Fiscal Year End Business Processes
As we approach Northwestern's fiscal year end on August 31, 2023, Sponsored Research (SR) would like to help you prepare for a smooth transition into FY24 and make you aware of year-end business processes.
Award Modification Request Processing at Fiscal Year End
At the end of each fiscal year the volume of award activity spikes, and Sponsored Research (SR) must focus staff efforts on award set-up, award reviews, and sponsor award modifications. To accommodate the increase in awards, SR will be deprioritizing Award Modification Requests (AMRs) during the month of August.
What does this mean?
Similar to the business processes SR implemented at the end of last fiscal year, in order to focus on fiscal year-end action items:
- AMRs submitted by July 31, 2023, will be reviewed and processed as per usual.
- For AMRs submitted August 1 - 31, 2023, priority will be given to AMRs related to incoming awards and to urgent deadline-driven requests.
- Starting August 1, a mechanism to submit prioritization requests for time-sensitive AMRs will be available on the Sponsored Research website. Please also look for an announcement via the Sponsored Research listserv.
- During the month of August, SR staff will not respond to email or phone requests for AMR status. Do not email or call your capsule contacts or the Business Systems & Operations Team regarding AMR status. You can check AMR status in CERES at any time.
- On September 1, 2023, SR will return to reviewing and processing all AMRs as per usual.
Other Fiscal Year-End Deadlines
If your SR-related transaction also requires corresponding action by Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Programs (ASRSP), be mindful of the fiscal year end deadlines outlined by the Office of the Controller.