FAQs

Any interaction with foreign persons or entities should undergo Restricted Party Screening (RPS).  For example:

• Sponsored Research - When accepting funding from an international entity or when working on an export-controlled research project (screening conducted by ORSP or U-M Export Controls, initiated with the PAF)
• Visitors to U-M - Visiting scholars and corporate relations visitors prior to coming to U-M (screening conducted by your department or by U-M Export Controls, upon request)
• International Travel - When meeting potential foreign collaborators or speaking at a foreign university or institute (screening requested by you, conducted by U-M Export Controls)
• International Shipping - Sending equipment overseas for fieldwork or sending samples or data to international recipients (screening requested by you, conducted by U-M Export Controls, or by U-M Innovation Partnerships when initiated by an outgoing Materials Transfer Agreement)

Restricted Party Screening (RPS) is a service provided by the U-M Export Controls program that verifies whether an organization (e.g., company or university), individual, or country has had its export privileges restricted or revoked per the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or Treasury and is listed on any of the federal restricted party lists.  RPS is required by the federal government and is a critical component of U-M's efforts to prevent violations of U.S. Export Control laws.  U-M uses a software program that checks all of the federal lists simultaneously. 

Job aids and tools that don’t require training or interaction, will be made available on the ORSP website, under the "Navigate" portal page.  However, the course has been designed for intense in-person interaction and much of the content will be experienced in-person.

The design of this course was developed in collaboration with representatives from Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, Sponsored Programs, and various schools/colleges/units on campus. See Design Team Roster.

The Navigate: Fundamentals course was designed in response to extensive research and survey feedback that revealed a need for training of those who need it most: brand new research administrators who support faculty and the research community.

The research and survey results also revealed opportunities to improve and restructure training.

As a result, the new training program will include two tracks/tiers:

1. basic concepts for newcomers in research administration to obtain introductory knowledge (Fundamentals).
2. in-depth analysis and specialized knowledge for more seasoned research administrators (Advanced & Specialized).  

For more information, visit the Navigate Portal. 

We anticipate offering the Fundamentals course twice per year - once in the fall, and once in the winter/spring. Learn more about current offerings on the Navigate: Fundamentals course page.

Due to space limitations, there may be more applicants than open slots for the course. For those applicants not selected for the course, once a future course application is made available, they may be given additional consideration and priority during the selection process.

There is a limited number of spots available (up to 30) for participation in this course. The application allows the selection team to identify potential participants, gather pertinent personal and unit information from applicants, assess an applicant’s interest in the program, assess the potential needs and benefits for schools/colleges/units, maintain campus-wide representation, and balance in the selected cohort.

This course was specifically designed for new research administrators (which we define as U-M staff who have from zero to about two years of working experience working in research administration at any institution).

Applicants must:

• have from zero to about two years of working experience in research administration;
• commit to satisfy all requirements of the course;
• submit all application materials by the scheduled due date, including:
  • Application Form
• agree to attend all seven full-day, instructor-led sessions;
• complete all assignments in between sessions;
• complete capstone projects;
• participate in program evaluations (pre-, mid-, post- and in-session evaluations).

For additional questions contact navigate-research@umich.edu.

• The Navigate: Fundamentals course is not a replacement for the The Research Administrators Instructional Network (RAIN) program, which targeted research administrators with several more years of experience. 
• The Navigate: Fundamentals course is developed for a different audience, and is meant to provide training for new research administrators with zero to about two years of working experience in research administration.
• The Navigate: Fundamentals course was designed after extensive research and survey feedback that revealed a need for training of those who need it most: brand new research administrators who support faculty and the research community.

• Participants are expected to attend all seven full-day, instructor-led sessions of the course. While we understand there are unavoidable situations that may result in a missed session, each session builds upon the previous, therefore a session cannot be made up in the current cohort.
• Participants who miss a session will not receive a certificate of completion in current cohort. Those participants will need to make up the missed session(s) in a later cohort. Participants will have up to one year to complete the missed session to receive a certificate of completion. 

To cancel, contact the Training Team, via email navigate-research@umich.edu. You may withdraw from the course two (2) weeks prior to the start of the course with a full refund. Cancellations received after that date are discouraged, and you forfeit your course fee of $400.

Participants should not expect that successful completion of this course will result in a raise, a promotion, or even a new position at U-M.  However, we hope that graduates of this course will be more efficient and better prepared to perform their job duties and support the complex research performed by our U-M faculty and staff.  We hope graduates view this as an excellent opportunity for professional development, and that supervisors and other hiring staff may be glad to see this on your resume as you advance your career in research administration.

• Ensure the applicant/participant will be permitted time to attend all seven full-day, in-person sessions
• Support the participant with tasks assigned in between sessions, including in-person meetings as necessary
• Participate in training evaluations

• Participants must commit to attend all seven full-day, in-person sessions 
• Participants must complete assignments in between sessions outside the course schedule  (Time may vary. An additional average of two hours a week may be expected).
• Complete capstone projects
• Participate in program evaluations (pre-, mid-, post-, and in-session evaluations).

