September 19, 2022

Harvard University's eShipGlobal Service

The Oracle FedEx portal will be decommissioned on November 1, 2022. Learn more about Oracle FedEx shipments.

Harvard University will transition to a new enhanced express shipping platform, eShipGlobal. It offers comprehensive online tools for shippers and facilitates compliance with regulatory guidelines. The eShipGlobal Buy-to-Pay shopping process is similar to other punch-out suppliers such as VWR and WB Mason.

Note: This service is in limited release and more details about onboarding departments to eShipGlobal will be available soon. Contact eship@harvard.edu for additional eShipGlobal access or refer to the eShipGlobal website for more information.

University's Update on Shipping Computers & Lithium Batteries

The University has released the following notice regarding the shipping of computers and lithium batteries. This notice applies to anyone who ships computers from Harvard, regardless of shipping method:

A maximum of two computers are allowed in one package per federal lithium battery shipment regulations. If you are shipping three or more computers in one box or one or more computers internationally, please contact Environmental Health and Safety at eship@harvard.edu.

New PeopleSoft Org Chart Feature

The new PeopleSoft Organization Chart functionality is now available to all SPH employees. The goal is to reduce manual effort in creating an org chart for departments and units. To access the org chart, click on the ‘Organization Chart’ tile on your PeopleSoft Homepage. For detailed instructions, refer to HR's Org Chart Instructions. If changes need to be made, you could manually make the necessary changes using the instructions on the landing page or contact the HRIS Team.

European Commission/Horizon Europe Upcoming Proposal Deadlines: ERC Synergy Grants

European Research Council has released its funding opportunity for Synergy Grants 2023, due November 8, 2022, at 17:00 Brussels time (due on October 31, 2022, for school-level and Harvard Global review). This is the only ERC funding mechanism that allows one of the PIs to be based at a US host institution. All ERC Synergy Principal Investigators, whether EU-based or US-based, are required to devote a minimum of 30% effort (including summer months, total working time) to the project. You may find more information for applicants in the "Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant call" document. 

Please Note: All European Commission proposals require submission through Harvard Global. If your faculty are interested in applying as part of an EU-based group of PIs, please reach out to Peggy Darnowsky (Peggy_Darnowsky@harvard.edu) as soon as possible.

New Term for POIs -> "Harvard Sponsored Role"

Effective September 22, 2022, Harvard will replace the term “Person of Interest” (POI)—used to describe roles that grant individuals temporary access to the University’s digital and physical resources for administrative or scholarly purposes—with a new term: “Harvard Sponsored Role.” 

Important Note: Please update your systems and documentation. For more information, refer to the full Harvard E-News announcement. 

Reminder: Rental Car Insurance Requirements for Travelers

Individuals renting cars for Harvard-related business should use one of our preferred rental car vendors (Enterprise, National or Hertz) since they include the required insurance coverages for domestic rentals. Insurance must be purchased for international rentals or for rentals done through a non-preferred vendor. Travelers must get insurance for rental cars in accordance with the Rental Car Insurance Quick Reference Guide prior to making a reservation. The guide can be found on the Harvard Travel Services website or in Appendix B of the Travel Policy.

Harvard will not reimburse for other types of insurance except for those listed on the chart. An additional benefit of using one of our preferred rental companies is free enrollment in the National Emerald Club or the Hertz Gold Club allowing you to earn points, bypass the counter and select your car.

Updated Guidance on Participation Agreements (PA) and Visitor Participation Agreements (VPA)

OVPR and OTD have issued updated guidance regarding Participation Agreements (PA) and Visitor Participation Agreements (VPA) as they relate to researchers who have left or will be leaving the University. Specifically, the guidance clarifies that such individuals continue to be subject to the provisions of their signed PA/VPA whenever they use Harvard-administered resources in their research or participate in an activity that is covered by an agreement between the University and a third party.

This includes cases where the researcher receives an Associate appointment or otherwise returns as a visitor, whether for purposes of completing research in progress at the time of their departure or engaging in further collaboration with their former colleagues. In such instances, if the Department already has an acceptable version of the PA/VPA on file, executed by the researcher prior to signing any employment agreement or similar document with their current organization, the signature of another VPA is not needed. The guidance further provides a series of ‘talking points’ to assist returning/departing researchers in mitigating the risk of any conflict between their continuing Harvard work and any current/future appointment. For additional information, including the current PA and VPA templates, please see OVPR’s website.

Reminder: Grants.gov Downtime September 23-29

As communicated on August 3, 2022, through the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-22-190, Grants.gov is migrating its systems and data to the cloud and therefore will be unavailable from Friday, September 23, at 12:01 a.m. ET to Thursday, September 29, at 11:59 p.m. ET (see for more details on the migration). For more information, refer to the eRA  notice and Grants.gov blog.

