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. NASA Policy Update: Implementation of New Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (Friday, October 18, 2024)
On October 1, 2024, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released an updated version of the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM) which now provides a single resource for guidance covering the full life cycle – from proposal to closeout – of NASA-sponsored programs. The 2024 GCAM, available here, implements the Office of Management and Budget’s 2024 revisions to Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), and fully incorporates the guidance previously found in the Proposer’s Guide, which will no longer be utilized.
The 2024 GCAM is effective October 1, 2024, and applies to all new awards and amendments issued on or after 10/1 regardless of when the proposal was submitted. The NASA Grant & Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions, which set forth general and specific award terms, have been separated from the GCAM to create a standalone document posted on the Grants Policy and Compliance page and available here.
To implement requirements of the National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33) and the CHIPS and Science Act, all covered individuals, as defined in the 2024 GCAM, are now required to submit the common disclosure forms with their applications. The templates for the biographical sketch and current and pending support forms are posted here along with NASA’s Pre-Award and Post-Award Disclosure Requirements table. Both common forms require a signed certification that the individual is not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
As a reminder, senior/key personnel are required to disclose pending applications to and current participation in programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs. Covered individuals are prohibited from participating in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
All Announcements
2. NIST AWARD AMENDMENT LETTER (Monday, October 7, 2024)
On April 22, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published revisions to 2 C.F.R. part 200 (OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance), which are accessible at: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 (2024 Revisions). The 2024 Revisions are effective as of October 1, 2024.
Except as provided below, this Amendment is an official notice to inform your organization that the terms and conditions of your NIST financial assistance award (grant or cooperative agreement) are hereby amended to incorporate the 2024 Revisions.
Recipients of NIST awards issued prior to October 1, 2024 receiving this Amendment are not currently required to agree to the implementation of the 2024 Revisions. By accessing federal funds and continuing performance on existing financial assistance awards, the recipient agrees to comply with the 2024 Revisions effective as of October 1, 2024. Recipients that do not agree to comply with the 2024 Revisions as of October 1, 2024, must contact the NIST Grants Specialist listed on your Award documentation within 30 calendar days from receipt of this Amendment.
If you have any questions about the information provided in this Amendment, please contact the Grants Specialist listed on your Award documents. Financial Assistance Agreements Management Office (formerly Grants Management Division) Office of Acquisition and Agreements Management National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)U.S. Department of Commerce
3. NSF Revised Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) NSF 24-1 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)
On May 20, 2024, NSF will implement the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) NSF 24-1 for proposals submitted or due on or after this date. The revised PAPPG implements a variety of changes and clarifications, the highest profile of which includes changes to the Biosketch format and requires a certification that an individual is not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program on both the Biosketch and Current and Pending Support documents.
As a reminder, senior/key personnel are required to disclose contracts associated with participation in programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs in the Biosketch and Current and Pending Support documents.
An updated checklist reflecting the PAPPG 24-1 changes and summary of the changes can be found in the links below:
4. 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.
5. 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
6. 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 2023. Grants.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
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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:
- Please find an updated FY21-22 Salary Reference Sheet
- 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.
- The Research Office has also updated the budget justification template found on our website under Budgets & Rates, Budget Justification Template.
- 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
10. 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.