Office of the Provost

Dear Faculty:

This is an important message for all current and future investigators supported by NIH awards or contracts. If you fall within these categories, please read the following message carefully and follow up with OVPR if you have questions.

The NIH has instituted changes in its continuing approach to ensure appropriate allocation of funds and to increase transparency in affiliations and sources of support. These changes pertain to the biographical sketch and “other support” components. NIH is enforcing these changes on all applications, Just-in-Time requests, and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) as of January 25, 2022. Submissions that do not conform to the new requirements may be returned without review for noncompliance (see NOT-OD-21-073).

Summary of Changes to Biographical Sketch

• The format for non-fellowship biosketches (R-series, K-series, P-series, U-series) now consists of 3 sections:
  • Personal statement
  • Positions
  • Scientific appointments and honors and contribution to science

*Investigators no longer need to include a “Research Support” section in the biosketch.

• The most notable change is the requirement to list all scientific appointments, both domestic and foreign. All paid and unpaid appointments, whether with UConn or another institution, organization, company, or entity are to be included. Scientific appointments include memberships in scientific societies, board memberships, consulting appointments and any affiliations with domestic or foreign entities or governments. These appointments could be full-time, part-time, or voluntary.
• Fellowship biosketches will continue to have an additional section called “Scholastic Performance” which must be completed.

Summary of Changes to “Other Support”

• “Other support” forms must now be electronically signed directly by senior/key personnel, or anyone who is required to submit “other support,” to certify the accuracy of them. This may be done through electronic signature software such as Adobe Pro or DocuSign. The NIH specifies that a typed name or inserting a graphic of a scanned signature (JPEG,  TIFF, GIF, etc.) is not considered an electronic signature. “Other support” submissions must be submitted as a combined flattened PDF after all signatures are obtained. Here, flattening refers to the process of transforming a PDF document to ensure that the data cannot be modified (see below for link to guidance from Sponsored Program Services on flattening a PDF).
• Copies of all foreign contracts, foreign grants, and other foreign agreements specific to foreign appointments, affiliations, and/or employment with a foreign institution must be provided by faculty and other senior personnel. This also includes activities submitted through the faculty consulting approval process. For documents that are written in other languages, a translation into English must also be provided. At this time, it does not appear that awards made to UConn (grants or contracts with the University) need to be provided.
• “Other support” should continue to include all resources, both domestic and foreign, made available to investigators to support their research activities, not just those related to the application. This includes:

• • Sponsored projects, both at UConn or conducted at other entities.
  • In-kind resources in support of an individual’s research program:
    • Personnel (visiting scholars, visiting students that are supported by a non-UConn entity)
    • Space
    • Equipment
    • Materials
    • Supplies
  • Internal UConn Research Awards

• Other research-related engagements or employment, which also includes activities submitted via the faculty consulting approval process.
• External consulting when an investigator will be involved in the design, conduct, or reporting of the research or when publications may result from the activity.
  *The NIH reserves the right to request copies of any consulting agreements.

·       The NIH must be notified immediately of any undisclosed “other support” that was missing at the point of Just-in-Time submission. The NIH has stated that this cannot wait until the next RPPR is due.

Additional information is available on the SPS OVPR website, see links below. Please contact Tracy Bourassa (tracy.bourassa@uconn.edu) in Sponsored Program Services at UConn Storrs and the regional campuses, or for UConn Health, Paul Hudobenko (hudobenko@uchc.edu).

Please also see:

Storrs and Regional Campuses

• SPS Information on NIH Other Support
• SPS Guidance on Flattening a PDF

UConn Health

·       SPS information on NIH Other Support

·       SPS Guidance on Flattening a PDF

NIH Resources

• NIH Other Support
• NIH Other Support FAQs
• NIH Biosketch Format Pages, Instructions and Samples
• NIH Biographical Sketch FAQs

 

With regards,
Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Radenka Maric
Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship