ORSP is the only office that has the authority to negotiate terms and conditions of any agreement, purchase order, contract or other form as mentioned above. The office works with all PI/PDs to confirm technical aspects of a funded proposal, but more importantly, the staff is experienced in crafting a document that best protects the interests of the university and the faculty or staff member.

DON'T FORGET: ORSP is the only office that has the authority to negotiate terms and conditions of any agreement, purchase order, contract or other form as mentioned above.

At no point in time should a faculty or staff member attempt to negotiate terms and conditions with a potential sponsor. The ORSP managers will act as an intermediary on your behalf. Most funding agreements arrive with little negotiation of terms being necessary. In some cases, however, negotiations can take a significant amount of time. Below are certain clauses that Ohio University cannot accept in any document in support of externally funded research:

• The restriction on the right to publish for faculty or students
• The approval of a document by the sponsor prior to publication
• The relinquishing of the right to data generated from work on the grant
• The acceptance of arbitration
• The acceptance of being bound by another state's laws
• The relinquishing in intellectual property

Most sponsors will allow for modifications of these terms through a basic discussion with their grant or contracting officer. In many cases, ORSP managers already have established relationships with those contracting officers and are intimate with the process by which that agency or company changes an agreement or contact. Once the negotiation process has been completed, the university must accept the document and the work that goes along with it.

All awards are made to Ohio University, not an individual. It is important to remember, that, although you may be the one completing the work, you are completing it as an employee of Ohio University . If a company desires to make a charitable gift to you in support of your research or programs, then you must contact the office of University Advancement at 740.593.2636. When any of the types of award instruments arrive at the University needing an official endorsement, the Vice President for Research or his/her designee are the only university sanctioned individuals that may sign off on an award instrument indicating the University's acceptance.

TIP: All awards are made in the name of Ohio University . Only the Vice President for Research or his/her designee are charged with committing the university to a binding contract for research services.

Whether it is the action of the University cashing a check or signing a contract, the acceptance of externally funded agreements constitute a legally binding agreement to complete the work that is being supported. It is highly important that the negotiation and signature process be completed by the ORSP staff to ensure that the university can enter into a legally binding agreement with terms that are mutually agreed upon.

In most cases, an award instrument will need to be signed by both parties to the agreement. Sometimes an instrument arrives at the University with no signatures. Once the terms are acceptable to Ohio University , the ORSP Director will sign the award instrument and return it to the sponsor for full execution. At this point, you must wait until ORSP attains a fully executed document before a restricted account can be established for your project. Other times, an award instrument comes to the university partially executed – meaning that the sponsor authorized signatory has already signed. At the point in which the terms of the agreement are acceptable, the ORSP Director will countersign, fully executing the document and an account can begin to be established.

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