News and Information

RAMP Update: FastLane proposal decommissioning and transition of functionality to Research.gov

Effective November 21st, Award Documents, Organizational Reports, and Grants.gov integration in FastLane were retired and will be decommissioned. Here's what you need to know:

The FastLane Award Documents functionality as well as all historical award documents moved to Research.gov and are accessible via a new Award Documents link on the Research.gov My Desktop page under Awards & Reporting.
The Continuing Grant Increments Report that was available under FastLane Organizational Reports moved to Research.gov and can be accessed using the new Continuing Grant Increments Reports link on the Research.gov My Desktop page under Awards & Reporting.

Information in the two other FastLane organizational reports was already available outside of FastLane.
Active Awards Report information can be found in NSF.gov Award Search.
Organization Permission Report information is in Research.gov Account Management.

Grants.gov applications are now processed in Research.gov instead of in FastLane. Corrections or additions to Grants.gov applications submitted to NSF on or after November 21st will also be made in Research.gov.

Upcoming Transition Deadlines

NSF is preparing to transition the preparation and submission of all new proposals from FastLane to Research.gov on January 30, 2023, when the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) becomes effective. Please see the table of important FastLane transition deadlines below as well as the new FastLane Decommissioning webpage for a comprehensive list. Decommissioning deadlines for FastLane proposal review functions and panel review functions are being determined and will be added to the FastLane Decommissioning webpage when the information is finalized.

Important FastLane Proposal Preparation and Supplemental Funding Request Transition Deadlines

Action	Deadline
Last day to submit new proposals in FastLane *Note that FastLane remains a submission option for only 5% of current funding opportunities as of November 28.	Friday, January 27, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time)
Last day to submit new supplemental funding requests in FastLane	Friday, January 27, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time)
Last day to submit proposal file updates/budget revisions in FastLane	Friday, September 29, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time)
Last day to access FastLane submitted and in-progress proposals and supplemental funding requests FastLane submitted and in-progress proposals and supplemental funding requests will not* be transferred to Research.gov.	Friday, September 29, 2023 (11:00 PM Eastern Time)

Access to FastLane Proposals and Supplemental Funding Requests

FastLane proposals and supplemental funding requests will be available for the research community to access until Friday, September 29, 2023. This includes proposals submitted to NSF via Grants.gov on or before November 18, 2022. FastLane submitted and in-progress proposals and supplemental funding requests will not be transferred to Research.gov; however, the reviews and summaries for proposals submitted in FastLane will remain available in Research.gov. Refer to the Instructions to Access and Download/Print FastLane Proposals and Supplemental Funding Requests for additional information.

Questions? If you have IT system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM ET; Monday - Friday except federal holidays) or via email to rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.

Finding Funding Using Pivot

Need help finding grants to support your exciting new project? The FSU Office of Research Development has tons of resources to guide you thought Pivot!

Visit our Finding Funding Module or check out a Finding Funding 101 session on our On Demand Learning page.

You can also contact your Research Development Coordinator for assistance finding the right match.

Data Management and Sharing Plans

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have outlined new guidance requiring investigators to include a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) in proposals with submission deadlines after January 25, 2023.

How does this affect your research? What do you need to include in your DMSP?

Join staff from the FSU Office of Research and the FSU Libraries for a workshop focused on crafting a DMSP that will meet policy requirements. Research Data Management Librarian, Dr. Nick Ruhs, will walk us through the tools and resources you’ll need while creating your DMSP. We'll have ample time for Q&A related to the new NIH guidance.

Virtual Workshop and Q&A: Thursday January 19, 2023 | 10:30 am – 12 pm

RAMP Update: Important Information from the National Science Foundation

Preparing Supplemental Funding Requests in Research.gov and Upcoming FastLane Proposal Decommissioning Deadlines

Supplemental funding requests, including Career-Life Balance requests, can now be prepared in Research.gov. Supplemental funding requests can be submitted in Research.gov regardless of the system used (Research.gov, FastLane, or Grants.gov) for proposal submission. FastLane supplemental funding request functionality will remain available in parallel for the preparation and submission of new requests until January 27, 2023.

In addition, the last two proposal types for the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) will be enabled in Research.gov for the fiscal year (FY) 2023 competitions. With all proposal and submission types soon fully supported in Research.gov, the system will be ready for the transition from FastLane for the preparation and submission of all new proposals in late January 2023, when the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) is effective. The last day to submit new proposals in FastLane is January 27, 2023.

Please see the table of important FastLane transition deadlines below. Additional information will be forthcoming on the transition of other FastLane functionality and a FastLane Decommissioning webpage is being developed.

Important FastLane Proposal Preparation and Supplemental Funding Request Transition Deadlines

Action	Deadline
Last day to submit new proposals in FastLane *Note that FastLane remains a submission option for only 9% of current funding opportunities as of October 24.	Friday, January 27, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time)
Last day to submit new supplemental funding requests in FastLane	Friday, January 27, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time)
Last day to submit proposal file updates/budget revisions in FastLane	Friday, September 29, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time)

New Supplemental Funding Request Functionality

The Research.gov Supplemental Funding Request System has many features to help reduce administrative burden, including:

Intuitive and dynamic interfaces which provide only relevant preparation options;
Inline help features;
Fast document uploads and immediate feedback within each section; and
Automated compliance checks with specific, actionable warning and error messages.

The new Research.gov Supplemental Funding Request Demo Site can be used to explore preparing supplemental requests and to check the compliance of uploaded documents.
The supplemental funding request functionality and demo site are accessible from new links within the Awards & Reporting tile on the Research.gov My Desktop page after signing in to Research.gov.
Topic-specific Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and demo site guidance are posted on the new Research.gov About Supplemental Funding Request Preparation and Submission
Please refer to PAPPG Chapter VI.E.5. for supplemental funding request policy guidance.

New SBIR and STTR Proposal Types

Proposers will prepare and submit SBIR and STTR Phase I and Phase II proposals in Research.gov for the FY 2023 competitions.
SBIR and STTR proposal types will be available to try out on the gov Proposal Preparation Demo Site (you will be prompted to sign in to Research.gov if you are not already signed in) after the SBIR and STTR program solicitations for the FY 2023 competitions are published.

Research.gov Proposal and Supplemental Funding Request Feedback

The National Science Foundation wants your feedback on the proposal preparation and submission functionality, as well as on the new supplemental funding request enhancements. Your input helps NSF to ensure the systems and demo site features are working as intended and to identify areas of improvement. Feedback may be submitted on the Research.gov Feedback page. Submitted feedback is reviewed on an ongoing basis by NSF's Research.gov Business Office.

RAMP Training

Did you attend training last year and would like a quick refresher? Are you new to using RAMP? Training is available upon request via Zoom. Just email RAMP support at RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system! Individuals or teams are welcome.

RAMP Guidance and training materials are available at RAMP, then proceed to the appropriate module. In addition to the materials noted on the training page and within RAMP, Virtual “Office Hours” are available upon request. The training team will be available for direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality so you can work on any issues you may have encountered creating your proposals. For assistance, please email RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

Office for Human Subjects Protection: Instructions for new National Institutes of Health policy

The Office for Human Subjects Protection has added a webpage — NIH Data Management and Sharing — to provide the FSU research community with information regarding the upcoming implementation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) new policy on managing and sharing research data.

For any funding application submitted for Jan. 25, 2023 and subsequent receipt dates, the NIH policy mandates submission of a Data Management and Sharing Plan (Plan) for scientific data that may be generated by proposed research. Any NIH funding will be conditioned on a complete and acceptable plan.

The OHSP website provides important background information, instructions and key resources, including numerous links to additional resources such as webinars and templates.

For questions about our page or its content, contact us at humansubjects@fsu.edu or (850) 644-7900.

Fall 2022 Biosketch Workshop Series

The Office of Research Development, in collaboration with the FSU Libraries, is offering a two-part workshop series this fall focused on strengthening your biosketch. The National Science Foundation will require investigators to use SciENcv to attach biosketches to new proposals starting in 2023, and other federal agencies will follow.

Registration is open for Part 2: Bring Your Own Biosketch (BYOB), which will be held Thursday, Dec. 8 at the Dirac Science Library.

Click here to register for Part 2 of this series.

Maintaining eSPEAR Certification

To maintain an eSPEAR Certification, certified individuals must attend an annual update session on research administration news, regulations, and policies and earn a minimum of 10 points each calendar year beginning with the year following the receipt of their certification.

If you need to maintain your certification, please attend one of the following dates via Zoom:

Nov. 9 from 1 to 2 p.m.
Nov. 14 from 1 to 2 p.m.

All FSU employees who have completed the final eSPEAR Capstone course prior to Jan. 1, 2022 will receive an email invitation to attend one of the sessions being offered.

Office of Research Development: Mock review panel program

The Office of Research Development is offering a mock review panel program to increase competitiveness of grant proposals prior to submission and ultimately enhance the likelihood of securing funding.

If you are submitting an R01 or U01 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) deadline on February 5, 2023, and would like to participate in a mock review, please notify Nicole Viverito no later than Friday, Dec. 2. Proposal materials will be due for review by Friday, Dec. 9.

Getting to Know the NSF Mid-Career Advancement Program

The Office of Research Development will be hosting a virtual workshop for faculty interested in learning more about the NSF Mid-Career Advancement Program. Speakers include six program officers from NSF directorates who will share information about their specific Mid-Career Advancement programs.

This webinar is designed for mid-career and advanced-career faculty and researchers, but support staff and early-career faculty are also welcomed to attend. The event will take place Tuesday, Nov. 8 from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Updated drone policy

Federal Aviation Administration rules requiring remote identification of drones and allowing some flights over people, over moving vehicles and at night under certain conditions went into effect on April 21, 2021. FSU’s policy on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation has been updated to reflect those regulations.

Summary of changes:

Deleted information about FSU’s Certificate of Authorization (COA) and COA Coordinator, as the COA has expired and was not renewed.

Updated to reflect the Final Rule changes to 14 CFR Part 107, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems: operations over people, operations over moving vehicles, night operations, and remote pilot knowledge test.

Added information about Section 934.50, F.S., which restricts which drone manufacturers the university can utilize.

Fall 2022 Biosketch Workshop Series

Click here for more information and to register.

Registration is now open for Part 1: Crafting a Competitive Biosketch. Join us on Thursday, Oct. 20 via Zoom.

Registration also open on Oct. 20 for Part 2: Bring Your Own Biosketch (BYOB), which will be held Thursday, Dec. 8.

National Institutes of Health releases supplemental information on policy for data management and sharing

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released supplemental information for the implementation of the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS). The supplemental information consists of:

Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Protecting Privacy When Sharing Human Research Participant Data

Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Responsible Management and Sharing of American Indian/Alaska Native Participant Data

These resources are part of NIH’s efforts to prepare the research community for the January 25, 2023, effective date of the DMS Policy. Additional materials related to the implementation of the DMS Policy can be found on the NIH Office of Science Policy website.

If you have any questions, please contact NIH at SciencePolicy@od.nih.gov.

ORD Bulletin: Funding Opportunities

Check out current funding opportunities on the Office of Research Development (ORD) Bulletin. The Bulletin highlights upcoming deadlines for Limited Submissions competitions as well as other key funding opportunities including Top American Research Universities (TARU) faculty awards and career development awards.

Overleaf now available for FSU faculty and students

The Office of Research has recently partnered with FSU Libraries to provide Overleaf, an online cloud-based LaTeX editor that is used for writing, editing, and publishing scientific documents.

If you are interested in obtaining access, please contact Beth Hodges in the Office of Research Development.

Please visit the Overleaf website to learn more about this service and how you can use it.

Applying for Extramural Arts Funding

Join the Office of Research Development on Thurs., Oct. 13th from 2pm-3pm for an introduction to applying for grants and fellowships in the Arts. Visit this website for more information and to register.

RAMP Funding Proposal Update

A reminder to researchers: the grants.gov website will be down from Sept. 23 to Sept. 29.

The Grants.gov downtime will impact the following:

Downloading and updating opportunities
Submitting applications
Retrieving statuses on applications

The Grants.gov downtime will not impact the following:

Creating and editing SF424s using FOAs that already exist in the system
Validations
PDF generation

It is recommended to download FOAs that you know that you will be submitting applications for prior to Grants.gov going offline.

NIH Adjusted Deadlines

NIH has adjusted due dates to accommodate Grants.gov downtime to October 3, 2022.

Guidance for adjusted deadlines can be found here:

https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2022/08/03/extended-grants-gov-downtime-impacts-september-22-30-due-dates/

NIH has adjusted due dates that fall during the Grants.gov migration period, September 22-29, 2022, to an extended due date of October 3, 2022.

Be sure to read the NIH announcements regarding the Grants.gov downtime and the extended due date as there are caveats.

RAMP

The Grants.gov maintenance will not affect RAMP in any way other than SF424 submissions via Grants.gov during the down time. Creation, routing and review of Funding Proposals or Awards will be working as usual. Submission of funding proposals cannot occur until Grants.gov is back online.

If there are questions or concerns, please reach out to your SRA Specialist or email the RAMP Helpdesk RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu

GAP Commercialization Investment Program

Are researchers in your department creating commercially viable inventions? Would up to $50,000 in funding help get ideas closer to commercialization? The FSU GAP Commercialization Investment Program (GAP) may be right for you.

GAP is a competitive investment program that helps FSU researchers move their research toward commercialization.

Competitions are managed by the Office of Commercialization and are held twice a year. The next round of presentations will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. Program details highlighting the process and important dates are listed on the GAP Commercialization Investment Program website.

To be considered for Fall 2022 GAP, pre-proposal applications are due in the Office of Commercialization by 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

For questions, contact the appropriate licensing manager:

If you are not sure know which manager to contact, please email Michael Tentnowski for more information.

Council on Research & Creativity Seed Grant

The Council on Research & Creativity has launched Seed Grant, a new internal funding program that replaced the Planning Grant and Multidisciplinary Grant. Visit the CRC's Seed Grant website to learn more about this program.

Office for Human Subjects Protection: Human research updates

The Office for Human Subjects Protection (OHSP) has updated its website to provide the FSU research community with more comprehensive, collocated information about monitoring of human research activities after those activities have received IRB approval. Such monitoring is required by applicable federal law and FSU policy and is undertaken to help ensure researchers’ compliance with human research protection regulations and conditions of IRB approval.

The OHSP’s new post-approval compliance monitoring website provides background and information about the scope and types of post-IRB approval monitoring, including what to expect if a study is selected for monitoring review or assessment.

Additionally, the web page provides access to the applicable standard operating procedure HRP-059, and the checklists that may be used by OHSP for conducting the monitoring assessment. These will, well in advance of any scheduled assessment, be shared with researchers so that they may prepare for the assessment.

For questions related to these resources provided by OHSP, contact us at humansubjects@fsu.edu or (850) 644-7900.

New patents registered by FSU Office of Commercialization

The FSU Office of Commercialization helped researchers register 30 patents during fiscal year 2022. New licensed technologies included improved wireless communications technology, an evidence-based graphic novel to introduce children to dyslexia, a test for examining the effectiveness of steroid treatment and more.

Visit this website to see the full list of newly licensed technologies.

National Institutes of Health: Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published Notice NOT-OD-22-198, which describes changes to proposal instructions regarding genomic data sharing plans.

Plans for sharing genomic data as expected by the genomic data sharing (GDS) policy are to be described in the DMS Plan submitted at the time of application, and not in a separate GDS Plan or at Just-in-Time, consistent with the changes described in NOT-OD-22-189.

Therefore, after January 25, 2023, NIH will no longer be collecting separate GDS Plans. Genomic data sharing considerations, such as where and when genomic data will be shared, will be expected to be addressed in DMS Plans using the DMS Plan elements.

For further details, see Writing a Data Management & Sharing Plan - Applications for Receipt Dates ON/AFTER Jan 25 2023.

Collaborative Collision: Rural Innovation

Collaborative Collision: Rural Innovation continues with Incubator! Turn your connections into collaborations and explore interdisciplinary solutions to challenges facing rural communities.

Through 10-weeks of guided team development, participants will formulate the first steps towards a solutions to one of the complex challenges identified at Connector, and develop a pitch for up to $125,000 to launch their project through Accelerator.

Only teams that complete Incubator are eligible for funding so sign up today! Contact Mike Mitchell in the Office of Research Development if you have any questions.

Call for Proposals: 2022-2023 Project Enhancement Network and Incubator

The Project Enhancement Network & Incubator (PEN & Inc or "The Incubator" for short) is a program hosted by the FSU Libraries which provides support for faculty and student exploring digital research methods. In the 2022-2023 academic year, PEN & Inc invites proposals for an incubator cohort to work on digital projects that will fit into the FSU Libraries' web hosting service CreateFSU. We especially solicit proposals from individuals who have a digital humanities or scholarship project that they would like to make available as a project-based website.

Benefits of participating in the program include consultations with library experts in digital humanities and digital scholarship projects, a community cohort of fellow scholars working to publish their work digitally and $1,000 in research funding intended for travel, professional development or equipment and infrastructure money.

Important dates:

Application deadline: Midnight, Sunday, Sept. 18,
Notification of acceptance by Sept. 23
Initial project consultation: Between Sept. 26-30

Visit this website to apply for the 2022-2023 Project Enhancement Network and Incubator.

New Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative courses available

The following courses have been added to FSU’s Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program curriculum. Registration is free and open to any individual that has an “fsu.edu” email address. See the FSU CITI user guide for instructions on registration.

Clinical Research: An Introduction
FDA Inspections: From Site Preparation to Response
Good Manufacturing Practices
Biomedical Principal Investigator
Clinical Research Coordinator – Comprehensive
Essentials of Grant Proposal Development
Research Study Design
Preparing for Success in Scholarly Publishing

For questions, contact Diana Key, director of Research Compliance Programs.

Save the Date: Fall 2022 Biosketch Workshop Series

The Office of Research Development, in collaboration with the FSU Libraries, is offering a two-part workshop series this fall, focused on increasing competitiveness of biosketches for National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals.

Part 1, Crafting a Competitive Biosketch, will be a virtual tutorial held on Thursday, Oct. 20, through myNCBI and SciENcv plus specific tips for NIH and NSF.

Part 2, Bring Your Own Biosketch (BYOB), will be an in-person reer review café on Thursday, Dec. 8, at Dirac Science Library.

New Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program form and procedures

In 2020, in order to ensure compliance with federal guidelines on research and Foreign Government Talent programs, Human Resources created a certification form to be included in the hiring process. This form must be completed by candidates/employees being hired into salaried appointments, faculty OPS appointments, or OPS research appointments.

The Foreign Government Talent Recruitment (FGTRP) Form has been updated to no longer require a signature from the Office of Research Compliance Programs if the candidate/employee checks the box beside, “NO, I am not currently participating in a Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program (FGTRP), nor have I participated in a FGTRP in the last 24 months.” The HR forms website will be updated to link to the new form.

For questions about the Smart Onboarding process or required forms, please contact Abigail Lejeune at alejeune@fsu.edu or (850) 644-6470. For questions about Research Compliance, please contact Diana Key at dkey@fsu.edu or (850) 644-8648.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available Without Delay

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) updated U.S. policy guidance to make the results of taxpayer-supported research immediately available to the American public at no cost.

In a memorandum to federal departments and agencies, Dr. Alondra Nelson, the head of OSTP, delivered guidance for agencies to update their public access policies as soon as possible to make publications and research funded by taxpayers publicly accessible, without an embargo or cost.

All agencies will fully implement updated policies, including ending the optional 12-month embargo, no later than December 31, 2025.

FSU Libraries announces launch of OpenAthens

OpenAthens can now be used to access FSU Libraries’ purchased and subscription-based content hosted on the platforms of publishers and vendors. OpenAthens is an authentication and electronic access management system that provides access to licensed online resources via single sign-on technology.

Utilizing OpenAthens, users will be able to access electronic resources across service provider sites with just one login, both on and off campus. Many vendors now have an OpenAthens link on their sites.

When users go directly to a vendor platform, they can click on OpenAthens, authenticate with their FSU credentials, and go directly to the resource without having to navigate from the FSU Libraries website. Once a user is logged in via OpenAthens, they can access any of our licensed content on any platform without having to log in again.

OneDrive mapping service available

You asked, we listened! Information Technology Services (ITS) is excited to announce a new feature available to all students, faculty and staff called Kumo.

Kumo enables individuals to easily access their files within the university’s virtual computer lab, myFSUVlab. Using Kumo, your files located in your O: drive — also known as the FSU OneDrive — can be accessed within seconds of logging in to the virtual computer lab.

ResearchMatch: A new online recruitment tool for study participants

FSU soon will be joining more than 200 other universities and research institutions across the country that have free access to ResearchMatch, a nationwide online participant recruitment tool for health-related research.

The Office for Clinical Research Advancement (OCRA) will be launching the tool in August and will be the FSU liaison and main point of contact for researchers. More information on how researchers can sign up for and use the free recruitment service will be announced soon.

Launched in 2009 by Vanderbilt University, the ResearchMatch database has more than 166,000 volunteers across the country who are interested in participating in health-related research studies. Volunteers represent various demographic, geographic and health backgrounds, including healthy participants. To date, nearly 12,000 researchers have used to the site to conduct almost 1,200 studies and publish more than 600 research manuscripts. The service is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

FSU researchers will have two types of access to ResearchMatch: feasibility and recruitment. Feasibility access allows the researcher to view aggregate data of potential study volunteers in the database, which is helpful for cohort determination. Recruitment access allows researchers with IRB-approved protocols to search and contact study volunteers. The researcher uses the study criteria along with geographic, demographic, health condition and medication filters on ResearchMatch to generate a de-identified group of volunteers who “match” the study criteria.

Study volunteers, who self-register on ResearchMatch, can choose whether to participate when the system emails them information from the researchers about their studies. The volunteer’s information is kept confidential until the volunteer agrees to participate in the study. At that point the researcher is provided the volunteer’s contact information. Researchers can contact up to 1,500 volunteers at one time and recruit for multiple IRB-approved studies at the same time, including multi-site studies. ResearchMatch also provides each researcher with a personal dashboard to track overall response rates to their recruitment messages.

Council on Research and Creativity First Year Assistant Professor workshop

The Council on Research and Creativity invites all new assistant professors joining FSU in the 2022-2023 academic year to attend the upcoming First Year Assistant Professor (FYAP) Workshop from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, September 9.

The workshop provides the opportunity for FYAPs to learn about the CRC’s internal funding programs and receive helpful information related to grant writing, while also facilitating connections with other faculty who are at the beginning of their careers at FSU. Please note that attendance at this workshop is mandatory for those wishing to apply for a Summer 2023 FYAP grant.

