OSP Announcements
The detailed cost-share form has been updated and is now available on the OSP website. Key changes Include:
- Revision Number added to track form versions
- Minimum 1% effort included as a cost-share type
- New column with drop-down menu for employee type
- Updated signature requirements: Cost Center Manager (required), Graduate College (when applicable), Chair signature no longer required
- New Guidance Tab (Tab 2) with instructions
Any changes to an existing cost-share form will require an updated version and, in some cases, sponsor approval.
New Federal Proposal Submission Systems Webpage
OSP has launched a new federal electronic proposal submission webpage to support faculty and administrators with proposal preparation of ASSIST, Research.gov and Grants.gov Workspace proposals. The page includes:
- Guidance and step-by-step instructions for each system
- Training videos for navigating ASSIST, Research.gov, and Grants.gov Workspace
"Ask OSP" Button
Getting answers from OSP is now easier! We've added an Ask OSP button to our main webpage.
- Faculty and research administrators can submit questions directly through this tool.
- All inquiries are routed through our central email system and reviewed by an OSP team member.
We kindly ask that you share this information with faculty and staff in your college or unit. Thank you for your attention to these important updates!
Florida Atlantic University has announced a change to the Asset Capitalization threshold for Equipment and Fabrication, effective July 1, 2025. The threshold has increased from $5,000 to $10,000.
This change impacts all FAU equipment and fabrication purchases, including those charged to sponsored projects.
What This Means for You
- Proposal Budgets: Effective immediately, when preparing proposal budgets, use the new $10,000 threshold to determine whether an expense should be categorized as equipment/fabrication or other direct costs.
- Active Awards: For awards that currently include equipment or fabrication, a budget revision in Workday will be required before making purchases, to address indirect cost discrepancies caused by the threshold change.
- Pending Proposals: If a pending proposal includes equipment/fabrication and is selected for funding, a revised budget will be required prior to award set-up.
Questions?
Please contact your Proposal Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs for assistance.
We kindly ask that you share this information with faculty and staff in your college or unit. Thank you for your attention to this important update.
As a follow-up to our previous announcement regarding research security requirements for federal projects under the CHIPS and Science Act, a webpage for status updates is now available on the Office of Sponsored Programs website.
We anticipate other federal agencies to issue their research security requirements soon. As federal agencies issue their requirements, this webpage will be updated.
In addition to the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation now requires covered individuals (senior/key personnel) to complete research security training prior to proposal submission.
This requirement goes into effect October 10, 2025 for all new NSF proposal submissions.
If any covered individual on an NSF proposal has not completed the training, the proposal cannot be submitted.
To address the training requirement, FAU has subscribed to CITI Programs for online research security training. The Research Security Training module has been added to our CITI Program training portfolio of courses and is available to all FAU researchers. FAU will accept either the 4-hour Research Security Training course or the condensed 1-hour Research Security Training to satisfy the initial training requirement.
Since this requirement must be completed prior to proposal application submission, we encourage all researchers planning to submit a proposal to DOE or NSF to complete this course now rather than wait until proposal application. Incomplete training for any senior/key personnel on the proposal application will delay/prevent the proposal from being submitted.
Please share this information with faculty and staff within your department/unit.
If you have questions, please contact your assigned Proposal Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs. Thank you.
The National Aeronautics and Science Administration (NASA) recently implemented a new webform for submitting performance progress reports.
Effective immediately, all future RPPRs (Research Performance Progress Report) must be submitted via the webform at the following link: https://www.nasa.gov/grant-cooperative-agreement-research-performance-progress-report-submission/
- Annual Reports are due 60 days prior to the annual anniversary of the award’s Period of Performance date.
- Final Reports are due 120 days after the expiration of the award’s Period of Performance.
For guidance and instructions on submitting the progress report, please refer to the NASA Grants and Cooperative Agreement Manual, Section 29.1: Performance Report Requirements. To avoid delays in review and approval, please ensure that your report follows the NASA-required format and is submitted through the webform provided above.
NIH recently issued an updated notice announcing that the No-Cost Extension functionality within eRA Commons has been re-enabled. Recipients may resume initiating first no cost extensions in eRA Commons, in accordance with the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 8.1.1.3. Requests that were previously submitted via the prior approval module will not be reviewed, and recipients will need to initiate the first no cost extension within the Status module by using the Extension action.
If you have questions, please contact your assigned Award Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs. Please share this information with faculty and staff within your department/unit. Thank you.
Updated DOR Policy: Subaward and Monitoring
The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Accounting Office has issued an update to the Subaward and Monitoring Policy, effective July 17, 2025. Key updates include:
- A determining factors table to assist in subaward classification
- Alternate options for institutions that are members of the FDP Clearinghouse
We encourage all faculty and staff involved in sponsored research to review the updated policy and become familiar with its provisions.
