Track II – The Sponsored Programs Accounting & Regulatory Certification (SPARC) Training
Series Overview
The Sponsored Programs Accounting & Regulatory Certification (SPARC) training program is specifically designed for department administrators and other staff who provide direct post award fiscal and administrative support of sponsored projects to Principal Investigators.
The series is comprised of five workshops and each of the workshops in the series will be conducted throughout the academic year. They will be presented by our subject matter experts from the Sponsored Programs Accounting Office.
Certification Process
To obtain the SPARC, employees must complete the required workshops in Track I (and receive a certificate of completion) within 2 years of completing Track II. After attending all of the SPARC workshops, employees are required to satisfactorily complete a competency test. The test, which will be offered online, will be comprised of true and false and multiple choice questions. When taking the test, employees may refer to workshop materials and information on the SPA web site.
In addition to workshop handouts, attendees will receive a comprehensive training manual, designed to be a reference guide for later use.
Annual Recertification
An optional Update/Refresher workshop will be offered once per year prior to the required completion date of the annual competency test (see below for more information). Individuals who have not yet taken the competency test (which is required to obtain the certification) may also attend this workshop. Individuals who have successfully completed the SPARC program will be required to attend the Update/Refresher workshop annually to maintain a current certification.
| Workshop | Link |
|---|---|
| Workshop I | Introduction to Accounting for Grants and Contracts |
| Workshop II | Other Direct Costs |
| Workshop III | Compensation and Effort Reporting |
| Workshop IV | Accounting for Cost Share Commitments |
| Workshop V | Audits and Compliance |