Council on Research and Creativity program updates

The Council on Research and Creativity’s internal funding programs have been updated for the 2022-2023 academic year to meet the growing needs of faculty across campus.

New for the upcoming year, a Seed Grant (Seed) program will replace both the Multidisciplinary Support (MDS) program and the Planning Grant (PG) program. This new funding program will allow for greater support of innovative research by individuals and teams, with an award range of $1,000 to $100,000 per award for up to 24 months.

Open Scholars Program

The Open Scholars Project (OSP) is an informal community to learn about and discuss developments in open access. Faculty, postdocs and graduate students from across disciplines share experiences with open publishing and open data across subject areas.

This group meets monthly each semester. OSP will meet this fall starting Sept. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. to discuss open monographs (scholarly books). This hybrid meeting with take place in room 216 in the Dirac Science Library as well as on Zoom. Visit this website to register for the Zoom meeting.

Visit this calendar entry for OSP to learn more about the event.

Refreshed FSU Libraries website launched July 22

After months of development and user testing, FSU Libraries has launched an updatedwebsite. Intuitively organized, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly, the refreshed site will offer an improved experience for accessing library resources and services.

New features and changes from the current website are based on user feedback, content assessment, and usage data. They include:

A streamlined homepage with quick access to Onesearch and popular links
An updated information architecture for improved navigation
Seamless integration of resources and services with redesigned pages for popular services
A 'Getting Started’ page to guide you through our many services and information resources
Improved accessibility for a better website experience for all
Responsive design across the entire library website
Updated and simplified content throughout the site

We hope you enjoy the refreshed site as the enhanced online experience to discover all of Florida State University Libraries’ collections and resources.

We encourage you to complete this brief survey on the new site and look forward to your feedback.

Summer 2022 Research Development Digest

The Summer 2022 Issue of Research Development Digest is now available. ORD provides this digest as a quarterly resource for FSU researchers. Along with upcoming events and funding deadlines, this issue includes articles on:

Developing your research brand
What is Artistic Research? A cross-section of FSU researchers in the Arts
Research Revisited: FSU’s November 1971 issue of Research in Review

New guidelines for navigating conflict of interest issue and faculty start-ups

The Office of Research Compliance Programs has developed new guidelines for faculty that are intended to help FSU’s research community more proactively navigate existing policies and standards that touch areas in which start-up companies and university research intersect.

FSU is committed to facilitating scientific discovery and advancing knowledge through innovative and translatable research. Consistent with the University’s mission, our researchers are entering the entrepreneurial space in greater numbers, as well as developing novel solutions to address questions, problems, and disparities in a variety of fields.

Translating ideas and intellectual property from the university to the marketplace is a critical component of FSU’s research program. Inherent in these relationships and interactions are potential or actual conflicts of interest with respect to competing and/or conflicting interests and obligations. We must balance promoting innovation and entrepreneurship with preserving our commitment to FSU and safeguarding the integrity and objectivity of university research.

Human research updates: FDA-regulated pharmaceuticals and devices

The Office for Human Subjects Protection (OHSP) has two updates for researchers:

OHSP is developing new documents to guide the use of pharmaceuticals and devices in research that may be subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. They will include algorithms for pharmaceuticals and for devices. each is accompanied by detailed explanations, citations and links. The algorithms will be finalized when OHSP publishes a new FDA-regulated Research web page, planned for early Fall 2022. The algorithms may be accessed at the OHSP’s Decision Trees web page.
A reorganized Student-led Activities and Research web page provides students and faculty advisors with updated information, instructions and other resources related to review requirements when students undertake activities and research that involve respondents and study participants, or the collection of their information or biospecimens. Included are a new easy-to-follow decision tree, an updated list of FAQs, and an expanded list of 10 key tips for IRB review success.

New resources available for FSU researchers and research administration

The Office of Research has created a consolidated page for Research Training & Resources that brings together all of the resources available from the Office of Research. Rather than looking at many departments’ sites, you can start here when you need information.

Some of the resources you can find include:

Researchers New to FSU Guide: This easy-to-navigate course provides an overview of the information researchers new to FSU need. It explains what different research offices within FSU do and who and what systems researchers need to work with. The guide provides information on roles and responsibilities and details other resources available for researchers.

This is not the only resource available to researchers. Please see the training page to access more resources.

Up 2 Speed Videos: Have a quick question? Visit this growing section of topics to see if the information you are looking for is available. The videos are approximately two minutes long. The goal is to provide the information you need as quickly and concisely as possible. Current topics include an Intro to Sponsored Research, Uniform Guidance, Proposal Development and Submission Process, and Indirect Costs. Many new topics are in process and will be added soon. These can be accessed on the bottom of the Research Training and Resources website.

RAM: The comprehensive Research Administration Manual (RAM) has been designed to provide detailed information regarding the administration of research. If you need information regarding research administration and can’t find it there, please let OVPR project manager Michelle Francis know so it can be added.

Ideas for additional topics and resources are always appreciated and can be forwarded to Kerry Peluso.

Partial salary funding of full-time specialized research faculty

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) will provide funding to cover 5% of current salary plus the applicable fringe benefits for certain full-time specialized research faculty supported exclusively by external contract or grant funds to provide non-sponsor funded time for their participation in proposal development and writing.

To be eligible for funding, faculty must meet both of the following criteria:

Other than funds received from this program, 100% of their salary will be funded by external contract and grant funds
They must be actively engaged in proposal writing as a principal investigator or co-PI

Eligibility for this program will be reviewed and confirmed by the OVPR. This program will only provide funding for activities related to applying for external funding. Funding for other activities should be sought from departmental or other sources. Salary charged to sponsored projects should be for activities directly benefiting the award only.

Applications will be accepted from April to May of each year. Approved applications are valid for 3 years, contingent upon an annual review that the approved individuals continue to meet the eligibility requirements of the program. (No action is required by the recipient for this review.)

Salary support is provided on an annual basis in July of each year. The annual allocation will be calculated based on the faculty member's salary in July of each year. No additional funds will be provided during the year for salary and/or fringe adjustments. All awards approved under this program will be made at the discretion of the OVPR.

To apply, complete the Salary Support for Full-Time Specialized Research Faculty application form and submit it to the OVPR via Kerry Peluso for consideration.

The Sponsored Research Administration website includes the application form and further information for the program.

If you have questions, please contact Kerry Peluso at kpeluso@fsu.edu or (850) 644-8664.

Office of Research Compliance Programs: Dos, Don'ts, Maybes of Foreign Entity Relationships

Recent communications from federal agencies, such as National Institutes of Health, have made it clear that there is increased scrutiny from our research sponsors regarding our relationships with foreign entities. A number of investigators, here and at other universities, have asked for guidelines in this area.

The Office of Research Compliance Program has guidance, and a non-exhuastive set of examples, that we hope will clarify FSU's position on various activities relating to foreign entities.

Please see ORCP's new flyer — Dos, Don'ts, Maybes of Foreign Entity Relationships: A User's Guide — for more information.

National Science Foundation: New research security website

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has published a new Research Security website to maintain the integrity of international scientific collaborations. Security must be reliable and adaptive to emerging and evolving threats.

April 2022 RAMP Update

View April's Update on the RAMP Project Website

Spring 2022 Research Development Digest

The Spring 2022 issue of Research Development Digest is now available! The Office of Research Development provides this digest as a quarterly resource for FSU researchers. Along with upcoming events and funding deadlines, this issue’s articles include:

How I Collaborate: Insights from FSU faculty on collaboration
What we’ve been reading: "Beyond Interdisciplinarity: Boundary Work, Communication, and Collaboration"
Research Revisited: FSU’s 1994 issue of "Research in Review”

FSU Libraries: The Dr. Kristine Harper Research Grant

Florida State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives is pleased to announce the Dr. Kristine Harper Research Grant.

This grant will award research grants of up to $1,500 each to non-FSU graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early career scholars and/or independent researchers to support research in any collection managed by FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives.

March 2022 RAMP Update

View March's Update on the RAMP Project Website

National Institutes of Health Fiscal Year 2022 Updated Guidance

National Institutes of Health Fiscal Year 2022 Updated Guidance: Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (NIH Notice NOT-OD-22-055)

By way of this Notice, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) reaffirm the principle that education in the responsible conduct of research is a fundamental element of research training and announce updates to their existing policy and guidance for such instruction. In particular, this Notice provides new recommendations on the format, frequency, and timing of instruction in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) and suggests additional topics for consideration.

Institutions are expected to begin to incorporate the changes described in this Notice into their plans for RCR instruction for the 2022-2023 academic year and in new and renewal applications for research training, career development, research education and dissertation research grants beginning with the September 25, 2022 due dates.

See full notice here.

Collaborative Accelerator: Community+

Join the Office of Research Development at 5 p.m. April 27 in Room 208 of the Turnbull Conference Center for Accelerator — the next step in the updated Coallborative Collision program!

Teams from the Collaborative Collision: Community+ will compete for up to $50,000 to launch a new area of community focused research at Florida State University.

Accelerator will feature 90-second video pitches from each team, followed by a brief defense of each proposed project.

Join us in celebrating new interdisciplinary teams working to address:

Community Health and Wellbeing
Diversity in STEM
Artificial Intelligence for Quality of Life
Environmental Communication
Racial Equity in Tallahassee
Energy Resilience in Florida

Click here to learn more and RSVP for this program.

Applying for Humanities Research Funding

The Office of Research Development will be hosting a workshop, "Applying for Humanities Research Funding" at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 23. Led by Carolyn Bradley, this virtual workshop will explore the pros and cons of applying for Humanities grants, the goals and operations of key funding agencies, standard application requirements, and strategies for developing persuasive proposals. Participants will leave the workshop with a foundation in the basics of humanities grantsmanship.

Spring 2022 Research Development Digest

The spring 2022 issue of Research Development Digest is now available! ORD provides this digest as a quarterly resource for FSU researchers. Along with upcoming events and funding deadlines, this issue’s articles include:

How I Collaborate: Insights from FSU faculty on collaboration
What we’ve been reading: "Beyond Interdisciplinarity: Boundary Work, Communication, and Collaboration"
Research Revisited: FSU’s 1994 issue of "Research in Review"

Store research data securely

Do you need to store large amounts of research data?

Information Technology Services (ITS) is excited to announce the cost of our file storage offering has been reduced to $0.05 per gigabyte per month. Along with this significant price reduction, we have also enhanced file storage features for extra security.

Interested in signing up? Visit the ITS File Storage webpage.

February 2022 RAMP Update

View February's Update on the RAMP Project Website

January 2022 RAMP Update

View January's Update on the RAMP Project Website

Approved Drone Manufacturers

In accordance with section 934.50, Florida Statutes, as of January 1, 2022, a governmental agency (as defined in section 934.50, Florida Statutes) may only purchase or otherwise acquire a drone from a manufacturer on the approved list. Governmental agencies may continue to utilize drones not on the department’s approved list until January 1, 2023.

Pursuant to section 934.50(7)(b), Florida Statutes, the department hereby provides the following list of approved manufacturers whose drones may be purchased or otherwise acquired and used by a governmental agency under section 934.50, Florida Statutes:

Skydio
Parrot
Altavian
Teal Drones
Vantage Robotics

This list provides approved manufacturers but does not guarantee that all models produced by these manufacturers meet an individual governmental agency's specific needs or security requirements. Beginning July 1, 2022, all governmental agencies using drones not on the department’s approved list must submit a comprehensive plan for discontinuing their use to the department.

You may address questions about this to Diana Key, Director, Research Compliance Programs, dkey@fsu.edu.

CAMS Project Update: October 2021

We are pleased to provide an update on the continued efforts to implement the Conflict of Administration Management System (CAMS). As you may recall, the new system will be used for conflict of interest, conflict of commitment and outside activity disclosures. Our project team has been working with groups around campus to complete user acceptance testing to ensure the system is working correctly, and those activities should conclude soon. In addition, training resources are currently being developed to prepare campus users on how to use the new system, and this information will be contained on the CAMS project website once it is finalized. Details concerning training sessions will be announced soon as we plan to launch CAMS on January 10, 2022.

This fall, our team will continue to meet with central offices, college leadership, faculty and staff to provide informational updates on project activities and what to expect in the coming months. If you would like for us to visit your department and conduct a brief presentation, please let us know!

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. You can easily reach our project team at cams@fsu.edu. We look forward to engaging with everyone in the months ahead as we prepare for a successful system launch.

Robyn Blank	Angie Rowe
Project Sponsor	Project Manager
Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer	Associate Director, Office of Research
robyn.blank@fsu.edu	arrowe@fsu.edu

September 2021 RAMP Update

View September's Update on the RAMP Project Website

FSU hires senior biostatistician to support researchers

The former director of a statistical consulting center at Auburn University is joining Florida State University month to support faculty doing clinical research and clinical trials.

Philippe Gaillard, Ph.D., started Sept. 1 in the Office for Clinical Research Advancement (OCRA), under the FSU Office of Research. Researchers wanting to connect with Gaillard for assistance should email OCRA at ocra@fsu.edu.

Before joining FSU, Gaillard directed Auburn’s Statistical Consulting Center for seven years and also served as an associate professor in the university’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics. He previously spent seven years as a statistical consultant with the Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center at the University of Minnesota. He also worked as a statistician with the Department of Quality Management for Allina - Abbot Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and as a biostatistician for the state of Nevada’s Bureau of Health Planning and Statistics.

Gaillard has collaborated with more than 200 researchers in a wide variety of research areas, including agriculture, audiology, biology, business, dentistry, education, engineering, finance, fisheries, gerontology, medicine, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. This work has resulted in more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, Gaillard has taught courses in biostatistics, educational statistics, research methods and supervised the statistical consulting work of dozens of students over the years. His experience includes database management, measurement, study design, visualization of statistical patterns and communication with consumers of research.

Gaillard earned a Ph.D. in quantitative methods, with a minor in business administration, from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Educational Psychology. He holds master’s degrees in research methodology from the University of Pittsburgh and in communication from Fort Hays State University. He earned his bachelor’s in political science with a minor in economics from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in France.

August 2021 RAMP Update

View August's Update on the RAMP Project Website

FSU names senior research executive to lead collaboration with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare

FSU has hired a former National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientist and executive with one of the nation’s largest nonprofit research organizations to lead its research collaboration with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH).

Joseph Frascella, Ph.D., will serve as chief clinical research officer for the FSU/TMH research collaboration starting with the fall semester. In this role he will work with FSU researchers, TMH clinicians, the FSU Office for Clinical Research Advancement and the TMH Office of Research to foster and facilitate research collaborations between the two institutions.

“Dr. Frascella brings a wealth of expertise in clinical research that spans both academic and private healthcare institutions, as well as decades of service with federal research funding agencies,” said Interim Vice President for Research Laurel Fulkerson. “His passion for collaborative research and mentoring, track record for building diverse research teams and intimate knowledge of federal funding mechanisms will be tangible assets for our institutions and researchers.”

Frascella will have a joint reporting relationship to Fulkerson and TMH Vice President and Chief Integration Officer Dean Watson, M.D. He will have offices at both institutions for research consultations with faculty and clinicians.

“We are truly thrilled to have someone of Dr. Frascella’s caliber join both organizations. His experience, wealth of knowledge and collaborative approach will allow us to build and expand upon our integrative efforts related to research activities,” Watson said. “These are definitely exciting times as we look to improve the health of our community through the continued development and performance of evidence-based clinical research under the supervision of Dr. Frascella.”

Frascella comes to FSU from Legacy Research Institute in Portland, Oregon, where he has served as Vice President of Research since 2017, directing a highly translational biomedical research program. Founded in 1997, the institute is affiliated with the Portland-based Legacy Health system and conducts a wide range of research including preclinical, basic, clinical and clinical trials, medical outcomes, and surgical advances and training.

Prior to his position at Legacy, Frascella served as senior science advisor to the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) within the NIH and also completed a special assignment as a senior research scientist working in the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Maryland. Before these positions, he served for several years as the director of the Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at NIDA, leading national clinical programs in neurosciences, brain and behavioral development and behavioral treatments for substance use disorders. Earlier at NIDA, he directed the basic neuroscience program in pain and analgesia research.

Before joining the NIH, Frascella was a research physiologist at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute and served as an assistant professor at Brown University. He received a doctorate and a master’s degree from Brown University and a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College.

“I am extremely excited and honored to contribute to such a vibrant research climate at FSU and TMH and am looking forward to helping to forge new collaborations and partnerships,” Frascella said. “Incredible research opportunities exist for both programs, and I am eager to be a part of the research team.”

TMH has been a valued partner with FSU for a number of years in fostering research collaborations in disciplines, including medicine, nursing, human sciences, engineering, psychology and music therapy. In addition to Frascella’s position, TMH and FSU have partnered to support a designated clinical research coordinator for collaborative research studies in the TMH Office of Research. To accelerate study initiation, all FSU researchers planning to collaborate with TMH are to first contact the FSU Office for Clinical Research Advancement at ocra@fsu.edu.

July 2021 RAMP Update

View July's Update on the RAMP Project Website

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare updated IRB fee schedule

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) recently updated its Institution Review Board (IRB) review fee schedule to incorporate a 30% discount for FSU researchers collaborating with TMH. The discount will be applied to the listed fees, which can be found here. Any FSU researcher planning to collaborate with TMH should work with the Office for Clinical Research Advancement (OCRA) to address what TMH IRB fees outlined in the schedule may apply to the study and, if the study is unfunded, how to request consideration for a fee reduction or waiver. Although the TMH IRB has had a fee structure in place for years, the discount was just implemented in June in recognition of the collaborative partnership between FSU and TMH.

IRB fees are a standard practice among healthcare research institutions like hospitals as a way to recoup a small portion of their costs to support operations such as IRB reviews. Universities typically recoup similar overhead expenses by budgeting into grant applications indirect costs that come back to the university as part of the grant award. Because TMH does not have a federally negotiated rate for recouping overhead costs if their clinician researchers apply for extramural grant awards, assessing IRB fees is how TMH can recoup a portion of its research operational costs.

As with any study-related costs, FSU researchers who plan a collaboration with institutions like TMH should include in grant proposals any fees from external IRBs. Likewise, studies being funded by researcher start-up funds or other internal university awards that allow such costs to be budgeted also should include external costs like IRB fees. Going forward, for funded studies that anticipate collaborating with external institutions such as TMH, researchers should contact OCRA@fsu.edu before finalizing the protocol and budget. TMH will need to review those study materials in order to provide a letter of support and ensure that resources are budgeted for the collaboration.

Thank you for working with the Office of Research on this aspect of FSU’s research collaboration with TMH.

June 2021 RAMP Update

View June's Update on the RAMP Project Website

eSPEAR: Certification maintenance and continuing education requirements

As of May, 82 people have earned the eSPEAR Certification and we have many others working towards it. We are very happy with the participation in the program. As the rules and regulations of research administration change and evolve, it is important that all of us maintain our professional knowledge. Similar to many professional certifications, there will be some requirements to maintain that certification. The requirements include an annual update on policies (offered virtually and live) as well as earning Spear Points via attendance at research administration related courses offered at FSU or external organizations.

Further details regarding the requirements are copied from the eSPEAR FAQs below. These can also be accessed at the Sponsored Research Administration’s eSPEAR overview.

Questions regarding these requirements should be directed to Eileen Campanale, assistant director at Sponsored Research Administration.

Are there any requirements to maintain the eSPEAR Certification?

Yes, there will be a continuing education requirement to maintain certification (for those completing the program and those meeting the requirement via exemption or testing). Research Administration is a constantly evolving field of knowledge and it is important that FSU research administrators remain engaged. In order to support FSU research administrators in their roles, an annual update will be provided (available online). The update will include new information for FSU research administrators and could include changes in federal requirements, FSU research administration systems, or any other topic impacting research administration.

Similar to other professional certifications and due to the rapidly evolving field of research administration, those with eSPEAR certifications will be required to meet continuing education requirements to ensure their level of professional knowledge is adequately maintained. For most active research administrators, this should be an easy requirement and not add additional time to their schedule as activities are in areas where they should already be active. (While some activities may come with a financial cost, additional financial investment is not required as there are opportunities to meet the requirements without cost.)

In order to maintain an eSPEAR Certification, certified individuals will need to attend an update session AND earn a minimum of 10 points each calendar year beginning with the year following the receipt of their certification. (ie: If a certification was received in February 20, 2021, this individual will be required to meet the below requirements beginning with calendar year 2022.)

Both of the following requirements must be met:

Attend an annual eSPEAR update. This will be a 60-minute update on research administration news, regulations, and policies. (No Spear Points will be issued for this course. All certified individuals are required to attend. Recording will be available for those unable to attend live session.)
Earn a minimum of 10 Spear Points per year. These can be earned as follows:
- Internally offered opportunities within FSU:
  - Attend Quarterly SRA Meeting: 2 points per meeting attended
  - Complete any supplemental or advanced eSPEAR or OVPR course (online or in-person): 2 points per course completed
  - Webinar or in-person presentation of 90 minutes or longer offered by or sponsored by the Office of Research: 2 points per session attended (RAMP or other system related training excluded)
- Externally offered opportunities outside organization (NCURA, SRA, COGR, NACUA, UCRF, FDP or agency/sponsor) - Maximum of 6 points (of total 10 points) can be earned via external sources.
  - Workshop or Conference: 4 points per day (2 points per half day)
  - Webinar of 90 minutes or longer: 2 points
- Other programs focused on research administration that are not covered in one of the categories above can be submitted to SRA with details to request attendance credit.

Extensions: Requests for extensions to meet the above requirements will be approved in rare cases with extenuating circumstances only. Please forward request to RSCH-Training@fsu.edu for review if you wish to request an extension.

If requirements not met: Not meeting the requirements as detailed above will result in the certification becoming inactive. Passing the RAMP exam will be required to reactivate certification.

Office of Research Development bulletin: Funding opportunities

Check out deadlines for upcoming (cyclical) funding opportunities on the Office of Research Development bulletin. This bulletin has upcoming and tentative deadlines for private foundations and federal agencies, as well as prestigious American Research Universities (TARU) Faculty Awards, Career Development Awards, other notable cyclical funding opportunities and limited submissions.

Office of Research Development: Tips for creating a strong proposal budget

Do budgets scare you? Would you rather do anything else before touching your proposal budget? Not to worry — Michelle Francis, program manager for FSU's SouthWest Research Administration, is here to help! Join us for an informative virtual event from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 23 on how to create a budget for your proposal and leave empowered to tackle your future proposal budgets with confidence.

