December 19, 2022

New GMAS Questions Implementing Data Management and Sharing Plan Requirements

As previewed at the December Research Management Meeting, as part of the University’s efforts to prepare for the January 25, 2023 effective date of the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy, the University has determined that GMAS will serve as the system of record for data management and/or sharing plans (DMSPs) associated with sponsored proposals/awards. Effective Tuesday, January 3^rd, there will be two new questions added to the “School specific information” section of GMAS (just under the question about whether the work is related to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) for initial, competing, supplement, and continuation requests. For more information, refer to the OSP Blog post.

The Reinvention of Subagreements in GMAS 

Important information for anyone working with subagreements: The GMAS Team and Subagreement Committee are working together to reinvent the subagreement process, with a release date expected in February 2023. The new subagreement process will enhance communication and accessibility features in GMAS and create a workflow that supports each role involved with subagreements. For more information and appropriate contacts for questions, refer to the HCSRA News post.

New: Harvard NIH DMSP Budgeting and Application Instructions Tip Sheet

The new Harvard NIH DMSP Budgeting and Application Instructions Tip Sheet provides guidance focused on Principal Investigators (PIs) and Grants Managers (GMs) working together to complete a budget and application that include the newly required NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP).

Updated: Billing Agreement Templates and University Guidance

The Billing Agreement (BA) templates and University guidance were recently updated. The guidance details the purpose of the salary and trainee billing agreements, the requirements to establish a billing agreement, and the roles and responsibilities associated with a billing agreement. Please note: the Harvard Chan School is currently developing School-specific guidance to accompany the University guidance.

• Salary Billing Agreement Template
• Trainee/Stipend Billing Agreement Template
• University Billing Agreement Guidance
• Coming Soon: Harvard Chan School Guidance

New: SPH Cost Sharing Quick Reference Guide

Cost Sharing on sponsored awards is a very extensive topic with an abundance of University-wide and School-specific resources. In hopes of summarizing the process and resources, the Harvard Chan School created the Cost Sharing Quick Reference Guide. If you have any questions Cost Sharing questions, please contact Catalina Diaz.

New: Award Management Checklist for Research Administrators

OSP is excited to announce a new tool for Research Administrators to assist with the management of sponsored awards. The Award Management Checklist is now available as a supplemental “Resource” to the Closeout and Reporting Policy for Sponsored Awards. This checklist was developed by the University-wide Operations and Policy Committee (OPC) with input from schools and local units. It includes a comprehensive list of activities that should be performed during the award and specific activities that should be performed at closeout.

The Award Management Checklist is a downloadable Excel file, so it can easily be customized based on specific award terms or to complement local procedures and controls. The checklist can assist with tracking the broad range of compliance activities that must be monitored throughout an award and can be a useful resource for new or existing grant managers. With the checklist being a “tool” for Research Administrators, usage of the Award Management Checklist is not a requirement by OSP.

Please note: The Award Management Checklist should be saved and tracked locally (not in GMAS).

Revision of NSF Award Terms and Conditions

The NSF Award Terms and Conditions have been revised and will apply to all new NSF awards and funding amendments to existing NSF awards made on or after January 30, 2023. Additional revisions have been incorporated for consistency with the most recent Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). For more information, please refer to the NSF announcement.

OMB Expiration Dates on Application Forms to Be Updated Soon

NIH will require the use of FORMS-H applications forms for due dates on or after January 25, 2023. During the transition, you may see some forms in FORMS-H application packages that still show old expiration dates. For more information, refer to the full NIH Nexus post.

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.
 

Overview of Sponsored Programs Online Training (University-wide)

Date: Self-paced Online Module

Register: Registration Link

Description: An online training for research administration is now available as a self-paced course in the Harvard Training Portal: Overview of Sponsored Projects. The content of this course was previously offered on a quarterly basis and the session was over 3 hrs. This self-paced course consists of seven modules separated by topic area. Each module contains a video and varies in length. Modules can be completed in any order and re-taken as needed by the user.

Drop-in NIH DMS Policy Office Hours

To help you learn about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Data Management and Sharing Policy, effective January 25, 2023, and how to successfully meet its expectations at Harvard, the Harvard Research Data Management (RDM) working group is hosting both in-person and virtual information sessions. Experts from research support services will be on hand to provide guidance and answer your questions — a great opportunity to get some face-to-face time (and even 1:1 time) with research support experts. Registration is only required for online sessions.

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 regard 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

Financial Oversight of Sponsored Funding: What Researchers Need to Know (University-wide)

Date: Ongoing

Register: Harvard Training Portal

Description: This online course discusses aspects of compliance related to spending sponsored funds, and highlights areas of oversight that can be challenging for researchers.

HSPH Administrative Forum

Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 1:00PM - 2:30PM 

Register: If you have not received the zoom invite, please email the Admin Forum at adminforum@hsph.harvard.edu.

Description: The Forum will be held on a bi-monthly basis with the aim of bringing subject matter experts, representatives from central offices, and other key stakeholders together to discuss policy and procedures updates, system enhancements, best practices, upcoming deadlines, new tools, updates from leadership and various committees, and other topics of interest.  

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 - EPI
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
60815BR

Financial Associate I (Grants and Finance Associate)
Department of Epidemiology - EPI
Description: PHACS seeks a Grants and Financial Associate to support the fiscal and compliance infrastructure of this complex NIH funded Program Project.  Reporting to the Assistant Director of Finance, they will provide administrative and financial support for all ten components of the P01 research project. As a critical part of the PHACS financial team, the Grants and Financial Associate will contribute to all financial/grant business functions of the award, with a focus on routine grants management and budget tracking. 
Grade: 54
59919BR

Associate Director of Finance
Sponsored Programs Administration - EPI
Description: The Associate Director of Finance will support innovative research at the world's leading public health research institution, primarily in the Department of Epidemiology.  Reporting jointly to the Director of Administration for the Department of Epidemiology, the Chief Financial Officer in the Office of Financial Services and the Chief Research Administration Officer in the Research Administration Office, 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.
Grade: 58
60590BR

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, EPA, DoD), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities.
Grade: 56
60460BR

Senior Grants and Contracts Manager 
Sponsored Programs Administration 
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, EPA, DoD), foundations, industry, and international contracts from foreign entities.
Grade: 56
60461BR

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 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