1. Where can I get an overview for submitting NIH proposals?

• Please see the short video on submitting NIH proposals at ODU located here: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NIH Submissions.mp4

2. I am interested in submitting a proposal for external funding. If awarded, the funding is required to be managed under the direction of ODU Research Foundation. Do I qualify to act as official Principal Investigator (PI) project director for the funding?

• Please refer to the ODU Faculty Handbook at the link below to determine PI eligibility status. Not all ODU employees or ODU Research Foundation employees qualify to serve as PI. At this link, you can also find more information about ODU Research Policies and Guidelines which govern external sponsored research funding and activities at ODU Office of Academic Affairs at https://itsapps.odu.edu/ao/facultyhandbook/index.php?page=ch04s12.html

3. I have a proposal I would like to submit for external sponsored research funding. Whom should I contact at ODU Research Foundation to assist with submitting the proposal?

• • Medical School and School of Health Professions: please contact rfhscpreaward@odu.edu
  • Joint School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, and other ODU proper units: please contact preaward@odu.edu

• Investigators should contact their Pre-Award support team as early as you are aware of a potential submission, but no later than 5 business days prior to the sponsor’s due date. Submissions including collaborators outside of ODU or cost share require additional notification time to complete. You will be assigned a Pre-Award administrator who will assist you in completing your internal budget and administrative materials. Your assigned administrator will also work with you to obtain all necessary internal ODU and ODU Research Foundation approvals to submit a proposal for external funding by creating and sending you the Proposal Transmittal Form (ePTF)
• You can find additional information regarding proposal development, including budget development, at the ODU Research Foundation website located at https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/pre-award-services
• You can also find a brief training video for how to develop a project budget with ODU Sponsored Programs located here at https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Project Budget Development with ODU Sponsored Programs.mp4

4. What is the Proposal Submission Preparation process at ODU? (NEW 6/13/2024)

• Please see the Proposal Submission Preparation process diagram at: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Proposal-Submission-Preparation-06132024.pdf

5. Post-merger, what are PI roles & responsibilities during proposal submission?

• Please refer to the brief video overview of PI roles and responsibilities during proposal submission located at https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PI Roles & Repsonsibilities_Preaward.mp4

6. Can I submit a proposal externally without contacting ODU Research Foundation first?

• Faculty and staff are not authorized to commit to any sponsored program activities through proposal submission, award acceptance, and post-award management. Failure to obtain all required University approvals prior to submission may result in the University’s inability to accept or support a proposal or award.

7. How will EVMS indirects be calculated for grants submitted before July 1st?

• For all projects submitted to a sponsor prior to July 1, EVMS will follow EVMS’s process and use their F&A rate. Once it is awarded, it will be added to the list of awards that will be novated over ODU/ODU RF. Project submitted prior to July 1 will honor the EVMS F&A until the end of that competitive segment. Competing renewal applications after July 1 should use ODU’s appropriate F&A rate.

8. How will indirects be calculated for grants submitted after July 1st? (UPDATED 6/14/2024)

• All grants submitted after July 1 will follow ODU’s F&A current rate. ODU/ODU RF is currently in negotiations with ONR for the FY25. We anticipate the new rate will be known in May 2024.
  • Faculty requesting F&A waivers should complete and submit the attached Facilities & Administration (F&A) Voluntary Waiver Guideline and Form.
  • For information about F&A rates, review the Comprehensive Facilities & Administration Rate Guidance.  Please contact the ODU Research Foundation at rfhscaward@odu.edu with any questions.

1. Post-merger, what are PI roles & responsibilities in managing awards?

• Please refer to the brief video overview of PI roles and responsibilities during proposal submission located at https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PI Roles & Repsonsibilities_postaward.mp4

2. I have a current, active project housed at ODU Research Foundation and want to hire students or temporary employees. How do I go about starting the hiring process?