May 2021 RAMP Update

View May's Update on the RAMP Project Website

April 2021 RAMP Update

Tip of the Month

The “Create Renewal” button is only available to the PI. A renewal Funding Proposal is created from the awarded Funding Proposal workspace. Once the PI completes the first page of the smartform saves/clicks continue and enters the staff members on the second page of the smartform and saves, the staff members will have access and be able to assist in the completion of the renewal funding proposal.

Reminders

The RAMP Grants support email, RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the RAMP Support Team with any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training options. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” are now available upon request. To request training, please contact the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox. The training team will be available for direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality so you can work on any issues you may have encountered creating your proposals.

Please remember that RAMP notifications are sent to the official email address of record identified in OMNI so be sure to update any information/preferences in the myFSU Portal.

RAMP Agreements

On Friday, February 5th, there were updates applied to the RAMP Agreements module that will impact departments.

First, there is a new agreement type in RAMP AGM — Unfavorable Terms Memos. This agreement type will be initiated by SRA and the FSURF during the award negotiation process to document any unfavorable terms that the sponsor is unwilling to remove and the department is willing to accept the risk (a UFT cannot be used for contract terms that the university is legally prohibited from accepting). Signatures from the PI, Chair/Director and Dean of the respective department will be collected via RAMP through DocuSign.

Additionally, we now have the ability to more easily update the personnel that have access to the Agreement Record via a new activity titled, Manage Agreement Personnel. This can now occur without having to submit an amendment. This activity is available to both departments and the central offices to execute on all Active agreements. Please note, the PI (also known as the Agreement Manager) cannot be updated with this activity. A PI change requires approval of the respective central office to determine whether the change requires sponsor or contracting party approval or changes to the contract. If a PI needs to be updated, please contact the Agreement Owner to determine the appropriate course of action (i.e. request an amendment or terminate the contract and create a new agreement, etc.).

If you have any questions please email ramp-agreements@fsu.edu.

RAMP Export Controls

RAMP Export Control is fully operational and required to be used for export control requests. This new system was launched in December and it marks the 5th module within the Research Administration Management Portal. RAMP Export Control provides an automated process and enhanced communication tools for the submission, review and management of export control requests. The Export Control module offers the same transparency as the other RAMP modules where the users are able to check the status of requests in real-time. It also provides a flexible review process as ancillary reviewers can be added to the workflow to evaluate and comment on particular export control requests, as needed.

RAMP Export Control can be accessed by signing into the myFSU portal, clicking the “RAMP” icon, and then clicking the Export Control tab within the top navigation menu. Users can also access the system through links contained within Outlook email notifications as certain system activities are performed.

Export Control requests (listed below) are required to originate and route through RAMP.

Biologics Access Controls
DD Form 2345 – Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement
Shipment (International only)
Sponsored Research, Collaborations, and Other Agreements
Visa
Visitor

There are many resources available, such as How-To Guides by request type, a PI Reference Guide, and a document outlining When RAMP Export Control is Required. Users can also learn how the ancillary review process works by reviewing the Ancillary Review Guide and which system actions trigger email notifications through reviewing the System Workflow and Notifications Guide. These training resources are conveniently accessible within the Help Center in RAMP Export Control.

Virtual “Office Hours” are available for user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen share functionality. The RAMP Export Control support email (ramp-exportcontrol@fsu.edu) serves as the best communication tool to reach the Export Control training team for any questions, concerns, feedback, or to request virtual office hours (virtual assistance). We are dedicated to helping you successfully navigate RAMP Export Control!

RAMP Grants

RAMP Grants has entered its ninth month. More than 1420 Funding Proposals have been created!

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. The only proposals that are not required to be submitted via RAMP are those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. To view the list of proposals documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

PIs Needed: Help Us Help You!

In the past few months, the RAMP Support Team has been soliciting PI participation in focus groups to find out how you are using the system and how communication and training can be improved. Initial feedback has indicated a desire for an online survey, which will provide another way to share feedback. Please watch out of an upcoming survey. We would greatly appreciate participation. In addition, we will be offering some focus groups focused on particular topics — such as routing NSF proposals, routing private proposals, etc. All feedback will assist us in improving everyone’s experience using RAMP and is very much appreciated!

Other RAMP Activities

New RAMP Website Design: The RAMP website is under construction and will be completed later this month. We are excited to provide the latest information as well as provide past history and future enhancements.

New Customizations: Currently, the RAMP Modules support teams are identifying new requirements and FSU customizations to the RAMP system that will enhance the users’ experience and provide better functionalities in some of the Modules. These customizations will be completed this month and information will be available on the Significant Changes webpage at RAMP Grants.

RAMP System Upgrade: Starting in late Spring 2021, RAMP will be upgrading to the newest Huron Suite Platform that will bring some exciting new features for users as well as the administrative support teams. Information updates will be posted on the RAMP project website as well as included in the monthly Research Newsletter.

Sponsored Guest Access

Sponsored Guest Access is now available in RAMP. Occasionally, there is the need for someone outside FSU to have limited access to RAMP. This occurs most often when FSU is acting as a single IRB (but could occur in other cases). Rather than going through the longer onboarding process that is required and appropriate for individuals who will have an ongoing relationship with FSU, individuals can be provided with limited access to the system. For more information, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/sponsored-guest/

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject: Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be cc’d on request.).
The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (i.e., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be cc’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

For questions regarding Export Controls, please contact:
Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance and RAMP Export Control functional lead, at dkey@fsu.edu

All other questions regarding RAMP Support should be directed to:
Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu
Kerry Peluso, Associate Vice President for Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu

March 2021 RAMP Update

RAMP Agreements

On Friday, February 5^th there were updates applied to the RAMP Agreements module that will impact departments.

First, there is a new agreement type in RAMP AGM – Unfavorable Terms Memos. This agreement type will be initiated by SRA and the FSURF during the award negotiation process to document any unfavorable terms that the sponsor is unwilling to remove and the department is willing to accept the risk (a UFT cannot be used for contract terms that the university is legally prohibited from accepting). Signatures from the PI, Chair/Director and Dean of the respective department will be collected via RAMP through DocuSign.

If you have any questions please email ramp-agreements@fsu.edu.

REMINDERS

The RAMP Grants support email, RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the RAMP Support Team with any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training options. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” are now available upon request. To request training, please contact the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox. The training team will be available for direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality so you can work on any issues you may have encountered creating your proposals.

Please remember that RAMP notifications are sent to the official email address of record identified in OMNI so be sure to update any information/preferences in the myFSU Portal.

RAMP Export Controls

RAMP Export Control is fully operational and required to be used for export control requests. This new system was launched in December and it marks the 5^th module within the Research Administration Management Portal. RAMP Export Control provides an automated process and enhanced communication tools for the submission, review and management of export control requests. The Export Control module offers the same transparency as the other RAMP modules where the users are able to check the status of requests in real-time. It also provides a flexible review process as ancillary reviewers can be added to the workflow to evaluate and comment on particular export control requests, as needed.

Export Control requests (listed below) are required to originate and route through RAMP.

Biologics Access Controls
DD Form 2345 – Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement
Shipment (International only)
Sponsored Research, Collaborations, and Other Agreements
Visa
Visitor

There are many resources available, such as How-To Guides by request type, a PI Reference Guide, and a document outlining When RAMP Export Control is Required. Users can also learn how the ancillary review process works by reviewing the Ancillary Review Guide and which system actions trigger email notifications through reviewing the System Workflow and Notifications Guide. These training resources are conveniently accessible within the Help Center in RAMP Export Control.

Virtual “Office Hours” are available for user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen share functionality. The RAMP Export Control support email (ramp-exportcontrol@fsu.edu) serves as the best communication tool to reach the Export Control training team for any questions, concerns, feedback, or to request virtual office hours (virtual assistance). We are dedicated to helping you successfully navigate RAMP Export Control!

RAMP Grants

RAMP Grants has entered its eighth month. More than 1300 Funding Proposals have been created!

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. The only proposals that are not required to be submitted via RAMP will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. To view the list of proposals documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

PIs Needed: Help Us Help You!

In the past few months, the RAMP Support Team has been soliciting PI participation in focus groups to find out how you are using the system and how communication and training can be improved. Initial feedback has indicated a desire to replace the focus group format with a Qualtrics survey, which will allow more flexibility in collecting your feedback. Please watch out of an upcoming survey. We would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Other RAMP Activities

RAMP System Upgrade: Starting in late Spring 2021, RAMP will be upgrading to the newest Huron Suite Platform that will bring some exciting new features for users as well as the administrative support teams. Information updates will be posted on the RAMP project website as well as included in the monthly Research Newsletter.

Sponsored Guest Access

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject: Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be cc’d on request.).
The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (i.e., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be cc’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

For questions regarding Export Controls, please contact:
Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance and RAMP Export Control functional lead, at dkey@fsu.edu

All other questions regarding RAMP Support should be directed to:
Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu
Kerry Peluso, Associate Vice President for Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu

New Conflict of Interest System to Launch this Fall

FSU is pleased to announce the procurement of a conflict of interest (COI) system for reporting and approval of faculty and staff outside activity/outside employment, and to identify/manage conflicts of interest within research activities. Although this software will be used broadly across the University, there are significant research components related to the functionality and disclosure process, and it will integrate with the Grants and IRB modules within RAMP.

The new COI system will provide the following features and benefits, including but not limited to:

automating COI processes and workflow
streamlining disclosure forms
early flagging and resolution of potential conflicts
eliminating redundant data input
tracking of compliance and improvement of response rates
fostering a culture of transparency

The implementation process began last month as our team interviewed many groups throughout the University to understand any challenges and needs that should be considered. This month, our team will begin the “onboarding” process, which involves viewing software demonstrations, discussing business requirements, and prioritizing requirements for necessary changes to the software. In addition, we will strongly rely on our steering and executive committees, comprised of key stakeholders in colleges and central offices, for input and guidance as we advance along the project path. There will be ample opportunities for testing and campus training in the months ahead. The COI system is scheduled to deploy this fall.

We are excited about the new COI system and we will continue to provide updates on our progress. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Robyn Blank
Project Sponsor
Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer
robyn.blank@fsu.edu

Angie Rowe
Project Manager
Associate Director, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu

February 2021 RAMP Update

RAMP Export Control is fully operational and required to be used for export control requests. This new system was launched last month and it marks the 5^th module within the Research Administration Management Portal. RAMP Export Control provides an automated process and enhanced communication tools for the submission, review and management of export control requests. The Export Control module offers the same transparency as the other RAMP modules since users are able to check the status of requests in real-time. It also provides a flexible review process as ancillary reviewers can be added to the workflow to evaluate and comment on particular export control requests, as needed.

Export Control requests, as listed below, are required to originate through RAMP at this time.

Biologics Access Controls
DD Form 2345 – Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement
Shipment (International only)
Sponsored Research, Collaborations, and Other Agreements
Visa
Visitor

There are many resources available, such as How-To Guides by request type, a PI Reference Guide, and a document outlining When RAMP Export Control is Required. Users can also learn how the ancillary review process works by reviewing the Ancillary Review Guide and which system actions trigger email notifications through reviewing the System Workflow and Notifications Guide. The same training resources are also conveniently accessible within the Help Center in RAMP Export Control.

Virtual “Office Hours” are available for user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen share functionality.

The RAMP Export Control support email serves as the best communication tool to reach the Export Control training team at ramp-exportcontrol@fsu.edu for any questions, concerns or feedback. We are dedicated to helping you successfully navigate RAMP Export Control!

RAMP Grants has entered its seventh month. More than 1180 Funding Proposals have been created!

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. The only proposals that are not required to be submitted via RAMP will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. To view the list of proposals documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted above on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” are now available upon request. To request training, please contact the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox. The training team will be available for direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality so you can work on any issues you may have encountered creating your proposals.

REMINDER: The RAMP Grants support email, RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the RAMP Support Team with any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training options. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

PIs Needed: Help Us Help You!

The RAMP Support Team will be conducting PI Focus Group Meetings to gather information about the RAMP user experience. Due to RAMP customizations being implemented in December and early January, the RAMP Focus Groups have been moved to late February. We are seeking feedback on the value obtained from training (including ease of access and quality of information provided), Help Desk support quality, and system functionality. These groups will be composed of PIs who are willing to share their opinions within an hour of their time to continue to develop and improve RAMP for the research community. If you have submitted a proposal in RAMP as a PI and are willing to provide one hour of your time (via zoom) to participate in a focus group, please email dmullins2@fsu.edu.

Other RAMP Activities

New RAMP Website Design: The RAMP website is under construction and will be completed later this month. We are excited to provide the latest information as well as provide past history and future enhancements.

New Customizations: Currently, the RAMP Modules support teams are identifying new requirements and FSU customizations to the RAMP system that will enhance the users’ experience and provide better functionalities in some of the Modules. These customizations will be completed this month and information will be available on the Significant Changes webpage at RAMP Grants.

RAMP System Upgrade: Coming in late Spring 2021, RAMP will be upgrading to the newest Huron Suite Platform that will bring some exciting new features for users as well as the administrative support teams. Information updates will be posted on the RAMP project website as well as included in the monthly Research Newsletter.

Sponsored Guest Access

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject: Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be cc’d on request.).
The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (i.e., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be cc’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

For questions regarding Export Controls, please contact:
Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance and RAMP Export Control functional lead, at dkey@fsu.edu

Better funding recommendations through Pivot’s Automatic Citation Ingest from ORCID

The Pivot funding database uses researchers’ profile information in its recommendation engine, matching grants and collaborators to researchers. Now, citations added or updated in a scholar’s ORCID profile are automatically added to their Pivot profile, which improves recommendations for funding sources and collaborators.

ORCID provides researchers with a unique identifier – an ORCID ID – and links their research outputs and activities to their ORCID ID. FSU is working with ORCID to collect IDs for our faculty and connect them to the information about your research activities stored in FSU’s systems. Please visit FSU's ORCID website and click on the “Create/Connect your ORCID ID” button to authorize the collection and use of your ORCID iD in FSU’s systems. If you have not yet registered for an ORCID ID, you will be prompted to do so as part of the process.

Once you have created your ORCID ID, you can link it to your Pivot Profile in six easy steps:

Access your Pivot Account at https://pivot.proquest.com/session/login
Click “Your Profile” in the drop down menu under your name in the top-right corner of the screen
Click the Edit Profile button
Click the + Add button next to the ORCID heading
Follow the directions to either create an ORCID account or sign in to an existing account
Authorize Pivot to read your ORCID profile

If you have questions about connecting your Pivot Profile to ORCID, please email FSU’s ORCID Task Force at orcid@lists.fsu.edu.

January 2021 RAMP Update

RAMP Export Control is fully operational and required to be used for export control requests. This new system was launched last month and it marks the fifth module within the Research Administration Management Portal. RAMP Export Control provides an automated process and enhanced communication tools for the submission, review and management of export control requests. The Export Control module offers the same transparency as the other RAMP modules since users are able to check the status of requests in real-time. It also provides a flexible review process as ancillary reviewers can be added to the workflow to evaluate and comment on particular export control requests, as needed.

Export Control requests, as listed below, are required to originate through RAMP at this time:

Biologics Access Controls
DD Form 2345 – Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement
Shipment (International only)
Sponsored Research, Collaborations, and Other Agreements
Visa
Visitor

Training sessions were held in November to demonstrate how to utilize the new system for each export control request type. If you weren’t able to attend these trainings or if you need a refresher, please view the brief recordings posted on the Export Control training page on the RAMP project website. There are many resources available, such as how-to guides by request type, a PI Reference Guide, and a document outlining When RAMP Export Control is Required. Users can also learn how the ancillary review process works by reviewing the Ancillary Review Guide and which system actions trigger email notifications through reviewing the System Workflow and Notifications Guide. The same training resources are also conveniently accessible within the Help Center in RAMP Export Control.

Virtual “Office Hours” have been organized to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based on demand). Following is the schedule:

Day	Date	Time	Topic	Zoom Registration
Tuesday	Jan. 12	10 – 11 a.m.	RAMP Export Control Office Hours	Zoom Link
Friday	Jan. 22	1 - 2 p.m.	RAMP Export Control Office Hours	Zoom Link

RAMP Grants has entered its seventh month. More than 1030 Funding Proposals have been created.

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. As previously communicated, to assist in the transition to learning a new system (RAMP), a brief period of time was provided where researchers and administrators could utilize non-RAMP systems for submission of proposals. Effective 10/15/20 and beyond, all FSU proposals supported by RAMP-Grants and Grants.gov are required to be submitted System to System via RAMP-Grants. The only proposals that are not required to be submitted via RAMP will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. Most proposals are supported by RAMP. To view the list of proposals documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and how-to guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted above on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” are now available upon request. To request training, please contact the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox. The training team will be available for direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality so you can work on any issues you may have encountered creating your proposals.

PIs Needed: Help Us Help You

The RAMP Support Team will be conducting PI Focus Group Meetings to gather information about the RAMP user experience. Due to RAMP customizations being implemented in December and early January, the RAMP Focus Groups have been moved to late January and early February. We are seeking feedback on the value of the training (including ease of access and quality of information provided), Help Desk support quality, and system functionality. These groups will be composed of PIs who are willing to share their opinions as well as an hour of their time to build a better RAMP product for the research community. If you have submitted a proposal in RAMP as a PI and would will willing to provide one hour of your time (via zoom) to participate in a focus group, please email dmullins2@fsu.edu.

Other RAMP Activities

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

For questions regarding Export Controls, please contact:
Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance and RAMP Export Control functional lead, at dkey@fsu.edu

December 2020 RAMP Update

RAMP Export Control has launched. This new system marks the fifth module within the Research Administration Management Portal, and it provides an automated process and enhanced communication tools for the submission, review and management of export control requests. The Export Control module offers the same transparency as the other RAMP modules since users can check the status of requests in real-time. It also provides a flexible review process, as ancillary reviewers can be added to the workflow to evaluate and comment on particular export control requests as needed.

Export Control requests, as listed below, are required to originate through RAMP at this time.

Biologics Access Controls
DD Form 2345 – Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement
Shipment (International only)
Sponsored Research, Collaborations and Other Agreements
Visa
Visitor

Training sessions were held last month to demonstrate how to utilize the new system for each export control request type. If you weren’t able to attend these trainings or if you need a refresher, please view the brief recordings posted on the Export Control training page on the RAMP project website. There are many resources available, such as How-To Guides by request type, a PI Reference Guide and a document outlining When RAMP Export Control is Required. Users can also learn how the ancillary review process works by reviewing the Ancillary Review Guide and which system actions trigger email notifications through reviewing the System Workflow and Notifications Guide. The same training resources are also conveniently accessible within the “Help Center” tab in RAMP Export Control.

Day	Date	Time	Topic	Zoom Registration
Thursday	Dec. 10	10:30 -11:30 a.m.	RAMP Export Control Office Hours	Zoom Link
Tuesday	Dec. 15	1:00 - 2:00 p.m.	RAMP Export Control Office Hours	Zoom Link

RAMP Grants has entered its sixth month. More than 930 Funding Proposals have been created.

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. As previously communicated, to assist in the transition to learning a new system (RAMP), a brief period of time was provided where researchers and administrators could utilize non-RAMP systems for submission of proposals. Effective 10/15/20 and beyond, all FSU proposals supported by RAMP-Grants and Grants.gov are required to be submitted System to System via RAMP-Grants. The only proposals that are not required to be submitted via RAMP will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. Most proposals are supported by RAMP. To view the list of proposals documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit the RAMP Grants Training website and click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu. Training materials, educational videos and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted above on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” have been scheduled in November and December to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen-sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based upon demand). Registration and session times can be found at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/.

PIs Needed

The RAMP Support Team will be conducting PI Focus Group Meetings to gather information about the RAMP user experience. Due to RAMP customizations being implemented in December and early January, the RAMP Focus Groups have been moved to late January and early February. We are seeking feedback on the value of the training (including ease of access and quality of information provided), Help Desk support quality and system functionality. These groups will be composed of PIs who are willing to share their opinions as well as an hour of their time to build a better RAMP product for the research community. If you have submitted a proposal in RAMP as a PI and would will willing to provide one hour of your time (via Zoom) to participate in a focus group, please email Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director at dmullins2@fsu.edu.

Sponsored Guest Access

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject: Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be CC’d on request.).
The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (e.g., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be CC’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

November 2020 RAMP Update

RAMP Grants has entered its fifth month. More than 750 Funding Proposals have been created!

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. As previously communicated, to assist in the transition to learning a new system (RAMP), a brief period of time was provided where researchers and administrators could utilize non-RAMP systems for submission of proposals. Effective 10/15/20 and beyond, all FSU proposals supported by RAMP-Grants and Grants.gov are required to be submitted System to System via RAMP-Grants. The only proposals that are not required to be submitted via RAMP will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. Most proposals are supported by RAMP. To view the list of proposals documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted above on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” have been scheduled in November and December to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen-sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based upon demand). Registration and session times can be found at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/.

Export Controls

Training sessions for RAMP Export Control will be held in November and will be conducted virtually to educate users on how to use the new system. Attendees will be instructed on software navigation with a guided demo for completing various export control request types. There will be adequate time allotted at the end of each session for the training team to respond to questions and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. The project team and our university partners in the Office of Human Resources, the Center for Global Engagement and the Provost’s Office are putting the finishing touches on How-to Guides and workflow diagrams for campus use. Other training resources, such as quick reference sheets and training videos, will also be made available.

Following is the training schedule for each request type and the associated registration link:

Day	Date	Time	Session	Registration Link
Mon	November 9	10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	Shipment	Link to register for this session.
Tues	November 10	2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	DD-2345 & Biologics Access Controls	Link to register for this session.
Thurs	November 12	9:30 AM - 11:00 AM	Visitor & Visa	Link to register for this session.
Mon	November 16	1:00 PM - 2:00 PM	Sponsored Research, Collaborations, and Other Agreements	Link to register for this session.
Thurs	November 19	9:30 AM - 11:00 AM	Visitor & Visa	Link to register for this session.
Fri	November 20	11:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Shipment	Link to register for this session.

The new launch date for RAMP Export Control will be Monday, December 7. An adjustment was made to the go-live date, as advised by Huron Consulting Group, since the original date coincides with a scheduled RAMP Suite maintenance date; thus, launching the system on that date could have introduced technical issues. Additionally, the deployment of RAMP Export Control after the Thanksgiving holidays will be ideal for users as well as our support team to ensure a smooth transition. Please email your support questions or concerns to ramp-exportcontrol@fsu.edu. We look forward to your participation in training.

