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UAB's Implementation of the New NIH Biosketch & Other Support Forms
June 2021

UAB Research Community,
As you know, the NIH announced changes to its Biosketches and Other Support (OS) forms in NOT-OD-21-073 on March 12, 2021. Subsequently on April 28, 2021, NIH revised its effective date for the forms to January 25, 2022.

  • Biographical Sketch form - The NIH Biosketch page provides the new form and instructions. We strongly encourage faculty to begin using the new Biosketch form immediately, which will provide consistency across the institution, especially for large collaborative grants with investigators from multiple departments. The other advantage is that the section listing grants is greatly shortened, can be selective and is included in the personal narrative. This helps ensure information regarding funding amounts and dates is consistent with NIH databases and Other Support pages. That said, OSP will accept either NIH Biosketch form until January 25, 2022. As a reminder, faculty members are responsible for the accuracy of information in their Biosketch form. OSP is not currently verifying information in Biosketch forms, so it is important that faculty and departmental grant staff ensure the accuracy and completeness of these documents prior to submission to OSP.
  • Other Support form – We strongly encourage faculty to begin using the new Other Support form as soon as possible. The instructions for the new NIH form are available here. However, OSP will accept either the UAB Other Support form or the new NIH Other Support form until January 25, 2022. These are the only two versions of Other Support documents compliant with current NIH requirements. OSP will not submit progress reports or Just–in-Time documents that do not use either the UAB form or NIH form.

Please visit the Transparency in Research webpage for the latest Guidance document for both Biosketch and Other Support forms. You can also view the April 2021 Town Hall video and corresponding slides at the site. This webpage also has instructions on how to sign/certify the new NIH Other Support form via Adobe Sign. Our objective is to meet our sponsors' requirements consistently, provide complete transparency and ensure disclosure of all research activities, foreign and domestic, in reporting.

UAB's Implementation of the New NIH Biosketch & Other Support Forms
April 2021

Please see the June 2021 updated announcement.

The purpose of this announcement is to provide you with a timeline and expectations with regard to UAB's implementation of the new NIH requirements announced in NOT-OD-21-073 which announced changes to its Biosketches and Other Support (OS) forms included in proposals and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) submitted on or after May 25, 2021.

  • Biographical Sketch Form - The NIH Biosketch page provides the new form and instructions. UAB faculty and staff can begin using this form immediately.
  • Other Support – UAB will continue to use the UAB Other Support Form until May 3, 2021. Effective May 3rd, UAB faculty and staff can use either form through May 24, 2021.

We understand the campus is anxious to begin using the new form provided by NIH prior to the May 25th deadline. Although the new NIH OS forms seems less burdensome than the current UAB template, you will realize from reviewing the form and instructions, that the NIH form continues to require the same information as the UAB form, just in a different format. The Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office of Research is working with the Office of Compliance and Risk Assurance to update the Guidance document on the Transparency in Research webpage.

Over the next few weeks, we will be announcing dates for Town Hall sessions to provide guidance and answer questions related to the new NIH Other Support form with the goal to always meet our sponsors' requirements to provide transparency and disclosure of all research activities, foreign and domestic in reporting.

Please review the original announcement here (PDF).

UAB COMPREHENSIVE FLOW CYTOMETRY CORE DIRECTOR SEARCH

The UAB Institutional Research Core Program (IRCP), in partnership with the Vice-President for Research Office and the School of Medicine, is welcoming applications from UAB faculty to lead the Comprehensive Flow Cytometry Core (CFCC) as Director. The successful candidate will take on the responsibilities described below for Institutional Research Core leadership.

INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH CORE LEADERSHIP

Core leadership is dedicated to the effective, efficient and transparent operation of the core in compliance with Federal, State, UAB and IRCP policies and for the benefit of the UAB scientific community.

Director

Each Institutional Research Core (core) must have a Director. The Director is responsible for the scientific direction and operational management of the core, ensuring it provides the highest quality of service to the core’s users. The Director will establish and maintain the core’s operating procedures with assurance of the scientific rigor and reproducibility of the services and data the core provides, while maintaining excellent customer service. It is incumbent that all Core Directors seek to ensure the financial sustainability of the Core facility they lead and that the resources they provide are utilized most efficiently.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Determining the services to be provided by the core and the necessary resources to do so
  • Long-term planning including a business plan
  • Effective communication regarding the core’s services with current and potential users of the core
  • Develop and implement the education and marketing activities of the core
  • Fiscal management of the core and compliance with IRCP guidelines for annual fee-for-service rate setting
  • Maintaining core equipment in excellent operating condition
  • Stay informed on technological advances that would/could improve the core’s services
  • Apply for funding to add to or improve the core’s instrumentation
  • Management of the core staff in compliance with UAB HR policies
  • Systematic assessment of the quality of service provided by the core
  • Meet with the core’s Advisory Committee at least semi-annually
  • Consult with UAB Research Centers, Department, Divisions and faculty to submit grants that will require the core’s services, including contributions of written sections
  • Compliance with all applicable IRCP policies

