This award provide funds for the National Academy of Sciences? Government University Industry Research Roundtable to support activities of the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), an ongoing cooperative initiative among university research administrators, faculty and federal agency representatives. FDP, which currently consists of representatives from 120 academic institutions, nine federal agencies and five professional societies, offers a forum for members to improve the national research enterprise by its efforts to streamline and standardize research administration policies and procedures. During the current phase, FDP will develop targeted demonstrations that address and provide guidance for several activities such as: modifying regulations involving effort reporting that correspond with the Office of Management and Budget circulars, developing a government-wide professional profile, identifying opportunities to share administrative infrastructure among categories of research institutions, and continuing efforts to reduce faculty time utilized on research-related administration. The organization continues to improve the relationship between federal agencies and the research community, ensuring the efficiency and integrity of STEM administration.
The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), currently in Phase V, is a unique cooperative initiative among 10 federal agencies and 119 organizations (universities, hospitals, and independent research organizations) that are institutional recipients of federal funds. Its goal is to increase research productivity by streamlining the administrative processes for research while maintaining effective stewardship of federal funds. The FDP’s thrice annual meetings held in Washington, DC are the glue that holds its members together, gathering the grantees, grantors, and scientists doing the work all in the same room to seek common ground and establish reasoned approaches that are least burdensome for all parties. However, it is the intense level of work that goes on between meetings that is the source of FDP’s success in advancing and institutionalizing change. One important project has been the implementation of recommendations that came out of a 2005 Faculty Workload Survey, where findings indicated that 42% of an American scientist’s research time is spent on administrative tasks. Much of that time was attributed to redundant reporting and assurance requirements that vary across granting agencies and universities. The FDP survey was repeated in 2012 with over 13,000 respondents -- a 26% response rate. It has yielded similar findings but with notable changes in primary research fields. Once the data have been fully reviewed and evaluated, the FDP will be able to share a better picture of present day work demands. As follow-up, a Joint Application Design (JAD) team was created to assist in the development of the Grants.gov system and identify issues from the applicant perspective. The FDP also created an ARRA Task Force, providing assistance to universities in responding to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, and it analyzed data from another survey conducted of its members (100 research institutions responded) that looked at how resources were allocated to perform the work required by ARRA. The survey found that ARRA requirements added approximately $8,000 to the administrative costs of each award. An executive summary has been issued and is accessible on the FDP website (www.thefdp.org). Another important initiative during the award period was the development of a STAR METRICS pilot project. An acronym for "Science and Technology in America's Reinvestment: Measuring the Effects of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science", STAR METRICS is aimed at determining the economic effect of federal investment in the American research enterprise (e.g., jobs created) and also capturing the long-term impact of science investments that go beyond job generation. As part of a companion effort, FDP is also assisting in the development of a researcher profile (ScienCV) as spearheaded by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. A review of parental and family leave policies for research trainees was also conducted, resulting in a detailed report that is posted on the FDP website. This project has newly expanded to focus on broadening participation in STEM fields, particularly looking at graduate and post graduate training. Other FDP projects include: streamlining A-133 audit compliance; development (ongoing) of an online wizard to help researchers determine whether their research is exempt for Institutional Review Board (IRB) review; and a demonstration/pilot involving four FDP member universities and working with the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Health and Human Services to explore alternate mechanisms for certifying researchers’ efforts on federally funded research grants. Additionally, the Troublesome Clauses system has been streamlined for more efficient use. This system tracks the insertion of terms and conditions into research grants and contracts that are problematic for research institutions. With the implementation of the new Public Health Service financial conflict of interest rule, the FDP has created an online database for organizations to register that they are fully compliant with the new rules and have the appropriate policies in place. This provides an easy avenue for research organizations to verify the compliance status of their sub recipients. The FDP subaward templates were also updated to include language for the conflict of interest and other requirements. The system is open to all organizations that wish to participate, not just FDP members. Indeed, the FDP website offers many resources that all research institutions can draw on for informing institutional practices with respect to research administration. The reports developed by the Faculty Committee, in particular, have focused on amplifying the understanding of challenges faced by new investigators and members of underrepresented groups. Fourteen Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) currently participate in the FDP. Their representatives actively convene as a group at each of the three annual meetings, and annual member fees are waived for these schools. The FDP operates within the National Academies and its Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR). GUIRR provides management support for FDP through an agreement with a consortium of federal agencies, but the Partnership operates as a semi-autonomous activity.
