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Frequently Asked Questions
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PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT Q: How do I get grant proposal assistance from the Office of Nursing Research (ONR)? A: Faculty and students should send an email to research@nursing.upenn.edu. Q: Do I send all of my emails to research@nursing.upenn.edu? A: Send general questions and initial requests to research@nursing.upenn.edu. Once you receive a response from us, please email the individual who responded to you. Q: When should I notify ONR that I intend to submit a Letter of Intent or a Proposal? A: As soon as you are seriously considering submitting a proposal or LOI, send an email to research@nursing and request a meeting with us to review the work plan and set up a timeline. Include in your email the sponsor, guidelines, website, and proposal due date. Q: Does the ONR need to review Letters of Intent? A: Yes, if the letter includes any information about the funds you are requesting. The draft budget must be reviewed by our office before it is included in a Letter of Intent. Letters of Intent usually do not need to be reviewed by the Office of Research Services. Q: How soon should I meet with ONR staff to discuss the budget? A: Please set up your initial meeting with ONR two months prior to the deadline. The budget must be finalized two weeks prior to the application deadline. If there are subcontractors, the subcontractor budgets must be finalized prior that. Q: How far in advance of the deadline must my submission be received by ONR? A: If there is no subcontract, all sections must be received at ONR in final format one week prior to the mailing date (not the due date) or the electronic submission date. This allows time for school and institutional sign-offs. If there are subcontracts or other Penn schools on the grant, then all sections (except the research plan pages) must be received two weeks prior to the mailing date or electronic submission date, to allow time for necessary sign-offs. The appendices should be submitted to ONR as soon as they are ready. Q: Who signs off on grant submissions? A: The Office of Research Services (ORS) signs all submissions at the institutional level. No one at the school level can sign for the institution. All proposals are submitted to ORS with a Transmittal Form that has been completed by ONR. This is also true for electronic/online submissions. With the Penn ERA Proposal Development System, approvals will be done electronically.
GRANT WRITING ASSISTANCE Q: Am I required to have an internal review of my grant proposal? A: All investigators preparing submissions for federal awards should submit their specific aims for review. If you are a member of an SON Research Center, you are encouraged to ask your Center colleagues to review your science. Senior investigators can request a waiver from the internal review. More intensive reviews can be requested at the time of project planning. Q: How can I get assistance in doing literature reviews for my grants? A: We encourage you to do this on an ongoing basis by registering your keywords on the Biomedical Library website. Q: How can I receive statistical support for my research project? A: SON faculty, staff and students can utilize the consulting services of Dr. Sarah Ratcliffe, assistant professor of biostatistics at CCEB. Her email address is: sratcliff@cceb.upenn.edu Q: Is editing and/or proof-reading assistance available? A: ONR can help with grammar and format. However, in order to be thorough, the request should be made with sufficient time prior to the application deadline.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION Q: Where can I get information on the NIH’s transition to electronic submissions? A: The NIH website link is:
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm. Q: I understand that I will need special software from NIH in order to do electronic submissions. How do I get it? A: Information about obtaining this software is available from ONR. Q: Do I need Adobe Acrobat for electronic submissions? A: No, please create your documents in Word.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Q: How do I find out about funding available from governmental and non-governmental sponsors and agencies? A: A comprehensive list is available on the Links page of our website. Please contact ONR for additional resources. Q: How do I find out about University and SON internal funding opportunities for faculty, pre- and post-docs, and undergraduates? A: There are a number of sources, including the website for Penn's Office of the Vice Provost for Research. In addition, ONR maintains a list of funding sources. Click here for the link to the ONR list.
PRE/POST DOCTORAL TRAINING GRANTS Q: Where can I get information regarding pre- and post-doctoral training grants? A: The NIH website has information on
research training opportunities: Q: Where can I get assistance preparing a pre-doctoral training proposal? A: Please contact ONR at research@nursing.upenn.edu for assistance. We also offer a 4-session workshop each semester on preparing an NRSA application, limited to 8 students per semester. Please contact ONR for additional information.
POST-AWARD MANAGEMENT Q: Where do I get assistance in the management of my grant account once it has been funded? A: As soon as the notice of award comes in, the Office of Research Services (ORS) will set up an account. Then ONR will set up a meeting with the Principal Investigator and representatives from the SON Business Office. Participants in this Initial Set-up Meeting will review the details of the notice of award, including the terms and conditions and the budget. After this meeting, all questions regarding the management of the grant account should be directed to the SON Business Office.
REGULATORY AFFAIRS Q: Am I required to take the HIPAA and Patient Oriented (Human Subjects) trainings? A: The School of Nursing requires that all faculty, research staff, and students complete this training. Regardless of any training you may have had, you are required to complete the online training modules for both HIPAA and POR offered through Penn’s Medical School and Health System. The links for training are shown below. You will need your PennKey and password to register. Patient Oriented training: HIPAA training: Q: What is the application procedure for IRB Review? A: Information is available on the website of Penn’s Office of Regulatory Affairs: http://www.upenn.edu/regulatoryaffairs. Also, please check this website under "IRB Information" and/or "Research Certification." Q: Where can I find information about Federal Wide Assurances and conducting research at external sites? A: Click here to view a PowerPoint presentation that was given at the ONR weekly colloquium. To find out if your external site has an FWA, check the DHHS Office of Human Research Protections website.
MISCELLANEOUS Q: Where can I get information on the weekly Nursing Research Colloquium? A: These seminars are held on most Wednesdays, noon to 1 pm, in NEB 216. For a list of future seminar speakers, click here. For information on previous seminars, including access to the presentation slides, click here. Q: How can students get involved on faculty research projects? A: Information about faculty research with opportunities for students can be found on the ONR website. Click here for the link to that page.
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