December 15, 2016

December 12, 2016

UC Global Operations: New Website Offers Resources for International Research and Travel

The University of California Office of the President has a new UC Global Operations (UCGO) website that provides a central hub of tools and resources to help UC faculty, administrators, staff, and students plan and manage international research, travel and other activities abroad.

The UCGO website offers resources that can help you:
  • Plan a project: Resources to help you think through where to go, learn about UC programs, plan your budget, understand U.S. and foreign regulations and UC policies that may apply and more.
     
  • Plan a trip: Important vaccinations, health and travel insurance, information about the cultural etiquette in the country you’re visiting, visa requirements, exchange rates for foreign currency, tips on what to pack and more.
     
  • Travel safely and with ease on your trip: Guidelines on how to stay safe and healthy, what to do if you are sick or injured, how to stay connected, what adapters to get for your electronic devices and more.
     
  • Manage your project abroad: Fundamental steps and strategies for successful project management abroad, including setting up operations, collaboration with international partners, and taking care of yourself and your team’s wellbeing while abroad.
For more information, see the UCOP news article, UC website offers important resources for those doing international research and traveling abroad, and the UCGO website.

December 08, 2016

NSF Issues Revised Grants.gov Application Guide

The National Science Foundation has issued a revised version of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide, updated to align with changes to the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 17-1). NSF replaced all references to the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Award & Administration Guide (AAG) with references to the PAPPG. NSF also made editorial changes to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence or section or to ensure consistency with data in NSF systems or other NSF policy documents.

The new NSF Grants.gov Application Guide will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 30, 2017.


October 25, 2016 Research Advocate: NSF Issues New Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide

December 02, 2016

NSF Revision of the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Eligibility Threshold

The National Science Foundation posted Important Notice 138 that revises the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction threshold to $70M.

The NSF announcement states:
This adjustment responds to emergent scientific research opportunities and addresses the gap that previously existed between smaller instrumentation and major facility projects. The scientific community should incorporate this change in their long range portfolio planning and prioritization efforts.
The change will be reflected in the 2017 revision of the NSF Large Facilities Manual to be published in December 2016 on the NSF Large Facilities Office website.

November 28, 2016

NIH Implementation of Final Research Performance Progress Reports (Final RPPR)

As of January 1, 2017, National Institutes of Health Principal Investigators will be required to use the Final Research Performance Progress Report (F-RPPR) instead of the Final Progress Report (FPR) for closeout. FPRs will not be accepted after January 1, 2017.

Significant Changes:
  • PIs must submit an “Interim-RPPR” while their renewal application (Type 2) is under consideration. In the event that the Type 2 is funded, NIH will treat the Interim-RPPR as the annual performance report for the final year of the previous competitive segment. If the Type 2 is not funded, the Interim-RPPR will be treated by NIH staff as the institution’s Final-RPPR.

  • PIs will be required to adhere to the new requirement to report on Project Outcomes. This section will be made publicly available, thus allowing recipients the opportunity to provide the general public with a concise summary of the cumulative outcome or findings of the project (analogous to the Project Summary/Abstract section of the competing application).
Remaining the Same:
  • NIH is aligning its reporting requirement with other federal research agencies and therefore will not be making any changes to the deadline for submitting the final report, i.e., the Final RPPR or Interim-RPPR must be submitted via eRA Commons no later than 120 calendar days from the period of performance end date.

  • If a recipient fails to comply with this reporting requirement, NIH may take one or more enforcement actions, such as a decision not to make a non-competing continuation award.

  • NIH will maintain the business rule in the RPPR module enabling institutional signing officials, at their discretion, to delegate submission of the Final RPPR or Interim-RPPR to the Program Director/Principal Investigator.
For more information, see NIH Implementation of Final Research Performance Progress Reports (Final RPPR) (NOT-OD-17-022).

January 19, 2017 update: NIH Implementation of the Interim-RPPR while a Renewal Application is Under Consideration (NOT-OD-17-037).

PI Effort During an NIH No-Cost Extension

With the exception of grant programs that have an effort requirement, or where terms and conditions prohibit such reductions, the National Institutes of Health will not require prior approval for the reduction in effort for Senior/Key Personnel named in the Notice of Award (NoA) during a no-cost extension. However, recipients are reminded that for active NIH awards, the Project Director/Principal Investigator and other Senior/Key Personnel named in the NoA must devote a measurable level of effort.

For additional information see section 8.1 of the NIH Grants Policy Statement (Revised November 2016).

November 17, 2016

NIH Publishes Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement

The National Institutes of Health has published the revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS, rev. November 2016).