• This newly designed instructor-led was expertly developed for RAs with newcomers to research administration (zero to about two years of experience). This course is not a replacement for the former Research Administrators Instructional Network (RAIN) course. The "Navigate: Fundamentals" course was developed for a different audience and is meant to provide fundamental training for those who need it most, at the beginning of their research administration careers.
• This course will provide fundamental knowledge about the field of research administration, the research enterprise at the University of Michigan, and the high-level tasks performed at each stage of a sponsored project “Lifecycle.”
• Research administrators work with difficult business, compliance, and financial challenges, and often undertake them with little or no experience. Providing training for research administrators during their first months in their career is integral to reducing faculty and administrative burden.

The Navigate portal is the new central destination for training and professional development for research administrators (RAs), navigating research administration at the University of Michigan. The Office of Research and Sponsored Projects and Finance - Sponsored Programs have partnered to improve the professional development resources available to RAs. A number of initiatives will come under this new program, including training, mentoring, and other resources.

1. When the collaborating institution is unwilling to cede IRB oversight to U-M or U-M is unwilling to serve as the collaborator's IRB-of-Record.
2. When the interaction/intervention with the human subjects is taking place at the collaborator's institution, the U-M may determine that IRB review at the collaborator's institution is necessary.

A study team needs to document IRB oversight of an external collaborator when:

1. The project involves IRB-regulated research (i.e., project is reviewed by the full board or expedited review process), and
2. The external collaborator is engaged in the conduct of human subjects research (e.g., obtain informed consent from subjects, interact or intervene with subjects as part of the research, obtain or analyze personally-identifiable subject data)  

Notes:  

• Exempt or non-regulated projects are not considered IRB-regulated research; therefore documentation of IRB oversight for external collaborators is not required.
• Collaborators are not considered "engaged in research" if they do not interact with subjects or the identified data, analyze deidentified data only, or assist with recruitment only.  For more information,"  see the OHRP Guidance on Engagement of Institutions in Human Subjects Research.

The Uniform Guidance consolidates and replaces 8 different circulars, including: A-110 (Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education), A-21(Cost Principles for Educational Institutions), and A-133 (Audit Requirements).

Sponsored Programs and the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects have co-chaired a Task Force to address how U-M will respond to the Office of Management and Budget's Uniform Guidance. The Task Force has met throughout 2014 to evaluate and recommend policy changes and communications and training support as needed.

Please see U-M's Uniform Guidance recommendations for our research administration community.

Referred to by many names: the Omni Guidance, the Omni Circular and Super Circular, and the Uniform Grant Guidance, -- the regulations located at 2 CFR 200 seek to consolidate a number of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars. At U-M, we will refer to it as the "Uniform Guidance."

Technically, yes.  However, the Uniform Guidance also states that temporary dependent care costs related to travel are only allowable if they are "consistent with [U-M's] documented travel policy for all entity travel." Since U-M does not pay from its institutional funds for such costs, temporary dependent care costs associated with travel cannot be charged to a federal grant either.

The new definition of Participant Support Costs includes both trainees and participants, regardless of status, but is limited to conferences and training grants.  Look to the federal awarding agency for further guidance.

No. You will continue to need to get ORSP approval before purchasing a computing device on your grant.  Think of computing devices like other office supplies (e.g., copies, postage, etc.) The Uniform Guidance requires that, in order to be allowable, the circumstances for charging a computing device to a grant must be unlike the normal circumstances under which project personnel are provided computing devices.  In addition, the computing device must be allocable to the funded project and therefore must be charged in accordance with relative benefit received by the project.  In other words, you must still split the charge for a computing device amongst the various activities that the device will be used for.

First, remember that the federal agencies are responsible for implementing the terms and conditions of the Uniform Guidance, so you will need to follow the relevant agency's implementation of the Uniform Guidance.  Second, make sure all the conditions above are met.  For example, in terms of prior approval, you will need NSF's prior approval if the costs meet the requirements above but were not explicitly in the awarded budget.  In the case of NIH, you will not need their prior approval provided the costs meet the requirements above, regardless of whether they were in the awarded budget. Both require PACRF to be submitted.
 

For the agencies that have adopted them, RTCs provide a common set of rules for implementing the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200) issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The RTCs are maintained on the National Science Foundation (NSF) website:

Research Terms and Conditions

See: http://orsp.umich.edu/indirect-costs-rates

For purchases over $10,000, the procurement services will competitively bid based on the current university policy. (SPG 507.01)

Yes, U-M reports on Federal Awards in Accordance with OMB Uniform Guidance (formerly OMB Circular A-133). See current and past audit reports.

