As we approach the close of another productive quarter, I am pleased to share meaningful updates on our Legacy Post-Award Closeout Project. Our commitment to supporting faculty and research staff, while upholding the highest standards of sponsor compliance, remains at the forefront of our work.
We are in the final stretch of cleaning up the backlog of awards requiring closeout within our legacy population. By the end of December 2025, all awards with end dates of November 30, 2022, and earlier will be properly closed in our system. This milestone is especially significant considering that in 2019, the backlog included more than 9,000 legacy awards in need of closeout. Since November of last year alone, we have successfully closed more than 1,500 legacy awards, leaving fewer than 200 remaining.
In addition, we remain on target to completely clear the backlog of expired awards within the current population and are projecting full completion by January 31, 2026.
The Office of Research Grants and Contracts (RGC) continues to make steady progress through a highly coordinated effort between Post-Award Operations, Award Closeout, Chief Business Officers, and Research Administrative Services (RAS) units across campus. This close partnership has been essential to reconciling long-standing awards and enhancing the transparency and efficiency of the post-award process.
Significant strides have been made in streamlining workflows, strengthening communication channels, and resolving long-standing pain points. These improvements include the use of robotic process automation (RPA) for timely communication, clearer escalation processes, and proactive issue resolution, all aimed at reinforcing compliance with sponsor guidelines.
We extend our sincere appreciation to all RAS units, departmental administrators, faculty, and campus partners who continue to support this effort by reviewing outstanding transactions, facilitating timely approvals, and collaborating throughout the reconciliation process. Your partnership, resilience, and innovation continue to drive Emory’s research mission forward.
Together, we are laying the foundation for a more efficient, transparent, and compliant post-award environment that will benefit the entire Emory research community for years to come.