Operational Excellence

IN RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

WHY WE’RE DOING THIS

The quality of administrative services provided by the Research Office is critical to creating an efficient and effective research environment at the University. Our goals during this initiative are to:

  • Improve service to faculty who participate in sponsored research
  • Increase process efficiency via enhanced policies, procedures, tools, and systems
  • Bolster institutional compliance with federal and sponsor requirements
  • Implement performance metrics to continuously review administrative effectiveness

 

PROGRESS UPDATES

We will be engaging the broader research community and sharing our progress throughout this transformation effort. Ongoing communications and status updates can be viewed in the announcement section below.

Announcements


1. NSF Update 23-1 PAPPG (Wednesday, January 11, 2023)

A revised version of the NSF PAPPG (NSF 23-1) has been issued and can be accessed at:  Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide.  The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023.

Significant changes to the PAPPG include the following:

NSF Biographical Sketch (Biosketch) and Current and Pending (Other) Support (C&P):

  • Updates have been made to increase standardization with the Common Disclosure Form for the Biosketch and C&P documents that have been developed in compliance with National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) Implementation Guidance.
  • Senior Personnel will be required to certify that the information provided in their Biosketch and C&P is accurate, current, and complete (certification included in both SciENcv and the NSF fillable format).
  • In accordance with NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance, NSF Program Officers will request an updated C&P prior to making a funding recommendation.
  • Effective October 23, 2023, the use of SciENcv will be required to prepare the Biosketch and C&P documents.

Concept Outlines:
Certain NSF proposal types or funding opportunities will require submission of a Concept Outline prior to submission of a full proposal.  These will be submitted either by email to a designated address or via the online Program Sustainability and Proposal Concept Tool (ProSPCT), as specified in the solicitation.. .  A concept outline will be required to submit the following proposal types:

  • Planning Proposal
  • Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
  • Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
  • Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE)  

Off-Campus or Off-Site Research:
A new checkbox will be included on the NSF Cover Sheet to identify Off-Campus or Off-Site Research. When this box is checked, a plan for the proposal must be in place regarding a safe and inclusive working environment.  For purposes of this requirement, off-campus or off-site research is defined as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft.  The organization’s plan for the proposal must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure.  Proposers should not submit the plan to NSF for review.

Research Security:
In accordance with NSPM-33, NSF requires the following post-award updates to current support after issuance of an NSF award:

  • If an organization discovers a PI or co-PI on an active NSF award failed to disclose current support or in-kind contribution information as a part of the proposal submission process, the AOR must submit the information within 30 calendar days of the identification of the undisclosed current support or in-kind contribution via the Notification and Request Module in Research.gov.
  • PIs and co-PIs on active NSF awards must indicate if there has been a change in active other support since submission of the proposal or the last reporting period in their annual and final project report. If there has been a change, the individual must submit a revised current and pending support document prepared in SciENcv as a part of the project report.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Katie Brown
All Announcements

2. NIH’s Data Management & Sharing Policy — Resources & Expectations Presentation (Thursday, December 15, 2022)

Dear Colleagues:

On December 15, 2022 the Research Office, Library, IT and Museums and Press hosted a virtual info session entitled “NIH’s new Data Management and Sharing Policy – Resources and Expectations.” This session was recorded for those unable to attend and for those who would like to use this presentation as a resource.

This info session provided an overview on what should be included in data management and sharing plans at proposal submission as well as the resources available through the Library, Museums and Press and UDIT Research Cyberinfrastructure.

Please use the following links to access the recorded presentation and the slides used:
INFO SESSION VIDEO  |   SLIDE PRESENTATION

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Friedland
National Science Foundation

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jeffrey Friedland

3. Required Use of Research.gov for Preparation and Submission of Proposals (Tuesday, March 22, 2022)

Dear Colleagues:

In accordance with Important Notice No. 147, many National Science Foundation (NSF) program solicitations now require the use of Research.gov for the preparation and submission of proposals. Please be advised that NSF will now start requiring the use of Research.gov for the preparation and submission of proposals in response to program descriptions. As a reminder, FastLane is targeted to be removed as a submission option from all funding opportunities when the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) goes into effect in January 2023Grants.gov will remain a submission option for most NSF proposals.

