Documentation:Orientation for New Researchers/RTA
Research & Trust Accounting
Research and Trust Accounting (RTA) provides post-award support to help UBC researchers manage their Project Grant (PG) activities and balances. RTA ensures all sponsored research and specific purpose funds are administered in compliance with funding agency, university, and accounting policies. RTA helps to:
- prepare financial reports for sponsors;
- handle invoicing and cash collection;
- monitor compliance with sponsor and UBC policies;
- monitor over-expenditure;
- transfer funds to/from collaborating institutions;
- manage cheque deposits and budget adjustments;
- reconcile budget with payments from sponsors; and
- establish policies, controls & reporting systems for departments.
To ensure no delay in setting up PGs, researchers need to submit all documentation to ORS during the application process, including ethics approvals and biohazard certificates where required. Contact Research Services to determine whether a research account (R fund) and budget has been set up. If the account is a specified trust account (S fund), RTA can inform you on the status of the account. Questions on expense eligibility, account balance or financial statements and invoices can be directed to RTA.
Researcher Responsibilities
The researcher is responsible for:
- authorizing expenses charged to the account;
- ensuring expenses are eligible under funding agency guidelines;
- complying with UBC policies and procedures;
- contacting sponsor agency if your status changes;
- contacting sponsor agency to request a term extension;
- responsible for any over-expenditures on their PG account;
- notifying RTA to inactivate account if research is completed;
- notifying RTA of change in status or change in address; and
- completing progress/technical reports when required.
Monthly hard copy ledgers are distributed to department administrators who forward them to researchers for review. You can also review PG details online once you have applied for CWL account and obtained access to FMSnQuery.