Research Handbook
In need of Univerisity-wide policy? You'll want the APPM. Looking for policies regarding Industry Relationships for Wayne State University School of Medicine & Related Institutions? Try the Faculty Affairs Compiled AMSA document.
HANDBOOK
The following Policies and Procedures exist at the Wayne State School of Medicine, and are applicable to all SoM research activity. This is not an exhaustive compilation, but will help you shape your submissions and project management. If you have any questions about what you see here, or cannot find policy or procedure on a specific issue, feel free to contact the RAS office at RAS@med.wayne.edu.
| RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION |
| Research at Affiliated Institutions Memo: November 5, 1999 |
| Projects which are being considered for non-university fiscal administration are to be requested in writing, submitted to the department chairman for endorsement, and then to the Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Programs Office for review prior to submission to an external funding agency.
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| In accordance with NIH policy, individuals who have joint University and Department of Veterans Affairs ColA) appointments are required to disclose the nature and extent of their joint appointment when being included as personnel on an application submitted by the University to the National Institutes of Health. Disclosure should also be included in applications/proposals with all federal agencies.
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| The prevailing practice for joint faculty' appointments between VA Hospitals and Universities prescribes that the combined salary on such appointments should not exceed 1 1/8 FTE.
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| The School of Medicine abides by University policy; close relatives may not be employed where one is in a position of influence over another. Compliance must be documented. [Nepotism form]
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| Research Space Allocation and Management Memo: March 25, 2017 |
| The goal is for each department to generate at least a Research Space Funding Ratio of $350.00/sq ft, with periodic adjustments expected to increase this amount over time. Chairs manage research space for the Dean of the School of Medicine. Each Department is to provide information the Office of the Vice Dean for Research regarding how its research space is used and to account for shared space. Each Chair will meet with the Vice-Dean of Research to review departmental space usage. |
| Sponsored Program Administration Roles and Responsibility Matrix SPA page: Roles and Responsibilities |
| Roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders throughout the life of a project, according to Sponsored Programs
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| Indirect Cost Return Policy Memo: February 9, 2015 Memo:April 30,2019-SPA Indirect Cost Return Distribution Form |
| Distribution is as follows: Central Pool 49%; Research Stimulation: 24%; Research Facilities 9%; Department 8%; School/College 5%; Investigators 5%.
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| The Dean's Tax is 6%.
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| Controlled/Hazardous Substances and Purchasing University Office of Environmental Health and Safety Controlled Substance Program |
| Researchers must obtain federal and state licensing (prior to procurement), maintain detailed storage and use records, and follow proper disposal procedures. It is the responsibility of individual researchers and staff ordering and using these materials to obtain appropriate registrations and licenses. The CS program does not apply to Wayne State University faculty and research staff members who hold individual DEA research registration and State of Michigan controlled substance license for the use of controlled substances associated with human research subjects.
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| Controlled/Hazardous Substances Shipping University Office of Environmental Health and Safety Shipping |
| Requests to ship dangerous goods (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive Materials, and DRY ICE) will be processed through the iLab Core Facility. Your lab must establish an account.
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| Until an official policy is developed by the School of Medicine, research grant recipients should abide by the guidelines set forth by NIHGPS 8.4.2: recipients generally must retain financial and programmatic records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records that are required by the terms of a grant, or may reasonably be considered pertinent to a grant, for a period of 3-7 years from the date the annual FFR is submitted.
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| Travel should be limited to activities that are directly related to the furtherance of the university's mission. Reimbursement should be sought and authorized only for expenses that conform to university policy, are necessary and reasonable both in amount and relative to its purpose. Current rates and frequently asked questions regarding travel processing are available at the Fiscal Operations Travel site.
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| The use of ONCORE, a Clinical Trials Management software, is mandatory for all studies with human subject populations, funded or unfunded conducted by WSU faculty. You must include OnCore fees in your proposal budget, unless you have a waiver from the office of the Vice President of Translational Science and Clinical Research Innovation. For current rates, please see the CRSC WSU Rates page.
