April 2, 2021

Update on Biosketch & Other Support   

As mentioned in previous HCSRA Highlights, NIH NOT-OD-21-073 outlines the upcoming changes to Biosketch & Other Support effective May 25. To hear an update on the upcoming changes from Ara Tahmassian, University Chief Research Compliance Officer, register for the Research Management Meeting on Wednesday, April 7 at 2:00 PM. 

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NSF ERA Forum Webinar Recorded Presentation 

If you missed the Spring 2021 ERA Forum Webinar on March 31, 2021, you could view the recorded presentation. Once you have had an opportunity to view the presentation, NSF encourages you to send questions to nsferaforum@nsf.gov.  

Grants.gov’s Team-Focused Workspace Features 

Grants.gov Workspace allows applicant teams to easily collaborate on federal funding opportunity applications and get their submissions across the finish line. Since many applicant teams find themselves working remotely these days, Grants.gov wanted to highlight Workspace features that, along with the Grants.gov Mobile App, can assist applicant teams and help to streamline collaboration. Also, watch this video to learn more about adding participants to a Grants.gov Workspace. 

WAIT (Web-based Agreement Identification Tool) 

Never send your agreement to the wrong office again! The Office for Sponsored Programs is pleased to announce the official launch of WAIT (Web-based Agreement Identification Tool). WAIT is a web-based application designed to assist researchers, faculty, and administrators with the identification and internal routing of legal agreements. The tool presents users with a series of straight-forward questions about an unclassified agreement, the responses to which result in both the identification of the agreement type and the point of contact responsible for such agreements at Harvard.  

This tool is designed for usage University-wide. Appropriate routing information will be provided regardless of the submitting office with which you work. For mor information, visit the WAIT page on the OSP Website, read the WAIT User Guide, and watch the WAIT on-demand video. General questions regarding the tool or agreement type identified may be submitted to WAIT_Assist@harvard.edu. 

HART Migration to OAS 

On April 12, 2021, the Harvard Analytics and Reporting Tool (HART) will be migrated to the Oracle Analytics Server (OAS). The migration moves HART to OAS and becomes the first administrative reporting system to move onto the new ARAP platform. 

For detailed information about the migration, timeline, training, and summary of changes, please visit the HART Migration to OAS Wiki site and download the HART Migration to OAS Information PowerPoint.   

Important Dates: 

Fishbowl Tuesdays at the Harvard Chan School are 1 to 1 1/2 hour sessions held on a 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 Jennifer Neira jneira@hsph.harvard.edu with questions, suggestions or to have your name added to the email list. 

HART Migration to OAS Webinars 

There will be 4 webinars to demonstrate the new look & feel of HART and the new functional changes.  Click on the links below to register for the session of your choice through the Harvard Training Portal. 

• Monday, April 5, 1:00 pm 

• Wednesday, April 7, 11:00 am 

Meet Harvard’s New Office for Gender Equity  

Date: Monday, April 5, 2021 4:00-5:00 PM 

Register: Registration link 

Description: Meet the team at the newly forming Harvard University Office for Gender Equity! Come with questions, share your ideas, bring a snack, and learn about new and continuing collaborations. This event is open to all community members. 

IRB Pop-up Clinics 

Date: Monday, April 5, 2021 12:00-1:00 PM 

Register: To receive Zoom info, contact Alexis Fagan 

Description: If you have questions about the IRB process, need submission assistance, or want to know more about how to use ESTR or anything else IRB and QIP related, join members of the ORARC Staff on their virtual pop-ups. 

Research Management Meeting 

Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2021 2:00-3:00 PM 

Register: Registration link 

Description: This meeting is an extension of the Sponsored Administrative Leadership Committee (SALC). Held bi-monthly, meetings are open to all within the research administration community. Click here to view the combined PPTs from February's meeting. Contact Christina Kennedy with questions or suggestions. Agenda topics include: 

• Research Administration Systems Update 

• GL-PCR tool demo (General Ledger Payroll Cost Redistribution) 

• NIH NOT-OD-21-073 Upcoming Changes to Biosketch & Other Support  

• Faculty Disclosures Working Group Update 

TCM Contract Manager Training Workshop 

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021 10:30- 11:45 AM 

Register: Harvard Training Portal 

Description: This instructor-led workshop is for Contract Managers and covers the following topics: 

• Contract Manager Dashboard & Profile Settings 
• How to Create/Upload Contract 
• Contract Visibility 
• Contract Family 
• Buy2Pay/TCM Features 
• How to Search Contracts 
• How to Identify Contract Manager Workload 
• TCM Best Practices 

Pre-requisites: Complete the Total Contract Manager Overview training 

OAIR System Informational Session 

Date: March 2 - April 18; Every Tuesday 1:00-2:00 PM & Thursday 9:00-10:00 AM 

Register: RAS Website 

Description: This is a one-hour information session which includes a brief system overview and time for discussion. Registrants may stay for the whole session or drop in at any time during the hour to talk through using the system for Outside Activity and Interest submissions. 

Overview of Harvard University Finances Course  

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 10:00 AM-12:00 PM  

Register: Harvard Training Portal  

Description: The Office of Financial Strategy and Planning is excited to announce Open Enrollment for the Overview of Harvard University Finances Course. The goal of this class is to provide Harvard Community Members with a clearer picture of how Harvard's finances work. The class is framed by three parts:  

• Organizational context  
• Financial context  
• Higher education industry context  

GMAS Basics Training (Day 1) 

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM 

Registration: Harvard Training Portal 

Description: Brought to you by the University Research Administration Training Team, “GMAS Basics & Requests” will provide attendees with an introduction to Harvard’s Grants Management Application Suite (GMAS) and how it is used to manage sponsored projects. The following topics will be covered during this session:   

• Basic system navigation   
• Overview of the content housed within the system   
• How to access different project data elements 
• Portfolio management tools 

GMAS Basics Training (Day 2) 

Date: Friday, April 23, 2021, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM 

Registration: Harvard Training Portal 

Description: Brought to you by the University Research Administration Training Team, “GMAS Basics & Requests” will provide attendees with an introduction to Harvard’s Grants Management Application Suite (GMAS) and how it is used to manage sponsored projects. The following topics will be covered during this session:  

• Project creation using the request guided steps  
• How to route proposals for review and sign off  
• Review of all the request types available & guidance on when to used them  
• Project security 
• Portfolio management tool  

Brown Bag: Avoiding Processing Off-Cycle Checks in PeopleSoft 

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 11:00 AM-12:00 PM 

Register: Registration link  

Description: Did you know that processing an off-cycle check costs the University ~$50.00 each to process? Have you wondered when it is or is not appropriate to issue an off-cycle paycheck for an employee? Do you know there may be other ways to apply payments to an employee’s paycheck without having to process it as an off-cycle check? Would you like to have an open discussion with your peers around strategies and best practices?  

If you process off-cycle check requests in PeopleSoft, you may want to attend this session led by the Central Payroll team. 

ECRT Basics Training 

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2021, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM 

Registration: Harvard Training Portal 

Description: This course will introduce department administrators to effort reporting and the electronic effort reporting and certification system (ecrt), which allows Principal Investigators and Faculty to certify their effort on federally-sponsored projects. 

Intended Audience: ecrt Basics training is intended for Grant Managers with responsibility for assisting their faculty during the effort reporting process as well as anyone in the Primary Effort Coordinator role. This is a great opportunity for new ecrt users as well as for existing users who want a refresher. 

Employee Updates