PIs Needed

Starting in December, the RAMP Support Team will be conducting PI Focus Group Meetings to gather information about the RAMP user experience. We are seeking feedback on the value of the training (including ease of access and quality of information provided), Help Desk support quality, and system functionality. These groups will be composed of PIs who are willing to share their opinions as well as an hour of their time to build a better RAMP product for the research community. If you have submitted a proposal in RAMP as a PI and would will willing to provide one hour of your time (via zoom) to participate in a focus group, please email dmullins2@fsu.edu.

Sponsored Guest Access

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject:

Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be cc’d on request.).
The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (i.e., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be cc’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

Other RAMP Activities

Known Issues: While the system is working very well for FSU, as with all implementations, there are a few items that require some adjustment. A list of current technical and user-identified concerns for RAMP Grants is now available as an additional resource on the RAMP project website Known Issues page so users can easily view the status.

New Customizations: Currently, the RAMP Modules support teams are identifying new requirements and FSU customizations to the RAMP system that will enhance the users’ experience and provide better functionalities in some of the Modules. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

For questions regarding Export Controls, please contact:
Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, at arrowe@fsu.edu
Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance and RAMP Export Control functional lead, at dkey@fsu.edu

RAMP Update: October 2020

RAMP Grants has entered its fourth month. More than 600 Funding Proposals have been created!

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. As previously communicated, to assist in the transition to learning a new system (RAMP), a brief period of time was provided where researchers and administrators could utilize non-RAMP systems for submission of proposals. Effective 10/15/20, all proposals supported by RAMP-Grants and Grants.gov will be required to be submitted System to System via RAMP-Grants. The only proposals that may be submitted via specific agency systems, such as ASSIST or Fastlane, will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. To locate the documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted above on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” have been scheduled in October to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen-sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based upon demand). Registration and session times can be found at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/.

REMINDER: The RAMP Grants support email, RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the Grants training team for any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training program. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

Sponsored Guest Access

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject: Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be cc’d on request.).
The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (i.e., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be cc’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

PIs Needed

Export Controls

RAMP Export Control remains on course to go-live on November 23, 2020. Development of training materials is currently underway as the team prepares to offer How-To Guides, reference materials and virtual trainings via Zoom.

As we prepare to launch RAMP Export Control, you will have the opportunity for a sneak peek of the software this month prior to our training, which will begin in November. We have organized brief testing sessions to guide you through using the Export Control module. Your participation is essential as it will help us identify any critical issues within the system and allow us to gain feedback as we work toward crafting effective training materials for the research community. All individuals are welcome to participate – researchers, department administrators, chairs, deans and directors. Most sessions are only an hour and they have been segmented based on Export Control request types. A guided test script will be provided during these sessions. Following is the testing schedule and Zoom links to join:

Day	Date	Time	Session	Zoom Link
Tuesday	October 13	10:00 AM - 11:30 AM	DD Form 2345 & Biologics Access Controls	https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93871625052
Tuesday	October 13	1:00 PM - 1:45 PM	Shipment	https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99214685991
Thursday	October 15	10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	Visitor	https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94922224415
Friday	October 16	9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Visa	https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97642689435

In order to join the session(s) that closely align(s) with the Export Control requests initiated by your department, college or center, please refer to the following request type descriptions:

DD Form 2345 – Selected if FSU’s DD Form 2345 is needed: (1) for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) solicitations that involve access to export-controlled data, (2) for conference/meeting attendance with export controlled material/data, (3) for export-controlled technical data exchange between vendors, (4) to obtain Request for Proposal (RFP) details with export-controlled data, (5) for DoD Research/Development projects involving export-controlled data, or (6) to participate in a Directly Arranged Visit (DAV) (Canada to U.S. or U.S. to Canada).

Biologics Access Controls – Requests involving the transfer of biological materials by FSU to another institution, or, in certain cases, materials that may be export controlled under the EAR and in rare cases under the ITAR.

Shipment – Requests for international shipments only. Approval is not required for domestic shipments.

Visitor – Selected for a visiting scholar (paid or unpaid) or short-term visitor to (1) Register a foreign visitor for a stay of 14 days or less, or (2) To request approval to invite a foreign or domestic visitor for a stay of more than 14 days.

Visa – Request to hire a foreign national (international employee).

Other RAMP Activities

New Customizations: Currently, the RAMP Modules support teams are identifying new requirements and FSU customizations to the RAMP system that will enhance the users’ experience and provide better functionalities in some of the Modules. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Collaborative Collision: Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020
3 – 5 p.m.
Registration deadline: Oct. 9
Please click here to register

In partnership with the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Research Development is proud to offer Collaborative Collision: Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion.

Collaborative Collision is an interdisciplinary networking program that connects faculty with complementary interests, expertise, and resources, and launches new collaborative research programs that are well positioned to make breakthrough discoveries and compete for external funding.

In the virtual format, each researcher presents a three-minute research profile focused on their interest in the topic area, ways they can help or be helped by collaborators and any relevant ongoing work. Key focus areas include, but are not limited to, health, education, criminal justice, gender, religion, veterans, disability/ableism, politics and economics.

We aim to provide space and time for members of the campus community to highlight their anti-racism, equity and inclusion research and provide opportunities for future collaborations across disciplines. In addition to the exchange of ideas, we hope that highlighting this research will lend to a greater understanding of the need to pursue and support research that is innovative, compelling, and can provide informed direction to practices and policies that are rooted in social justice.

Have you been to the Pivot site lately?

You may already know that Pivot is a one-stop database for finding both private and governmental funding opportunities, but did you know that it can also help you locate collaborators? By clicking on the Profiles tab and clicking Advanced Search, you can identify collaborators both at FSU and beyond by using search terms of your choosing.

Two new tabs you will see when visiting the Pivot site are “Conferences and Papers Invited” and “Awarded Grants.” The Conferences and Papers database consists of detailed, comprehensive information about calls for papers with deadlines regarding forthcoming conferences and special issues of scholarly journals. These calls for papers are issued by professional bodies, journal editors and other conference organizers in all disciplines and from all over the world. Thus, the database serves as an alerting service for researchers, scholars, and students seeking opportunities to present and publish their research. The Awarded Grants database consists of detailed, comprehensive information about awarded grants. Use advanced search for more options such as searching by year, principal investigator, award value, award ID or host institution. You can view detailed award information, and in some cases it is possible to link to investigator profiles and current opportunities for recurring awards.

Check out Pivot, as well as other tools and resources to locate funding, on the Office of Research Development’s Finding Funding page.

RAMP Update: September 2020

RAMP Grants has entered its third month. More than 450 Funding Proposals have been created!

Background: The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. Detailed information concerning the transition to RAMP Grants is available on the significant changes webpage.

As of July 15, 2020 the PTF is no longer accepted by Sponsored Research Administration. RAMP Grants is required for all proposal submissions and award modification requests to Sponsored Research Administration and the FSU Research Foundation. RAMP Grants can be accessed by signing into the myFSU portal, clicking the “RAMP” icon, and then clicking the Grants tab within the top navigation menu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. Following is a list of the training resources available to users:

Course recordings and training presentations are located on the RAMP project website and can be found here.
How-to guides are available on the RAMP project website and within the RAMP Grants Help Center.
Frequently asked questions are available by topic and will be updated periodically.

In addition, virtual “Office Hours” will be scheduled in the last two weeks of September to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen-sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based upon demand). Registration and session times can be found at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/

REMINDER: The RAMP Grants support email, RSCH-RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the Grants training team for any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training program. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

Other RAMP Activities

Sponsored Guest Access is now available in RAMP. Occasionally, there is the need for someone outside FSU to have limited access to RAMP. This occurs most often when FSU is acting as a single IRB (but could occur in other cases). Rather than going through the longer onboarding process that is required and appropriate for individuals who will have an ongoing relationship with FSU, individuals can be provided with short-term access to the system. For more information, please visit the RAMP website. To request access for a Sponsored Guest please email your request to RSCH-RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

Known Issues: While the system is working very well for FSU, as with all implementations, there are a few items that require some adjustment. A list of current technical and user-identified concerns for RAMP Grants is now available as an additional resource on the RAMP project website Known Issues page so users can easily view the status.

Unsupported Documents: The list of unsupported SF424 forms for Grants.gov submissions is very limited and has been posted on the RAMP project website training page so that it can also be easily accessed.

Upcoming Module

The Export Control module is well underway and the project team has established system requirements for the electronic routing of export control requests. Some modifications have been made to tailor the system to meet the needs of the university and Huron has started their development work in preparation for launching this module in November. Project champions from various colleges recently met with project team members to view the software, ask questions and have an opportunity to offer their feedback. Testing sessions for RAMP Export Control will be held next month via Zoom and we encourage researchers and department administrators to participate in these sessions to try out the new system. There will be guided test scripts and we will share the details once the schedule is finalized.

Upcoming RAMP Events

RAMP Town Hall meetings will be held virtually through Zoom as we continue to provide updates about Export Control implementation activities and respond to Grants module support questions and concerns. These meetings also serve as an excellent opportunity for all users to ask questions, learn from other attendees, voice your feedback, and to continue to stay informed on all of the latest information about RAMP. Our last town hall was very interactive and we hope you will consider joining us for one of the following meetings.

RAMP Town Hall Meeting Information:

Wednesday, September 23: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Zoom Meeting Link

Friday, October 2: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting Link

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Office of Human Subjects Protection - Study Volunteer Registries and Other Storage of Individuals’ Contact Information for Future Research: September 2020

Lists or compilations of individuals’ names, contact and other additional information may be invaluable to FSU researchers for developing a sample of potential human subjects for their future research. These lists and compilations may generally be referred to as registries. Federal law requires FSU Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight of these registries.

Registries subject to IRB review may include, for example, a one-time registry that includes information about subjects who participate in a specific IRB-approved study and who are willing to be contacted for future research. Provided that such a registry is subsumed under the specific IRB-approved study, separate IRB oversight of the registry is not required.

Alternatively, if a registry which includes individual’s information (whether or not these individuals took part in other research or who are identified through non-research activities) is going to be developed or added to over time, used by more than one researcher, and/or individuals will be invited to be included in the registry, a separate IRB oversight of the registry is required.

Submit for IRB review, approval and oversight all such registry activities in RAMP IRB.

More detailed information about study volunteer registries, including applicable federal law and related guidance, may be found at the FSU Office for Human Subjects Protection (OHSP) website.

Your registry-related questions may be directed to the OHSP Director, T. Howard Stone.

RAMP Update: August 2020

RAMP Grants has entered its second month. More than 250 Funding Proposals have been created!

The PTF is no longer accepted by Sponsored Research Administration. RAMP Grants is required for all proposal submissions and award modification requests to Sponsored Research Administration and the FSU Research Foundation. RAMP Grants can be accessed by signing into the myFSU portal, clicking the “RAMP” icon, and then clicking the Grants tab within the top navigation menu.

Course recordings and training presentations are located on the RAMP project website and can be found here.
How-to guides are available on the RAMP project website and within the RAMP Grants Help Center.
Frequently asked questions are available by topic and will be updated periodically.

In addition, virtual “Office Hours” have been scheduled to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen-sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based upon demand).

The schedule for RAMP Grants Office Hours is as follows:

Day	Date	Time	Topic	Zoom Registration
Thursday	August 13	1:00 - 2:00	Office Hours	Zoom Link
Thursday	August 20	10:00 - 11:00	Office Hours	Zoom Link
Friday	August 28	2:00 - 3:00	Office Hours	Zoom Link

The RAMP Grants support email, RSCH-RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the Grants training team for any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training program. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

Coming soon: While the system is working very well for FSU, as with all implementations, there are a few items that require some adjustment. A list of current technical and user-identified concerns for RAMP Grants is being compiled and will soon be available as an additional resource on the RAMP project website training page so users can easily view the status.

The list of unsupported SF424 forms for Grants.gov submissions is very limited. This will also be posted on the RAMP project website training page so that it can also be easily accessed.

Other RAMP Activities

Sponsored Guest Access is now available in RAMP. Occasionally, there is the need for someone outside of FSU to have limited short-term access to RAMP. This occurs most often when FSU is acting as a single IRB (but could occur in other cases). Rather than going through the longer onboarding process that is required and appropriate for individuals who will have an ongoing relationship with FSU, individuals can be provided with short-term access to the system. For more information, please visit the RAMP website.

During August, we begin the implementation process for the Export Control module which is the fifth module within the integrated framework of RAMP. Meetings will be held with project team members to view demonstrations of the system. The team will review and consider system functionality and current business processes as part of establishing system requirements. We are fortunate to have a wide breadth of knowledge and experience on the project team with representation from the Office of Research Compliance Programs, Office of Compliance and Ethics, Office of the Provost, Office of the General Counsel, Controller’s Office, Procurement Services, Environmental Health and Safety, College of Medicine, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and the Center for Advanced Power Systems. Diana Key will be the functional lead for this project. In addition, project champions will be involved soon as we work toward obtaining valuable input from the research community on the new system. This software is scheduled to go-live on November 23, 2020.

RAMP Town Hall meetings will be held virtually through Zoom over the next few weeks to provide information about Export Control implementation activities and RAMP Grants reporting efforts as well as to share information on Grants support concerns and requests. These meetings also serve as an excellent opportunity for all users to ask questions, voice your feedback, and to continue to stay informed on all of the latest information about RAMP. Please consider joining us for one of the following meetings.

RAMP Town Hall Meeting Information

Tuesday, August 18: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Zoom Meeting Link

Tuesday, September 1: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Zoom Meeting Link

As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact us.

Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu
Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, at arrowe@fsu.edu
Pam Ray, Senior Director of SRA, at pray2@fsu.edu
Kerry Peluso, Associate Vice President for Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu

eSpear announcement: August 2020

Effective Sept. 1, 2020, all FSU staff who are responsible for research administration activities are required to complete the eSPEAR program by Feb. 28, 2021 or within six months of their start date in their position (whichever is later). Exemptions to this requirement will be offered for (A) existing staff who have completed the prior SRA Certificate Series, CREATE or SPEAR or (B) existing staff who meet the eligibility requirements to test out and successfully pass an exam (more information provided below).

Questions and Answers about eSPEAR

What is eSPEAR?

eSPEAR is an educational certificate program for FSU research administrators offered by the Office of the Vice President of Research. It has been designed to ensure that FSU research administrators have the foundational knowledge they need to ensure that FSU researchers receive the highest quality of support possible. eSPEAR delivers the fundamental concepts of conducting research administration at FSU and introduces individuals to the resources available to assist them in meeting the responsibilities of their position.

In order to complete the eSPEAR Certification Program, individuals must complete ten online modules and a half day live capstone program. The program includes:

ESP01-Introduction to Research Administration at FSU
ESP02-Uniform Guidance – 2CFR200
ESP03-Proposal Development and Submission
ESP04-Award Set-Up
ESP05-Building Budgets
ESP06-Internal Controls and Audits
ESP07-Project Management
ESP08-Effort Commitments and Certifications
ESP09-Project Closeouts
ESP10-Issuing and Managing Subawards
eSPEAR Capstone (live half day course)

Are you required to complete the eSPEAR Certification Program?

Effective Sept. 1, 2020, all existing staff that are in positions where they are responsible for the direct administration of research and/or sponsored programs (at the school, department or central level) are required to complete the eSPEAR Certification Program or be approved for an exemption by Feb. 28, 2021. Any staff who begin a position (where they are responsible for the direct administration of research and/or sponsored programs) after Sept. 1, 2020 will be required to complete the program within six months of the start date in their position. No opportunities for exemptions will be offered to staff entering their positions after Sept. 1, 2020.

What are the requirements to obtain an exemption from the obligation to complete eSPEAR?

In order to obtain an exemption from completing the eSPEAR Certification Program, an individual will need to demonstrate that they have acquired the foundation of knowledge related to research administration at FSU via past experiences. Exemptions will only be offered to FSU staff who are active employees prior to Sept. 1, 2020.

The requirements for an exemption can be met in one of three ways:

Prior completion of the SRA Certificate Series.
Prior completion of the SRA CREATE or SPEAR Program.
Meeting specific test out criteria and scoring a minimum of 75 percent on an FSU Research Administration Knowledge Exam (requires five years of experience in FSU research administration and supervisor approval).

How do I request an exemption?
Requests for exemptions can be submitted after September 1, 2020.

To request an exemption for prior completion of SRA Certificate Series, CREATE, or SPEAR Program, visit SRA’s training page (Sept. 1, 2020 or later) and complete the eSPEAR Exemption form. Attach any requested information or documentation and submit to SRA via the instructions provided. Once verified, the individual’s OMNI record will be updated to reflect that they have met the eSPEAR requirement through exemption.
To request an opportunity to test out of the requirement to complete the eSPEAR Certificate Program, visit SRA’s training page (Sept. 1, 2020 or later) and complete the eSPEAR Test-Out Request form. Once eligibility is confirmed, the individual will be provided with access to the test and will have two opportunities to obtain a score of 75 percent or better. Once SRA Training is notified of a passing score, the individual’s OMNI record will be updated to reflect that they have met the eSPEAR requirement via the test out process.

To be eligible to test out, you must have a minimum of five years of experience administering research at FSU and your supervisor must approve the following statement, “I approve this request and confirm that this staff member has demonstrated proficiency in research administration at FSU and I do not feel they require the training offered as part of eSPEAR.”

If I meet the requirements for an exemption, will I have access to the eSPEAR Certification Program?

All FSU staff and faculty have access to the eSPEAR Certification Program. The program includes the most up to date information regarding administering research at FSU. A broad variety of tools have been added to support FSU research administrators. Both new and existing FSU research administrators will benefit from completing the program. Any staff who are eligible for an exemption have the option to request an exemption or to complete the program.

How are staff enrolled in eSPEAR?

Staff in research administration positions (as defined by their job code) on Sept. 1, 2020 or later will be enrolled in the eSPEAR certification program by Sept. 15, 2020. Any staff in research administration positions (as defined by their job code) beginning a position after Sept. 1, 2020 will be enrolled within one to two weeks of their start date. Because we realize that there may be a desire to begin training earlier than this, there will also be a simple process for the individual or their manager to enroll them. (Instructions will be available on the SRA Training page on Sept. 1, 2020 and going forward). Staff who are responsible for research administration activities, but who are in broader positions where the job code does not define them as research administrators, should self-enroll in the program. Alternatively, their manager or SRA can enroll them.

Are there any requirements to maintain the eSPEAR Certification?

Yes, there will be a continuing education requirement to maintain certification (for those completing the program and those meeting the requirement via exemption or testing). Research Administration is a constantly evolving field of knowledge and it is important that FSU research administrators remain engaged. In order to support FSU research administrators in their roles, an annual update will be provided (available online). The update will include new information for FSU research administrators and could include changes in federal requirements, FSU research administration systems, or any other topic impacting research administration. The continuing education requirement will be a requirement beginning for Fiscal Year 2022. The requirements of this program will be provided in spring of Fiscal Year 2021. There will be no requirements to maintain certification until the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022 (July 2021).

Will any other research administration training be offered (besides the eSPEAR Certification Program)?

Yes, SRA will continue to offer advanced and specialized training courses as they have in the past. Additional online training will also be added to the eSPEAR Program as optional courses.

How can I provide feedback on the eSPEAR Certification Program?**

All feedback is appreciated and should be submitted to Eileen Campanale at ecampanale@fsu.edu.

Research Administration Manual (RAM) Update: August 2020

The Office of Research is pleased to announce that RAM (Research Administration Manual) has launched. RAM provides an online manual for the administration of research at FSU. It has been designed to be the “first place to go” when you are seeking information on any topic related to research administration at FSU. RAM includes access to information as well as links to other resources. Topics from proposal preparation through project closeout are included, as well as links to necessary forms, training opportunities and other important information for the research administration process.

Also included are workflow maps and roles/responsibilities matrices for various processes. For example, this website allows users to access the workflow for grant proposal preparation. The related roles and responsibilities matrix for that area can also be accessed at that same location. These documents provide detailed information regarding who is responsible for the related activities and clarifies what their role is for listed tasks.

This manual has been designed to assist FSU’s research community in finding the information they need quickly. If you are not finding the information you need or you have other suggestions, please let us know. Questions or comments should be directed to Michelle Francis at mnfrancis@fsu.edu.

ORCID iD: August 2020

Register and Connect your ORCID iD to Track and Link Research Outputs

What is ORCID?

ORCID provides researchers with a unique identifier – an ORCID iD – and links their research outputs and activities to their ORCID iD. Many systems used by publishers, funders, and institutions include ORCID integrations.

Connect your ORCID iD to FSU

FSU is working with ORCID to collect iDs for our faculty and connect them to the information about your research activities stored in our systems. Please visit the ORCID@FSU website and click on the “Create/Connect your ORCID iD” button to authorize the collection and use of your ORCID iD in FSU’s systems. If you have not yet registered for an ORCID iD, you will be prompted to do so as part of the process.

Why register? Your ORCID iD enables you to:

Distinguish yourself from other researchers
Manage your identity, despite changes in name, gender, profession, or institution
Ensure that you are accurately linked with your research, contributions, & affiliations, to get credit for your work
Improve the visibility of your contributions
Save time on repetitive data entry for funding, publishing, & research reporting workflows
Keep track of all of your affiliations & contributions in an interoperable, trustworthy platform throughout your career regardless of changes in name, institution, & discipline

The Office of Faculty Development and Advancement has developed an integration between ORCID and FSU’s Faculty Expertise and Advancement System (FEAS). This integration streamlines the process of importing information about your research contributions into FEAS. More information about this integration is available here.

Faculty who wish to benefit from this integration are encouraged to register and/or connect their ORCID profiles and then begin importing works to their profiles following these instructions. A short video tutorial on the process of importing works is also available at https://vimeo.com/236776451.

To learn more, please visit the new ORCID @ FSU website. You can also contact orcid@lists.fsu.edu for assistance with creating, connecting, and populating your ORCID profile.

OMNI Update: July 2020

As announced earlier this year, FSU Research Foundation (FSURF) transitioned into OMNI on July 1, 2020. FSURF departmental funds will be transitioned into OMNI Fund 545 and Fund 544. FSURF revenues and expenses will be integrated into FSU systems (OMNI, Concur, and SpearMart). The University’s departmental and managerial reporting will be enhanced to incorporate these FSURF funds.

