Grant Connections | December 2016 Notes

Notes from the December Grant Connections meeting are included below for your reference.  We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, January 25th.

 

Issuance of Revised NSF Award Terms and Conditions

Please share as appropriate. 

Dear Colleagues:

I wanted to make you aware that the Foundation’s entire suite of Award Terms and Conditions (see full listing below) has been revised 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.

Revisions have been made to the following documents:

• Grant General Conditions (GC-1);
• Cooperative Agreement Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC);
• Cooperative Agreement Supplemental Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions for Managers of Large Facilities;
• Cooperative Agreement Supplemental Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions for Managers of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCS);
• 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). 

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

Regards,

Jean

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

New FAQs on Proposal Preparation and Award Administration for Use with the New PAPPG (NSF 17-1)

Below please find a message from NSF: 

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce that a revised set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Proposal Preparation and Award Administration has been issued. These FAQs 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.

If you have any questions regarding these FAQs, please contact the Policy Office in the Division of Institution & Award Support at 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

Grant Fact Sheet updated 12/05/2016

MU Grants Community,

A new version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 12/05/16, is available on the OSPA website. Please access the current version here. Updates included:

Page 4: Updated tentative Institutional Minimum Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant Stipends

NIH Publishes New GPS 11/17/16

Please share as applicable.

Publication of the Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (Rev. November 2016) for FY 2017

Notice Number: NOT-OD-17-021

Key Dates
Release Date: November 17, 2016

Related Announcements
None  

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the publication of the revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS, rev. November 2016).  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 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 those who 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 October/November 2015. The document is available in the following electronic formats: HTML and PDF (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/index.htm).  Prior versions of the NIHGPS are accessible at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm#gps.

NIH will continue to publish interim grants policy changes through the issuance of NIH Guide Notices found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html.   Each change will be described, including its applicability and effective date; and the necessary language to implement it as a term or condition of award provided.

A document is available that summarizes the significant changes that are implemented with the November 2016 NIHGPS: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/Significant_Changes_NIHGPS_Oct2016.pdf.

Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Division of Grants Policy
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Telephone: 301-435-0949
Email: GrantsPolicy@od.nih.gov

eRA Reminder: Please Update Your Browsers by Nov. 30 to Continue Using eRA Modules

eRA Reminder: Please Update Your Browsers by Nov. 30 
Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Just a reminder that on Wednesday, November 30, 2016, eRA is updating access to all its publicly-accessible websites to use ‘https only’ secure connections per federal mandate (OMB M-15-13, dated June 8, 2015). Please update your browsers to continue using eRA Commons, ASSIST, IAR and iEdison.

NOTE: This update will not impact System-to-System connections or security certificates. 

Original message below sent Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 8:26 a.m. ET. 

Grant Connections | September 2016 Notes

Notes from the September Grant Connections meeting are included below. Thank you to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, October 26th.

 

Grant Connections - September 2016

Wednesday, September 28, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics
• FDP Update: Jamie Szabo and Brenda Leuenberger attended FDP 9/21-9/23 and will share updates with the group
• Awards Dashboard: OSPA Preaward will do a demonstration of the new Awards Dashboard
• Sponsor Spotlight: OSPA Preaward will present on American Heart Association and US Department of Education

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

• Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Grant Connections Organizational Crew

Send your suggestions for future topics and questions to this group.

• Liz Bent, Grants & Contracts Administrator, CAFNR
• Marty Carter, Senior Business Operations Associate, School of Medicine
• Craig David, Director, OSPA
• Sheryl Koenig, Grant Proposal Manager, Bond Life Sciences Center
• Brenda Leuenberger, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA
• Julia Rodriguez, Grants & Contracts Administrator, Bond Life Sciences Center
• Jamie Szabo, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA

Please share with anyone else associated with research who you think might be interested in attending.

Keeping up with the FLSA Final Rule - Impact on Grants - Update as of 09/17/2016

MU Grants Community,

As we are nearing the effective date (December 1) for the FLSA final overtime rule, below is a summary of what we know at this time:

How NSF will handle new regulations (please see NSF FLSA FAQs):

• NSF released a FAQ on 8/10 describing the rules and how they would impact current and future awards. NSF awards typically allow for rebudgeting without sponsor approval, provided the rebudgeting action does not change the scope of the project.
• NSF will not be unilaterally supplementing awards with additional funds; however, if you determine rebudgeting would result in a change of scope or that supplemental funding is needed to comply with the new regulations, we are encouraged to contact your NSF Program Officer to discuss the issue. We cannot guarantee there will be funds available, but there are specific policies that address requesting supplemental funding, and we would be happy to walk you through this process should you desire to do so.

