FAQs – SOM offices supporting research
Questions concerning the Office of Grants and Contracts:
Office of Grants and Contracts
The office provides: institutional approval of proposals; interpretation of sponsor policies; assistance with budget development; post-award assistance (extensions, changes in work scope, close-out, etc.); with UVA Office of Sponsored Programs, negotiation of clinical trials, research, materials transfer, confidentiality, and consulting agreements. Contact: Steve Lichtenstein, Assistant Dean for Research Administration.
Grants and Contracts carries out most of the functions of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) on behalf of SOM faculty. The exceptions are post-award financial management (responsibility of OSP), negotiation of contracts and agreements (both offices), and consulting agreements (responsibility of Grants and Contracts).
Professional staff should report effort as a percentage of time; non-professional effort should be reported as hours per week.
This information is provided by the Office of Grants and Contracts at this page: https://med.virginia.edu/grants-and-contracts/grants/institutional-information/. Current institutional fringe benefits rates (click on “Rates” at the top left)
Questions concerning other SOM offices supporting research:
Financial conflict of interest; dissemination of targeted funding opportunities; volunteers in research; management of research space and core facilities; assistance with complex grant and contract proposals; and medical student research opportunities. Contact: Dr. David Driscoll, Assistant Dean for Research.
Mentoring of clinical research coordinators; protocol development and preparation; continuing education; study monitoring; and quality assurance. Contact Lori Elder, Director.
Administrative support for Biomedical Sciences graduate programs and SOM postdoctoral fellows; data collection/management/reporting and other support for training grant proposals and institutional reports; undergraduate Summer Research Internship Program. Contact: Dr. Janet Cross, Assistant Dean for Graduate Research and Training.
Sponsored research and consulting agreements
The Office for Research and Office of Grants and Contracts send targeted announcements of external funding opportunities to faculty and departments/centers and their joint web site provides strategies for finding funding. You can also use GrantForward to generate and save customized searches and to set up notifications of any “hits.”
Principal Investigators are strongly urged to ask colleagues to review their proposal before submission to the sponsor. Departmental and Office of Grants and Contracts approvals are required prior to submission of any proposal. Your administrator should help you generate budgets and application forms and forward the proposal to the Office of Grants and Contracts for review and approval. Additional information can be found at https://med.virginia.edu/grants-and-contracts/grants/grants-101/.
The Clinical Trials Office can help investigators prepare clinical trials budgets, negotiate budgets with sponsors, and invoice sponsors as study milestones are achieved.
UVA policy permits faculty to consult one day in seven (one per calendar week), but the SOM follows its own policy on consulting and professional activities.
Staff and trainees
Contact your department HR administrator to create positions within the UVA HR system, advertise for and interview candidates, and offer positions. Additional information…
Contact Dr. Janet Cross, Assistant Dean for Graduate Research and Training.
In general, the SOM provides the first year of student stipends; thereafter, they are supported financially by training grants, research grants, or departmental funds.
Consult the Graduate Programs Office web site for general information for enrolled BIMS students.
Consult the UVA Postdoctoral Office for information on housing, visas, benefits, tax issues, etc.
Submit a SOM volunteer agreement to the Dean’s Office for approval prior to the visitor’s arrival. Note: there are restrictions on UVA volunteers holding certain visas. Refer to the volunteer agreement for additional information.
Your department or center HR administrator should work with the Dean’s Office HR and the International Studies Office (for non-employee scholars) or University HR (for non-citizen employees) to apply for and maintain visas.
All supervisors must take training on Preventing Sexual Harassment and Preventing Employment Discrimination(Office of Equal Opportunity Programs site) and training on supervising UVA personnel (HR site).
Research supplies, equipment, travel
Orders are placed through the on-line UVA Marketplace. Your administrator can arrange access to that system and can facilitate the purchase of large equipment and services. Many assays and other services, including the use of shared equipment, are available from SOM research core facilities.
See your administrator and access Procurement Services’s guidelines and tips on travel. Requires pre-travel approval and post-travel reimbursement.
Human subjects research
The SOM Clinical Trials Office’s Orientation Manual is a compendium on the subject of clinical trials (Good Clinical Practice, ethics, protocol submission, managing trials, etc.). Also refer to our site on clinical research.
Contact the SOM Clinical Trials Office. The Division of Biostatistics & Epidemiology (Dept. of Public Health Sciences) can help with study design, analytic plans, and analysis of preliminary data to support protocol development.
INDs and IDEs are required for clinical trials of new drugs and devices and of approved drugs that are tested beyond the limits of current product licensure. Contact the Clinical Trials Office for help in developing, submitting, and maintaining FDA applications.
First, take on-line IRB training. If you have not yet arrived at UVA, you can log on as a guest. Submission of protocols and requests for IRB exemptions are facilitated via this site.
