NEH/DOE Providing Support for Humanities Research on Supercomputers

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are working together to provide humanities scholars with access to DOE supercomputers.

Humanities High-Performance Computing grants provide computer time on DOE machines at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as well as training and support to enable scholars to take full advantage of those resources. The goal of the program is to provide opportunities for humanities scholars whose research requires high-performance computing to collaborate with computer scientists and others at centers already familiar with the challenges of intensive data mining, visualization, and other demanding applications.

Proposal guidelines are available at http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/hhpc.html. The deadline is July 15, 2008.

NIH Creates New Central Processing Center for Closeout

The National Institutes of Health has announced a new business process and the creation of a centralized processing center for receiving closeout documents submitted for all NIH grants and cooperative agreements.

This centralized office receives and processes reports submitted by regular U.S. mail, courier, and overnight services, as well as by e-mail and fax. The office also processes information submitted electronically through the Closeout feature in the eRA Commons.

Effective immediately, all non-financial NIH closeout documents (such as the final progress report and HHS 568 Final Invention Statement and Certification) not submitted through the eRA Commons will be required to be submitted to the following address:

NIH Centralized Processing Center
6705 Rockledge Drive
RM 2207, MSC 7987
Bethesda, MD 20892 (for regular or U.S. Postal Service Express mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for other courier/express deliveries only)
E-mail: DeasCentralized@od.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 480-2304

This does not include submission of the SF269 Financial Status Report which will continue to require electronic, online submission through the eRA Commons.

HHMI Offers New Grant Program for Early Career Faculty

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced a major new grant program for early career faculty in wide variety of fields, including all areas of basic biological and biomedical research, and areas of chemistry, physics, computer science, and engineering that are directly related to biology or medicine.

In the 2009 Early Career Scientist Competition, HHMI is offering over $300 million total to support as many as 70 investigators. Awardees will receive six-year, non-renewable appointments including full salary and research support while remaining affiliated with their home institution. A second competition is planned for 2011.

Applicants must have between two and six years of experience since first being appointed as an assistant professor or equivalent. The applicant's first faculty position as assistant professor must have begun no earlier than June 1, 2002, and no later than September 1, 2006.

Individuals who are selected as early career scientists may hold only one other early career award from a federal agency (for example, the NIH Director's New Innovator Award or the NSF CAREER Award) or comparable award from a foundation. Applicants may hold one or more grants from NIH, NSF, or other sponsors. Researchers without such grants are also eligible.

Prospective applicants must indicate intention to apply by April 30, 2008, at 2 p.m. ET, through the electronic application system on the HHMI web site.

Campus Training Resources: Workshop DVD Library

The Research Administration and Compliance Office has DVDs of the following NCURA workshops and other training material available for campus departments to borrow. To borrow a DVD, contact Alaisha Hellman (3-2836, amhellman@berkeley.edu). RAC is ordering the 2008 NCURA TV DVDs; they will be listed here when available.

NCURA TV Satellite Broadcast Recordings

• Conflict of Interest: How to Spot and Manage It (June 2007)
• Effort Reporting (March 2007)
• Sponsored Program Essentials (January 2007)
• Post-award Issues for the Pre-award and Departmental Administrator (January 2006)
• Best Practices in Research Compliance: Update on Policies and Regulations and Implementation at Institutions (September 2005)
• Principles of Federal Research and Development Contracting (June 2005)

Other DVDs

• What Are We Signing Anyway (NCURA Course, December 2005)
• Export Control Session (UC IP Managers/C&G Officers Meeting, November 2005)

Limited Submissions Announcements Moving to CALmessages

The Vice Chancellor for Research Office will be using the improved features of the recently upgraded CALmessages system to provide the campus with a better method for announcing limited submission funding programs. Using CALmessages, the VCRO will now send limited submission announcements to faculty within targeted departments and/or units based on the focus of the agency funding program or, when the program is more general, to faculty campus-wide. For example, a program funding public health research would be directed only to faculty within the School of Public Health.

