Business Policies and Procedures Manual
Chapter 40: Sponsored Agreements

Research or Conference Account Request

BPPM 40.07

For more information contact:
   Controller’s Office
   509-335-2058

Sponsored Programs Request Criteria

University personnel use the Workday requests titled Research or Conference Request (RCAR—New Subaccount) and the Research or Conference Request (RCAR—FCPA) to request a new award when:

  • A new award line is required for an existing award.
  • A new fixed price consolidation award (FCPA) is needed.

New award requests for purposes other than those listed above require approval from the Office of Research Support and Operations (ORSO) and/or General Accounting, as applicable. See the list below for some of these awards:

  • An account is required for a faculty member or graduate student sponsoring their own research.
  • An award line is required for a WSU internal competition award.

    An internal competition is a competitive process in which WSU serves as the grantor or granting agency. In some cases an official award letter is issued, rather than an RCAR.

  • An award is required for a conference, seminar, or workshop related to a sponsored agreement.
  • A new blanket research award is required.

    Blanket research awards are for use by College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) personnel only.

Other Uses of RCAR

Other uses of the RCAR include requests for awards for conferences, seminars, or workshops not related to sponsored agreements. Such requests require approval from General Accounting; telephone 509-335-2013 for assistance.

Questions

Direct questions regarding the Workday RCAR—New Subaccount and RCAR—FCPA requests to Sponsored Programs Services (SPS), telephone 509-335-2058. See also the Workday Create Sponsored Account Request reference guide for instructions.

General Guidelines

This process is not intended to provide a means to by-pass standard institutional approval systems for sponsored programs.

Expenditures

Monies deposited to such accounts are expended in accordance with existing federal, state, and University policies.

Title to Equipment

See BPPM 20.50 and 20.78.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property developed using a research or conference account is subject to University intellectual property policies.  See BPPM Chapter 35, Executive Policy Manual EP38, and the Faculty Manual.

Overdrafts/Disallowances

By approving the research or conference request in Workday, the department chair or designee assigned with the applicable approving role acknowledges that the department is responsible for any overdrafts or disallowances related to the use of the account.

Self-Sponsored Research Accounts

Use of Funds

Use of account funds is subject to applicable policies, procedures, regulations, and statutes. Regardless of the source, these funds are considered assets of the University. Funds must be expended in a manner that promotes the University-related purposes as documented and approved on the RCAR. If not fully expended, any remaining balance will not be returned to an employee. (See also BPPM 40.09 regarding consistent treatment of costs.)

IRS

The Internal Revenue Service does not allow an individual to claim as a tax deduction a contribution to a research account under their control.

Deposits

Checks payable to WSU from external sponsors may not be deposited to a self-sponsored research award. Awards supported by external sponsors must be established and approved through the process described in BPPM 40.02.

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Revisions:  January 2021 (Rev. 560); Sept. 2008 (Rev. 328); Sept. 2000 (Rev. 169); Nov. 1986 – new policy (Rev. 65).