The IRB-HSR requires on-line training for clinical coordinators and offers a voluntary program on IRB and broader issues. The Clinical Trials Office conducts continuing education, informal discussions, clinical research professional meetings, and mentoring of CRCs.
The Health System web site lists current clinical trials. Listing a study in Clinicaltrials.gov is another way to broadcast it beyond the University.
The Medical Center’s Investigational Drug Service can receive, log, prepare, and blind study drugs. Contact them to discuss services and fees that you should build into your study budget. The Clinical Trials Office can direct you to there.
The Clinical Trials Office will provide coordinator support for SOM investigators.
The Clinical Trials Office helps investigators prepare and maintain SOPs and prepare for sponsor/FDA audits, and monitors investigator-initiated studies.
Sponsors of UVA clinical studies should register at http://prsinfo.clinicaltrials.gov/. Note that the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors requires registration of Phase 1 clinical trials at a public site before they can be published in those journals.
Intellectual property, confidentiality, entrepreneurial activities
Submit invention disclosures to the UVA Licensing and Venture Group, who will advise you on patenting and licensing. Additional information…
The Office of Grants and Contracts is responsible for negotiating both “incoming” and “outgoing” agreements. Additional information…
For an overview of the entrepreneurial process, see the UVA Faculty Entrepreneur’s Guidebook. The UVA Licensing and Ventures Group can provide help during start-up, including short-term rental of research lab space. The Darden School’s Batten Institute can help you develop your business plan and with other aspects of creating and managing a company.
Facilities: renovation and repair
You and your research administrator should work with Facilities Management to perform renovations.
- Emergencies: phone Physical Plant (x4-2267) – the line is staffed 24/7.
- Non-emergencies: submit a work order to Physical Plant.
Environmental health and safety
Contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee to register your proposed research, obtain training, and arrange a lab inspection prior to receiving or using such materials.
Contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety for specific requirements and a schedule of training sessions. Don’t forget to obtain training on shipping of infectious substances or diagnostic specimens, if applicable.
The SOM has developed an overview of safety issues associated with research areas, which covers training, life safety, where to go in the case of injury or if you have concerns about research safety practices, etc. It is recommended that all new personnel be required to review/provided with a copy of this document before initiating any resaerch activities, as a “best practice.”
Other compliance issues and training
Trainees on federal training grants are required to take BIMS 7100, which is coordinated by the Graduate Programs Office. Individuals may audit the course, but may not participate in small-group sessions.
Contact the Office for Research/Dr. Steven Wasserman or the UVA Conflicts of Interest Committee (Dr. Patricia Tereskerz, Chair).
Principal Investigators are legally responsible for all expenditures on their accounts and must approve their financial statements every month. Your department administrator should provide reports of expenditures as recorded in the Oracle financial system, for your review and approval. Additional information on roles and responsibilities…
Faculty and research staff must periodically report their effort expended on various activities via the UVA Time and Effort Reporting System. Your administrator can describe any departmental methodology for tracking effort and discuss the content of your effort report prior to your certifying the document. It is important for you to maintain records of your external activities (travel to professional meetings, seminars at other institutions), in case an audit is performed.
Computers/connectivity
Your department administrator should refer you to your Local Support Partner (LSP), who can discuss equipment specifications and set up new computers purchased on University funds. Depending on the department or center where you reside, your local area network may be supported by UVA Information Technology & Services, Health System Computing Services, or departmental personnel and servers.
Information Technology and Services offers several PC and Mac applications for downloading (note program-specific restrictions on use). Cavalier Computers offers academic discounts on software for personal use.
Security, losses
In case of injury, immediately phone 911 for emergency help. UVA Human Resources handles claims for workers’ compensation. Your administrator can help file a claim with Risk Management for reimbursement of property losses.
Research animals
Access the IACUC’s protocol submission system.
Training in the use of research animals is required for faculty and staff who work with research animals. Additional information…
You must have an IACUC-approved protocol before you can order animals. Vertebrate animals are ordered by the Center for Comparative Medicine. See their procedures for ordering and deadlines. Animals are delivered 4 to 5 business days after the ordering deadline.
Contact the Center for Comparative Medicine for approval of additional cage space.
SOM core facilities and collaborators
The several institutional core facilities offer access to services and specialized equipment. Additional cores are provided by research centers and complex research awards.
Consult the Research Faculty Directory or contact the Office for Research/Dr. Steven Wasserman.
Research policies
You are strongly urged to create policies on authorship and data integrity (including manipulation of graphics) that are tailored to your research program. Creating and adhering to such policies will reduce the potential for authorship disputes and research misconduct. Additional details here.
Read the HHMI publication “Making the Right Moves” on data recording, witnessing, retention, and security. The Office for Research/Dr. Steven Wasserman can provide recommendations tailored to your research program. Additional information on research recordkeeping…
Refer to this list of research policies.