How NIH will handle new regulations:

• Released on 8/10, NIH has provided us with updated FY2017 stipend levels for postdoctoral trainees and fellows on NRSA awards. These stipend levels are in line with the new FLSA regulations. This guidance does not address how NIH will handle postdocs working on non-NRSA awards, particularly as it relates to supplemental funding to cover this extra expense for institutions. In a blog posted 8/30, the NIH’s Deputy Director indicated the NIH would be releasing more guidance and FAQs in the coming months. Please note that the typical rules for rebudgeting NIH awards are similar to those of the NSF; we would typically be able to rebudget to account for the new FLSA guidelines without sponsor approval, provided it did not change the scope of work. We have not received any indication that additional funds would be available to NIH awardees.

How the University is handling new regulations:

• The University’s overview, FAQs and timelines as it relates to the new FLSA regulations can be found here. Although there is no official guidance online that we are aware of, we have been told there is no fund at MU to cover the salary increases, and those increases will need to come from grant, department or divisional funds. Postdocs and other salaried employees who were under the new FLSA salary floor will receive their salary increases on 12/1/16.

Guidance from OSPA on how to handle the regulations moving forward:

• Effective immediately when filling out proposals, OSPA would encourage PIs to budget postdocs at the new floor of $47,476 plus the correct fringe rate regardless of their current salary. If you have concerns about current awards and how to make up the budget shortfall caused by the new regulations, please don’t hesitate to contact your OSPA pre-award/post-award liaison directly and we can discuss your options for potentially requesting additional funds from the sponsor, if available.

Grant Connections | August 2016 Notes

Notes from the August Grant Connections meeting are included below. Thank you to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, September 28th.


 

FDP Expanded Clearinghouse Pilot Project starts Today - Thursday, August 18, 2016

The FDP Expanded Clearinghouse Pilot Project – of which MU is a Cohort 2 participant – is LIVE as of today, Thursday, August 18th. Notes from the topic discussion at the June Grant Connection Meeting are included below. Additionally included as attachments to this email are (1) screen shot step by step instructions and (2) our letters of intent for use with FDP Pilot institutions. These letters have been added to the OSPA Forms page.

Our participation in the Pilot Project requests that (1) when we are the Prime applicant we first look to the clearinghouse site to see if our subrecipient institutions participate in the Pilot as well - if so, we will not ask them to complete our subrecipient commitment form – instead gathering their institutional data from the clearinghouse site; and (2) when we are the Subrecipient to a participating institution we should not be asked to complete their subrecipient commitment forms – but should redirect them to the clearinghouse site for our institution’s information.

Should you encounter participant institutions that are not acknowledging or aware of their participation in the pilot project, the clearinghouse has provided some suggested language for use as appropriate:

SAMPLE PUSH-BACK LANGUAGE

I am writing to let you know that the University of Missouri is a pilot participant in the FDP Expanded Clearinghouse. It is my understanding that your organization is also a pilot participant. As a part of the pilot, both our organizations have agreed that effective August 18, 2016 we will not send or require completion of a subrecipient commitment forms, but will instead use our profile that is posted on-line at the FDP Expanded Clearinghouse site (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/fdp/PGA_171219). Please use my profile to obtain the information you need. Thank you.

Thank you for your support of this important initiative.

FAQs on NSF's Implementation of the Department of Labor's FLSA Final Overtime Rule

MU Grants Community,

Please see the FAQ information below from the NSF Policy Office regarding the implementation of the FLSA final rule.

***

Dear Colleagues:

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.

We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues. Please direct any additional policy-related questions not addressed in the FAQs to policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean

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

Grant Connections | July 2016 Notes

Notes from the July Grant Connections meeting are included below. Thank you to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, August 24.

New Process for Resetting FastLane/Research.gov Passwords

MU Grants Community,

On Monday, August 1, NSF will implement a more convenient and secure process for resetting NSF passwords. NSF awardees and proposers will no longer be able to reach out to Sponsored Projects Offices (SPO) to reset their passwords on both FastLane and Research.gov; instead, they can reset their own password. Please note that this implementation was rescheduled from Monday, July 25, due to a power outage which caused all servers to shut down.

To reset passwords, awardees and proposers can go to www.research.gov and click “Log In,” then “Forgot Password.” After entering their NSF ID and clicking, “Send Temporary Password,” they will be able to reset their passwords using the temporary password sent to their email address on file.

