Sponsored Programs

Sponsored Programs will be closed for Thanksgiving on November 27th & 28th. We will also be closed for Winter Break from December 22nd through January 2. Our office will fully reopen on January 5, 2026.

Please consider these closures when preparing proposals to route. Reminder that proposal routing should start 15 calendar days prior to your deadline to capture all campus approvals before submission. Exceptions will not be permitted at this time.

About Sponsored Programs

The Office of Research and Innovation provides support for the research, creative, and scholarly endeavors of Appalachian faculty, staff, and students. As part of the Office of Research and Innovation, Sponsored Progams provides the authorized institutional signature for submissions to and awards from external sponsors, negotiates terms and conditions of all externally funded project, service, or research agreements, and more.

Cayuse is now live for internal proposal routing and archival storage of related documents.  Although we are still working out some determined bugs, App State is actively routing sponsored projects and other agreements in Cayuse SP.

The new system provides access to all Sponsored Programs, Research Protections (compliance) and Conflict of Interests modules from one easy login.  Once logged into Cayuse, you can easily move across all of the modules as you manage your research activity.

Please go to Cayuse to initiate sponsored project routing forms and to access records for projects active within the last 5 years.  If you need additional assistance, contact grants@appstate.edu.

Gift vs. Grant

Please find below the difference between a gift versus a grant, and the parties responsible for their management.


  1. The funding agency expects you to provide deliverable(s)
    (i.e., product, service, scientific report, fiscal reports, or audits).
  2. The funding agency expects you to enter into a written agreement that is legally enforceable (i.e. administrative terms and conditions for use of funds, provisions for intellectual property, provisions for reporting or publication rights, or any other legal provisions).
  3. Failing to provide a deliverable will result in the sponsor taking actions against the University.

Gift characteristics include:

  1. Irrevocable transfer of funds or other valuable articles
  2. Unrestricted use of funds
  3. No donor-imposed time limits
  4. No deliverables or benefits expected by the donor

For more information, visit: UNC Guideline Document 1.0 - Defining Sponsored Programs (DOCX)