Grants Bulletin

October 26, 2009

Limited Submissions:

• U.S. Dept. of Transportation Small Business Transportation Resource Centers - Nov. 2
• Cancer Nanotechnology Training Centers (R25) - Nov. 5
• U. S. Dept. of State - Global Human Rights Defenders Emergency Fund Near East and South Asia - Nov. 6
• U.S. Dept. of State Track II Dialogue on Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula - Nov. 10
• NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program - Dec. 2
• ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards - Dec. 4

To view these and other limited submission competitions, visit the Proposal Development Office's site.

National Science Foundation Issues Revised  Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide
(effective for proposals submitted on or after January 4, 2010)

The National Science Foundation recently posted a revised version of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedure Guide http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf10_1/aag_index.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_109.

We will provide more information in the near future regarding UK’s plan to meet the Responsible Conduct of Research requirement (final item below).

Significant changes in the revised Guide:
Chapter I.D.3, Full Proposal, has been supplemented with a reference to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report on research integrity that may be helpful to proposers.
Chapter I.F.3, When to Submit Proposals, has been clarified to state that if a deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the deadline is extended to the following business day. Previously, the section did not specify the category of holiday that was applicable.
Chapter II.C.1.e, Proposal Certifications, has an entirely new proposal certification added regarding responsible conduct of research. When submitting a proposal to NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative is required to complete a certification that the institution has a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. While training plans are not required to be included in proposals submitted to NSF, institutions are advised that they are subject to review upon request.
Chapter II.D.7, Proposals Involving Human Subjects, has been updated to reflect that if a certification of exemption is provided after submission of the proposal and before the award is issued, the exemption number corresponding to one or more of the exemption categories must be included in the documentation provided to NSF.
Exhibit II-1, Proposal Preparation Checklist, has been updated with a reminder that all proposals that include support for a postdoctoral researcher must include a mentoring plan in the Supplementary Documentation section of the proposal. Failure to do so will result in the return of the proposal without review. Additional guidance regarding the mentoring requirement and collaborative proposals also is included.
 Chapter II.E.3, Project Outcomes Report for the General Public, is a new section which describes the project outcomes report PIs will need to produce and which is to be written for and will be accessible by the general public. Within 90 days following expiration of the grant, a project outcomes report must be submitted electronically via Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. Information about the content of the report and what is to be included are contained in this section.
Chapter IV.A, Conflict of Interest Policies, been supplemented with language on applicability of such policies to subawardees and the like, who must either have their own policy that complies with NSF’s conflict of interest policy or they must follow the prime institution’s policies.
Chapter IV.B, Responsible Conduct of Research, is new section that provides NSF’s implementation of Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act regarding responsible conduct of research (RCR). Institutions must have a plan in place to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. Institutions must designate one or more persons to oversee compliance with the RCR training requirement and must verify that appropriate training was provided.

NIH Population Tracking Requirements for ARRA Awards

Notice Number: NOT-OD-10-003
Release Date: October 16, 2009

Issued by National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to describe the NIH expectations for implementing Population Tracking requirements for clinical research protocols supported or conducted with ”American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”  (ARRA) funds.

Background

In August, 2001 NIH published the “NIH Policy on Reporting Race and Ethnicity data: Subjects in Clinical Research.” (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-01-053.html ). The Policy specifies that applicants for NIH funds must provide Targeted/Planned enrollment data for each clinical research protocol and Cumulative Inclusion enrollment data for each ongoing protocol. Instructions for providing these data are located in the application instructions (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm).

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was enacted to stimulate the economy; preserve and create jobs; and advance biomedical research. NIH received $8.2 billion in extramural funds to help stimulate the US economy through the support and advancement of scientific research. Awards made with ARRA funds have reporting requirements in addition to those required by NIH.  Data related to Recovery Act spending are located at: http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx .

All Recovery Act funds are awarded separately from the normal appropriation funds. The awards must comply with both existing NIH reporting requirements and the Recovery Act reporting requirements (http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/reports/plans/scientific_research.pdf )

Definitions

The NIH definition of clinical research is:

• Patient-oriented research: This type of research involves a particular person or group of people or uses materials from humans. This research can include:
  • Studies of mechanisms of human disease
  • Studies of therapies or interventions for disease
  • Clinical trials 
  • Studies to develop new technology related to disease
• Epidemiological and behavioral studies: These types of studies examine the distribution of disease, the factors that affect health, and how people make health-related decisions.
• Outcomes and health services research: These studies seek to identify the most effective and most efficient interventions, treatments, and services

Policy

NIH requires that awardees provide a separate Targeted/Planned Enrollment and Inclusion Enrollment table for each clinical research protocol funded with ARRA funds and NIH Appropriations funds. Population Tracking Tables should be labeled with respect to funding source. This reporting requirement takes effect upon publication.

NOTE:  Current awards need not be revised to meet the policy requirement.

Compliance

NIH awardees must comply with all HHS and NIH reporting requirements.

Resources
http://www.nih.gov/recovery/
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/recovery.jsp
http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/index.html
http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx

Inquiries

Questions concerning this Notice should be directed to: OEPMailbox@mail.nih.gov

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October 16, 2009

Limited Submissions:

• Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship Program - Oct. 30
• Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics - Oct. 30

To view these and other limited submission competitions, visit the Proposal Development Office's site.

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October 9, 2009

Research Enrichment Program - New Internal Approval Form

Note: The new Internal Approval Form (IAF) will not be revised until Oct. 15, 2009.

For sponsored projects active on or after July 1, 2009 (i.e., FY2010), a revised approach is being implemented for returning a portion of the realized facilities and administrative (F&A) cost income to the departments, centers and institutes that generated it. The goal of this Research Enrichment Program is to ensure a more equitable distribution of F&A income to units and to support the university’s strategic objective of facilitating interdisciplinary research and collaborative scholarship.