OLAW Waivers to Conduct Semiannual Facility Inspections Expiring Soon

NIH issued Notice NOT-OD-22-207 to inform Assured institutions that effective October 1, 2022, the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) will no longer accept requests due to COVID-19 to temporarily waive the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy) IV.B.2. requirement to inspect, at least once every six months (plus 30 days), all the institution’s animal facilities (including satellite facilities). Existing OLAW-approved waivers due to COVID-19 will also expire on October 1, 2022. All Assured institutions, including those with expiring waivers, will be expected to conduct semiannual facility inspections as scheduled and required by the PHS Policy. For more information, refer to Notice NOT-OD-22-207.

Reminders: FCOI and Other Support Requirements

NIH issued Notice NOT-OD-22-210 to remind the research community of NIH’s Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) and Other Support grant requirements. It also reminds the community of the requirements to develop an FCOI policy, to post it on their website and submit it to NIH, to ensure Investigator disclosure of both foreign and domestic Significant Financial Interests (SFI), to review Investigator SFIs, to determine if there is an FCOI that must be reported to NIH, and to train Investigators on FCOI requirements. For more information, refer to Notice NOT-OD-22-210 and NIH's Open Mike blog.

NIGMS K99 Support Levels Increase

NIGMS released Notice NOT-GM-22-045 to inform the community that, effective with awards issued in FY2023, NIGMS will raise the maximum salary, research, and total support levels provided on NIGMS K99 awards through the Parent and MOSAIC funding opportunity announcements. Note: The total cost maximum of $249,000 per year for the R00 phase is unchanged.

NIGMS K99 award levels will be:

• Salary Support: Up to $75,000 plus fringe benefits per year (increased from $60,000). As always, salary must be consistent with effort committed to the award and institutional compensation policies
• Research Support: Up to $25,000 per year (increased from $20,000)
• Total Cost: The total cost for the mentored phase (K99) may not exceed $125,000 per year (increased from $100,000)
• Effective Date: The FY2023 start date of new (competing) awards, and with the FY2023 anniversary of the start date for non-competing awards

Continued Extension of Certain Flexibilities for Prospective Basic Experimental Studies with Human Participants

NIH Notice NOT-OD-22-205 replaces NOT-OD-21-088. It further extends interim policy flexibilities regarding registration and results reporting for a subset of NIH-funded research whose primary purpose is basic experimental studies with humans (BESH) submitted in response to BESH Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs). These studies, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as “prospective basic science studies involving human participants,” meet both the NIH definition of a “clinical trial” and also the definition of basic research.

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 with questions, suggestions, or to have your name added to the email list. To access previous Fishbowl presentations, visit HCSRA's Fishbowl Tuesday page.
 

2022-2023 Virtual NIH Grants Conference and Pre-Con Events

NIH would like introduce their new NIH Grants Conference and PreCon Events, which all will be hosted within their virtual conference center. Visit the Conference Calendar of Events to view the times and descriptions for each of the events listed below. For more information, refer to the full NIH Post.

• August 25: NIH Loan Repayment Programs: Supporting the Next Generation of Researchers
• September 15: Navigating Early Career Funding Opportunities
• October 14: Research Misconduct & Integrity
• November 9: Foreign Collaborations: Policies, Processes, & Partnerships
• December 6 & 7: Human Subjects: Policies, Clinical Trials, & Inclusion
• January 12, 2023: Making the Most of the 2023 NIH Grants Conference
• February 1 & 2, 2023: 2023 Virtual NIH Grants Conference: Funding, Policies, & Processes

An Overview of Effort Reporting for Administrators (University-wide)

Date: Ongoing

Register: Harvard Training Portal

Description: Intended for Grant Managers and staff involved in research administration at Harvard University, this course provides an overview of Harvard's effort reporting policy. Topics covered include:  

• Risks posed to Principal Investigators, faculty members, and the institution if federal effort reporting requirements are not met 
• How federal regulations drive the University’s effort reporting policy and procedures
• Committed effort and “reasonable estimates” 
• The responsibilities of administrators, PIs and faculty members, and researchers and lab staff with regards to effort reporting and certification 

Harvard Research Data Security Training Course (University-Wide) 

Date: Ongoing

Register: Harvard Training Portal

Description: The Harvard Research Data Security Training Course provides researchers and administrators with an overview of processes and procedures related to managing research data in compliance with the Harvard Research Data Security Policy and other related University policies. The Course focuses on human subjects and sensitive or confidential data, as well as data that is subject to contractual requirements

September Research Management Meeting

Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 3:00PM - 4:00PM

Register: Registration Link (please register in advance)

Description: The Research Management Meeting is a bi-monthly, webinar-style information dissemination meeting open to the University’s sponsored research community to provide updates on relevant issues.

