At many research institutions, pre-award and post-award functions operate within the same sponsored programs ecosystem but often with different priorities, policies, and operational pressures. The result can be gaps in communication, misaligned expectations, and inefficiencies that affect the entire research lifecycle.

This full-day interactive workshop explores how institutions can build stronger bridges between pre-award and post-award teams to create a more seamless, compliant, and strategic approach to research administration.

Drawing on their combined expertise across the entire sponsored project lifecycle, the panelists will guide participants through the points where operational misalignment most commonly occurs from proposal development and budgeting to award negotiation, award and financial management, and closeout. Their partnership reflects real-world collaboration between pre-award leadership and post-award financial management at a large research university.

Participants will explore how policies, budgets, compliance expectations, and institutional systems must align across both functions to support faculty success and institutional stewardship of sponsored funds.