Elimination of Graduate Research Assistant Tuition on Grants

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April 4, 2017

 

Dear Colleagues:

In our continuing effort to reduce the costs of research at UConn and UConn Health, we are eliminating the requirement to charge any portion of graduate research assistant tuition to research grants, effective Spring 2017.

From 2009 to 2016, University policy required that 60% of full-time in-state tuition per graduate assistant be charged to external grants funding faculty members’ research projects. In Fiscal Year 2016, we reduced the impact of this policy on grant funds by returning an amount equal to half of the tuition collected from grants to faculty investigators’ indirect cost return accounts.

Beginning with charges for the Spring 2017 semester, faculty will no longer be required to charge any portion of graduate research assistant tuition to their grants. Faculty will also no longer be required to include [tuition] charges for graduate research assistants on future grant applications, thus increasing their competitiveness with funding agencies. Savings from graduate research assistant tuition charges can now be applied toward other direct cost needs for faculty research projects. This applies to all sponsored projects, including those being conducted at UConn Health.

Researchers with existing grants or grant applications that include graduate research assistant tuition for Spring 2017 and beyond should rebudget those dollars into other direct cost items, at their discretion within sponsor specific rules. For questions or to request assistance with the rebudgeting process, please reach out to your department grant administrator or your regular contact person in Sponsored Program Services within the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Although this is another positive step towards increasing the buying power of grants for our faculty, we recognize that it does not directly address a major concern contributing to the high cost of doing research at UConn and UConn Health: very high fringe rates relative to our peers and aspirants. While these rates are controlled by the state, we will continue to seek solutions for this important issue.

Despite significant financial constraints, we will continue to pursue creative solutions to decrease the cost of doing research at UConn and UConn Health. Some of the recent initiatives to accomplish this include: providing financial support to PIs impacted by large increases in fringe rates in 2016, establishing direct IDC returns to PIs for the first time at UConn Health, non-research IDC returns for the first time in Storrs, and supporting the NIH-driven increase in minimum salaries for postdoctoral fellows.

Thank you for your continued contributions to UConn/UConn Health’s success as a leading research institution. We look forward to supporting you in your future research activities.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeff Seemann
Vice President for Research UConn/UConn Health		 Dr. Jeremy Teitelbaum
Interim Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs		 Scott Jordan
Executive Vice President for Administration &
Chief Financial Officer

Announcement Regarding Prisoner Research Protocols

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Dear Investigators,

This is advance notice that the IRB will not be able to review protocols involving research with prisoners at its October 27, 2016 IRB meeting.  This includes submissions of new protocols, amendments and requests for continuation that involve research with prisoners.  The IRB prisoner representative member will not be able to attend this meeting.

Protocols involving research with prisoners may be submitted on Thursday, September 22, 2016 for review at the October 6, 2016 IRB meeting or submitted on Thursday, October 27, 2016 for review at the November 10, 2016 IRB meeting.  Click here for additional IRB meeting dates and submission deadlines.

If you have any questions, contact Doug Bradway at 6-0986 or by email at doug.bradway@uconn.edu.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

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August 17, 2016

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing today about the recently announced changes to federal overtime regulations that will affect the compensation of postdoctoral associates as of December 1, 2016.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law regulated by the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor (DOL).  This law regulates wage and hour standards such as minimum wage, overtime, equal pay, and time reporting requirements.  On May 18, 2016, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the DOL’s final rule updating overtime regulations.  The University is required to comply with the changes to this law, effective December 1, 2016.

The regulations mandate that the standard salary level to qualify for exemption from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime requirements will increase from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $913 per week ($47,476 per year). In practice, employees who do not meet the revised salary threshold and other requirements, or who fail to qualify for other specific exemptions as outlined in the regulations, must be treated as hourly employees and be paid for each hour worked.

In order to comply with this new regulation, Human Resources at both Storrs and UCH has determined that postdoctoral associates will remain exempt and (where requisite), their salaries will be increased to the new threshold of $47,476.

Given this decision, all submitted proposals must include budgets that reflect the new minimum salary requirements for research staff. Information regarding these salaries is available on the OVPR website for UConn Health and the Storrs and regional campuses. Please contact OVPR Preaward Services staff with any questions at 860.486.3007 (Storrs/regional) or 860.679.4040 (UConn Health).

With regard to the added burden of increased postdoctoral associate salaries on existing projects after December 1, 2016, Central Administration at both Storrs and UCH will provide one-time financial support in FY2017 for postdoctoral associates whose salaries will increase to the new federally regulated threshold. This support will allow projects already underway in Storrs and UCH to maintain their budgeted buying power and complete the research or scholarship activities they set out to do. The Office of the Vice President for Research will work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) to transfer these funds into the appropriate accounts.

PIs with awards from the National Science Foundation are encouraged to contact their program officer to discuss requesting additional funding to cover the increased cost of postdoctoral associate salaries, per a recently released notice from the NSF.

