OSP News

June 1, 2020:  All proposals submitted to NSF for a deadline on or after June 1, 2020 must utilize one of the two NSF-approved formats for the Biographical Sketches and for the Current and Pending Support forms.

The two approved formats are SciENcv and an NSF Fillable PDF. NSF will prevent submission of any proposals that do not use one of the approved formats.

More information available here: Biographical sketch and Current and Pending Support.

Additional resources:

Biographical Sketch Resources

• SciENcv Guidance on Creating an NSF Biographical Sketch, including step-by-step instructions and screenshots for each of the four required sections (This is a subsection of the guidance at SciENcv Help.)
• YouTube Video – SciENcv for NSF Users: Biographical Sketches (This is a new video targeted to the NSF research community.)
• NSF PAPPG (NSF 20-1) webinar (recorded February 6, 2020)
• YouTube Video – SciENcv Tutorial
• YouTube Video – Integrating with ORCID
• FAQs on using NSF Fillable PDF

Current and Pending Support Resources

• SciENcv Guidance on Creating an NSF Current and Pending Support document, including step-by-step instructions and screenshots for the two required sections (This is a subsection of the guidance at SciENcv Help.)
• NSF PAPPG (NSF 20-1) webinar (recorded February 6, 2020)
• FAQs addressing policy questions related to the PAPPG (NSF 20-1) clarifications to the current and pending support coverage, as well as questions regarding use of an NSF-approved format for current and pending support
• FAQs on using NSF Fillable PDF

The university has completed negotiations with DHHS for the FY21 fringe benefit rates for sponsor programs.  These rates will apply through June 30, 2021

View the FY21 rates

The Office of Sponsored Programs has received a number of questions related to the impacts of COVID-19.  Below is a list of the some of the most frequently asked questions.  We will update with new questions and information as they becomes available. If you have additional questions please email research@osu.edu.

FAQS

In light of COVID-19, how do I charge personnel expenditures (salary, fringe benefits, stipend) to my sponsored program?

• On federal awards, continue to charge personnel expenses as usual, even if full effort is not possible. Track when you do this and provide to your SPO; some sponsors require notification (ACF, DOD) and some do not (e.g. NIH, NSF). Please review the matrix developed by Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) for more detailed information on federal grants.
• On awards from foundations or associations (i.e. private agencies) and from industry (non-federal flow-through):
  • Continue to charge as normal if the work can be performed.
  • If only partial effort or no effort can be performed, and the award is cost-reimbursable, charge for the effort only if the sponsor allows (American Heart Association).
  • If the award is fixed price/deliverable based (as are the vast majority of industry awards) you may continue to charge these expenses, but consider whether you’ll be able to produce deliverables given funding.

How do I charge non-personnel expenditures to my sponsored-programs?

• While the university is bracing for the financial impacts of COVID-19 and has limited purchases to only business critical items and services, this limit does not necessarily apply to sponsored programs funds. However, per previous guidance from the Office of Research, only critical research that meets specific criteria is allowed to be performed on campus.  If critical research is being conducted then the lab can be open and order and receive shipments as normal.
• For non-critical research, we can place orders for services, for equipment with longer lead times and/or to be held by the supplier until after labs reopen, or for appropriate goods (no hazard to shipping/storing/using at home) that can be shipped to homes to support research being done by researchers working from home.

How should I track COVID-19’s financial impact to my individual research programs?

• For non-personnel costs that are captured in the general ledger, use standard expenditure codes but add the new COVID-19 program code: 22521:COVID-19. This will allow reports that will capture this type of impact to be run out of the university financial system.
• For costs not captured this way, such as donations of PPE and other materials, or researchers being paid at full rate from a federal award but contributing diminished effort due to closure of facilities, the COVID expense donation tracking spreadsheet has been developed to better track impacts. This type of tracking could also help support later requests for supplements to awards to help offset the impacts.
• Costs to track could include ramp-down and ramp-up costs, such as:
  • loss or destruction of cell cultures and biological samples
  • disposal of hazardous materials and other environment or safety costs,
  • the care or replacement of animal subjects
  • restarting experiments that could not be completed due to the closure of research facilities
  • inability of personnel to interact in the field or missed seasonal opportunities such as plant or animal life cycle
  • non-refundable costs related to canceled events/travel
  • ramp-up costs for COVID-19 related-research for such things as supplies, equipment, additional analytic capabilities

Applications for OSP Project AMEX PCards will no longer be accepted as of February 12, 2020.  As we transition to the new WorkDay financials system and business processes, new OSP Individual PCards will be issued through the central University PCard Program Office.  Please check back for additional updates.  We will be providing more information about the new process and PCard program transition over the next several months.

The university has completed negotiations with DHHS for FY19 fringe benefit rates for sponsored programs. These rates will apply through June 30th, 2019.

View the FY20 rates

The Office of Research has launched a new online training to provide guidance for principal investigators and their staff. Being a Principal Investigator: Roles, Responsibilities and Resources is strongly recommended for principal investigators, but will benefit all members of the research community.

Course content explores the lifecycle of a sponsored project, covers research administration and compliance processes and provides access to many useful resources and tools.

To access the training:

1. Log in to http://buckeyelearn.osu.edu
2. Search for Being a Principal Investigator: Roles, Responsibilities and Resources to register
3. Click [Request], and select course from transcript to launch the training
4. The course takes approximately 45 minutes to complete

For more information contact Jeff Agnoli, senior staff training and development specialist for the Office of Research.

The University Laboratory Safety Committee’s Excellence in Safety awards recognize a university faculty or staff member, student and a laboratory research group who have made a considerable contribution to improving laboratory safety on the Ohio State campus. Such contributions can be defined as actions taken to prevent injury or illness, outstanding response and cooperation given to resolve unsafe conditions, consistent improvement during laboratory inspections, or any other consistent and proactive demonstration of efforts in support of a positive laboratory safety culture.

Environmental Health and Safety and the Office of Research coordinate the University Laboratory Safety Committee (ULSC). The ULSC works to enhance the safety culture at Ohio State by helping to shape safety programs, review and distribute new regulatory information and provide feedback from the university community regarding current laboratory safety incidents or issues.

Nominations for 2019 individual, group and student awards will be accepted through February 25, 2019.

Read more.