DATE: October
13, 2006
TO: SOM
Department Administrators via the Admin Forum
FROM: Cynthia
O. Case, Director SOM
Office of Grants and Contracts
RE: Important Information Regarding Proposal Submissions and Award Administration
1. Mandatory Use of Electronic Signatory Routes for Electronic University Review Form (eURF)
Effective for all submissions on or after November 1, 2006, the electronic University Review Form (eURF) must be routed electronically to the Office of Grants and Contracts for review, endorsement
and/or submission. If your department has not yet finalized the proper signatory routes, you must contact our office immediately (medres@case.edu) to
complete this process. Printed eURFs and proposals will be returned without review.
While NIH does not require the Principal Investigator’s signature, if a particular sponsor requires such a signature in addition to the institutional official’s signature, please deliver
the printed document signed by the Principal Investigator to our office for signature. Be sure to reference the respective eURF number on any documentation left in our office for signature. The
eURF number is located in SPIDERWEB just below the Attachment section under eURF detail – look for the ID# (e.g, 103882).
**IMPORTANT: Do not submit paper copies of anything unless you need an actual signature, in which case please submit only the signature page to our office and upload everything
else into the eURF .**
eURF Instructions for Specific Proposal Types:
- Grants.gov applications: Upload PureEdge file to eURF as an attachment.
- NIH proposals not submitted via Grants.gov (including Progress Reports): Upload as an attachment the entire PHS398 or PHS2590 as one file. If the Progress Report is submitted via
the eRA Commons, please indicate as such in the Comments section of the eURF, and we will review and submit the content via the eRA Commons.
- Other (e.g., applications submitted via Proposal Central): Upload application documents required by sponsor. If the document is in print only, please scan and upload to eURF.
2. Deadline for Grant Proposal Submissions
Please remember that all Grants.gov submissions must be received by our office ten (10) working days in advance of the NIH deadline. This protects our ability to submit a compliant (error-free)
application by the respective NIH deadline(s). Please see the attached announcement from NIH regarding changes to the standing
receipt dates. Because our office reviews proposals on
a first come, first serve basis, proposals received after the 10-day internal deadline run the risk of missing a particular receipt date.
All other proposals must be received by our office five (5) working days in advance of the sponsor’s deadline. Our office is not in a position to turn any single proposal around in
one business day, and priority will be assigned to proposals received by the 5-day deadline.
3. Contract Negotiation and Execution
The terms and conditions of all contracts must be reviewed for compliance with University policy and state and federal regulations. Contract terms including intellectual property and ownership,
publications, indirect cost, and payment provisions must be reviewed and agreed upon in advance of executing the agreement and performance of the project. It is important to note that use
of an indirect cost rate less than our federally-negotiated rate of 54.5% requires approval by Richard Sohn, Associate Dean for Research Administration.
4. No-Cost Extensions for NIH Grants
Please be aware that we must notify NIH in advance of the project end date of the University’s intent to extend a project end date by twelve (12) months. For awards made under the
terms of the Federal Demonstration Partnership (as designated in the Notice of Grant Award), we have the ability to exercise a one-time, twelve-month extension without NIH prior approval. If
an extension is necessary for the completion of the original aims of the project, please submit an IPAS form to the Office of Grants and Contracts well in advance of the project end date. Beginning
eight weeks before the project end date, we have the ability to process a no-cost extension within the eRA Commons. If the University fails to exercise the extension prior to the end date,
the Principal Investigator is required to submit a letter of justification through our office to NIH explaining why the request is late, how the research will continue, and the amount of unobligated
balance. Please be aware of the end dates of your grants, and plan accordingly.
5. Grants.gov
We have been and will continue meeting with individual departments to provide a more detailed orientation to the Grants.gov initiative and its impact on the proposal preparation process. If
your department has not received a visit from me, please contact Ann Tillett (axt83@case.edu or 368-1158) to schedule a time prior to the end of December 2006. You
will find attached to this email of the following handouts used during each informational session.
- Getting Started and Common Errors
- Change in Standing Receipt Dates for NIH
- Top Two Errors in Electronic Submission
- What Happens After Transmission via Grants.gov
Updates on Grants.gov:
6. Four Reasons Your Speedtypes are Delayed
- No current IRB or IACUC
- No detailed budget matching award amount
- No Conflict of Interest (COI) for key personnel
- No eURF
Even when we have everything required for a new speedtype, it can take as long as 3 to 5 business days for the Grants module to interface with the financial system. Please keep protocols
current and provide detailed budget information when requested.
Budgets: We must have budgets that match the total awarded on the NOGA. Please do not include carryover in your detailed budget unless the carryover has been approved by NIH as indicated
in a revised NOGA. Once the carryover is approved, please complete the Unobligated Balance Sheet attached to your FSR and forward to our office to adjust the budget accordingly.
7. Checks Received by Departments
If your department receives payment (checks) from sponsors, please forward them directly to Grants Accounting in the Controller’s Office not to the SOM Office of Grants and Contracts.
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