• ODU Research Foundation Human Resources unit will assist you with onboarding new students, temporary workers, and full-time permanent employees to be paid from your grant funds if applicable. Please contact rfhr@odu.edu for assistance in onboarding new employees. ODU Research Foundation Human Resources will provide you with all necessary instructions, as well as information on how to enter new ePAS payroll authorization assignments into the Research Portal for employees to be paid under your project.
• You can find a brief video on how to create an ePAS for a student here: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Create an ePAS for a Student (Casual Employee).mp4

3. In my awarded project, I am to receive purchased course release buyout time (Faculty Release Time) from my regular academic teaching duties. How do I go about activating those buyout funds?

• Your assigned Post-Award Grant and Contract Administrator will work with ODU Research Foundation Finance & Administration to ensure proper recording and payment of the planned Faculty Release Time recorded in the original proposal. Faculty Release Time is a percentage of your regular academic teaching salary that is paid from ODU Research Foundation project funds back to ODU departmental account in order to recoup funds during the time you are released from teaching courses to complete your research proposal. If any adjustments are required to be made to the planned Faculty Release Time recorded in the original proposal budget, it is imperative that you contact your assigned Post-Award Grant and Contract Administrator to provide any updates (along with official written Departmental Chair approval).
• Your administrator is displayed at the top of each project budget in the Reports section within the ODU Research Portal (https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/RFPortal). You can also directly contact your support team’s shared email address to find out your Post-Award administrator at the following, for:
  • Medical School and School of Health Professions: please contact rfhscawards@odu.edu
  • Joint School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, and other ODU proper units: please contact rfawards@odu.edu

4. I have a current, active project housed at ODU Research Foundation and would like to purchase equipment, computers, and/or other items for my project. How do I go about starting the purchasing process?

• In order to procure items under an active project at ODU Research Foundation, please submit a new purchase requisition at the following link. You can submit an order for vendor supplies, equipment, goods, and/or services though this purchasing system. Once your requisition is submitted and approved, ODU Research Foundation will work with the vendor directly to make payment using your project funds.
  ODU Research Foundation Online Purchase Requisition located at https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/purchasereq/purchasereq.php
• You can find a brief video on how to purchase on a sponsored project located on the ODU Research Foundation’s website located at: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PURCHASING.mp4
• You can also find a Work Flow Diagram of the Purchasing Process here: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SPA Flow Diagrams-ver8-06.05.2024-PURCHASING.pdf

5. I would like to travel using my ODU Research Foundation project funds. What is the first step to start the process of using those funds?

• Before you travel, please complete the Advanced Travel Authorization form at the following link below. You should submit this form via email to your assigned Post-Award Grant and Contract Administrator in order to receive advance travel approvals. After your trip, you will submit a travel reimbursement voucher along with receipts in order to be reimbursed directly from your project funds. Please note that all foreign travel must be approved prior to departure.
• The ATA Request Form can be accessed here ATARequestForm-1.pdf (odu.edu) located at https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ATARequestForm-1.pdf
• You can also find a brief video on research related travel providing an overview of navigating the Advanced Travel Authorization Process located here: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Travel diagram v2_5.29.24.mp4
• The research related travel process (PDF) can be found here: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SPA Flow Diagrams-TRAVEL-ver7_4.18.2024.pdf

6. I am engaging an individual external consultant to provide services on my project at ODU Research Foundation. How do I go about starting the process of initiating consulting agreements or other administrative documents?

• If you need to engage an external consultant, please contact your Post-Award Grant and Contract Administrator assigned to you at project activation. The representative will then inform you the required documents needed to initiate a consulting agreement for services.
• Your administrator is displayed at the top of each project budget in the Reports section within the ODU Research Portal (https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/RFPortal). You can also directly contact your support team’s shared email address to find out your Post-Award administrator at the following, for:
  • Medical School and School of Health Professions: please contact rfhscawards@odu.edu
  • Joint School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, and other ODU proper units: please contact rfawards@odu.edu

7. I would like to submit a reimbursement request for costs I have incurred on my project at ODU Research Foundation. How do I go about submitting a request for reimbursement?

