Does my project require IRB approval?

All human subjects' research must be reviewed and approved by the UIS Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the research (including recruitment) may begin. Information and forms can be located in the IRB section of the website.

If you are uncertain whether or not your project is considered "human subjects' research (HSR)," provide enough detail to our office, and the Human Subjects' Review Officer (HSRO) can issue a determination.

Complex projects and those recruiting from vulnerable populations require full board review. Submit protocols well in advance of planned start dates to allow time for necessary revisions before the next scheduled full board meeting.

Can I submit my grant proposal directly to an external sponsor?

Sponsored projects, such as grants, are awarded to the institution, not investigators. As such, all proposal documents must be reviewed, approved, and submitted by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). In very few instances, a unit may be granted approval to directly submit to a sponsor, but that does not waive the internal submission and review requirement.

To allow time for review and potential edits, final drafts of proposals must be submitted via myProposals no less than 10 full business days before the sponsor's deadline. Proposals received in less time may receive a limited review; last minute submissions that cannot be reviewed and approved internally are not guaranteed to be submitted. Visit the Electronic Research Administration page for more information.

If the sponsor guidelines do not require the following items to be incorporated within a proposal submission, they must be provided as separate attachments for internal review:

• Abstract
• Scope of Work
  • Personnel
  • Roles & Tasks
  • Goals & Objectives
  • Deliverables/Milestones
  • Timeline
  • Evaluation Criteria
• Budget
• Budget Justification/Narrative

How do I access my money once I win an award?

Notices of Award do not grant immediate access to grant funds. Agreements must be reviewed, and potentially negotiated, with the sponsor through ORSP. For non-standard terms and conditions, ORSP may consult with legal counsel for negotiation of terms. After language has been reviewed, the agreement will be routed to the unit, college/center, and comptroller delegate for additional approvals using a Contract Approval Routing Form (CARF). After receiving internal approval, the agreement will be sent back to the sponsor for final execution. Upon receipt of the fully executed agreement, Post-Award will use the approved budget to set up an account for use in Banner, and provide the CFOP and grant code to the principal investigator and their unit's business administrator.

What do Pre-Award and Post-Award do?

Pre-Award and Post-Award are separate offices housed under different divisions. Pre-Award falls under Academic Affairs; Post-Award falls under Finance & Administration.

What are the investigator/unit responsibilities?

In the Pre-Award phase, investigators and their units are responsible for developing grant proposal documents as required by the University and sponsor. ORSP is available to assist with interpreting guidelines and determining cost-allowability. Our office can assist with developing some documents, if contacted well in advance of the internal submission deadline. ORSP cannot develop or review scientific/technical items.

The Pre-Award office facilitates compliance and regulatory items, such as conflicts of interest, human subjects' research, and export control. In the grant lifecycle, Pre-Award assists with proposal development and submission through agreement negotiation and execution (signature).

After agreement execution, the Post-Award office sets up funds, assists with invoicing and billing, financial reports, and facilitates the closeout process.

In the Post-Award phase, investigators and their units are responsible for following requirements and deadlines listed in the agreement. It is important that reports are submitted as frequently as the sponsor requires and that expenses match the approved budget. Payments must follow University System policies. Failure to follow sponsor and University requirements may result in funds that are not approved, lost, or must be returned to the sponsor. Please be aware that purchases do not post in Banner immediately - funds spent near the end of the state fiscal year (June 30th) are not guaranteed to post in time.

What are fringe and indirect cost rates?

Fringe rates are the costs the university covers for benefits, such as retirement, health, and workers' compensation. Budgets for sponsored programs that include salaries and wages must also include fringe benefits.

Unless limited or disallowed by a sponsor, all budgets must include overhead costs, which are often referred to as indirect costs (IDC), indirect cost rates (ICR), or facilities and administration (F&A). These are real costs incurred by the university in the pursuit of research, but they are not easily calculated per project. These costs include facility use (such as room, lights, and internet) and university administrative services (such as the library and accounting).

Fringe and indirect cost rates are negotiated regularly, and must be budgeted at the appropriate rates. Click the following links for the most up to date rates and sample forms and templates.

How do I move my IRB protocol over from another institution?

Pause research until one of the following has been approved.

Option 1: Close the project at the previous institution and submit a new protocol at UIS. If consent has already been collected, the language of the consent forms will dictate what you may have access to under a UIS affiliation. If participants have allowed sharing their identifiable data or you need access to data from the prior institution, this may require a data use agreement (DUA) between the institutions.

Option 2: Amend the project documents at the previous institution to list you as a research team member under your new affiliation. If consent has not been collected yet, ensure that the consent language includes a statement that the data may be shared with a researcher at another institution. Depending on the type of information being shared, a DUA may be required.

Determine which institution will be the "IRB of record." If remaining at the original institution, another researcher may need to be named as lead investigator, depending on the university's IRB policies. Request that the IRBs at each institution sign a reliance agreement (also known as an institutional authorization agreement or IAA).

How do I know when a Data Use Agreement is needed?

DUAs cover non-public or restricted data. If you will share or receive confidential or protected data from another institution or other entity, a DUA is likely required. The entity providing the data will typically dictate the agreement template to use.

A DUA is not required for data in the public domain or when data is fully de-identified and contains no direct or indirect identifiers that could be used to re-identify individuals, unless other circumstances dictate a DUA.

How do I move a sponsored project, such as a grant, over from another institution?

Ideally, the below steps are initiated at least 60-90 days before a planned move.

Step 1: Check the award agreement to determine if a transfer is allowed by the sponsor.

Step 2: If it is, check with the awarded institution to determine if they are amenable to the transfer, or if they have an alternate preference. They can choose to:

• Keep the award, submitting an amendment to name a new investigator at the original institution.
• Keep the award, and submit an amendment to name UIS as a subrecipient.
• Relinquish the award and transfer it to UIS.

If transferring the award, the relinquishing institution will work with the sponsor to complete closeout tasks.

If transferring the award or naming UIS as a subrecipient, ORSP will work with the investigator and their unit to develop an application that includes all items required by the sponsor.