NIH Notification: Artificial Intelligence in Applications & PI Submission Limits
Please review NIH Notice NOT-OD-25-132, published July 17, 2025, which outlines new policies regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in grant applications and limits on application submissions by Principal Investigators (PIs). Key highlights include:
- AI Usage: Applications substantially developed by AI will not be considered original contributions of the applicant and may result in enforcement actions, including disallowance of costs, suspension, or termination of the grant.
- Application Limits: NIH will now accept a maximum of six applications (new, renewal, resubmission, or revision) from an individual PI/PD or MPI per calendar year , across all council rounds. This policy excludes T activity codes and R13 Conference Grant Applications.
For questions regarding these updates, please contact your Proposal Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs. Please share this information with faculty and staff in your college/unit. Thank you.
The CHIPS and Science Act requires federal agencies to begin implementing several provisions, including those related to research security. These include establishing policies that require covered individuals to certify they are not a party to a "malign foreign talent recruitment program" and mandating research security training for those listed on proposal applications.
At this time, both the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have implemented new requirements that are now in effect. We anticipate all other federal agencies will implement similar requirements in the near future.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Effective May 1, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) requires that all covered individuals complete research security training prior to proposal submission and annually thereafter.
Who Needs Training?
The DOE defines "covered individuals" as those who contribute substantively to the research, including principal investigators (PIs), project directors (PDs), co-PIs, co-PDs, project managers, and anyone functionally performing these roles. FAU is interpreting this as all senior key personnel.
When to Complete Training?
The training must be completed within one year of application submission. The DOE interprets this as the 12 months immediately preceding the application date.
See DOE’s definition of "covered individual" and the research security training requirements for all R&D financial assistance awards located here.
FAU has added the Research Security Training module to our CITI Program training portfolio of courses. Researchers have several training options available through the online CITI Program that will satisfy the research security training requirement. FAU will accept either the 4-hour Research Security Training course or the condensed 1-hour Research Security Training to satisfy the initial requirement.
Since this requirement must be completed prior to proposal application submission, we encourage faculty to complete this course as soon as possible rather than wait until proposal application. Incomplete trainings for any key personnel on the proposal application will delay/prevent the proposal from being submitted.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Effective June 7th, 2025 all PIs or Co-PIs named on a NSF award must certify annually in Research.gov that they are not a party to a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP). Individuals who are a party to a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program are not eligible to serve as a senior/key person on an NSF project. The certification applies to awards issued on or after May 20, 2024 and will be obtained annually when submitting progress reports via Research.gov.
What you need to know about completing the required MFTRP certification in Research.gov:
- There is no organizational certification requirement, the certification requirement is for PIs and co-PIs.
- Impacted PIs and co-PIs will be prompted to complete the MFTRP certification after signing into Research.gov using the Sign In link at the top of www.Research.gov.
- PIs and co-PIs with more than one active award made on or after May 20, 2024, are only required to certify once, annually.
- Once completed, PIs and co-PIs can view their MFTRP certification response under the Academic/Professional Information section of their profile.
- NSF is working to expand the MFTRP annual certification requirement for all senior/key personnel roles at a future date. Additionally, NSF is working to provide organizations with access to the annual certifications.
- Please see PAPPG Chapter II.D.1.d(ix) for information about Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) responsibilities regarding senior/key personnel MFTRP certifications.
- Frequently Asked Questions and MFTRP contract examples will be available on the MFTRP section of the Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy website shortly.
*Please be advised, it is expected the research security training requirement and MFTRP certification will become a requirement from all federal sponsors sometime in 2025.
NOT-OD-25-104 - Updated NIH Policy on Foreign Subawards
Effective May 1st, NIH will not issue awards to domestic or foreign entities (new, renewal, or non-competing continuation), that include a subaward to a foreign entity. Additionally, NIH will no longer accept prior approval requests to add a new foreign component or subaward to an ongoing project. Please review the notification for more details.
NOT-OD-25-110 - Updated NIH Processes for No-Cost Extensions
The National Institutes of Health has temporarily disabled the No-Cost Extension (NCE) functionality in the eRA Commons for 1st time automatic extensions. At this time, all requests for NCEs must be submitted as a prior approval request in eRA Commons.
NIH Adoption of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support (Delayed)
NIH’s adoption of the Common Form for Biographical Sketch and a new Biographical Sketch Supplemental originally scheduled for May 25, 2025 has been delayed.
NIH applicants and recipients should continue to use the current NIH Biosketch and Other Support format pages for applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) and RPPRs.
NIH will issue future Guide Notices outlining the new effective date and additional implementation details as they are finalized. For additional information, please visit the following NIH websites:
The Office of Sponsored Programs recently updated two (2) policies that apply to proposals and awards:
Proposal Submission Deadline Policy – Updates were made to the policy to clarify which documents are required five (5) days prior to the sponsor deadline and which documents allow additional time for editing, i.e. two (2) days prior to sponsor deadline. As a reminder, proposals submitted electronically through a sponsor’s system requiring the OSP to submit, will be submitted during FAU’s normal business hours.
