Procedure: ARIES record establishment and milestone management

Purpose

This procedure informs the requirements, roles and responsibilities of establishing ARIES records and the management of ARIES milestones.

Definitions

ARIES is the ANU Research Information Enterprise System used to manage the research and non-research activities and outputs across the university.

Local Area is the relevant College or Research School, including but not limited to finance, research management and school administration staff.

Milestones are contractual obligations that the University must fulfil. ARIES stores the due date and status of each milestone and generates automatic email reminders based on the data recorded.

Performance Obligations are contractual obligations that the University must fulfil before revenue can be recognised in accordance with accounting standard AASB15.

Procedure

Establishment of ARIES record

1. The local area is responsible for:

• creating an ARIES record when an application or proposal for funding (excluding exempt non-research grants and contracts) is submitted;
• creating the ARIES record in accordance with the Mandatory ARIES Grant Checklist (training information on establish a record in ARIES is found in the ARIES Training | Services (anu.edu.au) and found on the ANU Funding portal;
• uploading relevant project information to ARIES related to the activities and nature of funds, including any amendments: such as budgets, financial reporting templates, CPA tool approval, internal cash contribution memo etc; and

• providing the required ARIES data on initiation of project funding including, but not limited to:

Table 1: Required ARIES data

2. FOR RESEARCH CONTRACTS: The Research Contracts Office in Office of

Research and information Services is responsible for:

• uploading of relevant project information including but not limited to contracts, funding agreements, variations; and
• completing Awarded Funding, Milestones, IP and Contract tabs.

FOR NON-RESEARCH CONTRACTS: The Local area is responsible for:

• Uploading of relevant project information including but not limited to contracts, funding agreements, variations; and
• Completing Awarded Funding, Milestones, IP and Contract tabs.

Table 2: Required Key Financial Reporting Information in the Contract Tab

• Research Financial Advisory team in Finance and Business Services are responsible for:

• entering the relevant income natural account code in the ARIES record;
• entering and activating GLC in the ARIES record; and
• routinely reviewing ARIES records ensuring audit requirements, CFO certification requirement, interest payment requirement, and financial milestones have been entered correctly in the contract tab.

• Corporate Finance and Financial Reporting team in Finance and Business Services is responsible for entering revenue recognition assessment and performance obligations (where applicable).

ARIES milestone management

• Research Milestones

a. The Office of Research and Information Services is responsible for initiating

milestone reports to capture research milestone requirements

b. The local area is responsible for:

• take action as required;
• adding relevant research documentation to ARIES record;
• updating ARIES research milestones with relevant completion dates; and
• submitting required research milestones (i.e. research report, ethics approval) to funds provider, and marking off the research milestone. If there is no milestone in ARIES at the time, it is the responsibility of the local area to update ARIES record.

• Financial milestones

a. The Office of Research and Information Services is responsible for initiating

milestone reports to capture research milestone requirements

b. The local area is responsible for:

• preparing reviewing, and certifying financial statements as required by the Statement Risk Matrix;
• adding relevant financial documentation to the ARIES record including working papers and the certified financial statement;
• updating ARIES financial milestones with relevant completion dates
• submitting required financial milestones (i.e. invoices, certified financial statements) to funds provider; and
• marking off the financial milestone for the certified financial statement. If there is no milestones in ARIES at the time, it is the responsibility of the local area to update ARIES record.

3. The Accounts Receivable team in Financial Shared Services (FSS) is responsible for updating the ARIES milestone with the completion date and invoice number. If there is no milestone in ARIES at the time of raising the invoice it is the responsibility of the local area to update ARIES.
4. The Research Financial Advisory is responsible for:

• preparing, reviewing and certifying financial statements as required by the Statement Risk Matrix;
• sending the certified financial statement to the local area for distribution to funds provider.

5. Audit milestones

a. The Research Financial Advisory is responsible for:

• initiating milestone reports to capture audit requirements;
• advising local areas of action required, ensuring sufficient time is provided for local areas to perform their required tasks and meet audit time constraints;
• liaising with local areas and the University’s appointed service provider to complete the required external audit; and sending the certified statement to local area for distribution to funds provider;

b. The local area is responsible for:

• completing the pre-audit checklist;
• completing the Payroll Costing Analysis reconciliation if relevant;
• providing relevant information requested by auditors;
• adding the certified audited financial statement and relevant audit documents to the ARIES record
• updating ARIES audit milestones with relevant completion dates; and
• submitting the certified audited financial statement to the funds provider.
• If there is no milestone in ARIES at the time, it is the responsibility of the local area to update ARIES record.

c. Financial Shared Services are responsible for providing financial documentation

requested by auditors.

Revenue Recognition Assessment and Performance Obligations

6. The Corporate Finance and Financial Reporting (CFFR) team in Finance and Business Services (F&BS) is responsible for:

• completing the revenue recognition assessment using the Revenue Assessment form;
• uploading the completed Revenue Assessment form in the Documents Tab in ARIES;
• updating the Obligations Tab in ARIES based on conclusions reached in the Revenue Assessment form, including entering Performance Obligations (where applicable); and
• the monthly revenue recognition calculation that is posted in the University’s Financial Information Management System (ES Financials).