U Research‘s Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and Research Management & Compliance, through Grants & Contracts Accounting (GCA) are pleased to announce the transition of award closeout responsibilities to GCA.
Effective July 1, 2026, GCA serves as the primary office responsible for facilitating all award closeout activities, including both financial and non-financial closeout requirements, final reporting coordination, and sponsor-required closeout deliverables.
Closeout is a critical phase of the award lifecycle, requiring coordination across financial management, compliance offices, faculty, and sponsors. As the University’s post-award portfolio continues to grow, centralizing closeout activities within GCA allows us to align these responsibilities with the teams and resources dedicated to closeout support, creating a more integrated approach to award management through the final stages of a project.
“This transition reflects the shared goal of continuously improving research administration services and positioning the University to effectively support a growing and increasingly complex research portfolio.” Brent Brown, Assistant Vice President (Interim) for Research & Director of Sponsored Projects.
What This Means for Researchers
Researchers and departmental administrators should now look to GCA as the primary point of contact for all award closeout matters. GCA will now centralize closeout activities, manage sponsor requirements, meet critical deadlines, and ensure awards are closed accurately and efficiently.
This change does not affect responsibilities during the active award period. Interim progress reports (including RPPRs) and other non-financial award requirements remain under OSP oversight and should continue to be managed through OSP. GCA’s role applies specifically to award closeout activities and final sponsor reporting requirements.
This change brings financial oversight, financial compliance activities, and final reporting coordination together within a single team focused on the final stages of the award lifecycle.
Looking Ahead
“By leveraging GCA’s post-award focus and dedicated resources, we aim to provide efficient, coordinated, and responsive support throughout the closeout process while maintaining strong collaboration across the research administration community.” Casey Erickson, Associate Vice President (Interim) for Research Finance & Administration
If you have closeout-related questions that you would have previously directed to OSP, please contact GCA at GCAcloseout@utah.edu.
We appreciate your partnership and patience as we update resources and implement this transition.
