Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
ORSP is located in Kiely Hall. Our Main Office is in Kiely 306. Mike Prasad is in 304, Poline Haralambopoulos is in 308, Marisol Caamano is located in Kiely 309, Aster Williams is in 305, and Regina Caulfield is in 307.
The staff of the Queens College Foundation Business Office (Ching Romanick and Sara Horlick) are located in Kiely 311.
The Office of Regulatroy Compliance (IRB, IACUC, Biosafety) is located in Delany Hall, Room 305.
We can be reached by phone at 718-997-5400. To find out more about ORSP
follow the menu below.
Meet the staff of ORSP
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A Link to the Research Foundation and Info on
Personnel, Payroll, &Purchasing |
New Grant Policy Directive Institutional Approval Procedures,
IRB Information, and IACUC
This link opens a PDF file that answers our most frequently asked
questions
Poline Haralambopoulos has been with ORSP since 2006 and is the financial administrator for all service accounts and overhead accounts. She is available to assist faculty grant proposals as well as all post-award business. She can be reached at Poline.Haralambopoulos@qc.cuny.edu
Aster Williams
Bernadette Gatto, Secretary
Bernadette Gatto is the first person everyone sees when coming to visit the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs. She is the person to contact for making appointments with Mike Prasad and other staff. You can reach Bernadette at the main office number or via e-mail at Bernadette.Gatto@qc.cuny.edu
| Barbara Lermand, Office of Regulatory Compliance | Barbara Lermand is the Associate Director for the Office of Regulatory Compliance. Barbara is the campus administrator for the IRB (human subjects), IACUC (animal research), and Biosafety communities at Queens College. Her office is located in Delaney Hall, Room 305. You can reach Barbara at 718-997-5415 or by email at Barbara.Lermand@qc.cuny.edu |
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Queens College has set up a "bridge" funding program which will work in conjuction with a smilar program being established by the University. The Provost's office will offer funding to established researchers who have been funded and expect to be funded again but are experiencing a gap between funding periods. A Research Enhancement Committee will review each case based on the following criteria:
Bridge funding should pay for "what it takes to keep the project going." This might include supplies, salaries for a technician, postdoc, or graduate student. It should not include summer salary or released time for the PI. The funding should be temporary (1-5 months) and should be repaid when the PI receives regular funding again (usually through the PIs share of overhead). Requests for bridge funding should be submitted to the department chair and divisional dean and then to the Provost. Requests should include all Study Section or reviewer reports and all recent proposals.
ORSP Grants Bulletin The Grants Bulletin is currently being redesigned. If you would like current grant deadline information, we suggest that faculty utilize both Grants.gov for federal grants and The Grant Advisor monthly newsletter for both private and federal oppotuntities. More to come SOON!
CUNY Grant News Info about CUNY 's internal grant programs
Community
of Science This service is available free of charge to
all CUNY faculty. Through COS, researchers, including faculty
who specialize in the humanities and social sciences, now have an
additional resource for locating and applying for funding opportunities from
numerous public and private sponsoring agencies and organizations. Resources
include: COS Funding Opportunities which provides online access to more than
24,000 currently available funding opportunities offered by 11,000 public
and private sponsors on a global basis; COS Funding Alerts deliver targeted
information from COS Funding Opportunities to individual researchers whose
profiles are maintained in the COS database; and COS Funding
Opportunities Administrator's Workbench which provides specified Member
administrators with access to institution-specific reports, information, and
features about the Member's usage of COS Funding Opportunities. Faculty are
encouraged to visit COS and take advantage of this service. To Set up a
Profile, go to http://www.cos.com/rfcuny.shtml
The Grant Advisor To access this newsletter, you must be connected to the web through the Queens College server (QC1).
SPIN - Funding Information Searches Queens College faculty may access this database to search for both private and public sources of funding.
