ONR Services - Grant Management & Support
Primary Contact: Linda Thomsen
(linda-thomsen@uiowa.edu)
FAQs
It looks like my grant will be funded. What can I do to be prepared for start up when I am funded?
What do I need to do about IRB (Institutional Review Board) Approval?
How do I work with Grants Management?
I need to hire people for my grant, what do I need to do?
What do I need to do about monitoring my budget post-grant award?
- How do I sign up to make sure I get a monthly budget report (TDR-Transaction Detail Report)?
- How do I set up a system to monitor and reconcile my budget each month?
- How do I close a grant’s budget?
- How do I set up a subcontract?
- What do I need to do to meet reporting requirements on my grant?
- How do I close out a grant?
In addition, the following checklist is provided for faculty and research staff for use during post-award consultation with Linda Thomsen. (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download free here).
It looks like my grant will be funded. What can I do to be prepared for start up when I am funded?
Linda Thomsen is the Grant Management Specialist in the CON Office for Nursing Research. Contact her and set up an appointment to begin preparing for the starting of your grant. There are several things you can begin prior to receiving confirmation of grant funding.
Become familiar with the UI Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) website at http://research.uiowa.edu/dsp/. It is a resource for answering many of your questions. They also provides a link to the University of Iowa Research Administration Handbook. Information in the handbook will provide a foundation for developing a comprehensive understanding of the requirements when conducting a sponsored project.
Once you receive confirmation from the UI Office of the Vice President for Research that your award (funds) is activated, you will be assigned a Grant Accounting Contact and DSP Administrative Contact. These individuals are additional sources of information when you have grant management questions.
What do I need to do about IRB (Institutional Review Board) Approval?
The IRB is a group of individuals charged with reviewing proposed research involving human subjects to ensure that the rights and welfare of human subjects are adequately protected in research and are in compliance with federal human subjects regulations. The HAWK IRB website at http://www.research.uiowa.edu/hso/ is your starting point for the approval process.
In addition, all investigators and members of their research team who conduct human subjects research at the University of Iowa or at the Iowa City VAMC are required to complete an education program and become "certified" in human subject protections. To hit the ground running when your funding arrives, you can ensure that all staff on your project complete this program as soon as possible. The CITI training program fulfills the NIH requirement for certification and is available via an online tutorial course. To learn more about certification and instructions for how to use the CITI program for University research, visit http://www.research.uiowa.edu/hso/index.php?get=edu.
In-house assistance with completing HawkIRB applications is available from ONR administrator Nancy Goldsmith (nancy-goldsmith@uiowa.edu). In addition, the University of Iowa IRB and HSO also provide a variety of training and educational opportunities for investigators, delegates and research team members. To see the current schedule of course offerings visit http://www.research.uiowa.edu/hso/index.php?get=brownbag
How do I work with Grants Management?
Upon notification of a grant being awarded funding, the Office of the Vice President for Research - Department of Sponsored Programs (DSP) will send the PI an Award Activation Authorization Notice. That document will list two contact people assigned to your grant.
The Accounting contact in the Grant Accounting Office (GAO) will be able to answer questions about appropriate expenditures of grant funds, flexibility in re-budgeting within or between budget categories, monitoring of subaward spending and compliance.
The Administrative contact in the DSP who can help you interpret your contract language, answer policy questions and help prepare subaward agreements.
These people are in place to assist you in managing your grant. Do not hesitate to contact them.
I need to hire people for my grant, what do I need to do?
To get your project off the ground just as soon as possible and to maintain your research timeline, it is important that you take time to review the personnel budget and justification sections of your grant application just as soon as you get your notice of award. Your research grant staff will be employees of the University, not the grant. Therefore, you will need to work with CON Human Resources Administrator, Debra McFall-Wallerich (deb-mcfall-wallerich@uiowa.edu), who can assist you in hiring employees.
If needed, a search committee consisting of the grant PI, HR and the Grant Management Specialist can be set up to assist you in writing job descriptions, advertising positions and interviewing candidates.
In addition, the PI and Research Administrator Human Resources Management link provides a wide range of information to assist you in defining Staff Position Types, appointments, fostering leadership and quality, staff orientation, evaluations, and much more.
General job descriptions with pay grades and salary ranges for Merit and P&S staff are available at http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/classcomp/index.html.
- Graduate students: Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) are hired through a COGS (Campaign to Organize Graduate Students) union contract. For current terms and conditions of employment for graduate assistant employees see: http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/relations/bargaining/cogs/cogs.html. Job opportunities can be posted on the UI Graduate College website at http://www.grad.uiowa.edu/graduate-assistant-job-postings.
