LSA Research Administrators Information Network ( RAIN )

1. LSA Research Administrators Information Network (RAIN) PRE-AWARD Managing the Process February 23, 2011 Presented by: Amber Stadler, Business Manager, Department of EEB Alexandra Thebaud, Contract and Grant Specialist, Department of Physics Peggy Westrick, Senior Manager, College of LSA Research Office Peggy

2. Know A21 rules Cost Acctg. Standards Being a good steward of funds Locate resources needed Help make proposals best that can be submitted Take courses Know the RA track if you want to stay doing research administration Advocating for my faculty Keeping my career on track Training staff Being a good communicator BIG PICTURE for Department Research Admin. Shepherding proposals (nagging) Talking with HR manager about appointments Spend time needed to explain your expectations Department and PI Keeping up with the rules Time management Proposals, Renewals, final reports, budgets, 7471s How many things can I juggle-be realistic Attending LSA ResAG Sponsor sites DRDA-net Word of Mouth Have a good Business Process for managing Research Administration Managing the awards Start here Submitting proposals Setting expectations for faculty Service plan, Renewals, Deadlines, Resource commitments 7471s Appointments Purchasing Sponsor guidelines eRPM IRBs Deadlines Peggy

3. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Being Proactive Each department has a process (if not develop one) • Partnership with areas in your administrative office. • Ensure that you have support from Chair and Key Administrator for your process. • Use the Proposal Checklist to help you develop the proposal http://lsa.umich.edu/research/resources/admintoolkit • Don’ apologize for your process—tell your faculty about it! • It was created to ensure successful submission of their proposals. Peggy

4. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Being Proactive • Putting together good proposals—follow your business process. • Make an agreement with your faculty on what you can provide if you get the information sooner in process (we’ll discuss more on next slide-5). • Read the sponsor announcement. • Understand the type of proposal they will be submitting. Is to be a single PI, multi University(collaborative proposal or subcontracts), or multi school project? That information will determine how you proceed (slide 6). • Use the DRDA Proposal Submission Guide http://www.drda.umich.edu/proposals/proposals.html • Use the LSA Bs. Process document http://lsa.umich.edu/research/resources/admintoolkit • Planning your workload • Knowing your faculty sponsors’ deadlines. • There are classes through the U such as “Eat that Frog” that can help you plan your workload. • Does anyone have examples they want to share? REMEMBER YOU ARE THE EXPERT Amber

5. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Being Proactive Getting faculty to tell you what they are doing using an email solicitation (template below) Dear Faculty and Doctoral Students:If you haven't already done so, please contact me as soon as possible if you are planning to submit a proposal this term. Planning ahead for these deadlines allows us to provide you with the best service possible. We're always happy to receive news of impending proposals even if the deadline is several months away. Proposal DeadlinesThe College deadline for external proposals is six working days before the sponsor deadline. The final documents must be uploaded into eRPM four working days before the sponsor deadline. Internal (UM) Proposals through eGIF. Our office will help you upload (or the appropriate process for your unit) your application into eGIF. Please note that requests are required to the Dean’s Office two weeks prior to other funding source’s deadlines. This includes cost sharing requests.Please inform our office well in advance of a proposal deadline so we can begin planning an appropriate timeline. Final documents including a draft of the research plan are due to my office 14 days (or whatever Bs. Process you have in place in your unit) before the sponsor deadline. This timeline allows our office, the College, and DRDA adequate time for review and submission of your proposal. We want to do all we can to ensure your proposal will be funded!As always, if you have any questions regarding this message or any other research-related topic, please do not hesitate to contact us me (your email address) Amber

6. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Resource Commitments (Communicate with areas in your administrative office ) • Cost Sharing (requesting through eGIF two weeks before sponsor deadline) • Space (follow department business process) • Effort (what is realistic—if shown and not requested from the sponsor must cost share it) • Subaccount distribution (get the other department(s) and college(s) in the loop asap) • Subcontracts (get from other institution a Statement of Work, final budget, budget justification, CV, current and pending, letter of intent and facilities, the institution address and a point of contact.) • If equipment is asked for in the proposal will it require renovation of space—talk with your facilities folks. • If Computing is involved talk with your IT Manager and give them copy of Data Management Plan right away. • Use the Data Management Plan template so that the faculty member and IT Manager understand what needs to happen. Amber

7. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet What you should know about using eRPM (the PAF) • Routing and Data Collection tool—consistent information in—consistent information out! • Work smart • Add good notes for your reviewers • Add good notes for you—you’ll need them if awarded • Shepherding the proposal using the status “DRDA submitted to Sponsor” in eRPM- you aren’t done until the status says so and maybe not even then Amber

8. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Using eRPM (the PAF) • What does the PI signature mean? • What does the Department signature mean? • What does the College signature mean? Elements we look at: http://lsa.umich.edu/umich/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=87f55b6562f1a210VgnVCM100000a3b1d38dRCRD&vgnextchannel=9bd1506cd387a110VgnVCM100000a3b1d38dRCRD&vgnextfmt=default (Go to LSA Research RA Toolkit and pick meeting schedule. The link on the September 15th meeting houses an overview of the College review.) Peggy

9. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet • Proposal Approval Form (PAF) • an electronic form where proposal pieces are collected and archived • a data collection tool • a routing mechanism The next slide has the Proposal Submission Guide that Physics uses when first talking with their faculty about a submission. Alex

10. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award ProcessProposal Submission Guide Physics Proposal Submission Guide Alex

11. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Determine type of Proposal if Multi University submission(s): • RA verifies the sponsor’s due date. • RA reads the sponsor’s guidelines. • RA starts the eRPM Process. • RA starts the Fastlane process. • Once all the documents are received, the RA will then upload the proposal on the system. Collaborative proposal • Lead institution ask that the Universities working on collaborative proposal provide the TPN and PIN number to RA. • Each University is responsible to press the SRO button themselves. Subcontracts • RA gets from other institution: • Budget • Budget Justification • Statement of Work • Collaborative letter • RA assures that IDC is charge on the first $25K of the budget when doing the proposal. Alex

12. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Possible elements of a proposal • Cover page/face page/title page • Abstract of project summary • Table of Contents • The proposal narrative • List of References • Bibliography/proposal reference section • Curriculum vitae, bio-sketches • A budget and budget justification • Research resources such as core facilities and shared equipment • Appendices as required or as permitted • Current & Pending support (including the one you are submitting) • Data Management Plan • Sponsor guidelines supersedes everything http://www.drda.umich.edu/proposals/PWG/pwgcontents.html Alex

13. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Sponsor Compliance elements • Human Subjects in Research • Animals • Mentoring plans • Responsible Conduct of Research • Data Management Plans • etc. COMMUNICATION--Can’t always email! Alex

14. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Budget • Using a template budget builder • Making it your own and why (we have links in our RA Toolkit where you can find examples). • What is so important about the budget justification? • Making the transition to award. Do a good job from the beginning. • Who should write it and why? Faculty member has the scientific rationale for the categories. RA knows the IDC and FB rationale and should provide language. Alex

15. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Components of the Proposal Packet Budget • Why do I have to worry about A-21 sensitive items when at the proposal stage? • What makes them sensitive? • Administrative salary, computers, phones, office supplies, hosting, membership dues. Sponsor doesn’t want to pay twice. • What are the rules? http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a021_2004 Amber

16. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Scenarios-How would you have solved the problem? • Break into teams • Take ten minutes to come up with your best answer for solving the problem • Choose a team leader to report back on your solution Amber

17. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Scenarios-How would you have solved? Urgent Proposal– • Professor Cooper is submitting a NSF proposal that is due on January 17, 2011. He has been working with Erin, Contract & Grant Specialist, over the last month to finalize the proposal. On January 15, Professor Cooper informed Erin that he is leaving on an unexpected trip and will not have access to his email. Right before he leaves, he emails Erin to upload the final summary and proposal in FASTLANE. However, Professor Cooper did not give SRO access to submit the proposal or the okay to submit the proposal. However, Erin has the faculty FASTLANE login information but isn’t sure if the proposal is ready for submission. How should Erin proceed? Amber

18. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Scenarios-How would you have solved? Collaborative Proposals • A professor at University of Michigan is submitting a proposal to NSF with multiple Principal Investigators - PI from different institutions. Each PI has a level of authority and responsibility to direct the project. Universities that are involved are as follows: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Duke University and University of Michigan as the lead institution. The professor provides the Research Administrator - RA with the budget info, the solicitation number, the due date and the contact info of the additional PI’s. When the RA contacted the other institutions and suggested to do the collaborative proposal through Fastlane, three out of four agreed and one institution (Duke University) asks that they provide them with the sponsor required information instead of going through Fastlane. What’s the best way to proceed? Alex

19. LSA RAIN-Managing the Pre-Award Process Getting Help! ITS Help Desk for eRPM LResAG@umich.edu Your own administrative support group (RA, KA, and Chair) College (Steve or Peggy) Peggy

20. LSA RAIN—Managing the Pre-Award Process TOOLS • Proposal Checklist (RA Toolkit http://www.lsa.umich.edu/research/resources/admintoolkit • Proposal Submission Guide (RA Toolkit--see above) • LSA Business Process for eRPM (RA Toolkit-see above ) • eGIF (https://www-a1.lsa.umich.edu/eGif/) • Budget spreadsheet (RA Toolkit-see above) • Budget justification (RA Toolkit-see above) • Data Management Plan (RA Toolkit-see above) • DRDA website http://www.drda.umich.edu/proposals/proposals.html • Colleagues LResAG@umich.edu Peggy