PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION
Purple Sheep CPE™
Institutional Funding & Proposal Development (Pre-Award) Series™
6.0 CPE Contact Hours | Self-Paced Professional Education
SERIES OVERVIEW
Pre-award activity is not administrative preparation. It is the point at which institutional commitments are established, financial exposure is defined, and compliance obligations are embedded into the research lifecycle.
Institutions operating within sponsored environments are accountable for interpreting sponsor requirements, translating those requirements into enforceable internal obligations, and sustaining control systems that withstand audit, review, and operational stress.
This series provides a structured, risk-based examination of institutional practices across proposal development, award interpretation, financial stewardship, documentation systems, third-party governance, and closeout readiness.
Institutional exposure rises when pre-award decisions are treated as transactional rather than structural. Weak interpretation, undocumented assumptions, and fragmented oversight create recurring risk that surfaces during audit, financial review, or sponsor inquiry.
KEY AREAS OF FOCUS
Across six modules, this series examines:
• Award interpretation and institutional obligation analysis
• Financial stewardship systems and accountability structures
• Cost allowability, allocability, and defensible financial judgment
• Subrecipient governance and third-party accountability
• Documentation systems and financial compliance controls
• Award closeout governance and institutional exposure
These areas reflect the points at which institutional risk is most frequently introduced and least consistently controlled.
PROGRAM EMPHASIS
This series emphasizes:
• Institutional exposure identification and mitigation
• Internal control systems design and sustainability
• Governance accountability across decentralized environments
• Documentation defensibility under audit conditions
• Regulatory and operational alignment
These weaknesses create recurring risk because they are often embedded in process assumptions rather than formally governed systems.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
This series is structured as six standalone modules that function as an integrated system of institutional oversight.
Each module includes:
• Governance-level instructional content aligned to institutional operations
• Scenario-based analysis reflecting real institutional risk conditions
• Applied learning activities designed to test control system thinking
• Knowledge validation through structured assessment
Topic structure is standardized across all modules to reinforce continuity and audit defensibility, including required engagement activities and formal knowledge checks.
Each module is designed to stand alone while contributing to a comprehensive institutional control framework.
REGULATORY & COMPLIANCE ALIGNMENT
This series aligns with established regulatory and control frameworks, including:
• 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance)
• ICH Good Clinical Practice (E6)
• Applicable FDA regulations for sponsored and clinical environments
• COSO Internal Control Framework principles
Content reflects both regulatory requirements and operational realities within higher education, academic medical centers, and research-intensive institutions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this series, participants will be able to:
• Evaluate institutional exposure introduced during pre-award activities
• Assess the strength and sustainability of internal control systems
• Identify breakdowns in governance accountability across roles and units
• Determine whether documentation practices meet audit defensibility standards
• Analyze financial and compliance risk embedded in proposal and award structures
• Apply structured decision-making aligned with regulatory expectations
COMPLETION & AUDIT VERIFICATION
Completion of this series requires:
• Full review of all instructional content across six modules
• Completion of required engagement activities within each module
• Successful completion of knowledge check assessments
Participant activity, progression, and completion records are maintained to support audit verification and institutional documentation requirements.
SERIES CONTINUITY
The Institutional Funding & Proposal Development (Pre-Award) Series™ functions as a foundational component within the Purple Sheep CPE™ ecosystem.
It establishes the structural baseline for:
• Post-award financial management and compliance oversight
• Institutional audit readiness and control system validation
• Advanced governance and operational risk frameworks
Participants may complete modules individually or as a full series depending on institutional need and role alignment.
APPROPRIATE FOR
This series is designed for:
• Experienced research administrators
• Departmental and central office leaders
• Sponsored programs professionals
• Institutional compliance and audit personnel
• Individuals responsible for financial stewardship and regulatory alignment
It is structured for professionals operating within complex institutional environments where accountability, documentation, and control systems are critical.
CREDENTIAL ALIGNMENT
This series is designed to support continuing education and professional development aligned with:
• Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) expectations (CRA, CPRA, CFRA)
• Clinical research compliance and certification domains, including the Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) credential administered by the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA)
• Clinical research competencies aligned with ACRP certification frameworks
• Internal audit and compliance competencies aligned with CIA principles
CPE DOCUMENTATION STATEMENT
This half-series, when completed, represents 6.0 CPE contact hours.
Access & Content Standards
Access to this program is provided for 12 months from the date of enrollment.
Purple Sheep CPE™ content is reviewed and updated annually to reflect evolving federal regulations, institutional requirements, and compliance expectations. This ensures all learning remains current, relevant, and audit-defensible.
Access beyond the initial 12-month period requires continued enrollment to maintain alignment with updated content and compliance standards.
Purple Sheep CPE™ programs are designed to meet the expectations of institutions operating within regulated and compliance-driven environments.
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The Institutional Funding & Proposal Development Series offers a refreshing and thoughtfully designed approach to continuing education in research administration. Unlike many traditional training programs that focus primarily on passive information delivery, this series integrates practical application with real institutional workflows and pre-award responsibilities.
As someone working in research administration, I appreciated how closely the content aligned with the realities of proposal development, compliance, documentation, and institutional coordination. The modules were well organized, easy to follow, and structured in a way that reinforced both foundational knowledge and real-world application.
The combination of video instruction, written materials, and applied learning activities created a more engaging and meaningful learning experience than standard compliance-style training formats. I especially found value in the emphasis on practical implementation rather than theory alone.
This series would serve as an excellent onboarding and professional development resource for research administration teams looking to strengthen institutional knowledge and support consistent pre-award practices.