Reminders: Grants.gov Workspace | NSF PAPPG Update | NIH Forms-E

Dear MU Grants Community,

Is one of the things you are looking forward to this holiday season setting your New Year’s Resolutions?  No? 

If you struggle with making meaningful resolutions, then maybe these ideas will help: 

Resolution No. 1:  I will use Grants.gov Workspace for my federal research grant proposal applications. Why?  Because it is required beginning January 1, 2018 when the old Legacy PDF application packages are no  longer available.   Please remember  -  NSF continues to use NSF Fastlane, and NIH continues to use NIH ASSIST, other federal agencies use Workspace.

Resolution No. 2:  I will review the significant changes to the 2018 NSF Proposal and Award Policy and Procedure Guide (PAPPG) which are effective January 29, 2018.  The Nov/Dec Issue of the NSF Proposal and Award Policy Newsletter includes information on these changes with links to the corresponding section(s) of the PAPPG.  Also inside this issue is access to the recording of the live webinar where Jean Feldman, Head, Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support, discusses the changes in detail.  Significant changes and Clarifications can also be found here.

Resolution No. 3:  I will use the NIH FORMS-E Grant Application Forms for my National Institutes of Health grant proposals due on or after January 25, 2018.   A Summary of the Changes to the Forms is included in the Attached document provided by NIH.   An Annotated Form Set is available online, as well as a link to a Preview of the Forms-E Changes. A summary of form updates can also be found here.

As always, if you have questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact your team in OSPA.

Best regards and Wishing you a Happy 2018,

Brenda

Sponsored Programs Operations During Winter Campus Closure

As announced Thursday, December 7, MU offices will be closed from December 25, 2017 through January 1, 2018. 

To accommodate sponsored programs activities, please notify OSPA if you anticipate any proposal activity, contract deadlines, special billing needs, or other activity that requires processing before calendar year end.  Please plan accordingly, recognizing that December 22nd will be our last day in the office this year. 

During the week of closure, if you have an immediate need, please email grantsdc@missouri.edu.  Begin your subject line with “Emergency” and include all of the details of your request; along with the relevant information, paperwork, and contact information.  

Happy holidays! We look forward to working with you in the New Year. 

Grant Connections - November/December 2017 Notes

Meeting Date Facilitator	December 6, 2017 Shelley Hilton
Note Taker	Shelley Hilton, Brenda Leuenberger, Jamie Szabo
Attendees	24

Conversation Highlights

Hot Topics OSPA Holiday Celebration is Thursday, December 7th from 2-4. Join us on the 5th floor of Mizzou North for this holiday tradition. LOC Draws/End of Year: For Letter of Credit awards (most of our federal awards), our end of year deadlines for final draws are as follows. These deadlines are of particular importance for those awards with an end date on or before 9/30/17: ·         DHHS Payment Management System (includes NIH, most USDA and others) – Final 2017 draw will occur on 12/14/17. Final expenditures should be posted to the project chartfield no later than 12/7/17 to the extent possible. If there are expenditures that will not be posted by this date, please notify your postaward team as soon as possible. ·         ASAP System (Some USDA, DOE, DOI, EPA and others) – Final 2017 draw will occur on 12/21/17. Final expenditures should be posted to the project chartfield no later than 12/14/17 to the extent possible. If there are expenditures that will not be posted by this date, please notify your postaward team as soon as possible. NSF Webinar: Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Update: Friday, December 8th, 2017 from 1:00 – 2:15pm CST. Register here: https://nsfgrantsconferences.com/pappg-update-webinar/

Presentation: Susan Renoe, Director of the Broader Impacts Network and Chairperson for the National Alliance for Broader Impacts (NABI) presented on a new online evaluation tool that is available to MU investigators through the MU Assessment Resource Center (ARC). Jennifer Goyne & Kent Ahrens, Programmer Analysts with the ARC demonstrated this new tool. The Broader Impacts Network Data, Evaluation & Research System (BINDERS) is an online platform that offers UM System researchers a comprehensive tool for entering, collecting, and tracking data to promote evidence- based best practices in the development, implementation, and evaluation of BI activities related to broadening participation, undergraduate research, high school outreach, and public outreach. The user can download language that can be used in grant proposals, and data for annual reports. The tool is free (unless hard copy surveys are ordered), and is designed to link easily with myVITA. For more information, visit The Connector’s webpage: http://theconnector.missouri.edu/ A User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is available to on Thursday, December 7th at 1 pm in the MU Student Center (St. Louis Room). All MU faculty and those who support faculty are welcome to attend the UAT session.

