Understanding the GM097 Sponsored Project Actuals Balance Report in Cognos Analytics
The GM097 displays a comprehensive view of a research departments' entire research project portfolio, including non-clinical sponsored projects, cost-shared projects, and clinical trials.
This report is used by Principal Investigators, Department Research and Finance Administrators, and ASRSP as one tool to manage the suite of sponsored projects for which they are responsible.
Step 1 Navigate to the report
Begin by logging into Cognos Analytics.
- Click Team content, from the Navigation Panel.
- Click Finance, Facilities, and Research Administration folder.
- Click School or Central folder.
- Click Sponsored Programs Management folder.
- Click the report title to see the prompt page.
Step 2 Respond to prompts and run the report
- Respond to prompts as needed to filter the report. Thee report contains all chart strings to which you have access.
- Click Finish. Result: the report appears in HTML or your default format.
Prompt Name |
Prompt Description |
---|---|
Date Options |
|
Manager/Reviewer |
Select your or your manager&aposs name, if available, to limit the report. The Manager for Sponsored Projects is generally the Project PI. |
Fund |
Select one or more Cost Share or Sponsored Funds. |
Contract Status. |
Select one or more Contract Statuses. |
Department Prompt |
|
Project Status |
Filter Project prompt and reports results by All Projects (Default), Active Projects Only, Inactive Projects Only. |
GCFA |
Select one or more Grant and Contract Financial Administrators (GCFAs). |
Report Results



Column Definitions
Indicated by Letter |
Column Name |
Column Description |
---|---|---|
A |
Protocol Number |
Clinical Portfolio only: The IRB Protocol Number associated with the Clinical Award, if any. If more than one, the maximum value. |
B |
ASRSP GCFA |
The Grant and Contract Financial Administrator (GCFA) responsible for managing the award in Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Programs (ASRSP). |
C |
Award ID |
The NUFinancials and InfoEd Award Number to which the Project belongs. |
D |
Fund, Department ID, Department Description, Project ID and Activity ID |
These columns show the chartfields associated with budget and expenditure for the project. The Activity ID is always 01 unless the sponsor requires that spending be restricted by grant year. When this occurs the Activity ID will show the budget period of the grant; 01, 02, 03, etc. |
E |
PI Name |
The current Principal Investigator for the Project. |
F |
Activity Start and End Date |
The Start and End Dates for the Activity. |
G |
Project Start and End Date |
The Start and End Dates for the Project. |
H |
Award Start and End Date |
The Start and End Dates for the Award. |
I |
Contract Start and End Date |
The Start and End Dates for the Contract. |
J |
Sponsor Name |
The NUFinancials Sponsor Name. |
K |
Sponsor Reference Award # |
The identifier assigned by the sponsor to the award. |
L |
FAIN |
The Federal Award Identification Number is an additional identifier provided by the federal government. This field displays “Not Available” for non-federal and non-federal flow-through awards. |
M |
Award Title |
The 30-character Award Title.. |
N |
Project Title |
The 30-character Project Title. |
O |
Primary Project ID |
For Awards with multiple projects, this column lists the project designated as the Primary in NUFinancials. For single-project Awards, it will be the same as the Project ID column. |
P |
Activity Status |
Active or Inactive. |
Q |
Project Status |
Generally Open or Closed. |
R |
Contract Status |
PENDING, ACTIVE or CLOSED. |
S |
Contract Type |
The Contract Type generally indicates the billing method. Options are FIXED_DEF (Fixed Price Deferred Revenue), FP (Fixed Price), INV (Invoiced), LOC (Letter of Credit), PPD (Prepaid), SCH (Scheduled), and SPONSORED (Sponsored: Contract Type not yet assigned). |
T |
FA Rate % and FA Base |
The Facilities & Administration (F&A) Rate is used to calculate charges to the sponsor (for facilities usage and administrative support). This is also called Indirect Cost. On most Federal awards, a negotiated F&A rate reimburses the University for these Indirect Costs. The F&A rate is a percentage charged against the actual (direct cost) amount of a transaction. Non-federal awards may or may not apply the same negotiated rate; they may reimburse at a lower rate, by a lump sum, or not at all (depending on the terms and conditions of the proposal). The F&A Base indicates which accounts are included in the F&A calculation. As an example, on most federal awards, supplies are usually included, while equipment is not. |
U |
Rate Type |
A description of the negotiated F&A Rate applied to the Project./p> |
V |
Cash Received for Award |
Total payments received and applied for all Projects associated with the Award.. |
W |
Total Invoiced for Award |
Total amount invoiced by Northwestern to the sponsor. This amount is of the date the report is run, rather than as of the final day of the accounting period selected. |
X |
Invoiced less Cash Received |
Invoiced less Cash Received A calculation of Unpaid Invoice amounts: Total Invoiced less Cash Received. As noted above, this figure may overstate the actual unpaid amount if run for prior accounting periods. |
Y |
Project Budget Total |
The cumulative budget from the start of the project/activity through the fiscal year and accounting period for which the report was run. These totals include any increases or decreases made to the budget over time. |
Z |
Direct Cost Expenditures |
The cumulative total of posted (paid) expense transactions from the start of the project/activity through the fiscal year and accounting period. |
AA |
Direct Cost Encumbrance |
Encumbrances are the total commitments against the budget that are not yet posted (actual paid expenses). These include Requisitions/Purchase Orders, Payroll encumbrances, and Journals and Expense reports still in workflow. |
BB |
F&A Expenditures |
The cumulative total of F&A expense posted to the project. |
CC |
F&A Encumbrance |
F&A calculated on Direct Cost Encumbrances. Present on this report, but not in NUFinancials. |
DD |
Available Balance |
Non-clinical Portfolio: Total Budget less Direct and F&A Expenditures and Encumbrances. Clinical Portfolio: Cash Received less Direct and F&A Expenditures and Encumbrances. |
EE |
Calculated Direct Cost Balance |
A calculation of the Direct Cost portion of the Available Balance. |