Passwords must be between 8 and 20 characters and use three of the four categories below:

• Upper-case letter
• Lower-case letter
• Number
• One of these special characters # & % ! @ ( )

In addition, the last six passwords cannot be reused, and accounts will be locked for five minutes after the tenth unsuccessful password attempt.

Grant Connections - July 2016

Wednesday, July 27, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics 
• Fair Labor Standards Act: How will the university implement? What will be the impact on our research? See attached handout for more information. Guest Speakers:
  Leona Rubin, Ph.D.
  Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies, MU
  Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Graduate Education, UM System
  Bonnie Gregg
  Senior Human Resources Manager, MU HRS 

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

• Wednesday, August 24, 2016 
• Wednesday, September 28, 2016 
• Wednesday, October 26, 2016 

Grant Connections Organizational Crew (send your suggestions for future topics and questions to this group):

• Liz Bent, Grants & Contracts Administrator, CAFNR 
• Marty Carter, Senior Business Operations Associate, School of Medicine 
• Craig David, Director, OSPA 
• Sheryl Koenig, Grant Proposal Manager, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Brenda Leuenberger, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 
• Julia Rodriguez, Grants & Contracts Administrator, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Jamie Szabo, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 

Please share this information with anyone else associated with research who you think might be interested in attending.

Registration Now Open! 2016 OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training

MU Grants Community,

After a bit of a summer break, the OSPA Certificate Series is back and courses through October are now open for registration! Continuing the Post-Award Track Training, the sessions below are now available, including a special session on Salary Cap, EVR, and Effort Tracking. View full details and register here: https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/courses.

Seats remain for…

Effort Verification Reporting (EVR), Cost Transfers, and Payroll Correcting Entries (PCE)
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Memorial Union, N222-223 JB
Utilizing case studies, review EVR, PCE, and cost transfer examples and their application to sponsored projects. Discuss compliance requirements for each of these activities. Identify common issues and risks of noncompliance.

Subawards and Consulting Agreements
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I
Utilizing case studies, analyze the difference between subrecipients/subawards and vendors/consulting agreements as they pertain to sponsored projects. Discuss the subaward process throughout in the award cycle, from the documentation needed before a subrecipient can be named in a proposal submitted to a sponsor to closing out the subaward. Discuss the consulting agreement process throughout the award cycle, from issuing the consulting agreement to receipt of deliverables and payment.

Now open…

NEW: Salary Cap, EVR, and Effort Tracking (Advanced)
Thursday, August 25, 2016
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I
Provide an overview of salary and effort issues above and beyond the general EVR, Cost Transfers, and PCEs session, discussing concepts such as the DHHS salary cap implications and monitoring, effort commitments, and tracking effort. Discuss roles and responsibilities of OSPA, DRA, and PI. Note: This advanced course is not required to complete the Post-Award Track and earn your certificate of completion.

Grant Fact Sheet Updated 07/18/2016 | FY17 Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rates

MU Grants Community,

A new version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 7/18/2016, is available on the OSPA website. Please access the current version here, noting the following changes:

Page 2: Updated Facilities and Administrative Rates

Grant Connections | June 2016 Notes

Notes from the June Grant Connections meeting are included below. Thank you to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, July 27.

Important Information Regarding Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals

MU Grants Community, 

Please see the information below regarding planned additions to the automated compliance checks on NSF applications.

Click here for a complete list of automated system compliance checks for Fastlane.

***

Grant Connections - June 2016

Wednesday, June 22, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics
• eCompliance – External Investigators. Betty Jo Wilson and Katy Burkett with the Conflict of Interest Office will present on new functionality for external investigators in eCompliance. 
• FDP Expanded Clearinghouse. OSPA will present on the FDP Expanded Clearinghouse Phase I pilot, and what we can expect for Phase II as it relates to issuing subcontracts and participating as a subcontractor on another institution’s award. 

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates.

• July 27, 2016 
• August 24, 2016 
• September 28, 2016

Grant Connections Organizational Crew (send your suggestions)

• Liz Bent, Grants & Contracts Administrator, CAFNR 
• Marty Carter, Senior Business Operations Associate, School of Medicine
• Brandi Clements, Grants & Contracts Administrator, College of Education 
• Craig David, Director, OSPA 
• Sheryl Koenig, Grant Proposal Coordinator, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Brenda Leuenberger, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 
• Julia Rodriguez, Grants & Contracts Administrator, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Jamie Szabo, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA

Please share this information with anyone else associated with research who you think might be interested in attending.

