Advisory Council for Research Administration Meeting Highlights
The Advisory Council for Research Administration held a Zoom meeting covering various topics such as community and central updates, open positions, foreign influence proposals, and more. The agenda included discussions on staffing changes, promotions, and the retirement of Sara Martin after 31 years at BU. Central updates highlighted the mailing of PAFO PARs and promotions within the team. Attendees also shared experiences on working from home and new skills acquired during the transition. Overall, the meeting provided valuable insights and updates for research administrators.
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Advisory Council for Research Administration 2/22/21 Monday 2:00pm 4:00pm Zoom Meeting 1
WELCOME 2
Do you enjoy working from home or are you ready to return to the office? Have you picked up a new skill while being at home more often than not? 4
Agenda Community and Central Updates Open Positions PFML & MATRIX Foreign Influence Proposal and Award Metrics Best Practices: Shared Services Shadow Systems January Poll Suggestion Review 5
Community Updates/News: Developing Research Staffing changes Job Postings Promotions News Upcoming changes In the horizon 6
Sara Martin Retiring from BU this Friday! Been at BU for over 31 years! Will be missed and Peers have this to say Shelly Stewardson: Not afraid to ask questions and challenge the status quo Shelly attributes our current Closeout Process to Sara! 7
Central Updates --- PAFO PARs were Mailed --- Any guesses as to how many? 8
Central Updates --- PAFO PARs were mailed 3,882 PARs were printed and emailed out Due Friday, April 9th They all have to be tracked, reviewed, and logged (manually!) into SAP Do not wait until the last week to return! Any issues with the Consulting guidance that was sent out last month? Do we need to have Sourcing back to discuss and review? Jackie Chau was promoted to Senior Research Administrator replacing Natasha Brown who left a year ago. The search is now on to replace Jackie with a Research Administrator. Portfolios will be moved around in March. 9
Central Updates --- Sponsored Programs Reminder for the upcoming March NIH deadlines 3/5, 3/12, 3/16. Per the SP proposals submission policy: 5 day-Admin documents respectively due by 2/26, 3/5, 3/9 3 day-Final documents respectively due by 3/2, 3/9, 3/11 For the February deadlines 2/5, 2/12, 2/16, SP submitted 114 proposals, we received complete applications for 58 of them the day of deadline. 10
Job Postings VETERINARY RESEARCH SUPPORT ASSISTANT/TECHNICIAN/SPE CIALIST,BUMC Lab Animal Science Center Tracking Code: 0862 Contact: Richard Trevino rtb@bu.edu RESEARCH PROGRAM MANAGER, School of Public Health, Health Policy & Mgmt ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT,MED School of Medicine, Dean's Office Tracking Code: 0355 Contact : Meredith Hanna mbhanna@bu.edu Tracking Code: 5116 Contact : Solaris Bujor srbujor@bu.edu DIRECTOR, FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION, Pardee School of Global Studies ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, Global Economic Governance Initiative, Global Development Policy Center PROGRAM MANAGER, NEIDL EHS, Research Compliance, Research Safety Tracking Code: 4469 Contact : Call 617-358-0988 or email the general box at psgs@bu.edu Tracking Code: 4003 Contact: Richard Trevino rtb@bu.edu Tracking Code: 2234 Contact : William Kring wkring@bu.edu 11
Job Postings Continued DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, OFFICE OF PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT, School of Medicine, Dean's Office RESEARCH,Wheelock College of Education and Human Development DIRECTOR,Wheelock College of Education and Human Development Tracking Code: 2226 Contact : Angela Coletta- Acevedo acoletta@bu.edu Tracking Code: 2207 Contact: Angela Coletta- Acevedo acoletta@bu.edu Tracking Code: 1339 Contact : Julia Huntsman jhunts@bu.edu GRANTS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR,Center for Excellence in Teaching, BU Hub ADMINISTRATOR,Wheelock College of Education and Human Development PROJECT MANAGER III,IS&T Project Management Tracking Code: 6325 Contact : Wayne Gilmore waygil@bu.edu Tracking Code: 2575 Contact: Angela Coletta- Acevedo acoletta@bu.edu Tracking Code: 1490 Contact : Jean Otsuki jotsuki@bu.edu 12
