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FAQs

If the visitor is made available at no cost to U-M to support any of the U-M investigator’s research endeavors, they are considered an in-kind resource and must be included in the Other Support document.

If the visitor will be working on the proposed project, and are not a budgeted resource, then they should be included in the Facilities and Other Resources section of the proposal application.

See Common Other Support Examples.

Yes. Please see the Other Support Template and Common Other Support Examples document for guidance on how to report this Other Support.

Remember brain thinking iconTime spent in academic or research endeavors at another university should be reported as an outside activity in M- Inform. Start-up funding, salary (if applicable), etc. from the other university should be included in the value reported. Visit the Outside Interest Disclosure Process webpage for additional information.

Any active appointment, regardless of location, whether paid or unpaid, voluntary, honorary, adjunct, etc., must be included in an investigator’s Biosketch.

No, regardless of the value, if the in-kind resource meets these criteria, it should be reported in Other Support.

To be included in Other Support, an in-kind (i.e., non-monetary) resource must meet all the following criteria:

  • The resource is uniquely available to the researcher, and
  • The resource has been provided by a non-UM entity (either domestic or foreign) within the past three years, and
  • The resource will not be used on the proposed project.
  • The resource is being used actively in support of any of an investigator's other research endeavors (aside from the proposed project).

Types of in-kind resources include, but are not limited to:

  • Personnel (e.g., visiting scholars, visiting students, supported by a non-UM entity)
  • Space
  • Equipment
  • Materials
  • Supplies

Warning IconIn-kind resources intended for use on the proposed project should be included in the 'Facilities and Other Resources' or 'Equipment' section of the application and not as part of Other Support.

A digital signature is required, using an electronic signature software application. The University of Michigan recommends using the SignNow application.

Warning Icon

  • A scanned copy of an ink signature is NOT acceptable.
  • A typed name name of an investigator is NOT acceptable.
  • A .jpg, .png. or other type of image of an investigator's signature is NOT acceptable.

For SignNow guidance see the:

An international entity is one located outside of the United States (US).

"International" in this context does not refer to an entity that does business internationally, but rather to an entity that is formed outside the United States.

If an investigator signs a contract/agreement with a U.S. subsidiary of an international "parent" company, the U.S. subsidiary is not considered an international entity.

Yes. For consulting related to a specific non-UM research project, include the total dollar amount for the project in Other Support.

To report non-project-specific consulting, enter the dollar amount of the investigator's consulting activity.

If the consulting activity is independent of an investigator's U-M appointment, then list effort as zero Person Months. However, the Other Support entry should still include the dollar amount for the consulting activity. 

See Common Other Support Examples.

An appointment by itself would not be an entry in the Other Support document (although it would appear on the Biosketch).

However, active/pending projects that result from a non-U-M appointment must be included in Other Support. In this case, the non-UM appointment information acts as detail for the entry of the active/pending project.

In addition, any non-monetary resources (e.g., space, equipment, personnel) that result from the non-U-M appointment that are actively being used in relation to any of an investigator's research endeavors should be included as “in-kind” resources in Other Support.  Again, the appointment information provides detail for the resource entry. 

See Common Other Support Examples (Word, download).

Blue info iconImportant:

  • If a non-monetary resource will be used in the proposed project, include it in the Facilities, Equipment, or Resources section of the application rather than in Other Support.
  • Non-UM appointments, even if unpaid, should be reported in M-Inform as an outside activity. Start-up funding as well as salary, should be included in the value disclosed.
  • Any active appointment should be included on an investigator's Biosketch (including VA appoitments).

Any active appointment must be included an investigator's Biosketch, including a VA appointment.

The researcher should provide the project number and PD/PI name for the prime award as the "Source of Support" on the NIH Other Support template. All other information, including the total award amount and person months, should be specific to the subaward.

Yes, but with qualifications. Use Adobe's Prepare Agreement option under the Sign menu and the Insert Digital Signature function to ensure the required audit trail is assigned.  Do not use Adobe's "Fill & Sign" or "Sign Yourself" options.

NIH requires that "[a]pplicants and recipients maintain supporting documentation to reasonably authenticate that the appropriate individual signed the [Other Support] form."  In this case, supporting documentation is interpreted to mean an audit trail associated with each application of an electronic signature.  The individual is responsible for locating and providing a signature's supporting documentation upon request from NIH or others.  When using Adobe, the PDF file, electronic signature, and audit trail are stored locally (e.g., on an individual's computer drive). 

U-M recommends using SignNow to sign Other Support documentation.  As UM-supported software, the PDF file and correspondiing signature supporting documentation is stored centrally and availalble through SignNow.