NIH Authentication of Key Resources Flow Chart

This flow chart from NIH is very helpful, particularly with regards to how to comply with the new Rigor and Transparency requirements for grant proposals. Please contact the Pre-Award Team with any questions. 

Grant Connections | May 2016 Notes

Notes from the May Grant Connections meeting are included below. Thank you to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, June 22nd.

 

Grant Fact Sheet updated 5/25/2016: Graduate Student Support Program (GSSP) Rates

MU Grants Community,

A new version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 5/25/2016, is available on the OSPA website. Please access the current version here, noting the following changes:

Page 4: Graduate Student Support Program (GSSP) Rates: Updated to include 2016-2017 tuition and supplemental course fees.

Grant Connections - May 2016

Wednesday, May 25, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics 
• Fiscal Year End – What grant administrators need to know for FY16
• Investigators and research administrators: working together to build productive sponsor relationships. Along with Rachel Smith from the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration, a panel of research investigators will discuss the research administrator’s role in sponsor communications from proposal to award closeout. 
• Mahesh Thakkar Ph.D.
  Associate Professor, Neurology, School of Medicine
• Karen Kirby, Ph.D.
  Research Scientist, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine
• Christian Lorson, Ph.D.
  Professor, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine
• Mary K. Shenk, Ph.D.
  Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts & Science
  Director of Life Sciences & Society Program

Grant Connections | April 2016 Meeting Notes

Notes from the April Grant Connections meeting are included below. Information about the updated NIH Application Forms can be found on pages 3-5.

Thank you to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, May 25th.

Grant Fact Sheet updated 4/28/2016: Fringe Benefits Rates

MU Grants Community,

A new version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 4/28/2016, is available on the OSPA website. Please access the current version here, noting the following changes:

Page 3: Fringe Benefits Rates: Updated to include fiscal year (FY) 2017 federal and calculated fringe benefit rates and projected rates for FY2018-FY2021.

Reference: FY2017 UMC F&A/Fringe Benefit Rate Agreement dated 03/03/2016, http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/fa/controller/sponsoredprograms-farate

Grant Connections - April 2016

Wednesday, April 27, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics 
• FY15 A-133 Single Audit Report and Audit Panel Discussion. KPMG issued the University’s fiscal year 2015 Single Audit Report on March 31, 2016. OSPA will provide an overview of and context for the report. Then, a panel of OSPA staff and Departmental Research Administrators will discuss what typically happens during an audit and how research administrators can contribute to successful audits.   
• Gifts vs. Grants. The distinction between gifts and sponsored projects can be subtle, but it is important to know the difference and to treat each consistently. MU Advancement and OSPA will discuss determining factors and introduce a new tool designed to help the process of applying gifts and grants to campus activities. 

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates.

• May 25, 2016 
• June 22, 2016 
• July 27, 2016 
• August 24, 2016 
• September 28, 2016 
• October 26, 2016 

MO Spinal Cord Injury/Disease Research Program not currently accepting applications

The Missouri Spinal Cord Injury/Disease Research Program (SCIDRP) is not currently accepting applications. The program awarded nine grants for a total of $1.5M in FY2016 and has selected nine grants for FY2017 funding totaling $1.4M. At a date to be determined, the SCIDRP will reopen application submission for projects beginning July 1, 2017, or later.

Should you have questions, please contact the program staff.

OSPA Updates: Grant Fact Sheet updated 4/8/16 | NIH FORMS-C and D | Upcoming grants training

A new version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 04/08/2016, is available on the OSPA website. Please access the current version here, which includes the following update:

Institutional Minimum Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant Stipends (p. 4)
The Office of Graduate Studies confirmed tentative AY 2016-2017 rates as final. Per Interim Chancellor Foley’s announcement in his State of the University of Missouri address in January, rates reflect a 25% increase in minimum stipend levels.


National Institutes of Health

REMINDER: NIH and AHRQ Grant Application Changes: FORMS-C for due dates on or before May 24, 2016; FORMS-D for due dates on or after May 25, 2016 (NOT-OD-16-081)

Not sure how to tell the difference between FORMS-C and D? NIH offers a resource: Do I Have the Right Electronic Forms for My Application?

Also, per NOT-OD-16-084, NIH has updated its application guide and supplemental instructions for use with grant application due dates on or after May 25, 2016.

Grant Connections | March 2016 Meeting Notes

Notes from the March Grant Connections meeting are included below for your review and reference.

Thanks to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, April 27.

