Changes to Federal Grant Progress Reporting in Early 2013 (RPPR)

Progress reporting to NIH, NSF, and other federal grant-making agencies will change significantly in early 2013. The research performance progress report (RPPR) is a federal-wide uniform progress report format for use by all federal agencies that provide sponsored funding. The RPPR will replace other interim performance progress report formats currently used, including eSNAP (NIH) and the Project Reports module in FastLane (NSF). The RPPR is mandated by the federal Office of Management and Budget and coordinated by NSF.

The attached document provides questions and answers about the RPPR generally and its implementation by NIH and NSF. OSPA will communicate additional information as it becomes available. Should you have questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact me. 

Attachment

Clarifications re: NSF Proposal Submission Requirements for FCOI

Please note the following clarifications regarding financial conflict of interest (FCOI) disclosure requirements and procedures for National Science Foundation (NSF) funding.

EXTERNAL INVESTIGATORS

Per the definition of “Investigator” as promulgated in the NSF Conflict of Interest Policies, MU will not require reporting nor manage the conflicts of external Investigators on NSF-funded projects. External Investigators (e.g., non-MU co-PI, non-MU Collaborator) should be listed on the Investigator Form; however, individual disclosures or institutional certifications are not required.

PRELIMINARY PROPOSALS

Preliminary proposals (pre-proposals) utilize the NSF Proposal Cover Sheet and are thus submissions subject to the Proposal Certifications outlined therein. An Investigator Form is required for pre-proposal submissions, and NSF pre-proposals will not be submitted until it is confirmed that all MU Investigators have a current Outside Interest Disclosure Form (OIDF) on file.

The OSPA Sponsored Programs Procedure Guide (SPPG) will be updated to reflect these changes. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

                                                                                                                                                  

Revised Investigator Form

A revised Investigator Form (formerly PHS Investigator Form) is posted to the Office of Research Forms page (Compliance and OSPA sections).

While the purpose of the form has not changed, updates include:

1. Overview and Instructions on page 1, and a “Proposal Submission Requirements” section and additional relevant information on page 2

2. Current list of sponsors for which the form is required, including NSF*

3. Clarification in the Investigator table with regard to EMPLID (for MU Investigators) and Affiliation (for non-MU Investigators)

4. A separate table for non-Investigator Other Significant Contributors (OSC)

Use of the new Investigator Form is effective immediately; however, the PHS Investigator Form is acceptable for proposals in progress.

*The Investigator Form will be updated as additional organizations adopt COI policies. Please be sure to access the Investigator Form via the OSPA Forms page each time rather than referring back to a local copy. 

ALA, LFA, and JDRF added - RE: Additional Organizations following 2011 PHS FCOI Regulations

One more note to call your attention to additional sponsors having adopted the new PHS FCOI regulations:

American Lung Association (ALA)

Lupus Foundation of America (LFA)

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

ALA, LFA, and JDRF are listed on the revised Investigator Form. As the form will be updated when additional organizations adopt COI policies, please be sure to visit the OSPA Forms page to retrieve the latest version rather than referring back to a local copy.  

                                                                                                                                                    

NIH Revised Grants Policy Statement and ASSIST for Multi-Project Applications

NIH has announced the publication of a revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS) and that multi-project applications will move to electronic submission. OSPA is in the process of evaluating these updates. Any affected campus procedures will be revised, with a separate announcement outlining the changes to follow. Please contact me should you have questions in the meantime.  

Publication of the Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (Rev. 10/1/2012): Policy Changes and Clarifications Notice
(NOT-OD-12-157) National Institutes of Health

The NIHGPS provides both up-to-date policy guidance that serves as NIH standard terms and conditions of awards for grants and cooperative agreements, and extensive guidance to individuals that are interested in pursuing NIH grants. While this revision does not introduce any new material for the first time, it 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 10/1/2011. A document is available that summarizes the significant changes that are implemented with the October 1, 2012 NIHGPS [http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2012/Significant_Changes_NIHGPS_2012.doc] (MS Word-91 KB).

NIH Announces Plans to Transition to Electronic Submission of Multi-Project Applications
(NOT-OD-12-161) National Institutes of Health

Since 2005, NIH has been transitioning its grant programs to electronic submission of applications through the fed-wide portal, Grants.gov, using the SF 424 (R&R) form set. In 2010, NIH completed the transition for all its grant programs, except NIH’s complex, multi-project applications. To meet NIH’s long standing goal of receiving all grant applications electronically, NIH and the Grants.gov program management staff worked together to develop an online application system called ASSIST (Application Submission System and Interface for Submission Tracking) to accommodate electronic submission of NIH’s multi-project applications. ASSIST will allow users to develop and store their applications in a secure online environment. NIH plans to transition all multi-project applications to electronic submission using the SF 424 (R&R) form set by January 2014.