The NIH Guide Notice, Publication of the Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (Rev. November 2016) for FY 2017 (NOT-OD-17-021), states:

“This revision is applicable to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements with budget periods beginning on or after October 1, 2016. This revision supersedes, in its entirety, the NIH Grants Policy Statement (October/November 2015) as a standard term and condition of award. Previous versions of the NIHGPS remain applicable as a standard term and condition for all NIH grants and cooperative agreements with budget periods that began prior to October 1, 2016.”

The revision does not include new material, but “incorporates new and modified requirements, clarifies certain policies, and implements changes in statutes, regulations, and policies that have been implemented through appropriate legal and/or policy processes since the previous version of the NIHGPS dated October/November 2015.”

Along with the revised NIHGPS, NIH has provided a summary of significant changes.

November 07, 2016

NIH Announces Adjustment to NSRA Stipend Levels

The National Institutes of Health has published Adjustment to Stipend Levels for Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) (NOT-OD-17-002). From the notice:
“The purpose of this Notice is to announce the process whereby recipients of Kirschstein-NRSA institutional training grant and individual fellowship awards supporting currently active postdoctoral trainees or fellows with 0, 1, or 2 years of experience as of December 1, 2016, will received increased stipends. The Notice also provides instructions for requesting one-time supplemental funding to cover the stipend increase.”
The notice states that current NRSA awardees that meet the criteria who wish to apply for the one-time supplemental funding must submit an application to the awarding IC as soon as possible. See NOT-OD-17-002 for details on the rates and the process.

December 15, 2016 update: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) Postdoctoral Stipends, Training Related Expenses, Institutional Allowance, and Tuition/Fees Effective for Fiscal Year 2017 (NOT-OD-17-003)


August 8, 2016 Research Advocate: NIH Announces Projected FY 2017 NRSA Stipend Levels

November 04, 2016

NIH Prior Approval Through eRA Commons

Under National Institutes of Health policy, Principal Investigators (PIs) needs to seek prior approval from NIH before submitting a grant application with direct costs of $500,000 or more for a single budget year.

PIs now have the option to electronically submit these prior approval requests through the NIH eRA Commons.

Procedure:

As per current practice, the PI will first reach out via email or phone to the Program Official (PO) at the Institute/Center (IC) to discuss the request. From there, the PO can then choose to invite the PI to initiate the prior approval request through eRA Commons.

The initiation of the request will trigger an email notification to the PI and to the email address listed for receiving the Notice of Award (NoA) on the Institutional Profile screen. Upon being notified, the PI will go into eRA Commons and go to the Prior Approval tab along the top navigation menu. The PI will find two options and should click “List my Requests.”

The PI will find the $500K Request under the column Request Type, with a status of “In Progress PI,” and should click the “Modify” link.

Then the Prior Approval Request $500K screen will open. The screen is pretty straightforward with a few required fields, such as Project Title, FOA number, and Anticipated Submission Date. The PI will need to provide a short justification (just 500 characters) for the request, with up to 10 supporting documents allowed.

The PI should then submit the request directly to NIH. The UC Berkeley Sponsored Projects Office will receive a notification when this occurs.

If the request is approved by the Program Official at the IC, the PI will receive an email from the Program Official. When the error free application is received by NIH, this application will be matched with the $500k approval from the IC and the application will move through the normal process.

Although submitting this request through the eRA Commons is optional now, NIH intends to make it a requirement in the future.

See the NIH eRA News for more information.

October 25, 2016

NSF Issues New Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide

The Sponsored Projects Office has received the following notice from the National Science Foundation. NSF has published a new Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), effective January 30, 2017.


Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce that a revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 17-1) has been issued. The PAPPG has been modified in its entirety, to remove all references to the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Award & Administration Guide (AAG). The document will now be referred to solely as the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. The document will be sequentially numbered from Chapter I-XII and all references throughout have been modified to reflect this change. Given the number of important revisions, the community is strongly encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided at the beginning of the PAPPG.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 30, 2017. In addition to the significant change mentioned above, other revisions include:
  • Addition of new sections on Special Processing Instructions and Types of Proposals, including two new types, RAISE and GOALI;
  • Additional instructions for proposers on completion of the Collaborators and Other Affiliations information;
  • Supplemental guidance on submission of proposals by organizations impacted by a natural or anthropogenic disaster;
  • Implementation of 45 CFR 690.118 for applications and proposals lacking definite plans for involvement of human subjects;
  • Update on the type of information that NSF may request from proposers with regard to Federal environmental statutes;
  • Supplemental information regarding treatment of NSF awards with canceled appropriations; and
  • Numerous other changes and clarifications throughout the document.
Webinars to brief the community on the new PAPPG will be held on November 7th and January 19th at 1 PM EST. Registration is required on the outreach events website.

