| 1.
University Negotiates New Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Rates
Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) is very pleased to announce the successful negotiation of a new
four-year F&A ("Indirect Cost") Rate Agreement, dated October 30, 2007.
The new rates will improve the reimbursement the University receives for its
F&A costs incurred during the performance of work on sponsored agreements by
approximately $3M per year.
Principal Investigators (PIs) and their staff are encouraged to begin using the new rates in new and renewal (competing continuation) proposals immediately. All proposals submitted to SPA on or after January 1, 2008 must use the new rates.
Please refer to http://www.ospa.umn.edu/forms/rates/F_and_A_rates.html for more information, including a complete list of the newly negotiated rates. Implementation guidance, including information on the handling of F&A on existing awards and previously submitted proposals, can also be found in the full article.
EGMS Update: EGMS has been updated with the new F&A rates as the default. When completing your non-competing renewals check the "Budget Set-up" subsection and enter the appropriate rate for your proposal. If you have any questions, please contact the EGMS helpline at 612.624.1600.
2.
NCURA Video Workshop
On January 22, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the University of Minnesota will present the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) videobroadcast, "Managing Cost Issues." It will be shown in the A.I. Johnson room in the McNamara Alumni Center. Regardless of your role, almost all research administrators need to know how to advise and/or manage cost issues. Representing the pre- and post-award central office as well as the departmental business office, our faculty will cover topics including:
- Personnel and payroll issues
- Cost transfers
- Cost sharing management and companion accounts
- Costing and billing service centers
- Allowability of certain troublesome costs (such as food)
- Procurement cards
Case studies will provide participants with useful applications of some best practices and systems used to manage costs. To register for this workshop please contact Michael Harris at harri826@umn.edu. Certified Approvers must register online at https://onestop2.umn.edu/training/index.jsp?unit=CA to receive continuing education hours. For more information on the Certified Approver program, go to www.oar.umn.edu/CA/index.cfm. For more details on this and upcoming NCURA programs, go to www.ncura.edu/meetings/.
3. Grants.gov Adobe Training
Adobe Training has started and new classes are being added. The class schedule is available at http://www.ospa.umn.edu/GrantGov/Schedules%20and%20Calendars/trainingschedule.html. You can register by sending an e-mail to grantgov@umn.edu.
4.
Research Animal Resources Customer Satisfaction Survey
Research Animal Resources (RAR) is conducting a customer satisfaction survey. The survey will take only ten minutes of your time and will provide valuable information that will help RAR better serve the university community. Although you will be asked to provide your x.500 information for login, your responses will not be linked to your identifying information in any way, at any time. The survey is hosted by the Office of Measurement Services (OMS) and your x.500 will only be used for tracking and sub group analysis. All identifying information will be removed by OMS before being returned to RAR. Participation is voluntary and confidential. Please access the survey at http://oms.umn.edu/link/RARSurvey.cfm. The deadline for the survey is December 28.
5.
Occupational Health and Safety in Animal Care and Use Facilities
A recent visit by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) determined that the University needs to increase the intensity of some aspects of its program. Specifically, in animal care and use facilities and research laboratories, we must be more conscious of unlabeled bottles, unsecured gas cylinders, recapped needles, and use of personal protective equipment. Complying with these and other health and safety requirements demonstrates our commitment to occupational health and safety in animal care and use facilities. For more information, go to http://www.ohs.umn.edu/ohs/mulcahyletter/home.html.
6.
NIH Pilot (xTrain) to Improve Administration of Training Grants
The U and eight other research universities are participating in an NIH pilot to use a new electronic system to improve the
administration of NIH Training Grants (primarily T32s). If successful, the
pilot system is expected to be adopted by NIH for broad-based use within the
next year, and additional training and career development mechanisms may be
added over time.
The system, called "xTrain," will allow principal
investigators and University administrative staff to submit appointment
forms (PHS Form 2271) and termination notices (PHS Form 416-7) online for
their students who receive financial support from these grants. The system
reduces administrative burden not only by eliminating paper processes, but
also by allowing University training grant directors and staff online
access to track the status and timing of individual appointments. This
process has historically been administratively burdensome because individual
students begin and end their training at different times throughout the five-year period of these awards, and often report to different faculty mentors
within the overall topical training area supported by the grant.