- Undergraduate students: Undergraduate Students provide basic office and/or laboratory support and are allowed to work part-time (20 hrs/wk or less) and must be enrolled and regularly attending the University. Whenever possible they should be assigned tasks that complement and reinforce their educational goals. Additional information about hiring undergraduate students can be found in the Operations Manual and the Office of Student Financial Aid website.
- Formal Appointment Process: All potential new hires for Merit, P&S or GRA positions will receive an employment offering letter that specifies the appointment title and the appointment percentage. This letter may also include the effective dates, salary, teaching or work schedule, if known, and the departmental representative to contact for information regarding the appointment and associated benefits. Once employment is accepted, Linda Spence, CON HR Assistant, will process the new appointment. (linda-spence@uiowa.edu).
How do I sign up to make sure I get a monthly budget report (electronic TDR-Transaction Detail Report)?
The Grant Accounting Office (GAO) collects funds from grant sponsors and issues payments to subcontractors. They will notify the Principal Investigator (PI) and the College of Nursing of the Master File Key (MFK) grant/program number(s) applicable to your granted study. The GAO will also enter the appropriate MFK information into the General Ledger to allow for a record of transaction processing for your project. On a monthly basis, the PI (grant owner) will receive email notice that their grant TDR, that provides a summary of expenditures for each MFK (WhoKey), is ready for reconciliation. Carol Haack, CON Business Manager, can assist you in gaining access to the online reports and answering questions about you fiscal reports. Carol’s email address is carol-haack@uiowa.edu, phone number is 319-335-7011 and office location is 101J NB.
How do I set up a system to monitor and reconcile my budget each month?
Contact Linda Thomsen, Grant Management Specialist in the Office for Nursing Research. She can assist you and/or your Project Director in setting up a spreadsheet system to monitor your budget. Linda can also assist you in learning how to reconcile your monthly TDR statement. Linda’s email address is linda-thomsen@uiowa.edu, phone number is 319-335-8581, and office location is 203-13 NB.
How do I close a grant’s budget?
The Grant Accounting contact person assigned to your study by the Division of Sponsored Programs will assist with financial reporting requirements and the closing of your account. Final federal financial reports must be submitted through the ‘Closeout’ feature in the eRA Commons within 90 days of the grant expiration date.
How do I set up a subcontract?
The Division of Sponsored Programs will have assigned an Administrative contact person to your grant account. This person will help you prepare any subcontract or subaward needed to work your study. Two links that can provide you with additional information about procuring a subcontract are:
What do I need to do to meet reporting requirements on my grant?
Start by reading every detail of your grant award contract. It will indicate what you need to report and how frequently. Please note that at the University of Iowa, the Grant Accounting Office is responsible for the submission of financial reports.
As a general rule, NIH requires reports annually and these are due 90 calendar days prior to the end of your grant year. However, specific funding opportunities may require more frequent reporting, which will be detailed in the Notice of Grant Award. Once again, read your contract very carefully.
The NIH Progress Report submitted annually should be a brief presentation of the accomplishment of the research project during the reporting period and in language that is understandable to a biomedical scientist who may not be a specialist in the project’s research field. The following points need to be addressed.
- Specific Aims: The aims, as actually funded, may differ in scope from those stated in the original, competing application because of Scientific Review Group (SRG) and Council recommendations and/or budgetary modifications made by the awarding component. If the aims have not been modified, state this. If they have been modified, give the revised aims and the reason for modification.
- Studies and Results: Describe the studies directed toward specific aims during the current budget year and the positive and negative results obtained. If technical problems were encountered in carrying out this project, describe how your approach was modified.
- Significance: Emphasize the significance of the findings to the scientific field and their potential impact on health.
- Plans: Summarize plans to address the Specific Aims during the next grant year of support. Include any important modifications to the original plans. Address any changes involving research using human embryonic stem cell, human subjects, and/or vertebrate animals.
For funding sources other than NIH, follow the reporting instructions outlined by that funding agency in your grant award contract. In general, using NIH requirements as a guideline will normally suffice.
For NIH grants, the final financial report will be handled through the Grant Accounting Office and submitted electronically within 90 days of the grant expiration date. The final progress report and invention statement are also due within 90 day of the expiration date. NIH also strongly encourages electronic submission of these reports.
For NIH and other funding sponsors, always refer to your grant award contract for specific reporting details. 90 days may seem like a lot of time, but don’t wait until the expiration date of your grant. Review your grant’s progress and budget at least 3-6 months before the expiration date and plan for your close out. Do not hesitate to speak to the Administrative contact assigned to your grant by the University of Iowa Division of Sponsored Programs or talk to Linda Thomsen (linda-thomsen@uiowa.edu) or Nancy Goldsmith (nancy-goldsmith@uiowa.edu) in the Office for Nursing Research.
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