The following notes summarize research-related policies, processes, and best practices from meetings of unit administrative staff with proposal development (pre-award) and/or grants management (post-award) responsibilities.Questions? Contact Jill Ferguson.
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DECEMBER 5, 2023
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Lynnell Cabezas (ASPI), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Yetunde Hamilton (CEPA), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Doris Mahoney (ASI), Karen Tavernese (ASI), Debbie Toole (Geography), Jackie Wells (ANT)
cc: Emily Graham (Lerner), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Tara Slater (PARCC), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
FY 2023 Indirect Cost Recovery Return to PIs
- At the end of each fiscal year, each school and college receives a transfer of funds from the Office of Research that represents indirect (F&A) costs related to its total research activity (i.e., expenses) on grants and contracts during that fiscal year. It is Maxwell’s policy to return 10% of recovered indirect costs directly to principal investigators as an incentive to pursue external funding for their research.
- Jill issued email notifications to PIs (cc'ing admins) on 12/1, and Alicia and/or Julie will do the journal entries soon (if not already).
Faculty Creative Activities and Research (FCAR) Grant Program
- Award notifications for the fall-semester cycle were issued on 11/21.
- Terms of award:
- Project period: December 1, 2023 - November 30, 2024
- The Office of Research will coordinate with school and college budget directors for the reimbursement of FCAR funds once the full amount has been expended.
- Awarded funds must be expended within the period of performance and extensions are not available for FCAR awards.
- Funded are expected to be expended in the budget categories described in the proposal. Significant changes in the scope of work, or requests to move more than a total of $1000 of funding between budget categories over the lifetime of the award requires prior approval of the Office of Research Development. Contact resdev@syr.edu with a description of and reason for the anticipated change for pre-approval.
- A final report is required and should be made one month after the conclusion of the award year (December 31, 2024). An additional outcomes report is due one year after the conclusion of the award to capture project outcomes (November 30, 2025).
- Background:
- https://research.syr.edu/proposal-support-services/internal-grant-programs/faculty-creative-activities-and-research-fcar-grant-program/
- New campus-level internal grant program from the SU Office of Research
- Will be offered three times annually to fund projects starting during the summer, fall semester, and spring semester
- Faculty may request $1,000 – $5,000 in funding from the program. Grants are awarded for one calendar year and PIs may only hold one active FCAR grant at a time.
Appleby-Mosher and Roscoe Martin Applications
Applications for grants from the Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and the Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research were due 12/4. Funding decisions will be announced in late December or early January.
- The Appleby-Mosher Fund provides grants of up to $2,000 (increased this year from $1,500 in past years) to full-time faculty members in the Maxwell School for research-related expenses.
- The Roscoe Martin Fund provides grants for expenses related to dissertation and thesis research. Graduate students in the Maxwell School are eligible to apply for awards up to $1,500 (increased this year from $1,200 in past years).
The application deadline for both programs is Monday, December 4. For more information, including the CFPs, please see the following Answers pages: Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research
Office of Research/Maxwell Research Office Updates
- Contact Shana Gadarian with questions concerning research administration (pre-award and post-award) and the Office of Research Development at resdev@syr.edu with questions concerning research development support.
OCTOBER 24, 2023
FY 2023 Indirect Cost Recovery Return to PIs
- At the end of each fiscal year, each school and college receives a transfer of funds from the Office of Research that represents indirect (F&A) costs related to its total research activity (i.e., expenses) on grants and contracts during that fiscal year. It is Maxwell’s policy to return 10% of recovered indirect costs directly to principal investigators as an incentive to pursue external funding for their research.
- Jill will issue email notifications to PIs (cc'ing admins) in the coming days, and Alicia will do the journal entries shortly thereafter.
Appleby-Mosher and Roscoe Martin Applications
A Call for Proposals for the Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and the Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research went out on last week to Maxwell faculty and graduate students, respectively.
- The Appleby-Mosher Fund provides grants of up to $2,000 (increased this year from $1,500 in past years) to full-time faculty members in the Maxwell School for research-related expenses.
- The Roscoe Martin Fund provides grants for expenses related to dissertation and thesis research. Graduate students in the Maxwell School are eligible to apply for awards up to $1,500 (increased this year from $1,200 in past years).
