on the project and keep you informed on the progress. If you have a tight timeline for a specific reason, please make sure to let the CO know as soon as possible. We will request extensions, if needed, or do our best to adhere to reasonable timelines.
Support
- For questions regarding the process, the assigned Contract Officer is identified in the agreement record in myResearch.
- For additional questions, you may also send an email to the osp_contractsgwu [dot] edu (osp_contracts[at]gwu[dot]edu).