Essential Policy and Procedure Updates

Oracle Business System Upgrade and Shutdown Period

The Research Foundation Central Office is in the process of upgrading the current version of the Oracle Business System from 11.0.3 to the new 11i version. This is necessary since Oracle no longer supports the version used by the RF. The new version is scheduled to be implemented on May 1, 2007 and will be preceded by a system shutdown period lasting from close of business on April 20 until go-live on May 1. The shutdown period is necessary to accomplish the following tasks:

  1. Move all the existing data into the new database.
  2. Migrate the Oracle Applications from the current 11.0.3 version into the 11i production version. This includes nine Oracle Applications plus the Principal Investigator Award Interface (PIAI), Web Financial Reports (WFR) and the reporting tool Discoverer.
  3. Migrate customizations to Oracle Applications into upgraded production version 11i.

To facilitate this transition, RF Central has urged that campus departments plan ahead for their needs during the shutdown period. For detailed information concerning your procurement transactions please refer to:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/procurement/news/

HR/Payroll transaction submission information can be found at:
http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Admin/HRS.nsf/pages/HRS_Focus_RFOracle

Salary Offset (IFR) transactions should be submitted to the Office of Grants Management by April 6 to insure inclusion in the April month end activity.

If your externally sponsored award is scheduled to terminate between April 20 – 30 all unencumbered transactions should be received with sufficient lead time to allow for processing prior to the shutdown.

The Office of Grants Management will be available to assist with your needs throughout the shutdown period. Please contact us at 2-9038 for assistance.

Electronic Submission of NIH Non-competing Progress Reports (PHS2590)

The University is now enabled to submit eSNAP applications electronically via the NIH eRA Commons system. eSNAP, the electronic Streamlined Non-competing Award Process, is a component of the NIH eRA Commons which allows extramural grantee institutions to submit an electronic version of a Type 5 (non-competitive) progress report via a web interface, eliminating the paper submission. Principal Investigators working on eSNAP applications must have an active NIH eRA Commons User Account. The eSNAP user’s guide, which gives an overview of the system and complete step-by-step user instructions, can be found at:
http://era.nih.gov/docs/eSNAP_UG_v.2.8.1.1.pdf.

A important step in the report process will be for PIs to choose their Sponsored Programs Coordinator’s name from a drop down box for automatic routing of the progress report. Coordinators will review the report against sponsor requirements and officially submit to NIH. Please contact your Office of Sponsored Programs Coordinator if you have questions regarding the use of eSNAP or to establish a Commons User Account if you do not already have one. While Office of Sponsored Programs encourages electronic submission, NIH will continue to accept paper submissions of the 2590. We anticipate that NIH will require electronic submission at some point in the future.

New OSP Proposal Submission Website

Due to the growing number of electronic proposal submissions and the need for faculty to transmit extremely large proposal files to the Office of Sponsored Programs, a website is now up and running to facilitate this transmission. The website is: http://www.stonybrook.edu/proposalsosp
(please note that the web address is case sensitive and should be accessed using all lower case letters)

The process is simple. Submitters access this website, provide pertinent information (so that OSP can identify the proposal and have contact information), attach their full proposal files where indicated and hit the “submit” button. Office of Sponsored Programs staff can access the proposal information and all attachments quickly and easily. 

***Reminder: full proposals and all required completed campus forms should be submitted five business days before the sponsor deadline. Questions regarding the use of this website can be addressed to your Sponsored Programs Coordinator or Contracts Administrator.

NIH/AHRQ Transition to Electronic Applications Update

NIH/AHRQ Confirms Plans to Transition the G7, G8, G11, G13, G20, S11, S21 and S22 to Electronic Applications and Announces Delay in Transition of K, F, T and Complex Grant Programs Confirming May 25 Transition Plans

The research community is reminded that the following grant programs will transition to electronic submission using the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.gov for applications intended for the May 25, 2007 submission date and beyond:

  • Resource Program (G7, G8, G11, G13, G20)
  • Minority Biomedical Research Support Thematic Project Grant (S11)
  • Research and Institutional Resources Health Disparities Endowment Grants – Capacity Building (S21)
  • Research and Student Resources Health Disparities Endowment Grants – Educational Programs (S22)

ALL applications in response to announcements for these grant programs must be submitted electronically (i.e., paper-based PHS 398 applications will not be accepted). Applications previously submitted in paper that are being resubmitted as amended applications must now use electronic submission via Grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R) forms. 