The transition includes the following items:

Contracts & Grants
Royalty Accounts
PI Support Accounts
Departmental Indirect Cost Accounts
GAP Awards
Krafft Awards (formerly known as Eppes Awards)

This will transition the transactional management of above projects to be similar to the awards administered by SRA, providing more consistency in how all sponsored projects are managed. The rules applied to expenditures will not change and will continue to align with the sponsor requirements of each individual award. More information will be provided as we get closer to July 1. More questions? For more information, please visit our FAQs at https://controller.vpfa.fsu.edu/services/accounting-reporting/omni-research-foundation.

We look forward to a successful transition and thank you in advance for your cooperation and feedback.

Project-specific questions related to the FSU Research Foundation transition should be directed to your Grants Analyst at FSURF. General OMNI related questions about the FSU Research Foundation transition should be directed to Heather Cave at hcave@fsu.edu or Betsy Miller at bcmiller@fsu.edu.

Office for Human Subjects Protection: July 2020 update

Now that FSU has permitted expansion of additional research involving in-person activities with human research participants that was previously restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and national emergency, the FSU Office for Human Subjects Protection (OHSP) has posted new information for the FSU research community, including updated COVID-19-related materials.

Especially useful are our new templates for revising or submitting IRB applications to ensure that human research studies adhere to the latest FSU COVID-19-related requirements. The basis for these requirements is established in the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida-approved FSU Fall 2020 Plan (see page 20). This includes a template for protocol and consent language and related instructions, and a COVID-19 Information Sheet that may, if applicable, be provided to human research participants in lieu of revising study consent forms.

To facilitate any study-related modifications for expanded permitted in-person research, COVID-19-related human research policies, all safety protocols and templates are now referenced and linked on our COVID-19 web page. These materials are also published in FSU’s RAMP IRB module, accessible here, under the IRB, Library tabs, and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), General, and Worksheets sub-tabs.

Your study’s COVID-19-related questions may be directed to: humansubjects@fsu.edu or the OHSP Director, T. Howard Stone.

RAMP Update July 2020: RAMP Grants has launched!

Researchers and administrators are encouraged to begin using the Grants module at this time to take advantage of the transparency and timesaving functions available in our new electronic grants management system. The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the Agreements and IRB modules, as well as OMNI. More detailed information concerning the transition to RAMP Grants is available on the significant changes webpage.

RAMP Grants can be accessed by signing into the myFSU portal, clicking the “RAMP” icon, and then clicking the Grants tab within the top navigation menu.

A two-week grace period is available for large proposal deadlines in early July to allow researchers the flexibility to use RAMP Grants or submit the Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF) to the respective central office. Beginning July 15, the PTF will no longer be accepted and RAMP Grants will be required for all proposal submissions and award modification requests to Sponsored Research Administration and the FSU Research Foundation.

Many training courses were offered in May and June and the Grants training team held practice sessions to provide hands-on guidance for using the system. If you weren’t able to attend these trainings, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants! Also, individuals that attended the online courses can view the recordings and guides as a refresher. Following is a list of training resources available and what you need to know:

Course recordings and training presentations are located on the RAMP project website and can be found here
How-to guides are available on the RAMP project website and within the RAMP Grants Help Center
Frequently asked questions are available by topic and will be updated periodically
More online training courses will be offered this month and the schedule will be posted once the curriculum is finalized

Virtual “Office Hours” have been organized to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based on demand). Following is the schedule:

Day	Date	Time	Topic	Zoom Registration
Tuesday	July 7	3:00 - 4:30	RAMP Grants Office Hours	Zoom Link
Thursday	July 9	8:30 - 10:00	RAMP Grants Office Hours	Zoom Link
Wednesday	July 15	10:30 - 12:00	RAMP Grants Office Hours	Zoom Link
Friday	July 17	10:30 - 12:00	RAMP Grants Office Hours	Zoom Link

The RAMP Grants support email serves as the best communication tool to reach the Grants training team at ramp-grants@fsu.edu for any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as our team works to continually improve the training program. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, at arrowe@fsu.edu
Pam Ray, Senior Director of SRA, at pray2@fsu.edu
Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu
Kerry Peluso, Associate Vice President for Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu

RAMP Update - June 2020

RAMP Grants is almost finalized and is scheduled to go-live on July 1, 2020. We are excited to launch the fourth module within RAMP as we continue to establish a comprehensive and integrated research system. As a reminder, RAMP Grants provides electronic grants management and system-to-system proposal submission capability that interfaces with Grants.gov. The Grants module will integrate with the Agreements and IRB modules, as well as OMNI. More detailed information can be accessed by viewing the significant changes webpage.

RAMP Grants will be available on July 1 and we strongly encourage researchers and administrators to use the new system at this time. A two-week grace period will be offered for large proposal deadlines in early July to allow researchers the flexibility to use RAMP Grants or submit the Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF) to the respective central office. Beginning July 15, the PTF will no longer be accepted and RAMP Grants will be required for all proposal submissions and award modification requests to Sponsored Research Administration and the FSU Research Foundation.

Training will continue this month and well beyond system deployment. All individuals involved in the research administration process are strongly encouraged to participate in training to ensure they are well prepared for the transition to RAMP Grants. Following is a list of training resources and what you need to know to prepare for go-live:

Online training course schedule can be found here
Course recordings and presentations continue to be added to the project website and can be found here
How-to guides are available and more resources will be posted throughout June to the RAMP project website
Frequently asked questions are available by topic and will be updated periodically
Virtual “Office Hours” will be scheduled after go-live for direct assistance with RAMP Grants using Zoom screen share functionality
Help Center within RAMP Grants will also contain training videos and resources beginning July 1^st

Additionally, we have organized RAMP Grants practice sessions in response to requests from training participants. These sessions will involve a training script where attendees can try out the system functionality on their own with assistance from our training team prior to system go-live. Registration is required and following is the schedule:

Day	Date	Time	Topic	Zoom Registration
Monday	June 15	9:00 - 10:30	Proposal Practice Session	Zoom link
Wednesday	June 17	3:00 - 4:30	Proposal Practice Session	Zoom link
Friday	June 19	10:00 - 11:30	Award Practice Session	Zoom link
Monday	June 22	2:30 - 4:00	Award Practice Session	Zoom link

The RAMP Grants support email is active now and it serves as the best communication tool to reach the Grants training team at ramp-grants@fsu.edu for any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as our team works to continually improve the training curriculum. We remain committed to providing you with timely information and helpful support for a successful transition to the new system!

Also occurring this past month, three RAMP modules were successfully updated or upgraded. These include the IRB, ACUC and Agreements modules. The changes included a new dashboard for the staff of the Office of Human Subjects Protection, improved functionality for ACUC reviewers and other minor changes including some in preparation for the grants module implementation on July 1. A “Special Thanks” goes out to everyone involved with the testing and implementation of these upgrades/updates. Everyone did great work together and the changes were handled well with very minimal impact on RAMP users.

OMNI Update - June, 2020

As announced earlier this year, FSU Research Foundation (FSURF) in transitioning into OMNI on July 1, 2020. FSURF departmental funds will be transitioned into OMNI Fund 545 and Fund 544. FSURF revenues and expenses will be integrated into FSU systems (OMNI, Concur, and SpearMart). The University’s departmental and managerial reporting will be enhanced to incorporate these FSURF funds.

The transition includes the following items:

Contracts & Grants
Royalty Accounts
PI Support Accounts
Departmental Indirect Cost Accounts
GAP Awards
Krafft Awards (formerly known as Eppes Awards)

This will transition the transactional management of above projects to be similar to the awards administered by SRA, providing more consistency in how all sponsored projects are managed. The rules applied to expenditures will not change and will continue to align with the sponsor requirements of each individual award. More information will be provided as we get closer to July 1^st. More questions? For more information, please visit our FAQs at https://controller.vpfa.fsu.edu/services/accounting-reporting/omni-research-foundation.

We look forward to a successful transition and thank you in advance for your cooperation and feedback.

Uniform Guidance regulations and Sole Source purchases

New federal guidelines were implemented effective July 1, 2018 that impact procurement of goods and services. The regulations known as Uniform Guidance, are issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and there were a number of reforms and changes for institutions that receive federal grant funding.

The primary impact affected is the due diligence required for purchases in excess of the $75K and especially for Sole Source purchases, which will require a more compliant and sourcing process.

A sole source purchase means that only one supplier (source), to the best of the requester's knowledge and belief, based upon thorough research, (i.e. conducting a market survey), is capable of delivering the required product or service. Similar types of goods and services may exist, but only one supplier, for reasons of expertise, and/or standardization, quality, compatibility with existing equipment, specifications, or availability, is the only source that is acceptable to meet a specific need.

Uniform Guidance Section 200.320 permits four (4) exceptions which are allowable for Sole Source procurement, but note that a Sponsored Research Exemption (SRE) is not one of the recognized exceptions when using federal funds:

Available only from a single source (must be thoroughly researched/documented)
The Federal awarding entity or pass-through entity expressly authorizes non-competitive proposals
Public exigency or emergency for the requirement will permit a delay resulting from competitive solicitation
After a formal competitive solicitation, contacting a number of sources, competition is deemed inadequate

In addition, under Uniform Guidance, there are other requirements which must be included in any Sole Source purchase, which Procurement Services can work with you on:

PI or Researcher must make independent cost estimate(s) before receiving bids or proposals.
Procurement must negotiate profit as a separate element of the price for each contract in which there is no price competition and in all cases where cost analysis is performed.
Under the new UG Procurement Standards, any sole source purchase over $75,000 must be accompanied by a cost analysis that includes all costs that lead to the quoted price. As this cost analysis would need to include line items for overhead and profit, it is highly unlikely that a supplier would provide this information. However, if you are able to acquire this, include it with the Sole Source Justification. The Procurement Category Manager will need to conduct a cost analysis of the “reasonableness of each cost element.”
Equipment must be made available for use on other projects, provided use will not interfere with the work on the projects for which it was originally acquired.
Supplies must be retained for use on other activities or you must sell them, but must, in either case, compensate the Federal Government for its share if supplies are not used.
Must comply with section 6002 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Must take all necessary affirmative steps to assure that minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible.
Must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of the procurement.

Since exempting as a sole source, requires stringent detailed documentation, please contact Procurement Services so that we can help you through this process and ensure the requirements of Uniform Guidance are met.

For more information, go to: https://procurement.fsu.edu/how/buy/buying-exemptions#SS

Further Expansion of Research Activities
Proposed date: June 10, 2020

Goals: To maintain health and safety, while increasing research activity by FSU investigators in a phased approach; to follow federal, state, and local guidance.

This document refers to research activities only; the remainder of campus is still in Phase 1 and all employees who can work from home should continue to do so until at least June 22^st. The guidance contained herein covers research conducted in spaces on FSU’s campuses and also in spaces owned or leased by FSU. It also covers direct contact by FSU employees with individuals (human participants) for research purposes anywhere. On-campus research refers only to activities requiring a physical presence in FSU buildings, including accessing materials and equipment such as machines and instruments located on campus. It does not pertain to research that can be done remotely.

If conditions remain stable, we plan to allow further expansion of research activities beginning June 10. Final confirmation about the date is forthcoming. After that confirmation, FSU researchers may increase on-campus and other research activity, but note that the majority of employees will not return to campus until FSU moves to Phase 2, which is expected to be June 22^nd. The primary goal of this guidance is to maintain physical distance between people; as a general rule, aim for no more than 50% of normal staffing levels in any individual space. More specifically, work to ensure six feet between individuals and two or fewer people per 100 square feet whenever possible. Some spaces will be configured such that even less than 50% occupancy does not allow proper distancing, in which case maintaining distance takes priority over headcount. Chairs and Center Directors, with the approval of their Deans, will be responsible for implementing this guidance.

Here are further considerations for activities that, upon final confirmation, may begin:

Lab research may begin to increase staffing to 50% of normal levels, within the following parameters: ensuring adequate distancing between people at all times, with use of cloth face coverings or masks where this is not possible; shift work/scheduled access; thorough disinfection of work surfaces before and after use; frequent hand-washing.
Face-to face (“interactional”) human subjects research that can be conducted within the parameters of social distancing (e.g. observational, some behavioral) may recommence, provided that it does not involve populations vulnerable to COVID-19 (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html for guidelines about vulnerable populations). Consent forms must henceforth be revised to accommodate new risk and mitigation factors; the OHSP has posted a template and guidance at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-offices/ohsp/covid-19-and-human-research-studies/, and the IRB will endeavor to approve all revisions quickly. This research may not recommence without IRB approval. Steps taken will include the provision of face coverings and personal protective equipment and regular disinfection of areas, and may well include physical barriers and/or moving research to larger rooms. For interactions that happen off-campus, the PI must ensure provision of face coverings and PPE, as appropriate, and disinfecting supplies, and must establish cleaning protocols and ensure that they are followed (see https://safety.fsu.edu/resources/covid.php#topic11 for further guidance). In all cases, frequent hand-washing or the use of hand sanitizer is recommended as the most effective safety measure.
Face-to face (“interventional”) human subjects research and clinical research that cannot be conducted within the parameters of social distancing may recommence with the approval of the OVPR, provided that it does not involve populations vulnerable to COVID-19 (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html for guidelines about vulnerable populations). Consent forms must henceforth be revised to accommodate new risk and mitigation factors; the OHSP has posted a template and guidance at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-offices/ohsp/covid-19-and-human-research-studies/, and the IRB will endeavor to approve all revisions quickly. This research may not recommence without IRB approval. Steps taken will include the provision of face coverings and personal protective equipment and regular disinfection of areas, and may well include physical barriers and/or moving research to larger rooms. For interactions that happen off-campus, the PI must ensure provision of face coverings and PPE, as appropriate, and disinfecting supplies, and must establish cleaning protocols and ensure that they are followed (see https://safety.fsu.edu/resources/covid.php#topic11 for further guidance). In all cases, frequent hand-washing or the use of hand sanitizer is recommended as the most effective safety measure.
Remaining core facilities and equipment that require significant time to turn on, recalibrate, etc., may now start up.
Field research involving graduate students may recommence, with appropriate social distancing and/or use of masks or face coverings where that is not possible.
All field research must be approved by the OVPR.
Faculty may apply to the OVPR to allow undergraduates to do field or on-campus research.
FSU Libraries has begun offering limited access to print materials; see their website for the most up-to-date information: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/.
Most meetings will remain virtual.
Travel outside the local area, or beyond one’s normal commute, is only permitted with prior VP approval.
Coordinate equipment and supply deliveries within your unit; do not assume that someone will be present to receive packages.
Track all coronavirus-related expenditures, since they may be reimbursable. To ensure FEMA and CDC compliance, source PPE and other equipment through procurement, ideally at a unit rather than individual PI level. Do not use a purchase card. Further information, and ordering instructions, can be found at https://procurement.fsu.edu/CampusRampUP. If safety considerations call for items that are not in SpearMart (e.g. plexiglass shields), please contact Mitchell Jermyn (mjermyn@fsu.edu) or Geneva Miller (gamiller@fsu.edu) for assistance.
Buildings will remain locked, with swipe-card access.
If you are being funded by any agency or foundation that has stricter policies than these, check with your program officer before acting.

Faculty and staff with concerns about returning to work should notify their supervisors, who will consult with HR as appropriate. HR is developing employee guidance related to those individuals who are at higher risk related to COVID-19, and those with childcare issues.

The fluidity of the situation is likely to require continuing flexibility, and we may well have to scale back research activity at a later date. Please be in touch with the OVPR if you have any questions: VP Gary Ostrander gary@fsu.edu; Associate VP Laurel Fulkerson lfulkerson@fsu.edu; Assistant VP Kerry Peluso kpeluso@fsu.edu.

Grant Proposal Editing Services

This is a reminder that the Office of Research Development provides editorial-level grant editing services to faculty. This includes:

Review on the alignment with sponsor’s requirements
Clarity of ideas
Persuasiveness of argument
Grammar/spelling
English

Please email ord@fsu.edu for editing assistance. It is recommended that your request come at least two weeks prior to the agency deadline.

RAMP Update - May 2020

RAMP Grants remains on track for our scheduled go-live date of July 1, 2020.

Training is well underway, and we encourage all individuals involved with research administration to take advantage of the various courses offered in order to be prepared to use the new system. The training schedule and registration links are posted on the RAMP project website and can be accessed by clicking here. How-to guides have been published on the training page and more training resources will be posted soon. Stay tuned as Frequently Asked Questions for the Grants module also will be added to the project website.

Please consider joining us for our virtual town hall meetings, which will continue in May. These meetings provide an excellent opportunity to stay informed on the latest information related to the rollout of RAMP Grants. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and have concerns addressed. Your continued engagement is necessary for the successful transition to our new system!

Virtual Town Hall Meeting Information

Tuesday, May 19: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Join Zoom Meeting: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97852919394
Meeting ID: 978 5291 9394

Thursday, May 28: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91948880812
Meeting ID: 919 4888 0812

The active RAMP modules for ACUC, IRB and Agreements will be updated/upgraded this month in anticipation of the RAMP Grants module implementation on July 1, 2020. A special thanks to all involved in the extensive testing conducted over the past four weeks - the testing was a success and is now complete.

Anticipated changes to RAMP functionality resulting from above upgrades/updates are detailed below:

For IRB:

The new 9.1 IRB will deliver some new functionality. The changes will mainly impact IRB Committee members and OHSP staff. Other users will see their recently viewed submissions on the left side of their screen (which are not displayed in current interface). For IRB Committee members and OHSP staff, the upgrade will deliver a dashboard with access to recently viewed items, upcoming deadlines and expirations, staff and review assignments, and at-a-glance views into in process work. The default dashboard (sometimes referred to as the Inbox or Common Inbox) also has been updated to show recently viewed items and currently assigned reviews. These tools will allow the central staff of OHSP to more closely monitor upcoming changes and any delays in processing which can result in benefits for all.

For ACUC:

An update was made to the ACUC module to perform software maintenance, and there were no changes to user functions.

For Agreements:

The upgraded platform changes will not affect the user functions.

ATTENTION ALL RAMP USERS: RAMP will go offline at 6 p.m. Monday, May 18, for the software upgrade implementation, and we anticipate the system will be fully operational by 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 19. Reminder announcements will display upon login for all users to remind them of this scheduled upgrade period and RAMP downtime. Users working in RAMP May 18, should be sure to save their work and exit the system before 6 p.m. Eastern.

If you have questions or concerns about RAMP, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, at arrowe@fsu.edu
Pam Ray, Senior Director of SRA, at pray2@fsu.edu
Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu
Kerry Peluso, Assistant VP of Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu

Office for Clinical Research Advancement

For most of us, a global pandemic has put a spotlight on the life-saving value of health research. FSU investigators have joined scientists and clinicians around the world in a race to find treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19. Time is of the essence.

During these uncertain times, FSU research support offices are here to help. The newest in the lineup of university-wide assistance is the Office for Clinical Research Advancement (OCRA). Find OCRA online or via email at ocra@fsu.edu.

OCRA provides guidance, tools, resources and facilitation to help faculty, staff and students successfully navigate clinical and human subjects research at FSU and with its community healthcare partners. Whether you are a basic scientist wanting to collaborate with a community clinician, a researcher seeking guidance on a human subjects protocol or needing assistance on implementing a clinical trial, OCRA is here to help.

Being a new office, OCRA is evaluating what additional services and resources FSU researchers need most to help them advance human subjects research as FSU moves to reopen from the pandemic.

OCRA is guided by an Interdisciplinary Faculty Advisory Council, whose members include several of FSU’s health sciences colleges and departments. The Advisory Council currently is reviewing feedback collected from FSU human subjects researchers during last fall and this spring through a series of focus groups and an online survey.

The feedback will be used to refine current OCRA services and identify new resources and services for the future. Among the priorities cited by researchers are the need to increase biostatistical support; develop more community clinical research sites and partners; consider creating a centralized, university-wide clinical research support center with equipment, labs and patient rooms for conducting studies; and enhancing guidance on regulatory issues and research design/methodology.

Over the coming weeks and months, with guidance from its Advisory Council, OCRA will be working with several FSU research support offices on strategies to begin identifying, prioritizing and addressing areas for enhanced researcher support across campus.

FSU’s New Research Administration Tools

The Office of the Vice President for Research is very happy to announce that new tools to guide in the administration of research are near the end of development.

The eSPEAR program is the new research administration education and certification program. This program contains 10 online modules and a half-day, in-person case study session. The online modules are open to all FSU faculty and staff. The in-person case study session will be open to those who have completed all of the online modules only. In order to receive certification, individuals will need to complete all 10 online modules and the in-person case study session. We anticipate issuing the first certifications this summer as many have already completed most of the online sessions and the case study sessions will begin being offered this summer. All of the online modules have become available over the past year. The final module (Subawards) will go live in May. More information regarding this program will be available in next month’s newsletter. To access the courses, please click here.

RAM (Research Administration Manual) also will be made available later this month. This comprehensive online manual has been designed to be the first place you go to access information regarding the administration of research at FSU. Feedback from the research community noted that it was often challenging locating the information needed as individuals would need to search many sources. This manual is set up by topic and provides definitions as well as links to resources, reports, forms, sponsor resources, training resources, and lots more. The goal is for the members of FSU’s research community to be able to find the information they need quickly. We look forward to your feedback. The link to the website will be provided in the announcement which will be issued later this month.

New Comparison Function available in iThenticate Plagiarism Checker

Like Turnitin, the iThenticate software is an intellectual property verification tool that checks documents for originality in order to prevent plagiarism. Turnitin is used primarily for reviewing student assignments; however, iThenticate is designed for more scholarly works.

iThenticate now provides a means of comparing one document to as many as five other documents. This is a great new feature because none of the documents have to be published. For instance, if you have a draft proposal, you can compare it to other drafts that you have written. The documents will not be stored in any database.

Using iThenticate prior to submission of proposals or scholarly publications is strongly encouraged. Click here for more information about iThenticate or to request an iThenticate account. Questions about iThenticate may be addressed to Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance Programs, at dkey@fsu.edu.

RAMP Update - April 2020

RAMP Grants remains on track for our scheduled go-live date of July 1, 2020. The project team is reviewing the testing feedback logged by attendees from central offices, researchers, administrators and college leadership to design training materials. The training curriculum will include how to guides, user manuals, quick reference sheets and videos, as well as recorded online training sessions. Our training topics have been segmented based on suggestions made during testing sessions and we greatly appreciate the input. The training schedule has been published on the RAMP project website and can be accessed by clicking here. Registration links are listed next to each session and you will receive the Zoom meeting information once registered.

The RAMP IRB module will be upgraded in May and minor updates will be made to the Agreements and ACUC modules to improve functionality. Testing for the changes to each of the modules are running concurrent throughout the month of April and will allow ample time to ensure the upgrade and changes are well tested and stable. The current modules will be unaffected since a separate testing website has been built.