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| Lobbying Government and Community Affairs Administrative Policies 14-2 |
| The Vice President for Governmental and Community Affairs will coordinate with the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and the Deans to identify and report grant and contract related lobbying activities.
Under the direction of the President, the Vice President of Government and Community Affairs shall have primary responsibility for representing the University with the federal and state governments on official policy positions. Prior approval from the Vice President of Government and Community Affairs is required before any employee may initiate a lobbying-related contact with covered federal and state government officials on behalf of the University. Only the President or the Vice President of Government and Community Affairs may hire or approve the hire of an external consultant to lobby federal/state government officials on behalf of the University.
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| Patient Incentives / Petty Cash Disbursements School of Medicine Fiscal Affairs Cashier's Office |
| A form authorizes WSU or authorized personnel to receive funds from a current account, for participants in a WSU authorized study. Both advance and voucher forms are attained from School of Medicine Cashier's Office. Once the form is completed and authorized signatures obtained, the form is returned to School of Medicine Cashier's for disbursement of funds.
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| Contract Signatory Delegation University Policy and Procedures 04-6 |
| Authority to sign and bind specific categories of contracts is designated by University Policy and Procedures.
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| PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT |
| Salary on Grants Policy Memo: February 13, 2017 ; Memo: March 25, 2017; Memo: February 8 2021 |
| From Faculty Salary on Grant policy document: Effort and salary charges to grants must be commensurate for Principal Investigators (P.I.) and Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PI/Multiple PI). This policy applies to all new and competing renewal grant applications, subject to agency policy.
From Research Space policy document: Extramural support is expected to offset faculty salary, as PI, Co-I or in a multi-PI scenario with a goal of 50% for Research Educators without clinical responsibilities. Cost share routinely will apply only to over-the-cap salaries.
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| Wayne State University's policy is to apply the University's full relevant Facilities & Administrative (F&A) cost rate to all externally sponsored research projects [03-5]. Proposals including provision for indirect cost recovery at rates less than those established by the University's negotiated agreement with the Federal Government will require preapproval by the SOM Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Programs and the Provost (or his/her designee). If approved by the provost (or his/her designated representative), the amount waived will be deducted from indirect costs returns due the principal investigator, the department and the dean for the grant in question and, if necessary, other grants in an amount equal to the waiver. Note: The SOM will only grant such approvals for reductions or complete waivers only for compelling reasons.
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| F&A Cost For Corporate Sponsored Clinical Trials Administrative Policies: 03-5.3.9 |
| An F&A rate of 32% is applied to non-federally funded clinical trials.
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| All sponsored project activities involving University resources (faculty time, space, equipment, etc.) require approvals (when appropriate) of the Chair, Dean, OVPR and Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA). This applies to product development, venture capital initiatives, technology transfer projects, etc., in addition to the more traditional research grant/contract and applications for institutional funding. |
| SUBMISSION OF RESEARCH APPLICATIONS
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| Review Deadlines and Late Proposal Submissions Policy Memo: July 23, 2013 |
| All proposals should be received by the SPA Grant & Contract Officer in final form and ready for submission, at least three business days prior to the sponsor's deadline.
Any proposal submitted with fewer than the required internal three days lead time will be considered "late" and will require a SoM Late Proposal Acknowledgment Form.
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| Application Process/Signatory and Submission Authority SPA notice: December 19, 2016 |
| All internal and external funding opportunities will be created, approved and processed via Cayuse.
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| SOM-level review exists in the submission queue to ensure the school's policies/procedures are being consistently addressed, prior to SPA's final review and submission to the agency.
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| RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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| Budgeting Guidelines and Charging of Direct Costs to Sponsored Projects Sponsored Programs Allowable Direct Cost Policy |
| In accepting governmentâ€sponsored projects (grants, contracts, and other types of agreements) Wayne State University agrees to abide by government regulations regarding the use of those funds. Office of Management and Budget Circular Aâ€21 sets forth general criteria for determining the allowability of direct costs on governmentâ€sponsored projects at educational institutions. Many government agencies publish additional cost guidelines; familiarity with such regulations is also necessary.
