Electronic Research Administration Definitions

The box should be checked “yes” when the activities meet the definition of "research" AND the project involves “Human Subjects" or "private information."

Some examples of activities that generally meet the definition of “Human Subjects” are primary human tissue samples, established human cell lines if obtained from other than publicly available sources, drug administration, food taste tests, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, archival analysis/data mining or observation of behavior. All primary awards that include nonexempt human subjects in research activities must check the “yes” box even if all the human subject research is subcontracted to other sites.

This is because OHRP considers the primary awardee to be engaged in the Human Subjects research. For more information, visit the Office of Research Assurances or the federal Office of Human Protections.

If vertebrate animals are going to be used in teaching, demonstrations, research or product testing, then this box should be marked as “yes” so that the proposal can be reviewed by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

If animal samples are obtained from live animals at other institutions then you should also check the "yes" box and provide a copy of that institution's approval for the work to the U of I Campus Veterinarian. This approval must include the Animal Welfare Assurance number of the institution providing the samples.

For questions, you may contact the IACUC Coordinator at 208-885-7252. Additional information is available on the Office of Research Assurances website or the federal Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) website.

The Institutional Biosafety Committee is responsible for reviewing proposals that may constitute a biohazard or involve recombinant DNA to determine whether a memorandum of understanding and agreement is required.

For questions please contact the IBC coordinator. Additional information is available on the Research Assurances website or the federal Office of Biotechnology website. The Radiation Safety Program approves and monitors research for radiation safety.

For all activities involving Select Agents and Toxins at any quantity, a memorandum of understanding and agreement must be completed and submitted to the Office of Research Assurances. The full Select Agents and Toxins list is available on the Federal Select Agent Program website.

For all covered activities, registration and approval from CDC must be sought in advance of initiating the work.

For more information on processes and UI requirements, please contact the Biosafety Officer at 208-885-6524. Note that the University of Idaho does not currently have an active registration with the Federal Select Agents program. If you are interested in working with these agents, please contact ORA.

A potential for "Conflict of Interest or Commitment" arises when an individual's involvement in activities in which financial or other personal considerations may directly and significantly affect an employee's professional judgment in exercising any university duty or responsibility (FSH 6240).

An apparent conflict results when outside professional activities, outside employment, personal direct or indirect financial or other interests or acceptance of benefits from third parties creates a perceived conflict between the university's mission and an individual's private interests.

Employees are expected to disclose real or apparent conflicts and work with the Committee on Ethical Guidance and Oversight to develop a Conflict of Interest Management Plan. Additionally, certain sponsoring agencies require that a financial disclosure be submitted at the proposal stage. This process is not managed by the Office of Sponsored Programs, but is rather a requirement of employment at University of Idaho and is further a condition from sponsoring agencies that must be complied with. See FSH 6240 for more detail and contact the Office of General Counsel with questions.

The university’s Financial Disclosure policy requires Investigators submitting proposals to the US Public Health Service, the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy (only for financial assistance funds), submitted to sponsors that require compliance with the Financial Disclosure Policy to disclose their Significant Financial Interests to the university before the proposal is submitted the sponsor. The university’s Financial Disclosure Policy (found at FSH 5600 and 5650) aligns the National Institutes of Health’s requirements for a Financial Conflict of Interest policy as well as similar policies enacted by the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy. For information about who is considered an Investigator and the process for disclosure, please review FSH 5600 (“Financial Disclosure Policy”) and the Financial Conflict of Interest website. The VERAS proposal form contains details on this requirement as well. You will be reminded in the VERAS application process that a financial disclosure is required — the help tip menu contains instructions, and, if needed, your sponsored programs Pre-award team member can help.

Export control laws — federal laws implemented by the Department of Commerce through its Export Administration Regulations and the Department of State through its International Traffic in Arms Regulations — have been in existence for more than 20 years. These regulations may require UI to obtain prior approval from State or Commerce before:

• Allowing foreign nationals to participate in the research
• Partnering with a foreign company or
• Sharing research verbally or in writing with persons who are not U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens

For additional information please visit the Export Controls website.

Academic freedom to publish and disseminate the results of research, instruction and public service is a fundamental principle of the university environment. Restrictions on publication can destroy the fundamental research exclusion, as well as violate university policy on the freedom to publish research results. Any such restrictions in either the RFP or the contract/agreement must be negotiated with the sponsoring agency prior to university acceptance of the award.

Federal law requires that the university notify a government agency of inventions made under federally supported research. The Faculty Staff Handbook section 5300 outlines university policies on copyrights, protectable discoveries and other intellectual property rights that arise as a result of university research. The Office of Technology Transfer will be happy to work with you to identify and protect potential inventions.

Program income is any income directly generated by a project during the award period. Examples include conference fees where the sponsor is covering the bulk of the conference costs; sale of assets purchased by project funds (e.g. livestock sales); fees for services when the project is providing the service; and sale of items such as books, manuals, software or videos created with project funding (APM Section 45.13).

Program income expenses carry the same allowability restrictions as the rest of the budgeted expenses. Any anticipated program income should ideally be estimated at the proposal stage and shown as an offset to the project budget. Note that one of the options for the treatment of program income is to be used as part of any cost-share obligation.

When purchasing equipment, it is important to factor in all of the possible expenses associated with its installation. Checking this box with a “yes” allows reviewers and signers to fully assess the impact to the university and make a determination as to whether additional funding should be requested to cover installation or remodeling costs. Some of the considerations are: 

• Will special ventilation, wiring or plumbing be required?
• Will there be machining costs?
• Will there be additional safety or security concerns that may require upgrades to current systems?
• Where will the equipment be placed (which lab and where within the lab)? Is there enough space within that lab to handle the equipment?
• Are there any other installation costs that need to be factored in?

For the purposes of this form, a "capital project" is one that involves purchase or design of real property (buildings and/or land).

The Center for Advanced Energy Studies building is located in Idaho Falls and is a public/private partnership comprising the three Idaho public universities, private industry and the Idaho National Laboratory. For tracking purposes and budget setup, any projects utilizing this building need to be identified at the proposal stage.