U-M's current interpretation of NIH guidance is that for external consulting activity to be included in Other Support, it must:

  • Involve the design, conduct, or reporting of research; and
  • Be current or ongoing; and
  • Contribute tangible work to the research.

Examples include:

  • Developing a research protocol
  • Analyzing data from a research project
  • Serving on a steering committee for a research project
  • Work that results in publication of research (e.g., in an academic journal, at conferences, etc.) such that your contribution is cited in the publication.

High-level activity, such as a one-time phone conference to discuss the feasibility of a research concept or to provide subject matter expertise, is not considered an activity that needs to be reported as Other Support.

Yes. For examples of documentation, download U-M's Common Other Support Examples (Word document). 

For a general list of what to include in Other Support documentation see the NIH - Other Support Reportng webpage.  

Sometimes ORSP may have the authority to approve the requested change; other times, prior sponsor approval is necessary before ORSP can process the change.

The eRPM system will automatically route to all appropriate U-M parties for the required approvals according to each ACR type selected (see ACR Approval Matrix).

The ACR must be submitted to ORSP early enough to allow time for administrative processing and to secure sponsor approval in advance. A good example of this is a no-cost extension request which needs to be submitted in a timely manner and include all required documentation and department approvals before ORSP can take action.

Please contact your ORSP Project Representative to assist.
 

Consult the terms and conditions and sponsor policies applicable to the award before completing the ACR. PIs and Project Teams bear the responsibility to administer funded projects in compliance with U-M and sponsor requirements.

ACRs can be created by Administrative personnel listed on the Award, including Post-Award Contacts, and anyone who is a Reviewer or an Approver.

 

Once the ACR is created, the record can only be edited by the person who created it, Post-Award Contact(s), and/or the Administrative Home chain of approvers.

There isn't a literal certificate per se. Anyone asking externally should also have access to SAM and can look us up (i.e. federal agencies or those doing business with federal agencies). Therefore, all the sponsor needs are the date of expiration plus a UEI, DUNS, and/or CAGE Code.

Funding searches are handled by the schools/colleges at the unit level. Grants and funding requests are not written and submitted independently. The federal government mandates that a central unit at universities administer research activities funded by sponsors. 

These administrative tasks require a professional staff with broad knowledge of the regulations of federal agencies and to maintain the extensive records required by federal sponsors. Start by working with your Research Administrator.

Per NIH guidance, For post-docs and graduate students that are required to work on their originally approved work remotely from a foreign country due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, where no grant funds are going to a foreign entity, NIH has determined that this scenario does not constitute the performance of a significant scientific element or segment of the project outside the US, as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement definition of a foreign component.

The "aggregated value" of an outside activity is the dollar value that you and/or your family member have received from an external entity in the past 12 months including the current value of equity you (and/or your family member) hold in the entity, even if you did not receive a payout of said equity, and excluding travel. 

M-Inform Disclosure Hints

  • If you are disclosing equity held in a non-publicly traded entity but you don't know the value of the equity, select "No" to the "Is the dollar value of the equity known" question in M-Inform.  This "No" answer indicates that the Aggregated Value amount excludes the unknown equity value. 
  • If you are disclosing an outside activity for a family member only and are not privy to the dollar value received, select "$0 (None)" from the list in the Aggregated Value field and provide an explanation in the "other relevant information" field in M-Inform.  

Some of these publications may require a subscription to access. For members of the U-M community, refer to the U-M Library for assistance on accessing resources off-campus.

Protocols that address the same research questions, involve the same methodologies, and evaluate the same outcomes are considered by the NIH to be the “same research protocol,” even when variations due to local (research site) context exist.  Per the NIH sIRB guidelines, non-exempt multi-site studies utilizing the same research protocol at each domestic (U.S) site are subject to sIRB regulations.

~ Definition paraphrased from the University of Washington.

NIH uses the term "multi-site project" to describe a sub-set of cooperative non-exempt human research where the same research procedures (i.e., the “same protocol”) are conducted at two or more U.S. research sites under the control of a participating investigator at each site.  

A multi-site project typically involves a lead site (lead PI) that manages the administrative functions of the project in addition to conducting the same research procedures as the participating sites. A multi-site project could be a clinical trial, an observational study, or a basic clinical research study.

A “cooperative” (or “collaborative”) project involves two or more U.S. research sites where each site is conducting a different part of a research protocol under the direction/control of the lead PI.  An example would be a non-exempt study where U-M is the lead site and conducting the interaction/intervention with the human participants, but the analsyis of the data is being done by is an external institution/collaborator.