Agenda:

• Introduction and Remarks: John Shaw, Vice Provost for Research
• Federal Update: Kara Haas, DC HPAC Office
• Data Management Plans: Melissa Korf, HMS; Rachel Talentino, OVPR; Julie Goldman, Harvard Library
• IT Updates: Simone Alpen, HUIT/ATS
• Other Updates: Sarah Axelrod, OSP & Rachel Cahoon, HMS

Central Back to School Financial Policy Refresher 

Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022, 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Register: Registration Link

Description: This financial policy refresher will focus on helping individuals who make purchases or process payments on behalf of Harvard gear up for the new academic and fiscal year. A high-level review of roles and responsibilities and documentation requirements when making purchases and processing payments to vendors and individuals as well as pertinent policies will be reviewed.

NIH Webinar Series (2 of 2): Diving Deeper into the New NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022, 1:30PM - 3:00PM

Register: Registration Link (part of the "A Conversation with NIH" Webinars) 

Description: In this second webinar of the series, we will expand upon the information presented in the first webinar and dive deeper into topics including privacy protections for data from human participants and justifiable limitations on sharing data.

Part 1 of this series: Understanding the New NIH DMS Policy held on August 11 is available for viewing. Please see the webinar recording and PPT Presentation.

Financial Award Management I

Date: Monday, September 26, 2022, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Register: Harvard Training Portal

Description: This course was developed to help research administrators effectively apply cost principles to manage sponsored awards. In this session participants will:

• Utilize internal financial systems (GMAS, HART) to confirm compliance to sponsor terms and internal policies
• Take appropriate steps to review, analyze, and, in cases of non-compliance, move costs
• Identify the differences between journals and cost transfers

Audience: Research Administrators, Grant Managers, and Research Portfolio Managers

NSF Webinar: Concept Outlines at NSF

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2022, 2:00PM - 3:00PM

Register: Registration Link

Description: As part of the draft Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (23-1), NSF is introducing the Concept Outline as a new submission type. The primary purpose of the concept outline is to ensure that the concept being proposed by the prospective Principal Investigator (PI) is appropriate for the proposal type or funding opportunity, and to help reduce the administrative burden associated with the submission of a full proposal.

Attendees also will learn about the Program Suitability and Proposal Concept (ProSPCT) tool which will be used for submitting and tracking Concept Outlines.

NCURA Live Webinar: Successfully Onboarding Your Staff in the Virtual World (University-wide)

Date: Thursday, October 13, 2022, 2:00PM - 3:30PM

Register: Registration Link

Description: Onboarding newly hired employees includes welcoming and successfully integrating them into your office. Introducing new, remote team members to the culture while helping them understand how their role and individuals they support impact the overall organization involves a multimodal approach. Since the pandemic, hiring remote staff requires innovative ways of communicating, collaborating, thinking and training. This webinar will provide organizational socialization strategies and tips from three different perspectives to ensure new staff are set up for success and retention.

Upon completion of the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Analyze gaps and identify challenges in the current onboarding structure
• Create a successful virtual onboarding framework
• Utilize available resources and develop new ones

Job Openings in Research Administration

We would like to use this section to highlight current research administration job openings. We will keep this section up to date and all job postings can be found on Harvard Careers. 

Senior Sponsored Research Administrator
Sponsored Programs Administration 
Description: The Senior Sponsored Research Administrator (SSRA), sits within SPA and  acts as the institutional representative of the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the administration of sponsored projects for the school. The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration is comprised of research administrators that work in partnership with faculty to review and submit proposals for funding and to ensure that proposals and then awards conform and are managed according to sponsor guidelines and University policies.
Grade: 56 
58854BR

Financial Associate II (Grants and Contracts Manager)
Sponsored Programs Administration - IID
Description: The Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and manages the financial portfolio for a given subset of faculty members. They work in close partnership with faculty members and are responsible for the financial management of their research portfolio. Reporting to the Research Administration Team Lead, they will work with all aspects of pre and post-award finances, and manage contracts, endowments, and gifts. Faculty have a wide-ranging portfolio of accounts from sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH, EPA, DoD), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities. 
Grade: 55
58464BR

Senior Grants and Financial Manager
Sponsored Programs Administration - EPI
Description: The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) seeks an experienced Senior Grants and Financial Manager to support the financial infrastructure of the this complex NIH funded Program Project. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Finance, they will provide high level administrative and financial support for all ten components of the P01 research project. The Manager will serve as a post-award expert ensuring that financial accounting, budgeting, monitoring and reporting and management of this sponsored research grant is accurate, timely and in accordance with Harvard University and sponsored policies and procedures. 
Grade: 56
59618BR