Please consider joining us for our virtual town hall meetings, which provide an excellent opportunity to stay informed on the latest information related to the rollout of the Grants module. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and have concerns addressed. Your continued engagement is necessary for the successful transition to our new system!

Meeting Information:
Tuesday, April 14: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/809839741
Meeting ID 809 839 741

Friday, April 24: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/977139525
Meeting ID 977 139 525

If you have questions or concerns about RAMP Grants, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, at arrowe@fsu.edu

Pam Ray, Senior Director of SRA, at pray2@fsu.edu

Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu

Kerry Peluso, Assistant VP of Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu

RAMP Update - March 2020

The RAMP Grants team has continued to share important information about the system in faculty meetings while also addressing questions and concerns. Development of training materials is currently underway as the team prepares to offer various training methods and guides to prepare and assist the research community in using our new proposal and award system. RAMP Grants remains on course to go-live on July 1, 2020.

As we prepare to launch RAMP Grants, we have been offering opportunities for a sneak peek of the software this month prior to our training workshops which will begin in May. We have brief testing sessions planned to guide you through using the Grants module. Your participation is essential as it will help us identify any critical issues with the system and allow us to gain feedback as we work toward crafting effective training materials for the research community. We strongly encourage all researchers, department administrators, chairs and deans to be involved in testing. Most sessions are only an hour and a guided test script is provided with an opportunity for questions and answers. Specific instructions will be provided to help users navigate the software.

As many of us are learning to adapt to changing conditions resulting from Covid-19, we recognize that revisions are necessary for our remaining RAMP Grants testing sessions. We will transition to online testing via Zoom beginning Monday, March 23 for the remaining federal and non-federal sessions, as well as the department review sessions. The dates and times for our scheduled sessions have been adjusted and we recommend that you visit the RAMP project website for testing details (including Zoom meeting information). This website will continue to serve as a valuable resource for RAMP Grants information in the coming weeks and months. Your participation in testing continues to be critical to the success of the Grants module. We really appreciate the participation and feedback from individuals in recent testing sessions. We had 196 logged comments from testing! These comments are being reviewed by our team as we work toward tailoring our training curriculum. System training development remains on track for May delivery. Further details on training will be communicated next month.

The training sessions are divided into functional areas. Following are some points to keep in mind as you decide which session would work best for you.

The “Non-federal” sessions are intended for testing proposals that won’t be submitted through grants.gov.
The “Federal” sessions include the “Non-federal” session along with the SF424 (grants.gov) submission process.
The “Department Review” sessions require attendance at either the “Non-federal” or “Federal” session and is highly recommend for users that will review and approve proposals for their department.

We look forward to engaging with you during this important phase of the project. Please share this information with your colleagues and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Pam Ray, Senior Director, Sponsored Research Administration
pray2@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8643

FAQ for Researchers on COVID-19

FSU’s Office of Research is here to help with any challenges researchers experience due to COVID-19. Please review this FAQ for researchers, which may help answer some of your questions. We will be updating it as more information becomes available.

RAMP Update - February 2020

RAMP Grants remains on course to go-live on July 1, 2020. We are grateful to many individuals throughout the colleges and departments for working with us to establish workflow decisions for each department last month. This information will be entered into the system in preparation for our testing sessions, which will begin next month. Many testing sessions will be offered and we encourage participation from all department administrators, faculty, chairs, deans and directors. Participants will have the opportunity to test drive the RAMP Grants module and share valuable feedback to aid in our training efforts. Information will be shared with the research community soon regarding the dates, times and location of the testing sessions. Additionally, training workshops will begin in late April to early May and continue well beyond system deployment. Various training methods will be utilized and detailed information will be published once the curriculum is finalized.

Our team is beginning to meet with faculty and college leadership throughout campus to provide an overview of RAMP Grants and address any questions or concerns. Please reach out to Angie Rowe at 850-644-8659 or arrowe@fsu.edu if you would like for us to share information at your next faculty, chair and/or deans meeting. Also, we will be holding town hall meetings over the next few months. These meetings are designed to brief the research community on the functionality offered within the RAMP Grants module and connect with researchers and administrators to address questions, concerns and feedback. Following are the details for the February meeting:

RAMP Grants Town Hall
February 21 | 11:00am – 12:00pm
College of Medicine Auditorium

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about RAMP.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644 - 8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644 – 8664

RAMP Update – January 2020

The preparation for the implementation of the RAMP Grants module continues and it remains on schedule to be launched on July 1, 2020. Last month, we met with project champions from various colleges and departments to review system functionality and discuss workflow considerations. Communication with leadership in colleges, institutes and centers will occur this month as decisions will need to be made by the end of January regarding the specific individuals that will be required to conduct proposal reviews for each department. Proposal review workflow at the department level will need to be defined in order for the system workflow to be set up correctly for each department. The functionality within RAMP Grants provides flexibility which will allow us to tailor requirements for each department. Testing sessions will be offered in March for researchers and administrators to ensure RAMP Grants is operating as designed. More information will be furnished with specific dates and locations in the near future. In addition, training workshops will begin in April and continue well beyond system deployment and detailed information will be published once the curriculum is finalized.

RAMP Agreements support is ongoing as the team continues to answer questions submitted to ramp-agreements@fsu.edu. Additional assistance will be provided as we hold “office hours” this month. These sessions are designed to provide participants with a brief overview of the system functionality (at the beginning of the time block) while allowing hands-on guidance to specific agreement questions on an individual basis using computers in the lab. It is suggested that attendees bring agreements to their session of choice in order for the project team to furnish direction on entering them into the system. The sessions will be provided on the following dates and times:

Date	Time	Location
Tuesday, January 14	3:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Wednesday, January 29	1:00 PM – 3:00 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room

*Although not required, we recommend that you RSVP to Angie Rowe at arrowe@fsu.edu and indicate the session you would like to attend to ensure enough seats are available.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

New Research on IRB Efficiencies

A new report has been published by the RAND Corporation based on a survey of researchers and IRBs about IRB efficiencies and efficacies and the 2019 changes in applicable federal human research protection regulations (45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 46). Key findings of interest include wide variation among IRBs, including their resourcing and knowledge of the changed regulations; extra-regulatory duties of many IRBs; and differences in opinion about the effect of IRB review changes upon evaluating scientific quality of research. The Office of Human Subjects will provide an annotation and link on its website.

Upcoming Federal Regulation Change

There is an upcoming change in federal regulations pertaining to single IRB review of cooperative (i.e., multisite) research funded by a federal agency. This new regulation will require that cooperative research being conducted in the U.S. be reviewed by only one IRB, not multiple IRBs as has been the case in the past; the change will apply to studies that are approved by an IRB on or after January 20, 2020. Federal information about this change is made available here. The Office of Human Subjects also will provide more information on its website related to the change.

RAMP December 2019 Project Update

RAMP Agreements recently launched and as of December 2, departments are required to use the new system to submit non-financial research agreements and outgoing subawards. The project team is ready to support researchers and administrators during this transition and it is recommended that users take advantage of the following resources:

PI Quick Reference Guide (available in RAMP Agreements within the Help Center tab)
How To Guides organized by each agreement type (available in RAMP Agreements within the Help Center tab)
Review the RAMP Agreements FAQs provided on the RAMP project website
For assistance completing the SmartForms (online agreements) or for technical assistance, email ramp-agreements@fsu.edu

Additional assistance will be provided as we hold “office hours” over the next few weeks. These sessions are designed to provide participants with a brief overview of the system functionality (at the beginning of the time block) while allowing hands-on guidance to specific agreement questions on an individual basis using computers in the lab. It is suggested that attendees bring agreements to their session of choice in order for the project team to furnish direction on entering them into the system. The sessions will be provided on the following dates and times:

Date	Time	Location
Thursday, December 12	10:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Tuesday, January 14	3:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Wednesday, January 29	1:00 PM – 3:00 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room

RAMP Grants is progressing well and remains on schedule for deployment in July 2020. Project champions from departments across campus will meet with the project team this month to review system functionality and provide feedback as we refine our communication plan and design the training curriculum. There will be testing sessions in the spring and many training opportunities prior to the launch of RAMP Grants. This detailed information will be widely communicated to the research community in the near future.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

RAMP November 2019 Project Update

The RAMP Agreements module has launched!

Researchers and administrators are encouraged to begin utilizing RAMP Agreements to take advantage of the electronic submission and review process for non-financial research agreements and outgoing subawards. This module provides significant benefits, including but not limited to, transparency about the status of agreements, a central location for researchers to access agreements, reporting metrics, and the ability to link agreements to sponsored awards (once RAMP Grants is live in July 2020).

RAMP Agreements can be accessed by signing into the myFSU portal, clicking the “RAMP” icon, and then clicking the Agreements tab within the system. Beginning December 2, it will be required for all applicable agreements to be requested/entered through RAMP Agreements.

Training workshops were offered in October and November with hands-on exercises and guidance for using RAMP Agreements. If you were unable to attend the workshops, or need a refresher on training materials, please access the following resources:

PI Quick Reference Guide (available in RAMP Agreements within the Help Center tab)
How To Guides organized by each agreement type (available in RAMP Agreements within the Help Center tab)
Review the RAMP Agreements FAQs provided on the RAMP project website
For assistance completing the SmartForms (online agreements) or for technical assistance, email ramp-agreements@fsu.edu

How can you communicate questions or concerns about RAMP?

Email ramp-agreements@fsu.edu with questions, concerns or feedback
Contact Angie Rowe, arrowe@fsu.edu, or Kerry Peluso, kpeluso@fsu.edu

OPD Becomes ORD

Beginning November 1st, the Office of Proposal Development will be known as the Office of Research Development (ORD). This change brings us more in line with similar offices at research universities across the country, and will also better reflect the range of services currently offered to the FSU community. “Research Development” encompasses a set of strategic, proactive, catalytic, and capacity-building activities designed to facilitate individual faculty members, teams of researchers, and central research administrations in attracting extramural research funding, creating relationships, and developing and implementing strategies that increase institutional competitiveness. Now in our 6th year of serving FSU faculty, ORD will continue to prepare, support, and assist faculty in their research and creative efforts. We invite all faculty to visit our website and explore the array of services we offer, and to contact us with any questions or requests.

Our AAALAC Reaccreditation Site Visit

Our AAALAC reaccreditation site visit is scheduled for December 3-4, 2019. Remember, this is not an inspection – it’s a peer assessment of our animal program! The FSU Animal Care and Use Program has been continuously accredited by AAALAC International since 2002. During the two day visit, the site visit team will tour LAR facilities, investigator maintained animal housing areas, and laboratories where animals are used. Additionally, the team will perform extensive document and medical record review. Our goal for the 2019 site visit is to be commended as an EXEMPLARY Animal Care and Use Program. Achieving exemplary will require everyone’s commitment.

Here is how you can help…

Don’t stop your animal work during the visit. You have work to do. Do it! In fact, the site visit team wants to see people working. Follow procedures for use of personnel protective equipment and animal transport. Do not leave post-surgical animals unattended. The team will ask many questions. Be open, transparent, and honest. Provide the necessary information and then STOP talking. If you don’t know the answer to a particular question, admit you don’t know and offer to find the answer.
Review your Animal Use Protocol. Know what’s described. Expect the site visitors to compare actual procedures with those described in your protocol. If there are discrepancies between your protocol and actual procedures performed in your laboratory, submit a modification.
Be prepared to discuss your participation in the Occupational Health Program. Site visitors typically ask how participants enroll in the program and methods for reporting workplace injuries, including allergies.
Familiarize yourself with and follow LAR and ACUC policies and guidelines. LAR policies are available at https://lar.fsu.edu/policies-procedures. ACU policies are available at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-offices/acuc/policies_guidelines. Site visitors will be provided copies of all policies and guidelines and will observe for compliance.
Clean your area, especially surgery and procedure areas. Sanitation is minor, but if we can’t demonstrate attention to cleanliness, the team may wonder what other aspects of our Program are left unattended.
Ensure adequate documentation and labeling. Make sure surgery records are available, complete, and consistent with your Animal Use Protocol and the ACUC Peri-Operative Records Policy. Ensure analgesia administration is documented. Make training records easily accessible. Chemicals and drugs used in animals must be labeled and dated accordingly. Properly dispose of expired materials.
We will work with the site visit team to identify representative laboratories to visit and coordinate visit times with laboratory personnel. Be available during your scheduled laboratory visit. Again, the site visitors will ask many questions. Be open, transparent, and honest. Provide the necessary information and then STOP talking. If you don’t know the answer to a particular question, admit you don’t know and offer to find the answer.

SRA Open House

RAMP October 2019 Update

RAMP Agreements: Go-Live Scheduled During the Week of November 12, 2019

We are preparing to launch the third RAMP module and greatly appreciate the time of researchers, administrators and project champions that participated in the RAMP Agreements testing sessions last month – we had roughly 60 attendees! As a reminder, RAMP Agreements allows for the electronic routing, review and approval of non-financial research agreements and subcontracts. RAMP Agreements will be available during the week of November 12 and at that time users can utilize the system to route their applicable agreements. Beginning December 2, it will be required for all applicable agreements to be requested/entered through RAMP Agreements.

Throughout the month of October, we will focus on providing training for central offices as well as the research community. All researchers and administrators are encouraged to attend one of the upcoming training workshops. The training will walk participants through the process of completing the online system prompts and demonstrate the workflow process for RAMP Agreements with ample opportunity for questions and answers. Guides will also be furnished through the RAMP Agreements Help Center and instructional videos will be provided at a later date.

Please email Angie Rowe at arrowe@fsu.edu to reserve your spot for one of the workshops listed below.

Date	Time	Location
Monday, October 21	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Wednesday, October 23	9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Wednesday, October 30	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Friday, November 1	9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Dirac Library Instruction Room

RAMP Grants: Development is Underway

The implementation of the fourth RAMP module continues as the project team has prioritized system requirements for RAMP Grants. Project team members are excited about the system functionality as it will allow for electronic proposal development and system-to-system submission, where available by sponsor. Subcontracts created in RAMP Agreements will be linked to awards generated through RAMP Grants. In addition, RAMP Grants will integrate with OMNI to automate the award setup process, allowing for more efficiencies and overall transparency throughout the award lifecycle. More information will be shared with campus at various meetings as we work toward an anticipated go-live date of July 1, 2020.

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about RAMP.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644 - 8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644 – 8664

New E-Spear Modules Are Live

Two more eSPEAR modules — our online research administration program — have gone live. The online educational modules now available are Introduction to Research Administration at FSU, Uniform Guidance, Proposal Development, Award Set-Up, Building Budgets and Internal Controls & Audits. The modules remaining in development are Project Management, Financial Reconciliations and Closeout, Issuing and Managing Subcontracts, and Working with PIs. These all can be accessed by following the instructions located at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-offices/sra/resources-and-training/training/espear/

New Director of Human Subjects

We are pleased to announce a new director of the FSU Human Subjects Office. T. Howard Stone will be joining FSU Sept. 16.

Stone is an attorney who has spent a career focused on bioethics, public health and human subjects’ protection. He has been a faculty member at University of Texas Medical Branch, University of Houston and University of Louisville. He has also worked for the U.S. Armed Forces as a consultant on work related to human subjects and served as the Institutional Review Board Administrator for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Most recently he served as director of the Human Research Protections office for the U.S. Department of the Army.

RAMP September 2019 Project Update

The Agreements module development is almost complete and we have established an estimated go-live date of October 28. This module will result in an electronic process for the initiation, routing and review of non-financial research agreements and subcontracts. Once RAMP Grants is launched next year, we will have the ability to link agreements with new awards generated within the Grants module.

Testing sessions for the Agreements module will be offered this month and we would like to request your participation! As a PI/Researcher, we invite you to meet with our team to test drive the new system and provide us with feedback. The time commitment is only one hour and we have scheduled multiple dates and times for your convenience. Please strongly consider attending one of the sessions listed below and email Angie Rowe at arrowe@fsu.edu to reserve a spot for the session of your choice.

Date	Session Times	Location
Monday, Sept 16	3:30 pm – 4:30 pm	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Tuesday, Sept 17	9:00 am – 10:00 am	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Wednesday, Sept 18	9:00 am – 10:00 am	Dirac Library Instruction Room
Thursday, Sept 19	3:30 pm – 4:30 pm	Dirac Library Instruction Room

Training courses are currently under development and will be offered next month. Detailed information will be shared with campus once the curriculum and timing is finalized.

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about RAMP.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644 - 8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644 – 8664

Foreign Influence on U.S. Research

Issues surrounding foreign influence and international activities in federally-funded research has been an evolving topic, one for which the U.S. Government has shown growing concern. Florida State University is committed to facilitating open and publicly-accessible research and scholarly activities, both domestically and internationally. In some instances, however, restrictions must be placed on such activity in the interest of national security.

The Office of Research has prepared a document titled “Guidance on Foreign Influence & International Activities” that:

Summarizes recent federal notices related to disclosing foreign influence and international activities,
Describes best practices for FSU researchers, and
Provides links to additional information related to international activities.

Answers to frequently asked questions are also provided.

Contact Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance Programs, at (850) 644-8648 or dkey@fsu.edu, if you have any questions or concerns about this topic.

RAMP August 2019 Project Update

The Agreements module is well underway and the project team has worked diligently to establish requirements for the electronic routing of non-financial agreements and subcontracts. Some modifications have been made to tailor the system to meet the needs of the university and Huron has started their development work in preparation for launching this module in October. Project Champions from various colleges and central offices met with members of the project team in July to view the software and provide feedback. A few commented on how they liked the transparency of the contract negotiation process and correspondence features within this module. Testing sessions and training will be offered in late August and throughout September. The details of these activities will be communicated once the curriculum and timing is finalized.

This month we will also begin working on the much anticipated Grants module which will take almost a year to complete. This implementation will provide electronic proposal development and system-to- system submission, where available by sponsor. Additionally, subcontracts created in the Agreements module will be linked to awards generated through the Grants module. Stay tuned as there will be a lot of information to share throughout this journey - we will continue to ask for your feedback to ensure we remain on target to provide advanced technology that supports our research community!

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about RAMP.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

Fall 2019 GAP Announcement

Are you a member of the FSU research community currently working on new discoveries in your lab that might have value as a commercially available product? Would up to $50,000 in additional funding help you get your idea closer to the point where an outside company would be interested in licensing that product or idea? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the FSU Grant Assistance Program (GAP) may be for you.

GAP is a competitive grant program designed to help FSU Researchers move their research towards commercialization. The competitions are managed by the Office of Commercialization and are held twice a year, spring and fall semesters. The next competition will be held on May 10th. Specific program details highlighting the simple straightforward process and deadline dates are listed on the GAP Program webpages. To be considered for Fall 2019 GAP, pre-proposal applications are due in the Office of Commercialization on or before September 13th.

For questions, contact Jessica Tailer at (850) 645 -7217 or email jtailer@fsu.edu.

NIMH Announces New Data Sharing Requirement

On June 17, 2019, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) published the Notice of Data Sharing Policy for the National Institute of Mental Health, which requires that researchers who are funded by NIMH deposit all raw and analyzed data (including, but not limited to, clinical, genomic, imaging, and phenotypic data) from experiments involving human subjects into the NIMH Data Archive (NDA), This Notice applies to all grant applications and awards that involve human subject research submitted after January 1, 2020 and applies to all Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) that NIMH participates in. The Notice does not apply to following types of applications:

Fellowship (F)
Research Career Development (K)
Training (T)
Small Business (SBIR/STTR)
Small Grants (R03)
Education (R25)
Awards related to AIDS applications

NIMN requires that submission requests be approved by an institutional official—in FSU’s case, the Vice President for Research. Therefore, the Office of Research Compliance Programs will prepare appropriate instructions, comparable to what was developed for submission of genomic data to dbGaP. Additional information will be made available in the coming weeks to inform preparations for proposal submissions after January 1, 2020.

For questions, please contact Diana Key, Research Compliance Programs, at (850) 644-8648, or dkey@fsu.edu.

Welcome to the New IRB System—Enhanced Electronic Software to Support Human Subjects Research

The RAMP IRB system launched successfully on June 21st and almost 90 submissions have been received to date. Many researchers and students are commenting that the system is user-friendly and that once they get more familiar with the new software, it will be a significant improvement compared to HSRS. RAMP IRB provides for greater transparency, as users can view the workflow diagram to understand the status of their submissions at any point in time. Also, the ‘Add Comment’ feature in RAMP IRB is being used to facilitate communication both within research teams and with the IRB Coordinators, creating a central location for all information on the study workspace.

Importantly, team training can be monitored more conveniently because RAMP IRB syncs with the CITI Program; therefore, investigator training records are updated twice daily and are visible under the ‘Training’ tab on the study workspace. In order for training records to be updated properly, the preferred email address in CITI should match the user’s FSU business or preferred email address.

Over 10 training workshops have taken place throughout campus and they have been well-attended. Some virtual trainings have been provided as well and more training sessions will be scheduled this fall. We have listened to your feedback during these workshops and we are in the process of scheduling specialized training sessions for multi-site study submissions. More information will be communicated as this training is finalized.

We encourage you to visit the Investigator Resources section of the Human Subjects Office website as it contains all relevant materials needed to help you acclimate to the RAMP IRB module, such as helpful videos and webinars. You can also access user guides within RAMP IRB in the Help Center.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to help!

Angie Rowe, Project Manager
Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Eric Holmes, Assistant VP for Research
Interim Director, Human Subjects Office
ehholmes@fsu.edu
(850) 644-5929 *email for faster response

RAMP July 2019 Project Update

The RAMP IRB module has launched. Researchers and administrators can now develop and submit Human Subjects Protocols, Amendments, Continuing Reviews and Reportable New Information in RAMP IRB to take advantage of the enhanced electronic submission and review process.

How can you learn more about how to use RAMP IRB?

Access the Researcher’s Quick Reference Guide (available in RAMP IRB within the Help Center tab)
Attend one of the RAMP IRB Training Workshops, or view the RAMP IRB video guides available on the Human Subjects Office website
Review the RAMP IRB FAQs provided on the RAMP project website
For assistance completing the SmartForm (online protocol forms) or for technical assistance, email ramp-irb@fsu.edu

How can you learn more about how to use the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit?

Review the following training resources available on the Human Subjects Office website in the Training and Education section
- Protocol Writing Workshop
- Investigator Webinars – 2 part supplemental guides
- Investigator Manual
Review the HRPP Toolkit FAQs provided on the RAMP project website

How can you communicate questions or concerns about RAMP?