Qualifications:

The Director will be a UAB faculty member that dedicates an appropriate level of effort to fulfill their responsibilities to the core with the understanding that this will be variable based on core activities. They must be a subject matter expert in the services provided by the core, with the commensurate formal education and training in a related field. They will have a research track record of application and development of core services. The Director will have a track record of performance in the area(s) of service provided by the core with documented experience in application development and publication record, plus a history of progressive responsibility in laboratory/core management. The Director will have the ability to effectively and transparently communicate with University, School, Departmental, and UWIRC Center leadership as well as individual faculty. This will be evidenced in their track record of effective participation in service activities across UAB.

If the Director also has their own independent research program, those activities must be kept separate and distinct from the operation of the core. An official conflict of interest mitigation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the IRCP that documents how the separation of the core and the Director’s own independent research program will be maintained must be in place. This MOU must include provisions for transparency of operations and the process for review by the Advisory Committee. Included should be the establishment of the role of the Operational Director that is 100% dedicated to the core and provides dayto- day management of the core with an established line of reporting transparency and independence.

Line of Reporting:

The Director will report directly to the IRCP Director and the core’s Advisory Committee. Regular performance evaluations, in alignment with UAB Policy, will be completed by the IRCP Director with input from the Advisory Committee. The IRCP Director has the authority to take any necessary performance correcting actions in alignment with UAB HR Policy.

Application:

Applicants should submit their CV and a two-page application including the following components:

  • Knowledge and expertise in Flow Cytometry
  • Track record of applying Flow Cytometry to address research questions (referenced publication list not included in two pages)
  • Experience in laboratory management and/or directing a research core facility including
  • Examples of service to UAB highlighting effective communication and collaboration
  • Brief description of vision and plans for the Comprehensive Flow Cytometry Core

Deadline:

July 13, 2020 at 5:00 PM
Submit to IRCP Director, Michael Bertram via email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Review:

Applications will be reviewed by the IRCP Oversight Committee and the CFCC Steering Committee.

UWIRC Leadership Changes August 1, 2020

As many of you know, Dr. Lou Bridges has accepted the roles of Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Hospital for Special Surgery; and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at HSS and the Weill Cornell College of Medicine. He will start these new roles on September 1, 2020. Dr. Ken Saag recently accepted the role of Director for the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology beginning on July 1. Dr. Saag will step down as Director of the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education (COERE), a role which he has held for the past 10 years. He remains fully committed to further growing outcomes research at UAB and will stay engaged with the COERE as a member of the Internal Advisory Committee. Dr. Saag will also assume the role of Director of the Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone, and Autoimmunity Center effective August 1.

We are also pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Mugavero, Professor of Medicine, will succeed Ken to become the next Director of the COERE effective August 1st. Dr. Mugavero has served as an Associate Director of the COERE since 2014, and as Co-Director since 2017. A Co-Director of the Center for AIDS Research since 2012, he is highly regarded nationally for his innovative work studying HIV clinical and population health outcomes. A dedicated mentor, Dr. Mugavero has led the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences Training Academy since 2017, and was the 2020 recipient of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award. In recent years he has spearheaded a number of successful new programs, including DRIVEN and GRIT, as well as co-leading the COVID-19 Collaborative Outcomes Research Enterprise (CORE), engaging over 90 faculty, students and staff from across campus in 3 programmatic and 7 scientific working groups, supported by the COERE and CCTS.

OSP Accepts Cost Sharing Forms using DocuSign

The Office of Sponsored Programs is pleased to announce two electronic cost share forms that can now be submitted through DocuSign. The Cost Share Commitment form and the In-Kind Cost Share Commitment form have been added to the UAB DocuSign template library, and are now available for Prinicipal Investigators to route for required signatures, and submit while working remotely. Instructions for the cost share and in-kind forms can be found on the OSP website. For additional questions, please contact your OSP officer.