SPACE Microcredential Requirements

Rutgers’ threefold mission includes advancing research, so it is important to understand the research support functional areas within the Office for Research. The first part of this session will provide an overview of the Office for Research (OFR) and the organization’s role in providing services to the University’s research community. In the second segment, each functional support area will share its expertise.

Objectives: Experience an overview of the functional support research areas:

• Research & Sponsored Programs (RSP) will provide an overview of proposal basics, budget preparation, compliance, negotiation, and non-financial requirements.
• Research Financial Services (RFS) will provide an overview of central financial accounting functions and post-award administration support services for the university’s sponsored programs and other restricted funds, including project reconciliations, award specifics, closeouts, effort certification, and cost transfers.
• Research Contract Services, a pre-award office, provides the research community expert and expeditious contract management services that grow Rutgers’ research enterprise.
• Other topics briefly covered are research compliance; corporate engagement; innovation and technology.

The grant administration module provides essential knowledge for understanding the grant submission process, award setup, and various components of grant administration. Participants will explore proposal basics, compliance, and non-financial requirements.

Objectives:

• Understand how to navigate through the proposal submission process in concert with using the Uniform Guidance, Sponsor requirements and Rutgers policies. 
• Obtain a clear picture of the RSP Pre Award vs the PI / Department Administrators roles and responsibilities.
• Discuss basic considerations for the development of a reasonable, allowable and allocatable budget for proposal purposes
• Demonstrate an understanding of the various administrative grant components

This module offers an overview of the post-award lifecycle, emphasizing best practices for grants and contracts management in alignment with University policy and the Uniform Guidance.

Objectives:

• Understand the post-award process.
• Apply best practices for managing grants and contracts.
• Comply with University policies and the Uniform Guidance.
• Successfully administer grants, including project reconciliations, award specifics, closeouts, effort certification, and cost transfers.

As Rutgers’ threefold mission includes advancing research, it is important to understand the research support functional areas within the Office for Research. Research Contract Services is one such resource.  Research Contract Services, a pre-award office, provides the research community expert and expeditious contract management services that grow Rutgers’ research enterprise.  This course provides a detailed overview of the Research Contracts Services’ services, how to engage with this team, the elements of a typical research contract as well as some basic contract law information.

Objectives:

• Gain Understanding of Rutgers’ sponsored program and research-related contract management services process: when and how to engage Research Contract Services (RCS) through the Research Administration and Proposal Submission System (RAPSS).
• Demonstrate basic understanding of different types of sponsored program and research-related agreements.
• Understand the basics of RCS’ contract management process and how to leverage RAPSS as a communications tool.

This module centers on the administrative requirements and cost principles outlined in the Uniform Guidance (UG), as per the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines. It specifically addresses federal grants and contracts.

Objectives:

• Explain the significance of the UG requirements in the context of university operations.
• Discuss how the UG cost principles apply to university financial management.
• Evaluate the university’s role in preventing waste, fraud, and abuse through proper implementation of the UG.

This module is tailored for new faculty and staff engaged in preparing grant proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Participants will delve into the intricacies of proposal budgets, ensuring compliance with NIH guidelines and specific announcement criteria.

Objectives:

• Explore the purpose and significance of proposal budgets.
• Recognize how budgets serve as estimates for project costs and resource allocation.
• Learn about NIH-specific requirements for budget preparation.
• Identify allowable costs and key components within an NIH proposal budget.
• Understanding and translating the internal RU Budget template to the NIH budget forms.
• Developing the corresponding Budget Justification.

This module is specifically designed for new faculty and staff engaged in preparing grant proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Participants will explore critical administrative components that significantly impact proposal success. The session places special emphasis on budget preparation to ensure compliance with relevant rules and policies governing sponsored project costs.

Objectives:

• Explore the essential elements of an NSF grant proposal.
• Recognize the role of administrative components in proposal evaluation.
• Learn about budget guidelines specific to NSF proposals.
• Understand how budgets align with project goals and resource needs.
• Acquire practical skills for creating accurate and compliant budgets.
• Identify allowable costs and best practices for budget development.

Outgoing subawards are essential components of collaborative projects, allowing institutions like Rutgers to partner with external organizations. These agreements facilitate the allocation of responsibilities and funds to sub-awardees, fostering teamwork and joint efforts to achieve critical research goals.

Objectives:

• Understand the role of RSP and the department/PI regarding outgoing subawards.
• Learn Rutgers processes and procedures for the issuance and management of subawards.
• Become familiar with the elements of the terms and conditions of subawards.
• Foster strong partnerships through successful subaward implementation.

This introductory course is intended to provide an overview of the RAPSS system to the SPACE Microcredential seekers. If you are looking for the RAPPS training, please use RAPSS is the University-wide system for proposal submission and award intake system for all new submissions to Federal, State, and not-for-profit sponsors as well as corporate contracts and other associated items. This online self-study module in Canvas will assist in learning about its advantages, review roles and responsibilities, general workflow processes, systems integration, and award set-up management.

Objectives:

• Understand the purpose and benefits of using RAPSS.
• Identify key roles and responsibilities within the system.
• Gain insights into workflow processes for proposal submission and award management.

