Building and Maintaining Critical Research Enterprise Systems Utilized Campus-Wide
Overview
S2S Grants is a web-based alternative for preparing, validating and submitting proposals via Grants.gov. Over 98% of Grants.gov opportunities are supported for grants posted by NIH (including supplements), NSF, AHRQ, CDC, NASA, DOD (including CDMRP) and other agencies. The campus research community prepares proposals in S2S Grants, which OCGA officers and analysts then review and submit directly to Grants.gov via S2S Grants.
Highlights
- Easy-to-use online format
- Real-time error checking
- Quick and simple print functionality
For More Information
Visit the S2S Grants webpage or email ORA ERA Help.
Overview
The EPASS Online System is a web-based application that allows research coordinators the ability to prepare the EPASS routing form, upload supporting documentation, and route for electronic approval to the PI and other signing authorities. Originally designed and implemented by Neurology and based on the Office of Contracts and Grants Administration (OCGA) EPASS fillable form, support for the system was transferred to ORA in 2015. Since then data entry has been further streamlined by integrating institutional data, implementing smart logic, rolling out to a wider pilot user group. Upcoming enhancements include integration with PATS to further streamline data entry, reduce administrative burden, and provide campus users the ability to submit directly to OCGA.
Highlights
- Electronic routing and signature of proposals
- Intuitive and smart data entry features
For More Information
Contact EPASSHelp@research.ucla.edu.
Overview
The Proposal Award Tracking System (PATS) is a web-based contracts and grants management system, currently used by ORA. Proposal information such as PI, project title, sponsor, project periods, and total budget amounts are entered when the proposal is received by the Central Administration office. When an award is received, Central Administration offices can track agreement negotiation in PATS. Once the proposal is awarded, the Office of Research Data Management (ORDM) then enters award information such as the amount and fund number, and sets up any required sponsor deliverables to be tracked in the system. Data is exported nightly to the campus warehouse (QDB), as well as various research-related reports and downstream campus systems, such as ORC Portal and PI Portal.
Highlights
- Captures a complete set of data elements for accurate reporting and forecasting
- Facilitates measurements of ORA’s workload and efficiency
- Streamlines data entry by consolidating most data entry screens into one online form
For More Information
Contact PATS Help Desk at PATSHelp@research.ucla.edu.
Overview
The Post Award Management System (PAMS) is a central web-based system for departmental fund managers and EFM to develop and submit financial reports to various sponsors. It provides tools for managing accountant report and invoice workloads, facilitates communication between the department and EFM, allows active fund management through the fund closeout process, and incorporates all the functionality of the RAPID SMART Closeout Tool.
Highlights
- Allows users to track internal turnaround times for financial reports
- Increases retention of data and historical information through a single integrated system
- Standardizes of the fund closeout process
- Allows users to manage individual and team accountant workloads
- Facilitates increased on-time submission and accuracy of financial reports
For More Information
Contact PAMS Help or visit the PAMS website.
Overview
The Effort Reporting System (ERS) is a web-based system that automatically calculates the distribution of effort and generates effort reports for all employees paid from federally-sponsored projects, based on their payroll for the specified period. ERS allows those who have the responsibility to report and certify effort to electronically review, make any necessary corrections/changes to, and certify the reports.
Back-office support tasks, including the management of interfaces, version upgrades, and report generation are handled by ITS. All other production support, testing, and project management is provided by ORIS and EFM.
Highlights
- Captures certifications electronically so that the system can monitor compliance and maintain records
- Provides a mechanism for processing corrections and re-certifying reports to enable timely updating of effort reports
For More Information
Email the ERS Help Desk at ERShelp@research.ucla.edu or the Department ERS Coordinators.
Overview
The ORA Online Resource Center is a web-based portal for UCLA’s research community. The Online Resource Center provides faculty, administrators and staff with a single point of access to new and existing research-related information and resources, and enhances overall communication between campus and central administration.
Highlights
Users can find various tools, applications and management reports, such as:
- An Award Document and Synopsis tool, which allows users to check the status of an award and view or print the award synopsis/document
- Statistical reports on proposal submissions and awards by department
- A Fund Expiration report, which provides departments with a listing of funds that have expired in the past 90 days or are set to expire in the next 90 days
- Effort Reporting Management Reports, which allow central and department administrators to monitor certification rates and compliance
- Proposal submission and compliance-related forms
For More Information
Contact portal@research.ucla.edu. For access requests, please provide your full name, department code, and the resource to which you are requesting access.
Overview
The PI Portal is a web-based application that provides UCLA Principal Investigators (PIs) a personalized view of their research portfolio. Currently, it provides near real-time access to information about the PI’s sponsored research funds, pending proposals, fully executed agreements, non-financial deliverables, personnel, human and animal subject protocols, conflict of interest disclosures, inventions and patents. Other helpful features include proposal and award documents for download, NIH/NSF Other Support form reports, and a tool to facilitate reporting new inventions to the Technology Development Group. PIs may choose their method of projection for extramurally sponsored research funds, as well as delegate access to any of his/her information to other individual(s).
