Finance and Budget

University Controller’s Office

Grants and Contracts

Grants and Contracts Accounting

Grants & Contracts Accounting 

Mission Statement: The Office of Grants & Contracts Accounting is committed to providing exceptional customer service by ensuring compliance, transparency and integrity in the fiscal management of sponsored research.

VCU’s grants & contracts accounting office (G&C) oversees the post-award financial administration of sponsored projects. This encompasses providing financial reports to sponsored entities as well as depositing federal, nonfederal, and other externally sponsored funds. Additionally, G&C assists in interpreting policy, guidance and regulations relevant to the research administration community, provides documentation for external audit, and oversees the University’s Effort Reporting System (ECC).

We encourage you to utilize the Post-Award Guidelines drop down menu on the left of this page to review procedures detailing core functions within the post-award administration of sponsored research.

G&C has developed a Strategic Plan that will help our team navigate the exciting and challenging road ahead. Initially comprising two phases that will carry us through CY2024, the Grants and Contracts Strategic Plan 2024  lays the foundation to meet growth in research and the changing regulatory landscape, while providing career growth opportunities for our team.

More information is outlined in the article: The Importance of Strategic Planning in Research Administration.pdf by Ezrah Medina and Javeria Kazi in the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) magazine December 2023 edition. 

Research Administration Advisory Board

The Research Administration Advisory Board (RAAB) was developed in 2022 to provide feedback, insight and advice on a variety of initiatives, ideas and action plans proposed by VCU research leadership. As VCU’s research enterprise grows and cross-disciplinary research becomes more prevalent across the university, adaptation is necessary to provide an infrastructure capable of supporting the changing environment. The RAAB’s unique contribution to the VCU research enterprise is its ability to deliver in depth analyses of urgent issues through the lens of those carrying out the day to day operations of research at VCU.

The RAAB reports to the Associate Vice President of Research Administration (OVPRI), the Senior Associate Vice President of Finance and Operations (OVPRI), and the Director of Grants and Contracts Accounting (Controller’s Office). Members are selected to represent a diversity of experience, perspective and background, while also reflecting the different roles in the research administration community.

In an article written by co-chair Ezrah Medina, RAAB is receiving widespread recognition in the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) magazine. Read the article Foster Collaboration article in the NCURA magazine.                   

For more information on RAAB, including membership and project summaries, please visit Research and Innovation.

 VCU Research Departments and Offices