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to continuing to support your research and scholarship in every way that we can.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jeff Seemann
Vice President for Research
UConn/UConn Health

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Posted on by

August 17, 2016

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing today about the recently announced changes to federal overtime regulations that will affect the compensation of postdoctoral associates as of December 1, 2016.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law regulated by the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor (DOL).  This law regulates wage and hour standards such as minimum wage, overtime, equal pay, and time reporting requirements.  On May 18, 2016, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the DOL’s final rule updating overtime regulations.  The University is required to comply with the changes to this law, effective December 1, 2016.

The regulations mandate that the standard salary level to qualify for exemption from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime requirements will increase from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $913 per week ($47,476 per year). In practice, employees who do not meet the revised salary threshold and other requirements, or who fail to qualify for other specific exemptions as outlined in the regulations, must be treated as hourly employees and be paid for each hour worked.

In order to comply with this new regulation, Human Resources at both Storrs and UCH has determined that postdoctoral associates will remain exempt and (where requisite), their salaries will be increased to the new threshold of $47,476.

Given this decision, all submitted proposals must include budgets that reflect the new minimum salary requirements for research staff. Information regarding these salaries is available on the OVPR website for UConn Health and the Storrs and regional campuses. Please contact OVPR Preaward Services staff with any questions at 860.486.3007 (Storrs/regional) or 860.679.4040 (UConn Health).

With regard to the added burden of increased postdoctoral associate salaries on existing projects after December 1, 2016, Central Administration at both Storrs and UCH will provide one-time financial support in FY2017 for postdoctoral associates whose salaries will increase to the new federally regulated threshold. This support will allow projects already underway in Storrs and UCH to maintain their budgeted buying power and complete the research or scholarship activities they set out to do. The Office of the Vice President for Research will work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) to transfer these funds into the appropriate accounts.

PIs with awards from the National Science Foundation are encouraged to contact their program officer to discuss requesting additional funding to cover the increased cost of postdoctoral associate salaries, per a recently released notice from the NSF.

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to continuing to support your research and scholarship in every way that we can.

 

Sincerely,
Dr. Jeff Seemann
Vice President for Research
UConn/UConn Health

ResearchMatch now available to UConn researchers

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Research Match

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce that UConn is now part of the ResearchMatch Network. ResearchMatch.org is a national online recruitment tool, funded by the National Institutes of Health and maintained at Vanderbilt University. ResearchMatch connects interested participants with research studies that might be a good “match” for them through its secure, online matching tool. There is no cost to UConn researchers who use ResearchMatch to conduct recruitment feasibility analysis or participant recruitment.

For more information, including the process for using ResearchMatch as a recruitment tool, please contact Ellen Ciesielski in the OVPR Research Compliance Services at 860.679.6004 or email researchmatch@uchc.edu.

New Export Control Policy

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The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) would like to announce a new policy related to Export Control compliance, effective 12/14/2015. Intended to protect national security and support foreign policy, export controls are federal laws that regulate how certain controlled information, technology, software, services and goods can be shipped, transferred or transmitted to individuals or organizations overseas.  They also regulate the release of certain information to foreign nationals who are in the U.S. and their ability to work with or have access to certain technologies and software while in the U.S.  This policy has been put in to place to ensure that the University and its employees remain in full compliance with federal regulations, has been approved for all UConn campuses, and can be found at the University’s Policies & Procedures page.

The OVPR has developed resources related to Export Controls to assist faculty and other members of the University community that are available on the Research Compliance Services page.

If you have any questions relating to Export Control and/or this policy, please contact:

Dr. Wesley Byerly
Associate Vice President for Research, Research Compliance Services
Office of the Vice President for Research
860.679.2230
byerly@uchc.edu

University Intellectual Property & Commercialization Policy Update

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October 22, 2015

 

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that an updated version of the University’s Intellectual Property and Commercialization Policy was approved by the Board of Trustees in early October and is now available online. This comes as the result of a substantive collaboration between the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Provost’s Office, the Office of the General Counsel and faculty and staff at both UConn-Storrs and UConn Health.

Although most of the substantive elements remain the same, the policy now provides a more comprehensive, consistent, and clear explanation of relevant issues, such as the use of University resources by a faculty-affiliated company, conflict of interest disclosures, and the hiring of students to work in faculty-affiliated companies, among others.

We are confident that this streamlined policy document, which applies to faculty, staff, and students at all UConn campuses, more accurately reflects the University’s belief that teaching, research, and economic development are enhanced by the intellectual property generated at UConn.

Should you have any questions related to the updated Intellectual Property and Commercialization Policy, please contact:

 

Gregory Gallo, PhD
Director
Technology Commercialization Services
Office of the Vice President for Research
Tel. 860.679.3992
gregory.gallo@uconn.edu

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Jeff Seemann
Vice President for Research
UConn/UConn Health