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 30, 2017, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 16-1) continue to apply. We will ensure that the current version of the PAPPG remains on the NSF website, with a notation to proposers that specifies when the new PAPPG (including a link to the new Guide) will become effective.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the Policy Office on (703) 292-8243 or by e-mail to policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management


December 12, 2016 update: The NSF Policy Office has issued a revised set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Proposal Preparation and Award Administration that accompany the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 17-1), and are effective for proposals submitted or due, and awards made on or after, January 30, 2017.

December 16, 2016 update:  The NSF Policy Office has sent out a notice that NSF has revised the entire suite of Award Terms and Conditions to align with changes to the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 17-1). All references to the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Award & Administration Guide (AAG) have been replaced with references to the PAPPG. Each set of terms and conditions is accompanied by a summary of changes made to that document. The revised Terms and Conditions will apply to all new NSF awards and funding amendments to existing NSF awards issued on or after January 30, 2017.

September 23, 2016

AHRQ Accepting Multiple-PI Proposals Effective October 1

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be accepting Multiple Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) in appropriate research grant applications, effective with new applications submitted on or after October 1, 2016.

From AHRQ Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy (NOT-HS-16-018):
The multiple-PD/PI option is extended to AHRQ research grant applications submitted electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 R&R application package. The multiple-PD/PI option will be accepted for applications submitted to current AHRQ research Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). The multiple-PD/PI option does not apply to R13 conference grant applications. If the multiple-PD/PI model is not allowed, the FOA will state that “Multiple Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) are not permitted.” under Section III, Eligible Individuals.
The announcement also includes guidance on making changes when submitting non-competing applications:
  • Change from an active single-PD/PI to a multiple-PD/PI award, or changes in the number or makeup of multiple-PD/PIs
  • Change from an active multiple-PD/PI to a single-PD/PI award

September 20, 2016

NSF Proposals: New FastLane Compliance Checks Effective September 26

A message from Jean Feldman, Head of the National Science Foundation Policy Office:


Dear Colleagues:

Effective September 26, 2016, FastLane will now check to ensure that the combined text of the Project Summary text boxes (or uploaded PDF if the Project Summary contains special characters) does not exceed one page prior to submission, rather than the current check of 4,600 characters. See the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter II.C.2.b, for further information.

The compliance check will trigger an error message in the following circumstances:
  • Project Summary text exceeds the one-page limit; and
  • Project Summary text is entered and the user also uploads a “Project Summary with Special Characters” supplementary document.
Proposal File Update (PFU) Implications:

Proposers should be aware that if a proposal was received by NSF prior to September 26, 2016, containing a Project Summary that complies with the previous 4,600-character limit but exceeds the one-page limit, a PFU addressing any section of the proposal will result in the proposal not being accepted if it does not comply with these compliance checks. The checks will be run on all sections of the proposal, regardless of which section was updated during the PFU.

(Note from SPO to Berkeley researchers: This means that if you update any section of a proposal that you submitted prior to September 26, you will also need to modify your Project Summary if it exceeds the one-page limit. Failure to do so will cause the proposal not to be accepted.)

Grants.gov Implications:

Proposers should also be aware that Grants.gov will allow a proposal to be submitted, even if it does not comply with these proposal preparation requirements. Should NSF receive a proposal via Grants.gov that is not compliant, it will be returned without review.

We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues. For system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or Rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.

Thank you,
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution & Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
voice: 703.292.4573
email: jfeldman@nsf.gov

September 08, 2016

CIRM Holding Roadshow Meetings

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will be conducting a Roadshow, a series of meetings throughout the state to re-introduce stakeholders to CIRM, including the new CIRM strategic plan, funding programs, application and review process, as well as an overview of post-award issues. The meeting presentation will be high level, but the CIRM team will be available after the presentation for Q&A. Over the next four years, CIRM will make approximately $700,000,000 in new awards to advance stem cell research and development.

Meetings scheduled for the San Francisco Bay Area are on September 26 at the California Life Sciences Association in San Francisco, September 28 at Stanford University, and October 11 at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. See the CIRM Roadshow for details and links to RSVP for the meetings.

September 01, 2016

Reminder to NSF PIs

Principal Investigators of National Science Foundation awards must acknowledge NSF’s support in any publication (including Web pages) of any material based on or developed under the PI’s NSF project. The following statement should be used:
“This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (NSF grant number).”
PIs also must provide the following disclaimer (unless NSF states otherwise in the award document) in every publication of material (including World Wide Web pages) based on or developed under the PI’s NSF award, except scientific articles or papers appearing in scientific, technical or professional journals.
“Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.”
NSF support also must be orally acknowledged by the PI during all news media interviews about the NSF project, including popular media such as radio, television and news magazines.