Email ramp-irb@fsu.edu with questions, concerns or feedback
Contact Angie Rowe, arrowe@fsu.edu, or Kerry Peluso, kpeluso@fsu.edu

We will continue to support RAMP IRB throughout July and the months ahead. In addition, this month we will begin the implementation process for phase I of the Agreements module, which includes non-financial agreements and subcontracts. Meetings will be held with project team members to view demonstrations of the system, make comparisons of system functionality and current business processes and establish system requirements. This module is scheduled to be deployed in October 2019.

Research Misconduct and Research Proposals

Most researchers understand that plagiarism, fabrication and falsification in published journal articles and presentations constitutes research misconduct. However, did you know that these actions are also considered research misconduct when included in research proposals and grant applications? This infographicpublished by Health and Human Services, Office of Research Integrity provides useful tips to avoid research misconduct when writing proposals.

Information about research misconduct and FSU’s policy and procedures is located here. Contact Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance Programs, at (850) 644-8648 or dkey@fsu.edu if you have any questions or concerns about this topic.

Kathleen Haughney
Assistant Director for Research Communications
850-644-1489
@FSUResearch

New IRB System Goes Live This Month – Important Changes Ahead

The Human Subjects Office is prepared to support the research community for the launch of the RAMP IRB module on June 21^st. We would like to share important information at this time as we prepare to transition from HSRS to the RAMP IRB module.

As a reminder, studies that were submitted on or after 4/20/19 that completed the short application, Protocol template, and are in the “Approved” status by 6/14/19, will be migrated to RAMP IRB.

Training

Protocol Writing Workshops were offered on multiple dates and locations to provide training on using the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit protocol template. A recording of this workshop, along with other webinars providing guidance on using the protocol and resources contained within the toolkit, are available on the Human Subjects Office website. Access these training resources by clicking here. Also, HRPP Toolkit FAQs are available on the RAMP project website and by clicking here.

RAMP IRB Researcher Training Workshops are currently being offered to all individuals involved in human subjects research. These workshops provide attendees with a walk-through of the process for completing the RAMP IRB system prompts and provide ample opportunity for questions and answers. Although in-person attendance is strongly encouraged, a recorded workshop will be available in the near future and a notification will be sent out through the IRB Listserv once it is posted. Please email humansubjects@fsu.edu to register for the workshop of your choice or to be added to the IRB Listserv.

Date	Time	Location
Thursday, June 6	3:30 PM – 4:30 PM	Carothers Hall, Room 304
Monday, June 10 (waiting list)	3:30 PM – 4:30 PM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Tuesday, June 11 (waiting list)	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Student Services Building, Room 301
Monday, June 24	1:00 PM – 2:00 PM	Student Services Building, Room 301
Wednesday, June 26	3:30 PM – 4:30 PM	Carothers Hall, Room 304
Friday, June 28	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Carothers Hall, Room 304
Tuesday, July 2	3:30 PM – 4:30 PM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Tuesday, July 9	9:00 AM – 10:00 AM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Thursday, July 11	3:30 PM – 4:30 PM	FSU Training Center, Room 211

How to Access RAMP IRB

There are three ways to access the RAMP IRB module.

Sign on to the myFSU portal https ://www.my.fsu.edu/portal and click on the RAMP icon

Visit https://myramp.research.fsu.edu
Click on the link from the auto-generated email from RAMP-IRB@fsu.edu

How to Obtain Help with RAMP IRB

The Help Center within the RAMP IRB module contains guides and videos to aid in the use of the system. If you have questions or need further assistance, please email RAMP-IRB@fsu.edu. This email is checked frequently and a knowledgeable staff member will promptly assist you. We ask that you email rather than call in order for the team to document the types of questions asked to provide relevant updates to training resources and FAQs.

June 2019 RAMP Project Update

The RAMP IRB Module is scheduled to go-live on June 21, 2019.

Thank you to all of the individuals that participated in the RAMP IRB testing sessions – we had over 40 attendees! Your feedback was helpful and assisted the team in designing the RAMP IRB training materials. Our project focus throughout June and July is to provide the training necessary for researchers, administrators, and IRB committee members to help them successfully navigate the RAMP IRB module. The Human Subjects Office staff have been trained and they are now leading the training workshops.

We encourage all individuals involved with human subjects research to attend one of the upcoming training workshops. The training will walk participants through the process of completing the online system prompts and provide ample opportunity for questions and answers.

Please email humansubjects@fsu.edu to reserve your spot for one of the workshops listed below or to be added to the IRB Listserv to receive important announcements.

Date	Time	Location
Tuesday, June 4	9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Thursday, June 6	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	Carothers Hall, Room 304
Monday, June 10 (waiting list)	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Tuesday, June 11 (waiting list)	11:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Student Services Building, Room 301
Monday, June 24	1:00 PM - 2:00 PM	Student Services Building, Room 301
Wednesday, June 26	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	Carothers Hall, Room 304
Friday, June 28	11:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Carothers Hall, Room 304
Tuesday, July 2	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Tuesday, July 9	9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Thursday, July 11	3:30 PM - 4:30 PM	FSU Training Center, Room 211

Although in person attendance is strongly recommended, a recorded training workshop will be made available soon on the Human Subjects Office website (notification will be sent out on the IRB listserv once it is posted) and within the RAMP IRB module once the system is live.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644 – 8664

New IRB Changes in Effect: Toolkit Training & RAMP IRB Module Activities

The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit was launched on April 20. It contains a comprehensive collection of documents that will support compliance, contribute to transparency in the IRB process, and aid in the transition to the RAMP IRB module (which will go-live on June 21).

Following are some important reminders related to using the Toolkit:

New protocols and continuing reviews (renewals) require the submission of a protocol document that is part of the HRPP Toolkit.
- For the HRPP Toolkit templates, click on this link
  **NOTE: The submission of a protocol document using the HRPP Toolkit templates is required for ALL new protocols and continuing reviews (renewals) submitted on or after Saturday, April 20. Any submissions that do not use the HRPP Toolkit templates will be returned for corrections.
All protocol modifications (changes in protocol) will be presented with the option to either submit using the current application process, or the protocol document that is part of the HRPP Toolkit.
All of these submissions will occur in HSRS until the RAMP IRB module is launched in June
Training – Protocol Writing Workshops were offered in March and April to provide training on using the HRPP Toolkit documents. If you were unable to attend the workshop or if you need a refresher, please be sure to access the following training resources:
- Protocol Writing Workshop recording can be accessed on the Human Subjects Office website at this link
- Webinar – provides supplemental tips on using the documents contained within the HRPP Toolkit
- Investigator Manual – resource designed to guide you through policies and procedures related to the conduct of Human Research

Information regarding the transition of submissions from HSRS to RAMP IRB:

All submissions in the HSRS that have been updated with the HRPP Toolkit templates will automatically be imported into RAMP IRB when the module goes live on June 21st.
Any submissions that have not been updated to the HRPP Toolkit templates will not be automatically imported into RAMP IRB. Protocol modifications (changes in protocol) or continuing reviews (renewal) for these submissions will require a new submission in RAMP IRB using the HRPP Toolkit templates. For this reason, the Human Subjects Office highly encourages investigators to begin utilizing the HRPP Toolkit templates as soon as possible.

Please email ramp-irb@fsu.edu for any questions related to the HRPP Toolkit or RAMP IRB module. We are ready to assist you through this transition.

May 2019 RAMP Project Update

The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit is launched and now available for use. As a reminder, the toolkit is the first component of implementing the RAMP IRB module. The toolkit provides updated protocol and consent form templates and are required to be used for submitting new IRB protocols and continuing reviews of existing IRB protocols. For modifications, researchers will have the option to submit using the HRPP Toolkit templates or the current application form. At this time, all submissions should be remitted in the HSRS system.

The RAMP IRB module development is almost complete and we remain on schedule for our go-live date of June 21. This module will result in an electronic process for the development, submission and review of IRB protocols. Once the RAMP IRB module is launched, protocols, continuing reviews, and modifications will be submitted in the new system. Additionally, the submission of Reportable New Information will also be supported within the RAMP IRB module.
We would like to offer you an opportunity to be part of this process. As a PI/Researcher, we invite you to meet with our team to test drive the new system and provide us with feedback. The time commitment is only one hour and we have scheduled sessions at multiple dates and times this month for your convenience. Please strongly consider attending one of the sessions listed below and email humansubjects@fsu.edu to reserve a spot for the session of your choice.

Date	Session Times	Location
Tuesday, May 21	9:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:00	Student Services Building, Room 301
Thursday, May 23	2:00 - 3:00 3:00 – 4:00 4:00 – 5:00	FSU Training Center, Room 211
Friday, May 24	9:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:00	FSU Training Center, Room 211

Training for the RAMP IRB module will occur this month for the Human Subjects Office team and IRB committee members to ensure they are comfortable in navigating through the module for protocol review workflow. We are currently in the process of developing training workshops for PIs and proxies that will be offered next month. This information will be shared with campus once the curriculum and timing is finalized.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Online Research Administration Education Courses Are Live

As previously announced, a new research administration certification program is currently under development. Almost the entire program will be offered online allowing learners to take the courses at any time and review them as needed. The courses that are now live are "Introduction to Sponsored Research Administration at FSU" and "Uniform Guidance." More information on these courses and how to register is available at https://canvas.fsu.edu/enroll/KHEGRG. Additional courses will be made available as completed. The complete certification program is anticipated to be fully available in early 2020.

April 2019 RAMP Project Update

The RAMP IRB module development is underway and it remains on schedule for deployment in June.

The first component of releasing this module is to launch the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit, which will go into effect on April 20. This toolkit is a comprehensive collection of documents that will support compliance and contribute to transparency in the IRB process. The HRPP Toolkit forms will be uploaded as part of the submissions into the current HSRS system beginning April 20 until the RAMP IRB module is launched on June 21. At that time, the HRPP Toolkit forms will be uploaded into the RAMP IRB module.

Training is essential and Protocol Writing Workshops were offered in March and early April to provide guidance to faculty and students on how to complete their protocols using the HRPP Toolkit forms. For those that were unable to attend, a recorded workshop session will soon be available on the Human Subjects website (a notification will be sent out via the IRB listserv once it is available – to sign up for notifications, please send an email request to humansubjects@fsu.edu).

Details concerning the IRB changes are being communicated to deans, chairs and faculty this month as we participate in various meetings across campus and respond to any questions or feedback about the new process. Central office staff are also being educated on the changes to ensure they are ready to support researchers.

As we look ahead, our focus in May will be testing the new system and providing additional training. Researchers and administrators will have an opportunity to test drive the RAMP IRB module and share valuable feedback to aid in our training efforts. Training workshops will also be held to assist with the transition to submitting protocols through RAMP. These workshop dates and locations will be shared soon.

For the most current information on RAMP, please visit the RAMP project website. Stay tuned as we strive to keep you well informed every step of the way!

If you have any questions, please contact Angie Rowe (arrowe@fsu.edu, or 644-8659) or Kerry Peluso (kpeluso@fsu.edu or 644-8664).

New Human Research Protection Toolkit

The Office of Human Subjects has been working on the development of the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit – scheduled to go live on April 20. This coincides with the implementation of the new Institutional Review Board module through the Research Administration Management Portal, which is set to go live June 21.

The toolkit is a comprehensive collection of documents that will support compliance and contribute to transparency in the IRB process.

Beginning April 20, All new protocols and continuing reviews will require the submission of a protocol document that is part of the HRPP toolkit. The HRPP toolkit templates can be found by clicking on this link.

All protocol modifications will be presented with the option to either stay with the current application process, or submit using the protocol document that is part of the HRPP toolkit.

All submissions in the HSRS system that have been updated with the HRPP toolkit will automatically be imported into RAMP IRB when the module goes live in June.

Any submissions that have not been updated to the HRPP toolkit will not be imported into RAMP IRB. Modifications or continuing reviews for these submissions will require a new submission in RAMP IRB using the HRPP toolkit templates.

To support the HRPP toolkit launch in April, the Office conducted several protocol writing workshops. If you were unable to attend, a session has been recorded and will be available on the Human Subjects website soon. We will send out a notification once it is uploaded.

Human Subjects ListServ

The Office of Human Subjects Research (the Office) has created an IRB listserv to communicate important information to study teams. Several messages have already been disseminated using this method. If you have not received the messages and would like to be added to the listserv, please send an email request to humansubjects@fsu.edu

Understanding Restricted Party Screening

Multiple U.S. government agencies maintain exclusion lists of individuals, companies, and other organizations that are somehow restricted from doing business with U.S. entities like FSU. As an exporter, FSU is expected to ensure that any export transaction does not include an entity identified on one of the lists of restricted parties. If FSU completes a non-compliant transaction with a restricted party, a violation will have occurred which could lead to severe consequences for the individual making the transaction and the University.

To ensure that the University has the ability to screen entities for inclusion on lists of restricted parties, FSU subscribes to Visual Compliance™, a web-based tool that allows FSU employees to easily perform restricted party screenings at no cost. A single screening simultaneously searches all U.S., State of Florida, and many foreign exclusion lists and returns the results accompanied by information about the screened entry.

FSU has unlimited licenses for employees and screening is voluntary. The Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP) recommends that departments screen potential foreign visitors who come to FSU for 14 days or less if they will have access to sensitive information or areas. (Visitors approved to visit for more than 14 days are screened by ORCP during the visit approval process.) ORCP also recommends screen foreign collaborators when the transaction is not processed through a central office. ORCP will conduct screening on behalf of departments upon request.

Listed below are the types of entities that should be screened. Most of these entities are screened by FSU central offices when they receive transactions; however, employees and departments are may screen them prior to initiating any transactions to avoid any potential issues.

Foreign subrecipients, subcontractors, and suppliers
Foreign sponsors of research, travel, and conferences
Foreign entities party to other types of agreements (Data Sharing Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Intellectual Property Licenses, International Exchange or Collaboration Agreements, etc.)
University-sponsored applicants on H1-B, J-1, and other visas
All users of FSU’s DD2345 (Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement) or other persons being vetted specifically for export compliance/national security purposes;

For additional information on Visual Compliance (registering for an account, receiving training, and screening instructions, please see this PDF document. Information on Export Controls is located at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-compliance/export-controls/.

Contact Diana Key, Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP), (850) 644-8648, for questions about using Visual Compliance.

Proposal Editing Services Available Through OPD

The Office of Proposal Development offers proposal editing services to all FSU faculty. So what should you expect when you ask the Office of Proposal Development staff to take a look at your proposal? We focus primarily on the “grantsmanship” aspects of the proposal: things like presentation, structure, readability, and focus, as well as more basic concerns like spelling, grammar, and punctuation. These are all critical components of a successful proposal, but it’s very easy to get so engrossed in writing that you forget about them. This is especially true the longer into the process you get, as it’s human nature to avoid finding fault in our own work. Other times you’ve just seen something so much that you stop seeing the details, and only see the product as a whole.

Some of the questions we ask when editing include:

Does the proposal follow the formatting instructions in the funding opportunity?
What is the PI trying to accomplish? What’s the overall goal of the project?
How is it done currently, and what are the limitations of that?
What’s new in the PI’s approach, and why do they think it’ll work?
Why is this important? What difference does it make it the project is successful?
What are the risks and rewards of the proposed project?
How much will it cost, how long will it take, and how will the PI make sure that it gets done?
What are the metrics for success?
Are all acronyms defined, and are all concepts explained?
Is it structured like a proposal, and not a publication?
Is it difficult to read? Are there lots of walls of text and run on sentences?
Does the PI adequately explain all of their proposed tasks?
Does the PI make it clear when and where they are addressing the review criteria?

Note on that last question however that OPD does not evaluate how well you’ve addressed the criteria. That’s up to the reviewers. What we try to do is make sure that the proposal has specific statements that are clearly intended to address the questions that the reviewers have to answer. Another question we often get is “How long before the deadline should I send my proposal?” The answer is as soon as possible! The level of detail we can give each proposal is directly related to the amount of time we have. A proposal sent two weeks before the funder’s deadline will get a more in-depth review, while one sent 2 days before might just get a basic review. Also keep in mind that you’ll need time to make any revisions as well.

Want to learn more? Feel free to contact any of the OPD staff with questions you might have.

RAMP March 2019 Project Update

ACUC Module

This module launched on January 31. Nine protocol development workshops were offered throughout January and February to assist researchers and administrators with the transition to the new system.

The grace period for paper protocol submissions has ended. New protocols and triennial rewrites should be developed and submitted through RAMP. Amendments to existing protocols require current forms until a triennial rewrite is entered into RAMP.

The FSU ACUC desires to help facilitate your research goals.

Please contact a LAR veterinarian for assistance with protocol development
For assistance completing the SmartForm or for technical assistance with RAMP, please email ramp-acuc@fsu.edu
RAMP ACUC Researcher’s Guide is available within the RAMP Help Center
FAQs for the ACUC module are located on the RAMP project website

IRB Module

We have started the implementation process for the IRB module within RAMP. In February, the IRB project team reviewed the software and provided input for designing this module to meet the needs of the IRB community. Huron will complete development tasks based on the team’s feedback during this month.

A significant component of this implementation includes the adaptation of the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Toolkit, which contains streamlined protocol templates and consent forms for drafting compliance documents. The HRPP Toolkit will launch prior to the system go-live in June.

FSU is fully engaged and ready to take advantage of the many benefits offered through the HRPP Toolkit and IRB module. Following is an estimated timeline to help guide you on what to expect in the coming months:

The HRPP toolkit will launch in early April (protocol development workshops will be offered to assist with the transition).
After the toolkit is implemented, the project team will focus their attention on the implementation of the IRB module.
In April, researchers and administrators will have various opportunities to have a first-look at the system and provide valuable feedback to enhance the user experience.
Training will be offered in May to help with conversion to the new IRB system.

More information will be shared with the IRB community as we reach these important milestones. We encourage you to visit the RAMP project website at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu for more detailed information on the project timeline, project goals and activities, training and FAQs. This website is updated periodically to provide timely and helpful information.

If you have any questions, please contact Angie Rowe (arrowe@fsu.edu, or 644-8659) or Kerry Peluso (kpeluso@fsu.edu or 644-8664).

RAMP February 2019 Project Update

The RAMP ACUC module has launched. Researchers and administrators can now develop and submit Animal Use Protocols in the system to take advantage of the electronic submission and review process.

How can you learn more about how to use RAMP?

Attend one of many Protocol Development Workshops being offered – dates, locations and registration instructions can be accessed within the training section of the RAMP project website.
Access the ACUC Researcher Guide (available in RAMP within the Help Center tab)
Review the ACUC FAQs provided on the RAMP project website
For assistance completing the SmartForm (online protocol forms) or for technical assistance, email ramp-acuc@fsu.edu

How can you communicate questions or concerns about RAMP?

Participate in either of the following Town Hall Meetings
- February 6, 2019 | 9:00am – 10:00am
  College of Medicine, room 1302
- March 4, 2019 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
  FSU Training Center, room 205
Contact Angie Rowe, arrowe@fsu.edu, or Kerry Peluso, kpeluso@fsu.edu

This month we will begin the implementation process for the IRB module. Meetings will be held with IRB staff members to view demonstrations of the system, make comparisons of system functionality and current business processes and establish system requirements. We remain on schedule to deploy this module in June 2019.

Research Administration Management Portal is Live – Join Us for Town Hall Meetings

The anticipated launch of the RAMP ACUC module has arrived! Today the first module within our new research system is available for Principal Investigators to develop and submit Animal Use Protocols.

To assist in the transition, town hall meetings have been organized to brief our research community on the functionality offered within the RAMP ACUC module, when the system should be used, and to address any questions or concerns. Our aim is to connect with researchers and administrators and provide helpful information on training and resources available to allow for a seamless conversion.

Researchers and administrators, please join us on either of the following dates. We want to hear from you and hope see you there!

February 6, 2019 | 9:00am – 10:00am
College of Medicine, room 1302

March 4, 2019 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
FSU Training Center, room 205

For more information on training sessions and FAQs, please visit the RAMP project website.

Questions? Contact Kerry Peluso, kpeluso@fsu.edu, or Angie Rowe, arrowe@fsu.edu.

RAMP January 2019 Project Update

The ACUC module is almost finalized and it is scheduled to go-live on January 31, 2019. We are thrilled to launch the first module within RAMP as we progress along the path to a comprehensive and integrated research system. Our focus this month is to share information with researchers and administrators on the functionality offered within the ACUC module, provide forums for addressing questions/concerns, and provide opportunities for users to gain the knowledge necessary to successfully navigate the new system.

Laboratory Animal Resources will be offering protocol development workshops to assist researchers with the transition to RAMP. These workshops will walk participants through completing the online protocol form, offer best practices for responding to protocol prompts and reviewer comments, and provide ample opportunity for questions and answers. The workshops are scheduled for January 17, 24, 31 and February 7, 14, 21, 28 at 1:30 p.m. To register, email Lbrown5@fsu.edu (each class is limited to the first 8 respondents). Additional workshops will be scheduled for alternative dates/times and this information will be published soon.

The deployment of the ACUC module will adhere to the following implementation schedule, as approved by the FSU ACUC.

Beginning January 31, 2019, RAMP will be available for new protocol submissions and triennial rewrites.
The ACUC will accept new protocol submissions and triennial rewrites using current forms until 11:59 P.M. on February 28, 2019, to allow investigators who may have begun protocol drafts using current forms an opportunity to complete drafts and submit.
Amendments to existing protocols will be submitted using the current forms until a triennial rewrite is entered in RAMP.

Town Hall meetings will be offered next month to provide more information on the new system and transition to it. Details regarding the dates and locations of these meetings will be announced soon. For additional information about RAMP, please visit the project website at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Research Data and Data Use Agreements

A Data Use Agreement (DUA) is a contractual document between a Data User and a Data Provider, describing the provisions associated with the transfer of confidential, protected, or restricted-use data. Examples include records from governmental agencies or corporations, student records information, existing human research subjects data, and limited data sets. Broadly speaking, DUAs can be either Incoming (FSU receives data from an outside entity) or Outgoing (data housed at FSU are shared with an outside entity).

DUAs address important issues such as limitations on use of the data, liability for harm arising from the use of the data, publication, and privacy rights that are associated with transfers of confidential or protected data. The DUA also assures that the Data User is using the data in accordance with applicable law (e.g. HIPAA, FERPA), and prevents the inappropriate use of protected or confidential data that could cause harm to the investigator, the University, or individuals whose data is part of the data set.