See also: Inappropriate Direct Cost Practices
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| Effort Certification University Effort Certification Guidelines: January 2011 |
| Effort reporting can be defined as "the mechanism used to confirm that salaries and wages charged to each sponsored agreement are reasonable in relation to the actual work performed" (COGR, 2007). Effort reporting consists of not only effort and payroll certification, but also includes various research administration activities that provide source information for effort certification, including the definition of faculty and staff appointments, proposal development, award confirmation, and salary charging and cost sharing. WSU has developed guidelines for each aspect of the Effort Reporting Process to enable better compliance and administration of effort reporting at WSU.
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| No-Cost Extension Procedures Sponsored Programs No Cost Extension Policy |
| The principal investigator must prepare a letter describing the need for an additional period of time to complete the project objectives. The letter must address programmatic issues and may describe justifiable delays, such as the loss of a skilled technician. The fact that there may be money remaining in the project's account is not sufficient reason for an extension. If the sponsor approval must be sought, the letter should be addressed to the sponsor grants officer but sent first to Sponsored Program Administration for an authorizing signature. If the University has been given the authority to approve the no-cost extension, the request should be addressed to the principal investigator's post-award officer in SPA.
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| The School of Medicine requests that they be notified of any Departmental and/or Sponsor's requirement to cost-share before committing resources, financial or otherwise to a project that would bind them to any obligations if the project is awarded. [This may be achieved through School of Medicine-level review in Cayuse submission.]
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| Any changes or entries made by a department on the "Verification of Cost Sharing Commitment" or on the FES form itself, not authorized in writing by either Fiscal Affairs or [the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs] that increase a charge to the General Fund will become a cost to departmental resources directly. Any unauthorized charges to the DMC Teaching or Salary Reimbursement account(s) may result in a reduction of funding against those resources.
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| Re-Budgeting of Grant Funds Sponsored Programs Rebudgeting Procedures |
| Requests for re-budgeting of grant funds must include the following information: amount to be re-budgeted; budget line from which money will be moved; budget line to which re-budgeted monies will be placed; justification for re-budgeting of funds. The requests, in memo format, must be forwarded to the cognizant Grant and Contact Officer for processing.
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| Deficit Resolution WSU Deficit Resolution Policy: March 2011 |
| For deficits greater than $250, unrestricted funds must be used to cover the deficit. Unless other funds are identified, the amount of the deficit is the responsibility of the lead PI, his/her unit and the respective school/college and allocated equally to their respective F&A recovery indexes. If separate budget allocations and accounts were established for Co-Investigators, they and their respective units will be held responsible for those deficits.
Deficits less than $250 are absorbed centrally by WSU. It is the policy of the University to exclude F&A charges associated with the deficit amounts.
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| Principle Investigator Departure Handbook hard copy, circa 2006 |
| A checklist of items pertaining to research projects that should be taken care of prior to the Investigator's departure from the University.
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| Based on sponsoring agency policies and procedures, a Relinquishing Statement must be completed by the PI. An Invention Statement must be completed by the PI. A Property Report must be completed pertaining to any equipment that was purchased using funds awarded by the sponsoring agency. Per University Policy [03-5.3.4], when the PI leaves WSU, the balance of his/her share of indirect cost funds will revert to the department.
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| Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Administrative Policies 08-1 |
| It is a violation of University policy for any employee of the University to place himself or herself in a conflict of interest position, except in those instances approved and outlined in University Policy 08-02, Investigator Disclosure, and in University Policy 05-04, Contracts between Wayne State University and External Organizations in Which University Employees Participate.
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| Fringe Benefit Rate Relief SPA Rate Review Memo: effective October 1, 2015 |
| Central fringe benefit relief is only available to projects where it has been determined, after SPA review, that the change in rates detrimentally affected the project. Only projects with a grant/contract period is effective after 10/1/15 are eligible, and they must have been submitted with prior year percentages.
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