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The U.S. Department of Commerce has recently added multiple foreign universities and affiliated labs and other research centers to either the Unverified List or the Entity List. Multiple foreign universities have been previously listed and remain listed. These designations restrict, and may prohibit, certain interactions the University of Georgia and its employees may have with the designated institutions and individuals affiliated with those institutions.

The Office of Export Control, and others on campus, engage in “restricted party screening” related to many institutional interactions and agreements, such as in Sponsored Projects, and International Initiatives and Immigration Services in the Office of Global Engagement. UGA employees engaging internationally should be aware of these lists and contact the Office of Export Control prior to engaging in formal or informal relationships or collaborations, or providing services to ensure the foreign institution is not restricted.

The Office of Export Control maintains a list of restricted foreign universities on its website, but this list is not as up-to-date as utilizing the university’s “restricted party screening tool,” Visual Compliance. In addition to universities and research institutes, these lists contain individuals and entities, including multinational corporations such as Huawei and Gazprom. Please contact Dan Runge at drunge@uga.edu with questions or to set up a Visual Compliance account. 

Feb. 8, 2022, additions to the Unverified List: 

Hunan University, State Key Lab of Chemo/Biosensing & Chemometrics

Southern University of Science and Technology, Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering

Dec. 17, 2021, additions to the Entity List: 

Academy of Military Medical Sciences and multiple affiliated research institutes

Nov. 26, 2021, additions to the Entity List: 

Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, a.k.a., the following two aliases: National Research Center for Microscale: and Microscale National Research Center

Before agreeing to provide an international sale or service, product, or international shipment, UGA personnel should contact the Office of Export Control to request review of the transaction. This review will ensure an export license is not needed for the provision of the service or international shipment and include a due diligence review of the end-use and end-user at the foreign destination. 

The Department of Commerce has taken export enforcement actions, including imposing monetary settlements, against U.S. academic institutions for unlicensed export of strains and recombinants of animal pathogens to non-U.S. research institutions as well as for shipments of basic research equipment to embargoed non-U.S. research institutions. 

Detailed information about International Shipping is available here and a list of export controlled items, software, and technology is available here. UGA employees also have access to the university’s “restricted party screening tool,” Visual Compliance.

Please contact Dan Runge at drunge@uga.edu to begin due diligence.  

The National Science Foundation (NSF) released an updated Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) on June 22, 2021. The new PAPPG is effective on October 4, 2021. NSF requires the use of an NSF-approved format to prepare Current and Pending Support.

Current and pending support information must be separately provided through use of an NSF-approved format, for each individual designated as senior personnel on the proposal.  Current and pending support includes all resources made available to an individual in support of and/or related to all of his/her research efforts, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value.  Current and pending support also includes in-kind contributions (such as office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, employees, students. In-kind contributions not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed that have associated time commitments also must be reported.

Current and pending support information must be provided for the proposed project, for ongoing projects, and for any proposals currently under consideration from whatever source irrespective of whether such support is provided through the proposing organization or is provided directly to the individual.  This includes, for example, Federal, State, local, foreign, public, or private foundations, non-profit organizations, industrial or other commercial organizations, or internal funds allocated toward specific projects.

NSF updated Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide

FAQs on Current & Pending Support (nsf.gov)

https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/disclosures_table/jan2022.pdf

NSF-Approved Formats for Current and Pending Support

On Dec. 20, 2021, the Department of Energy issued an interim conflict of interest (COI) policy that addresses both financial and organizational conflicts of interest, which will be incorporated in and made enforceable through the Special Terms and Conditions for DOE financial assistance awards. The interim COI policy establishes standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, and reporting of projects wholly or in part funded under DOE financial assistance awards (e.g., a grant, cooperative agreement, or technology investment agreement) will be free from bias resulting from financial conflicts of interest or organizational conflicts of interest. As used in this announcement, reference to DOE includes both DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

The interim policy requires each Investigator who is planning to participate in the DOE award to disclose the Investigator’s significant financial interests (and those of the Investigator’s spouse and dependent children) to UGA no later than the time of proposal for the DOE award.  Disclosures must be made at least annually, thereafter, and within 30 days of acquiring a new significant financial interest.  Disclosures of significant financial interests should be made to UGA via the Grants Portal.  In addition, an Investigator may need to disclose the significant financial interest on UGA’s Compensated Outside Activities Approval Form.  See UGA’s Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities Policy.

Finally, the DOE interim policy requires Investigator complete COI training prior to engaging in projects related to any DOE financial assistance award and at least every four years.  Investigators can complete the CITI COI training module through UGA’s Professional Educational Portal (PEP).

More information

Starting Jan. 25, 2022, Investigators identified as senior/key personnel on new National Institutes of Health projects and renewals will need to provide expanded disclosures of other support including third party contracts and agreements.

Other Support includes all resources made available to a researcher in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at the institution the researcher identifies for the current grant. This includes but is not limited to:

• Resources and/or financial support from all foreign and domestic entities, that are available to the researcher. This includes but is not limited to, financial support for laboratory personnel, and provision of high-value materials that are not freely available (e.g., biologics, chemical, model systems, technology, etc.). Institutional resources, such as core facilities or shared equipment that are made broadly available, should not be included in Other Support, but rather listed under Facilities and Other Resources.
• Consulting agreements, when the PD/PI or other senior/key personnel will be conducting research as part of the consulting activities. Non-research consulting activities are not Other Support.
• Honoraria in support of an individual’s research endeavors must be reported.
• In-kind contributions, e.g. office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, or employees or students supported by an outside source. If the time commitment or dollar value of the in-kind contribution is not readily ascertainable, the recipient must provide reasonable estimates.

NIH will require the following:

• Supporting documentation, which includes copies of contracts/agreements specific to senior/key-personnel foreign appointments and/or employment with a foreign institution for all foreign activities and resources that are reported in Other Support. If the contracts/agreements are not in English, recipients must provide translated copies.
   
• Immediate notification of undisclosed Other Support. When a recipient organization discovers that a PI or other Senior/Key personnel on an active NIH grant failed to disclose Other Support information outside of Just-in-Time or the RPPR, as applicable, the recipient must submit updated Other Support to the Grants Management Specialist named in the Notice of Award as soon as it becomes known. 

The information required by NIH should also be disclosed to UGA via the Grants Portal.  In addition, an Investigator may need to disclose the significant financial interest on UGA’s Compensated Outside Activities Approval Form.  See UGA’s Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities Policy.

NIH- Upcoming Changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support

Reminders of NIH Policies on Other Support and on Policies related to Financial Conflicts of Interest and Foreign Components

More information

NIH Other Support FAQs

Updated NIH Biosketch instructions

NIH Disclosure table

Protecting U.S. Biomedical Intellectual Innovation (NIH)

IACUC has instituted the Guidelines for Ferret Housing in T2000 Containment Caging, outlining the standards for housing ferrets in that type of caging system.

IACUC has also revised the guidelines for ferret inhalant anesthesia, renamed Guidelines for Ferret Inhalant Anesthesia for Brief, Non-Painful Procedures. The guidelines were revised to apply more specifically to only brief anesthetic events for which food restriction is not necessary, and which represent the typical anesthesia experience for ferrets under study at UGA.

More information