Right now the federal conflict of interest statements are due at the application and then reconfirmed upon award. Since most grants aren't funded, it would save hours of time to not have this due until the Just in time documents.
The requirement to list PubMed Central ID #s is a HUGE time and effort burden for research administrators. That is the #1 requirement I would change. There must be other ways to track compliance with the Public Access Policy.
For each person paid from the grant who worked >160 hours (1 person month) during the grant year, there must be a Commons ID (including the completion of Personal Profile Information). There also needs to be information about the total number of hours each person worked on the grant during grant year so that person months can be calculated. This information is required for undergraduate who may be paid hourly as student ...more »
I spend more time figuring out what I have to report than actually reporting it. If the process could be streamlined with fillable forms, this would make it much easier!
Government understandably wants to data-mine progress reports. The loss of Fastlane reporting, with its PDF structure, in exchange for plain text/fillable fields in Research.gov, is an example of this. However, the reporting format in Research.gov is ridiculously time-consuming. It has generated an extreme, labor-intensive, administrative burden. Not one Principle Investigator I know wants anything to do with Research.gov, ...more »
1. Achieve a true single audit. IHEs are still subject to multiple audits of their individual programs and compliance processes, despite the Single Audit Act of 1984, OMB Circular A-133 and 2CFR-200 Uniform Guidance which mandate single audits for non-federal entities that receive federal funding. The University is subject to a major compliance audit, desk audits and program audits each year.
1. Achieve a true single audit. IHEs are still subject to multiple audits of their individual programs and compliance processes, despite the Single Audit Act of 1984, OMB Circular A-133 and 2CFR-200 Uniform Guidance which mandate single audits for non-federal entities that receive federal funding. The University is subject to a major compliance audit, desk audits and program audits each year.
2. Eliminate Two Layer IRB and IACUC Review of Human and Vertebrate Animal Research - Institutions receiving federal funds for research with human subjects or vertebrate animals are required to maintain a Federal-wide Assurance (FWA) or Animal Welfare Assurance (AWA) with the DHHS Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) or Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), respectively. Institutions thereby accept the responsibility ...more »
Harmonize Requirements and Standardized Collection of Non-Financial Training Prior to Issuance of an Award - Non-Financial Investigator training requirements (e.g. Financial Conflict of Interest, Responsible Conduct of Research, Research with Human Subjects), are convoluted because acceptable subject matter and timelines for completion vary by agency. Non-financial training requirements should be harmonized to reduce ...more »
Currently Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) only allows inclusion of subcontracts up to the first $25,000 of each subaward or subcontract (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards and subcontracts under the award). We suggest increasing this to the first $50,000.
In at least some areas of NSF there is a two-stage proposal process: A short preliminary proposal goes to an initial screening. If it passes that initial screening then a full proposal must be written. I would propose that NEH adopt this process as well. Given the intense competition for NEH grants, with a success rate hovering around 15%, although for the most competitive grants it’s about 6%. Writing grants is a ...more »
Institutions must manage data for multiple highly complex loan, grant, and work study sources for Title IV aid. Creating uniform interfaces and navigation across existing systems would assist the administrators responsible for maintaining data in multiple portals.