These requirements are found in the NSF Award and Administration Guide (NSF 16-1), Chapter VI - Other Post Award Requirements and Considerations, section E. Publication/Distribution of Grant Materials.

August 29, 2016

Grants.gov Changing in December 2017

The following message was received today from Grant.gov. This change will have a significant impact on how Grants.gov applications are compiled in the future. Although the change is not until December 2017, you may want to check out the Grants.gov Workspace overview and training.


Grants.gov User,

In an effort to provide continued updates about the upcoming changes to Grants.gov, we are providing notice that in December 2017, Grants.gov will phase out the Legacy Application Package. This means that applicants will no longer be able to apply using the older, single PDF package of forms.

Instead, applicants will apply for grants using Grants.gov Workspace, which separates the application package into individual forms. Applicants will apply by creating a workspace, completing the individual PDF forms, and submitting their application workspace package. Also, the new online forms interface will be added to Grants.gov and will be accessible through Workspace in mid-2017.

The phase-out of the Legacy Application Package is still more than a year away, but now is the time to prepare for this change.

Use Grants.gov Workspace to apply for your next federal grant. Doing so will also prepare you to use the upcoming online forms feature.

BENEFITS TO APPLICANTS
Using Grants.gov Workspace brings a range of benefits to applicants and their organizations:
  1. Workspace streamlines collaboration. Multiple forms can be completed at once by a team of applicants.
  2. Workspace saves time. Forms from old workspaces can be reused, reducing data-entry, and saving valuable time.
  3. Workspace helps detect errors earlier. Improved error-checking allows applicants to catch and correct errors earlier resulting in fewer rejected submissions.
  4. Workspace simplifies applying. In a Grants.gov Workspace, every link and button is explained in context-sensitive help articles. Grants.gov has also created a series of video tutorials to walk applicants through the Workspace submission process.
Please review the Grants.gov Notices page for up-to-date information regarding upcoming changes: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/outreach/grants-gov-notices.html

For more information about Grants.gov Workspace, please visit our various Workspace resources:
THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to share them by emailing us at Community@grants.gov or posting feedback on the Grants.gov Community Blog.

Note: S2S users are unaffected by this phase-out.

Regards,
The Grants.gov PMO

Composite Fringe Benefit Rate Update

The composite fringe benefit rates for fiscal year 2016-17 have been approved. Projected rates (FY18-FY22), which are estimates for planning purposes, have also been posted on the SPO website.

August 18, 2016

New Process for Some Subrecipients: UCB Participating in FDP Pilot

UC Berkeley is now participating in a pilot test of a new way of processing subawards being conducted by the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP). The goal is to reduce the amount of time and effort that organizations like UC Berkeley spend collecting institutional information from each other.

What this means to campus is that beginning August 18, 2016, UC Berkeley will have two sets of requirements for subrecipients listed in Berkeley proposals:
  1. Any subrecipient that is participating in the FDP pilot will only need to complete a one-page form, the FDP Pilot Subrecipient Project Information sheet.
  2. All other subrecipients will be required to provide a longer form, the Subrecipient Commitment Form (Non-FDP Pilot Institutions).
Both documents can be found under Forms on the SPO website.

The FDP pilot group now includes approximately 78 institutions and organizations across the nation. See FDP Expanded Clearinghouse - Subrecipients for a link to the list of entities that will be participating in the pilot. Institutional information for each entity participating in the FDP pilot will be maintained on the FDP website so it will no longer be necessary to collect this type of information on a subrecipient commitment form.

The pilot test will last 18 months. If results of the pilot are positive, the plan is to allow other FDP institutions to participate.

CSS and Department administrators are encouraged to become familiar with the names of the entities participating in the FDP pilot to ensure that these entities receive the proper form when requesting subrecipient information. Note that only groups participating in the FDP pilot should be asked to fill out the FDP Pilot Subrecipient Project Information sheet.

August 5, 2016 Research Advocate: Upcoming: New Process for Some Subrecipients

August 12, 2016

NIH Changing Allowed Appendix and Post-Submission Application Material

The National Institutes of Health issued two NIH Guide notices related to changes in materials allowed for applications submitted on or after January 25, 2017.

