Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance
Welcome to SPaRC!
If you are a Bates College faculty or staff member, and you want funding for your research or other professional interests, we can help.
The office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPaRC) is the authorized organizational representative for government (federal, state, local) grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. We also work with individual faculty members to assist in securing research and sponsored program support from colleges and universities, hospitals, foundations, corporations, and other private entities, including faculty applying for Fulbright fellowships. SPaRC also works closely with the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, who secures and stewards funding for institutional priorities.
SPaRC provides a “full service” shop that supports faculty and staff in both pre- and post-award activities from idea generation through award closeout.
Pre-Award Activities
SParC works with faculty and staff to identify grant opportunities, develop a concept into a project, proposal development including budget generation and approval, and review and submission of proposals to external funders.
Post-award Activities
SPaRC is responsible for executing awards and overseeing and providing guidance on both the administrative and financial aspects of the funded project. SPaRC works closely with Principal Investigators to review and approve all award documents, monitor expenditures against the College and funder’s policies and against the award budget to identify and resolve budget overruns and other compliance issues, manage direct cost sharing and match commitments per award terms, prepare and submit financial reports both internally and externally, revise budgets, processes amendments or extensions of the award. Support from SPaRC continues through closeout of the award, ending with the submission of final programmatic and financial reports.
Compliance
SPaRC is responsible for 1) ensuring financial transactions follow the terms of the grant, federal/cost principles, and Bates policies, 2) in association with various committees and departments on campus, ensuring compliance with regulations associated with responsible conduct of research, including training, research involving human subjects, animals, or materials that pose a biosafety concern, and financial conflict of interest.
Fulbright Scholars and other Fellowships
SPaRC is happy to serve as a resource for faculty as they prepare application materials for Fulbright Scholarships or other individual fellowships. Please contact the Director of Sponsored Programs with questions and for assistance.
If you are a Bates student who needs financial aid, please visit Student Financial Services. For more information on internal funds for student research, please visit the Student Research page. To learn more about fellowships for graduate study or other post-Bates endeavors, please visit Graduate Fellowships.