Updating Grant and Contract Databases
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Question:

I am interested in learning how often institutions with proposal and award
databases automatically remove from their systems the following types of
records:
Pending proposals in which the proposed project begin dates have passed but
notification of declination/rejection/withdrawal has not reached the grant
and contract office
Do offices which automatically purge such records from their databases do
so at fixed intervals--one year after the proposed project begin date?  two
years after the proposed project begin date?

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Answer:
The Office of Research within the Queensland University of Technology,
Brisbane, Australia maintains a mainframe database (the RIS) on which is stored
information regarding applications (proposals) for funding and funding awarded.

All applications are entered on the system as "pending"..and move to either the
"successful" or "unsuccessful" statud. All applications regardless of status
are retained on the database. This allows statistics (trend data) to be
compiled over several years to give a picture of success rates. If applications
that are unsuccessful are removed then it is impossible to determine if the
research effort of a particular area/faculty/discipline is improving in
relation to funds awarded.

Moira Wood
Coordinator, Research Information and Budgets
Office of Research
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane,  Qld AUSTRALIA

email: xxxxxx@qut.edu.au