Research administrators and other staff who also wish to be notified of upcoming limited submission deadlines must sign up for the Limited Submission CALmessages list at https://calmessages.berkeley.edu/subscribe (CalNet authorization required). Faculty members do not need to sign up for this list; they will receive messages automatically. Staff who sign up for the list will receive all messages, not just those specific to their department.

Limited submission programs with campus deadlines will continue to be listed at http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/limited.html. Messages will also be archived in CALmessages. For more information on CALmessages, see https://calmessages.berkeley.edu/. Questions about limited submission announcements on CALmessages may be addressed to either Shelley Sprandel (spore@berkeley.edu, 2-8122) or Jackie Jones (jackie_jones@berkeley.edu, 3-1795).

NIH Announces Fiscal Policy for FY2008

The National Institutes of Health on Monday, January 28, announced its FY2008 fiscal policy. The policy reflects the $29.2 billion NIH appropriation for FY2008; a 1% increase over the FY2007 funding level. Highlights of the NIH fiscal policy include:

1) Non-Competing Awards. These will be funded, on average, at approximately a 98% level of the previously established commitments. Note, previously established commitments were based on a 3% inflation allowance. Since the NIH appropriation resulted in only a 1% increase, the previously established commitments had to be adjusted, accordingly.

2) Competing Awards. The average cost of competing awards will be allowed to increase by 1% over FY2007. It is estimated this will allow the ICs to support the NIH investigator pool with approximately 9,700 new and competing RPGs, and will allow the number of new investigators to be comparable to the average of the most recent five years.

3) Career Awards, SBIR/STTRs. These programs will generally be funded at the committed levels.

4) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). Funds for stipends, tuition and training-related expenses are held at the FY2007 levels.

Each IC will be required to manage its portfolio in compliance with the 1% NIH appropriation increase. However, the FY2008 fiscal policy does allow each IC more flexibility than was provided in FY2006 and FY2007 (both years also experienced sub-inflation appropriation increases). For example, individual Non-Competing Awards may be funded at a higher level, or a lower level, as long as the IC (in total) remains in compliance with its funding target (i.e., 1% increase).

Specific funding strategies for each IC will be available on February 6, 2008. In addition, institutions can contact an NIH Grants Management Specialist on questions related to specific awards.

Berkeley Coeus 4 Upgrade Complete: New Passwords for Coeus Web Accounts

The Research Administration and Compliance Information Systems team (RAC-IS) has successfully finished the upgrade to Berkeley Coeus version 4. All core components of the system (proposals, awards, subcontracts) and all associated infrastructure elements (state of the art development environment, future upgrade capability, Coeus-to-BFS feed, reporting mechanisms) have been upgraded and RAC-IS is now pleased to announce the rollout of the new Coeus Web.

The updated web service runs on new technology and infrastructure. All reports available on the old system are available on the new system. The campus Master Org Tree hierarchy has been implemented to identify organization units associated with proposals and awards. Benefits of the new system include enhanced capabilities for documenting proposal reviews, tracking agreement negotiations, managing subcontracts and subcontractors, and compliance information, among others.

New Coeus Web Passwords

Existing campus users of Coeus Web will need new passwords in order to access the new system.

UPDATE: To sign up to activate your account and receive a new Coeus Web password, to request a new account, or for more information on Berkeley Coeus Web and Coeus version 4, please contact Neil Maxwell (nmaxwell@berkeley.edu, 2-0123).

Please note that accounts established for departments are shared accounts; accounts for faculty are established for the individual faculty member.

More About the Berkeley Coeus 4 Upgrade

The Berkeley Coeus system is the institutional system of record for tracking all Berkeley campus research proposals and awards processed by the Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) and the Industry Alliances Office (IAO). Data captured in Coeus is passed automatically to the Berkeley Financial System (BFS) to establish and modify fund accounts for project spending, and is also used to provide required reports to the UC Office of the President.

