News/Announcements

OSRA news and announcements  are released to the community via the OSRA-updates listserv. Click here to send an email and subscribe to the listserv.

For additional information, please see our communication on this topic from September 28, 2023 below:

eRA Commons Account Creation Request Form

OSRA has created a streamlined process for department personnel to request eRA commons accounts and/or modifications to existing accounts. The form will ask users a series of questions to ensure OSRA has all the required information to create or modify an existing account.

The eRA Commons Account Creation form is available here. Effective immediately, department personnel and/or investigators must utilize the form to initiate a request to OSRA. Upon completion, OSRA will be notified via email and will process the request within 1 business day.

An updated standard operating procedure is available here and has been published on the OSRA website, under Policies & Procedures.

OSRA Promotion Announcements

We are delighted to announce two recent promotions within OSRA.

Monia Mariani-Besch has been promoted to the position of Senior Manager, Sponsored Programs.

Monia has been the Office of Sponsored Research Administration’s Grants Manager for over 3.5 years. She came to us highly qualified with many years of professional experience and previous positions in sponsored research administration.

Monia will provide comprehensive oversight and management of Weill Cornell Medicine’s $350,000,000 active grants portfolio. In her expanded role she will collaborate with our Operations and Contracts Managers to develop and implement an OSRA specific orientation and outreach program for new department administrators and research administration personnel.

Monia will advance WRG-SP research enterprise platform functionality and utility through ongoing development, implementation, and maintenance, working with Research Administrative Computing-ITS and vendor, as well as with OSRA team members, and research community faculty and staff, and other key stakeholders. Additionally, Monia will implement new internal initiatives to better serve OSRA’s development, as well as forward-facing initiatives to better serve our faculty and their research administration personnel.

W. Caleb Self, J.D., has been promoted to the position of Contracts Manager, Sponsored Research.

Caleb came to us from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and has been with Weill Cornell Medicine for two years. He most recently served as a Senior Contracts Specialist on the Industry Contracts Team.

Caleb will have comprehensive oversight and management over research contracting and Qatar Research Operations. He will work with the Office of General Counsel (OGC), Center for Technology Licensing (CTL), Conflicts of Interest (COI), Privacy Office, and Research Business Operations (RBO) leadership to provide oversight for the negotiation and management of contracts throughout their life cycle.

He will continue to ensure that all contracts are consistent with WCM business practices, government policies, and sponsor regulations. He will also be responsible for mitigating risk on behalf of the research community, decreasing document turnaround time, and prioritizing contracting-related funding. 

Revisions to OSRA's Competitive Grant Review/Submission SOP

OSRA has issued a revision to its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Competitive Grant Application Review and Submission. The policy has been updated to align with our current systems/processes and to outline expectations of review based on receipt date.

The updated policy is available here and has been published on the OSRA website, under Policies & Procedures.

We invite the WCM research community to review and familiarize themselves with this important document.

Changes to Data Management and Sharing Costs 

Per NOT-OD-23-161, the NIH has rescinded the requirement for Data Management and Sharing Costs to be listed as a separate, single line item titled “Data Management and Sharing Costs” on the R&R Budget Form.

Effective for applications submitted for due dates on or after October 5, 2023, NIH will no longer require the use of the single DMS cost line item.

NIH recognizes that DMS costs may be requested in many cost categories. Therefore, in line with standard budget instructions, DMS costs for proposals due that date or later must be requested in the appropriate cost category, e.g., personnel, equipment, supplies, and other expenses, following the instructions for the R&R Budget Form or PHS 398 Modular Budget Form, as applicable.

Changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support Format Page

NIH released NOT-OD-21-073 to introduce new requirements for Biosketches and Other Support submitted to NIH in grant applications, progress reports (RPPRs) and at Just-in-Time on or after May 25, 2021. Visit OSRA's comprehensive resources page to learn more about this significant change. 

Undue Foreign Influence On Research Integrity

Congress and the major federal funding agencies have recently taken action to publicize and protect against the potential for Foreign Influence on Research Integrity at research universities and academic medical centers.

Click here to go to WCM’s Foreign Influence Tools and Resources

Academic Integration 

Cornell University's Academic Integration Initiative fosters collaborative, multidisciplinary research across Cornell’s campuses in Ithaca and New York City. Visit the site's Sponsored Research resources page to learn more about cross campus research collaborations, here.