Paid Family and Medical Leave Effective January 1, 2021
New Paid Family and Medical Leave BU recognizes that employees may need time away from work for personal medical and family concerns To address this need, new paid family and medical leave benefits take effect January 1, 2021: Personal medical leave, should your illness or injury prevent you from working for more than five days Family leaves, should you need time to attend to family health concerns, the arrival of a child, or matters related to military deployment Matrix Absence Management will administer these benefits BU s paid family and medical leave fully complies or exceeds Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave (MAFML) requirements 15
Staff 16
Eligibility Eligible groups for paid, job-protected leave include: All Regular Full-time Staff (exempt and non-exempt) All Regular Part-time Staff (exempt and non-exempt) Sick Leave Policy Unchanged The new Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits do not affect your sick leave benefits. You will continue to accrue sick leave benefits according to the terms of that policy. 17
Understanding the Differences Sick Leave vs. Family and Medical Leave Accrued Sick Time Paid Family and Medical Leave A week or more Expected absence duration Use for personal and family health needs? Use for bonding with a newly-arrived child? Occasional one or two days Yes Yes No Yes 18
Your Benefits Medical-related Leaves Examples of Use Benefit Duration Combination of Paid Family and Medical Leave and Sick Leave Personal Medical Leave Address your own serious health condition or injury Up to 100% of base pay as follows: PFML: 80% of base pay Accrued sick time: 20% of base pay Up to 26 weeks within any 12 month period Family Medical Leave Care for a family member with a serious health condition or injury Up to 100% of base pay as follows: PFML: 80% of base pay Accrued sick time: 20% of base pay Up to 12 weeks within any 12 month period Note: Maximum paid time off is 26 weeks of any combination of personal medical and family leaves 19
Your Benefits Parental- and Military-related Leaves Examples of Use Benefit Duration Paid Family and Medical Leave Only Parental Leave Bond with a new child (both birthing and non-birthing parent) Up to 100% of base pay: PFML: 80% of base pay Accrued sick time: 20% of base pay Up to 12 weeks within any 12 month period Military Exigency Care for family matters if your spouse, child or parent is deployed overseas 80% of base pay Up to 2 weeks 80% of base pay ($850 maximum) Up to an additional 10 weeks Care for Military Family Member Care for a family member undergoing treatment for, or disabled from, a condition that occurred or was aggravated when deployed overseas 80% of base pay Up to 2 weeks 80% of base pay ($850 maximum) Up to an additional 24 weeks 20
Example: How Your Benefits Work Staff Personal Medical Leave Benefits Sarah qualifies for 8 weeks of personal medical leave: 80% through Family and Medical Leave + 20% through Sick Leave = 100% of pay for 8 weeks SARAH Full-time exempt staff 10 Years of Service $60,000 Salary, equivalent to ~$1,154 per week 26 weeks of accrued sick leave (maximum) Sarah gives birth to a child by C- section, qualifying her for both personal medical and family leave Family Leave to Bond with Newborn Additionally, Sarah qualifies for 12 weeks of family leave: 80% through Family and Medical Leave + 20% through Sick Leave = 100% of pay for 12 weeks Total Paid Leave 100% of pay for 20 weeks Note: Maximum paid time off is 26 weeks of any combination of personal medical and family leaves 21
How to Access Benefits Administered by Matrix Absence Management 22
How to Access Benefits All leave benefits are administered by Matrix Absence Management If you expect to be absent for a week or more and have a need for family or personal medical leave, simply contact Matrix Absence Management online or by phone to initiate the process: MatrixAbsence.com 877-202-0055 Contact Matrix Absence Management immediately upon an unplanned leave, or up to 30 days before a planned leave Matrix Absence Management will work with you and/or your doctor to verify your claim eligibility and administer your leave and return to work Leave benefits are paid through BU payroll according to your direct deposit election on file For additional questions or concerns, continue to contact the HR Service Center at HR@bu.edu or 617-353-2380 23
