Announcement: On March 19, 2026, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published new guidance in the NIH Extramural Nexus outlining the required and optional components of a Collaborative International Research Project (PF5) application. The article provides clarification on what must be included in each section of the application and highlights common areas that require careful attention during proposal preparation. The guidance includes a […]
MicroLearning Monday – Service vs. Research at USC: Understanding Service Agreements
Welcome back to MicroLearning Mondays, our biweekly series of bite-sized research administration trainings brought to you by the Department of Contracts and Grants. This week’s topic: Service vs. Research at USC: Understanding Service Agreements Why It Matters: Service Agreements fall outside USC’s sponsored singtoto research framework and must be properly classified and managed to ensure compliance, protect intellectual […]
NIH Security Best Practices for Users of NIH Controlled Access Data Repositories (CADRs)
Announcement: Effective February 25, 2026, all downloads of data from NIH designated Controlled-Access Data Repositories (CADR), must meet a set of stringent cybersecurity standards found in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800.171. These cybersecurity standards, which were first applied to NIH genomic repositories beginning in January 2025, now extend to all […]
MicroLearning Monday – ClinicalTrials.gov at USC: Registration, Reporting & Responsibilities
Welcome back to MicroLearning Mondays, our biweekly series of bite-sized research administration trainings brought to you by the Department of Contracts and Grants. This week’s topic: ClinicalTrials.gov at USC: Registration, Reporting & Responsibilities Why It Matters: ClinicalTrials.gov registration and reporting are federal requirements for many clinical trials involving human participants. Failure to properly register studies, update records, or […]
NIH RPPR Update – Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) Certification Now Required
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has implemented a new requirement in all RPPR’s requiring all Senior/Key Personnel to upload a signed certification confirming that they are not participating in a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) at the time of submission. To assist the USC research community with this new requirement, the Department of Contracts and […]
Enhancements to Final Report Tracking Notifications
Automated Final Report Notifications Are Here!To better support timely award closeout, automated notifications for upcoming and outstanding final reports will now be sent to both Principal Investigators (PIs) and Research Administrators (RAs). The reminders — together with the Grants Management Dashboard and Final Report Submission Portal — are designed to provide visibility, advance notice, and added assurance […]