APPROVALS
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Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is that portion of a project or program costs that is not funded by the sponsor. Cost sharing can either be imposed by a sponsor as a condition of the sponsored award, or in very rare circumstances, can be volunteered on the part of the University of New Mexico to demonstrate the commitment to a project. Terminology used by individual funding agencies vary, and can include cost sharing, matching funds, institutional commitment, or in-kind contributions. In any case, federal accounting requirements state that all such costs must be documented in the University’s records. Service centers can only be used for cost share purposes if the rates have been approved in advance by the UNM Controller’s Office or HSC Financial Services. 

UNM’s policy is to assume a cost sharing commitment only when required by the sponsor or by the competitive nature of the award and to cost share only to the extent necessary to meet specific circumstances. The National Science Foundation has issued guidance to their program managers and proposal reviewers that cost sharing in excess of the amount specifically stated in the program guidelines cannot be a consideration when determining the relative merits of a proposal. This alleviates the pressure put on the investigator and institution trying to make a proposal more favorable by committing more institutional resources.

Proposals with cost sharing must include a completed Cost Share Commitment form along with the PDS or HSC Award Budget Sheet (for cost share amount). The form requires disclosing all sources of funding for the cost sharing and the authorized signatures for the accounts being committed. Only in rare circumstances can restricted funds be used for cost sharing. Third party cost sharing commitments must be documented with a signed letter of commitment from the authorized signator of the organization. UNM policy is available at the OVPRED web site http://research.unm.edu in the Policies & Procedures section or from the HSC Pre-Award web site http://hsc.unm.edu/financialservices/preaward.

 

Space Allocation Committee

Any need for new or additional space required to fulfill the statement of work as proposed must be discussed and approved in advance of proposal submission to the funding agency. Commitments cannot be made for space not assigned to the researcher without full approval from all necessary levels, which include the department chair, dean and/or director, and in some cases the UNM Space Allocation Committee.

 

Protections of Human Subjects Used in Research

The University complies with the US Department of Health and Human Service, Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and other federal requirements for the review of research involving human subjects. Research involving human subjects must comply whether or not it is federally sponsored (such as by Public Health Service, NIH, NSF). Research protocols by researchers from Main or branch campuses are reviewed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) that involve research in the areas of social, behavioral, or educational research.  Proposed research in the medical sciences that involve aspects that are invasive or of a clinical nature must be reviewed by the Human Research Review Committee (HRRC) for the Health Sciences Center (HSC).  Protocol approvals are valid for up to 1 year after approval. Ongoing research must be reviewed by the appropriate institutional review board annually or if there are any modifications to the approved protocol. In all cases, research involving human subjects cannot begin until the protocol is approved in writing by the IRB.  Investigators using human subjects in their research are strongly encouraged to contact the IRB staff at any time to resolve issues or to clarify investigator responsibilities. More information is available at the Office of Research Compliance web site http://research.unm.edu/recs or the HSC HRRC web site http://hsc.unm.edu/som/research/HRRC.

 

Animals Used in Research, Teaching, or Display

Use of animals in research, display, or in the classroom is regulated by numerous Federal and University policy documents (Faculty Handbook) including the Animal Welfare Act, the Public Health Service Policy, and New Mexico Animal Cruelty laws (see Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, OLAW, at the National Institutes of Health; NIH). If the use of animals is part of a proposed project (teaching, sponsored, or unsponsored), the protocol must be reviewed by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Two IACUCs function to review protocols generated by the Health Sciences Center (HSC IACUC) and Main and branch campuses (Main IACUC). The Committee reviews proposed projects and procedures to ensure compliance with the standards set forth in the Animal Welfare Act following the guidance set by The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, revised 1996, ISBN 0-309-05377-3) and the NIH Principles of Use of Animals. In all cases, research cannot begin until protocol is approved in writing by the IACUC. Protocols need to be renewed every third year or if there are any changes to the approved protocol. Minor changes in procedures, numbers, or other aspects of the research project can modify an approved protocol by submitting an amendment to the IACUC for review and approval. Investigators are encouraged to work with both the IACUC and with the Campus Veterinarian to resolve any issues and to develop a strong team for the ethical and responsible use of animals in research. For more information please visit http://hsc.unm.edu/som/research/acc.

Recombinant DNA Molecules

The US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules specifies practices for constructing and handling recombinant DNA molecules and organisms and viruses containing recombinant DNA molecules. Copies of these guidelines may be obtained from the OVPRED web site http://research.unm.edu. The most recent version of the NIH Guidelines can also be found on the American Biological Safety Association’s web site at http://www.absa.org, on the UNM Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs (SHEA) department web site, http://shea.unm.edu, and from the NIH. Researchers who perform sponsored or unsponsored research at UNM are required to comply with the federal guidelines. Research involving recombinant DNA molecules must be registered with the UNM Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) indicating compliance with the containment requirements specified in the guidelines. The IBC is required to maintain records of recombinant DNA research conducted at UNM to be available to the funding agency upon request. For registration, a form entitled “Project Review Forms for Research Involving Recombinant DNA” is available at the SHEA web site http://shea.unm.edu. Research proposals for new or renewal awards that involve the use of recombinant DNA molecules must indicate this on the Proposal Data Sheet. Principal investigators must report the following to the sponsor agencies and the IBC: technical information related to risks and safety procedures; serious laboratory accidents involving recombinant DNA material; serious laboratory-related illness of the laboratory worker; and safety problems. Contact UNM Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs at 277-2753 for additional information regarding the UNM IBC.

Select Agents

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standard Additional Requirements for Facilities Transferring or Receiving Select Agents requires that select agents shipped or received at UNM be registered with the CDC. PIs that will ship or receive these agents must contact the UNM Institutional Biosafety Committee prior to transfer. A list of select agents can be found in UNM Biosafety Program on the SHEA web site http://shea.unm.edu, or in the UNM Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs Manual, Section 3.01.

Other Biohazardous Agents

The UNM Institutional Biosafety Committee maintains a database of all users of biohazards (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.) at UNM. PIs must provide the Biosafety Committee with information about the biohazards used in the laboratory for inclusion into this database. PIs can provide this information via phone (277-2753) or by filling out the Request for Information form located at http://shea.unm.edu, provided in the UNM Biosafety Program.

Hazardous Chemicals

The Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs (SHEA) manages all regulated waste at UNM. Waste disposal programs are described in the SHEA Manual and on the SHEA web site http://shea.unm.edu.

 

Other

There may be other approvals needed depending on the scope of the project, the faculty involved or specific requirements of individual colleges, schools, units, or the funding agency. These may be identified by reviewing the proposal and the agency guidelines with the department/unit administrator.