THIS MONTH’S HOT TOPIC PROPOSAL DEADLINE PROCESS AND EXCEPTION PROCESS
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Lunch with Laura is a monthly newsletter and discussion session with me, Laura Kozma, Associate Vice President for Research Administration. There will be new focus each month, including hot topics in research administration, new and significant policies, and changes in the Office of Research Administration (ORA).
The newsletter will be distributed to the University of Miami community and will also be available online. Each newsletter will briefly discuss key points about the monthly focus, including available resources. This month, we're focusing on proposal deadlines and the new exception process.
The discussion session, Lunch with Laura, will be held shortly after the newsletter is sent out. All are welcome to come and discuss the monthly focus and ask questions. I look forward to having an opportunity to discuss your concerns and questions in depth. My goal is to make this an opportunity for you and one for me as I can better understand your struggles and challenges.
We'll get together for the first Lunch with Laura at 12pm on May 19, and you can register for the event at the link below.
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This month, I am focusing on the new exception process for proposals that are not submitted timely to ORA. Last year, we implemented a policy requiring all proposals to be submitted to ORA at least three business days before the deadline (five business days for SBIR/STTR proposals). The policy allows for limited exceptions but a process for this was not developed. I did not feel it was fair to enforce a deadline when there was no defined exception process and therefore ORA continued to accept proposals that were submitted late. This new process will allow ORA to enforce the deadlines outlined in our policy.
Implementing policies that impose deadlines on proposals is not something that I take lightly! I spent years of my career working directly with faculty to put applications together and I know how much work goes into that proposal. However, there are two significant reasons why this policy is extremely important:
- As so many applications are submitted late, ORA frequently deprioritizes proposals that were submitted timely (to ensure all proposals are submitted). This means investigators who submitted early because they want a thorough review often do not receive it.
- ORA is not able to complete a thorough review on all applications. This is problematic because the University endorses the proposal upon submission. Applications that are not complete and accurate or that do not follow sponsor rules and regulations may put the entire University at risk. For example, federal sponsors have increased scrutiny surrounding foreign influence which includes both a foreign component to a proposal and the accuracy of biosketches and other support. To ensure UM is protecting both our faculty and the institution, ORA must conduct a thorough review of the application. In addition to required reviews under relevant regulations, ORA also reviews to the application against sponsor requirements to make sure the proposal is not rejected for an administrative reason. Applications need to be submitted timely to allow the review to take place.
As a reminder (and included in policy), the final science (research strategy, project description, etc.) can be submitted closer to the deadline. Our goal is to allow investigators the time to put together the best possible proposal while ensuring we are providing exceptional service to all faculty.
Please join me on Wednesday, May 19th at 12:00pm to discuss this topic further, I would love to hear from you!
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