October 24, 2022

Research Administration Portal Updates

The Research Administration Portal was updated on October 5 (see full release notes). Some highlights of the recent update include:

• Researchers are now able to select delegates who can view their To-Do items and project information
• The To-Do List includes incomplete courses from the Harvard Training Portal
• Researchers are able to access their Other Support and Activities report from the Portal

Resources

• Research Administration Portal Overview
• Research Administration Portal User Guide

Harvard e-News: October Issue is Now Available

The September issue of the Harvard e-News is now available. Harvard's Financial Administration Department publishes this monthly electronic newsletter for users of the University's administrative systems. They welcome questions and suggestions (admin_systems_enews@harvard.edu); if your questions are of general interest, they'll answer them in future issues.

Countway Library Research Data Management Survey 

Countway Library invites you to participate in a survey on research data management, data services, and data storage and computing. This effort has the potential to implement further services and collaborations in the Longwood Medical Area community, and we need your help and input to facilitate this.

October At-Risk Streamlined Account Set-up Reports

The October Streamlined Account reports are available for department review. Once available, they can be accessed through your department's Post Award Metrics folder. Please record your responses by October 31st. 

For detailed instructions, please reference Harvard Chan School's At-Risk Account Procedure (section C: Streamlined account setup for all other non-competing grants). 

ORSD’s Proposal Toolkit: New and Improved

The Office of Research Strategy and Development’s Proposal Toolkit has been re-launched in a new format. This resource was designed to help investigators find important information meant to support proposal development and funding strategies. Examples of information listed 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. Harvard faculty and staff can access the toolkit using the direct link or by navigating from the left-hand menu of ORSD’s website.

Gearing Up for Transition to FORMS-H Application Forms

As announced over the summer, NIH requires the use of updated application forms (FORMS-H) for due dates on or after January 25, 2023. NIH will begin adding FORMS-H application packages to active funding opportunity announcements and FORMS-H application form instructions to the How to Apply – Application Guide page as early as October 25 to prepare for the transition.  The Do I Have the Right Forms for My Application? resource explains how to determine the correct form version when preparing your application. Also, see Notice NOT-OD-22-195 for additional information.

NIH Data Management and Sharing Resources

The Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS Policy) goes into effect Jan. 25, 2023. This new policy applies to all NIH-supported research that results in the generation of scientific data. Grantees will be required to develop a data management and sharing plan (known as a DMS Plan).

NIH recently launched a scientific data sharing website that features a tool to answer the question, Which Policies Apply to My Research? You can also find best practices for scientific data management, including metadata, naming conventions, data storage format, and a DMS Policy FAQ. We encourage applicants to not only read the policy but also review related NIH notices for more information about expected elements of a DMS Plan, allowable costs, and guidance for selecting a data repository.

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.
 

Faculty Effort Webinar 

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2022, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Register: Harvard Training Portal [participation is highly encouraged]

Description: This advanced course focuses on the lifecycle of faculty effort and reinforces important policy requirements and definitions. Participants will have the opportunity to apply concepts and perform effort calculations during this course. 
By the end of this session participants will be able to: 

• Define proposed effort, committed effort, and certified effort as they change over the life an award
• Explain effort commitment principles to researchers
• Determine when prior sponsor approvals and adjustments are required
• Perform and explain and review complex effort calculations

ORARC: Collaborative Research: What Are My Options?

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022, 11:00AM - 12:00PM

Register: Zoom Registration

Description: Are you working with non-Harvard Longwood Campus collaborators? Would you like to cut back on the administrative burden of multiple IRB reviews and designate one institution as the IRB of record? Come to this session to find out what options are available to you when working with non-HLC collaborators. Everything from requesting a cede review/IRB Authorization Agreement (IAA) to Individual Investigator Agreements will be discussed.

Revised Independent Contractor Policy Training

Date: Monday, November 7, 2022, 10:00AM - 11:30AM 

Register: Harvard Training Portal

Description: Individuals providing a service to Harvard are considered an employee unless they meet certain criteria. In order for Harvard to meet these obligations, schools and units must follow The Independent Contractor (IC) Policy.

This training gives an overview of the policy as well as the questionnaire and provides guidance and clarification on roles and responsibilities and when and how to classify an individual as an employee or independent contractor.

Expanded training materials have also been created to help hiring departments, Human Resources and Finance Offices property classify and pay these individuals.

Virtual NIH Grants PreCon Event: International Collaborations: Policies, Processes, & Partnerships

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 2:00PM - 4:00PM

Register: Registration Link (Register once to access conference and all virtual preconference events)

Description: Whether you are from a domestic institution considering partnering with an overseas research organization or you are an international researcher working through the grant application process, this event will provide you with valuable tools, policies, and guidance. Administrative and programmatic aspects of the application process will be shared, as well as considerations for building a partnership.