Other Important Points PFML replaces the old Short Term Disability plan Eligible employees will have full PFML allotment in 2021 regardless of FMLA used in 2020. HRSC will enter all SAP information for continuous leaves, including Leave and Return from Leave Actions PFML benefit Sick Supplements Intermittent absences will need to be reported to Matrix & supervisor. EEs will receive instructions on how to enter & report intermittent FMLA absences Matrix Absence Management will notify direct supervisors via email when: A leave request is received A leave requested is approved 25
Supervisor Dos and Donts Do refer employees to the HR Service Center for questions about: The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or Paid Family Medical Leave Medical leaves of absence for more than five days Leaves to care for a family member with a serious health needs Parental leave Do have the employee contact Matrix Absence Management if they are ready to initiate a leave: MatrixAbsence.com 877-202-0055 Do consult with your HR Business Partner if there is a pattern of absenteeism Don t accept any medical information whatsoever 26
Questions? 27
Foreign Influence https://www.cogr.edu/ https://www.cogr.edu/science-and-security 29
Foreign Influence continued Continued emphasis on Other Support (NIH) and Current and Pending Support (NSF) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-19-114.html https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/nsfapprovedformats/cps.pdf Examples of what to disclose to NIH about Senior/Key Personnel on NIH Proposals and Awards: https://grants.nih.gov/policy/protecting-innovation.htm (grid) NIH and NSF looking to harmonize requirements 30
Foreign Influence continued Report from the Research Security Subcommittee of the Joint Committee on the Research Environment of the National Science & Technology Council January 2021 https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NSTC-Research-Security-Best-Practices- Jan2021.pdf Recommended Practices for Strengthening the Security and Integrity of America s Science and Technology Research Enterprise Demonstrate Organizational Leadership and Oversight Establish an Expectation of Openness and Transparency Provide and Share Training, Support and Information Ensure Effective Mechanisms for Compliance with Organization Policies Manage Potential Risks Associated with Collaborations and Data 31
Foreign Influence continued It is critical that PI s are thorough in their disclosures to agencies PSF questions can help guide but are not comprehensive How do you support up-to-date tracking of this information? Current and pending Effort 32
Proposal and Award Metrics Proposal Compliance When the policy was created we were at 35% non-compliant Sharing data around success rate compared to proposal submission compliance Awards Biggest barrier to timely set-up of awards is the time we wait to receive the budget from PI/DA It is especially critical when subawards are involved and will further delay the subaward 34
FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 YTD % Non-Compliant with 5 day % Non-Compliant with 3 day % Submitted Same Day 74% 72% 69% 67% 65% 74% 75% 80% 77% 76% 38% 37% 45% 44% 44% Proposal Timeliness (3 Day) Breakdown Submittable Package Received vs. Sponsor Deadline Same Day 1 Day 2 Day 3+ Day No Deadline Proposal Counts (with deadline) 799 793 888 948 525 477 508 447 465 234 306 291 254 238 161 542 537 403 494 282 236 224 312 317 161 2124 2129 1992 2145 1202 Same Day 1 Day 2 Day 3+ Day 38% 37% 45% 44% 44% 22% 24% 22% 22% 19% 14% 14% 13% 11% 13% 26% 25% 20% 23% 23%
Proposal Success Rate by Year Fiscal Year Proposal Count Funded 296 643 567 653 693 746 758 787 796 710 Not Funded 1072 1388 1447 1380 1374 1403 1584 1522 1268 190 Pending 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 227 1551 Pending-Revised 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrawn Grand Total Success Rate 28 1396 9 2040 5 2019 3 2036 0 2070 8 2157 9 2351 5 2321 5 2296 5 2456 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 FY2019 FY2020 21.2% 31.5% 28.1% 32.1% 33.5% 34.6% 32.2% 33.9% 34.7% 28.9% Note: We will know the status of these proposals in the next 18 months