The upgrade is a complete technical migration. The client application is now written in Java; upgrades from MIT will be incorporated as they are released, while at the same time preserving Berkeley customizations; the entire system runs on Campus Data Center Web Farm and database infrastructure; and all legacy data has been migrated to the new system.

The upgrade project lays the groundwork for future enhancements in a number of areas, including reporting and campus access to SPO data, conflict of interest disclosure tracking, routing and approval of proposals through the campus, and system-to-system submission of fully electronic proposals. When implemented, the new human and animal subjects protocol systems will be integrated with Coeus.

NIH Public Access Policy Now Required

The National Institutes of Health has issued Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research (NOT-OD-08-033). The revised policy implements Division G, Title II, Section 218 of PL 110-161 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008), which states:

The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.

As of April 7, 2008, all articles arising from NIH funds must be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication. As of May 25, 2008, NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports must include the PubMed Central reference number when citing an article that falls under the policy and is authored or co-authored by the investigator, or arose from the investigator’s NIH award. This policy includes applications submitted to NIH for the May 25, 2008 due date and subsequent due dates.

See http://PublicAccess.NIH.gov/ for more information.

Reminder: COI Materials Due Ten Days Before Committee Meeting

The faculty Conflict of Interest Committee meets monthly, except in August, to review all positive financial disclosures related to research gifts, grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, MTAs and human subjects protocols.

In order for a disclosure case to be placed on the agenda for any monthly meeting, all materials required for review must be received by Jyl Baldwin no later than ten working days prior to the published meeting date. Materials required for Committee review may include items requested specifically after initial review of positive financial disclosure packets, such as copies of consulting agreements.

The lead time of ten working days is critical for preparation and distribution of case materials to the members of the COI Committee.

Statement of Economic Interests (700-U) Form Revised

The State of California has issued a revised 700-U Statement of Economic Interest for Principal Investigators for immediate use. The revised form is available on the COI Committee web site and is the only version that will now be accepted. If you have any questions please contact Jyl Baldwin (jbaldwin@berkeley.edu, 2-8117).

State of California law requires disclosure of financial interest in the sponsor of a research project; the donor of a research gift; and, under certain circumstances, the provider of materials under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) when that sponsor, donor, or provider is a non-governmental source. For research projects, the Statement of Economic Interests for Principal Investigators (Form 700-U) should accompany the proposal and Proposal Review Form to the Sponsored Projects Office or to the Industry Alliances Office. For MTAs, the Form 700-U should accompany the Material Transfer Agreement Review Form to the Industry Alliances Office.

NIH Consolidates Late Submission Information; Issues New Plan for Applications from Study Section Members

The National Institutes of Health has reissued the NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications. The reissued notice consolidates information from previous late submission notices and serves as a companion to NIH Guide Notice OD-08-026, a new plan for continuous submission of certain types of applications from appointed members of NIH Study Sections.

NIH is implementing an alternate plan for submission and review of research grant applications from appointed members of chartered NIH Study Sections in order to recognize their service and to minimize disincentives to Study Section service. The timing of Study Section meetings and most standard due dates for grant applications overlap, so reviewers are under pressure to review applications and prepare their own applications simultaneously. Beginning February 5, 2008, the alternate submission and review procedures, described in the NIH Guide Notice, will be available. This alternate process is limited to 1) appointed members of chartered standing Study Sections and 2) applications that would normally be received on standard submission dates but not special receipt dates.

NIH Issues New PHS 398, 2950, and Other Forms

The National Institutes of Health has issued revised PHS 398, PHS 2590, PHS 2271, PHS 3734, and HHS 568 forms, available on the NIH Forms & Applications page. The newly revised forms are dated 11/2007.