Funding In Anticipation of Award Policy – Updates were made to the policy to allow for exceptions to the three month/25% budget period award amount request. When more than 3 months and/or more than 25% of the budget period award amount is requested, a justification with appropriate documentation must be submitted to OSP for review and approval. A request for funding in anticipation of award requires a collateral account number in case the project is not funded. The account used as collateral must be an E&G or research overhead account and not a sponsored account.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released new salary limitation levels for the Executive Pay Scale affecting NIH proposals/awards, effective January 1, 2025.
The salary limitation for Executive Level II has increased to $225,700. For faculty whose salary is higher than the NIH limitation, the salary difference (salary portion above the cap) will need to be cost-shared. For more information, please refer to NIH NOT-OD_25-085.
Please share this information with the faculty in your college.
If you have questions, please reach out to your assigned Proposal and Award Administrators in the Office of Sponsored Programs.
OSP Announcements and Updates March 25, 2025
Updated Sponsor Prior Approval Matrix
The long-standing FDP prior approval matrix was recently updated by the National Science Foundation to align with the revised 2 CFR part 200 that became effective on October 1, 2024. The matrix was updated to solely list those requirements that are applicable to NSF grants and no longer applies to other federal agencies. The matrix is effective October 1, 2024 has been renamed the NSF Prior Approval Matrix.
For awards issued prior to October 1, 2024, please refer to the previous approval matrix dated November 2020. Both matrixes are available on the OSP webpage at: https://www.fau.edu/research-admin/sponsored-programs/sponsor-prior-approval-matrix/
Data Management Resources and Services
Did you know that FAU Libraries has an entire webpage designated to supporting the data management needs of researchers at Florida Atlantic University? The FAU Libraries Data Management webpage is intended to be an education resource for FAU faculty and students on data management plans including data management resources and tools. Check it out!
FAU Libraries Resources and Services:
- Data Management Plans (Research Guide)
- FAU Libraries Digital Library
- FAU Libraries Scholarly Communication Services
- Research and Instructional Services Research Consultations
External Resources (DMPT Tool, NIH and NSF Guidance):
Please share this information with faculty and students in your college/unit. Thank you.
OSP Announcements and Updates February 3, 2025
OSP Roles & Responsibilities Matrix
The Office of Sponsored Programs developed a roles and responsibility (R&R) matrix to identify the primary individual(s) and units responsible for completing tasks as they relate to proposal submissions, award management, and the review and execution of agreements pertaining to contract awards and subawards.
The R&R matrix is available on the OSP website and was recently updated to help clarify responsibilities and address newer processes. The roles identified in the matrix include the Principal Investigator, department/college research administrator, Office of Sponsored Programs, and Associate Dean for Research.
Please note that some tasks/actions may have multiple individuals or units involved in the process but only one individual or unit is identified as the primary. The primary individual/unit has the overall responsibility for completion of the task/action.
If you have questions about the R&R matrix, please feel free to reach out to your assigned Proposal and/or Award Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Quick Clip Videos – Now Available on OSP Website
This coming year, the Office of Sponsored Programs plans on creating several "quick clips" which are short videos on specific research topics relevant to Proposals, Awards, and Contracting. Each video will focus on one specific topic and will provide information about the topic and how it applies to research here at FAU.
Currently, our office has finalized two quick clips which are now available on the OSP website.
- Understanding Signature Authority
- Determining Subrecipient, Consultant or Vendor
We hope these videos will be of assistance to newer research administrators as well as some of our more seasoned administrators. As more videos are developed, we will add them to the quick clips webpage. Stay tuned.
OSP Announcements and Updates November 22, 2024
FAU’s Congressional District Changed
FAU’s congressional district has changed from the 22nd district to the 23rd district.
Following the decennial census, the Florida Constitution directed the Legislature to redraw district boundaries which resulted in the congressional district for FAU’s main campus changing from district 22 to 23.
As this information is often requested on federal proposal applications, it is important to list FL-23 for FAU’s main campus. When a sponsor also requests the congressional district information for the performance location, please list the district where the work will be performed. For more information regarding FAU’s congressional districts by campus, please see the Administrative Information page located on the Office of Sponsored Programs website.
NIH (eRA Commons) RPPR Data Sharing Requirements
NIH has added new questions to the Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) which pertain to applicable Data Management and Sharing (DMS) plans. These questions must be answered on reports submitted after October 1, 2024.
New DMS Questions in RPPR
The new DMS C.5.c section asks recipients, who are subject to the DMS Policy, the following questions:
- Whether data has been generated to date and what type of data it is
- Whether data has been shared for use by others
- If data has been shared, in what repository and under what unique digital identifiers
- If data has NOT been shared, what is the status of data sharing (e.g. being prepared for submission, submitted to repository, not yet expected to be shared); and
- If data has not been generated and/or shared as outlined in an approved DMS plan, what corrective actions have been or will be taken to comply with the approved plan.
