Communications

Stay up to date with the latest information on compliance topics from the Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP). This site will be updated frequently, so check back often!

2023/02/20 - Updated RAMP Export Control Guide

The guidance document titled, “Which Visitor or International Employee needs to be approved through RAMP Export Control?” has been updated and published in the RAMP Export Control Help Center. This document now reflects the updated HB 7017 guidance that was sent out in November 2022 by the Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, as well as updated information about providing FAMU students courtesy appointments at FSU. For questions, please contact Mary Sechrist.

2023/02/14 - Registration is Open for Responsible Conduct of Research Training Spring 2023

FSU Research Compliance Programs is pleased to present the Spring 2023 series of live, web-based, interactive training sessions on the Responsible Conduct of Research. Sessions start March 1, 2023. Attendees will become aware of established professional norms and ethical principles for responsible scholarly conduct and learn how to apply them to their own work and conduct their research with integrity. Each session will be led by an expert on the seminar’s topic and will include case studies, problem-solving discussion, as well as invite dialogue on ethical dilemmas.

This training is open to all FSU-affiliated individuals (faculty, postdocs, graduate students, staff and undergraduates) regardless of their funding sources. Attending at least eight (8) of the sessions fulfills the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requirement for 8 in-person contact hours. Additional training requirements of the NIH, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) are described here. Certificates of Completion will be provided to individuals who complete the at least 8 sessions.

Click HERE to see the schedule and register.

Registering once will reserve your spot in all of the sessions. There is no limit to the number of participants that can register; however, only registrants with FSU-associated email addresses will be allowed to register. An email will be sent with the Zoom meeting link to all registrants within 24 hours of each scheduled session.

Please contact Mary Sechrist if you have questions or comments.

2023/01/27 - New NSF requirement for a Plan for Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research

In accordance with the National Science Foundation’s 2023 Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (Page II-41, E.9.), Grantee institutions are required, effective with proposals submitted January 30, 2023 or later, to certify that a plan is in place that addresses:

Abuse of any person, including but not limited to harassment, stalking, bullying or hazing or any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; and
Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.

There is also a new checkbox on the NSF Cover Sheet: Off-Campus or Off-Site Research.

The Plan should also identify steps FSU and the principal investigator will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment. The Plan is not submitted to SRA or NSF with the proposal. The Plan must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure.

FSU Plan Template and specific guidance.

Contact SRA-Pre@fsu.edu for questions.

2023/01/20 - New Disclosure Requirements for NSF

Effective January 30, 2023, the National Science Foundation (NSF) modified its financial interests disclosure requirement to include “private equity” and “venture or other capital financing.” NSF’s full disclosure requirement is: “salary or other payments for services (e.g., consulting fees or honoraria); equity interest (e.g., stocks, stock options, private equity, or other ownership interests); venture or other capital financing, and intellectual property rights (e.g., patents, copyrights, and royalties from such rights).”

Our software vendor, Huron, will be updating the COI module (CAMS) sometime in the future to accommodate these new terms. However, in the meanwhile, FSU’s workaround is to add both new terms to its description of the Disclosure Type “Entity.” If you are an NSF investigator who has private equity or venture/other capital financing that has not been disclosed previously, please go into CAMS and update your Disclosure Profile.

If you have any questions about this matter, please contact Mary Sechrist at m.sechrist@fsu.edu.

2023/01/04 - New Loaner Laptop Program for International Travel

The new Loaner Laptop Program for International Travel is sponsored by the Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP), in collaboration with Information Technology Services (ITS). The Program offers loaner laptops free of charge to FSU faculty and staff for the purpose of conducting University business and program activities while traveling internationally. Using a loaner laptop lessens security risks while allowing full use of most software applications. For this initial launch, a limited number of laptops are available, so reserve yours early!

A detailed description of the Program is published at https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-compliance/loaner-laptop-program-for-international-travel/, and includes instructions for reserving a laptop for your next trip abroad.

Questions about this program may be addressed to Mary Sechrist, Director of the ORCP and Export Control Officer at m.sechrist@fsu.edu.

2023/01/04 - Do you ship internationally? If so, see this export control requirement.

The Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP) has updated its International Shipping Guidance document. All physical items, equipment, materials, commodities (including food and medicines), software, and biologics (collectively “things”) are subject to export control regulations and most require some form of shipping documentation prior to shipping abroad.

Approval for an international shipment should be submitted through RAMP Export Controls. Complete and submit the Request Type of Shipment for anything to be shipped that the recipient cannot obtain on the open market, regardless of destination. Routine administrative paperwork is excluded from this requirement. See the How-To Guide for criteria that can be used to determine when an export review is required for outbound international shipments and/or transfers, and additional information on RAMP data entry requirements.

Questions about international shipments may be addressed to Mary Sechrist, Director of the ORCP and Export Control Officer at m.sechrist@fsu.edu.