Announcing Delay for Subsequent Transitions

The change to electronic applications for grant programs currently targeted to transition after May 2007, including Career Development (K), Fellowship (F), Training & Development (T&D) and complex mechanisms will be delayed. NIH, AHRQ and Grants.gov are working together to establish new transition dates for these grant programs. A notice announcing the adjusted dates and timeline will be issued as soon as possible.

The following resources continue to be available for assistance in the electronic submission of grant applications to NIH through Grants.gov:
General Information:
http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
http://www.ahrq.gov/path/egrants.htm

The Clinical Trial Contract Process

The Office of Sponsored Programs has created a flowchart that describes the clinical trial contract process in detail. The flowchart can be found on the OSP website at:

http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/spo/ClinicalTrialsFlowchart.html.


The Office of Sponsored Programs hopes that you will find this helpful in navigating your way through this process. If you have any questions, please contact Leigh Gentilcore, Clinical Trials Administrator, via email at lgentilcore@notes.cc.sunysb.edu or via phone at 632-4949.

From the Office of Clinical Trials

In order to maintain compliance with federal guidelines, the Office of Clinical Trials has created a research subjects’ database. For all industry initiated, industry sponsored clinical trials, Study Coordinators are required to enter the names of all participating subjects.

If you have any questions regarding this issue, a letter from Dr. Richard Fine is posted on the Office of Clinical Trials website. The link is:
https://www.osa.sunysb.edu/octs/newsInvestigator.jsp
--Contributed by Sharon Nachman, Director, Office of Clinical Trials

Research Foundation Oracle System Upgrade Information for HR/Payroll

Please see the HR website with information related to the upcoming upgrade of Research Foundation's Oracle business application. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Madeline Ricciardi at 2-9314, Mary Steffens at 2-6192, or your RF Payroll Specialist.
http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Admin/HRS.nsf/pages/HRS_Focus_RFOracle

2007 Summer Employment

Human Resource Services has posted the necessary information you may need concerning 2007 Summer Employment. Please click on the yellow stamp on the right side of our home page, link provided below. Each document has contact information if you have any questions. HRS wishes everyone a great summer!

http://www.stonybrook.edu/hr

New Human Resource Services (HRS) Office in HSC

HRS has added an office in the Health Sciences Center to provide HR services, information and advice. It will have two "long" days to help provide better service: Wednesday and Thursday: 7:00am – 6:00pm. Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 8:30am – 5:00 pm. The office is located at: HSC, Level 4, SOM, Rm 170A (Dean's Suite).

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Funding Opportunities

Stony Brook University Seed Grants for Survey Research (SGSR)

A new program has been announced for Seed Grants for Survey Research (SGSR). This program is designed to help faculty better position themselves to apply for and receive extramural funding for research designed to collect original survey research data. Recipients of SGSR awards are expected to use the data collected as part of the seed grant program to submit proposals to extramural sponsors. Tenured or tenure-track faculty members including Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Full Professors, and Assistant, Associate or Full Research Professors may apply. Proposals can represent a collaborative effort among several faculty members. Four awards of up to $10,000 each will be allocated in 2007. Up to $2,000 of this budget may go toward an RA or other research-related expenses, the remainder is devoted to the cost of data collection by the Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research. A review panel of faculty drawn from the Center for Survey Research plus the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Health Technology and Management, Medicine, Nursing, Social Welfare, and the Marine Sciences Research Center will evaluate all proposals. The application deadline is April 15, 2007; awards will be announced in mid-May, 2007 for a June 1, 2007 activation date. More information about the SGSR program can be found at:
http://www.sunysb.edu/~surveys/

2007 NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2)

NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni has announced a special program to fund new investigators who propose highly innovative research projects that could have an exceptional impact on biomedical or behavioral science. The NIH Director's New Innovator Award offers grants of up to $1.5 million in direct costs over five years."New investigators are the future of science, and innovative ideas are its lifeblood. This flagship program underscores NIH's commitment to supporting these two critical elements of the research enterprise. The New Innovator Award, funded through the NIH Roadmap Common Fund, complements longstanding activities in both areas at the NIH level and at its institutes and centers," said Zerhouni.

The application period opens on April 25 and closes on May 22, 2007. NIH expects to make at least 14 awards in September, 2007. New investigators who have not yet obtained an NIH R01 or similar grant are eligible to apply. Applicants must hold an independent research position at an institution in the United States and must have received a doctoral degree or completed a medical internship and residency in 1997 or later.

