UFIRST Updates
UFIRST grants proposal system goes live this month
This month, UF will launch the first phase of UFIRST—the University of Florida Integrated Research Support Tool—with the implementation of a new proposal routing system. Beginning March 23, all proposals for sponsored funding will be required to be routed through UFIRST.
Designed to significantly improve the way the Office of Research administers research, from proposals through awards, UFIRST will streamline workflow processes and improve transparency, tracking and reporting. Subsequent phases of UFIRST’s implementation will occur in the fall of 2015, when UFIRST submission to grants.gov will replace the use of Cayuse, and the spring of 2016, when a new awards system will be introduced.
Departments that currently use myUFL Proposal Express and anticipate submitting proposals between Friday, March 13, and Friday, March 20, should have all electronic routing completed by March 12. Any proposals initiated between March 13 and March 20 must use the paper DSP-1. All proposals routed after March 20 will be required to use UFIRST.
Training and security requirements
Research administrators who support proposal development, submission and management on behalf of their departments will need to complete a new training course, RSH280: UFIRST Proposals & Agreements. To register, login to myTraining and search for course code RSH280.
In addition to completing RSH280, grants administrators requiring access to UFIRST should have completed the following courses:
- RSH220 Effort Fundamentals
- RSH230 Effort Management
- RSH260 Cost Principles
Please note that all four of these courses will also be required to maintain the UF_GM_Proposal role in the myUFL system. Anyone who currently has the UF_GM_Proposal role but does not complete training by May 31, 2015, will forfeit this role.
Introducing Grants Workflow Administrators
With the implementation of UFIRST, a new “Grants Workflow Administrator” (GWA) role has also been introduced. Individuals with this role are designated by the dean for research or director of each major unit and approved by the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP). Individuals who fulfill this role on behalf of their dean or director are responsible for linking grants administrators and grants approvers to the units they manage. For a list of Grants Workflow Administrators, please see the UFIRST section of the Office of Research’s website. Units not listed on this site will be supported by DSP. Please contact Kelly Jacoby at kajcoby@ufl.edu or (352) 392-5991 for more information.
Employees hired after March 23 who serve in research administrator capacities for their departments should complete all necessary training. Upon successful completion of the four required courses, employees may request both the UF_GM_Proposal role as well as UFIRST Grants Administrator access by submitting a request to their unit’s Department Security Administrator, who will forward requests to either the unit’s GWA or the Division of Sponsored Programs for approval.
For more information about UFIRST—including frequently asked questions, training information and a project timeline—please visit the UFIRST website. If you have questions or concerns, please email ufirst@research.ufl.edu.
