[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]
Welcome and thank you for joining us today.

This presentation covers how to charge travel costs to federally sponsored research awards.

We'll focus on what makes travel allowable, whose travel can be charged,

timing and budget considerations, special requirements, and common mistakes to avoid.

On this slide you can see our objectives and key roles involved.

By the end of this module, you'll understand allowable costs related to travel on sponsored projects.

We'll also highlight the people who are central to this process,

which include the Grant Accounting Office, the principal investigator, and departmental administrators.

Each of these roles has a specific responsibility,

and effective coordination among them is essential to keep our sponsor projects compliant and audit ready.

Now let's talk about charging travel to sponsored projects.

Travel costs must be reasonable and must follow university travel policy and sponsor guidelines.

They also must provide a direct benefit to the project.

If this benefits multiple projects, then the travel should be charged or allocated appropriately across the awards.

Travel should ideally be included in the sponsor's budget.

And some trips may require prior approval before costs can be charged. For federally sponsored awards,

these costs are also subject to uniform guidance and any sponsor specific terms,

so department should keep documentation showing the business purpose and direct benefit to the project.

Travel may be charged for individuals who are currently actively contributing to the project.

For faculty and staff, that contribution is typically supported by an active HR appointment on the award;

meaning the person has committed effort on the projects.

For students, they should have an active HR appointment unless the sponsor specifically requires or funds student travel.

If the student is not appointed to the project,

the department must document both the student's contribution and how the travel supports the overall project goals.

Travel must occur within the awards period of performance.

Costs such as airfare or registration should not be charged if the actual travel will happen after the award end date.

If travel was not budgeted,

sponsor prior approval may be required and the department should be prepared to document how the trip directly benefits the project.

International travel must comply with the Fly America Act and, when applicable, the open sky rules.

Some sponsors also require prior approval for domestic and or foreign travel, so award terms and conditions should always be reviewed before booking.

If costs are determined to be unallowable, then the related travel expenses must be moved to a non-sponsored fund.

In addition, sponsor restrictions may be stricter than university policy, which means any excess costs must be paid from other non-sponsored funds.

There are several common problem areas to watch out for.

Some of those include business meals during travel are only allowable when they follow university policy

and include a non-university employee whose presence is necessary for the discussion, and the discussion is directly benefiting the project.

Economy upgrades, extra legroom, and advanced seat selections are not allowed unless they are clearly justified and documented.

Items such as late registration fees, change fees, and canceled travel may also be disallowed.

You should contact your GAO accountant for review of these costs and questions.

Some frequent mistakes that could occur when traveling on sponsored projects include:

reimbursing travelers for prepaid refueling options on their rental cars.

Travelers should refuel prior to the rental car being dropped off at its drop-off location.

Charging travel for general collaboration is generally not an allowable expense.

Charging travel to collaborate on writing proposals, including proposals that will support continued funding of a existing research project

is also unallowable as that is a pre-award cost and should not be charged to an existing sponsored project.

Please keep in mind the best practice is to document the purpose of the trip. As benefit to the project,

the traveler's eligibility, applicable sponsor rules and any approvals before actually charging the travel to the award.

This slide provides links to additional resources.

The Grant Accounting Office website is your primary hub for policies, guidance, and tools related to sponsored projects.

Please keep in mind that what we've covered today is an overview.

If you encounter specific situations or gray area, these resources are a great first stop.

And as always, you can reach out to the Grant Accounting Office for help.

As we wrap up, I want to emphasize that your role.

Whether you work in a central office, a department, or as part of a research team is critical to safeguarding our research enterprise.

Grant Accounting is here to support you.

If you have any questions, encounter a tricky scenario, or just want a second set of eyes, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your time and all you do to support a compliant high quality research environment here at the University of Iowa.