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.

NSF Proposal Submission Requirement for FCOI Effective 11-12-2012

*The following announcement supersedes the attached “NSF and Conflict of Interest” email of 09-17-2012.

MU Grants Community,

In light of the policy and procedure changes resulting from the 2011 Revised Federal Regulation on Financial Conflict of Interest, OSPA and the COI Office have taken a closer look at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Conflict of Interest Policies in relation to UM CCR 420.030. As a result, the following requirement, currently applicable to PHS proposals, will be in effect for NSF proposals as of Monday, November 12, 2012:

·         Proposals will not be submitted until it is confirmed that all MU Investigators have a current Outside Interest Disclosure Form (OIDF) on file and that required certifications are received for non-MU Investigators.

An Investigator Form is required for all NSF submissions. As a reminder, the Investigator Form initiates the Departmental and OSPA review for required OIDFs and so should be completed and submitted to OSPA well in advance of the submission deadline. Please watch for a separate email this afternoon announcing a revised Investigator Form.

Requirements at award, as described in the attached email, remain the same:

·         The OSPA SGCA will work with the COI Office to ensure the required reviews, which include confirmation that all NSF Investigators on the project have completed mandatory Conflict of Interest Training. Upon notification from the COI Office that the reviews are complete (and with all other approvals and certifications in place), the SGCA will set up the award and distribute the Grant Award Summary.  

Revised NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Award & Administration Guide (AAG)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a new version of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 13-1). The PAPPG consists of the (1) Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) for guidance on the preparation and submission of proposals to NSF and (2) Award & Administration Guide (AAG) to guide, manage, and monitor the award and administration of grants and cooperative agreements made by NSF.

This new version of the PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 14, 2013. In the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 11-1) continue to apply. 

Sheryl Koenig, Grant Writing Consultant for the Bond Life Sciences Center, provided a summary (below) of the changes in the GPG.*

Additionally, please note a change in the AAG stating that “project reports must contain information on all activities of the project, including any activities to address the broader impacts criterion that are not intrinsic to the research.”

For additional information about the revisions to the merit review criteria, NSF has created a resource website for the proposer community containing presentations, fact sheets, and other important links.