CoR NEWSJuly 7, 2017
To: APLU Council on ResearchFrom: APLU CoR Staff
- CoR Summer Meeting Update
- CoR in the News
- New Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs Documents and Updates
- VPR Survey Journal Article Published
- Draft 2017 OMB Compliance Supplement Available for Audit Planning
- Letter to Senate Energy and Water Subcommittee
- Associations Request One Year Delay on Common Rule
- Notice of Extension Date for NIH sIRB Policy
- Registration Now Open for Upcoming DURC Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
- USDA/NIFA Implementation of the Research Terms and Conditions
- USAID Seeking Input on Research Priorities for Food Safety
- Technology Transfer Evolution Brief: Engaging the Local and Regional Ecosystem
We are so excited to see our 150 CoR Summer Meeting registrants at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino beginning on Sunday, July 9th! Our final agenda is available here; it’s still not too late to register if you are interested in joining us in Reno, Nevada for three days of informative programming and networking with colleagues. For those unable to attend, presentations will be posted on the 2017 CoR Summer Meeting website in near real-time.
“Proposed federal policy would cripple university research,” a column written by CoR Executive Committee member David Norton (VPR at the University of Florida) and co-authored by 11 fellow Florida State University System officials – including current CoR Executive Committee member Gary Ostrander (VPR at Florida State University) and past CoR Executive Committee member Andres Gil (VPR at Florida International University) – was published in yesterday’s Tampa Bay Times. The article describes the economic impact of the proposed Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs cap for universities within Florida’s State University System. Congratulations to all involved!
A new document, Comparing Foundations to Federal Government Research Support, explains that it is not an equivalent comparison to contrast facilities and administrative (F&A) reimbursement from the federal government and from grant-making foundations. The document outlines the many differences between how the federal government supports and accounts for F&A costs of research, and how foundations support and account for F&A costs of research. Additionally, an updated version of the F&A FAQs is available here.
Last week, former House Science Committee Chairman Sherry Boehlert (R-NY) wrote an opinion piece in response to House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) op-ed on F&A published on June 19. Both pieces ran in the Washington Times.
Also last week, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL) along with Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), all also on the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee expressing strong concern with the F&A proposal in the FY2018 PBR and urging Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) to reject and prohibit the proposal.
Past CoR Executive Committee Chair Kelvin Droegemeier is pleased to report that the journal article from the national VPR/VCR survey is now in print in the Journal of Research Administration! Many thanks to those who provided input and to all who worked so hard to make this a reality.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has provided the Governmental Audit Quality Center (GAQC) with a final draft version of the 2017 Supplement so that auditors can use it to begin planning their 2017 single audit engagements. In providing this draft, OMB has asked that it only be used for planning purposes as it could potentially change during the final OMB clearance process. With that said, the draft has previously been vetted with the various federal agencies and other stakeholders and OMB does not expect any significant changes.
APLU, along with 26 other associations and institutions, recently sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) requesting that they “establish focused, strategic goals for DOE programs as well as provide the Department the resources necessary to meet these ambitious benchmarks” in FY2018 appropriations funding levels.
In late June, APLU joined the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), the Association of American Universities (AAU), and the Association of American Medical Colleges in sending a letter to the Office for Human Research Protections at the Department of Health and Human Services requesting a one year delay in the compliance date of the Common Rule, Federal Register Vol. 82, No. 12.
NIH recently released a notice indicating that the agency is extending the effective date for the NIH Policy on the Use of a Single Institutional Review Board for Multi-Site Research to January 25, 2018.
On September 25-26, 2017, the U.S. Government and the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) will co-host a workshop to engage with stakeholders and facilitate information sharing among research institutions regarding their approaches to, and experiences with, implementing the United States Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC). Institutional oversight is a critical component of a comprehensive DURC oversight system because institutions are most familiar with the life sciences research conducted in their facilities and are in the best position to promote and strengthen the responsible conduct and communication of results. This two-day workshop will involve discussions with diverse institutional representatives and facilitate the sharing of experiences including strategies, best practices, challenges, and solutions regarding policy implementation and the identification and management of DURC.
The workshop will be held on September 25-26, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois. While webcasting will not be available, the meeting will be recorded for future viewing on the OSP Website. For additional details and to register, please visit the workshop website. Questions regarding the workshop should be emailed to Kevin Ramkissoon at ramkissoonkr@od.nih.gov.
NSF recently sent the letter below concerning the USDA/National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) implementation of the Research Terms and Conditions (RTCs):
Dear Colleagues:
The USDA/National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) implementation of the Research Terms and Conditions (RTCs) has been posted to the NSF RTC website. The USDA/NIFA Implementation is effective June 30, 2017. As part of this implementation, revised RTC Appendices A (Prior Approval Matrix), B (Subaward Requirements), and USDA/NIFA Agency Specific Requirements have posted to the website. The next implementation date for the Research Terms and Conditions is currently scheduled for October 2017.
Best,
Jean
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution & Award Support
National Science Foundation
USAID recently hosted an e-consultation to determine what might be missing links/weaknesses in global research for food safety and to evaluate the existing research portfolio on food safety so that USAID can implement the Global Food Security Strategy. Info on the event, which took place on June 20-21, 2017, is available here.
This week, APLU’s Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity (CICEP) Technology Transfer Evolution Working Group released its first brief on Engaging the Local and Regional Ecosystem. The Technology Transfer Evolution Working Group seeks to demonstrate ways in which university technology transfer efforts are evolving, and must continue to evolve, to be responsive and active contributors to regional and national innovation ecosystems. Future briefs from the CICEP working group will emphasize other key issues such as redefining expectations of technology transfer offices, adapting innovation management structures, fostering an entrepreneurial culture, and supporting university startups. The group expects to release a series of briefs monthly between June and October, and plans to release a final summary report at the APLU Annual Meeting in November. For more information about the working group and future briefs, contact APLU Vice President for Economic Development and Community Engagement and CICEP’s Staff Director Jim Woodell at jwoodell@aplu.org.
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