2019 Western/Southern Section Meeting

Time: 1:30pm to 5:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

Successful contract negotiating is not just knowing how to recognize problematic clauses and provide alternate language but understanding and explaining the nuances in different language to multiple stakeholders: sponsors, senior administration and principal investigators.   It is imperative to recognize that contracts are not just a list of stand-alone clauses but how those clauses collectively create the entirety of the contractual relationship. The art of negotiation goes way beyond arguing for “your language” which without communication can often be viewed as simply arguing about changing “happy” to “glad”.  Research administration negotiators are often the go-between among the sponsor, legal counsel, senior management and the principal investigator.  This workshop will focus on the negotiation phase and incorporate experiential learning where participants will learn how to enlist successful negotiation tactics.  The presenters will collaborate with participants to discuss tips related to communicating with multiple constituencies, reasons for alternative contract language and going beyond what is not-acceptable, resulting in a fully executed agreement. 

Learning objectives:

1. Explain exceptions to contractual language to multiple constituencies including sponsors.
2. Incorporate best practices for contract negotiation.

Prerequisites:Yes. This session is best suited for those with some contract review experience.

Speaker(s):

Susan Sedwick, PhD, CRA, CSM, Senior Consulting Specialist, Attain, LLC; Sandra Nordahl, Director, SR Contracting and Compliance and Facility Security Officer San Diego State University Research Foundation; Mindy Solivan Assistant Director, Office of Research University of Central Florida

Time: 9:30am to 10:45am

Content level:Basic

The US Department of Agriculture may be one of the most complex federal departments for sponsored programs administrators to interact with. The Department is collection of 29 agencies and offices that touches the lives of all people in the US and across the globe every day. Each individual USDA agency has their own proposal and award processes making submissions and award management no easy task. The speakers will cover the basics about a) how USDA interacts with universities, b) the types of agencies and programs that provide funding for research, extension and education activities, c) the elements of a successful NIFA proposal, and d) application and review processes and post-award reporting. From the perspective of a land-grant university, the speakers will discuss their experiences with select USDA agencies (including NIFA, Forest Service, Agricultural Research Service, Rural Development, etc), mandatory cost-sharing requirements and indirect costs recovery limitations. This session promises to be more than just a load of crop!

Learning objectives:

1. Learn basic information about the USDA, its agencies and select core research, extension and education initiatives.
2. Identify key proposal and award management issues, including potential cost-sharing requirements, indirect cost limitations and compliance risks.   

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

William Helmrath, MSM, CRA, Grants and Contracts Coordinator, The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture; Jane Burns, Interim Director, Office of Sponsored Programs, The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Time: 11:00am to 12:15pm

Content level:Basic

This session will cover new developments at the National Science Foundation (NSF) - programs, policies, people and budgets. Senior NSF staff will provide a comprehensive review of what is new and developing at NSF.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn about the NSF Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and 2018 budgets and administration priorities for NSF programs.
2. Understand how NSF has implemented recent changes to proposal and award policies and procedures.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Beth Strausser, Senior Policy Specialist, Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support, Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management, National Science Foundation

Time: 3:45pm to 5:00pm

Content level:Basic

The session will focus on forms of ambiguity commonly found in contracting and identify strategies to reduce incidence of ambiguity. The session will also identify case law on resolving contractual conflicts due to ambiguity. 

Learning objectives:

1. Identify common ambiguous terms.
2. Understand prevailing theories of ambiguity resolution.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Brian Russ, MPP, JD, Contracts & Grants Officer, University of California at Davis

Time: 9:30am to 10:45am

Content level:Intermediate

Don’t have an electronic research administration (ERA) system that provides “system-to-system capabilities? Still need to submit federal proposals to multiple federal agencies? Presenters will walk participants through an interactive discussion of the Grants.gov Workspace submission system and a discussion of “special characters,” project and attachment titles, personnel, etc. This session is directed to the intermediate level administrator who may need/elect to submit proposals to any federal agency using Grants.gov Workspace. Presenters will guide attendees through basic information needed to avoid submission errors and successfully submit proposals while providing tips and pointers to enhance the end user’s experience.

Learning objectives:

1. Provide an understanding of how Grants.gov Workspace can be used on your campus, assigning the correct roles to ensure successful proposal submissions.
2. Discuss identification of funding opportunity announcements and how to complete application packages to prevent errors from happening at proposal submission time.
3. Develop a better understanding of use of "special characters," project/attachment files

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Ellen Zavala, Director of Research Services and Outreach, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Time: 11:00am to 12:15pm

Content level:Basic

Established by legal statute 30 years ago, Non-Profit Corporations are affiliated with the Veterans Administration (VA).  Non-Profit Corporations collaborate with both the VA and affiliate Universities to provide research support and collaboration to Investigators performing research related to Veterans health. This session will discuss compliance areas, review of previous accomplishments, history and future outlook for the Non-Profit Corporations.

Learning objectives:

1. Participants will learn about Non Profit Corporation, their functions mandates by Congress.
2. Have an understanding of what the Non Profit Corporations and the VA are doing in research.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Rebecca Rosales, MBA, CRA, Chief Exectuive Officer/Executive Director, NCIRE

Time: 2:15pm to 3:30pm

Content level:Basic

As we continually look for funding sources, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) may arise as a potential sponsor for your investigators' research. Why? They fund a wide-range of fundamental research, covering everything from plant sciences, synthetic biology and biomedical engineering to information systems. Applying for a DARPA award can be challenging for both the investigator and the research administrator. While DARPA awards many projects to academic institutions, most investigators haven't previously worked with them. In this presentation, attendees will become familiar with DARPA from the proposer perspective. We will focus on the pre-award phase by taking a close look at the typical application process and proposal development, so that you can help your investigators navigate the necessary steps and structure (hopefully) successful proposals.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the pre-award process and how to submit applications.
2. Interpret the opportunity announcement and how to construct proposals.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

William Helmrath, MSM, CRA, Grants and Contracts Coordinator, The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Time: 10:45am to 12:00pm

Content level:Basic

The difference between successful proposals and a re-submission often hinges upon information that can be gleaned in a phone call or visit with an agency sponsor. Yet it is often difficult to get PIs to make these calls. This session helps administrators prepare for assisting PIs with early sponsor contact, to include preliminary research on the program, potential questions to ask, and what to avoid.

Learning objectives:

1. Critically evaluate programs and identify appropriate questions for sponsors.
2. Prepare PIs for successful conference calls or visits with sponsors.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Charna Howson, MA, Director, Sponsored Programs, Appalachian State University