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HCSRA HIGHLIGHTS
January 8, 2021
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Federal Holidays in January
Harvard University and NIH (including help desks) will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021, for the federal holiday (Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.).
NIH (including help desks) will be closed on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, for the federal holiday (Inauguration Day).
If an NIH grant application due date falls on a federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day. Click link to view Harvard University’s Holiday Calendar.
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Reminder: Mandatory Submission of the Federal Financial Report (FFR) in the Payment Management System Beginning January 1, 2021
Beginning January 1, 2021, respective to NIH awards that require submission of an FFR, NIH recipients will be required to submit the FFR in the Payment Management System (PMS). FFRs submitted prior to January 1, 2021, must use the FFR module in the eRA Commons based on the previous requirements set forth by the agency (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 8.4.1.5.2). FFRs submitted on or after January 1, 2021 must use PMS.
For more information please see NOT-OD-21-046
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Rollout of Redesigned eRA Commons Home and Landing Screens in January 2021
eRA Commons, an online interface where grant applicants, recipients, reviewers and federal staff at NIH and other eRA partner agencies can access and share administrative information related to applications and awards, will see two of its main screens redesigned and launched in January 2021.
The modernized home screen (log-in screen) and the landing screen (screen once logged in) will provide a simpler interface that reflects user feedback. The new look will also come with enhanced security and stability for the eRA Commons module.
Key information will be front and center – eRA Service Desk contact info, links to register an organization, create an account, submit a reference letter, and learn more about how to use eRA systems via information on the eRA website.
A significant change is that, once logged in, access to other eRA modules within eRA Commons will be through an apps menu at the top left of the screen.
Resource:
Screenshots and details are available on the Take a Sneak Peek: Redesigned eRA Commons Home Screen Coming in 2021 webpage.
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Required Use of Two-Factor Authentication Using Login.Gov for eRA's External Modules in 2021
Initially, two-factor authentication requirements will be enforced for reviewers using the IAR module. Starting December 14, 2020, the new requirement will be phased in for reviewers, meeting by meeting, effective for review meetings February 1, 2021 and beyond.
By September 15, 2021, all external users will be required to use login.gov when logging into eRA systems. All users of eRA Commons, Commons Mobile and ASSIST are encouraged to begin the switchover now, before the mandatory deadline.
For more information, please see NOT-OD-21-040
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All About Grants Podcast: Human Subjects’ Research Post-Award
So you have confirmed that you are doing human subjects’ research after listening to the first podcast in our human subject mini-series. And you have a clear human subjects’ protection and monitoring plan developed for your application after tuning in to the second episode in the series. Now, what should you keep in mind after the award is made?
The latest NIH All About Grants podcast episode delves into just this issue (MP3 / Transcript). Tune in for tips about important post-award requirements, what’s needed for annual progress reporting, engaging your IRB and NIH when a protocol change is needed, the difference between adverse events and unanticipated problems, and much more.
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Explore RePORTER’s State Map Visualizations
Ever find yourself wondering what and how much research NIH supports near you? Check out what the modernized RePORTER site has to offer in three easy steps! RePORTER’s main search page offers a new map visualization, highlighting active NIH projects by state. As first mentioned in this NIH Open Mike post from October, these maps are fast and interactive so you can dive into the results in your local area.
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12/9/20 Research Management Meeting Follow-up
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HART Release Plan for FY21 Q2 (October-December 2020)
This HART release is planned for Friday, December 17th, 2020. at 7 pm. There are two new dashboards that will be released.
The dashboard below may have customizations affected by the dashboard changes implemented in this release. The customization may work fine, but not reflect the changes in this release. Or the customization may no longer work appropriately if it included a column changed with this release. If a customization is not working as expected, users should 1) understand the old customization(s), 2) delete the old customization(s) if it is not working, and 3) rebuild the customization again.
Dashboard Updates
CAPS
PCARD NEW!!
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This new dashboard provides a number of tables, charts and details about PCard transactions by user, vendor, etc.
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ORSD Research Resource Portal is Live!
The Office of Research Strategy and Development’s Research Resource Portal is a new online tool for investigators to find important information meant to support proposal development and funding strategies.