Under NIH and Common Rule sIRB guidelines, both multi-site and cooperative research projects may:

  • Require the use of a single IRB for oversight. 
  • Have a lead site/PI who receives the grant or contract from a sponsor and then establishes a subaward or subcontract to each participating site.
  • Require authorization (“reliance”) agreements to establish the contractual terms for IRB oversight and project management.

Employees who are not paid on sponsored funds are not required to report their maternity leave to Work Connections, but if you are paid on a grant, you must submit a claim. Please submit your claim 4-6 weeks before your estimated due date to give Work Connections time to process it.

To report your maternity leave, go to the Work Connections website and select “Personal Injury/Illness.” Choose the “Online Request Form” button, and select “Employee Injury or Illness.” In the text box for “Description of Incident,” add the phrase: “Grant-funded pregnancy.”
 

No. Only sponsored grants are eligible for reimbursement (Allowable Fund Codes: 20000 and 25000).

 

If the employee submits time using a timesheet, the payroll office will credit the sponsored grant that is funding the salary based on the time reporting codes used on the employee timesheet.

If the employee does not submit a timesheet, the employing unit must request a retroactive salary transfer by submitting a “Request for Salary Transfer” form to the payroll office. The payroll office will do a journal entry to transfer the funds back to the sponsored grant.

Please allow four weeks for the reimbursement to be applied to your sponsored grant. Once month-end has closed after the 4 weeks, please contact UMOR.HR.Team@umich.edu if your grant hasn’t been reimbursed. 

  

 

February 2021.  The AAHRPP re-accreditation team will announce the interview schedule for the March site visit and send out meeting invitations to the selected participants in February.

The U-M Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) is an an integrated university-wide program that supports all those who are involved in human subjects research in some way at U-M - from study coordinators to the Vice President for Research.

The HRPP's central central charges are:

  • To protect the rights and welfare of human research participants by promoting compliance with ethical and regulatory standards promulgated by the:
    • Belmont Report
    • The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (aka "Common Rule")
    • Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP)
    • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
    • Good Clinical Practice Guidelines (GCP)
  • To facilitate U-M human subjects research by providing resources, support, and education.

 

For details visit the HRPP website at:  https://research-compliance.umich.edu/human-subjects.

No. There is not anything built into the eRPM system that will automatically trigger the withdrawal of the proposal after 30 days if any investigators have failed to complete the “Sign PAF” activity.

Not at this time. However, we are working with ITS to get the data related to “PAF Sign” activity added to the Data Warehouse. We will share more information as reporting options become available.

ORSP will not require submission of Other Support documentation earlier than what the sponsor requires. For example, NIH requires it at Just In Time; NSF and DoD require it at time of proposal submission.

For the pilot, Other Support review will be conducted only for federally funded projects where an investigator has answered “yes” to one of the International Engagement questions on the “Sign PAF” activity. However, the “Sign PAF” activity is required for all PAFs, regardless of funding type.

Resources are NOT specifically related to the project proposed.  Per NIH, “Other Support includes all resources made available to a researcher in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value” and regardless of their source.  When answering question 2d in the "Sign PAF" activity, U-M Investigators do not need to include non-monetary resources arranged through U-M as Unfunded Agreements (e.g., material transfer agreements, data use agreements) or resources acquired through U-M Procurement processes (e.g., purchase order).

During the pilot phase, staff in ORSP and the COI offices will conduct a congruence review of sponsor-required documents (e.g., Other Support, Current & Pending Support) only for federally sponsored proposals where an investigator has answered "yes" to one of the International Engagement questions on the "Sign PAF" or "Sign Award Record" activity (i.e., questions 2a-d).

The PI and PAF Primary Research Administrator will be copied on all the messages, sent 1, 10, 20, and 25 days after proposal submission to the sponsor. The 20- and 25-day messages will also copy the Department and Unit-level Research Administrators.

Research Administrators do not need to notify the investigators. The day after a proposal is submitted to the sponsor,  a system-generated email will be sent to any investigators on the PAF who have not yet signed. Follow-up system-generated emails will be sent 10, 20, and 25 days after proposal submission to the sponsor.

No. The underlying purpose of the Other Support review is to ensure that the information the University is providing to sponsors is accurate and complete. If the sponsor does not require Other Support documentation (or similar) for those personnel, you would not need to provide it. Remember, too, that during the pilot phase the Other Support review applies only to federally funded projects.

 

Yes. Investigators can sign the PAF as soon as they have been added to it.

Immediately after disclosing in M-Inform, the investigator is able to complete the “Sign PAF” activity.

It depends. If the investigator has never disclosed in M-Inform and the PAF is the reason they need to disclose, they would not receive an email notification. However, if the investigator is supposed to be disclosing annually in M-Inform but hasn’t, they would receive an email on the first of every month asking them to go to M-Inform to disclose

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