NCBI Workshop: Working on your RPPR? Learn How to Report Publications Using My Bibliography

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2022, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Register: Registration Link 

Description: Congratulations on your successful NIH grant proposal. As part of the post-award process, you will now have to create and send in annual and final reports (RPPRs) on your progress. This workshop introduces tips and tricks for use of NCBI Account tools for NIH post-award reporting. This session is for NIH-funded researchers, their delegates, and institutional grants officers with specific task-based, hands-on activities.

Fall 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference

Date: November 14–17, 2022

Register: Registration Link 

Description: The Fall 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference is designed to give new faculty, researchers, and administrators key insights into a wide range of current issues at NSF. NSF program officers will be providing up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answering attendee questions.  For those who cannot attend the live conference, all recorded conference sessions will be available on-demand shortly after the event and posted on the NSF website and YouTube page.

General Contract Review Training

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 10:00AM - 11:30AM 

Register: Harvard Training Portal 

Description: General training from Strategic Procurement’s Contracts Team on how to contract with vendors. Covers general legal concepts, Harvard-specific policies and concerns, and how to use Harvard contracts templates or work with vendor documents. Attendees who complete this course should be able to handle at least basic contracts on their own and know when and how to seek further assistance. Course is designed to be informative for all staff regardless of experience level with vendor contracting. [Recommended for ADFs working with non-sponsored agreements]

Ethics and Accountability (University-Wide)

Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 10:00AM - 12:00PM 

Register: Harvard Training Portal

Description: In this dynamic workshop, you will explore the world of fiduciary responsibility, internal controls and detecting fraud in the workplace. Using a combination of case studies, recent examples in the higher education sector and group discussion, this course seeks to provide you with a clear understanding of your roles and responsibilities in protecting the University’s resources while promoting an environment consistent with the University’s values and objectives. It will also raise your awareness to fraud indicators and outline the actions to take if you suspect that it may occur.

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

Virtual NIH Grants Conference & PreCon Events

Date: Wed-Thurs, February 1-2, 2023 1:00PM – 5:45 PM

Register: Registration Link (Register once to access conference and all virtual preconference events)

Description: The NIH Grants 2023 Virtual NIH Grants Conference to NIH Grants Conference: Funding, Policies, & Processes will offer 2-days of sessions designed to clarify the NIH grants process and policies, as well as provide the latest news and information. Once registered and logged into the conference site, you are free to explore the 2-day agenda, on-demand library of related resources, and create your personal schedule. For more information, refer to the full NIH Post and view the full agenda.

Preconference Events (register once to access all events):

• Loan Repayment Programs: Supporting the Next Generation of Researchers: August 25 (view recordings)
• Navigating Early Career Funding Opportunities: September 15, 2022 (view recordings)
• Research Misconduct & Detrimental Research Practices: October 14, 2022 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM (info page)
• International Collaborations: Policies, Processes, & Partnerships: November 9, 2022 1:00 – 3:30 PM (info page)
• Human Subjects Research: Policies, Clinical Trials, & Inclusion: December 6-7, 2022 12:00 – 4:00 PM (info page)
• Making the Most of the 2023 NIH Grants Conference: January 12, 2023 2:00 – 3:00 PM (info page)

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. 

Assistant Director of Finance
Sponsored Programs Administration - GHP
Description: The Assistant Director of Finance is an integral part of the research enterprise and works in close partnership with faculty members on the financial management of their research portfolio. The Assistant Director of Finance will oversee the financial management and administration of sponsored and non-sponsored awards, with a focus on customer service. This role will also supervise a team of 3 direct reports that manage a diverse and challenging portfolio of federal and non-federal grants, subawards and contracts. 
Grade: 57
60294BR

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 
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 awards are managed according to sponsor guidelines and University policies.
Grade: 56 
58854BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager, Team Lead 
Sponsored Programs Administration
Description: Reporting to the Assistant Director of Pre-Award Services, the Senior Grants and Contracts Manager, Team Lead is an integral part of the research enterprise and manages the proposal submissions for a given department.  They also have oversight of act as a key resource, and trainer to other team members --helping to answer questions and troubleshoot problems as needed. They work in close partnership with faculty members and are responsible for proposal preparation and submission. 
Grade: 56 
60138BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager 
Sponsored Programs Administration - IID
Description: The Senior 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: 56 
60088BR

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
59991BR

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
59960BR

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 awards are managed according to sponsor guidelines and University policies.
Grade: 56 
58854BR

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

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 - 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 - 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 the sponsor guidelines and University policies.
Grade: 56 
58854BR