Administration of Research Funds
Funds administered for research projects are managed separately from funds administered for education projects. Funds received by PVARF for support of research cannot be allocated to educational activities unless the donor has made no restrictions on the use of the funds or has provided specific permission for reallocation of the funds.
Likewise, funds received for support of education can be reallocated for support of research only under the same conditions. Research and education funds will be kept in separate internal accounts.
Principal Investigators
PVARF uses the term Principal Investigator to designate the individual who has overall authority and responsibility for conducting a research or education project. PVARF uses the term Principal Investigator (PI) to designate the individual who has overall authority and responsibility for conducting a research or education project. The PI for each project/activity must hold a VA appointment and also must be the same person who is named in the approval granted the project by the applicable committee or Education Committee.
Grant Submission
PVARF can submit grants to all government entities. In order to submit a grant to an outside sponsor (including voluntary health organizations, other nonprofits, federal agencies or corporate sponsors), please review the Grant Proposal Guidelines for details. When deciding on who to submit your grant through, the general rule is that the institution where the majority of the work is being conducted should submit the application. If more than 50% of the work is being completed on VA property, the grant should be submitted through PVARF.
For investigator-initiated projects obtaining corporate support, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) must be established by PVARF, the corporate partner, and VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS).
For more information on submitting a grant through PVARF, contact our grant specialist.
Project Approval
Such committees and subcommittees may include the Research & Development Committee, Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects (IRB), Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Subcommittee on Research Safety (SRS).
In order to open a project at the PVARF, a PI must complete a New Account Request form and submit it to the Executive Director (ED). The New Account Request form identifies all individuals who have signature authority for requesting disbursements from the account. It also allows the PI to specify the research activities that will be supported by the account.
The ED will forward the Account Request Form to the Research Service administrative office to confirm the presence of an active, approved research or education project, sign the form, and forward it to the PVARF.
Upon request and approval from the appropriate PI, PVARF will pay personnel from the appropriate research or education account fund. There is no restriction on how many accounts an investigator may have. A separate account will be opened for each active research project.
Income Statements
Project Income Statements will be sent to the account holder on a monthly basis. The statement provides activity for the current month, and YTD activity.
You will be notified if you have an employee on your account and your account balance is below $2,000.
Study Closeout
A project account should not be closed in PVARF prematurely. When the project is completed and all expenditures have been made including for publication costs, the member should inform PVARF to close the account.
Generally, this occurs at the same time as the project is removed from the R&D list of approved projects. For grants that require final reports to the sponsor, the project will not be closed until the final report has been submitted and accepted by the grantor.
Unexpended funds
Most granting agencies will require the return of all unencumbered or unexpended funds. However, requests for no-cost extensions are usually allowed if the appropriate scientific rationale is provided. This allows an extension of the grant period and continued use of the project funds.
Due dates
Sponsors may require requests for no-cost extensions to be received prior to the end of the expiration date of the project. Due dates may vary depending on the sponsor.
Residual funds
If residual funds remain after completion of the project, all expenses have been paid, and there is no requirement by the sponsor to return unexpended funds, these monies may be transferred to a general-purpose research account. The funds may be used for general research or education expenditures within Board-approved policies