EPS Research Administration
Administrative support and information is provided for sponsored research activities in EPS from a variety of sources including department administrative staff, FAS Research Administration Services, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and the Office of the General Counsel. Please use this web page as a resource and a starting point to answer any questions that you may have regarding research administration in EPS.
EPS Department
Paul Kelley Lab Director 5-3949 kelley@eps.harvard.edu
Carolyn Jones Financial Analyst 4-7227 jones@eps.harvard.edu
FAS Research Administration Services
FAS Research Administration Services maintains a particularly useful website containing policy information, instructional guides, useful links and much more! Please take some time to become familiar with this site.
Pat rick Fitzgerald Associate Dean 5-4083 pwf@fas.harvard.edu
Dean Gallant Assistant Dean 5-2628 drg@fas.harvard.edu
Office of Sponsored Programs
Melissa Siegel Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist 6-8503 melissa_siegel@harvard.edu
Yulanda Quinlan Financial Analyst 5-5504 yulanda_quinlan@harvard.edu
Links
Deans Approval Form NASA Nspires
Cost Transfer Form NSF Grants Proposal Guide
NSF Fastlane Harvard GMAS
NASA Proposal Guide Grants.gov
NSF Conflict of Interest Form Per diem rates and currency exchange
Proposal Preparation and Submission
All grant proposals are reviewed by the EPS Financial Analyst (Carolyn Jones / Donna Walsh) and the EPS Lab Director (Paul Kelley) for accuracy and content prior to submission to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) for final review and submission to the sponsor. It is important to note that University Policy requires that finished proposals be submitted to OSP 5 business days prior to the due date. Please be certain that you allow sufficient preparation and review time to meet this deadline. Proposal submitted to OSP after the deadline will be reviewed and submitted only after those that were submitted on time have been processed. Late proposals result in a very real risk of non-submission to the sponsor. As a general policy, as soon as you become aware that you may have a proposal going in for a particular date, please notify the EPS Financial Analyst so that we can assist in preparation and help keep the process on track for timely review.
Managing Your Research
FAS Research Administration maintains these two key publications:
The “Gold Book” entitled "Managing Your Research" is an ideal reference for new faculty and staff which provides introduction to research activities and policies. This is a very good handbook for those wanting a refresher on some key concepts. A copy of the book is available at:
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~research/managing_your_research/
The “Grey Book” contains key information on “principles and policies that govern your research, instruction, and other professional activities” for FAS Faculty. A copy of the book is available at:
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~research/greybook/
Items of Particular Note and Focus
Revised Cost Transfer Policy
To comply with the cost allowability and allocability requirements of OMB Circular A-21, it is necessary to explain and justify transfers of charges into federal awards from other federal accounts, non-federal accounts or University accounts. The Cost Transfer Policy which governs such actions was revised and posted on OSP's website this past month. Changes include a reorganization of the policy, the inclusion of the treatment of tuition remission, an amendment to the naming convention of cost transfer journals, and the addition of several tools related to the cost transfer policy including FAQs, a decision tree, and a link to the cost transfer calculator. The full policy can be found at http://vpf-web.harvard.edu/osr/managing/man_cos_transfer.shtml
Export Control Regulations
In this era of increased focus on regulatory compliance one of the main areas that we need to be concerned about involves export controls over the instrumentation and technology that we use in our research. It is essential that all PI's and responsible Lab Staff be familiar with these controls and make every effort to comply with them. The Provost's Office has maintains the University policy on Export Controls and provides explanatory information at: http://www.provost.harvard.edu/policies_guidelines/export_policy.pdf
Departmental policy is that any research group that will be taking instrumentation or technology outside of the country will provide the Lab Director with a list of what they are taking. The Lab Director will then engage FAS Research Administration Services and the Office of the General Counsel to ensure that all of the items may be taken to particular destination being considered.
Government penalties for non-compliance on this policy are very severe and can include six-figure fines! It is essential that you ensure you are in compliance.
Monthly Salary Certifications
Federal regulations require that we certify the accuracy and proportionality of all salaries being charged to grants. Harvard's policy on this matter is that we certify all non-faculty salaries on a monthly basis (please note that certifications for faculty salaries are done annually). It is the responsibility of the PI to review the monthly salary certification forms and sign them to attest to their accuracy. Any discrepancies that are noted during this process should be indicated on the form and referred to the EPS Financial Analyst for correction immediately. This is an area that has received increased scrutiny in the recent past since late certifications have become unacceptably frequent. Please be sure that you give this process your due attention each month and make certain that the information on the forms you are signing as PI are accurate!