Operational Excellence

IN RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

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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. 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.

3. 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.

4. NIH Salary Cap Updated (Monday, January 4, 2016)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced an updated salary cap for grant and cooperative agreement awards and extramural research and development contract awards. Effective January 10, 2016, the Executive Level II salary cap will be raised to $185,100. This change effects the following:

NIH grant/contract awards for applications/proposals that request direct salaries of individuals in excess of the applicable RATE per year will be adjusted in accordance with the legislative salary limitation and will include a notification such as the following: None of the funds in this award shall be used to pay the salary of an individual at a rate in excess of the applicable salary cap.

NIH competing grant awards with categorical budgets reflecting salary levels at or above the new cap(s) that are issued on or after the January 10, 2016 effective date, will reflect adjustments to the current and all future years so that no funds are awarded or committed for salaries over the limitation.

The salary limitation provision DOES apply to subawards/subcontracts for substantive work under an NIH grant or contract.

5. NSF – Updated Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (Monday, November 23, 2015)

NSF has released a new version of the PAPPG, to take effect January 25, 2016. Key changes include new formatting guidance for letters of collaboration, page limitations for Collaborators and Other Affiliations information and updated submission deadlines.

6. NIH Changes (Friday, November 13, 2015)

NIH has released several changes regarding application formatting and attachments that will go into effect throughout early 2016. In addition, NIH will issue an updated Grants Policy Statement in late 2015.

7. ONR No Funds Extensions (Friday, November 13, 2015)

ONR has recently released new guidance pertaining to No Funds Extensions, effective immediately. The new guidance spells out the maximum extension time allowable and what parties need to be involved at each step.

8. NSF Frequently Asked Questions 2 CFR § 200 (Tuesday, June 2, 2015)

NSF has issued a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Foundation’s implementation of 2 CFR § 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance).

These FAQs are available on the DIAS/Policy Office website . The FAQs will be updated periodically as additional questions arise.

9. NSF Fastlane Changes- new automated compliance check now live, Effective Date: April 24, 2015 (Friday, April 24, 2015)

Beginning April 24, 2015, proposals submitted in response to Program Solicitations in Fastlane will undergo a series of automated proposal compliance validation checks to ensure they comply with requirements in the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

10. NSF Fastlane Changes – additional automated compliance checks on proposals, Effective Date: January 26, 2015 (Monday, January 26, 2015)

The following changes will be made to FastLane to support the revised PAPPG:

  • Budget Form Update
  • Budget Justification Upload
  • Cost Sharing Notifications Requirement
  • New Funding Mechanism

Automated Compliance Checks

  • Page Count
  • Budget
  • Proposal Section

Effective Date: January 26, 2015