AnSRS4U – Answers for You
Texas A&M Sponsored Research Services (SRS) and the Division of Research is excited to announce that we will be beginning a series of monthly informational sessions. The sessions are titled AnSRS4U – Answers for You. The goal of the sessions is to provide valuable information to our customers. The sessions will address various research administration topics and issues. Our target audience is the department and college staff that support the research enterprise, but everyone is welcome to attend via Zoom.
SRS is here to provide answers to the research community, and we look forward to your participation in these informational sessions as we work together as a team to support the research enterprise.
If you have any questions regarding these sessions or would like to be added to our listserv, please email AnSRS4u@tamu.edu.
TAMU Sponsored Research Services (SRS) will host an AnSRS4U presentation Guidance Regarding the Implementation of SB 17 Relating to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Thursday January 23 from 10:00 to 11:00am am via Zoom.
In 2023, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 into law, “Responsibility of Governing Boards Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives,” which was adopted as Texas Education Code § 51.3525 effective January 1, 2024. Under this law, public institutions of higher education cannot engage in certain diversity, equity, and inclusion activities as defined in the statute. This presentation by Jacob Becker with Texas A&M University System’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) will address what is prohibited and what is allowed under the law. Specific guidance will be provided on how to comply with SB17 when applying for a grant for research or academic work. This is an important area for discussion as federal agencies, such as NSF and others, typically require a section of the proposal to describe the broader impacts of the projects, including on targeted populations. Learn what is and is not permissible under the law and talk through creative strategies for continued success. If you have particular issues you would like addressed in the presentation, feel free to email Mr. Becker at jbecker@tamus.edu, and he will do his best to answer your questions and concerns.
Register in advance for this Zoom at https://tamu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwscuqpqDoiGd2QgSvso0J6vzbuF7_0WC9Y
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This presentation will be recorded and available here afterwards.
This session will describe practices to help smooth the process when contracting with industry on sponsored research, discuss when a non-disclosure agreement is needed, and touch on budget preparation. The focus of the presentation will be on negotiating industry contracts and some of the challenges that may be unique to working with industry. The presenters are Travis Young, Lesli Kerth and Bryn Jarvis from Sponsored Research Services.
This session you will learn the ins and outs of bringing visiting scholars to Texas A&M University. The presenter is Ms. Autumn Biggers, Director, Visiting Scholars, Research Security and Export Controls and a representative from Texas A&M University International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS).
This session you will learn about Project Payroll and how to successfully charge effort to a sponsored project. Participants will leave with a better understanding of Workday allocations, compliance review, payroll corrections and acceptable justifications as well as departmental responsibilities. The presenters are Jennifer Jackson and Kassie Kolinek of SRS, joined by Chance Spencer of the Bush School of Government.
This session you will listen to updates from the Foundation and learn how the Foundation enhances Texas A&M’s mission and provides support in the areas of scholarships, faculty support, and research. The presenters are Mr. Tyson Voelkel, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. John Morris, Senior Vice President for Development, Texas A&M Foundation.
This session you will learn about the importance of timely communication in the onboarding process and department preparations for the arrival of new faculty. Aspects of new faculty submitting proposals will be discussed as well as options for existing sponsored research projects. The presenters are Ron Carter, Assistant Department Head, Chemistry and David Hollingsworth, Director of Professional Development, TAMU Sponsored Research Services.
This session will address questions that were received during the recent CPI survey. The presenter is Kristi Billinger, Associate Vice President, and Executive Director of SRS.
This session will cover recent OMB revision to Uniform Guidance and Sponsor Updates including NSF and NIH. This version becomes effective October 1, 2024. Updates will also include the NSF PAPPG 24-1 which is effective May 20, 2024, and selected NIH updates. Presented by Jim Izat, Senior Research Development Office, Texas A&M Health, School of Public Health and David Hollingsworth, Director of Professional Development, TAMU Sponsored Research Services.
This session will cover Texas A&M Innovation – Supporting Inventors and Commercializing Innovations Across the Texas A&M University System. Presented by Pete Oneill, Chief Innovation Officer.
This session will show researchers how to use the Maestro Researcher Portal to create, view/approve proposals, view project terms and conditions, check account balances, transactions, payroll activity, and revenue. It will also show researchers how to explore the Researcher Dashboard, which is the landing page where the system summarizes all actions researchers need to perform with an easy navigation path, and gives them different alerts for their proposals, projects, or accounts.
This session will walk you step by step through the process of creating a proposal in Research.gov. You will learn what areas of the proposal are the responsibility of the principal investigator and what areas of the proposal that SRS will complete.
This session covers opportunities to expand your research and teaching horizons and conduct scholarly activity in a foreign country. Join Fulbrighters who have come away with enhanced skills, new connections, and greater mutual understanding. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the federal government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Learn the steps to get started on an application and the submission process. Presentation by Traci Lacy, Associate Director, Partnership Services, Department of Global Engagement.
This session covers a better understanding of the options for a sponsored project when the PI is departing the institution.
This session covers essentials for traveling abroad – export control considerations, Concur, and resources that are available. The presenters were Tressie Truett from the Division of Research and Jason Boyle from the Division of Risk, Ethics & Compliance.