For more information on the requirements, visit NIH’s eRA Commons News webpage.
We would appreciate it if you would share this information with your faculty in your department/college.
Thank you.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: October 18, 2024
De Minimis Rate for Subrecipients Increases to 15%
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently approved an increase to the de minimis indirect cost (IDC) rate that can be used on subrecipient proposal budgets. The new rate has increased to 15% and should be calculated on modified total direct costs (MTDC).
The de minimis rate may be used by non-governmental organizations (subrecipients) that do not have an approved indirect cost rate agreement with the federal government. The rate is intended to make it more reasonable for organizations (subrecipients) to recover indirect costs, especially for new or inexperienced organizations. The new rate applies to projects awarded on or after October 1, 2024.
This does not affect the FAU IDC rate as FAU has a federally negotiated indirect cost agreement.
National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation issued Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 25-011) to notify the research community about the mandatory use of multifactor authentication (MFA) for Research.gov sign-in effective on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. All external users must first complete a one-time MFA enrollment process that will be available starting on Oct. 27 and then use MFA to sign into Research.gov going forward.
Training Resources
Training resources including how-to guides and frequently asked questions (FAQs) will be available on the new About Signing Into Research.gov page on Research.gov Help on Oct. 27. This new page will assist the research community to quickly enroll in MFA and learn how to sign into Research.gov with the selected MFA method.
If there are any questions about these items, please contact sponsoredprograms@fau.edu.
OSP Announcements and Updates July 19, 2024
Updated Sponsored Programs Forms Now Available on the OSP Webpage
https://www.fau.edu/research-admin/sponsored-programs/agreements-and-forms/
Funding In Anticipation of Award (updated)
The Funding In Anticipation of Award form was recently updated to include a justification for requests that are over three (3 months) and/or more than 25% of the budget period award amount. This request form may be used when a sponsor has indicated their intent to fund a sponsored project, the official award/agreement is under review but not finalized, all compliance requirements have been met, and there is a need for a Workday account to be established. The Principal Investigator’s Chair and Dean (or other unit supervisor) must approve this request.
Account Set-up for Projects Involving Humans, Animals or Biohazardous Materials (New)
The Account Set-Up for Projects involving Humans, Animals or Biohazardous Materials form is a new fillable form. This request form may be used when there is a need to establish a Workday account prior to finalizing an IRB, IACUC or IBC protocol approval for a sponsored project. The Principal Investigator must provide a justification for this request and assure that they will not engage in any human or animal research or research involving biohazardous materials until such protocol is approved.
Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) and Total Direct Costs (TDC) Budget Templates
The excel budget templates for both MTDC and TDC have been updated to include the current fringe benefit and F&A rates.
Please share this information with your faculty in your department/college.
If you have questions about these forms, please reach out to your assigned Award Administrator in OSP. Thank you.
OSP Announcements and Updates April 23, 2024
Updated Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support – Now Available
NSF has announced that the NSTC-approved Common Forms for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support are now available in SciENcv. These revised formats will be required for proposals submitted or due on or after May 20, 2024. NSF encourages proposers to become familiar with the updated forms in preparation for proposal submission in May.
If you would like more information, NSF will conduct a webinar on Thursday, April 25 at 2:00 PM EST to discuss the revisions to these forms as well as provide a demonstration of the revised functionality to create and download these required proposal documents in SciENcv. Registration for this webinar is required and is now available.
If you have questions about the upcoming changes to the common forms, please reach out to your Proposal Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs. Or, if you prefer, you can reach out to the NSF Policy Office directly at policy@nsf.gov.
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Summary of Changes: NSF has made several changes to the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) in addition to the updates to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support. For a complete list of all upcoming changes, please review the summary of changes.
Please share this information with your faculty in your department/college.
OSP Announcements and Updates April 19, 2024
Ad Hoc Reporting Function in Novelution
Did you know that you can pull proposal and award reports in Novelution for your department or unit? Ad hoc reporting is a function in Novelution used to quickly create reports on an as-needed basis.
Novelution’s robust Sponsored Research module captures key data that can be extracted utilizing the ad hoc report function which is based on specific filters or combination of filters that are customizable by the user.
Some of the key benefits for ad hoc reporting is that it allows users flexibility in choosing which data filters they want to work with and eliminates the need to go through OIT or OSP to create reports. Access to data is based on the user’s roles in Novelution.
OSP has drafted instructions to help you in creating a proposal or award report for your department or unit. The instructions are also available on the OSP website under Novelution.
Please note that data information for proposals is available in Novelution starting July 1, 2020. Data information for awards is available July 1, 2021. Any data information needed prior to these dates should be pulled from our previous system, grantsERA.
https://grantseraportal.fau.edu/Authentication/Logon.aspx
If you have questions about ad hoc reporting, please contact your Proposal Administrator or Award Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Thank you.