Federal Funding Agency Links:
Grants.gov
This portal is used for nearly all grant
proposal submissions to the federal government. You can also use it to
search for grant opportunities.
National Science
Foundation
National
Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of
Education
National Endowment for the
Arts
National
Endowment for the Humanities
U.S. Department
of Energy
Office of
Naval Research
Environmental Protection Agency
Army Research
Office
Army
Research Institute
Air Force Office of Scientific
Research
DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency
If you need forms, there are
several places to get on-line versions. One link is at Rice University (http://tram.east.asu.edu/forms/index.html).
It is an all volunteer effort. Various individuals have either located forms
or created facsimiles of agency forms. Please use caution in using these
forms. Always check with the agency to ensure that a
facsimile will be accepted. Most federal
agencies now have their forms available via the internet but not all of
these forms can be used as templates with your software or may require the
purchase of new software.
The Federal Register and the Commerce Business Daily are also available electronically through Empire Access, New York State's gateway to the Government Printing Offices' group of databases known as GPO Access, which contain the full text of selected information published by the United States government.
Non-Federal Funding Links
The
Foundation Center
Council for
the International Exchange of Scholars (Fulbright)
American
Cancer Society
Social Science
Research Council
The Spencer Foundation
American Council
of Learned Societies
American Heart Association
New York State Home
PageNew York State Office of
Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR)NY State Education
Department
New York City
Home Page
Borough of
Queens Home Page
NYCENET - New York City
Educational Network
The Research Foundation (RF) is the fiscal agent for sponsored research programs awarded to CUNY. The RF is responsible for ensuring that each grant awarded is spent according to awarding agency's guidelines. Hiring of grant-related personnel, purchasing, and travel payments are all processed by the Research Foundation. Use the shortcut menu below to guide you through the RF, or go directly to the Research Foundation website at http://www.rfcuny.org/
RF UpdatesPersonnel and Payroll Info
SUMMER SALARY INFORMATION - Faculty receiving summer salary this year must submit all their paperwork by September 29, 2009. Certification must be completed no later than the close-out dates posted by Queens College Office of Human Resources. Please download the following PDF attachment for more details. SUMMER SALARY GUIDE
NEW!!!! E-Verify System for All New Employees - Beginning January 15, all new employees must be verified as employment eligible through the federal government's new e-verify system that confirms the identity and work authorization through the SSA and DHS databases. In addition to the I-9 (which has been modified), the new employee must bring his/her I-9 to ORSP within 3 days of his/her start date and agree to have that information verified electronically. Employees cannot send the I-9 to ORSP by mail and must be present during the e-verification process. Please note that we will only see employees between the hours of 11-3.
Personnel Vacancy Notice - As of July 1, 2007, no new personnel may be hired without first submitting a Personnel Vacancy Notice and a copy of the PVN along with the Personnel Action Form and other required forms. Additinal Information is available from our office and from the Research Foundation's Client Services Department at 212-417-8640
e-PAF system – The Research Foundation of CUNY has enchanced the e-PAF system to make it more user-friendly and comprehensive.
The E-PAF system should be used for all rehires, extending
employment, raising salaries, or terminating RF personnel. Before hiring any person, a Personnel Vacancy Notice must be posted on the Research Foundation Website. No employee may be hired without a PVN number. You can use the
on-line system by logging into the Research
Foundation website. In addition, all timesheets must be
submitted on-line, unless they are more than four pay periods old. Project Directors are also required to submit their employees'
time and leave record on-line so that the RF can begin tracking time and
leave in conjunction with the E-Timesheet and E-PAF system. For
more instructions, please contact ORSP at
997-5400.
