Grant Helps PASO Boost Outreach Amid COVID-19
For the most up-to-date information on the incident response. Please visit the CSUSM Corporation FAQs and the CSUSM Incident Response Status. These are continuously being updated as new information becomes available.
The CSUSM Incident Response website also offers resources, helpful links, Campus Communications and information from the Chancellors Office.
Given that COVID-19 and the associated impacts continue to evolve, Principal Investigators/Project Directors (PI/PDs) are strongly encouraged to monitor announcements from funding agencies and sponsors for changes in policies, practices, procedures, deadlines, operating hours, communication methods, etc.
Visit the Council On Governmental Relations (COGR) website for FAQs and Institutional and Agency Responses to COVID-19 and Additional Resources webpage for aggregated responses and resources from the federal agencies.
These flexibilities are applicable to NIH applicants and recipients where the entity is conducting research activities related to or affected by COVID-19. Affected entities are those that have been closed, or business activities have been hindered due to COVID-19 precautionary measures and/or illnesses. Entities that are affected will be asked to provide documentation to NIH describing the effects, and how long their facility and NIH related research, clinical practices, or instruction was and/or will be affected.
NASA - Coronavirus information
OSP encourages all investigators to develop a contingency plan and communicate it to your research teams. The plan should touch on the following, as applicable:
PIs can work with school deans for immediate support services needed on your sponsored project.
To support social isolation efforts, OSP staff began working remote on March 17, 2020. Though we cannot meet with Principal Investigators (PI) in person, the work we began two (2) years to modernize our infrastructure and implement best practices us to remain operational off campus. Phone and web conferencing (Zoom and Teams) is fully functional and staff will respond to emails and calls made to our office lines.
OSP will no longer be accepting hardcopy documents (i.e. Direct Pays, Petty Cash, etc) for review and approval. If you need an approval signature from OSP, please email documents to your SPA or sponsoredprojects@csusm.edu.
Contact OGSR or your Sponsored Projects Analyst with questions.
Please consult your specific award terms and conditions to determine when prior approvals are required. Even if your sponsor is sympathetic with the delay, it is generally necessary to modify any contracts to reflect revised deliverable schedules.
These type of expenses are generally considered facilities and administrative (F&A) costs and are not allowable as a direct cost to sponsored projects unless specifically approved by the sponsor. Refer to sponsor policy, guidance, and updates.
At this time, we expect that project personnel would be able to continue work until their period of performance and funding is exhausted. However, PIs are encouraged to monitor relevant websites for agency updates. If sponsor prior approvals are required, confer with your SPA regarding submission of approvals. The answer, and the level of risk regarding allowability of costs and project changes may vary depending on the type of request, whether the sponsor has an electronic system, etc.
Yes. If your study is impacted refer to the sponsor’s requirements regarding where and how this should be included in your progress report. You may also confer with your sponsor Program Officer or SPA.
The answer depends on your subaward terms and the underlying regulations (e.g., federal regulations) that may apply to your project. Please confer with your SPA for guidance and questions regarding notification content and process.
Every effort should be made to obtain a full or partial refund from the vendor (airline, hotel, conference organizer, car rental, etc.) and any refunds should be credited to the same project that the purchase was made. If costs cannot be refunded, they may remain charged to the project if allowable by the sponsor. If the sponsor disallows these costs, CSUSM Corporation, in consultation with the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, will work with PIs to determine how to cover the costs.
Travel expenses that have been incurred using a stateside chartfield string can be reimbursed and should include the COVID19 Cancellation Memo and include the class code in the chartfield string as advised by Partners in Campus Business Operations (class code 25601 – Emergency Ops Ctr Coronavirus). See the CSUSM Corporation FAQs for travel expenses incurred on a CSUSM Corp project.
Federal Agency-Specific Travel Regulations – A federal agency’s specific policies supersede the UG regulations and any award specific terms and conditions would supersede agency regulations. Below are some links to some of the federal agencies regulations on travel:
PIs and their departments are responsible for tracking credits provided by airlines.
Booking travel is suspended until May 31, but if the travel prohibition is limited, you may immediately (with no penalty) submit a travel authorization.
OMB LETTER TO Executive Departments and Agencies, dated March 9th, 2020
FAQs Regarding COVID-19’s Impact on Federal Awards (V.1). COGR’s FAQs were created to provide our membership guidance on a variety of issues relating to the administration of federal awards that are arising due to the continually evolving situation around the COVID-19 pandemic.
COGR continues to update their web page on Institutional and Agency Responses to COVID-19 and Additional Resources.
January 29th, 2019
As many of you are aware, a continuing resolution was signed by the President on January 25th, which keeps the government operating through February 15th. OSP will continue to provide updates as we receive them. Please feel free to contact your SPA should you have any questions.
January 23, 2019
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) is closely monitoring the Government Shutdown. While parts of the federal government (such as DHHS) are fully funded for the entire Fiscal Year ’19, other agencies are not.
Information in this guidance applies only to those agencies affected by the partial shutdown, NIH for example, should not be affected.
We will keep you posted as we learn more.
January 23, 2019
In an effort to align existing processes related to approving expenses that post to sponsored projects, going forward, review and approval by the PI and OSP will be required prior to submitting any financial transfer requests (FTR), billing requests, and salary adjustments resulting in a bill to CSUSM Corporation. Submitting any of these requests to accounting without the proper approvals may cause delays. Please plan accordingly and remember that accounting deadlines remain unchanged. Contact your Sponsored Project Analyst (SPA) with any questions.
January 23, 2019
Beginning in January, 2019, ProCard reconciliation packets for Corporation ProCards will need to be submitted using the CSUSM Corporation ProCard Reconciliation Form. This will begin with the late January 2019 reconciliation (for purchases made after December 26, 2018).
Please be aware, this form is different than the Stateside Reconciliation Form found on CSUSM’s Procurement website.
Scholarship payments to students using sponsored project funds now require the review/approval by OSP using a Scholarship Request Form. The information required on the form is essentially the same information that is currently being provided. The change to note is the review/approval by OSP before routing to Financial Aid for processing. Once OSP approves the request, we will, as courtesy, forward the request to Financial Aid who will then process the disbursement.
PLEASE NOTE: The announcement recently made through PCBO about a change in single transaction and monthly spend limits does not apply to Corporation cardholders. There were no changes made in this regard for the Corporation ProCard program.