 

Grant Connections - March 2016

Wednesday, March 23, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics including the allowability of student fees 
• Preparing and Submitting your NSF Grant Application. Next in the new Grant Connections discussion series on common proposal submission issues, Hannah Clampitt from OSPA will share the secrets to success for National Science Foundation (NSF) grant applications through FastLane. 
• Grants and Contracts Incentive (GCI) Plan. A series of forums is underway to discuss potential changes to the GCI Plan. OSPA Director Craig David will give us an update. 

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates.

• April 27, 2016
• May 25, 2016

Grant Connections | February 2016 Meeting Notes

Notes from the February Grant Connections meeting are below for your review and reference. Thanks to all who attended. We hope to see you at the next meeting on Wednesday, March 23.

 

OSPA Updates | Certificate Series: additional sessions open for registration | NIH Notice: FORMS-D and Late and Continuous Submission Applications

Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training
OSPA Certificate Series sessions through August are now open for registration! Topics include the following:

• Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rate *Next Thursday, March 10. Seats remain! 
• Budget Development 
• Notice of Grant Award (NGA), Acceptance, and Establishment of an Award
• PeopleSoft Grants Module Financial Reports and Queries
• Allowability
• Management of Award
• Effort Verification Reporting (EVR), Cost Transfers, and Payroll Correcting Entries (PCE)
• Subawards and Consulting Agreements

View full details (including course descriptions, day/time, and location) and register here: https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/

Congratulations to the following recent Certificate of Completion recipients!

• Pre-Award - Eli Marchbanks 
• Post-Award - Shelly DeJaynes, Wendy Loerzel, Dustin Oehl 

National Institutes of Health

Impact of Grant Application Form Update (FORMS-D) on Late and Continuous Submission Applications (NOT-OD-16-064) As stated in NOT-OD-16-004, all NIH applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2016 must use updated (FORMS-D) application packages. FORMS-C application packages must be used for due dates before May 25, 2016.

Due to the content and policy changes implemented in FORMS-D application packages, NIH plans to make a clean transition from FORMS-C to FORMS-D to ensure applications reviewed together follow the same instructions. If you are eligible for submission under NIH’s late, continuous submission, and system issue policies, you will need to pay special attention to the cutover dates to the new forms. Use the forms and instructions for the intended due date (not actual submission date). The intended due date is the date listed in the Application Due Date or AIDS Application Due Date row of the Key Dates table in the funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

Grant Connections | January 2016 Meeting Notes

Notes from the January Grant Connections meeting are included below for your review and reference.

Grant Connections - February 2016

Wednesday, February 24, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics including the federal closeout window and allowability of student fees. 
• What do you want your new PIs to know? You are working with a PI who has just received their first external award. What’s on your priority list of things you tell them so that their project can run smoothly from your perspective? Let’s brainstorm together, and you might gain some ideas or find new priorities. This will be helpful for those who work with proposals as much as for those who work with awards because remember … putting together a successful proposal means understanding how to carry out those plans if an award is received.

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates.

• March 23, 2016
• April 27, 2016
• May 25, 2016

Grant Connections Organizational Crew (send your suggestions for future topics to these people)

• Liz Bent, Grants & Contracts Administrator, CAFNR 
• Marty Carter, Senior Business Operations Associate, School of Medicine 
• Brandi Clements, Grants & Contracts Administrator, College of Education 
• Craig David, Director, OSPA 
• Jill Ferguson, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 
• Sheryl Koenig, Grant Proposal Manager, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Julia Rodriguez, Grants & Contracts Administrator, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Jamie Szabo, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 

Please share with anyone else associated with research who you think might be interested in attending.

Grant Fact Sheet updated 2/2/2016

MU Grants Community,
A new version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 02/02/2016, is available on the OSPA website. Please access the current version here, noting the following changes:

System for Award Management (SAM) registration renewed (p. 1)

Travel and Meal Reimbursement Rates for CY 2016 (p. 3)

Institutional Minimum Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant Stipends (p. 4)
The Office of Graduate Studies released tentative rates as a follow-up to Interim Chancellor Foley’s announcement that minimum stipend levels will increase by 25% for the 2016-2017 academic year. Increases will start in July for those students employed over the summer. Additional funds will come from MU’s central budget; the Office of Graduate Studies and the MU Budget Office are determining costs per academic unit and how the funds will be distributed.

Actual stipend levels as well as tuition and medical insurance rates for the 2016-2017 academic year will be added as soon as they are available.

