April 9, 2012—Bonita Springs, FL. A five-part series of instructional Webinars focusing on the five key areas of the grants management process that have proven to be the most troublesome for principal investigators has been recently released by Principal Investigators Association (PIA).

The series is based on recommendations from agencies, an analysis of Office of Inspector General reports at the NSF and NIH highlighting compliance issues, recommendations from Internal Audit experts at Universities, advice from grants management personnel and the direct experience of PIs.

“There is a tendency to get going with the proposed research the instant a grant is funded. However, a pause is very worthwhile to consider the actual management of the project,” says co-author of this series Michael Lesiecki, PhD. “PIs have very defined grants management responsibilities, unfortunately Universities and PIs have suffered significant consequences because of lack of knowledge, procedure or process in this area. To get started on the right foot, PIs must build their knowledge of their responsibilities and collaborate closely with internal offices. This Webinar series will show PIs exactly how to accomplish this.”

The series includes five unique Webinars focusing on each of these five major grant management topics:

- Effort Reporting from A to Z (April 11th - 2:00-3:00 PM EST): During this insightful webinar your expert presenter clearly defines the PIs effort reporting responsibilities, provides an insider’s look into the audit process to help in knowing what to do when the auditor comes, reveals collaboration tactics with the institution to ensure compliance, and much more. Direct examples from major universities will be shared.

- The Ins and Outs of Costs, Purchases and Budgets (April 25th - 2:00-3:00 PM EST): Walk away from this Webinar with a clear understanding of the processes involved between the grant acceptance and getting the budget initiated. PIs will realize how to use the proposal itself as their starting point for guiding the spending of funds and how to reallocate those funds should the circumstances dictate. PIs will learn who is responsible for grant expenditures, how to judge the allowability of expenditures and importantly, what grant funds may not be used for.

- Key Tactics for Effective Monitoring (May 9th - 2:00-3:00 PM EST): During this information-packed webinar your expert presenter uncovers the key features PI’s need to include to build a successful monitoring system. Learn what auditors look for as evidence of adequate or inadequate monitoring practices, quickly identify high risk areas that require extra monitoring, and gear up with effective strategies to implement when things go wrong.

- Reporting and Revision Strategies Funders Will Applaud (May 23rd - 2:00-3:00 PM EST): In this how-to webinar your presenter will show you how to make reporting an integral part of the project activities. You will also dig into what the funding agency does with the reports, how they are used to authorize next funding increments and how they help program officers demonstrate the value of the program. When done effectively, reports can become a powerful external and internal communications tool.

- Tackling Compliance Requirements Like a Pro (June 6th - 2:00-3:00 PM EST): This insightful webinar will delineate how to develop a management process that results in fulfillment of compliance, shares effective approaches for easing the burden of data management, provides proven methods for managing conflicts of interest, and much more.

The Webinars will be presented by Michael Lesiecki, PhD. Dr. Lesiecki is the principal investigator for a large grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program. He has 27 peer-reviewed journal publications and one patent. He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Oregon State University.

Each Webinar runs for 60 minutes. The entire series may be purchased at an early-bird rate. Individual Webinars are also available for purchase. All Webinars are available in 4 formats: Live, CD-Rom, MP4 and PDF Transcript. Visit their website for more details and registration information.

PIA is an independent organization that helps scientists in all fields master their operational and financial challenges.

For additional information, visit their website at www.principalinvestigators.org/grantsmanagementwebinarser...top, or call 800-303-0129 ext. 506.

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The Principal Investigators Association (PIA) is an independent organization created for professionals just like you! Our mission is to create a sharing network and community among scientists in all fields of research.

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This release was published on openPR.