New Policy Eliminates Most Appendix Material for NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Applications Submitted for Due Dates On or After January 25, 2017 (NOT-OD-16-129)
This Notice alerts the scientific research community of plans to eliminate most appendix materials for applications submitted to the NIH, AHRQ or NIOSH for due dates on or after January 25, 2017. Application instructions will be updated by November 25, 2016 to reflect this change.
 The Notice also clarifies:
  • Status of appendix materials in peer review
  •  Allowable appendix materials
  •  Consequences for submitting disallowed appendix materials

Changes to the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Policy on Post-Submission Materials for Applications Submitted for Due Dates On or After January 25, 2017 (NOT-OD-16-130)
This Notice simplifies and consolidates current NIH and AHRQ policy concerning post-submission materials, and extends this policy to NIOSH. Post-submission application materials are those submitted after submission of the grant application but prior to the initial peer review. The policy is based on the principle that, for the majority of applications, the only post-submission materials that these agencies will accept are those resulting from an unforeseen event. The policy on post-submission application materials is not intended to correct oversights/errors discovered after submission of the application.

August 08, 2016

NIH Announces Projected FY 2017 NRSA Stipend Levels

The National Institutes of Health has published projected stipend levels for fiscal year 2017 for postdoctoral trainees and fellows on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA).

The projected stipend levels, planned to be effective December 1, 2016, align with the “spirit” of the U.S. Department of Labor revisions to the rules on paid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). NIH states that the “exact stipend levels and the actual date of implementation are subject to the availability of FY 2017 appropriations and implementation of the new FLSA threshold for professional workers to be eligible for paid overtime.”

For the chart of projected stipends and more information, see Projected FY 2017 Stipend Levels for Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) (NOT-OD-16-131) (rescinded).

August 10, 2016 update (corrected effective date):  Revised: Projected FY 2017 Stipend Levels for Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) (NOT-OD-16-134)

August 05, 2016

Upcoming: New Process for Some Subrecipients

UC Berkeley will be participating in a pilot test of a new way of processing subawards being conducted by the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP). The FDP pilot is scheduled to begin in mid-August; the exact date has not yet been released.

What this means to campus is that after the FDP pilot starts, UC Berkeley will have two sets of requirements for subrecipients listed in Berkeley proposals:

1. Any subrecipient that is participating in the FDP pilot will only need to complete a one-page form and provide project-related information at the proposal stage.
2. All other subrecipients will be required to provide both project-related and institutional information using SPO’s Subrecipient Commitment Form.

The pilot group will include approximately 90 institutions of higher education across the nation, and the pilot test will last 18 months. If results of the pilot are positive, the plan is to allow other FDP institutions to participate.

SPO is developing new procedures for the pilot test, which will be announced to the campus as soon as the pilot start date is known. SPO also will post the list of subrecipients participating in the pilot test as soon as this information is released by the FDP.

July 27, 2016

NSF Implementation of Overtime Rule FAQs

The National Science Foundation Policy Office has published Frequently Asked Questions on the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime rule and has sent out the following notification.
The Department of Labor recently announced the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) final over time rule. The FLSA final overtime rule automatically extends overtime pay protections to millions of workers and could impact some personnel on NSF grants, including postdoctoral researchers. The National Science Foundation continues to acknowledge the important role of postdoctoral researchers on NSF-funded projects, and, in general, NSF postdoctoral programs already include a stipend or salary in excess of the new minimum established by the FLSA final overtime rule.
Since the announcement of the new rule, NSF has received many questions on how this rule will affect NSF-funded projects. NSF has created a set of Frequently Asked Questions in order to address these questions. The FAQs are posted on the NSF Policy Office website at http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/faqs/flsa_faqs.pdf.

July 15, 2016

Reminder on PHS Regulation to Disclose New Significant Financial Interests in 30 Days

A reminder from the Conflict of Interest Coordinator:

The Public Health Service (including National Institutes of Health) regulations require that when new Significant Financial Interests are acquired or discovered by an Investigator, they must be disclosed within thirty (30) days of that acquisition or discovery. When this is not done in a timely manner, the institution is not in compliance with the regulations and must perform a mandated special retrospective review which causes delays in the ability of the Committee to approve ongoing projects. This is an onerous process and falls on the faculty Conflict of Interest Committee and the COI office to handle.

Please direct any questions to Jyl Baldwin, COI Coordinator, at jbaldwin@berkeley.edu or researchcoi@berkeley.edu.

Compliance Information Form for Research Gifts No Longer Required

Effective immediately, the Compliance Information Form for Research Gifts has been discontinued and is no longer required with the Form 700-U (Principal Investigator Statement of Financial Interests) when research gifts are received. The form has been removed from the COI and SPO websites. Please direct any questions to Jyl Baldwin, COI Coordinator, at jbaldwin@berkeley.edu or researchcoi@berkeley.edu.