2022/12/06

2022/12/05 - Link your ORCID iD to your CITI Program Account Profile

An ORCID iD is a permanent numeric identifier that individuals own and control, which provides a way to distinguish themselves uniquely from other researchers and scholars. ORCID iDs are often used in systems and platforms from grant applications to manuscript submissions, and are increasingly required by funders, publishers, data repositories, and other research workflows. This article contains step-by-step instructions for linking your ORCID iD record to your CITI Program account profile. Learn more about the CITI Program here.

2022/10/14 - Policy Update: 4-OP-E-7 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation Policy

Summary of Changes:

*Deleted information about FSU’s Certificate of Authorization (COA) and COA Coordinator, as the COA has expired and was not renewed.

*Updated to reflect the Final Rule changes to 14 CFR Part 107, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems: operations over people, operations over moving vehicles, night operations, and remote pilot knowledge test.

*Added information about Section 934.50, F.S., which restricts which drone manufacturers the University can utilize.

*Other minor edits

2022/10/11 - DOE Office of Science Applications will require Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan

Beginning in FY 2023, all Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and DOE National Lab Announcements and other funding solicitations will require applicants to submit a Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan as an appendix to their proposal narrative. PIER Plans should describe the activities and strategies applicants will incorporate to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their research projects. PIER Plans will be evaluated as part of the merit review process and will be used to inform funding decisions. Read full article at https://science.osti.gov/grants/Applicant-and-Awardee-Resources/PIER-Plans.

2002/09/30 - NSF hopes big data will finger grantees not reporting foreign support

The National Science Foundation will soon begin crunching several large databases to see whether there are scientists who failed to disclose ties to foreign institutions in their gran applications. See full article from Science.org at https://www.science.org/content/article/nsf-hopes-big-data-will-finger-grantees-not-reporting-foreign-support.

2022/09/21 - NIH Releases Supplemental Information on the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing

Today, the NIH released supplemental information for the implementation of the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS). The supplemental information consists of:

These resources are part of NIH’s efforts to prepare the research community for the January 25, 2023, effective date of the DMS Policy. Additional materials related to the implementation of the DMS Policy can be found on the OSP website. NIH will also be hosting a webinar on the DMS Policy, including these topics, on September 22, 2022, 1:30 – 3:00 PM EST. More information is available here: https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2022/07/19/register-today-for-the-nih-data-management-and-sharing-dms-policy-2-part-webinar-series. If you have any questions, please contact us at SciencePolicy@od.nih.gov.

2022/09/16 - Foreign Interference: NIH and the biomedical research enterprise have a long history of international collaborations with rules of engagement that allow science to advance while assuring honesty, transparency, integrity, fair merit-based competition, and protection of intellectual capital and proprietary information. These rules of engagement also are designed to limit bias in the design, conduct, and reporting of NIH-supported research. A new NIH website describes actions that NIH, institutions, and researchers can take to protect against inappropriate foreign interference. The principles described here align with those announced by the White House Office and Science and Technology Policy in June 2020 and in the NSPM-33 implementation guidance. Read more about NIH’s approach to foreign interference here.

2022/09/02 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published Notice NOT-OD-22-198, which describes changes to proposal instructions regarding genomic data sharing plans. Plans for sharing genomic data as expected by the GDS Policy are to be described in the DMS Plan submitted at the time of application, and not in a separate GDS Plan or at Just-in-Time, consistent with the changes described in NOT-OD-22-189. Therefore, after January 25, 2023, NIH will no longer be collecting separate GDS Plans. Genomic data sharing considerations, such as where and when genomic data will be shared, will be expected to be addressed in DMS Plans using the DMS Plan elements. For further details, see Writing a Data Management & Sharing Plan - Applications for Receipt Dates ON/AFTER Jan 25 2023.

2022/08/25 - OSTP Memorandum entitled, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research

On August 25, 2022, OSTP published a memorandum entitled, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” This memorandum provides policy guidance to federal agencies with research and development expenditures on updating their public access policies. In the memorandum, OSTP recommends that federal agencies, to the extent consistent with applicable law:

Update their public access policies as soon as possible, and no later than December 31st, 2025, to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible without an embargo on their free and public release;
Establish transparent procedures that ensure scientific and research integrity is maintained in public access policies; and,
Coordinate with OSTP to ensure equitable delivery of federally funded research results and data.

Read the complete memorandum at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08-2022-OSTP-Public-Access-Memo.pdf.

Please address questions you may have about this topic to one of the following individuals:

Diana Key, Director Research Compliance, key@fsu.edu
Devin Soper, Interim Associate Dean for Technology & Digital Scholarship and Director, Office of Digital Research & Scholarship, Florida State University Libraries, dsoper@fsu.edu

2022/08/23 - New FGTRP Form and Procedures

In 2020, in order to ensure compliance with federal guidelines on research and Foreign Government Talent programs, Human Resources created a certification form to be included in the hiring process. This form must be completed by candidates/employees being hired into salaried appointments, faculty OPS appointments, or OPS research appointments.