Program Descriptions in Research.gov

To assist the research community, NSF developed a dynamic listing of program descriptions that require submission in Research.gov. Follow these steps to determine if your proposal for a specific program description must be prepared and submitted in Research.gov:

·         Access the relevant NSF.gov program description page (e.g., Magnetospheric Physics, PD 98-5750).

·         View the advisory in the Program Guidelines section on the right side of the program description page and click on the link in the advisory:

Alert: Many NSF programs are only accepting proposals in Research.gov or Grants.gov. FastLane may no longer be a submission option. For more information, please visit Program Descriptions that Require Proposal Preparation and Submission in Research.gov or Grants.gov.

 

The document will identify program descriptions requiring Research.gov preparation and submission and the associated effective date. This document will be updated on an ongoing basis as FastLane will be removed from all program descriptions as a proposal preparation and submission option when the PAPPG goes into effect in January 2023.

 

Since many program solicitations also require submission in Research.gov, proposers should pay close attention to the requirements identified in those specific funding opportunities.

Research.gov Proposal Capabilities and Transition from FastLane Proposal Preparation

Nearly all FastLane proposal preparation and submission capabilities are now available in Research.gov. For details about the remaining proposal features that will soon be added to Research.gov, please see the Proposal Submission Capabilities table on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page. To stay informed about Research.gov and FastLane changes, we invite you to join our System Updates listserv. Sign up by sending a blank email to: system_updates-subscribe-request@listserv.nsf.gov.

 

NSF strongly encourages proposers to prepare and submit all supported proposals in Research.gov now, to facilitate a smooth transition from FastLane proposal preparation to Research.gov over the next several months. In addition, NSF relies on your vital feedback to help ensure the system is working as intended and to identify areas of improvement. Feedback may be submitted athttps://www.research.gov/research-web/feedback.

Research.gov Proposal Preparation and Submission Training Resources

·         Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page

  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by topic
  • Video Tutorials
  • How-to Guides

·         Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site (See the demo site FAQs on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page for access information and demo site features.)

·         Research.gov Update and Demonstration presentation from the Fall 2021 NSF Virtual Grants Conference

 

Questions? If you have IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

National Science Foundation

4. Summer DHHS Salary Cap and DHHS Salary Cap Pay Guidance Now Available (Monday, February 14, 2022)

Guidance relating to summer pay on NIH grants for faculty members on academic year contracts has been released by the Research Administration Team regarding supplemental compensation. Additionally, guidance regarding salaries for employees whose Institutional Base Salary (IBS) exceeds the DHHS salary cap is also available in this guidance with recommended procedures. Please click below to download this DHHS guidance document or visit our website to learn more.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sam Mobry

5. Subaward Document Changes Now Online (Monday, February 14, 2022)

The Research Office has updated some of the supporting documents for subawards. The Subrecipient Commitment Form (non-FDP) and Attachment 3B have been updated to include a field for the UEI number. The new forms should be used effective immediately for all subawards. This change is in response to the U.S. Government transitioning from the use of the Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) nine-digit number as an entity identifier throughout the federal awarding process to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Expanded Clearinghouse has also been updated to include the UEI number for all registered organizations effective October, 2021.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Susan Tompkins

6. UPDATE: Provisional F&A Rate Agreement (Tuesday, June 29, 2021)

June 29, 2021

Dear Colleagues,  

The University of Delaware’s new Negotiated Rate Agreement is now available, which includes FY22-FY25 Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Rates and FY22 Fringe Benefit rates. The new rate agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services is located on the Research Office (RO) website for your reference. You will also find the new rates on the RO website in the UD Proposal Development Guide (see Budgets & Rates).

Effective immediately, all new proposals will use the fixed fringe and predetermined F&A rates, which have been programmed into PeopleSoft. The FY22 fixed fringe rates will be applied to existing awards. Existing awards will continue at the F&A rates at which they were awarded, unless there are competing segments.

Several job aids have been revised for use by the research community regarding the F&A and fringe rates:

  1. Please find an updated FY21-22 Salary Reference Sheet
  2. The Research Office has modified the budget template found on our website under Frequently Asked Questions, Getting Started, “How do I construct a budget?” to include the updated rates.
  3. The Research Office has also updated the budget justification template found on our website under Budgets & Rates, Budget Justification Template.
  4. Please find an updated excel F&A rate chart for FY20 to FY25 found on our website.

