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The Office of the Vice Provost + Scholarship (OVPRS) is now on social media! Connect with OVPRS on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates.

ECC System Scheduled to Re-open April 10

Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) System Update

Thank you for your continued patience as we work with our system vendor. The system is scheduled to reopen on Monday, April 10! Any uncertified effort for the June 1, 2022 through November 30, 2022 period (or other prior period) as a result of an exception or that was reopened by a payroll accounting adjustment (PAA) must be certified no later than April 24, 2023 unless you otherwise have a later exception.

Now Available!

Corporate and Foundation Grant Opportunity Database

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations is excited to announce a new resource for faculty, physician-scientists, researchers, and graduate students seeking philanthropic grants to support research or outreach projects.

The Corporate and Foundation Grant Opportunity Database presents over 1,000 grant opportunities – which are searchable by keyword, sponsor, career level, grant amount, deadline, and more.

Visit this useful new tool on the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship website to identify potential grant opportunities, and then contact the Corporate and Foundation Relations team to collaborate on your grant proposal.

We are here to help!

IBISResearch - IRB

Enrollment Tracking for Protocols with a Billing Component

IBISResearch – IRB is a human subjects research protocol review system at the University of Miami. This system includes questions that ascertain the scope of work that the protocol entails, including the billing/costs related to a study. The new enrollment tracking policy requires that studies who answer “Yes” to the question below, report participant accruals in Velos (refer to the Enrollment Tracking Decision Tree).

Does this study include procedures, lab tests, or medical interventions of any kind that might generate a charge through UHealth or a commercial laboratory, no matter the source of reimbursement?  YES or NO

The question above is crucial to ensuring proper research billing practices, which can have significant implications for the University. Here are additional details to help ensure you answer this question correctly within the IRB system.

UM Guide Available!

NSF Off-Campus or Off-Site Research Activity Plan

This is a reminder that all National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals with an “off-campus or off-site research” component are required to establish a “plan to ensure a safe and inclusive working environment.” NSF defines “off-campus or off-site research” as “data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft.” 

Several solicitations from BIO and GEO  require the submission of a Safe and Inclusive Work Environments Plan that will be considered as part of the Broader Impacts criteria during the review process.

Guide/Template Available and Reminder of Submission Process 

UM has developed a Guide that may be used as a template. 

NSF proposals that meet the criteria of being off-campus or off-site research must upload the plan to the attachment section of the Funding Proposal in IBISResearch. This will allow Research Administration to verify that it is complete prior to submission.

For NSF proposals to GEO or BIO section, the plan must be uploaded with the application.  

PIs will be required to share this plan with all members of their research team prior to their participation in the off-campus/off-site research component.

More information about this NSF requirement can be found at NSF PAPPG, II.E.9.

Important NIH Notices

NIH Notices

• Reminder: NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing Plan Effective January 25, 2023. The National Institutes of Health issued a notice (NOT-OD-23-053) to remind the community of the effective date of the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS Policy) and summarize available key resources.

  As noted in the Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (NOT-OD-21-013), the effective date of the DMS Policy was January 25, 2023 for competing grant applications submitted to NIH on or after January 25, 2023 and subsequent receipt dates; proposals for contracts  submitted to NIH on or after January 25, 2023; NIH Intramural Research Projects conducted on or after January 25, 2023; and other funding agreements (e.g., Other Transactions)  executed on or after January 25, 2023, unless otherwise stipulated by NIH.

  The DMS Policy applies to all NIH research, funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH, that results in the generation of scientific data. Note that the DMS Policy does not apply to research and other activities that do not generate scientific data, for example: research training, fellowships, infrastructure development, and non-research activities. See Research Covered Under the Data Management & Sharing Policy for more details. 

• Forms-H Coming for January 23, 2023 Due Dates. 
  Applicants applying to NIH funding opportunities with due dates on or after January 25, 2023 must use updated application forms and instructions identified with a Competition ID of “FORMS-H” (NOT-OD-22-195). The primary change to the updated application forms is the addition of an “Other Plan(s)” attachment on the PHS 398 Research Plan and PHS 398 Career Development Supplemental forms as part of the implementation of the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. Applicants must attach the required Data Management and Sharing Plan in this new field in FORMS-H applications (NOT-OD-22-189).
• Notice for the NIGMS Grant Writing Webinar Series for Institutions Building Research and Research Training Capacity The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) will host an informational webinar series for faculty and sponsored programs/research development personnel from institutions building research and research training capacity. During the webinars, suggestions will be shared for navigating the process of seeking NIH funding. Attendees will learn considerations for determining research idea and grant writing readiness, selecting opportunities to apply for, effectively writing a grant application, and seeking appropriate feedback. Registration is required to attend.
• Do you have questions about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Inclusion Plans?  In Part 1 of this NIH All About Grants podcast mini-series, NIH's Inclusion Policy Officer, Dawn Corbett, discusses how to consider inclusion plans when putting together your application (MP3 / Transcript). Part 2 of the podcast covers inclusion plans during peer-review and post-award (MP3 / Transcript). NIH's All About Grants episodes can also be heard on iTunes and Spotify. Read the article in the Extramural Nexus.
• Updated Requirements for NIH Notification of Removal or Disciplinary Action Involving Program Directors/Princial Investigators or other Senior/Key Personnel. Section 239 now requires that, “[t]he Director of the National Institutes of Health shall hereafter require institutions that receive funds through a grant or cooperative agreement during fiscal year 2022 and in future years to notify the Director when individuals identified as a principal investigator or as key personnel in an NIH notice of award are removed from their position or are otherwise disciplined due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions.” Therefore, effective 60 days from the publication of this Notice, NIH recipient institutions are required to notify NIH when individuals identified as PD/PI or other Senior/Key personnel in an NIH notice of award are removed from their position or are otherwise disciplined by the recipient institution due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation or hostile working conditions. Notification must be provided by the Authorized Organization Representative within 30 days of the removal or disciplinary action and must be submitted to NIH through a dedicated web form.
• NIH NIAID Technology Transfer Fellowship Program. Fellows will be mentored by professionals that work side-by-side with with world-renowned NIAID and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists and will be part of the team that helps transfer innovations from the lab to commercial products (including vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics) that benefit global public health.
• NIH Grants Policy Statement (Rev. Dec 2021) This update is applicable to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements with budget periods beginning on or after October 1, 2021. This update supersedes, in its entirety, the NIHGPS dated April 2021. Previous versions of the NIHGPS remain applicable as standard terms and conditions of award for all NIH grants and cooperative agreements with budget periods that began prior to October 1, 2021. This update incorporates new and modified requirements, clarifies certain policies, and implements changes in statutes, regulations, and policies that have been implemented through appropriate legal and/or policy processes since the previous version of the NIHGPS dated April 2021.
• Childcare Funding Available for Pre/Post Docs Full-time appointed predoctoral  and postdoctoral NIH-NRSA supported trainees are eligible to  receive $2,500 per budget period for childcare costs provided by a  licensed childcare provider. For households where both parents are eligible full-time predoctoral or postdoctoral NRSA trainees, each parent is eligible to receive $2,500.
• Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements  This Notice provides information regarding the salary limitation for NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards and extramural research and development contract awards.Since 1990, Congress has legislatively mandated a limitation on direct salary for individuals under NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards (referred to here as a grant). The mandate appears in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328), signed into law on December 29, 2022, which provides authority for NIH to incur obligations for Fiscal Year 2023. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 restricts the amount of direct salary to Executive Level II of the Federal Executive pay scale. The Office of Personnel Management recently released new salary levels for the Executive Pay Scale. Effective January 1, 2023, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $212,100.