35% 3000 30% 2500 25% 2000 20% 1500 15% 1000 10% 500 5% 0% 0 FY2011 1396 21.2% FY2012 2040 31.5% FY2013 2019 28.1% FY2014 2036 32.1% FY2015 2070 33.5% FY2016 2157 34.6% FY2017 2351 32.2% FY2018 2321 33.9% FY2019 2296 34.7% FY2020 2456 28.9% Proposal Count Success Rate
Success Rate and Submittable Package Deadline Compliance 45% 40.27% 40% 35% 30% 24.62% 25% 22.88% 22.67% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 0 1 2 3+
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Best Practices to discuss today: Rebudgets Carryover ISRs FSRs Cost Transfers PARs We will go through the overall Inventory and Process Flow next Best Practices draft documents will be shared after this meeting We welcome Feedback 40
Best Practices Inventory Completed Lead Person Lead Person Status Description Status DESCRIPTION Proposal Checklist SR Advance Account SR Working group convened - March ACRA Complete - January ACRA Carryover SR After-the-Fact Review KS Complete - February ACRA 100% Department Driven - On hold until Consultant guidance is finalized at ACRA - Marianne Taylor offered to help Complete - January ACRA Consultants SR/KS No Cost Extension SR Complete - January ACRA Cost Transfers KS Complete - February ACRA Hiring Students/Staff SR 100% Department driven - Sent draft to Sara Martin - March ACRA Rebudgets SR Complete - February ACRA Internal Service Request (ISR) Facilities Service Request (FSR) SR Complete - February ACRA SR Complete - February ACRA 100% Department Driven - Ask Marianne Taylor, Jen Buono (low priority) Petty Cash SR Purchase Requisitions/POs SR 100% Department Driven - Mike Gooley offered to help PARs KS Complete - February ACRA Subawards SR/KS Draft in motion - Sent draft to Michael Vergoni - March ACRA Salary Cost Distributions KS Draft in motion - March ACRA Travel SR/KS 100% Department Driven - Sara Martin offered to help 41
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Rebudgets 1. The department/school will complete the internal IPAR: Rebudget Request Form, obtain all signature approvals required. 2. The department/school will route the signed and completed IPAR: Rebudget Request Form and any sponsored required documentation to ospera@bu.edu, or directly to their assigned SP RA. 3. The SP RA will review the rebudgeting request for accuracy and to determine if it is allowable, based on the terms and conditions found in the award. If prior sponsor approval is required, the SP RA will submit the request directly to the Sponsor for their approval. 4. Upon receipt of Sponsor approval, or if approval is not necessary, the SP RA forwards the IPAR and any backup documentation (such as Sponsor approval) internally for processing. 5. The internal Grant account is extended and an internal Award Notification (AN) is emailed out to the PI, DA, PAFO RA, and SP RA. 42
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Carryover IMPORTANT: When carryover requires prior approval, separate IOs are created for each year. 1. The department notifies their SP RA of the need to carryover funding from one year to the next. 2. The SP RA, or Foundation Relations team, when appropriate, will review and submit the request to the Sponsor for their approval. 3. Upon receipt of Sponsor approval, the SP RA forwards approval internally for processing. 4. In the rare circumstance that automatic carryover is a term of the award, but a new IO for each year is required, the PAFO RA, upon acceptance of the FFR or Final Invoice by the sponsor, completes the carryover action. PAFO, as part of the closeout of the previous I/O, reduces the unspent amount and now adds carryover to the Other Direct and F&A budgeted line of the current I/O. If the department wants to rebudget the carryover funds from Other Direct, they must work with their SP RA. 5. When carryover requires prior approval, the PAFO RA reduces the unspent amount confirmed for the FFR submission. This will show up in BW reports as Closeout Bottom Line . Upon receipt of sponsor approval, the addition of the carryover to the budget is then processed by SP. Carryover detailed budgets are applied accordingly, or if not available set up is based on a direct/indirect split into the new IO. 6. An internal Award Notification (AN) is emailed out to the PI, DA, PAFO RA, and SP RA. 43