The application deadline for both programs is Monday, December 4. For more information, including the CFPs, please see the following Answers pages: Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research
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- Thank you to Jacquie Meyer for a reminder after the meeting about the email of 9/5/23 from Alicia re: a single research MyCode for each faculty member. (No new information to share here—just a mention for the record.)
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
Office of Research/Maxwell Research Office Updates
- Contact Jill with questions.
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SU Office of Research Development
- The Office of Research Development is responsible for supporting Syracuse University’s proposal, research and faculty development efforts. This includes facilitating team-based collaboration around strategic funding opportunities and managing the University’s internal funding competitions, including both seed grant programs and externally funded limited submissions.
RD and RA Org Chart Changes
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- This campus-level internal grant program is being sunset and a new request for proposals (RFP) will not be released.
Faculty Creative Activities and Research (FCAR) Grant Program
- https://research.syr.edu/proposal-support-services/internal-grant-programs/faculty-creative-activities-and-research-fcar-grant-program/
- New campus-level internal grant program from the SU Office of Research
- Will be offered three times annually to fund projects starting during the summer, fall semester, and spring semester
- Faculty may request $1,000 – $5,000 in funding from the program. Grants are awarded for one calendar year and PIs may only hold one active FCAR grant at a time.
- Grants will be administered differently than than with the CUSE Grant Program. The Office of Research is working out those details now ahead of the first award notices in late June (proposals due May 22).
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New NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Effective Jan. 25, 2023
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a new policy for data management and sharing that applies to all research funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH that results in the generation of scientific data. The Syracuse University Libraries and Office of Research have developed Syracuse University guidance to aid researchers on adhering to the new policies.
- Please share this important information with your faculty, as appropriate.
New NSF Proposals & Awards Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) Effective Jan. 30, 2023
- In October 2022, NSF issued a revised version of theProposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1). The new PAPPG is effective for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023.
- See here for NSF's Summary of Changes: https://beta.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/23-1/summary-changes
- Reminder: Related Maxwell Research resources on Answers: Proposal Development Resources for Faculty Research → NSF Application Toolkit → NSF Standard Grant Proposal Outline
Requests to Waive Indirect Cost Recovery
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- At the end of each fiscal year, each school and college receives a transfer of funds from the Office of Research that represents indirect (F&A) costs related to its total research activity (i.e., expenses) on grants and contracts during that fiscal year. It is Maxwell’s policy to return 10% of recovered indirect costs directly to principal investigators as an incentive to pursue external funding for their research.
Appleby-Mosher and Roscoe Martin Applications
A Call for Proposals for the Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and the Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research went out on October 17 to Maxwell faculty and graduate students, respectively. The Maxwell Dean’s Office makes this funding available annually to support ongoing and emerging research across the School. The application deadline for both programs is Monday, November 21. For more information, including the CFPs, please see the following Answers pages: Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research
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- The Office of Research has begun implementation of Cayuse as the University's new information management system for sponsored projects, including pre-award, post-award, and research compliance (human subjects protections/IRB, animal research/IACUC, etc.).
- First priority is bringing the Institutional Review Board (IRB)-related processes into the system; currently those processes are paper-based.
- The timeline for full implementation has not been announced.
Reminder: Maxwell Administrator New Award Checklist on Answers
- The Administrator New Award Checklist is an internal resource to aid Maxwell administrators at the start-up of a sponsored project. In using the checklist, the administrator will: (1) review the award information to ensure accuracy, (2) discuss award set-up and management with the Principal Investigator (PI), (3) confirm all compliance requirements are met, (4) ensure all needed project accounts are established, and (5) ensure expenses are appropriately allocated and documented.
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New Rebudgeting Spreadsheet from OSP
- When required, complete the Sponsor Required Budget Revision Form and submit it to Caroline McMullin (Maxwell's OSP RA) for review. Caroline will then work with program staff and other offices as necessary on the revision and submission of budget modification to the sponsor. https://sponsoredprograms.syr.edu/awards/manage-awards/post-award-management/post-award-modifications/rebudgeting/
Reminder: Maxwell Administrator New Award Checklist on Answers
- The Administrator New Award Checklist is an internal resource to aid Maxwell administrators at the start-up of a sponsored project. In using the checklist, the administrator will: (1) review the award information to ensure accuracy, (2) discuss award set-up and management with the Principal Investigator (PI), (3) confirm all compliance requirements are met, (4) ensure all needed project accounts are established, and (5) ensure expenses are appropriately allocated and documented.