NIH has made some notable changes to the revised PHS 398 form and instructions, including implementation of terminology used in the Grants.gov SF424 (R&R). The new PHS 398 may be used to submit grant applications beginning with the January 25, 2008 deadline and is required for applications received for May 25, 2008 and subsequent due dates. NIH is also requiring that appendix material submitted with paper PHS 398 applications on or after May 25 be submitted on CD only.

The new PHS 2590 form and instructions must be used for all progress reports received on or after March 1, 2008. The NIH Guide notice lists the notable changes.

The new PHS 2271 Statement of Appointment must be used for all trainee appointments made on or after May 1, 2008. The PHS 3734 Official Statement Relinquishing Interest and Rights in a PHS Research Grant form may be used immediately. The HHS 568 Final Invention Statement and Certification form may also be used immediately.

NIH Guide Notices

• Revised PHS 398 (DHHS Public Health Service Grant Application)Now Available (NOT-OD-08-028)
• Appendices to Paper PHS 398 (DHHS Public Health Service Grant Application) to be Submitted on CD (NOT-OD-08-031)
• Revised PHS 2590 (DHHS Public Health Service Noncompeting Continuation Progress Report) Now Available (NOT-OD-08-030)
• Revised PHS 2271, PHS 3734, and HHS 568 Forms Now Available (NOT-OD-08-029)

Congress Approves Disappointing FY 2008 Budget

Congress has approved the final 2008 budget appropriations in an omnibus bill that, combined with the Defense Department appropriations bill enacted earlier, provides only approximately one percent more funding for basic and applied research than federal agencies were budgeted in 2007, according to American Association for the Advancement of Science analysis.

On December 19, Congress approved the omnibus bill that includes the remaining 11 of the 12 appropriations to fund federal agencies for fiscal year 2008. The bill now goes to President Bush for signature. The federal fiscal year began on October 1.

In November, a separate appropriations bill for Defense Department spending was approved. That bill included a controversial provision to cap overhead on DOD-funded basic research grants and contracts at 35 percent.

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For more information and detailed analysis see:

American Association for the Advancement of Science R&D Budget and Policy Program: Congress Wraps Up Another Disappointing Year for Federal R&D Funding

ScienceNOW Daily News article: A Budget Too Small

Association of American Universities: FY 2008 Budget & Appropriations Information

OMB Requests Final Comments on New Federal Financial Report

The federal Office of Management and Budget is consolidating and replacing four existing financial reporting forms (SF–269, SF–269A, SF–272, and SF–272A) with a single new Federal Financial Report (FFR), to give recipients of grants and cooperative agreements a standard format for reporting the financial status of their awards.

OMB published a final request for comments in the December 7 Federal Register on the new Federal Financial Report, including a copy of the proposed form (beginning on the 14th page of the PDF). Comments are due to OMB by January 7, 2008.

The announcement states that the “FFR standardizes reporting information by providing a pool of data elements from which agencies can choose to use for reporting purposes.” Federal agencies will not be not required to collect all of the information included in the FFR. Instead, agencies will identify, before or at the time the award is made, the data elements that recipients must complete, the reporting frequency, the periods covered by each report, report due dates, and where reports are to be submitted.

NIH Changing Grant Application Error Correction Window from Five to Two Days

The National Institutes of Health has announced that the “error correction window” will be reduced from five business days to two business days for all electronically submitted grant applications with submission deadlines on or after January 8, 2008. The “error correction window” is the the time allowed after the submission deadline to address NIH system-identified errors and warnings. The two business days provided to view the assembled application image in eRA Commons will remain unchanged.

This change will mean that electronic applications will be considered “on-time” if all of the following criteria are met:

• All required registrations must be complete prior to the initial submission.
• Initial successful submission to Grants.gov must have a timestamp on/before 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant organization on the receipt date.
• Applicants must correct errors and/or warnings within the two business days following the receipt date.
• All application corrections must be in response to a system-identified error/warning; application submissions with additional changes may be refused.
• If final submission is sent after the receipt date, a cover letter attachment must be included identifying the system-identified errors and warnings that have been corrected.