Under the Research Enrichment Program, the distribution of F&A income to departments, centers and institutes is determined as follows:

1. A department, center or institute will receive an allocation equal to 10% of the actual F&A income realized on those awards for which it is the sole unit listed on the Internal Approval Form (IAF). This is equivalent to the Research Incentive Award that everyone is accustomed to.
2. In the case of collaborative projects involving two or more units, the participating departments, centers and/or institutes will share an allocation equal to 16% of the actual F&A income realized on those awards.

To be eligible for a share of this larger F&A allocation, a unit must contribute substantive resources to the project and it must be listed on the IAF at the time the proposal is submitted to the sponsor. Co-investigators must have committed effort on the project. Simply listing someone as an “internal consultant” will not count.

Research Enrichment Program funds will be awarded to units according to the distribution indicated in Item #8 on the newly revised IAF [will be revised Oct. 15, 2009]. It is the responsibility of co-investigators, chairs/directors and deans to agree upon the distribution and to complete and sign the IAF at the time of proposal submission.

Further information and some hypothetical cases to illustrate program criteria and how units might choose to divide the higher F&A allocation on collaborative awards can be found in this 3-page pdf of the memo to chairs, center and institute directors.

Research Enrichment Program awards must be used for support of research programs during the fiscal year in which they are provided. Fund balances and encumbrances from the previous year will not be returned. Any negative balances will be deducted from future awards.

The chair/director has discretion in how these funds are used. Research Enrichment Program funds are expected to be used to enhance the research capabilities of the faculty and staff in the unit and/or to support unit graduate student activities. They may be used for mandatory cost-sharing for extramural grant applications. 

Appropriate uses include:

1. faculty research support (start-up, retention, bridge funding, etc.)
2. graduate student support
3. research equipment (purchase, upgrades, maintenance, etc.)
4. research seminars, symposia, workshops
5. domestic and foreign travel related to research
6. research staff support
7. research supplies (including research-related office supplies)

Inappropriate uses include:

1. faculty salary and salary supplements
2. purely instructional or service costs
3. routine office supplies, equipment and furniture

NIH Issues Clarification of All Personnel Report in the Revised PHS 2590
On August 28, 2009, the National Institutes of Health issued the revised PHS 2590 (DHHS Public Health Service Noncompeting Continuation Progress Report). The purpose of this Notice is to clarify the information that is to be reported on the All Personnel Report.

The instructions for the All Personnel Report, and the All Personnel Report form, have been modified to clarify that:

• the PD/PI(s) should always be listed on the form;
• regardless of the source of compensation, all personnel who participated in the project for at least one person month should be listed on the form; and
• one person month equals approximately 160 hours or 8.3% of annualized effort.
  

The All Personnel Report was previously a Senior/Key Personnel Report. However, senior/key personnel should only be reported on the new All Personnel Report if they participated in the project for at least one person month. All senior/key personnel will continue to be listed on competing grant applications.

The instructions for the All Personnel Report are also clarified to indicate that grantees should not report personnel if they have submitted a 2271 Appointment form for those individuals (e.g., participants on R25 or R90 awards).
View the full announcement.

Clinical Research Update: "Cultural Competency in Research" - Oct. 15
University of Kentucky Clinical Research Development and Operations Center (CR-DOC) presents:

Diana Amaya Rodriguez, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, UK
Nurse Researcher, Kentucky Children’s Hospital

Thursday, October 15, 2009
HG611 (Hospital Auditorium)
Lunch 11:30 a.m., Presentation Noon to 1 p.m.
Please call or e-mail the UK CR-DOC office by Monday, October 12, 2009, to reserve your place. 323-8545 or crdoc@email.uky.edu.

Upon completion of the presentation attendees will be able to:
1. Discuss the potential threats to validity and reliability in culturally based research.
2. Indentify the strengths and limitations of the use of acculturation scales in research.
3. Articulate guidelines for culturally competent research.

Cardiovascular Research Day - Oct. 23
12th Annual Cardiovascular Research Day
October 23, 2009
Lexington Convention Center
Registration will close October 9, 2009! Register now: http://www.mc.uky.edu/cvrc/cv-research-day/registration/index.aspx

Limited Submissions:

• Lead Institution for Kentucky Space Grant Consortium and KY NASA EPSCoR Programs - Oct. 13
• US Dept. of State Malaysia Programs - Oct. 14
• US Dept. of State Request for Proposals on Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law in Selected Countries - Oct. 29
• Community Networks Program - Centers for Reducing Cancer Disparities through Outreach, Research and Training - Nov. 3

To view these and other limited submission competitions, visit the Proposal Development Office's site.

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October 2, 2009

Intellectual Property Online Disclosure Process

Like NIH and NSF, UK's Intellectual Property Development Office is going to all electronic IP submissions. Effective October 1, 2009, faculty, staff and students should go online to make an intellectual property disclosure. The IPD office will no longer accept paper submissions. The submission portal is available at www.econdev.uky.edu/ip.html. Contact Rob Lodder at lodder@uky.edu or David Link at djlink3@uky.edu with questions. Please see AR II-1.1-3 Intellectual Property Disposition and Administrative Regulation at www.uky.edu/Regs/files/ar/ar034.pdf for more information on disclosing intellectual property.

Limited Submissions

• US Dept. of State - Study of the United States Institutes for Scholars - Oct. 26
• National Cancer Institute - Developing Research Capacity in Africa for Studies on HIV-Associated Malignancies - Oct. 29

To view these and other limited submission competitions, visit the Proposal Development Office's site.