• If your project budget allows certain miscellaneous costs such as supplies, postage, printing, and other general costs, you may be able to purchase these items yourself, and seek reimbursement from your project funds. In order to submit a reimbursement voucher claim, please complete and sign the form at the link below. Please submit the completed form along with receipts to rfreimburse@odu.edu for processing.
• You can find the reimbursement form located at Consultant-Honorarium-Reimbursement-Form.pdf or https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Consultant-Honorarium-Reimbursement-Form.pdf

8. Who is my Post-Award Administrator? Please log-in to the ODU Research Portal at this link ODU Research Portal – Home » ODU Research Portal located at https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/RFPortal

• Your administrator is displayed at the top of each project budget in the Reports section within the ODU Research Portal. You can also directly contact your support team’s shared email address to find out your Post-Award administrator at the following, for:
  • Medical School and School of Health Professions: please contact rfhscawards@odu.edu
  • Joint School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, and other ODU proper units: please contact rfawards@odu.edu

9. I am a VHS researcher, how do I make purchases if my project is not set up with the Research Foundation yet?  

• To ensure you are able to continue purchasing on your sponsored awards while your projects are novated to the ODU Research Foundation, your VHS department discretionary accounts have been set up at the Research Foundation and will be used as “holding” accounts for current purchases.  You will use 999999-999 as the requisition Project Number and enter your EVMS project number on a blank line in the Item Description in the purchase requisition entry screen (https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/procurement/ Requisition to Purchase).  Once your sponsored program is set up, the costs accumulated in the discretionary account will be transferred to the award.  If your sponsored award has already been set up, please use the Research Foundation project number provided by your Grant Administrator and do not reference the EVMS project number.

10. I am a VHS researcher, how do I handle Accounts Payable transactions (Vendors, Travel, Reimbursements, etc.) if my project is not set up with the Research Foundation yet?

During this transition period, the University (ODU) and Research Foundation (RF) have established a procedure to ensure Virginia Health Sciences (VHS) researchers are able to pay vendors, consultants, and expenditures for travel and other reimbursements on your sponsored awards while your projects are novated to the ODU Research Foundation. VHS department discretionary accounts have been set up at the Research Foundation and will be used as “holding” accounts for current purchases that have occurred after July 1. Any activity that is prior to July 1 will have to be processed through ODU not the RF.

Until such time as your project has been novated and you have been assigned a RF project number, please use the following instructions.

Processes:

Vendors

For invoices that you have received that need to be paid immediately, please submit a purchase requisition and attach a copy of the invoice to be paid. Instructions for the purchase requisition process have been previously sent out. Please make sure that in the “Deliver To:” section, you fill in a complete delivery address and list a phone number and name in case we have any questions concerning your request.

Travel

Travel forms can be located on the RF website at Travel-Advance-Expense-Report. Please download the file so it can be completed and electronically signed. The RF travel policy can be found at Travel – Research Foundation.

You will use 999999-999 as the Project Number and enter your EVMS project number as well. You will submit to rfreimburse@odu.edu along with the required documentation. Incomplete documentation will delay your reimbursement.

Consultant/Reimbursements

The consultant/reimbursement form can be located on the RF website at Consultant-Honorarium-Reimbursement-Form. You will use the left side of the form for consultant, stipend, honorarium or research study participant payments and the right side of the form for reimbursements.

You will use 999999-999 as the Project Number and enter your EVMS project number as well. You will submit to rfreimburse@odu.edu along with all required documentation.

If this is the first time submitting a payment for consulting, stipend, honorarium or research study participant, please include a completed/signed W-9 form for the payee. When completing the Consultant/Reimbursement form, make sure that you note the performance period.

If your sponsored award has already been set up, please use the Research Foundation project number provided by your Post-Award Administrator and do not reference the EVMS project number.