July 01, 2016

NSF FastLane: New Automated Proposal Submission Compliance Checks

The National Science Foundation has issued a notice that effective July 25, 2016, all proposals will be subject to a new series of automated compliance validation checks to ensure proposals comply with requirements outlined in Chapter II.C.2. of the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

The new set of automated compliance checks will trigger warning or error messages depending on the funding opportunity type for each of the following rules:
  • Biographical Sketch(es) and Current and Pending Support files are required for each Senior Personnel associated with a proposal.
  • Biographical Sketch(es) can only be uploaded as a file, must not exceed two pages and can no longer be entered as text.
Proposers should be aware that if a proposal was previously submitted successfully with only one Biographical Sketch and/or Current & Pending Support file (rather than individual files for each senior personnel), a Proposal File Update performed on such proposals will be prevented from submission if it does not comply with the new compliance checks.

Proposers submitting through Grants.gov should be aware that Grants.gov will allow a proposal to be submitted, even if it does not comply with these proposal preparation requirements. Should NSF receive a proposal from Grants.gov that is not compliant, it may be returned without review.

For additional information see:
FastLane Advisory: Attention Proposers: New Automated Proposal Submission Compliance Checks Coming to FastLane
Research.gov: Attention Proposers: New Automated Proposal Submission Compliance Checks Coming to FastLane
July 26, 2016 update: NSF has notified the community that “this implementation was rescheduled due to a power outage which caused all servers to shut down. The new automated proposal submission compliance checks will be available on August 1.”

NIH SF424 and R&R Forms: Continue to Use Despite Expiration Dates

The National Institutes of Health has published OMB Approval for SF424 R&R Forms Used Federal-wide Underway - Continue to Use Current Forms Until Further Notice (NOT-OD-16-120) in the NIH Guide. From the notice:
NIH and AHRQ grant application form packages include both agency-specific forms (typically labeled PHS) and federal-wide forms (typically labeled Research & Related or R&R). Although our agency-specific forms were recently approved for use through October 31, 2018 (FORMS-D, NOT-OD-16-004), the forms used federal-wide are on different clearance cycles and have recently expired or will expire soon.
Applicants and grantees should continue to use the application form packages (FORMS-D) posted with our funding opportunity announcements despite the expiration dates noted on each form.
Grants.gov is working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on the federal-wide form clearance and expects OMB approval for proposed form changes later this summer.

June 29, 2016

Second Part of Report on Federal Research Regulations Issued

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released Part 2 of the report Optimizing the Nation’s Investment in Academic Research: A New Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century.

The report, issued on June 29, 2016 by the Committee on Federal Research Regulations and Reporting Requirements, contains the full contents of Part 1, first released in September 2015 as a separate publication.

The report “reviews the federal regulatory framework for research institutions as it currently exists, considers specific regulations that have placed undue and often unanticipated burdens on the research enterprise, and reassesses the process by which these regulations are created, reviewed, and retired. It identifies specific actions Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and research institutions should take to reduce regulatory burden.”

June 30, 2016 update: The Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), Association of American Universities (AAU), and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) have released a joint statement on the report, related to shared concerns regarding the recent Common Rule Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the treatment of human subjects in research. COGR plans to issue a full analysis in the coming weeks.


September 23, 2015 Research Advocate: New Report on Regulation of Federally Funded Research

June 24, 2016

NSF Award Terms and Conditions Revised

The National Science Foundation Policy Office in the Division of Institution and Award Support has announced that the NSF Award Terms and Conditions have been revised to implement the requirements stipulated in Appendix XII to Part 200 of 2 CFR § 200 (Uniform Guidance) regarding the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), as well as other clarifications to the conditions.

The revised Terms and Conditions will apply to all new NSF awards and funding amendments to existing NSF awards issued on or after July 1, 2016.

Revisions have been made to the following:
  • Grant General Conditions (GC-1);
  • Cooperative Agreement Conditions:
    • Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC),
    • Cooperative Agreement Supplemental Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions for Managers of Large Facilities,
    • Cooperative Agreement Supplemental Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions for Managers of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCS);
  • Special Conditions:
    • International Research Terms and Conditions,
    • Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I Grant General Conditions,
    • Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II Grant General Conditions, and
    • Administration of NSF Conference or Group Travel Grant Special Conditions (FL 26).

June 17, 2016

PIs Can Now Request Early Review of NIH COI Disclosures

The current process for review of complete positive financial disclosures for new National Institutes of Health proposals by the Conflict of Interest (COI) Committee has been to conduct that review at the time a Just-In-Time (JIT) request arrives from NIH. As JIT is generally some indication that the project may be funded, review at this juncture alleviated some of the burden on the COI Committee for review of all NIH positive disclosures at the proposal stage, when a significant percentage of those proposals are not funded. For funders that do not have an equivalent JIT process (e.g., NSF) review of complete disclosures has always been conducted right after the proposal is submitted. However, beginning on June 20, the COI Committee will conduct early review for new NIH projects with complete positive financial disclosures, at the request of the Principal Investigator. Any request for early review should be sent to researchcoi@berkeley.edu.