The Uniform Guidance can be found at 2 CFR 200.

The Uniform Guidance, found at 2 CFR 200, applies to federal funding agencies, which are required to issue their own policies and procedures that will govern the awards we receive.  

**Beginning, March 26, 2018, new users will be able to register directly through Research.gov. Existing users in Fastlane will be migrated to the new system through a simple, one-time operation when signing in to FastLane or Research.gov after the new functionality is released. 

Visit https://umhealthresearch.org to learn more about Clinical Trial Studies and participation opportunities. Their phone number is 877.536.4243.

First note that:

• Responsibility for demonstrating that the off-campus rate is appropriate rests with the project team.
• The approved F&A cost rates applicable to all proposed projects are shown in F&A Cost Rates chart.
• Full recovery of these costs is expected on all grants or contracts.
• Any variance from stated F&A cost rates must be discussed with your School/College/Institute/Center administration in advance of proposal submission.

Following are questions to help you determine the criteria that must be met to determine whether a project is "on campus" or "off-campus." 

NIH's xTrain is a part of the eRA Commons module required for all training grant appointments. This is where PIs, university administrators, and trainees:

Please remember to include the correct effort. Only place "0" (zero) if applicable to award type (i.e. T32) and according to the NOA from the sponsor.

Investigators register once with the the IBC, and an approved application is valid for three years. You should submit an amendment if your work with potentially hazardous biologics (including rDNA/SNA) changes, and you will need to renew your registration before expiration.

For Finance questions, customer support, funds distribution or requests:

• Find support from Finance-Sponsored Programs

Balances: http://www.finance.umich.edu/programs/faq/balances

Yes. NIH offers a comprehensive RPPR Instruction guide.

The timing is based on your award date and type. For your specific award-type (SNAP, Non-SNAP, Fellowship or MYF), the due date is reflected in the RPPR Instruction guide, near the beginning, under the RPPR Due Dates section. Start in eRA Commons to begin your report

Federal regulations define a human subject as a "living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research: (i) obtains information or biospecimens through intervention or interaction with an individual, and uses, studies, or analyzes the information or biospecimens; or (ii) obtains, uses, studies, analyzes, or generates identifiable private information or identifiable biospecimens." ~ 45 CFR 46.102

• Data includes information or specimens collected from living subjects
• About whom indicates that the data must be personal information about an individual
• Intervention includes physical procedures, manipulations of the subject, or manipulations of a subject's environment for research purposes (e.g., taking saliva or blood samples, havin a subject view a video)
• Interaction refers to communication (e.g., face-to-face, internet, mail, phone, etc.) between the investigator and the subject 
• Identifiable means that the subject's identity is or may be readily ascertained by the investigator or others, or is associated with the information or biospecimen.
• Private information includes information about behavior that occurs in a context in which the subject can reasonably expect that no observation or recording is taking place; or, information provided for specific purposes by the subject in which the subject can reasonably expect will not be made public (e.g., medical records, academic records, personal journals). 

NOT human subjects research:

• Research using data from the 1880 Census because the data isn't from living individuals
• Survey that collects data about an organization's activities because the data isn't about individuals
• Research using de-identified data sets because the data are not individually identifiable

Principal investigators who are not themselves registered for BSL2 recombinant DNA work, and who are having this work performed in another investigator's lab, are responsible for ensuring that it is occurring in a laboratory that is registered with the IBC for that type of work and that it is conducted by individuals who have received training for the work they are performing.

A Conflict of Commitment (COC) exists when your effort (i.e., time and intellectual energy) spent on an outside interest, activity, or relationship could interfere or compete with your ability or willingness to perform the full range of responsibilities associated with your position at the University of Michigan (i.e., institutional responsibilities); or could interfere or compete with the university's missions (teaching, research, service, etc.).

Disclosable travel expenses include hotel, air, and ground transportation, and other travel costs paid for by an outside organization/entity.

 All travel expenses paid or reimbursed by a foreign entity, including academic and healthcare institutions, governments, companies or non-profit organizations must be disclosed at any dollar amount.

You are responsible for disclosing travel expenses paid or reimbursed by a domestic (U.S.) entity, domestic professional society, or domestic non-profit organization if the aggregate expenses exceed $5,000 in any rolling 12-month period. 

Payments for the sale or use of intellectual property (IP) paid to the owner of the IP and/or its inventor by an external entity.   U-M does not require you to disclose book royalties, but does require you to disclose as an outside interest any royalties for your IP that is licensed/optioned through the Univeristy of Michigan and/or other entity.

When disclosing outside interests, do not include travel paid for by:

• A U.S. Federal, state, or local government agency;
• An accredited domestic non-profit institution of higher education
• An academic teaching hospital, medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with an accredited domestic non-profit institution of higher education
• The sponsor of a project/grant, if allowable per the project/grant award terms and conditions