Attention all Research Faculty!

Key Administrative Updates

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) would like to highlight some key administrative updates shared with your administrators at the December ORA Administrative Updates Meeting. These should provide you, as faculty, with the necessary information to understand what changes are occurring related to the administration of your grants.

What should be included in Other Support?

Reminder of What To Include in Other Support

Reminder that per the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation current and pending support includes more than just grants and contracts awarded to the University of Miami.  Current and pending support includes:

• Scientific appointments at other institutions
• Grants, contracts or other sponsored projects not awarded to UM (awarded either directly to the individual or through another institution)
• In-kind resources such as equipment, personnel space that includes a commitment of time

Current and pending support does not include:

• Start-up packages
• Gifts
• Mentoring activities that are part of the University of Miami appointment

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) on Grants and Contracts

Charging PPE on Grants/Contracts

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is designed to protect employees from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. The following provides guidance regarding charging of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to sponsored projects.

• If PPE was required to be purchased for a sponsored project as a part of standard best lab practice PRIOR to COVID-19, it can continue to be charged directly to that award during or after COVID19. If it was previously not required, it will not be allowed.
• If allowed, standard allocation requirements apply for PPE wholly or partially charged to sponsored fund sources.
• Donated PPE – NIH has indicated that if project purchased PPE (or other lab supplies) were donated during the pandemic for clinical or first responder use, then the grant may re-purchase PPE and charge those costs to the grant.
• Administrative supplements may be available if re-budgeting is inadequate to replace the donated PPE. Most other agencies require agency-prior approval to donate PPE; thus, any PPE donated should either be replaced (using non-sponsored fund sources) or the PI should request agency prior/retroactive approval. If approval is received, the grant can charge the replacement PPE on the grant.
• PPE acquired only for the personal preference of the individuals involved should not be purchased on sponsored funds.

In addition, NIH NOT-OD-20-164 is providing the following criteria to applicants/recipients with respect to when it is appropriate to direct charge PPE costs to NIH awards in order to meet the needs of CT and CR awards. As outlined in the NIH GPS 8.1.1, recipients must ensure that costs charged to awards are consistently applied regardless of the source of funds.

• PPE purchased with grant funds must directly assist in safely carrying out the clinical activities and direct interactions with the patients participating in clinical trials and clinical research studies.Therefore, the costs are allowable for researchers and patients directly linked to the clinical studies (CT and respectively CR).
• For PPE expenses totaling $500,000 direct cost or less in a budget period, applicants/recipients may charge PPE as a direct cost, with associated F&A, for all CT and CR awards regardless of the activity code. Charges must align with the institution’s negotiated F&A rate agreement, which is consistently applied regardless of the source of funds. The $500,000 direct cost limit is cumulative. Applicants/recipients must not submit multiple requests for lower amounts in order to by-pass the $500,000 direct cost limit.
• Recipients must identify a need to purchase PPE totaling more than $500,000 direct cost. In these cases, applicants must apply for an S10 award to provide funds solely to support the PPE costs to directly assist in safely carrying out the clinical activities and direct interactions with the patients participating in clinical trials and clinical research studies. S10 awards do not allow indirect costs. Nondomestic entities are not eligible to apply for S10 awards.)
• Pursuant to the NIH Revitalization Act (P.L. 103-43, June 10, 1993), section 2004, when purchasing equipment or products under an award, applicants/recipients should, whenever possible, purchase only
  American-made items.

When is my proposal due to ORA?

Application Deadline Policy

A reminder of the Application Deadline Policy was reviewed at the ORA Administrative Update Meeting.  

SBIR/STTR submissions: Applications must be received at ORA in final form & ready for submission a minimum of (5) business days prior to the deadline

All other Applications:

• The complete & final Application (excluding: Research Plan, Project Narrative, Statement of Work), accompanied by the necessary school-level and University policy approvals, must be submitted to ORA at least (3) business days prior to the agency deadline AND
• Final Research Plan/Project Narrative/Statement of Work must be submitted no later than noon on the agency deadline date for 5:00 p.m. or later deadline times, and by 5:00 p.m. the previous day for agency deadline times earlier than 5:00 p.m.
• Applications submitted to ORA after the 3-day review deadline will not receive priority treatment, and may not be submitted or received by the sponsor prior to the sponsor deadline.
• There will be a “Grace period” for automatic exceptions from June 1st – August 31, 2020
• Effective September 1, 2020 automatic exception requests will no longer be provided. 

IBISResearch

Ancillary Review Form

When submitting an ancillary review in IBISResearch, is extemely important to attach proper documents and provide a clear explanation to the reviewer. 

This allows the ancillary reviewer to conduct a thorough review and make a decision on the ancillary review without delaying the process.

New Form Available
To facilitate the documentation that needs to be provided for the Indirect Cost Waiver and the Cost Sharing ancillary review, the Office of Research Administration (ORA) has developed a Request for Waiver or Reduction of Facilitites & Administrative (F&A) Costs & Cost Sharing Form. This form should be completed and attached to the Ancillary Review when the funding proposal includes cost sharing (exception is salary capcost sharing) and when requesting a waiver or reduction of the University of Miami’s standard Facilities and Administrative rates.

We strongly recommend that you use the Grants Ancillary Review Matrix for guidance on what documentation needs to be included when you initiate your ancillary review. Also, always provide supporting documentation and detailed comments for the reviewer. Failure to provide both, documentation and detailed comments, may result in the reviewer declining the ancillary review request or delaying the submission of the funding proposal.

Please view the Manage Ancillary Review video for more information on how to initiate the Manage AncillaryReview activity in IBISResearch.

Register Today!

Next Administrative Update Meeting

The next Administrative Update Meeting is scheduled Wednesday, January 20th via Zoom from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Topics to be discussed include:

• Tagging Proposals in IBISResearch
• How to Check the Status of Contracts in IBISResearch
• Checking IBISResearch for Contract Negotiation Updates
• Account Closeout and Expenditures