June 15, 2016

New COI Review and Approval Process

On June 1, the COI Committee began a new review and approval process for all complete non-substantive PHS (specifically including those which are unchanged or unrelated) and NSF financial disclosures, and for State 700-U disclosures that meet certain specified expedited review criteria. All such disclosures are now reviewed and approved on a rolling weekly basis, leaving the monthly COI Committee meeting for deliberation of more complex and/or complicated cases.

This new process will allow the Sponsored Projects Office to set-up many awards more quickly, and Donor and Gift Services to more quickly make gift funds available.

Approval letters will be issued via email from the COI office every Monday or Tuesday. In all cases, the COI office will copy the CSS RA identified with the individual who filed the disclosure, unless another contact is identified.

Please address any questions to COI Coordinator Jyl Baldwin at jbaldwin@berkeley.edu or researchcoi.berkeley.edu.

June 10, 2016

NIH Fellowship Application Problem

Today, June 10, 2016, the National Institutes of Health informed the research community that there is a temporary issue with the application form packages associated with the fellowship funding opportunity announcements listed in the NIH Guide Notice Form Correction Made for All NIH Fellowship Opportunities (NOT-OD-16-106).

The application forms packages posted with these opportunities on June 3, 2016 included an incorrect version of the PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form. This posting error was corrected the evening of June 7, 2016.

Anyone who started a grant application for any of these opportunities prior to June 8, 2016 must return to the funding opportunity announcement and begin again.

The ASSIST system recognized the posting issue and prevented users from initiating an application with the incorrect form package. If you attempted to initiate an application prior to June 8 and received an error, you can now safely initiate your application.

May 18, 2016

NSF Requests Comments on Large Facilities Manual Draft

On May 9th, the National Science Foundation published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of a “For comment” draft of the NSF Large Facilities Manual (LFM). NSF is accepting comments on the LFM  and the accompanying Large Facilities Financial Data Collection Tool by July 8, 2016.

For more information, see the Federal Register notice, Comment Request: National Science Foundation Proposal—Large Facilities Manual, and the draft LFM on the NSF website.

April 28, 2016

Grants.gov and Adobe Reader DC Compatibility Workaround

According to a Grants.gov Blog post, Grants.gov Adobe Reader DC Compatibility Issue Workaround, a recent version of Adobe Reader DC (version 2015.010.20060) is compatible with Grants.gov.

Grants.gov applicants may continue to use Adobe Reader version 9 through 11 and, now, Adobe Reader DC version 2015.010.20060 or later. Versions of Adobe Reader DC prior to version 2015.010.20060 are still incompatible with Grants.gov.

Applicants who would like to use Adobe Reader DC must download the application package from Grants.gov again and use Adobe Reader DC Version 2015.010.20060 or later. Then after installing Adobe Reader DC, uncheck the “Show online storage when saving files” option. For more detailed instructions, see the Grants.gov Adobe Software Compatibility page.


January 25, 2016 Research Advocate: Grants.gov and Adobe Reader DC Compatibility Issue

April 14, 2016

Mobile Health Apps Interactive Tool

Researchers—if you are creating and testing an app in a human subjects research project, there is regulatory guidance on mobile apps that you should know about. See the Mobile Health Apps Interactive Tool from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for more information.

March 28, 2016

New Streamlined Subrecipient Commitment Form

The Sponsored Projects Office has issued a revised Subrecipient Commitment Form. The form has been streamlined and reduced in length from five to three pages. SPO has also provided new instructions to make it easier for subrecipients around the world to understand and complete the form.

SPO encourages the campus to begin using the new form as soon as possible for the benefit of our subrecipient organizations. If an older version of the form has already been submitted to SPO, there is no need to submit the new form. However, the new form will be required for proposals submitted after April 15, 2016.

March 23, 2016

New Partnership to Help Fund Unfunded NIH Proposals

Dr. Michael Lauer, the NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, published A Pilot Partnership to Find Private Support for Unfunded Applications in his Open Mike blog at NIH.

Excerpted from the March 23, 2016 blog post:
The Online Partnership to Accelerate Research (OnPAR) program, operated by Leidos Life Sciences, will act as a matchmaker between unfunded NIH applicants and private research funders. OnPAR’s growing list of private funders currently includes the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Alopecia Areata Foundation, Children’s Tumor Foundation, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Melanoma Research Alliance, and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. We anticipate that more private funders and federal research agencies will be added to this program in the future.