If you have any questions, please contact your Contract & Grant Analyst.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Friedland
Associate Vice President,
Research Administration

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jeffrey Friedland

7. Updated Guidance to NIH’s Biographical Sketch and Other Support Changes (Monday, May 24, 2021)

In an effort to support strong collaboration between Federal research agencies, NIH has made every effort to align the Biographical Sketch (Biosketch), Other Support format page and Application Form Instructions with guidance issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy Joint Committee on the Research Environment.

As a result, NIH has updated its application forms and instructions to support the need for applicants and recipients to provide full transparency and disclosure of all research activities, foreign and domestic.

If you have questions regarding this guidance, please contact your Contract & Grant Analyst.

8. UD Exchange Roll-Out News (Monday, May 24, 2021)

As part of the UD Exchange (UDX) roll-out, internal controls have been improved for requisitions using sponsored program funds. UDX requisitions that use sponsored program funding will route to RO for approval as follows:
 

  • Subcontracts or Consultants: a C&G will review
  • Other Accounts:
    If the requisition total is > $10,000, an SRA will review
  • Additional Project End Dates Controls:
    Between 90 days prior to the end of the project through the project end date, equipment requisitions will route to an SRA; 1-45 days after the end of the project will only allow requisitions for publications, printing or subcontracts; 46-60 days after the end date of the project will only allow subcontracts; requisitions 61+ days after project end date will not move forward.

 

We look forward to the decreased compliance risk brought about with these changes and invite you to contact your Contract & Grant Analyst with any questions.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chris White

9. Monthly VPFIN Sponsored Program Expenditures Report (Monday, May 24, 2021)

As a reminder, the report tabs of the VPFIN Sponsored Program Expenditure Report, has drill down functionality. The report is available in COGNOS for you to run based on your business needs. Information regarding COGNOS can be found on the IRE website. The reports/ folders are located in COGNOS Public Folders/Research Office Financial Reports/Monthly Reports/Summary Pages. The folders are summary pages that include drill throughs, summaries and detail reports. The COGNOS role of BUSINESS MANAGER has been applied to each folder.

For questions on how to run a COGNOS report, please contact IRE. If you have questions regarding the data, please contact Devora Frisby

10. Effective March 22: NSF Enabled Three New Proposal Types (Thursday, March 25, 2021)

March 25, 2021

Dear Colleagues,  

Effective March 22, the National Science Foundation (NSF) enabled three new proposal types in the Research.gov Proposal Submission System and in the recently launched Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site. These are the Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED), Equipment, and Travel proposal types. New automated compliance checks and associated error and warning messages for these proposal types were also implemented. In addition, proposal withdrawal functionality was added for both single submission (with or without subawards) and separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations. New training resources have also been added to the Research.gov Research.gov/About Proposal Preparation and Submission page.

FASED, Equipment, and Travel Proposals

  • Proposers can now select a FASED, Equipment, or Travel proposal type in the Research.gov Proposal Submission System proposal setup wizard, in addition to the existing Research.gov proposal type options:
    • Research
    • Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
    • EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
    • Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE)
  • All supported proposal types are available in the Research.gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site.
  • New automated compliance checks for FASED, Equipment, and Travel proposal types have been added to Research.gov and are listed on the Research.govAutomated Proposal Compliance Checks for Proposals dated March 22, 2021 on the Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals page. 
    • A reminder: Error messages prohibit proposal submission to NSF, whereas warning messages still permit proposal submission.  
  • Refer to the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) for FASED, Equipment, and Travel proposal requirements.

 

Proposal Withdrawal Functionality

  • Proposing organizations can now withdraw both single submission (with or without subawards) and separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations in Research.gov.
  • Organizations no longer need to contact the NSF Help Desk to initiate Research.gov proposal withdrawal actions.
  • A new Proposal Withdrawal section has been added to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Research.gov About Proposal Preparation and Submission page left navigation menu. 
  • Refer to PAPPG Chapter IV.A. for proposal withdrawal requirements.

 

Training Resources

What's Ahead?

Research.gov is being developed incrementally, and features are expanding to support the transition of all proposal preparation and submission functionality from FastLane to Research.gov in accordance with NSF Important Notice 147: Research.gov Implementation Update issued September 22, 2020. Please refer to theResearch.gov Proposal Submission Capabilities to see what is in development.

Questions? If you have IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov. or contact your assigned UD Contract & Grants Specialist.

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