Registration Now Open! August 2017 OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training

Dear MU Grants Community,

I hope you enjoy the Summer Solstice today and the gift of a few extra minutes of daylight! After a bit of a break, the OSPA Certificate Series is back and courses for August are now open for registration! Continuing with our the Post-Award Track Training, the sessions below are now available. Additional courses will be announced and added as they become available.

View full details and register here: https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/courses.


Now Open…

Effort Verification Reporting (EVR), Cost Transfers, and Payroll Correcting Entries (PCE)
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge I
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
Thursday, August 17, 2017
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.

Salary Cap, EVR and Effort Tracking
Thursday, August 24, 2017
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.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Grants Training Reminder | eRA Commons downtime and ASSIST update planned | NIH Closed January 20 - Inauguration Day

MU Grants Community,
Please see below for important information and share as applicable.

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Seats remain available for the first Certificate Series session of 2017! Join us for Fundamentals of Sponsored Programs tomorrow Wednesday, January 18, from 8:30 to 10:30am in Memorial Union. Register here: https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/.

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­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Inauguration Day (January 20, 2017) Impact on NIH Grant Application Due Dates and Support
(NOT-OD-17-033) National Institutes of Health

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eRA Enhancements: eRA Commons Upcoming Release and Scheduled Downtime for Wednesday, January 18
Friday, January 13, 2017

Scheduled Downtime for the January Release:
eRA Commons and ASSIST will be unavailable beginning at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, January 18 and will return to service by 7 a.m. ET Thursday, January 19, 2017. When the system is available again, you will see new features and functionality have been added to the system.

Highlights of ASSIST’s January Software Release

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

OSPA Updates 10/23/2015

New Links on the OSPA website for quick reference to data management and public access resources

• Many funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have requirements for data sharing and data management plans. Under Proposal Development Resources on the OSPA main page, you can now find a link to an MU Libraries resource page on Data Management Plans. 
• The NIH public access policy requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central immediately upon acceptance for publication. NIH will delay processing of non-competing continuation grant awards if publications arising from that award are not in compliance with the public access mandate. Under Federal Guidance and Regulations on the OSPA main page, you can now find a link to an MU Libraries resource page on the NIH Public Access Policy.
  
  Note that NSF recently released its own public access policy. The library resource page will be updated soon to incorporate NSF and other funder policies. In the meantime, frequently asked questions about the NSF policy can be found here. 

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An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights the ever-stricter administrative requirements for submitting grant proposals:

Application guidelines are nothing new, but the ferocity with which they are being enforced is. The wrong font size on a proposal could lead to its rejection, forcing the applicant to wait months until the next grant cycle to resubmit. The delay can prove damaging with the tenure and promotion clock ticking.

Grant Programs Get Persnickety

OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training | Post-Award and Regulatory Sessions

After a bit of summer break, the OSPA Certificate Series is back! Finishing out the Post-Award Track Training, the following sessions are open for registration:  

Subawards and Consulting Agreements

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.

Cost Sharing

Define cost sharing and the different types, including mandatory, voluntary committed, and voluntary uncommitted. Understand compliance requirements related to cost sharing. Discuss third-party and unallowable cost share and the related impacts on facilities and administrative (F&A) cost recovery. Utilizing case studies, identify different types of cost sharing, discuss proper documentation and reporting, and examine issues of noncompliance.

Effort Verification Reporting (EVR), Cost Transfers, and Payroll Correcting Entries (PCE)

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.

Certificate Series: Registration Open

The following Certificate Series announcement was issued January 7, 2015.

MU Research Community,

As you welcome a new year, please consider attending one, a few, or all of the OSPA Certificate Series for Specialized Grants Training sessions planned for 2015. A new registration page provides the details for scheduled sessions—including proposal development, budget development, ePSRS, F&A, and more!—and the full range of offerings to be scheduled for the year: https://apps.orcs.missouri.edu/ospa_training/

Or from the OSPA homepage, look for Training Registration in the quick-links sidebar.

Certificate Series: More Courses Now Open for Registration!

The following Certificate Series announcement was issued March 10, 2015.

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

• Budget Development *Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11, 8:30am. Seats remain! Please join us!
• Notice of Grant Award (NGA), Acceptance, and Establishment of an Award
• PeopleSoft Grants Module Financial Reports and Queries
• Allowability 
• Management of Award
• Federal Contracts
• Subawards and Consulting Agreements
• Cost Sharing 

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

OSPA Update

MU Grants Community,

Greetings from OSPA! It is a busy time of year and – as we all well know – research doesn’t take a holiday. The following update covers several key developments and items of note. Should you have any questions, please contact your OSPA Pre-Award or Post-Award staff.

Sponsored Programs Procedure Guide (SPPG) and Forms

The OSPA website is updated with revisions to the SPPG and the OSPA Forms page. The image below describes revisions and additions in detail. Please note in particular that a new F&A Waiver form replaces the Request for University Contribution (RUC) form, effective immediately. RUC forms currently in process can proceed; we will not refuse the old forms but will ask that you use the new form for your next request.

OMB Uniform Guidance

On December 1, the UM System Controller’s Office and MU OSPA provided a campus training session on the new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards that will become effective December 26, 2014. Presentation slides are available on the MU OSPA OMB Uniform Guidance page.

NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 15-1)

NSF has released its implementation of the OMB Uniform Guidance by way of a revised PAPPG (NSF 15-1), effective for (1) proposals with submission deadlines on or after December 26, 2014, and (2) awards issued on or after December 26, 2014. Until the effective date, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 14-1) continue to apply. A brief summary of the significant changes is included below for reference.