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

Caitlin Carr, Business Manager II, Division of Applied Social Sciences, CAFNR 
Marty Carter, Senior Business Operations Associate, School of Medicine 
Shelley Hilton, Manager, Engineering Research

Brenda Leuenberger, Senior Compliance Manager, OSPA

Cameron Purves, Compliance Manager, OSPA

Julia Rodriguez, Grants & Contracts Administrator, Bond Life Sciences Center

Jamie Szabo, Associate Director, OSPA

Reminder - Grants.gov is retiring PDF Applications effective December 31st - Use Workspace going forward

Attachment: Workspace Instructions

Dear MU Grants Community,

As a reminder, Grants.gov PDF applications will be officially retired from use on December 31^st and Workspace will become your standard Grants.gov application method.   As previously instructed, if you plan to apply for federal funding through Grants.gov, you will need to register and do so in Workspace. Please refer to the attached reference to assist you in registering and using Workspace.  

In addition, Grants.gov provides extensive resources to assist you in this transition:

·         There’s an online help manual covering how-to instructions and the finer details of the system – including a useful search feature. 

·         There’s a large compilation of Applicant Training Resources and Videos available on Grants.gov beginning with Becoming a Workspace Wizard.

·         Finally, agencies such as EPA are hosting Grants.gov-led webinar sessions – even if you don’t apply for EPA funding, the content may assist you in your preparing an application in Workspace.  Information and registration can be found here. 

As a reminder, when preparing your National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) grant proposals, please CONTINUE to do so using NIH ASSIST and NSF FASTLANE as the preferred method for those agencies.    

And, as always, please don’t hesitate to contact OSPA if you have questions, or need assistance.    

Thank you,

Brenda

Spring 2018 OSPA Certificate Series Registration Open

Dear MU Grants Community,

The days are getting colder but OSPA is staying warm preparing for another great season of our Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training!    Participants are awarded a certificate of completion for each track they complete and all sessions are free. The series kicks off in January 2018 with our Pre-Award Track. You can view full course details and register now for all courses through March here:  https://ospa-training.orcsdev.missouri.edu/login.

Courses include:

Fundamentals of Sponsored Programs

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I

Understand the award cycle. Identify key stakeholders in the process. Discuss roles and responsibilities of various Campus and System departments.

PeopleSoft Grants Module and the Electronic Proposal Signature Routing Sheet (ePSRS)

Thursday, February 1, 2018

8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I

Discuss the purpose and functionality of the Electronic PeopleSoft Signature Routing Sheet (ePSRS) in the PeopleSoft Grants Module. Identify proposal information needed from the Principal Investigator (PI), other project personnel, and collaborating units in order to complete the ePSRS. Review the Electronic Approvals (EA) process.

Proposal Development and Submission

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I

Identify key components of a sponsored project proposal. Understand potential compliance requirements effective upon proposal submission, including but not limited to financial conflict of interest. Discuss implications of accepting terms and conditions at proposal, including but not limited to those concerning publication rights and ownership of equipment. Explore terms and conditions the University may not be able to agree to and other common challenges that could delay proposal submission. Utilizing case studies, analyze sponsor guidelines in order to identify and understand various requirements. Review internal processes for proposal submission by an Authorized Organizational Representative in the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration.

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rate

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I

Define F&A costs, identifying the “F” and “A” individual components. Understand the difference between total direct costs (TDC) vs. modified total direct costs (MTDC). Apply the appropriate F&A rate for a proposal, differentiating among Research, Instruction, and Other Sponsored Activity; On Campus and Off Campus; and Clinical Trial rates. Review circumstances where F&A is reduced, including sponsor limitations. Utilizing case studies, review sponsor guidelines and proposals to understand application of F&A.

Budget Development

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I

Discuss compliance requirements for developing a sponsored project budget. Apply allowable cost principles in creating a budget per the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) and/or sponsor guidelines. Utilizing case studies, explore examples of unlike circumstances, questions to ask, and items of unallowable costs commonly included in a budget.

As always, if you have questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Nathan Winters  882-8308 | Brenda Leuenberger 882-8307