This session covers considerations and requirements for international activities, including the new Global Engagement system regulation and university rule that require additional approvals for activities involving a country of concern. The presenters were Lesa Feldhousen, Executive Director, Conflict of Interest and Responsible Conduct of Research.
This session covers IT infrastructure and research support at TAMU: next gen network updates, storage/data strategy, compliance, and security. The presenters were Ed Pierson, Michael Leary, and Adam Mikeal.
This session covers how TAMU compares to other research universities in the US, what is counted as research, and the importance of identifying research expenditures in FAMIS and Maestro.
This session covers how to easily create a SciENcv biosketch and efficiently populate it from existing researcher profile systems (e.g., ORCID, Scholars@TAMU, etc.). Presented by David Hubbard and Ethel Mejia of the TAMU Libraries.
This session covers a brief discussion on the new NSF plan requirements: NSF’s new requirement states that there must be a plan for a safe and inclusive work environment created, and distributed to each participant, in advance of departure for an off-campus research activity.
This session covers important considerations in determining whether incoming funds are gifts or grants.
This session covers an overview of the Facilities & Administration (F&A) Cost Rate (Indirect Cost Recovery Rate) process and reviews the F&A calculation. Presented be Teresa Bass and Monica Poehl.
This session covers the experience and expertise of the TAMU, AgriLife & TEES buying teams to efficiently navigate the procurement of goods and services. The topics covered were Procurement Cycle, Uniform Guidance Requirements (Existing Inventory, Sole Source, Buy American), Subaward vs. Subcontractor/Vendor, and Q&A. Presented by Mary Williams, TEES & TTI; Robby Bounds, TAMU; Noel Mason, AgriLife.
This session covers recent updates announced by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy that affect the preparation of applications.
This session provides a brief overview of the Visiting Scholar process at Texas A&M University.
This session covers an overview of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) organization and fields of research that are supported by the NIH and covers aspects and components of proposal submission as well as the new policy on data management and sharing.
This session covers an overview of the NSF organization, fields of research that are supported by the National Science Foundation, and aspects/components of proposal submission.
This session covers Maestro’s budget and cost sharing entry screens as well as view access available to project viewers.
This session covers understanding the basic principles of research data management, being aware of data management planning tools, support and guidance which are available to academic researchers, and understanding the different requirements of funding agencies. Presented by Zhihong Xu of the TAMU Libraries and David Hollingsworth of TAMU Sponsored Research Services.
This session covers sponsored research audits. Presented by Evan Bryant, SRS Director of Quality Assurance.
This session covers types of intellectual property commonly generated when conducting sponsored research and some of the pitfalls to be aware of. Presented by Mark Kelley (Intellectual Property Attorney, TAMUS Office of General Counsel), Janie Hurley (Program Director, AgriLife Intellectual Property and Commercialization), and Travis Young (Assistant Director, TAMU Sponsored Research Services).
This session covers what FCOI is, and how foreign influence has changed the way we review it.
This section covers specific closeout steps and addresses the importance of completing the closeout process within the specified timeframe and according to the sponsor’s requirements.
This section covers the review process of our SRS Travel Auditor when applicable travel expenses require their review.
This session covers the “Why?” of utilizing Proposals (S2S) and how to maximize the functionality that the program offers. Presented by Lyndal Arceneaux (Proposal Administrator – SRS).
This session provides an overview of Time & Effort (T&E) Compliance and applies these standards through the SSO Time and Effort System.
This session provides an overview of current U.S. Government requirements for disclosing foreign conflicts of commitment and financial conflict of interest. Presented by Kevin Gamache, Ph.D. (Chief Research Security Officer for the A&M System) and Lauren Schroeder (System Director of Export Control Programs).
Slides (n/a)
This session focuses on project payroll: cost allocations, corrections, justifications, salary cap, and departmental responsibilities. Presented by Ashlee Woolard (SRS Post Award Administrator), Laura Lyda (SRS Post Award Administrator), and Amy Caldwell (College of Engineering).
This session focuses on export controls and the processes each member uses to review and ensure compliance.
This session focuses on the research compliance areas of human subjects, animal research and biohazards and the process to receive approval to begin the research. Presented by Deanna Hawley and Shelly Grassinger (SRS Post Award Administrators), Andi Mitchell (Director Animal Welfare Office), Aliese Seawright (Director Human Subjects Research Protection Program), and Christine McFarland (Executive Director Biological Safety Office).
Slides: Compliance, Biohazards, HRPP, and IACUC
Presented by Tamara Lopez and Lauren Bailey, SRS Award and Account Set-up and Expediting Team (AASET)
Presented by Leslie Kerth and Lester Crenwelge, SRS Assistant Directors – Contracting.
This session presents information on the steps for proposal development, preparation, and submission. A section of the presentation will cover the use of the SRS budget spreadsheet for preparing proposal budgets.
Maestro is a web browser-based application that is designed to support researchers and research administration across The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS). This session will present information on how to better utilize the features of MAESTRO to successfully manage sponsored proposals and projects. Leonarda Horvat, Director of Research Information Systems, and Tye Rougas, Assistant Director, will be the presenters.
This will cover the basics of Uniform Guidance and how it translates into the rules that we are required to follow.