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.
All Announcements
2. UD Financials Upgrade (Monday, April 16, 2018)
UD Financials PeopleSoft upgrade is now complete.
If you have any questions, please contact the Research Office
3. Delay on the Updated Common Rule Effective Date (Monday, January 22, 2018)
In a final rule published on January 19, 2017, federal departments and agencies listed in this document made revisions to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted the same regulatory changes in a separate final rule published on September 18, 2017. The revised policy, reflected in both final rules, is described here as the “2018 Requirements.” The 2018 Requirements are scheduled to become effective on January 19, 2018, with a general compliance date of January 19, 2018 (with the exception of the revisions to the cooperative research provision).
This interim final rule delays the effective date and general compliance date of the 2018 Requirements to July 19, 2018. The federal departments and agencies listed in this document are in the process of developing a proposed rule to further delay implementation of the 2018 Requirements. The limited implementation delay accomplished by this interim final rule both provides additional time to regulated entities for the preparations necessary to implement the 2018 Requirements, and additional time for the departments and agencies listed in this document to seek input from interested stakeholders through a notice and comment rulemaking process that allows for public engagement on the proposal for a further implementation delay.
4. NSF accepting proposals related to hurricane Irma (Thursday, September 21, 2017)
With the second major hurricane – Hurricane Irma – to strike the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its staff remain strongly committed to supporting the people and institutions affected by these storms. Now that the consequences of these disasters are upon us, new science and engineering questions are being raised. Through this Dear Colleague Letter, NSF encourages the submission of proposals that seek to address the challenges related to Hurricane Irma.
5. Procedure requesting letters of Support and Cost Share commitments from the Research Office (Monday, May 15, 2017)
Please see here procedure for requesting letters of support and cost share commitment from the Research Office.
Please see UD’s Cost-Sharing Policy here:
http://sites.udel.edu/generalcounsel/policies/cost-sharing/
6. NSF Newsletters (Monday, April 24, 2017)
The Proposal & Award Policy Newsletter is a quarterly publication designed to provide information about upcoming changes and clarifications to policies and procedures that affect how you prepare and submit proposals, and manage NSF awards.
7. NIH initiatives for 2017 (Friday, January 6, 2017)
The Research Office writes to inform the UD Research Community of several reforms and new initiatives the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be implementing in the upcoming weeks and months with the aim of enhancing clinical trials stewardship.
8. NIH Rigor and Reproducibility (Thursday, August 4, 2016)
Scientific rigor and transparency in conducting biomedical research is key to the successful application of knowledge toward improving health outcomes. The information provided on this website is designed to assist the extramural community in addressing rigor and transparency in NIH grant applications and progress reports.
9. UD – NSF Template for Collaborators & Other Affiliations (Monday, February 1, 2016)
The Research Office has created a template to assist with the new NSF Collaborators & Other Affiliations Requirements. Instructions on how to use the template can be found using the link.
10. UD – Procedures for International Travel (Friday, January 8, 2016)
University Procedure for International Travel with Electronic Devices
Memo from Dr. Charles (Charlie) Riordan, Deputy Provost, Research and Scholarship: The purpose of this memorandum is to remind and inform University of Delaware (UD) employees of the states-of-nature and UD expectations that exist when traveling internationally with mobile devices, laptop computers, personal-digital assistants (PDAs) and other electronic devices.