Highlights
- Near real-time status and other pertinent information of all funds, proposals, agreements, personnel, protocols, disclosures, inventions
- A personalized dashboard of all the PI’s required actions related to research administration. The PI can click to view task details or be directed to any applicable systems.
For More Information
Contact RAPIDFeedback@research.ucla.edu for more information about this system or to schedule a demo.
Overview
webIRB is the online protocol management system for the Office of the Human Research Protection Program (OHRPP) and the five Institutional Review Boards it supports. webIRB is used to review, approve and require modifications in proposed activities involving human subjects research by the UCLA research community. It is also used to track research personnel and reportable events occurring throughout the life of the research, amendments to existing projects and continuing review processes.
Highlights
- Supports a completely paperless IRB process through the stages of protocol development, review, approval and post-approval monitoring.
- The webIRB application is a smartform. Depending on the answers you provide to key questions, it will bring you to the forms and supplements to fill out and skip unnecessary items.
- Document Management: webIRB serves as an electronic filing system for all study documentation. Approved notices, informed consent and recruitment materials are easy to retrieve within the system.
- Submission Status Tracking: The review and approval status of IRB submissions is viewable on the protocol workspace. Updates are also sent out by e-mail.
- Automatic Reminders: webIRB will send automatic reminders when continuing reviews and responses to the IRB are due.
- More Efficient IRB Processes: webIRB makes IRB processes more efficient, resulting in better turn-around times. webIRB produces detailed productivity reports, allowing the IRB to manage staffing efforts more effectively.
For More Information
Contact the webIRB Help Desk at webIRBhelp@research.ucla.edu or MIRB at 310-825-5344 or GCIRB at 310-825-7122.
Overview
The Research Application Tracking System (RATS) is the online management system for the Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee (ARC), which oversees the entire animal care and use program at UCLA. RATS is used to review and approve, require modifications in (to secure approval), or withhold approval of Animal Subjects and Breeding Colony protocols. It also tracks the housing and breeding of animals and information about the research personnel involved in the care and use of research animals.
Highlights
- Handles highly sensitive data regarding well over 20,000 protocols and over 2,000 users with high security.
- Allows investigators to create, submit and manage their Animal Subjects and Breeding Colony protocols via web browser.
- Includes submission of the Tissue Sharing Form for the sharing of animal tissues between investigators, which is encouraged by the ARC to minimize the number of animals used.
- Shares data with DLAM in order to facilitate tracking of animal housing.
For More Information
Contact the Research Safety and Animal Welfare Administration office at arc@research.ucla.edu or 310-206-6308.
Overview
SafetyNet is the online management system for the UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), a faculty committee responsible for establishing, monitoring and enforcing policies and procedures involving hazardous biological materials and recombinant/synthetic nucleic acids to meet applicable federal, state, local and institutional regulations and guidelines. SafetyNet facilitates and enhances the review and approval process for researchers that use the following materials:
- Recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid molecules, as covered by the NIH Guidelines
- Infectious agents that can cause disease in healthy humans and/or significant environmental or agricultural impacts, as covered by the BMBL
- Select agents and select toxins, as covered by the CDC DSAT regulations
- Human and nonhuman primate materials, as covered by the Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
- Genetically-modified animals and whole plants, as covered by the NIH Guidelines
Highlights
- SafetyNet supports a paperless review process from creation of a biological use authorization (BUA), through review, approval and subsequent amendments and continuing reviews.
- The SafetyNet application is a SmartForm, which expands to capture information relevant to the materials being used.
- SafetyNet serves as an electronic filing system for laboratory SOPs, exposure control plans and other related documentation.
- Status of applications is easily tracked in the individual BUA workspace.
- SafetyNet sends automatic reminders to PIs and designated contacts when responses are due and BUA expiration is approaching.
- SafetyNet is built on the same vendor platform as webIRB and eDGE, presenting users with a familiar interface.
For More Information
Contact ibc@research.ucla.edu.
Overview
The electronic Disclosure Gateway (eDGE) facilitates UCLA’s compliance with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) regulations on Promoting Objectivity in Research. These conflict of interest (COI) rules require the Principal Investigator and all others who share responsibility for the design, conduct or reporting of PHS-supported research to disclose Significant Financial Interests (SFIs) that meet PHS definitions and thresholds.
Highlights
- eDGE is a secure, web-based compliance system that allows investigators to submit and update disclosures of SFIs to UCLA electronically.
- Maintains records of SFIs disclosed under the PHS COI regulations.
- Sends automatic reminders to investigators at 90, 60 and 30 days to ensure SFIs are updated annually.
- Includes an Investigator Briefing that users must complete once every four years in order to meet PHS training requirements.
For More Information
Contact the RPC Help Desk at rpchelp@research.ucla.edu