Accounts Payable Checks

The Old Dominion University Research Foundation will begin requiring direct deposit of our Accounts Payable checks on January 1, 2025. You will need to have your payments deposited directly into your bank account which will not only save you time and money, but also eliminates the possibility of lost checks in the mail. These will include payments for travel, reimbursements, stipends, consultants, and vendor payments. We encourage you to pass this information on to your payees so we can ensure a smooth transition. To start this process, they can visit the following link to complete the necessary paperwork: Accounts-Payable-Direct-Deposit-Form

11. If a candidate for employment has ANY effort on funded research at ODU Research Foundation, can they go through ODU Research Foundation HR? (new 8.23.2024)

• Yes, the ODU Research Foundation can hire with any amount of effort on funded research.

12. Is there a minimum amount of funded effort required to hire through ODU Research Foundation? (new 8.23.2024)

• No, there are no minimum amounts required. Any amount of effort can allow for hiring to take place through the ODU Research Foundation.

 13. If a grant was originally submitted in August 2023 using actual fringe rates and IDC of 50% but is awarded post-merger, will the IDC and fringe rates be honored? (new 8.23.2024)

• The fringe and IDC rates will be honored through the duration of a grant submitted pre-merger, even if it was not awarded until after July 1, 2024.  New proposals or continuations that have new budget submissions will be budgeted with ODU’s IDC and fringe rate.

1. I’m interested in viewing the budget status and basic information regarding my current portfolio of projects housed and managed at ODU Research Foundation. Where can I find this information?

• Please log into the ODU Research Portal at this link below. Here you will be able to view your current project and project budgets in real time, as well as complete other activities such as entering new employee payroll assignments, payroll verification certifications, and key personnel conflict of interest disclosures. You can log in here ODU Research Portal – Home » ODU Research Portal located at https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/RFPortal

2. What is the ODU Research Portal and where is it located?

• The ODU Research Portal is located at https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/RFPortal
• The ODU Research Portal provides faculty with online, real-time access to their project budgets. It is also the location where faculty complete the research Conflict of Interest disclosure. Please refer to the brief video that provides a further overview of the ODU Research Portal and its functionality located at https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Research Portal overview.mp4

1. Post-merger, how do I get an MTA, NDA, or other unfunded agreements?

• If your MTA or NDA is related to an active research project, please contact the ODU Research Foundation.
• Your administrator is displayed at the top of each project budget in the Reports section within the ODU Research Portal (https://hera.odurf.odu.edu/RFPortal). You can also directly contact your support team’s shared email address to find out your Post-Award administrator at the following, for:
  • Medical School and School of Health Professions: please contact rfhscawards@odu.edu
  • Joint School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, and other ODU proper units: please contact rfawards@odu.edu
• If you MTA or NDA is not related to an active research project, please contact the Office of Research Agreement Maintenance and Compliance Manager, Monti Dutta, at adutta@odu.edu

1. Post-merger, which IACUC do I use?

• Please refer to the following IACUC FAQ for more information regarding the IACUC processes and Committees: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IACUC FAQ for EVMS.ODU Merger.docx

2. Post-merger, what is the process for submitting Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) protocols?

• Please refer to the following IBC Process for cross-campus submissions post-merger: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IBC.ODU EVMS Cross-Campus Submissions.pdf

23. Post-merger, which IRB do I submit my protocol to post-merger?

• Please refer to the following IRB training for post-merger submissions: https://researchfoundation.odu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IRB_training.mp4

• Faculty Sponsored Program Onboarding Session – Informational Roadmap PPT Presentation  (NEW 6/26/2024)
• First Research Administration Training Session  (NEW 6/26/2024)
• Purchasing – Part 1 (Session held June 7, 2024) (NEW 6/26/2024)
• Purchasing – Part 2 (Session held June 7, 2024) (NEW 6/26/2024)
• ODU Research Portal (Session held June 7, 2024) (NEW 6/26/2024)

1. Where and how do I submit new clinical trial request? 

During the novation process the research leadership team will be reviewing new clinical trial requests and prioritizing them based on risk.  To submit your request, please complete this new clinical trial request form.  The research leadership meets every Wednesday morning to review and prioritize request and will follow up with the requestor to work through any additional information that may be needed.