The Foreign Government Talent Recruitment (FGTRP) Form has been updated to no longer require a signature from the Office of Research Compliance Programs if the candidate/employee checks the box beside, “NO, I am not currently participating in a Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program (FGTRP), nor have I participated in a FGTRP in the last 24 months.” The HR forms website will be updated to link to the new form; in the meanwhile, you may access the new form here.

For questions about the Smart Onboarding process or required forms, please contact Abigail Lejeune at alejeune@fsu.edu or (850) 644-6470. For questions about Research Compliance, please contact Diana Key at dkey@fsu.edu or (850) 644-8648.

2022/08/22 - New CITI Training Courses Available

The following courses have been added to FSU’s Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program curriculum. Registration is free and open to any individual that has an “fsu.edu” email address. See the FSU CITI User Guide for instructions on registration.

Clinical Research: An Introduction
FDA Inspections: From Site Preparation to Response
Good Manufacturing Practices
Biomedical Principal Investigator
Clinical Research Coordinator – Comprehensive
Essentials of Grant Proposal Development
Research Study Design
Preparing for Success in Scholarly Publishing

2022/07/12 - On June 8, 2022, NIH published a quick reference table for Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support. Access the table here.

2022/07/12 - U.S. Department of Energy FAL 2022-04 Current and Pending Support Disclosure Requirements for Financial Assistance: To ensure consistent implementation of NSPM-33 and Section 223 of the FY 2021 NDAA, on January 4, 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued NSPM-33 implementation guidance, which addressed five key areas, including “Disclosure Requirements and Standardization.” Current and pending support is one piece of the larger category of disclosures. Read the full Financial Assistance Letter here.

2022/07/12 - New White House Guidance on Scientific Cooperation with Russia: On June 11, the White House issued new guidance on scientific and technological cooperation with Russia. The guidance states that the USG will wind down institutional, administrative, funding, and personnel relationships and research collaborations in the fields of science and technology with Russian government-affiliated research institutions and individuals who continue to be employed by or work under the direction of those institutions. Such projects and programs that commenced and/or were funded prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 may be concluded, but new projects in affected subject areas will not be initiated. Interaction with the leadership of Russian government-affiliated universities and research institutions should be curtailed. The guidance states that “non-government institutions should make their own determinations regarding how to proceed with contact and collaboration between the United States and Russian scientific communities, in furtherance of an open exchange of ideas within the international science and technology community.”

2022/06/21 - Excerpt from COGR News Digest: Managing and Resolving Conflicts in Postdoc Programs (Inside Higher Ed) Needless to say, postdoctoral training can be full of conflict. The position is a transitional one, and it’s an environment where you willingly compete with colleagues while, at the same time, supporting each other. In addition, postdocs have conflicts with—and are vulnerable to—those who evaluate them, all while working to develop and maintain their identity as professionals. As a postdoc, you try as much as possible to avoid any conflicts with a grad student, fellow postdoc, lab manager and, most important, your faculty adviser, sponsor or supervisor. But as time goes by, conflicts are unavoidable—they’re a normal part of any relationship and happen naturally between people who work together.

2022/06/06 - On June 1, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy issued DOE Release No. FAL 2022-04, which contains information and guidance regarding current and pending support disclosures. See the FALL here.

2022/05/23 - A new guide designed to aid in the process of international employment extensions in the RAMP Export Controls module, is now available here, and in the RAMP Export Control Help Center. For further assistance, please contact RAMP Export Controls Support at RAMP-ExportControl@fsu.edu.

2022/04/20 - NSF published the table NSF Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current & Pending Support.

2022/04/20 - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has published a new Research Security website to maintain the integrity of international scientific collaborations. Security must be reliable and adaptive to emerging and evolving threats. Visit https://beta.nsf.gov/research-security.

2022/04/20 - Recent communications from federal agencies, such as NIH, have made it clear that there is increased scrutiny from our research sponsors regarding our relationships with foreign entities. A number of investigators, here and at other universities, have asked for guidelines in this area. Below is guidance, and a non-exhaustive set of examples, that we hope will clarify FSU's position on various activities relating to foreign entities. See ORCP's new flyer: Dos, Don'ts, Maybes of Foreign Entity Relationships: A User's Guide

022/04/06 - Introducing NIH's New Scientific Data Sharing Website

2022/03/14 - What's New with Research Methods Resources: Stepped-Wedge Group Randomized Trials and More (NIH Office of Extramural Research)

2022/01/25 - Gearing Up for 2023: Implementing the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

2021/12/10 - NIH published the table NIH Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support.