Seats Remain for Certificate Series Grants Training! Join us for Allowability and Management of the Award

As we wrap up grants training for the spring, please see information below on the remaining courses offered in May, as well as some comments from earlier attendees.  To register for these courses, please visit: https://ospa-training.orcsdev.missouri.edu/

Wed, May 02, 2018
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Memorial Union - Stotler Lounge III

Allowability

Review cost principles per the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). Utilizing case studies, differentiate between allowable and unallowable costs and identify instances of noncompliance. Discuss when sponsor guidelines may be more or less restrictive and when an unlike circumstance may be justified.

“The case studies provided were helpful”

                                          

“ The PI Quick Guide and Reference Guide for Allowable Costs provided during training is very helpful”

                         

“I enjoyed the discussion about exceptions that may apply”

Thu, May 10, 2018
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Memorial Union - Stotler Lounge III

Management of Award

Explore concepts related to management of an award. Review the Budget Variance #2 and Income Statement #2 reports and how to use them to monitor sponsored activities. Describe what information to look for and the questions a Principal Investigator (PI) should ask as part of the expenditure review process. Discuss management and monitoring of various sponsor requirements effective upon acceptance of an award, including but not limited to financial conflict of interest, responsible conduct of research, and public access obligations. Discuss management and monitoring of certain other terms and conditions, including but not limited to those concerning publication rights and ownership of equipment. Understand the difference between cost reimbursable and fixed price agreements. Understand processes for budget changes, interim reporting, invoicing, no cost time extensions, and sponsor notifications.

“Instructor insight and Q & A was very helpful – their expertise and examples were helpful”

                                                                               

“I found the willingness of the training staff to answer questions most helpful”

“The speakers all had equally important issues/answers that made the session very easy to follow”

Communication Workshop - Increasing Citations, Gaining Collaborators and Growing Support for your Research

Please see the attached invitation from the Connector and share with faculty, staff and researchers as appropriate:

Updated Grant Fact Sheet - 4/20/18

An updated Grant Fact Sheet dated 4/20/2018 has been placed on the OSPA website and can be found here.

The following sections have been updated to reflect an update of the F&A/Fringe Benefit Rate Agreement dated 3/19/2018:

And the federal fringe benefit rates were updated accordingly:

(Note: non-federal rates are not yet available and will be updated when finalized.) 

Grant Connections - February & March 2018

Here are the notes and handouts from our February and March Grant Connections meetings. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Wednesday, April 25th.

February 2018:

• Human Subjects Research Protections Program (HRPP) at MU by Lori Wilcox, IRB. Presentation can be found here.
• Issuing Payment to Research Subjects—summary of the process by Jennifer Walker, Accounting Services. Information can be found here: https://www.umsystem.edu/oei/sharedservices/apss/nonpo_vouchers/research_subject_payments.
• Hot Topic: USDA Records Disposal Freeze. MU (along with many other institutions) received notice that we’re to retain all documents (paper and electronic) related to USDA grants until the freeze is cancelled. Please see the information linked here from NIFA (disseminated by COGR). If you have questions, please contact your Postaward Team in OSPA.

March 2018:

• Tips for how to monitor pending OneCard, T&E, and Requisition approvals. Demonstration by Amber Neely, Division of Animal Sciences, CAFNR. Refer to the screenshots linked below for how to navigate the PeopleSoft panels to ensure all transactions are approved by the appropriate personnel in a timely manner.
• Approving Expense Reports and Requisitions
• Approving Expense Reports
• Checking Pending Approvals
• Presentation by Hannah Clampitt and Jamie Szabo from OSPA on Participant Support Costs. PowerPoint slides and guidance from NSF are attached.
• Hot Topic: FY17 Single Audit can be found here. There were no findings for FY17. 

Update to Grant Fact Sheet - 4/5/18

An updated Grant Fact Sheet dated 4/05/2018 has been placed on the OSPA website here.

The following section has been updated to reflect the Institutional Minimum Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant stipends for Academic Year 2018-2019.

Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY 2018 (NOT-OD-18-137) Office of the Director, NIH

Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY 2018 (NOT-OD-18-137) Office of the Director, NIH

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, restricts the amount of direct salary to Executive Level II of the Federal Executive pay scale. The Office of Personnel Management has recently released new salary levels for the Executive Pay Scale. Effective January 7, 2018, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $189,600.

For awards issued in those years that were restricted to Executive Level II (see Salary Cap Summary, FY 1990 – FY 2017) including competing awards already issued in FY2018, if adequate funds are available in active awards, and if the salary cap increase is consistent with the institutional base salary, grantees may rebudget to accommodate the current Executive Level II salary level. However, no additional funds will be provided to these grant awards.

Once the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriation for FY 2018 is enacted, NIH will publish the annual Notice of legislative mandates to provide information on any statutory provisions that limit the use of NIH grant funds in FY 2018.

As in years past, since the effective date of the increased salary cap is in the middle of a month (January 7th for 2018), the monthly January cap is prorated to $15,758.06, see the table below for a summary:

Grant Connections - January 2018

Please find below the notes and materials from the January Grant Connections meeting. Mark your calendars for the next meeting planned for February 28, 2018.

• Grant Connections Meeting Notes 1-25-18
• Federal Grant Funding and Appropriation Determination
• NSF Significant Changes and Clarifications to the PAPPG
• Presentation from Grant Connections Meeting

Grant Fact Sheet Updated 1-17-18

MU Grants Community,

An updated version of the Grant Fact Sheet, dated 1/17/2018 is available on the OSPA website.

Please note updates to the following areas:

Updated alternative authorized signers:

Updated SAM expiration date:

Updated Automobile Travel reimbursement rate:

In addition, references to UM System Policies have been updated where applicable.  Should you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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.