OSP Announcements and Updates February 1, 2024
Issuance of New NSF Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
(NSF 24-1) Now
Available
NSF has released an updated Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (24-1) which includes significant changes that are effective for all proposals submitted on or after May 20, 2024.
You are encouraged to review the by-chapter Summary of Changes provided in the PAPPG.
On March 12th at 2:00 pm, NSF will present information about these changes.
Please sign up on the Policy Office outreach website to be notified once registration opens for this webinar.
While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on May 20, 2024, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 23-1) continue to apply.
If you have questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs at sponsoredprograms@fau.edu.
NIH Salary Cap Increases – effective January 1, 2024
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently released new salary limitation levels for the Executive Pay Scale affecting NIH proposals/awards.
The salary limitation for Executive Level II has increased to $221,900. For faculty whose salary is higher than the NIH limitation, the salary difference (salary portion above the cap) will need to be cost-shared.
For more information, please refer to NIH NOT-OD_24-057.
OSP Announcements and Updates January 29, 2024
Updated FAU Subrecipient Commitment Form
The Office of Sponsored Programs has recently updated FAU’s Subrecipient Commitment Form that is required for proposal submissions that include a subrecipient. Effective February 1st the updated form should be used for all future proposal submissions.
Please advise your faculty and any subrecipients that you are working with regarding this change.
The updated Subrecipient Commitment form includes changes to the FCOI compliance requirements and now uses the Unique Entity Identifier ("UEI") to verify subrecipients via SAM.gov. Please note, SAM.gov no longer uses the DUNS number so it is important that the updated form accompany all proposal submissions requiring subawards/subcontracts.
Additionally, subrecipients who are FDP members only need to fill out the first page of the Subrecipient Commitment Form. Non-FDP members and all other subrecipients must still fill out the entire form.
If you have any questions concerning FAU’s Subrecipient Commitment Form, please reach out to Karlens Direny at kdireny@fau.edu
Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) Training Requirements
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has expanded the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) training requirements. Based on the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), the RECR has been amended to apply the requirement to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to faculty, and other senior personnel. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers continue needing the RECR training.
For more information, visit FAU’s RCR webpage at: https://www.fau.edu/research-admin/research-integrity/responsible-conduct-of-research/ or contact Judith Martinez at martinez2012@fau.edu with questions regarding RCR training requirements.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: November 28, 2023
OSP Office Location Change
Effective December 1, 2023, the Office of Sponsored Programs will be located in the Administration Building, Room 297 on the Boca campus. We continue to have several employees on the Davie campus in Davie West, Rooms 303L and 303P, as well as in HBOI in LE-Room 246. The phone numbers and emails remain the same. The move is occurring on November 30th, please be patient as this transition occurs.
TRAIN Forum
Due to the OSP move and other commitments, we will not be having a TRAIN Forum in December. We will resume the Forums in 2024. If you would like to be part of the committee that arranges the schedule and plans the event, please reach out to Miriam Campo at campom@fau.edu
Holiday Schedule
Florida Atlantic University will be officially closed from December 25, 2023, through January 2nd, 2024. If you have any proposal submissions, progress or annual reports, or contract related documents with deadlines during this time, plan to submit well in advance. The Office of Sponsored Programs will not be available to review or submit any documents during the holiday and winter break.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: July 31, 2023
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is sharing Tips and Information each month as part of our "Did You Know" series. This month is dedicated to proposal submissions.
Did You Know…
The Office of Sponsored Programs maintains a listing of frequently needed information about the University that is often required on proposal applications.
Common institutional information may include FAU’s Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number, DUNS
number, protocol assurance numbers, congressional district information, addresses, approved rates, and
authorized representative information. To view the full list of information, please see the Administrative
Information webpage, available at:
https://www.fau.edu/research-admin/sponsored-programs/administrative-information/
Did you Know……
FAU has a policy on who can serve as a Principal Investigator on a sponsored project. FAU’s Principal Investigator Eligibility Policy has expanded over the years and now allows not only faculty (Full Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor) to serve as a PI, but also allows:
- Directors (Executive, Associate, and Assistant)
- Vice Presidents (Senior/Executive, Associate and Assistant)
- Full-time Instructors
- Librarians
- A.D. Henderson and FAU High Principals, Directors, and Professors
- Senior Research Fellows
The PI Eligibility Policy does not allow Affiliate Faculty, Visiting Faculty, and Adjunct Faculty to serve as PI. Individuals in these positions can be Co-PI or Co-I with an eligible individual as PI. The PI Eligibility Policy can be found at: https://fau.sharepoint.com/sites/research/Shared%20Documents/webfiles/sponsored-programs/pi-eligibility-policy-rev-09-30-2022-final-vprsigned.pdf
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: June 29, 2023
FDP NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Pilot
The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) in conjunction with NIH is conducting a pilot program of different DMS Plan templates. Additional information about this program can be found on the pilot webpage.
