To the UMBC Sponsored Award Community,

Thanks to those of you who have completed your Effort Report Certifications!

This is a reminder that Effort Reports for Fall 2023 are due March 31, 2024.

The Fall 2023 period includes Payroll 2024-001 through Payroll 2024-014 (from June 18, 2023 through December 30, 2023).

Please remember that Effort Reports are both a Compliance Tool and a Grants Management Tool. Late effort reports are deemed out of compliance with federal regulations and UMBC procedures.

To find out whether you have open effort reports for Fall 2023 (see page 6, Year: 2023 Period: Fall) and to learn how to certify them, see the attached Effort Report Quick Guide with screenshots for your convenience.

IF YOU ARE NEW TO Effort Report Certifications: see page 12, #1 in the Quick Guide for information on how to gain certification access.

IF THE PI ON THE PROJECT IS NOT AVAILABLE: see page 12, #2 in the Quick Guide.

Your timely commitment to this process is appreciated.

To the UMBC Grant Community,

Effort Reports for Spring 2023 are available and ready for certification. The Spring 2023 period includes Payroll 2023 015 through Payroll 2023 026 (from January 1, 2023 through June 17, 2023). Certifications are due September 30, 2023.

Please remember that Effort Reports are both a Compliance Tool and a Grants Management Tool. After reviewing payroll charges, work with your business managers if any changes are needed. Payroll cost transfers (retros) should be processed prior to certification of Effort Reports as retros will reopen any previously certified effort due to adjustments.

To find out whether you have open effort reports for Spring 2023 (see page 6, Year: 2023 Period: Spring) and to learn how to certify them, see the attached Effort Report Quick Guide with screenshots for your convenience. This guide provides instructions on how to access the Effort Reports.

*NOTE: All Effort Reports for periods prior to Spring 2023, including Fall and Spring 2022 and 2021 should be reviewed to make sure they are in Finalized status. In order for UMBC to be in compliance, please check Open effort reports for these previous periods under your name to ensure they have been Finalized. Any payroll cost transfers (retros) for previous periods will reopen effort reports and they need to be certified and finalized again.

*NOTE: If you are new to Effort Report certification, please see page 10, #1 in the Quick Guide for information on how to gain certification access. You will not be able to certify without proper access.

Additional resource: Effort Report Certification Guidance webpage, which includes definitions of Effort

Your timely commitment to this process is appreciated.

To: UMBC Researchers

From: Office of Research & Creative Achievement (ORCA) and Department of Information Technology (DoIT)

Re: Implementation of FAR 52.204-27

There has been a growing call for restrictions and regulations, on both the State and Federal levels, in regards to some social media and digital content applications, specifically (but not limited to) TikTok.  In some instances, restrictions on usage of TikTok and some of its affiliated/associated "apps" have, in fact, been implemented.

In December 2022, the No TikTok on Government Devices Act that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 [Pub. L. No. 117-328] and addressed in Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-23-13 was passed and became federal law.

In June 2023, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council published an interim rule, effective as of June 2, 2023, that implemented a new FAR contract clause -- FAR 52.204-27. Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application[1]

The rule prohibits the use of TikTok or other applications by ByteDance on contractors' information technology, including employee-owned devices that are used as part of a bring-your-own-device (BYOD)program. The interim rule adds a new contract clause at FAR 52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application, which states: "The Contractor is prohibited from having or using a covered application on any information technology owned or managed by the Government, or on any information technology used or provided by the Contractor under this contract, including equipment provided by the Contractor's employees."

Thus far, there is NOT a state ban on using TikTok or ByteDance. There is an Executive Order (under then-Governor Larry Hogan) which bans their use that applies to State departments, but does not apply, per the State Attorney General and USM,  to institutions in the USM.

,

UMBC has not yet seen the new FAR clause incorporated into a federal contract. However, we highly expect to see that clause appear in contracts moving forward. Therefore, UMBC is advising and highly encouraging that anyone in a department/unit who handles sensitive material/information NOT install TikTok on UMBC/State-owned computers and machines.  If a researcher uses any personal devices for their research, UMBC also advises and highly encourages to NOT have TikTok or other noted program applications installed on those machines as well.