Associate Director of Finance
Sponsored Programs Administration - NUT
Description: The Associate Director of Finance (ADF) is a key leadership position in the Department and is responsible for financial and grants management.  They will oversee a team of financial staff including grant managers and accounts payable personnel. The Associate Director of Finance is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members to advise them on the financial management of their funds and will have oversight over the Department's sponsored research portfolio as well as their non-sponsored funds.  
Grade: 58 
59604BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager
Sponsored Programs Administration - SBS
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members. They are a primary resource for providing guidance and oversight on issues related to fiscal, administrative and regulatory management of a portfolio of grants, contracts, and sponsored programs from award receipt through closeout. These grants are from a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities
Grade: 56 
59568BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager
Sponsored Programs Administration - BIO
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members. They are a primary resource for providing guidance and oversight on issues related to fiscal, administrative and regulatory management of a portfolio of grants, contracts and sponsored programs from award receipt through closeout. These grants are from a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities.
Grade: 56
59224BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager
Sponsored Programs Administration - EPI
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members. They are a primary resource for providing guidance and oversight on issues related to fiscal, administrative and regulatory management of a portfolio of grants, contracts and sponsored programs from award receipt through closeout. These grants are from a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities.
Grade: 56
59180BR

Assistant Director of Research Administration Subawards
Sponsored Programs Administration - SPA 
Description: The Assistant Director of Research Administration Subawards is a School and University signatory with primary responsibilities for drafting, interpreting, reviewing, and negotiating initial subcontracts, as well as amending existing subcontracts. The Assistant Director works closely with faculty and administrators in all aspects of subcontract management. It is expected that the Assistant Director is able to navigate complex contractual situations, apply sound judgment, and balance independence with a team approach.
Grade: 57
59063BR

Associate Director, Research Finance and Reporting 
Sponsored Programs Administration - SPA 
Description: The Associate Director, Research Finance & Reporting will support innovative research at the world's leading public health research institution.  Areas of research are focused across nine academic departments and a number of centers that include Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Molecular Metabolism, Global Health & Population, Health Policy & Management, Immunology & Infectious Disease, Nutrition, and Social Behavioral Sciences. The Associate Director will provide leadership across the whole research administration enterprise while working with both academic departments and centers. 
Grade: 58
59064BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager 
Sponsored Programs Administration - EH 
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members. They are a primary resource for providing guidance and oversight on issues related to fiscal, administrative and regulatory management of a portfolio of grants, contracts, and sponsored programs from award receipt through closeout. These grants are from a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities. 
Grade: 56
58983BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager 
Sponsored Programs Administration - NUT
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and manages the proposal submissions for a given department. They work in close partnership with faculty members and are responsible for proposal preparation and submission. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Pre-Award Services, they will work with all aspects of pre-award finances but will have some exposure to post-award management which may include setting up awards, managing contracts, endowments, and gifts. Faculty apply to a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH, EPA, DoD), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities.  Some of the proposals are complex and may involve multiple subcontracts.
Grade: 56
58969BR

Senior Grants Manager 
Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research (CBAR)
Description: The SGM will work closely with researchers and other members of the Finance Team to design and prepare budgets, as well as assemble highly-confidential, final grant proposals. The SGM will analyze past data in preparing projections, completing required forms for new grant proposals, and completing competitive renewals and continuations for a number of different sponsors (NIH, subcontractors, and corporations). The SGM will also be responsible for monitoring all deadlines and contacting the School’s Office of Sponsored Programs Administration to resolve any problems or issues that arise. 
Grade: 56
58978BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager 
Sponsored Programs Administration - GHP
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members. They are a primary resource for providing guidance and oversight on issues related to fiscal, administrative and regulatory management of a portfolio of grants, contracts, and sponsored programs from award receipt through closeout. These grants are from a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities. 
Grade: 56
58898BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager 
Sponsored Programs Administration - NUT
Description: The Senior Grants and Contracts Manager is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members. They are a primary resource for providing guidance and oversight on issues related to fiscal, administrative and regulatory management of a portfolio of grants, contracts and sponsored programs from award receipt through closeout. These grants are from a wide-range of sponsors including the federal government (e.g. NIH), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities.
Grade: 56
58926BR

Senior Sponsored Research Administrator
Sponsored Programs Administration - SPA
Description: The Senior Sponsored Research Administrator (SSRA), sits within SPA and acts as the institutional representative of the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the administration of sponsored projects for the school. The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration is comprised of research administrators that work in partnership with faculty to review and submit proposals for funding and to ensure that proposals and then awards conform to and are managed according to sponsor guidelines and University policies.
Grade: 56 
58854BR