Examples of information found on the website include; sample letters of support and other non-disciplinary grant templates, NIH paylines and research priorities, as well as HSPH-specific policies and processes. Faculty, research scientists, and post-docs can access curated lists of funding opportunities, links to funding search engines, and other resources to help in finding funding and developing proposals.
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Updated Procurement Policy effective 1/1/21
The University has made updates to the Procurement Policy and Vendor Justification Form (VJF). To access the updated documents and additional resources, visit the Financial Policy Office website.
Updated Documents:
Updates include:
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Debarment forms are only required for purchases on federal contracts equal to or greater than $35,000. Visit the OSP Procurement Policy page for information on finding the funding instrument for sponsored awards.
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Vendor Justification Forms must be completed for all purchases with federal funds greater than $50,000, even if the purchase is with a preferred vendor.
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All federal purchases equal to or greater than $35,000 or over $50,000 will require an electronic acknowledgement in the Buy-to-Pay system to ensure the requestor has considered, and completed if necessary, VJF and Debarment requirements.
OSP is working with the B2P team to ensure B2P is updated to reflect these changes. If you have questions, contact Christyne Anderson at Christyne_Anderson@harvard.edu or Karen Kittredge at Karen_Kittredge@harvard.edu.
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Harvard Chan Supply Policy for Staff Update
As we begin a new semester of remote operations, the Office of Financial Services would like to share the Harvard Chan Supply Policy for Staff, which outlines some temporary changes to the School’s policy on the purchase of office supplies and IT equipment, as well as the retrieval of office chairs. These changes will remain in effect through the duration of this work-from-home period.
We hope that they will help address some of the administrative challenges we have faced during this extraordinary time. Should you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact either your department administrator or financial administrator.
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"FISHBOWL TUESDAYS"
Fishbowl Tuesdays at the Harvard Chan School are 1 to 1 1/2 hour sessions held on regular basis during the academic year. All sessions are currently being held via Zoom. Invitations to attend each session (with Zoom Meeting Info) are sent to our research administrator’s mailing list. Please contact Eileen Nielsen enielsen@hsph.harvard.edu with questions, suggestions or to have your name added to the email list.
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New OLAW Webinar: Developments in FOIA in the Context of Animal Research
The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare released a new 30-minute webinar discussing how Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to animal welfare compliance are handled. You can listen to an engaging discussion between OLAW Deputy Director, Dr. Axel Wolff, and NIH FOIA Program Officer, Mr. Gorka Garcia-Malene on:
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Reviewing and fulfilling FOIA requests at NIH
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Applying for FOIA Exemptions
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Recent trends in FOIA requests related to animal activities and the implications for your institution
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Meeting OLAW reporting requirements without submitting additional, unnecessary information
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Avoiding and Reporting Slip-ups when Conducting Human Research
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 2:00-3:00 PM
Register: Registration Link
Description: Are you curious about what types of findings are most common during investigator audits and, even more importantly, how to avoid them? Do you wonder what information you are required to submit to the IRB after approval? Do you have questions about RNI’s (Reportable New Information)? Join the IRB office for a discussion of these topics including tips from IRB and Auditing insiders. They’ll discuss when an RNI is required, what to include in your submission, and how to limit the need for them by setting your study up for success right from the start. There will be plenty of time for specific examples and questions from the audience.
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B2P University MS Teams Office Hours
Date: Tuesdays & Thursdays, January 5 – 28, 10:00-11:00 AM
Register: Click here to join
Description: The Buy-to-Pay (B2P) office hours will be held every Tuesday & Thursday during Jan 5-28. These office hours are an optional forum intended to help B2P users troubleshoot pending transaction activity and address system-related functionality that may not be covered in available resources. We encourage that B2P users join these office hours, even if they do not have any questions to ask, as this is a good platform for learning when other B2P users ask questions.
For more detailed information, please read the B2P Office Hours Guidelines and Schedule.
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Research Management Meeting
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 2:00-3:00 PM
Register: Register in advance to receive the Zoom link
Description: The Research Management Meeting, which began in October 2020, will continue to be held bi-monthly. Open to the sponsored research community across all schools, these meetings will focus on University-wide issues, initiatives, and updates. The Research Management Meeting is optional, but you are welcome to attend and participate. We are sharing the invitation broadly and ask that you encourage your colleagues to join.
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For more information please visit the HCSRA website here
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