This module will serve as a platform to discuss the University's research enterprise by ensuring the protection of individuals who participate in research; ensuring compliance with all pertinent federal and state laws and regulations; fostering the ethical conduct of human subjects research; and providing education and other services to the University's researchers regarding regulatory requirements and best practices. Session leads will focus on IRB/IACUC processes & procedures.

Objectives:

• Understand the goals of Research Compliance regarding federal and state regulations.
• Promote ethical conduct with a focus on protection of participants.
• Explore IRB and IACUC processes.
• Provide resources for researcher administrators in supporting submissions to the IRB and IACUC.

Discuss export control regulations and federal government laws that regulate the export of items, commodities, technology, software, or information to foreign countries, persons, companies, or entities. This includes foreign persons and entities that may have access to or handle commodities, software, or information at universities in the United States, also known as “deemed exports”. Rutgers policy is to comply with all federal export control regulations strictly. Failure to comply with applicable export control regulations may result in denial of export privileges, imprisonment, fines, or other penalties by the Federal Government.

Objectives:

• Comprehend export control regulations.
• Identify controlled items and licensing requirements.
• Maintain strict compliance to avoid penalties.

This course will serve as a platform to discuss the vast array of university-wide risk and insurance matters. Gain an understanding of the role of University Ethics and Compliance in analyzing and mitigating organizational risks. We’ll also address complex compliance requirements, foster a respectful and ethical environment, and align operational, financial, and strategic goals with privacy considerations and the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

Objectives:

• Understand university-wide risk factors and insurance considerations.
• Explore the role of University Ethics and Compliance in risk analysis and mitigation.
• Learn strategies for meeting complex compliance requirements.
• Promote a culture of respect, integrity, and ethical decision-making.

Learn the importance of identifying Intellectual Property early. The Office of Research Tech Transfer unit facilitates the transition of Rutgers’ researchers’ technologies and copyrighted materials from research to commercial viability. Explore the roles and responsibilities of the Office of Research Technology Transfer. 

Objectives:

• Learn about intellectual property protection and licensing.
• Understand Technology Transfer’s mission and functions.
• Explore strategies for technology transfer and commercialization.

Creating and communicating public trust in research is a vital component to successfully supporting research. The Rutgers research mission depends on each research administrator understanding the 1) research process, 2) the lifecycle of research and 3) what framework academia has in place to protect the integrity of the research. It is ok that many of us might struggle at times to explain the specific scientific methods to our community, family, and friends. However, we should be able to find approaches to explaining the integrity of the process and why the results can be trusted.

Objectives:

• Gain a fundamental understanding of responsible conduct of research in the sciences.
• Communicate and respond appropriately to situations involving ethical decision-making in scientific research.
• Understand the need for clear and effective scientific communication, ensuring research can be trusted.

Developing trainees and seasoned researchers will benefit from exploring data analysis and security methods. A Rutgers-specific framework and tools for data handling and management will be provided. The following topics will be covered 1) data acquisition and analysis; laboratory tools (e.g., tools for analyzing data and creating or working with digital images); recordkeeping practices, including methods such as electronic laboratory notebooks, and 2) secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership.

 Objectives:

• Understand and apply acceptable data handling and management practices.
• Explore approaches to sharing and ownership of data.

Establishing safe and inclusive research spaces is fundamental for the safety and security of the researchers. A research workplace free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, or violence is the only acceptable path to empowering researchers and the community. This session will explore how we work toward preventing all forms of harassment and bullying and serve as stewards of inclusive practices. 

Objectives:

• Understand the significance of creating safe spaces for researchers, free from harassment and discrimination
• Recognize the role of an inclusive workplace in empowering researchers and fostering a supportive community.
• Explore how to serve as stewards of inclusivity, promoting fairness and respect.

This module builds upon pre-award content of SPACE 110 by offering an in depth look into the various components of research proposal development, Sponsor announcements requirements and regulations, budget development and various pre-award and non-financial post-award actions.

Objectives:

• Understand the process of finding funding opportunities and limited submissions requirements.
• Provide guidance on how to read funding opportunities and identify the information needed to prepare a proposal in compliance with the Sponsor’s requirements.
• Understand the difference between the various types of research conducted at Rutgers
• Discuss in detail the basic considerations for budget development, F&A and cost share concepts.
•  Provide education on post submission actions at the pre-award stage, as well as non-financial post award actions requiring prior approval by the Sponsor.
• Address Pre-Award Setup process.

Research & Sponsored Programs (RSP) is responsible for approving the budget(s) for all proposals to external sponsors. It must verify that the budgets are appropriate, detailed, realistic, comprehensive and ensure that all costs of the project have been included.  This module serves as a platform to discuss the importance of a complete and detailed budget and the various components that impact the budget. These components include, but are not limited to fringe benefits, facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, cost sharing and budget justifications.

Objectives:

• Discuss the importance of a complete, correct and detailed budget in compliance with Sponsor requirements and regulations, as well as Rutgers applicable policies.
• Provide guidance on budget development
• Expand on the various components that make up the budget
• Prepare a budget using the RU budget template

This module provides an in-depth exploration of the post-award administration lifecycle, focusing on grants and contracts management by RFS. It aligns with University policy and the Uniform Guidance.

Objectives:

• Understand the post-award administration process.
• Demonstrate successful grant administration through practical examples, including project reconciliations, award specifics, closeouts, effort certification, and cost transfers.