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Internal Service Request (ISR) Information to have on hand before starting the ISR process: the BU Provider, the account number to be charged, and percentage of cost split if desired. Login to the BUworks Central Portal and go to: -> Procurement -> Internal Service Request -> ISR Request -> Create Fill in the ISR form with the requested information Attach any relevant documents (such as email from PI confirming request) Validate data entry Correct or add information if necessary Click submit ISR form cannot be edited or updated once it has been submitted, in that instance the BU provider needs to be contacted 44
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Facilities Service Request (FSR) Information to have on hand before starting the FSR process: job address, date(s) of service expected, the account number to be charged, percentage of cost split if desired, estimated cost to commit, and job specifications. Log into CAMMS: http://facilities.bu.edu/camms/DefaultSAP.aspx Select the service needed Fill out the forms Select the Shop Complete the funding commitment Add any relevant information in the Note Pad Include pictures or diagrams if possible (useful for events) Submit your request to facilities 45
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Cost Transfers PI and/or DA/SA identifies an error in direct expense allocation to or missing from a sponsored project. DA/SA gathers documentation to support the necessity of the transfer including a detailed explanation of what caused the allocation error and how it was discovered. DA/SA determines appropriate mechanism to correct error and request transfer Requests in excess of 90 days must also include the reason for the delay in processing the transfer, identification of the controls that will be implemented or what action has been taken to ensure the error does not occur again and approval of PI Entries containing equipment must also include the property tag number or purchase requisition number Entries containing travel must include the traveler s name, business purpose, location and dates Moveable Capital Equipment entries where the costs are between $10K and $25K and are transferring from a University cost center to a sponsored research account must include the required bid documentation or sole source justification. Initial charges by Service Centers are not considered cost transfers. 46
Shared Services-Best Practices Update Personnel Activity Reports (PARs) PARs are generated for all Professional, Non-Professional, and Student employees (unless paid hourly) who have salary charged to a sponsored research account (950xxxxxxx, 955xxxxxxx, or 994xxxxxxx). Hourly employees certify their effort via BU Timesheets There are two PAR periods per year: January June & July December PAFO (Effort Reporting) distributes PARs via email to Effort Coordinators, who may be Department Administrators or department managers. All certified PARs must be submitted to effort@bu.edu within 60 days of receipt. Any PAR received after the due date runs the risk of disallowance. 47
Coffee with Colleagues tentatively planned for April 2021 Presenters: Sarah Hokanson- Assistant Provost, Professional Dev & Postdoctoral Affairs Adeline Wong- Managing Director, Global Programs Jeanne Kelley- Managing Director, International Students & Scholars Office What would you like them to address? Other Questions? Please let Renna and Gretchen know for the planning meetings. 48
QUESTIONS 49
Closing/Central Links Future Agenda Items March: Strategic Plan April: PowerBI, Service Center Administration April & May: Coffee w/ Colleagues Minutes and slides from today s meeting will be posted on the ACRA webpage ACRA Research Administration page https://www.bu.edu/researchsupport/administration/committees/research- administration-advisory-council/ ACRA email: acra@bu.edu (to email the central office mailbox for ACRA) ACRA Group vpr-advisory-council-RA@bu.edu (to email the entire group) COVID-19 updates for Research LinkedIn ACRA https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12320374/ 50