To begin the process, NIH program officers will inform select applicants about potential funding opportunities via the OnPAR pilot. Select applicants include those who have a) have undergone Council review within the past year, b) have scored well (i.e., within the 30th percentile or promising non-percentiled applications), c) were unfunded and d) have research proposals that fall under the missions of the participating private funders. Applicants, at their discretion, can decide whether to submit materials to OnPAR for consideration of private funding.
More information is available in a March 23 Science Translational Medicine article, Funding unfunded NIH research application.

March 01, 2016

Getting Ready for Revised Forms from NIH: FORMS-D

The National Institutes of Health has been developing updated application forms, identified as FORMS-D, that must be used for all applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2016. NIH intends to have the new forms available by March 25. NIH Guide notice NIH & AHRQ Announce Upcoming Changes to Policies, Instructions and Forms for 2016 Grant Applications (NOT-OD-16-004) provides information on planned changes to the forms.

To prepare for the change, NIH is developing resources for applicants, including a “completely revamped application guide that is much easier to use and understand.” NIH Extramural News Gearing Up for FORMS-D gives a brief summary. For more details, see NIH eSubmission Items of Interest – February 29, 2016. This covers topics such as FORMS-D application changes, timing, impact on continuous submission, impact on administrative requests, and identifying which form version was used for an application.

March 23, 2016 update: Reminder: NIH & AHRQ Grant Application Changes for Due Dates On or After May 25, 2016 (NOT-OD-16-081)
March 28, 2016 update: Restructured and Streamlined Application Guides and Supplemental Instructions Available for Applications Due Dates On or After May 25, 2016 (NOT-OD-16-084)

February 23, 2016

SPO Service Schedule for March 24, 2016

On Thursday, March 24, 2016, the Sponsored Projects Office staff will be involved in a regional meeting with sponsored project officers from Stanford University and UCSF. Friday, March 25 is the Cesar Chavez Day holiday. Proposal and award set-up activity will resume on Monday, March 28. For the purposes of the VCRO’s five day proposal submission policy, March 24 and 25 will not count as working days. Individuals submitting proposals or needing SPO assistance with other time-sensitive transactions should plan accordingly.

Revised Proposal Processing Guidance for UC Berkeley PIs

A Revised Proposal Processing Guidance for UC Berkeley PIs CALmessages notice was issued by Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Christopher McKee to inform the campus  of a change to the VCR’s Policy on On-Time and Late Proposal Submissions. This revised guidance is in effect March 1, 2016.

It is critical that principal investigators and research administrators read both the notice and the full guidance and frequently asked questions published on the SPO website. This information clarifies and explains how the process will work after March 1, 2016.

If you have any questions about the policy, please contact your SPO Contract and Grant Officer for assistance.

January 25, 2016

Grants.gov and Adobe Reader DC Compatibility Issue

On January 20, the Grants.gov Program Management Office posted the following information:

The Adobe Reader DC Version 2015.010.20056 released on January 12, 2016 was identified to blank out form field contents when attaching files. Below is the current workaround as we work on a permanent solution for the latest Adobe Reader DC version. Current Resolution:
  1. Uninstall Adobe Reader DC.
  2. Go to https://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/.
  3. Select Reader 11.0.10.
  4. Download installation file and install.
  5. Applicant should be able to successfully complete their application without issue.
For more information, please visit the Grants.gov Adobe Software Compatibility page.

January 21, 2016

Paul Alivisatos Appointed Vice Chancellor for Research

Professor Paul Alivisatos will assume the role of Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Berkeley on March 1, 2016.

From his profile on the Berkeley Research website:
As Vice Chancellor for Research he will have overall responsibility for UC Berkeley’s research endeavor and primary leadership in research policy, planning and administration including relations between the university and industry, research compliance, research communications and research support for the Berkeley campus. His administrative portfolio includes management of over fifty campus research units, twelve research museums and remote field stations, and research administration offices including the Office of Research Administration and Compliance, Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Research Alliances (IPIRA), and the Office of Lab Animal Care.
For more information, see the campus news article, Outgoing Berkeley Lab director to take research helm at UC Berkeley, and the CALmessages announcement from Chancellor Nicholas Dirks.

January 06, 2016

Statement of Economic Interests (700-U) Form Revised for 2016

The State of California has issued a revised 700-U Statement of Economic Interests for Principal Investigators for immediate use. The revised form, dated 2015/2016, is available on the Conflict of Interest Committee website and is the only version that will now be accepted. If you have any questions please contact Jyl Baldwin (jbaldwin@berkeley.edu, 2-8110).

This year, the requirements for reporting travel have changed. If an individual receives a travel payment for travel occurring on or after January 1, 2016, which is reportable as a gift, he or she must disclose the travel destination.

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. Please see State of California Financial Disclosure for more information.