Research Foundation TEAMS for Payroll and Personnel Queens College has been assigned a team to work with our campus on payroll problems, hiring issues, and client services such as health benefits and retirement. The following list identifies those persons and provides contact information. James Curry, Team Leader for Human Resources e-mail: James_Curry@rfcuny.org Cecilia Patxot, Asst. Client Services Rep e-mail: Cecilia_Patxot@rfcuny.org Yiciana Rodriguez, Campus Personnel Coordinator e-mail: Yiciana_Rodriguez@rfcuny.org Shakina Funderburk, Payroll Clerk e-mail: Shakina_Funderbunk@rfcuny.org Antoinette Morizio, Payroll Clerk e-mail: Antoinette_Morizio@rfcuny.org Ann Bell, PAF Clerk e-mail: Ann_Bell@rfcuny.org Hiring Personnel
All personnel being paid from a grant must be placed on Research Foundation payroll. Forms for hiring personnel are available in the Research Office. All personnel forms must be submitted through the Research Office for review and approval. For detailed guidelines on how to place personnel on the RF payroll, please follow these links: New Hiresand/or Rehires.
Fringe Benefits (03/28/08 )
Fringe Benefits are charged directly to the grant according a percentage formula. For example, if Mary Jones will be paid $1,000 for the semester and is working less than 19 hours a week, a rate of 9% would be added on to the $1,000, charging the grant a total of $1,090. The Chart (shown below) provides a quick outline of rates for different categories of personnel working varied schedules.
Employee Category Hours Per Week Rate Charged Benefits Included Full-Time 35 hours+
currently 36.5% (grant applications should budget for 37%)
Health benefits, dental benefits, pension, statutory benefits (worker's compensation, social security, disability, unemployment) Part-Time "A" 20 or more hours, but less than 35 same as above Individual health benefits, pension, statutory benefits Part-Time "B" 19 hours or less 10%
Statutory benefits Faculty Summer Salary or Sabbatical Pay NA currently at 25%; changing to 28.9% on October 1, 2009 Pension and statutory benefits Faculty Release Time NA currently at 33%; (grant applications should budget for 35% ) All benefits continue according to State contract Payroll Schedule
Timesheets must be submitted on-line unless they are more than four pay periods old from the time of submission. This schedule is published to remind Project Directors and employee timekeepers when they are due.
Payroll Period Ends Time Sheets Due (electronic submission) Personnel Action Forms Due Pay Date April 26 April 27 April 8 May 6 May 10 May 11 April 22 May 20 May 24 May 26 May 6 June 3 June 7 June 8 May 20 June 17 June 21 June 22 June 3 July 1 July 5 July 6 June 17 July 15 July 19 July 20 July 1 July 29 August 2 August 3 July 15 August 12 August 16 August 17 July 29 August 26 August 30 August 31 August 12 September 9
Purchasing Basics
All grant expenditures must be used as allocated in the approved award budget and must be properly authorized and receipted. If a grant requires matching funds, the investigator must have authorization from the college prior to purchase. In addition, all equipment purchases must be pre-approved by the Department Chairperson as well as the Office for Information Technology if the equipment is computer related. The Research Foundation has newly established the following procedures for purchasing equipment and/or supplies:
- 1. For Most Orders that are Less than $1000 , no purchase order form is required. Simply attach the original vendor or company invoice or paid receipt to a completed RF Payment Request form (made out to the appropriate payee) and submit the authorized signed original to ORSP for transmittal to the RF. Please check with your grants administrator for PSC-CUNY grants or privately funded grants.
- 2. For Orders of $4,999 or less, a small order form may be used if it is needed by the vendor or for sponsor requirements. The small purchase order can be completed by the project director. Call your RF Project Administrator to ask for a small order number. At this point, the order can be placed directly to the vendor. If you make this order by telephone to the vendor, write on the purchase order "Do Not Duplicate--for Confirmation only!" Send the copy marked "vendor copy" to the vendor and send the top copy of the order to the Research Office for transmittal to the RF. When the item is received, certify that you have received it by signing the receiving (blue) copy. Upon receipt of the vendor / company's original invoice (not a receiving notice or packing slip), complete a payment request form, attach the receiving copy of the purchase order and the original invoice and send to the Research Office for transmittal. Make sure all paperwork is signed by the appropriately authorized person(s).