The pilot templates are now available in DMPTool for any individual needing to create an NIH DMS Plan. Individuals using DMPTool to create a DMS Plan will now see three options when selecting NIH as the primary funding organization. These templates are:
- "NIH-Default DMSP", which is based on NIH's optional DMS Plan Format. If you have been using DMPTool to create an NIH DMS Plan, this is the template that has been available in DMPTool since the NIH DMS Policy went into effect on January 25, 2023.
- NEW "NIH-FDP Pilot Template Alpha" - the DMPTool version of the pdf format Alpha Template
- NEW "NIH-FDP Pilot Template Bravo" - the DMPTool version of the word doc format Bravo Template
A word doc download of these two new templates is also posted on the pilot webpage. These DMPTool templates and the "paper-based" templates they are based on, were developed and vetted by NIH Program staff and can be used to create the final DMS Plan included in a submission to NIH.
FDP requests that anyone who uses Alpha or Bravo in DMPTool or on paper, complete a feedback survey.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: June 27, 2023
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) will be sharing Tips and Information related to OSP monthly. This month is dedicated to Novelution.
DID YOU KNOW a PI can assign Proxy Access in Novelution?
The purpose of proxy access is to provide an individual that is outside of a PI’s College or unit the ability to initiate and/or edit a Novelution proposal file on the PIs behalf. Proxy access does not allow an individual to respond to compliance requirements such SFI, PSD, FCOI, or act as an approver on the PIs behalf.
To grant Proxy Access:
Log into Novelution
- Click the Profile & Settings Tab
- Select "Proxy Access"
- Click "Add Proxy" Button
- Enter the person’s name who will serve as the proxy.
- Select Record Types "Sponsored Research"
- Click the checkbox to confirm access.
- Click Save
DID YOU KNOW the status of your award can be tracked in Novelution as it goes through the review/approval process?
The Stage/Status section in the Novelution file shows the current status of the project and allows you to see what actions have been completed and which actions are still pending. When an action is ready to be completed, the status changes to Green. Depending on the type of action, either the OSP Award Administrator or the Researcher is responsible and must take an action.
*Researchers are required to complete their project specific disclosure and CITI FCOI training as part of this review process.
Once the requirement is completed, it is date stamped, and then the next action turns Green. Actions that are Red cannot be completed until a previous action in the status bar is completed.
This tool is a useful feature that assists both faculty and research administrators in staying up to date on the progress of awards going through the review and approval process.
If you have questions about your award, please reach out to your OSP Award Administrator for more information.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: June 7, 2023
NSF - Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR)
National Science Foundation will require responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) training for all faculty and other senior personnel who will be supported by NSF for new proposals submitted, or due on or after, July 31, 2023. Each institution must have a plan in place to provide appropriate training and oversight in the RECR to undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel supported by the proposed research project.
FAU currently subscribes to the CITI Program online training for RCR training. CITI is updating the content of that training to satisfy NSF’s expanded requirements for RECR training for both the mentoring and the data management modules effective July 1, 2023.
All personnel supported by NSF will be required to complete CITI RCR training prior to award set up. The Office of Research Integrity is updating the RCR website with plan details and guidance. Additional information will be distributed prior to the effective date.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: February 28, 2023
National Institutes of Aging (NIA):
RPPR Submission Due by March 15, 2023, For Non-Competing Awards
NIA sends a reminder for a timely submission of the RPPRs which will generate MAY NON-COMPETING awards. The RPPRs are due NLT March 15, 2023, to be within compliance.
NIA is at the start of the heaviest funding period in FY2023 and will need your cooperation in an expeditious submission of the required RPPRs for your NIA non-competing awards.
NIH Research Enhancement Awards (R15) - FAU Eligibility Requirements
NIH R15 supports small scale research projects at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees but have not been major recipients of NIH support. There are 2 programs under the Research Enhancement Awards:
- REAP (Research Enhancement Award Program for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools). Based on the program’s eligibility requirements, FAU is not eligible for the R15 REAP program.
- AREA (Academic Research Enhancement Awards for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions). Based on the program’s eligibility requirements, the non-health components of FAU are eligible to apply for R15 AREA funding. Neither College of Medicine nor College of Nursing are eligible for the AREA program.
For questions, please contact your Proposal Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: January 13, 2023
NIH Data Management & Sharing Plan Requirement
As a reminder, all NIH applications submitted on or after January 25, 2023, will require the inclusion of a Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Plan. NIH has provided information on what is expected to be included in the DMS. They have also provided a DMS plan format template and sample plans. All this information can be found at this link:
Budgeting for Data Management & Sharing
NIH has indicated that "investigators may request funds toward data management and sharing in the budget and budget justification sections of their applications". Additional information to include, allowable and unallowable costs are included on the NIH website at this link:
"Note that all allowable costs submitted in budget requests must be incurred during the performance period, even for scientific data and metadata preserved and shared beyond the award period. For instance, if a DMS plan proposes preserving and sharing scientific data for 10 years in an established repository with a deposition fee, the cost for the entire 10-year period must be paid before the end of the period of performance."