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JANUARY 26, 2021
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Debbie Toole (Geography), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
cc: Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
New Campus-level Grants Trainings and Workshops for Spring Semester
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NOVEMBER 24, 2020
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
cc: Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
University Travel Policy: High-Risk Destinations
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OCTOBER 27, 2020
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell)
cc: Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
Essential Travel
University-sponsored travel must be approved by the relevant chair, associate dean for research and the interim vice president for research.
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- Submit an application for Approval for Essential Research Travel, allowing at least 5 business days for such approvals. Deans (or dean’s designees) will make a recommendation as to the essential nature of the travel request and forward that recommendation to the interim vice president for research. The VPR will make the final determination and notify both the traveler and the dean or department chair making the request.
- For research outside of the Syracuse area, including international travel: If the location's current public-safety requirements are less restrictive, the researcher must follow NYS requirements. It is up to the researcher to find out what the requirements/restrictions are.
FY 2020 Research Expenditures, Awards, and Proposal
The Office of Research will post its FY 2020 Annual Report here in the coming weeks.
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SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
In attendance: Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
cc: Peg Austin (CPR), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
Resuming Face-to-Face Human Participant Research
- Effective August 31, 2020, research involving human participants that was halted by the COVID-19 emergency may resume and new human participant research may begin (see Resuming Face-to-Face Human Participant Research). Any human participant research being conducted in person requires the submission and approval of a Return to Face-to-Face Research Plan prior to the conduct of in-person research.
- For the latest on the research guidance for the university’s phased re-opening see the Return to Campus Research Guidance web page.
National Listing of Institutional and Agency Responses to COVID-19 and Additional Resources
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There really aren’t any guidelines for when to hire since so much depends on the particular needs of the faculty. Part of what also plays into the timing, especially on the full GAs is who they are looking for. Do they want a newly recruited student (if so, they should be working with their home department in that case) or do they need an ABD student who won’t need tuition? For the latter, it probably makes more sense to start looking after April 15th when most incoming students/GAs will be solidified and departments should have a good idea what their needs for the department will be for the fall. If they want a new student, then they should be working with their home department earlier in the spring/late winter depending on the admissions cycle. All that said, I think April 1st is a little early for having fall GA letters out, at least for returning students. I don’t usually even start sending letters for returning students until after April 15th. I think May 1st for fall assistantships sounds reasonable. For summer, I actually think May is a little late, especially if they are going to be working right after classes end in early May.
Also, it’s more typical for faculty to hire RAs for a full academic year. We get some that are fall/spring, but they are less common. Especially for students who would still be funded by their home department otherwise, it makes things a lot easier to do full academic years and not splitting whenever possible. I think it’s easier for the faculty as well, although of course it depends on their funding situation. In the case where they are splitting and need a spring-only GA, they probably are going to want to get this nailed down at the same time as the fall assistantships. It’s really going to depend on what students are available and meet their needs.
Standing Invitation for Peer Demos
- Results from 2019 member survey showed interest in the following topics (with # of “interested” votes):
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AUGUST 25, 2020
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science)
cc: Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
Grant Proposal Budgets and IRRs
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JULY 28, 2020
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
cc: Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
Tenth Decade Project Special Call for Proposals
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JUNE 23, 2020
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
cc: Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)
Chartstring Changes Crossing Fiscal Years
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MAY 26, 2020
In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)
cc: Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell)
Reminder: University's Fiscal 2020 Year-End Accounting Closing Procedures and Dates
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La’retta Castro’s last day with the Aging Studies Institute (ASI) was December 21. The job listing for the Assistant Director position can be found here: https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/83463
Sunju Raybeck’s last day with the Campbell Institute of Global Affairs was January 28. The job listing for the Administrative Assistant (S4) position can be found here: https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/83525
Policy Review: Special Considerations for Graduate Assistants – Fringe Benefits and Tuition
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