- An alternative to using the small order forms and/or payment request forms is the use of a Purchasing Card. Please see the RF CUNY website for more informatin about these Cards. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs cannot track P-Card accounts. The PI is solely responsible for over-expenditures.
- 3. For Orders between $5,000 and less than $15,000, you must obtain three competitive bids or quotes from qualified vendors for the item(s) being ordered unless you have selected a sole vendor or are purchasing items from a vendor on State contract. After this process, select an appropriate vendor. Complete a Purchase Requisition form, giving a complete description of the item(s) being purchased, and submit it to ORSP for transmittal to the RF. The RF will then review the requisition form and assign a purchase order. The RF will mail the order to the vendor and receiving and originator copies to the Principal Investigator. Upon receipt of the item(s), and an original invoice from the vendor or company, submit the receiving copy and invoice along with a completed payment request form and submit it to ORSP for transmittal to the RF.
- 4. For Orders over $15,000, you follow the same procedures but must also attach three written bids to the Purchase Requisition, unless you are using a vendor on State Contract. Moreover, if the lowest bid is not utilized, please write a justification for not using that vendor.
- Note that equipment purchases over $5,000 must be accompanied by an Equipment Screening Certificate signed by the Principal Investigator's Chairperson. ALL computer purchases must be approved by the Director of the Office of Information Technology.
Travel Info
- All travel paid from any grant must be allocated in the original budget or modified as agreed by the sponsoring agency. All travel reimbursement are subject to NY State and Research Foundation guidelines.
- Travel Advance Requests will be granted for up to 80% of the amount allocated including airfare. Everyone should fill out a travel advance even if you are not requesting a cash advance in order to ensure that you are covered under New York State insurance regulations regarding work and travel.
- Travel Reimbursements are handled by submitting a Travel Expense Voucher with appropriate original receipts. Limitations do apply according to New York State guidelines and the sponsoring agency's rules. Generally, the following New York State guidelines apply:
- 1) Transportation Costs are reimbursed with original receipts for common carrier service; car rental when other transportation is impractical or unavailable; authorized use of a personally owned vehicle may be reimbursed at a maximum mileage rate of 55 cents per mileand transportation between a residence and an airport or other terminal may be reimbursed for up to $10 without a receipt, and for any reasonable amount with a receipt. If you are renting a vehicle, mileage is not reimbursed. In addition, all renters must fully insure the rental car with all coverages available -- collision, comprehensive, and liability. The traveler either should purchase the insurance from the rental agency or insure the vehicle through his/her own credit card. If you are using a P-Card, you may use the Auto Rnetal Collision Damage Waiver Program. To utilize this benefit, start and complete the rental transaction with the P-Card and decline the agency's rental insurance when completing the transaction. More information about this progam is available from the Research Foundation.
- 2) Meals, Lodging, and Other Expenses are reimbursed with receipts up to the maximum per diem limit issued by New York State and/or Federal guidelines. Receipts arerequired in order to obtain the per diem. Without receipts, travelers may be reimbursed for meals and lodging with proof of overnight travel and purpose for up to $50 per day out-of-state or in New York City. Other areas in New York State are limited to smaller reimbursement amounts. In addition, non-receipted meals may be reimbursed up to $12.00 for dinner and $5.00 for breakfast. No reimbursements are provided for lunch with or without receipts. Other non-receipted reimbursable expenses include local travel on buses or subways and 15% gratuities.
- REMEMBER TO ASK FOR RECEIPTS, MAKE COPIES OF YOUR RECEIPTS AND KEEP A COPY OF YOUR TRAVEL VOUCHER.