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: October 31, 2022
NSF Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) Now Available
A new Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) is now available. The updated guide includes significant changes that are effective for all proposals submitted on or after January 30, 2023. Please see the following resources for additional information:
NCURA YouTube Tuesdays with Jean Feldman on PAPPG Revisions
NSF will host their Fall 2022 (FREE) Virtual Conference in November and will discuss the significant changes at one of their sessions on November 17th. To register for the upcoming NSF Grants Conference - Proposal and Award Policy Update session, please refer to the link in the notice from NSF below.
*The below notice is on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF)*
Dear Colleagues:
We are pleased to announce that a revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) has been issued.
The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023. Significant changes include:
- Revisions to incorporate Research.gov as the replacement for FastLane for proposal preparation and submission.
- Information about the use of Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) and the BAA Management System (BAAM).
- Revisions to the certification for Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) for proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023, which expands the training to faculty and other senior personnel as well as requires specific training mandated by the America COMPETES Act, as amended.
You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG.
NSF will present information about these changes at the upcoming NSF Grants Conference as part of the Proposal and Award Policy Update session on November 17th. Additional information and no-cost registration are available at: https://nsfpolicyoutreach.com/22-grants-conference/.
While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 30, 2023, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 22-1) continue to apply.
OSP Announcements and Updates Date: October 12, 2021
Delinquent Progress and Final Technical Reports
Don’t Be Late! Submitting a delinquent progress or final technical report to funding agencies may not only affect your award and the award of all your Co-Principal Investigators but may also affect the release of new awards to the University.
Delinquent reporting is a significant issue and can negatively impact payment on awards, no cost time extension approvals, and future funding for the university. Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of delinquent reports and federal agencies are starting to impose consequences. Some of FAU’s faculty have experienced first-hand some of these consequences.
NSF: The National Science Foundation has increased efforts to make sure that annual, final, and project outcome reports are submitted. To enforce this, NSF now requires both Principal Investigators and co-Principal Investigators, to have no reports outstanding before they issue any additional or new funding or approve a no cost extension.
NIH: The National Institutes of Health has stated that late report submissions may indicate the need for closer monitoring by NIH and may result in possible award delays or enforcement actions, including withholding funding, removing NIH Standard Terms of Awards, or even converting the award from an advance payment method to a reimbursement method.
Technical report submission is the responsibility of the PI. If you are unable to submit a progress or final technical report by the required due date, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) for guidance. In some cases, OSP can contact the sponsor to request an extension of the report due date, if sufficient justification exists.
OSP Announcements and Updates
Date: August 27, 2021
Over the past several years, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) has seen an increase in the number of proposals submitted and awards received as we continue towards FAU’s goal of reaching $100 million in sponsored award funding. As we strive towards this goal, we are continually looking at ways to streamline the OSP to improve efficiency and provide more service to our stakeholders.
On September 15th, 2021, OSP will embark on a restructuring plan that will separate our office functions into different service units. This restructure will affect your current assigned Proposal and Contract Administrator (PCA) as their role will evolve into either a Proposal Administrator or Award Administrator. We believe this change will allow OSP administrators to specialize and focus on a specific service area, improve efficiency, while providing the required supportive services needed by our faculty and staff. The OSP administrators will also become more proficient and knowledgeable in that service area and establish a foundation for future growth.
Going forward, each college/institute/unit will be assigned both a Proposal Administrator and an Award Administrator. Here are the main functions to be performed by each team and the team representatives.
PROPOSAL SERVICES TEAM FUNCTIONS:
- Conduct and participate in pre-proposal meetings
- Review RFP/Solicitation to ensure compliance
- Provide guidance regarding FAU policies affecting proposal submissions
- Review and approve proposal in Novelution
- Review and submit proposal through sponsor’s external submission system
- Serve as liaison with Program Officer for RFA/Solicitation clarification/guidance
- Facilitate proposal exception requests (i.e., PI eligibility)
- Submit JIT requests to sponsor
- Facilitate the award transfer coming to FAU (when new faculty bring awards with them)
- Conduct faculty/staff trainings and webinars related to proposal submissions.
AWARD SERVICES TEAM FUNCTIONS:
- Review award documents prior to acceptance
- Prepare contract and subaward initiation forms for the Contract Services Team review
- Prepare post award & award documents in Novelution and submit to Research Accounting for account set-up
- Facilitate sponsor prior approvals requests (i.e., NCE, change in scope, change in key personnel, budget revisions, etc.)
- Facilitate the review and submission of progress and final reports requiring OSP approval
- Facilitate the award transfers from FAU to another institution (when faculty leave FAU)
- Prepare/draft consulting service agreements
- Review and approve Budget amendments through Workday
- Conduct faculty/staff trainings and webinars related to award management topics.
OSP Announcements and Updates March 25, 2021
Dear Research Administrators,
NIH recently released updates to the research community regarding changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support Format Page. Please see the updates outlined below, however, for full details, please be sure to visit the official announcement in the link provided below.
NIH UPDATES:
In an effort to support strong collaboration between Federal research agencies, NIH has revised its Biographical Sketch (Biosketch) and Other Support Format Page requirements. These changes take effect for proposals due on or after May 25, 2021.
- The Biographical Sketch’s Section B "Position and Honors" has been renamed as "Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honors".
- Additionally, the Biographical Sketch’s Section D for non-Fellowship Biosketch proposals has been removed. For the Fellowship Biosketch, Section D has been updated to remove "Research Support". In the Other Support Format Page, the format page has been re-organized to separate funded projects from in-kind contributions.
- Additionally, a signature block has been added for Project Director/Principal Investigator or Other Senior/Key Personnel to certify accuracy of the information submitted. Each PD/PI or senior/key personnel must electronically sign their respective Other Support form as a PDF prior to submission.
For the full Notice, please see notice number NOT-OD-21-073 or by clicking here https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-073.html
If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please feel free to contact your assigned Proposal & Contract Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs or at sponsoredprograms@fau.edu.
OSP Announcements and Updates February 3, 2021
NOVELUTION: Percent Project Credit
The intent of the Percent Project Credit section in Novelution is to capture the project credit among all listed PIs, Co-PI/Co-Is, and other senior/key personnel within a proposal for the purposes of:
- Having the ability for PIs, Co-PI/Co-Is, and other senior personnel to be identified and receive proper credit for all proposal they are involved in.
- Enhancing collaboration across colleges/units since the percent credit can be shared.
- Having the ability to pull reports giving percent credit to all PIs, Co-PI/Co-Is, and other senior/key personnel. (i.e. tenure and promotion).
Assigning the percent project credit is ultimately the responsibly of the PI. OSP will not make the credit split determination. OSP encourages the PI to work collaboratively with the Co-Is and senior personnel in determining the appropriate credit.
Reports: Ad hoc reports are currently available in Novelution and can pull data from various fields within a proposal, including PIs, Co-PI/Co-Is, and other senior/key personnel information. Additionally, named PIs, Co-PI/Co-Is, and other senior/key personnel listed in a proposal record can be searched using the "Filtered Search" function which filters all proposal records for that individual.
Currently, the percent project credit is not yet available in the filtered search. The Office of
Sponsored Programs is working on this functionality and will be creating a "Percent Project Credit Report" template that will identify the percent of a given proposal attributed to each PIs, Co-PI/Co-Is, and other senior/key personnel.
Account and Budget Split: The Percent Project Credit functionality within the proposal is not intended to split an award or create separate accounts for each investigator. However, when the PI requests separate accounts, there is a mechanism to split awards or create separate accounts:
- To request a separate account for PIs and Co-PI/Co-Is, a separate budget for each account is required.
- Accounts cannot be split within the same department. If the faculty are in the same department, they will share one account.
- Within the budget section in Novelution, split budgets can be created at time of proposal submission. The PI of record can create split budgets prior to proposal submission or can elect to create split budgets at time of award.
- If the PI of record wishes to split the budget at time of award, the PI of record will need to provide individual budgets for each separate account to their assigned Proposal and Contract Administrator (PCA) prior to award setup.
- The PCA will then submit the request for award setup to the Office of Research Accounting who will then generate different TAG numbers in Workday for the separate accounts.
OSP Announcements and Updates January 28, 2021
WEBSITE: The OSP website has a new look and lots more valuable information. Some of the new pages include, Contract Services and Subawards and both sections have Workflow Charts. We have also updated the other sections of the website and will soon be unveiling information under the "Facts & Figures" icon.
We urge you to visit the site and provide us with your feedback. If there is additional information that would be of use on our website, let us know.
Visit: OSP Website
RESEARCH TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The federal research terms and conditions were revised November 12, 2020. View a copy at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/fedrtc/appendix_a.pdf.
NIH SALARY CAP: Effective January 3, 2021, the Executive Level II salary cap is $199,300. The official NIH Notice can be found here. NOT-HS-21-007
NOVELUTION: We continue to enhance the features in the Novelution system. The latest new feature is one that many have requested. Salary information is now automatically populated, coming directly from Workday. You can still override the salary for those cases when you are aware of upcoming salary increases.
The Office of Research Development can now track the proposals that their office assists with and can pull a report to measure metrics. Additionally, the system can now accept multiple cost share tags from the same source.
If you need a refresher, the Novelution webpage has User Guide, Quick Guide (Approvers & PIs), Budget Guide, and FAQs.