Greetings,

Partly due to some of the  recent rumors that have been circulating over the past several weeks, OSP would like to remind UMBC’s Research and Creative Achievement (RCA) community of best practices regarding sponsored projects. 

Principal Investigators should retain a copy of ALL deliverables that have been submitted to a Sponsor as well as ANY record of confirmation or acceptance of the deliverable by the Sponsor.  Sponsors will often send formal acceptance emails of deliverables and reports that have been submitted. Grant portals, such as research.gov or eRA Commons, will also have a record of these submissions and confirmation which may be printed (print to PDF or paper) or saved with a screen shot (as a PDF or picture). 

All of the documentation should be retained for no less than three (3) years after the end of the award to comply with federal record retention regulations.

Best Regards,

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)

OSP Coffee Chat Series

The Office of Sponsored Programs Training Team would like to invite you to join us for a casual yet informative, virtual coffee chat. Bringe your coffee and your questions to join us in this short information session. This invitation is for you if you are a faculty, staff, or otherwise active participant in sponsored research at UMBC and would like to learn more from your OSP Team on various topics including: What is OSP? What is F&A? What is Cost Share? And more!

In an effort to create an even more open path to communication and education, and real-time answers, OSP’s virtual coffee chat series kicks off May 8^th, 11:30 am -12:00 pm.

Present Topic: OSP 101 – What is the Office of Sponsored Programs All About?

Presenters: Jamie Cole, Chelsea Raff, and Allison Martins Machado

Description: The present topic will be all about OSP including their duties and function within UMBC.

At the end of each session there will be time for some Q&A. Please feel free to comment with questions ahead of time to be answered during the current or future sessions. If you have questions that pertain to a specific grant, please reach out to your Grants Manager individually.

To Join Via Webex on May 8th, please use the information below:

https://umbc.webex.com/umbc/j.php?MTID=m4f8fbaedd21081b07d06223f1d702881

Meeting number (access code): 2870 366 4002
Meeting password: a7wWmEpKh32

TAP TO JOIN FROM A MOBILE DEVICE (ATTENDEES ONLY)
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JOIN BY PHONE
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JOIN FROM A VIDEO SYSTEM OR APPLICATION
Dial sip:28703664002@umbc.webex.com
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Thank you!

OSP training Team

Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY 2025

Notice Number: NOT-OD-25-085

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-085.html

Purpose:

This Notice provides information regarding the salary limitation for NIH grant, cooperative agreement, and extramural research and development contract awards.

Since 1990, Congress has legislatively mandated a limitation on salary for individuals under NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards (referred to here as a grant).

As a reminder, effective October 1, 2024, this mandate applies to both direct salaries (individuals working directly on NIH projects) and indirect salaries (executive salaries in various uncapped cost pools). The mandate appears in the annual appropriation act that provides authority for NIH to incur obligations for a given Fiscal Year (FY). HHS/NIH has not received an FY 2025 appropriation and is operating under a Continuing Resolution, the “Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119-4)”, that applies the terms and conditions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 restricts the amount of salary to Executive Level II of the Federal Executive pay scale. The Office of Personnel Management recently released new salary levels for the Executive Pay Scale. Effective January 1, 2025, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $225,700.

For active awards, including awards that have been issued in FY 2025 (continuation and new) that were restricted to Executive Level II, if adequate funds are available, and if the salary cap increase is consistent with the institutional base salary, recipients may rebudget funds to accommodate the current Executive Level II salary level. Recipients may not draw down funds, whether direct or indirect costs, to pay salaries above the salary rate limitation, and recipients must have established policies and procedures that are consistently applied regardless of the source of funds.

Please refer to the full notice linked above for further details.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.

NIH Operates Under a Continuing Resolution

Notice Number: NOT-OD-25-084

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-084.html

Purpose:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including National Institutes of Health (NIH), operates under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119-4) signed by President Trump on March 15, 2025. This Act (CR) continues government operations through September 30, 2025, at the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 enacted level, with no reduction.

Consistent with NIH practices during FYs 2006 - 2024, NIH Institutes and/or Centers may, at their discretion, issue non-competing research grant awards at a level below that indicated on the most recent Notice of Award. All legislative mandates that were in effect in FY 2024 (see NOT-OD-24-110) remain in effect under this CR, as well as the salary limitation set at Executive Level II of the Federal Pay Scale (see NOT-OD-24-057) and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award predoctoral and postdoctoral stipend levels and tuition/fees as described in NOT-OD-24-104.

Please refer to the full notice linked above for further details.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.

To: UMBC’s Research and Creative Achievement (RCA) Community

From: Division of Research and Creative Achievement

As UMBC continues to experience some of the uncertainties that may affect Federal research grants/contracts due to the emerging orders and policies established at the Federal level thus far in CY2025, we wanted to ensure that the RCA community was aware of some specific clauses as they relate to termination of grants and/or contracts.

There are clauses in the Uniform Guidance (the UG pertains to federal grants and cooperative agreements) and the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR pertains to federal contracts) that might provide for and allow for UMBC to collect non-cancellable obligations if allowed by the specific terms of the distinct and particular award.  Please see the following references below

·       Uniform Guidance (UG): 2 CFR 200.343  Effects of suspension and termination

·       Federal Acquisition Regulations(FAR): FAR Part 49  Termination of Contracts

Please review and understand the above referenced clauses. Non-cancellable obligations are allowable costs that have been properly budgeted in the project and which have been incurred through the date of termination, but which cannot be reversed at the point of termination. Some examples include, but are not limited to , travel costs that cannot be canceled, equipment purchases already committed, and employment contracts that might require a notification period (i.e. 60 days) prior to a termination date.  These are certain costs that can and should be included with any award termination, stop-work order, or work-pause where a Sponsor has requested that a final invoice be submitted.

MEMORANDUM

DATE:             3/11/2025

TO:                  Business Managers/Department Chairs/Center Directors/Faculty

FROM:            Michael T. Walsh, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs

RE:                  OSP Spring Break Deadlines: March 17-2025-March 19,2025

_____________________________________________________________

Due to several recent inquiries on this topic, OSP is now publishing this special announcement concerning the OSP schedule for reviewing/approving proposals with deadlines to Federal, State, and Other Agencies that occur during UMBC's Spring Break this year. 

UMBC will be closed for a "University Holiday" on Monday March 17^th through Wednesday March 19^{th t} and will re-open on Thursday March 20^d. Since UMBC is closed during these three days, OSP will also be closed and OSP personnel will not be available during the Spring Break holidays for consultation or proposal submission(s). 

Please note the following:

1.     All proposals with submission deadlines occurring on Monday March 17, 2025 and/or Tuesday March 18, 2025 must be fully routed, ready for submission, and released to the OSP office for final review and submission by 9 AM on Friday March 14, 2025.

2.      Thus, proposals that have a 3/17, 3/18, or 3/19 submission date will be submitted on 3/14.  Therefore, one should have their routing and proposal materials (SOW, budget, bios, C&P,etc.) submitted to OSP no later than 9 AM on Wedneday March 12^th.  Technically, this allows for one extra day for routing (as the routing policy calls for three business days, not two, for OSP review).

Proposals received after the OSP deadlines specified above will be reviewed on a first-come/first-serve basis and will be submitted only if time permits.  In keeping with the deadline enforcement policy of ORCA (Office of the Vice President for Research & Creative Achievement), any proposal not fully routed and ready for submission by 9:00 AM of the deadline date (3/14/25) will not be submitted to the agency. 

Best Regards,

Dr. Michael T. Walsh

Director

Office of Sponsored Programs

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