THE FEDERAL DEMONSTRATION PARTNERSHIP PHASE V UPDATE Alexandra A. McKeown, Associate Dean Johns Hopkins University May 2, 2011 1
What is the FDP? The FDP is a cooperative effort among federal research agencies, universities and other research organizations aimed at streamlining and improving the federal/ university research support relationship and reducing administrative burden. The National Academy of Science s Government- University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR) serves as the neutral convener and secretariat of the FDP. The FDP began in 1988 as the Florida Demonstration Project and is now entering Phase V which will extend through 2014.
FDP MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the FDP is to examine, improve and streamline the administrative processes involved in the competitive appointment, allocation and management of federal funds which support research activities at institutions of higher education throughout the country. This supports the primary goal of streamlining with accountability to decrease researcher time focused on administrative requirements and so maximize the time available for research. 3
Institutional Members 119 Research Organizations Large, Medium & Small Research Universities Emerging Research Institutions (ERI) Hospitals Independent Research Organizations
Federal Agencies 10 Federal Agencies National Institutes of Health National Science Foundation Office of Naval Research US Department of Agriculture National Aeronautics and Space Administration Army Research Office Air Force Office of Scientific Research Army Medical Research and Material Command Environmental Protection Agency US Department of Homeland Security
Affiliate Organizations 5 Affiliate Organizations National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) Society of Research Administrators (SRA) Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI) American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
MEETINGS Three meetings per year Format of the meetings is informal utilizing Broad plenary sessions Break out sessions for working groups, committee and task force meetings Networking opportunities 7
PARTICIPATION Being a member of the FDP is about participation. All members are encouraged to join and be active participants in standing committees and task forces. Participation from the floor during general sessions is always encouraged and ample time is provided for questions and comments. The membership, by design, is diverse so as to represent all parties affected by new research funding and administrative requirements. 8
FACULTY AT FDP Faculty representation at FDP was introduced in Phase III and this group is still evolving although its influence and participation has grown significantly over the last two phases. The faculty representatives elect a Co-Chair of their standing committee who also sits on the Executive Committee along with the Chair. The Faculty Chair serves as the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee. 9
FDP STANDING COMMITTEES Executive Committee Operational Standing Committees Membership Mentoring Initiative Upcoming Elections Finance FDP Foundation Investment strategies Communications Updated brochure New informational packet being developed Updating website with more current information 10
FDP STANDING COMMITTEES Functional Standing Committees Faculty Update of Faculty Burden Survey Changes in Peer Review Processes Export Controls/Select Agents/Biosafety Growing Burden Associated with Compliance Activities Electronic Research Administration (ERA) Joint Application Design (JAD) Team providing information to Grants.gov Addressing Portions of the Faculty Burden Survey Collaborating with Compusearch on FedConnect issues Agency-wide Faculty Profile template InCommon SSO Single Sign-on for Agency Portals Research Administration Committee ARRA Subcommittee Contracts (Troublesome Clauses Study Phase II) Subawards Task Force (FFATA Implementation, Subrecipient Monitoring A-133) STAR METRICS Working Group 11
FDP STANDING COMMITTEES Functional Standing Committees Finance, Audit and Costing Committee Project Certification Pilot Project Direct-charging of Administrative Costs Research Compliance Committee Human Subjects Subcommittee Animal Care and Use Subcommittee Conflict of Interest Export Controls
Success Stories Expanded Authorities Faculty Burden Survey Subaward Agreement Standard Government-wide Terms and Conditions Emerging Research Institutions GUIRR Partnership Workshop STAR METRICS Pilot Demonstration FDP as key sounding board for Research Business Models Subcommittee of the Committee on Science, grants.gov, research.gov, etc. 13
Current Projects FDP/COGR ARRA Coordination ARRA Administrative Burden Survey Troublesome Clauses Grants.gov Joint Application Design Team STAR Metrics Working Group Project Certification Project Faculty Burden Survey II IRB Exempt Status Decision Tool FFATA Reporting Revised Subaward Template (FFATA, ARRA)
ARRA Initiatives ARRA Reporting Best Practices Committee formed August 2009 Conducted several surveys -- administrative impact survey is most significant, analysis to be complete Spring 2011 Developed website with resources http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fdp/pga_058836 Formed listserv with 300+ participants Co-developed ARRA FAQs with COGR, available at http://www.cogr.edu/viewdoc.cfm?docid=151634 Contact Lynette Arias (lynette.arias@columbia.edu) or Sue Ross (sross@northwestern.edu) for more information
Troublesome Clauses Created to gather evidence of inconsistent applications of terms & conditions in research grants & contracts Data from Phase I was used by COGR & AAU to publish white paper DoD used data to align practices across agencies Used by members as a reference for negotiating clauses Data from Phase II is now being analyzed for new trends
Grants.gov Initiative Joint Application Design Team FDP ERA committee working with Grants.gov to deliver the applicant perspective and priorities for fixes and new development Focusing on System-to-System issues, Forms and Documentation Conducted survey on Institutional Investment in Grants.gov. Results can be seen at http:// sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fdp/ PGA_055750
STAR METRICS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR AMERICA S REINVESTMENT: Measuring the Effect of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science Collects data from various sources to document the outcomes of science investments to the public Build on this information in future to allow for measurement of science impact on economic outcomes, scientific outcomes, and social outcomes Gathers information from existing sources with minimal effort once the feeds are set up Phase II is currently being designed Over 60 institutions are participating
Project Certification Effort Certification Alternative Purpose: to make effort certification a more relevant and effective process in the management of sponsored research awards. Process being piloted: require certification of all direct effort allocated to a sponsored award on an annual basis and at the end of the project. The annual cycle being defined by the project anniversary date. Currently there are four FDP schools that have submitted proposals to their cognizant federal agency under OMB Circular A-21. One has been approved and three are under review: George Mason University (approved) Michigan Technical University (under review at ONR) UC Irvine (under review at DHHS) UC Riverside (under review at DHHS)
Faculty Burden Survey II FBS II The Faculty Committee has the survey instrument mostly complete Engaging the same company as the first survey to publish the survey and gather the data In the process of gathering the potential participants Data collection to start in early 2012
Research Compliance IRB Exempt Status Decision Tool HS Practical Guide to Reducing Regulatory Burden HS Common Rule Harmonization Project IRB Practical Guide to Reducing Regulatory Burden JIT Procedures for Animal Care
Subaward Working Group FFATA Coordination Revised Subaward Template Revised Subaward Templates FFATA Requirements ARRA Requirements Special Guidance for International Subawards Expanding Data Set for A-133 Project
QUESTIONS 23