Grant Submissions
All grants and contracts must be reviewed and approved by an authorized institutional official. All proposals excepting those awards that are made directly to an individual must be reviewed by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Further review may be necessary by the Dean, Chairperson, and or other academic personnel. Final approval usually rests with the Director of ORSP. Proposals submitted to federal or state agencies must be signed (electronically and/or physically) by the Director of the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP). Faculty interested in submitting a proposal are encouraged to make an appointment with one of the staff members in ORSP at least three weeks before the deadline to review the guidelines, develop a budget, and discuss any other policy requirements that must be met. All proposals must undergo an internal approval process in which the Chairperson(s) of the principal investigator's department and Dean of his or her Division approve the budget and proposal. For example, a project may require approval for the use of human subjects in research or need institutional resources beyond the capacities of the department or division. These issues should be resolved before a proposal is submitted externally. All proposals must be reach ORSP at least five days before the agency's deadline. A complete overview of the submissin policy is described in the following policy directive:
5-Day Internal Deadline for Grant Applications
1. Lead time
ORSP highly recommends that proposals be submitted to the office several weeks before deadline. At a minimum, the completed grant application must reach the office by at least five (5) working days before the agency deadline.If ORSP does not receive the complete grant proposal at least five days prior to the agency deadline, the proposal may not be reviewed or submitted. The PI may have to wait until the next program cycle, and assumes the risk that he/she may need to correct errors in electronic submission and that the proposal may miss the agency deadline.
It is recommended that complex proposals (i.e., non-CUNY personnel resulting in multiple consortium or subcontract arrangements; cost sharing requirements; participation of foreign institutions; complicated budgets, etc.) be submitted a week or two before the five working day deadline to offset the extra time requisite for approvals and review.
2. Changes
PIs are responsible for incorporating changes according to agency guidelines or College policy prior to submitting the proposal.Once the proposal is completed and Chair and Dean have signed off on internal approval, the proposal and budget cannot be changed.
As always, ORSP will make a good faith effort to submit late proposals before the 5:00 PM deadline. However, priority will go to faculty who have submitted on or before the 5 day deadline.
The above policy applies whether Queens College is the lead applicant or a subcontractor under another College's submission. If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact ORSP at x75400.
Human Subjects in Research
A Human Subject = a living person about whom an investigator obtains data through intervention or interaction with the person or accesses identifiable private information about the person through records or observation.
All research activities (including data analysis and publication of results) that involve human subjects, including those activities that are eligible for exemption under federal guidelines, and are conducted on QC campuses, sponsored by QC in whole or in part, (i.e. under the direction of QC personnel or funded through the College), or use QC affiliated subjects or information related to QC affiliated subjects, must be reviewed and approved by the QC Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects before such an activity begins. If the Investigator is conducting research cooperatively with another institution, Queens College also requires the Investigator to obtain proper approval from that institution. Students Conducting Research should consult the CUNY policy by clicking here.
IRB TRAINING REQUIREMENT:
Please Note: All principal investigators (PIs) and key personnel who are using human subjects are required by federal directive to receive education on the protection of human research subjects before research may commence. A certificate of completion of the CUNY-required training program (described below) for each PI and related project personnel must accompany any application to the IRB.Renewal of Certification: As of July 1, all investigators and key personnel must renew their certification using a new CUNY-required computer-based training program referred to as CITI (the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative).
CITI is a well-respected, web-based training product that was designed, updated and maintained by nationally known IRB professionals. It is more comprehensive than the former CUNY-required training program, and includes topic-specific modules, each followed by a short quiz. The number of modules needed for completion depends on the “Learner Group” with which a person identifies. Depending upon the number of modules required, 6-8 hours are needed for completion.
The new CITI certificates will be valid for three years, after which a refresher course is required.
CITI may be accessed at https://www.citiprogram.org/. If you are having problems with the CITI site or course, contact the CITI Office at mailto:citisupport@med.mimai.edu or at 305-243-7970.
If you have any questions regarding the CITI requirements, please contact the Assistant Director of Regulatory Compliance at 718-997-5415 or the Office of Research Conduct, at 212-794-5476.