Eight faculty members have agreed to participate in the pilot,
which will run from early December through early January 2007. Training grants
run by these faculty were permitted to delay processing of appointment or
termination forms submitted to NIH over the summer months until the period of the pilot. This
administrative deferral will not result in any payment delays for students
involved in the training grants.
The pilot is being administered through SPA and SFR, and is being led by
Senior Grants Administrator Jason Jacobs. Questions about the program may
be addressed to Jason at j-jaco@umn.edu or 612.626.7718. The outcomes of the pilot will be shared upon its
conclusion.
7.
Chemical Facility Antiterrorism Standards
The Department of Homeland Security recently published the Chemical Facility Antiterrorism Standards requiring institutions that possess certain “chemicals of interest” to submit an inventory of those chemicals. The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (DEHS) is working to ensure that the University of Minnesota submits a complete inventory by March 19, 2008.
To simply the process, DEHS has created a Web-based survey. After laboratories and researchers complete the online survey, DEHS will submit the inventory for the University of Minnesota. The Department of Chemistry and a small number of additional labs will complete their inventories by mid-January and remaining laboratories will be required to submit surveys by mid-February. After the report is complete, DEHS will continue to provide information about University inventory as they relate to the tracking and reporting of certain chemicals.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact Andy Phelan in DEHS at 612.626.7744 or andyph@umn.edu.
8.
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
The NIH Guide is
the official publication for NIH medical and behavioral research
grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities for the National
Institutes of Health. To subscribe to the Guide’s
weekly listserv or to read it online, go to http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/.
The following institute(s)/center(s) have grant opportunities in
the current Guide: NIAAA, NCCAM. Other information includes:
Correction to RFA-CA-08-004, Centers of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research II (CECCR II) (P50).
9.
Funding Opportunities and Program Announcements
- RCR Continuing Education Awareness/Discussion Small Grants Program
The OVPR has an intramural funding opportunity for the development of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) continuing education activities. Small grants of up to $3500 are available to encourage active engagement of research/professional ethics topics. Proposals should fulfill the criteria for Awareness and Discussion activities required of University of Minnesota faculty and PIs every three years. For details go to http://www.research.umn.edu/opportunities/intramural/RCR_grantsprogram.html.
Deadlines: January 30, 2008; and April 30, 2008
- Klarman Family Foundation Grants
Program in Eating Disorders Research
The Klarman Family Foundation is interested in providing strategic investment in
translational research that will accelerate progress toward effective treatments for
anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. The short-term goal of the Program is to expand the number of outstanding scientists whose research discoveries
may illuminate the biologic causes of these disorders.
For details, go to http://www.tmfnet.org/documents/loiguidelines.instructions.pdf.
Letter of Intent Deadline:
1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), January 10, 2008
- NIDA Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced it is looking for scientists of exceptional creativity to apply for its new NIDA Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS research. In a move to stimulate high-impact research into the link between drug abuse prevention and treatment and HIV/AIDS, NIDA will provide up to $500,000 per year for five years to two or three scientists of exceptional creativity who propose cutting edge approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. For details, go to http://www.nida.nih.gov/avgp.html.
Deadline: March 26, 2008
- The Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences announces two funding opportunities: one for faculty and one for graduate and professional students. This funding initiative aims to encourage work on the broad societal implications of problems in health, environment, or the life sciences. For details, go to http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/rfps/. If you have questions concerning these RFPs, please contact Audrey Boyle at boyle032@umn.edu or 612.626.5624.
Deadline for grad students: February 19, 2008
Deadline for faculty: February 5, 2008
- Pfizer Visiting Professorships in Diabetes
This program facilitates in-depth, educationally focused visits by prominent medical experts to U.S. medical schools and/or teaching hospitals. These unrestricted educational grants are nationally competitive, and grant recipients are chosen by an independent Academic Advisory Board of recognized leaders in diabetes medicine. For details, go to http://www.promisingminds.com/AwardDetails.aspx?AwardID=2087.
Deadline:
February 5, 2008
- Pfizer Fellowship in Health Disparities
This award is meant to support the career development of talented junior researchers.
Studies of disparities in healthcare consistently demonstrate that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive a lower quality of healthcare than non-minorities, even when access-related factors, such as status, income and patients' insurance, are controlled. Pfizer is committed to increasing awareness about health disparities, and ultimately developing and implementing methods to eliminate disparities in health and health care. For details, go to http://www.promisingminds.com/AwardDetails.aspx?AwardID=2089.
Deadline: January 15, 2008
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