This regulation is very new. As such, there are indeed many open questions about the breadth of the restrictions.  Public comment on the clause can be made up until August 1, 2023 and thus changes to the clause could theoretically occur as well, as is the nature of an interim rule.  We certainly will know more as well once we see it incorporated into a new award or issued as part of an award modification.

Please see the list below on current companies (as of June 2023) whose programs and applications should not be installed on devices -University or personal- that are being used for UMBC research. Do note that TikTok is just one example and the list is far more extensive.  For example, ByteDance is a conglomerate of companies that operate a vast array of applications and websites.Beyond TikTok, the following are examples of the websites and applications operated by companies associated with ByteDance:

To the UMBC Grant Community,

This is a reminder that Effort Reports for Fall 2022 are available and ready for certification. The Fall 2022 period includes Payroll 2023-001 through Payroll 2023-014 (from June 19, 2022 through December 31, 2022). Certifications are due March 30, 2023.

Please remember that Effort Reports are both a Compliance Tool and a Grants Management Tool. After reviewing payroll charges, work with your business managers if any changes are needed. Payroll cost transfers (retros) should be processed prior to certification of Effort Reports as retros will re-open any previously certified effort due to adjustments.  

To find out whether you have open effort reports for Fall 2022 (see page 6, Year: 2022 Period: Fall) and to learn how to certify them, see the attached Effort Report Quick Guide with screenshots for your convenience. This guide provides instructions on how to access the Effort Reports.

*NOTE:  All Effort Reports for periods prior to Fall 2022, including Spring 2022, 2021, and 2020 should be in Finalized status. In order for UMBC to be in compliance, please check Open effort reports for these previous periods under your name to ensure they have been Finalized. Any payroll cost transfers (retros) for previous periods will re-open effort reports and they need to be certified and finalized again.

*NOTE:  If you are new to Effort Report certifications, please see page 10, #1 in the Quick Guide for information on how to gain certification access.

Additional resource: Effort Report Certification Guidance webpage, which includes definitions of Effort

Your timely commitment to this process is appreciated.

Office of the Vice President for Research & Creative Achievement
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
PHONE:       410-455-5636
FAX:            410-455-5550
WEB:           research.umbc.edu

This communication is to members of UMBC's Research and Creative Achievement (RCA) community that have been impacted by the power outages and water damage resulting from the December winter storm (the event). 

The Office of Research and Creative Achievement (ORCA) is providing the following information to assist the UMBC RCA community on steps to take with external sponsors. 

We realize that many, but certainly not all impacted departments and buildings are within the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS). The CNMS Dean's Office has already reached out to the departments in that College.

Whom do I contact? 

•  At this time, the CNMS Dean's Office is requesting that you communicate through your Department Chair if your RCA activities have been impacted.  The Department Chairs will report to the Dean, who will then inform ORCA. 
•  Other Colleges or UMBC units can reach out to their Chairs and Deans in a similar fashion, or they can email OSPA@umbc.edu.  If you reach out to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) directly, please include your departmental or College business unit that supports your RCA activities. 
•  ORCA will follow up with those Principal Investigators (PIs) to potentially obtain additional information and discuss next steps. 
  
• ORCA will provide reports to all College Deans, Directors, unit business unit etc. regarding the impact on their respective RCA communities.  

What do we mean by impacted? 

•   Impact on Sponsor RCA activities could mean a total stoppage or delay to an active award, a needed revision to a submitted pending proposal, or a proposal submission delayed as result of the event. 

What information do we need? 

• Name of the PI, email, and phone number
• Sponsor name (i.e., NSF, NIH, DoD, NEA, NEH, Mellon Foundation, State of Maryland, etc.)
• Award or proposal information (Kuali or Sponsor Award #, project title)
• Brief (2-3 bullets) description of the actual impact on your project.  For example, "I am unable to continue working on my award", "My award will be delayed by 2 months", or "I will not be able to meet the proposal deadline." 
•   What been impacted (i.e., computers or scientific instruments have been damaged, laboratories are not accessible at the time, scientific data or research samples have been damaged or lost.) Please provide specifics.
• ORCA will follow up with those Principal Investigators (PIs) to potentially obtain any additional information and discuss next steps. 

What information is available from the Sponsors?

•  Currently, only limited information is available.  We expect to contact each sponsor independently to ascertain the steps needed depending on the extent of the impact. 
• NIH & NSF sites that lists some critical information for awards --see below.