INFORMED CONSENT ISSUES:
Note that Federal regulations require documentation of informed consent for all research involving human subjects. Generally, all investigators who plan to use human subjects in their research must obtain written informed consent from the subject. A waiver of the documentation for informed consent can be granted by the IRB and only under the following circumstances:
- The research presents no more than minimal risk of harm to participants AND involves no procedure for which written consent is normally given outside the research context; OR
- The consent document is the only record linking the participant and the research AND the principal risk would be potential harm resulting from a breach of confidentiality. Each participant must be asked whether they want documentation linking their identity with the research. The participant's wishes shall govern.
In rare cases where written consent is not used, subjects must still be fully informed about the purpose of the project, what will be asked of the subject, and what interventions or procedures will be utilized in the project. Wherever possible, the subject's anonymity and right to confidentiality should be protected. Moreover, subjects must always have the right to refuse to participate without any adverse consequences. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS AT QUEENS COLLEGE MUST BE SPONSORED BY A FULL-TIME FACULTY MEMBER OF QUEENS COLLEGE.
NOTE: Researchers using subjects from Psychology 101 should insert the following text into their consent forms:
Under Withdrawal from the Project, the following text should be inserted: "If I choose to withdraw from this experiment, I understand that I will receive some credit, but not full credit, toward the Psychology 101 research requirement, and that I may participate in other studies or write a research report to fulfill the requirement." All other language should remain the same!
FORMS - NOTE: NEW FORMS and IRB Application Manual
Please check the last revision date on all forms being submitted to the IRB for review. The application form and manual has been revised as of January 2003. If you are not sure if you have the latest version, please call Barbara Lermand at 718-997-5415. NOTICE: Queens College forms for obtaining approval are available to download. We are having difficulty with the downloading of these forms from Internet Explorer. Netscape seems to work fine. If you experience a problem, please request that the form be emailed to you as an attachment. DO NOT SAVE THESE LINKS!!!!! THEY CHANGE FREQUENTLY! You can then open most of these files in Microsoft Word. Please not the exceptions!CUNY-wide forms for Human Subjects including Form for a New Protocol (please note that this is a CUNY-wide form and cannot be changed)
Queens College approved NEW PROTOCOL FORM in interactive pdf
Queens College approved New Protocol Form in WordIRB Application Manual. for using Human Subjects.
If you have a current protocol that requires a modification or addendum, please use the following form:
IRB MODIFICATION FORM (Word)If you have a current protocol that must be renewed, the following form is required:
Continuing Review - Final Report Form (Word) (Revised)To assist investigators, sample consent forms are also available for use:
SAMPLE CONSENT FORM for Adults (Word) (Revised) and SAMPLE CONSENT FORM for Children (Word) (Revised).
SAMPLE ASSENT FORM for Children age 12-17 (Word) (NEW)If you need paper forms or have need help, please contact the Research Office at 718/997-5400.
IRB MEETING DATES & DEADLINES FOR PROTOCOL SUBMISSION
Deadline dates will be strictly adhered to. Protocols are due in the Office of Regulatory Compliance (Delaney Hall, Room 305) by the deadline date. Protocols not received by the deadline date WILL NOT be reviewed by the IRB until a new meeting is scheduled. Additional meeting dates and deadlines will be announced as they become available. The original and eleven (11!)copies of the protocol are required (Total of 12). Incomplete protocols will not be considered or reviewed by the IRB. Please call if you need additional information.
Protocols submitted for Exempt or Expedited Review are reviewed on an Ad-Hoc basis, and do not have to be submitted in accordance with the published schedule. Investigators should allow approximately 10 business days for an Exempt or Expedited Reviews.
For further information on other policies, including the IACUC, follow the link below:
Other Policy Information
If you have comments or suggestions for this website, please
send email to Regina.Caulfield@qc.cuny.edu