"We want proposals in a broad range of scientific areas relevant to the NIH mission and from a diverse pool of applicants," Zerhouni said. "We're shortening the application and emphasizing the significance of the research, what makes the approach exceptionally innovative, how the applicant will address challenges and risks, and the applicant's qualifications for the grant. We aren't requiring applicants to present preliminary data, although we'll allow it if they choose to do so," he added.
Application instructions are at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-07-009.html
More information on the NIH Director's New Innovator Award is at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/innovator_award/

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

For a complete list of upcoming deadlines, please go to -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/fndopp/deadlcal.html

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News and Events

Events

April 17 and 18: "The Impact of Export Controls on Sponsored Research"

The Office of Sponsored Programs, in cooperation with Binghamton University and the Research Foundation Central Office, is pleased to announce the offering of a seminar on the impact of export controls on sponsored research. This seminar is specifically geared toward faculty and staff involved in research at Stony Brook and will involve case studies and a question and answer period. In order to properly serve both sides of the campus, two sessions have been scheduled:

April 17th in Student Activity Center Room 304 from 2:00 to 4:00
April 18th in Health Science Center Level 2 Room 085 from 9:30 to 11:30

For some background material on the issue of export controls, please go to the following link:

http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/spo/export.html

For those interested in attending please contact Kathryn Belmonte in the Office of Sponsored Programs at 2-4402 to register. Should anyone have specific questions about the seminar please contact Ivar Strand, Assistant VP at 2-4402 or via notes at istrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Summer Sessions 2007 – Enrollment Begins April 18

Session I: Tuesday, May 29 – Monday, July 9
Session II: Tuesday, July 10 – Friday, August 17
Visit www.stonybrook.edu/summer for important information regarding deadline dates and course listings.

April 20: "Rethink, Rebuild, Renew: Creating a Sustainable Future for Long Island"

Stony Brook is a major sponsor and the host of Long Island 's first conference on sustainability issues. The conference will feature workshops on four areas of sustainability: sustainable business practices, sustainable design, sustainable energy and creating sustainable communities. Speakers will include County Executives Steve Levy and Thomas Suozzi. 8:30am-4pm, Student Activities Center.

For more info, a schedule or to register online, visit Sustainable Long Island's web site: www.sustainableli.org

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News

Guggenheim Fellowship

Gary J. Marker, History, is one of the 189 scholars, artists and scientists selected from almost 2,800 applicants for a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. His topic is the "idea of Russia in clerical discourse." The Guggenheim Foundation "offers Fellowships to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions and irrespective of race, color, or creed." Previous Guggenheim fellows include Ansel Adams, Aaron Copland, Martha Graham, Langston Hughes, Vladimir Nabokov James Watson and Eudora Welty, among scores of other Nobel, Pulitzer and other prize winners.

COMPRES

NSF has awarded the Mineral Physics Institute a 5-year $11.5 million renewal of the Community Facilities and Infrastructure Development for High-Pressure Mineral Physics and Geosciences (COMPRES) program. The agreement with NSF also includes $3 million over the 5-year period for two beamline operations at the National Synchrotron Lightsource that are overseen by Mineral Physics Institute Director Donald Weidner and Professors Jiuhua Chen and Michael Vaughan, of the Institute.

COMPRES is a community-based consortium that supports research in the materials properties of Earth and planetary interiors with particular emphasis on high-pressure science and technology and related fields. It facilitates the operation of beam lines, the development of new technologies for high-pressure research, and advocates for science and educational programs. Professor Robert Liebermann, Geosciences, will continue on as President of COMPRES for the 5-year period.

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For More Information

Gail S. Habicht is Vice President for Research. She can be reached at (631) 632-7932. An abundance of specific information for the research community is available on our Website, where past issues of this bulletin can also be found.

Office of the Vice President for Research -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/

Research News and Monday Memo archive - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/monmemo/mmarchive.html

All Past issue of Research News and Monday Memo are keyword searchable.

And if you are challenged by the embarrassment of riches in the over 2,000 individual Web pages that comprise the Website, you may find the alphabetical site index helpful. The index can be accessed at - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/sitemap.html.

If you have information you would like to contribute to Research News please email it to the editor, Adnan Rangwala, at marc.dempsey@stonybrook.edu

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