RASU Frequently Asked Questions
Research Administration Service Units (RASUs) provide faculty and research teams with coordinated pre-award and post-award research administration support. RASU staff work closely with Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), Grants & Contracts Accounting (GCA), schools, departments, and other University offices to help investigators develop proposals, manage sponsored awards, meet sponsor and University requirements, and resolve administrative issues throughout the life of an award.
About RASU
A Research Administration Service Unit, or RASU, is a team of research administration professionals assigned to support a defined group of Tulane faculty, departments, schools, or research units.
RASUs provide both pre-award and post-award support and serve as a primary point of coordination for investigators throughout the sponsored-project lifecycle. Reference: About RASU
Tulane currently operates Research Administration Service Units supporting the schools and departments located on the Uptown campus, the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center (TNBRC), the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and School of Social Work (PHSW), and the School of Medicine (SOM). Visit the RASU Grants Contacts page to identify the team supporting your school or department. References: RASU Units | RASU Grants Contacts
RASU provides support throughout the sponsored-project lifecycle, including proposal preparation and submission coordination, proposal budgets and budget justifications, sponsor and University administrative requirements, award review and account setup coordination, post-award financial monitoring and administration, prior approvals and award modifications, progress reports and other sponsor reporting, subaward and consultant agreement coordination, effort, payroll and expenditure review, award closeout, and coordination with SPA, GCA, and other University offices. Specific responsibilities may vary depending on the transaction, sponsor requirements, and the responsibilities assigned to other University offices. Reference: About RASU
Getting Help With a Proposal
Contact your RASU pre-award specialist as early as possible, preferably as soon as you know you intend to submit a proposal. Your specialist will help identify the administrative requirements, establish a proposal timeline, develop the budget and administrative materials, coordinate institutional review, and work with SPA through submission. Early notification is particularly important for complex proposals involving subrecipients, international components, cost sharing, multiple investigators or institutions, or unusual sponsor requirements. Reference: RASU Grants Contacts
Tulane's proposal submission requirements establish deadlines for administrative materials and institutional review before the sponsor deadline. Providing materials early gives RASU and SPA time to identify and correct problems before submission.
Investigators may continue refining scientific or technical components close to the sponsor deadline when permitted by University requirements, but materials provided outside established timelines may not allow sufficient time for complete administrative review, institutional approvals, correction of errors, or sponsor-system validation. Reference: SPA Proposal Preparation and Internal Deadlines
Planning to submit a proposal? Complete the Notice of Intent to Submit for your RASU as early as possible: SOM Notice of Intent to Submit | PHSW Notice of Intent to Submit | TNBRC Notice of Intent to Submit | Uptown Notice of Intent to Submit
RASU coordinates and prepares the proposal with the investigator and research team. SPA serves as Tulane's authorized representative for sponsored-project submissions when sponsor systems or requirements require institutional authorization. The exact workflow may vary by sponsor. Reference: Sponsored Projects Administration
RASU focuses primarily on the administrative and financial components of a proposal, including budgets, sponsor forms, institutional requirements, and submission coordination. For assistance with proposal strategy, scientific or technical development, writing and editing, or other proposal-development resources, investigators may also work with the Office of Research Proposal Development (ORPD). Reference: Office of Research Proposal Development
Managing an Award
After an award is received, SPA reviews and accepts or executes the award on behalf of Tulane, and GCA establishes the sponsored project and account in WaveWorks. RASU then works with the investigator and department to move the award into active management. This includes reviewing the awarded budget and sponsor requirements, confirming the financial setup, establishing or coordinating labor distributions, coordinating the administrative steps required for subawards and consultant agreements, addressing cost share when applicable, identifying reporting requirements, and resolving other administrative items needed to begin managing the award. Once established, the assigned RASU post-award specialist serves as the investigator's primary point of contact for day-to-day financial and administrative management. References: Sponsored Projects Administration | Grants & Contracts Accounting
Start with your assigned RASU post-award specialist. Your specialist serves as the primary administrative point of coordination for the award and will work with SPA, GCA, or another University office when additional expertise, approval, or institutional action is required. Reference: RASU Grants Contacts
RASU post-award teams support ongoing financial and administrative management, including review of expenditures, payroll and labor distributions, budgets and balances, sponsor deadlines, reporting requirements, award modifications, and closeout activities. Principal Investigators remain responsible for the scientific and programmatic direction of their projects and for appropriate stewardship of sponsored funds; RASU provides the administrative and financial support necessary to help investigators exercise those responsibilities effectively. Reference: About RASU
RASU provides day-to-day financial administration and monitoring of sponsored awards, including review of expenditures, payroll, budgets, balances, and other award activity. GCA performs central sponsored-project accounting functions, including account establishment, institutional accounting, billing, and financial reporting. When an issue requires central accounting action or involves a discrepancy in University financial systems, RASU works with GCA and other appropriate offices to investigate and resolve the issue. Reference: Grants & Contracts Accounting
E-ITs are initiated by the department through the WaveWorks E-IT application available in Gibson. If the transaction involves a sponsored project, work with your RASU post-award specialist to make sure the appropriate project information, justification, and supporting documentation are included. Because RASU is responsible for approving E-ITs involving sponsored accounts, RASU cannot also initiate the transaction. The department must initiate the E-IT, and RASU will review and approve the sponsored-project portion as part of the workflow. References: WaveWorks E-IT User Guide | WaveWorks E-IT Workflow
The investigator or department provides the project-specific explanation for why a cost transfer is necessary and why the cost is appropriate for the receiving sponsored award. RASU works with the investigator and department to make sure the justification and supporting documentation are complete and coordinates the sponsored-project review of the transaction. When a Cost Transfer Justification Form is required under the applicable process, RASU will advise the investigator or department and help make sure it is completed appropriately. All cost transfers require sufficient documentation to explain the reason for the transfer and demonstrate that the cost is appropriate for the receiving award.