OSPA Updates: New NIH and NSF application guidelines for 1/25/16 due dates | New DHHS salary cap | Proposal submission deadlines policy | Grants training

National Institutes of Health
REMINDER: For 1/25/16 due dates and after, revised SF424 Application Guides
Refer here for the prior notice with full details. Significant changes include updated application requirements and review language to enhance reproducibility of research findings through increased scientific rigor and transparency. Note that the new “Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources” attachment is required only for applications that propose to use biological and/or chemical resources.

New DHHS Salary Cap, Effective 1/10/2016
Executive Level II of the Federal Pay Scale, which sets the cap limit for salaries on DHHS awards, has increased from $183,300 to $185,100 effective January 10, 2016. The Sponsored Programs Procedure Guide (SPPG) is updated here, including links to relevant NIH Notices and salary cap history (FY 1990 to present).

National Science Foundation

REMINDER: For 1/25/16 due dates and after, revised Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 16-1)
Refer here for the prior notice with full details. Significant changes include a new single-copy document required for each senior project personnel regarding collaborators and other affiliations and new submission instructions for biosketches and current and pending support.

NSF proposal deadlines extended to 1/26/16 | NSF closed today (1/25) due to inclement weather

All proposal deadlines from January 22 and January 25 are extended to January 26, 5:00PM submitter's local time, as a result of NSF closure.

• As per NSF's guidance related to deadline submissions, failure to submit by 5:00PM (submitter's local time) will result in the proposal not being accepted. 
• Please select the updated deadline date in the Deadline/Target Date dropdown in the Remainder of the Coversheet section of your proposal before submitting your proposal to NSF. 
• NSF is closed on Monday, January 25, due to inclement weather. FastLane user support is unavailable. 

If you have not done so already, please alert your SGCA to any proposals (or awards) potentially affected by funding agency closures or closures or delays at collaborating institutions (i.e., anticipated subawards).

Grant Connections - January 2016

Wednesday, January 27, 2016
11:00 a.m. – noon
Room 572 of the Bond Life Sciences Center

Agenda

• Hot Topics
• Preparing and Submitting your NIH Grant Application. Up first in a new Grant Connections discussion series on common proposal submission issues, Brenda Leuenberger from OSPA will share "Questions, Quirks, and reQuests: AKA Errors and Warnings and Calls from your SGCA” for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications through Grants.gov and the eRA Commons. 
• Rigor and Transparency. NIH has implemented changes relating to rigor and transparency “to enhance the reproducibility of research findings,” effective for most applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2016 (NOT-OD-16-11). We will review the new requirements for proposals and post-award administration related to compliance with this policy. 

Mark your calendars! Meetings are scheduled for the following dates.

• February 24, 2016
• March 23, 2016
• April 27, 2016
• May 25, 2016

Grant Connections Organizational Crew (send your suggestions for future topics to these people)

• Liz Bent, Grants & Contracts Administrator, CAFNR 
• Marty Carter, Senior Business Operations Associate, School of Medicine 
• Brandi Clements, Grants & Contracts Administrator, College of Education 
• Craig David, Director, OSPA 
• Jill Ferguson, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 
• Sheryl Koenig, Grant Proposal Manager, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Julia Rodriguez, Grants & Contracts Administrator, Bond Life Sciences Center 
• Jamie Szabo, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA 

Please share this information anyone else associated with research who you think might be interested in attending.

PeopleSoft Grants Module and the ePSRS January 19 | OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training

Enjoy your three-day weekend … and then join us Tuesday morning for the next installment of the OSPA Certificate Series! Come along on a step-by-step walk through the PeopleSoft Grants Module and the Electronic PeopleSoft Signature Routing Sheet (ePSRS) and learn some tips and tricks along the way. Next Tuesday, January 19, from 8:30 to 10:30am in Memorial Union Stotler Lounge I … Register here: https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/

2016 OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training

MU Research Community,

New to research administration, want a refresher on the award cycle, or looking for an overview of recent changes in the MU Office of Research? Please consider attending one, a few, or all of the OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training sessions planned for 2016. Join us for Fundamentals of Sponsored Programs this Thursday, January 14, from 8:30 to 10:30am at the MU Student Center. From the OSPA website, the Training Registration page (https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/) details sessions scheduled through early April—including fundamentals, EVR and cost transfers, budget development, ePSRS, F&A, and more!—and describes additional sessions to be scheduled for the remainder of the year.

Please contact Jill Ferguson (fergusonjs@missouri.edu) with questions about the sessions or Megan Ray (rayme@missouri.edu, 882-2810) if you have any trouble with registration.