Sometimes, a transfer of data from one entity to another is addressed in the context of a larger agreement between the parties, such as a subaward agreement or a contractual services agreement. For data requested from an outside organization, it is the responsibility of that organization to determine whether a DUA should be executed before providing the data. When sharing data housed or owned by FSU with an outside organization, the University must consider multiple security and compliance criteria before determining whether or not a DUA is needed. The Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP) will work with the researcher to develop an appropriate agreement as needed.

All DUAs—Incoming and Outgoing—associated with research projects must be reviewed by ORCP and signed by the Vice President for Research (VPR) prior to receipt of the data by the investigator.

Investigator Responsibilities

It is important for researchers to read the terms of a DUA before forwarding it to ORCP for review. It is the researcher’s responsibility to understand and strictly follow the terms of the DUA. ORCP assumes that a researcher who transmits a DUA to ORCP has read and agrees to conform to those terms. The researcher may or may not be required to sign the DUA (as an acknowledgment rather than institutional acceptance). However, the VPR serves as the authorized signatory for research-based DUAs. DUAs must be routed through ORCP for final sign-off and approval.

Additional Information

Additional information about Data Use Agreements, particularly with regard to human subjects research, may be found here.

Questions about DUAs may be addressed to Diana Key, Director, Research Compliance Programs, at (850) 644-8648 or dkey@fsu.edu.

New Compliance Training Opportunities

The Office of Research has expanded its Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) subscription by adding a module covering the Revised Common Rule (under the Human Subjects course) and a new course package in Information Privacy and Security.

The Revised Common Rule course is intended to help the research community understand the revisions to the Common Rule issued on January 19, 2017, with a general compliance date of January 21, 2019. The course provides a detailed review of the regulatory changes to 45 CFR 46, Subpart A, “Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects” (the Common Rule). It also provides a comprehensive review for learners across the research enterprise. This module is complemented by topic-focused modules that provide in-depth review of key areas affected by the revised Common Rule.

The Information Privacy and Security course package consists of courses on (1) Health Privacy, focusing on HIPAA, (2) Information Security, and (3) the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Each course includes content for individuals who only need basic information, as well as content tailored to specific roles, applications, devices, and settings. It is suitable for anyone who works with individually identifiable health data (HIPAA-defined "PHI"), FERPA-covered educational records and data, or has responsibilities for setting policies and procedures with respect to these types data.

FSU Faculty, staff and students can sign up for the free CITI courses to access the applicable training. Registration and login instructions are published here.

Questions about this training may be addressed to Diana Key, Director, Research Compliance Programs.

International Travel

When you travel internationally to conduct University research-related business, you need to know your responsibilities under U.S. export control regulations. Traveling abroad and taking certain items, providing certain services, or meeting with certain people can present export control problems. The Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP) provides guidance on how to avoid running afoul of U.S. export control regulations when traveling internationally.

Travel to most countries does not present an export control problem; however, travel to some countries may present a problem that is easily addressed if we create and maintain records that show that the travel was exempt from the export control regulations. Even so, when an export control license is required for travel, it is crucial that we obtain it prior to the trip as violations of U.S. export control laws carry severe civil and criminal penalties for both FSU and the offending individual.

Please consult ORCP’s International Travel Guidance for advice and requirements related to international travel before you travel. Topics addressed are:

Sanctioned Countries and Restricted Parties
Safety and Security
Advice Related to the Purpose of the Trip
Export of Equipment or Data
Other FSU Resources related to International Travel
Best Practices - advice from other universities

Working with the ORCP well ahead of your international trip is the best way to ensure that your travel, items, and information can be taken abroad without a license or violation of the export control laws and/or regulations.

Questions about export controls and international travel may be addressed to Diana Key, Director, Research Compliance Programs.

Research Administration Management Portal (RAMP) Update

ACUC Module Slated to Go Live in January

As previously announced, the first module to go live as part of the RAMP Project (Huron Research Suite) will be the ACUC Module. The system has been tested and is functioning as designed. The module is on schedule to go live on the anticipated date of January 31, 2019.

The system testing occurred during November and early December. Twelve testing sessions were offered at multiple locations on campus for Principal Investigators to test drive the system and provide feedback. Also, the project team conducted testing with the ACUC Committee to gather their comments and address questions on business processes. The ACUC core team completed their testing of the system as well to ensure the requirements identified in the discovery phase were properly configured within the module by Huron. Feedback from all groups was recorded throughout the testing process and this information will aid the ACUC in designing training that is suitable to meet the needs of end users.

Once implemented, Principal Investigators, or their proxies, will be required to submit all new protocols and triennial submissions through RAMP. Any amendments to active paper protocols will continue to be managed through the current process until the protocols expire (to minimize the effort required of FSU researchers). All protocols will be transitioned to RAMP no later than January 31, 2022.

Communication through faculty meetings and other campus meetings will occur in January to provide relevant details about the ACUC module. Training sessions on the new system will be scheduled for the core team, committee and ancillary reviewers to ensure they are comfortable in navigating through the module for protocol workflow and review. Training for PIs and proxies will be discussed soon and we will share this information with campus once the curriculum and timing is finalized.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu

(850) 644 – 8664

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Human Subjects Research Office Updates

Revised Common Rule

On January 21, 2019, the Revised Common Rule will go into effect. The Human Subjects Office is creating a section on the Human Subjects website that will outline the changes. We are also updating our Standard Operational Procedures to comply with the new regulations. Please check our website over the next few weeks, as this is where you will find new information that may affect your studies.

Human Subjects Protections Training

Human Subjects Protections training is required for all engaged study team members; no research study can be approved by the FSU IRB unless evidence of current training is submitted with IRB applications. In September 2018, the NIH Human Subjects Training was removed and is no longer offered. The FSU IRB requires the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Human Subjects Research (HSR) Training, which must be refreshed every three years. Please contact our office if you have questions or need assistance with registering for the training(s) as appropriate for your research study.

New IRB Protocol Template Coming

The FSU IRB is working on an implementation plan for a formal protocol to be submitted for every study. We will be contacting departments beginning in January to help provide training and education in advance of requiring the protocol. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or to arrange training for your department at humansubjects@fsu.edu.

New NSF Proposal Changes

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 19-1) has been issued.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 28, 2019. Significant changes include:

Addition of Research.gov as an option for proposal preparation and submission, and proposal file updates;
Revision of eligibility standards for unaffiliated individuals;
Specification that conference proposals over $50,000 and all equipment proposals must include the Collaborators and Other Affiliations information in the proposal submission;
Revision of resubmission guidelines for NSF programs that accept proposals at any time;
Implementation of NSF’s policy on sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, or sexual assault;
Specification that proposers are required to have a policy or code-of-conduct that addresses sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, and sexual assault, and that includes clear and accessible means of reporting violations of the policy or code-of-conduct. This policy or code-of-conduct must be disseminated to conference participants prior to attendance at the conference as well as made available at the conference itself;
Emphasis on the importance of training faculty in the responsible and ethical conduct of research;
Incorporation of existing patent policy into the PAPPG. This policy was previously implemented by regulation at 45 CFR 650; and
Numerous clarifications and other changes throughout the document.

You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG.

A webinar to brief the community on the changes to the new PAPPG will be held on November 27 at 2 PM EST. Sign up to be notified when registration is available on the outreach notifications website, by selecting “All NSF Grants and Policy Outreach Events & Notifications.”

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 28, 2019, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 18-1) continue to apply. We will ensure that the current version of the PAPPG remains on the NSF website, with a notation to proposers that specifies when the new PAPPG (including a link to the new Guide) will become effective.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov.

Huron Research Suite Transitions to “RAMP” – Project Update

We are excited to announce that our research system has been re-branded with a new name specifically for FSU. Project team members from across campus submitted and voted on creative name ideas and ultimately selected RAMP, which stands for “Research Administration Management Portal”. A project website has been developed to share pertinent information with the research community as we navigate through different phases of the project. The website will be the central source of information about the project and updates will continue to be provided on the website and within the Research Newsletter. Please visit the RAMP website at http://ramp.research.fsu.edu to view general information, project governance, the implementation timeline and announcements. Frequently asked questions will also be posted to the project website in the near future for your convenience.

During the course of October, Huron continued their work on the development of the ACUC module to meet FSU’s requirements. The development phase should conclude in mid-November and the modified system will be available for testing to ensure it is working properly as designed. The system will result in an electronic process for the development, submission and review of ACUC protocols. The project remains on course for the estimated go-live date of January 31, 2019.

Principal Investigators are encouraged to participate in one hour sessions to test drive the system beginning November 14th in an effort to provide essential feedback to the project team. These sessions are scheduled for the following dates and locations.

Date	Session Times	Location
November 14	9:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:00	FSU Training Center, Room 211
November 15	9:00 - 10:00 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:00	FSU Training Center, Room 211
November 16	9:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:00	Carothers Hall, Room 304
November 26	9:00 – 10:00 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:00	Student Services Building, Room 301

Additionally, ancillary and committee reviewers will have an opportunity to offer their input on the module in late November and those session dates will be communicated soon. Training will be provided at various locations in January as we approach implementation and detailed information will be furnished accordingly.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

Responsible Conduct of Research Training Reminder

Certain federal agencies have adopted requirements for training on the responsible conduct of research for individuals supported by or participating in projects funded by those agencies. FSU’sPolicy on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training outlines policy and procedures for ensuring compliance with these requirements. Postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and USDA/NIFA project staff must complete their training within two months of their initial appointment or assignment to the grant. Undergraduates must complete their training within one month of their initial appointment or assignment to the grant. Training options are explained at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-compliance/rcr/. If you have questions, please contact Diana Key at dkey@fsu.edu.

Huron Research Suite – Project Update

The project is progressing well and is on schedule. The Discovery and Planning phase is complete. This phase involved project team members viewing demonstrations of the new system modules, evaluating their current business processes, and providing feedback to aid in the design of our comprehensive research system. These meetings provided the information necessary for developing the project plan. Notable accomplishments from the work performed thus far are the completion of a project charter to guide us on the work ahead, detailed project deliverables, and the implementation timeline for each module. The estimated go-live dates for each module are as follows:

ACUC – January 31, 2019
IRB – June 21, 2019
Agreements (Phase I) – August 30, 2019
Grants – July 1, 2020
Agreements (Phase II) – July 1, 2020
Export Control – November 6, 2020

The ACUC team completed the onboarding phase. This involved detailed training/discussion sessions and gathering of system requirements to determine best approach for alignment with FSU business processes and higher education best practices. Huron developers are now working on these requirements to fulfill the necessary changes to meet FSU’s needs for the ACUC module. Members of the project team have met with the ACUC Committee and committee members have been offered opportunities to be closely involved in the process. Once completed, the implementation period will begin which will include testing, training and ultimately deployment of the system. Broad communication will be provided to all who interact with the ACUC.

Further information about the project, as well as training opportunities, will be shared with campus as we continue to progress through the project path this fall. A project website will be launched in late October and will contain detailed project information. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.

Kerry Peluso, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Finance
kpeluso@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8664

Angie Rowe, Project Manager, Office of Research
arrowe@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8659

NSF Issues Notification Requirements Regarding Findings of Sexual Harassment, Other Forms of Harassment, or Sexual Assault

Effective 10/21/2018, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is implementing a new requirement that all findings/determinations of sexual misconduct (sexual harassment or sexual violence) or discrimination, by an NSF funded PI or co-PI, be reported to the NSF. Based on the reported conduct, the NSF will then determine if there will be any impact to the award amount or assigned PI/co-PI. This new term and condition will be effective for any new award, or funding amendment to an existing award, made on or after the effective date of the revision.

FSU’s Offices of the Vice President of Research and Human Resources are working together to ensure that the proper procedures are in place to ensure compliance with these conditions, while ensuring confidential protection where required.

The details of this notice are available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/09/21/2018-20574/notification-requirements-regarding-findings-of-sexual-harassment-other-forms-of-harassment-or.

Applicable University policies are available at:

Questions regarding the new NSF reporting requirements or the applicable University policies may be directed to: Amber Wagner, Deputy Title IX Coordinator, amwagner@fsu.edu or 850-645-1458.

New Online Research Administrator’s Educational Program

The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to announce that the development of a comprehensive online program for research administration education is currently in production. The program will provide the foundation of knowledge that administrator’s need to have to administer research projects at FSU. The program will be called eSPEAR. The curriculum for this program has been developed by a Committee which includes members of both central and departmental/college offices.

The goal of this project is to ensure that FSU’s administrators have the knowledge they need to best assist our researchers in making decisions about their projects and ensuring the best use of the research funds received from outside sponsors. This program will the based on SRA’s current educational program as well as additional materials that will be developed by the Committee and others from both central and departmental/college offices. While the program is expected to be fully completed during FY20, individual modules will be rolled out sooner.

Further information about this program, including the expected availability of individual modules, will be shared via the Office of Research Newsletter. Questions regarding this program should be addressed to Kerry Peluso at kpeluso@fsu.edu.

Fall 2018 GAP Announcement:

GAP is a competitive grant program designed to help FSU Researchers move their research towards commercialization. The competitions are managed by the Office of Commercialization and are held twice a year, spring and fall semesters. The next competition will be held on December 4th. Specific program details highlighting the simple straightforward process and deadline dates are listed on the GAP Program webpages. To be considered for fall 2018 GAP, pre-proposal applications are due in the Office of Commercialization on or before October 5th.

For questions, contact Beverlyn Samuels at (850) 644-9318 or email bsamuels@fsu.edu.

The Path to Implementation of an Integrated Research Administration System Begins at FSU

The Office of Research is very pleased to announce the upcoming university-wide implementation of the Huron Research Suite. This multi-year, multi-phased project will provide FSU researchers and administrators with comprehensive tools to support the administration of research within one integrated system. This software includes electronic proposal development and routing as well as system-to-system proposal submission (where available by sponsor). It will also provide tools for the development and management of IRB and IACUC protocols and for the management of subcontracts, contract negotiations, and export controls. Five modules will be included as part of this project (IRB, IACUC, Export Controls, Grants and Agreements).

This software solution has been successfully implemented in many other universities who have reported success in reducing the administrative burden related to research administration while increasing transparency and efficiency. Some of the positive outcomes include Penn State reporting a 46% reduction in the average number of days from submission to approval of IRB protocols (expedited and full board reviews) and MD Anderson reporting a 10.6% reduction in average time to approval for new IACUC protocols and a 34.5% reduction in average time to approval for IACUC amendments. Other schools have consistently noted the benefits of electronic proposal routing noting that it has provided them with a streamlined approach to building, tracking, processing, and submitting proposals on behalf of the University.

Currently, the project is in the discovery and planning phase. Departmental administrators, researchers, and central department staff members are meeting with Huron consultants to provide the information and input necessary to create a project roadmap and timeline that will best support our research community. The project is anticipated to last for approximately 24-30 months. Throughout the project, we will provide updates via newsletters, a project website, email communications, town hall forums, departmental meetings, and other communication channels. Our goal is to keep you informed on a timely basis throughout this project and to ensure you are aware of, and fully prepared for, any changes prior to them occurring.

As noted above, we are in the preliminary stage of this project, so there is nothing that you need to do now. Further information will be shared in September. If you do have questions about the project, we encourage you to contact one of us. We welcome your feedback as we embark on this journey together to enhance research administration at FSU.

For more information on the Huron Research Suite, please visit https://vimeo.com/191231871.

New Procedures for Award Notifications and Approvals

Procedure for Notifying Principal Investigators of New Grant Awards and Amendments

In order to set up sponsored projects in a quick and efficient manner, Sponsored Research Administration (SRA) is modifying the approval procedure for new grant awards and amendments having standard terms and conditions. SRA will continue to send the award documents to the Principal Investigator (PI) and grants project manager for review and to identify any inaccuracies in the award document. If the PI does not notify SRA of any issues within 48 hours, SRA will set up the project as proposed and awarded.

As mentioned above, this new procedure will only apply to those grants and award documents that have standard terms and conditions acceptable to FSU including the Federal-wide Research Terms and Conditions (RTCs), NSF Grant General Conditions and Cooperative Agreement Conditions, NIH Standard Terms of Award, DOE Standard Research Terms and Conditions, NASA Agency RTC Specific Requirements, DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, and the USDA NIFA Agency-Specific Terms and Conditions.

SRA will continue to use the existing procedure for all other award documents whereby we request that the PI review the award document for programmatic and technical accuracy and provide SRA with a concurrence email. Awards without standard terms and conditions will not be set up until the PI’s concurrence has been received by SRA.

Approvals Required ONLY when the Award Received is greater than 10% from Proposed Budget

Currently, if an award is received with a total that is different from the proposed budget, SRA requires the approval of the PI, Chair and Dean on the budget summary and/or budget amendment form. Going forward, approvals will only be required when awards are received with changes that are greater than 10% from the proposal. Therefore, the PI, Chair and Dean approval will no longer be required for awards received that are 10% or less than proposed.

Issuance of a Revised Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 18-1)

The NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 18-1) has now been issued.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 29, 2018. Significant changes include:

Addition of a new eligibility subcategory on international branch campuses of U.S. Institutions of Higher Education;
Revision of eligibility standards for foreign organizations;
Implementation of the standard Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) template that has been in pilot phase since April;
Increase in the Budget Justification page limitation from three pages to five pages;
Restructuring of coverage on grantee notifications to and requests for approval from NSF, including referral to the Prior Approval Matrix available on the NSF website; and
Numerous clarifications and other changes throughout the document.

You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG.

A webinar to brief the community on the new PAPPG will be held on December 8 at 2 PM EST. Sign up to be notified when registration is available on the outreach notifications website, by selecting “All NSF Grants and Policy Outreach Events & Notifications.”

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 29, 2018, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 17-1) continue to apply. We will ensure that the current version of the PAPPG remains on the NSF website, with a notation to proposers that specifies when the new PAPPG (including a link to the new Guide) will become effective.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the NSF Policy Office on (703) 292-8243 or by e-mail to policy@nsf.gov.

The National Academies’ Committee on Return of Individual-Specific Research Results Generated in Research Laboratories: A Call for Public Comments

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) is soliciting public comments to help inform the deliberations of a new consensus study committee. The committee is tasked with reviewing the current evidence base and practices related to the return of individual research results generated in laboratories that perform tests on human biospecimens, and providing recommendations on the ethical, social, operational, and regulatory aspects of return of these results. The study task covers a broad range of research from preclinical, basic biomedical sciences to clinical sciences and will consider the variety of disciplines therein including, but not limited to oncology, proteomics, pharmacokinetics, gynecology, genetics and genomics, toxicology, microbiome research, and others. More information can be found on the study’s website.

Persons wishing to provide written comments should email returnofresults@nas.edu. The National Academies requests that comments be submitted by Friday, October 20, 2017 to allow committee consideration in advance of their October meeting. However, comments will be accepted throughout the study process. Please note that any written information shared with the committee will be placed within a Public Access File (PAF), and may be provided to the public upon request.

Additionally, the committee will be holding a public comment period at its next in-person meeting in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, October 24 from 4:30–5:30PM ET. Individuals wishing to provide comments at the meeting must register here. Please note that in-person comments will be limited to 3 minutes in length.

Please feel free to forward this call for comments to any interested colleagues.

VP Ostrander’s Message to Researchers about Compliance Issues

Read the August 21 letter to Faculty and Staff.

News and Information

RAMP Update: FastLane proposal decommissioning and transition of functionality to Research.gov

Finding Funding Using Pivot

Data Management and Sharing Plans

RAMP Update: Important Information from the National Science Foundation

Office for Human Subjects Protection: Instructions for new National Institutes of Health policy

Fall 2022 Biosketch Workshop Series

Maintaining eSPEAR Certification

Office of Research Development: Mock review panel program

Getting to Know the NSF Mid-Career Advancement Program

Updated drone policy

Fall 2022 Biosketch Workshop Series

National Institutes of Health releases supplemental information on policy for data management and sharing

ORD Bulletin: Funding Opportunities

Overleaf now available for FSU faculty and students

Sponsored Research Administration open house

Applying for Extramural Arts Funding

RAMP Funding Proposal Update

GAP Commercialization Investment Program

Council on Research & Creativity Seed Grant

Office for Human Subjects Protection: Human research updates

New patents registered by FSU Office of Commercialization

National Institutes of Health: Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans

Collaborative Collision: Rural Innovation

Call for Proposals: 2022-2023 Project Enhancement Network and Incubator

New Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative courses available

Save the Date: Fall 2022 Biosketch Workshop Series

New Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program form and procedures

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available Without Delay

FSU Libraries announces launch of OpenAthens

OneDrive mapping service available

ResearchMatch: A new online recruitment tool for study participants

Council on Research and Creativity First Year Assistant Professor workshop

Council on Research and Creativity program updates

Open Scholars Program

Refreshed FSU Libraries website launched July 22

Summer 2022 Research Development Digest

New guidelines for navigating conflict of interest issue and faculty start-ups

Human research updates: FDA-regulated pharmaceuticals and devices

New resources available for FSU researchers and research administration

Partial salary funding of full-time specialized research faculty

Office of Research Compliance Programs: Dos, Don'ts, Maybes of Foreign Entity Relationships

National Science Foundation: New research security website

April 2022 RAMP Update

Sponsored Research Administration April 2022 announcements

Spring 2022 Research Development Digest

FSU Libraries: The Dr. Kristine Harper Research Grant

March 2022 RAMP Update

National Institutes of Health Fiscal Year 2022 Updated Guidance

National Institutes of Health Fiscal Year 2022 Updated Guidance: Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (NIH Notice NOT-OD-22-055)

Collaborative Accelerator: Community+

Applying for Humanities Research Funding

Spring 2022 Research Development Digest

Store research data securely

February 2022 RAMP Update

January 2022 RAMP Update

Approved Drone Manufacturers

December 2021 RAMP Update

November 2021 RAMP Update

October 2021 RAMP Update

CAMS Project Update: October 2021

September 2021 RAMP Update

FSU hires senior biostatistician to support researchers

August 2021 RAMP Update

FSU names senior research executive to lead collaboration with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare

July 2021 RAMP Update

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare updated IRB fee schedule

June 2021 RAMP Update

eSPEAR: Certification maintenance and continuing education requirements

Sponsored Research Administration: Research Project Discussion Group

Office of Research Development bulletin: Funding opportunities

Office of Research Development: Tips for creating a strong proposal budget

May 2021 RAMP Update

April 2021 RAMP Update

RAMP Grants

March 2021 RAMP Update

New Conflict of Interest System to Launch this Fall

February 2021 RAMP Update

Better funding recommendations through Pivot’s Automatic Citation Ingest from ORCID

January 2021 RAMP Update

Further Expansion of Research Activities
Proposed date: June 10, 2020