Yes. Comments should be included when a labor distribution is created or modified, and WaveWorks provides standard comments for common changes such as changes in costing, allocation percentages, start and end dates, adding a project, and other labor distribution changes. For retroactive labor changes or other situations requiring additional explanation, work with your RASU post-award specialist to make sure the appropriate justification and supporting documentation are included. References: WaveWorks Labor Distribution User Guide | WaveWorks Labor Distribution Standard Comments
Roles and Responsibilities
RASU provides investigator-facing pre-award and post-award administrative support and coordinates research administration throughout the sponsored-project lifecycle. SPA performs central institutional sponsored-project functions, including sponsor-facing administration and actions requiring institutional authority. GCA performs central sponsored-project accounting functions, including account establishment, billing, accounting, and financial reporting. References: About RASU | Sponsored Projects Administration | Grants & Contracts Accounting
Sponsored projects involve shared responsibilities among the Principal Investigator, RASU, SPA, GCA, the investigator's school or department, and other University offices. The Principal Investigator is responsible for the scientific and programmatic direction of the project and appropriate stewardship of sponsored funds. RASU provides day-to-day administrative and financial support and coordinates with other University offices when their action or expertise is required. For routine research administration questions, your assigned RASU specialist should generally be your starting point. Reference: About RASU
Yes. There are circumstances in which direct communication with SPA, GCA, or another University office is appropriate. For routine proposal and award administration, however, starting with your RASU specialist helps maintain continuity, avoid duplicate requests, and make sure issues are coordinated through resolution. Reference: RASU Grants Contacts
Deadlines, Escalation, and Special Situations?
Contact your assigned RASU specialist and clearly identify the deadline, issue, and action required. If the matter is time-sensitive or remains unresolved, contact the appropriate RASU manager or director. RASU leadership will coordinate escalation with SPA, GCA, or other University offices when necessary. Reference: RASU Grants Contacts
RASU will make reasonable efforts to support a successful submission, but sufficient time is required for administrative review, correction of errors, institutional approvals, and sponsor-system validation. Submission cannot be guaranteed when required materials are provided outside established University timelines or too close to a sponsor deadline to allow the necessary review and processing. Reference: SPA Proposal Preparation and Internal Deadlines
Sponsor systems and requirements change periodically. RASU works with SPA and other University offices to adjust workflows when these changes occur. If a sponsor changes who may upload, approve, or submit materials, your RASU specialist will help coordinate the revised process and communicate any actions required from the investigator.
RASU coordinates preparation of Just-in-Time materials with the Principal Investigator and SPA. For NIH Just-in-Time requests, the Principal Investigator and RASU work together to prepare the requested information, and SPA performs actions requiring institutional or Signing Official authority. RASU coordinates the process, assists with preparation and review, and helps make sure the required materials are complete and ready for submission. Reference: NIH Just-In-Time Information
Visit the RASU grants contacts page to identify the pre-award and post-award specialists assigned to your school and department. If you are unsure whom to contact, contact the appropriate RASU office and the team will route your request. Reference: RASU Grants Contacts
Our Service Commitment
RASU's goal is to provide consistent, knowledgeable, responsive research administration support that allows investigators to focus as much as possible on their research. Our operating principles include clear responsibility and accountability; a consistent point of contact for investigators; timely communication; standardized and reliable processes; appropriate escalation when problems cannot be resolved at the initial level; effective coordination across RASU, SPA, GCA, schools, departments, and other University offices; and continuous improvement based on faculty, staff, and stakeholder feedback.