HCSRA HIGHLIGHTS

January 15, 2021

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.  

Extending the Special Exception to the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Post-Submission Material Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: August/October 2021 Councils 

For applications submitted for the August/October 2021 council (beginning with applications submitted for the January 25, 2021 due date for Summer 2021 review meetings), the NIH, AHRQ, and NIOSH will accept a one-page update with preliminary data as post-submission materials for applications submitted under all activity codes, ONLY if the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) used for submission allowed preliminary data in the application. One page of preliminary data will be accepted for single component applications or for each component of a multi-component application. 

The deadline for submitting all post-submission materials, including preliminary data, will be 30 days before the study section meeting. Because applications for emergency competitive revisions and urgent competitive revisions undergo expedited review, post-submission materials will not be accepted for those applications. 

For more information see NOT-OD-20-179 

NIH Will Continue to Accept Preliminary Data as Post-Submission Material Through August/October 2021 Councils 

In recognition of the fact that COVID-19 may still be adversely affecting the ability of applicants to generate preliminary data, NIH will continue to accept a one-page update with preliminary data as post-submission materials for applications submitted for the August/October 2021 council (beginning with applications submitted for the January 25, 2021 due date for Summer 2021 review meetings), ONLY if the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) used for submission allowed preliminary data in the application (NOT-OD-20-179). 

The deadline for submitting all post-submission materials, including preliminary data, will be 30 days before the study section meeting. Because applications for emergency competitive revisions and urgent competitive revisions undergo expedited review, post-submission materials will not be accepted for those applications. 

For a visualization of the peer review process and timelines during COVID-19, see the updated infographic. 

GMAS Unavailable the Weekend of Friday, January 15, 2021 (starting at 6:00 pm) until the start of business on Monday, January 18, 2021 for Release 1_56 

The upcoming GMAS release scheduled to be available on Monday, January 18th. In this release, GMAS will integrate with the new Outside Activity and Interest Reporting System (OAIR), and retire the COI and OAR approvals. The new integration helps to streamline the institutions obligation to collect and review outside activities and interests for investigators associated to grant applications and awards into the existing GMAS workflow. 

For more information please see GMAS Release Notes 

PeopleSoft Update - Requesting an Absence 

Effective January 01, 2021, when requesting an absence, employees will be required to choose a reason.  

For more information please see PeopleSoft Update 

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: 

• Reviewing and fulfilling FOIA requests at NIH 

• Applying for FOIA Exemptions 

• Recent trends in FOIA requests related to animal activities and the implications for your institution 

• Meeting OLAW reporting requirements without submitting additional, unnecessary information 

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. 

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. 

The Accounting & Finance Learning Portal is Now Available! 

The learning portal is a NEW workspace located in the Harvard Training Portal that allows ANY learner to: 

• Access accounting & finance training in one central location. 

• Choose courses that are relevant to their Role or desired Competency – no limits. 

• Enroll or launch a course with a few clicks. 

• Track training completions within the Harvard Training Portal. 

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We invite you to visit the Accounting & Finance Learning Portal – also attaching a quick guide for reference – please share with your teams.