ABCs of Research - Meeting Minutes May 9, 2007

This month's meeting was conducted as a "General Session".

Welcome
Anne Hannigan, AVP for Research Administration

• Anne announced that we have received funding approval for SeRA; work will not proceed as quickly as anticipated because the AVP for IT Services has resigned.
• She also announced that Pamela Webb has accepted a job as the VP for Research Administration at the University of Minnesota - congratulations Pamela! We will miss you!

Industrial Affiliates Briefing
Sally O'Neil, Manager, Industrial Contracts, OTL

• View Presentation
• Website

Compliance Update
Ken Schulz, Director of Policy and Compliance, ORA

Ken discussed some areas where we need to improve:

• Late Transfers
• Lack of clear explanation
• Effort % calculated on total effort, not 40 hours
• Expenditure parking lot
• Personal travel cost calculation
• Set up cost sharing PTAs for the 1% effort when proposed
• Expenditure certification

Certification Update and eCertification
Ken Schulz and Lee Merrick, ORA IT Manager

• Ken compared the current process to the new process, and the expenses that will be exempt.
• Lee then discussed the eCertification system, including functionality by role, deployment dates, application features, and help and support. He then gave a demonstration of the new system, showing the roles of PI, Verifier, and Overseer.
• View Presentation

Equipment Updates
Ivonne Bachar, Director, Property Management Office

• Ivonne discussed some highlights on property management, including the status of the physical inventory, equipment transaction corrections (aka: "Capital Templates"), modular furniture, and the new SPS and excess requests.
• View Presentation

The New SU-42 Form
Pamela Webb, Senior Director, Office of Sponsored Research

• Pamela discussed the new consolidated SU42 form that is now in production. The form is available for download from the web. It is in Microsoft Excel format, and can be saved to your computer.
  
  Please start using this form now. The previous versions of the SU42 will be obsolete in August of this year. Thank you to the team who developed the form, and to Linda Murtagh for programming it.

Grants.gov Updates
Lisa Forgatsch, ORA Training and Communication

• Grants.gov is replacing ICS PureEdge with Adobe Forms. Sponsors started deploying new application packages using Adobe Forms on 5/1/07.  This will be a phased process from 5/1/07 to 9/30/07.  During the May-September timeframe, we will submit applications using both Adobe and PureEdge forms. You can watch a taped webcast on this, and be on the lookout for a new date for "Adobe Day" where the forms will be discussed in detail. Additional information is available on our website.
  
  
  
• Mac OS X security patch disables IBM Workplace Forms (PureEdge) Viewer
  Apple recently released a new security patch. The IBM Workplace Forms (PureEdge) Viewer for Macintosh will not function if this security patch is installed. If you have not already installed the recent Apple security patch and you need to use the IBM Workplace Forms (PureEdge) Viewer for Macintosh, you are encouraged not to install the recent patch until the problem has been resolved. Until the problem is fully resolved by IBM, they have offered a workaround for the MAC applicant community until a final resolution can be determined.
  
  Applicants that choose to use the workaround should follow the instruction below. The Viewer will remain open until closed by the applicant; this script would have to be run every time an applicant decides to launch the Viewer.
  
  Instructions:
  1. Launch a terminal. From the Menu select:
     Go > Utilities > Terminal.
     
     
  2. Copy the following script into the terminal window and press enter:
     
     
     #!/bin/bash -f # clear export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH="/Users/$USER/IBM Workplace Forms/IBM Workplace Forms Viewer.app/Contents/MacOS:/Users/$USER/IBM Workplace Forms/IBM Workplace Forms Viewer.app/Contents/MacOS/API/70/system" cd "/Users/$USER/IBM Workplace Forms" open "IBM Workplace Forms Viewer.app" & echo "To Open .xfd files Click the File menu then Open" echo " You may close this window at any time, the Application will continue to run." exit 0=
     
     
     
  3. The Viewer should now be launched and the terminal window can be closed.

Additional Announcements

1. NIH eCommons Upgrade 4/27/07
   
   General Changes
   • Adding feature “Delegate Status” so a Principal Investigator (PI) may delegate to anyone holding a current Commons account with the Assistant (ASST) role the ability to view the status of an application as if they had the Signing Official (SO) role for that PI’s applications.
   • Will disallow no-cost extension for supplement grants.
   • Status will now display Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number.
   • Fixing PI search query for SO. Appropriate hit list will be returned when searching on the PI name.

   Electronic Streamlined Non-competing Award Process (eSNAP)

   • Changes in eSNAP are being made to reflect all assurances included in NIH applications and progress reports.
   • Will allow users to save and complete an eSNAP in a single action.
   • Allows Administrative Official (AO) or SO to Add/Change Research Accomplishment File or Other File in eSNAP.
   • Will enable eSNAP reset, which will return control of the eSNAP to the PI and remove it from the Grant Folder.
   • Will send the NIH program official and grants management specialist an email notification when an eSNAP is submitted.

   Note: This release introduces a new defect. A language inconsistency exists between what is shown on the screen and what is displayed in the report for the following question: “Will there be, in the next budget period, a significant change in the level of effort for the PI or other personnel designated on the Notice of Grant Award from what was approved for this project?” The report will be modified to reflect the same language as the screen in the next release.

   Internet Assisted Review (IAR) - Various changes and enhancements to assist NIH staff in facilitating reviews.

2. Updated Policy Documents at NIH and NSF
   • NIH updated their Grants.gov Application Guides (General and SBIR/STTR) for the SF424 (R&R). Throughout the Guides, editorial changes have been made to the instructions to provide additional clarity and guidance. Many of the changes are based on feedback received from you. The guides are available online and a summary of the notable edits to the Application Guides is also available online.
     
     
   • NSF combined their two policy documents: the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and the Grant Policy Manual (GPM) into a single electronic policy framework. They will be effective for proposals submitted on or after June 1, 2007. This document supercedes all prior versions of the GPG and GPM and can be accessed online.

Upcoming Research Training

Grants.gov Training

Grants.gov training is now available online anytime at http://ora.stanford.edu/cardinal/level_2/grantsgov/default.asp

Hands-on classes:

• ORA-1216 (Mac) February 15
• ORA-1216 (Mac) March 15
• ORA-1215 (PC) March 16

Additional PI Briefings will be scheduled in mid-April

Cardinal Curriculum

Following are some upcoming Cardinal Curriculum classes and the dates they are being offered in the classroom.  All of the classes are available on-line all the time at http://ora.stanford.edu/cardinal/.

 Required Level II Classes

• ORA-1120 Proposal and Budget Preparation:  May 17 & 18
• ORA-1121 The Award Process:  May 21 & 22

Elective Level II Classes

• ORA-1122 Subaward: Recognizing, Processing, Monitoring:  June 6 & 8
• ORA-1123 The NIH: A Guided Tour:  June 13

NCURA Satellite Workshops

Detailed information and enrollment instructions available on the web:

• June 12:  Conflict of Interest:  How to Spot and Manage it
• Sept 11:  Sub-awards:  A Survivor’s Guide of Key Concepts and Principles
• We have a DVD of the January "Sponsored Project Administrator Basics" if anyone is interested in checking it out.

Next ABC Meeting

Wednesday, June 20, 9 am-Noon
in Tresidder Oak Lounge