All university work — including research, teaching, service, clinical work, and administrative duties — performed by an employee over a defined period of time is the employee's "effort." When UCSD accepts a federally-sponsored project award, a legal obligation is made to certify that the effort required as a condition of the award has actually been completed.

The percentage of effort for a project is calculated as follows:
Average weekly project hours / Average weekly UCSD hours = % project effort

Effort reporting is the method of certifying to granting agencies that the required effort has actually been completed. All employee salaries charged directly to federal and federal flow-through funds must be certified according to OMB Circular A-21.

Effort reporting is important because salary expenses are the major source of direct charges to federal funds. Improper or incomplete effort reporting can cost the university money in the form of audit disallowances and can jeopardize future federal research funding.

UCSD currently satisfies its effort reporting requirement through Personal Activity Reports (PARs). UCSD is currently implementing a new effort reporting tool developed with other UC campuses and the Office of the President. Read about the upcoming Electronic Certification of Effort and Reporting Tool (ECERT).

Effort reports are required for all personnel paid directly from sponsored projects funded by federal sources, including private and state federal flow-through funds.

Effort reports will be available electronically to departments on a quarterly basis as follows:

Questions? Contact Ashley Clipson, (858) 822-1391 or Mark Cooper, (858) 534-1110.