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: Your Guide to DCG – Roles, Resources, and Support Why It Matters: The Department of Contracts and Grants (DCG) is USC’s central office guiding the full lifecycle of sponsored research. From proposal submission and […]
Announcements
NIH Releases Implementation Plan to Drive Gold Standard Science
As directed under the Executive Order (EO) on Restoring Gold Standard Science and Agency Guidance for Implementing Gold Standard Science in the Conduct and Management of Scientific Activities, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the release of its first comprehensive plan to embed gold standard science across all research and agency activities. This initiative builds on NIH’s longstanding […]
MicroLearning Monday – Navigating Award Closeout
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: Navigating Award Closeout Why It Matters: Award closeout is the final step in the life of a sponsored project and it’s more than just tying up loose ends. Proper closeout ensures that […]
New Executive Order Impacting Federal Grant Making
On August 7, President Trump signed a new Executive Order (EO) titled Improving Oversight of Federal Grant Making. This EO introduces changes to how federal agencies review and approve new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) and discretionary grant awards, calls for updates to the Uniform Guidance to revise termination and facilities & administrative (F&A) provisions, and mandates […]
Update! No-Cost Extension Functionality in eRA
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that the one-time, one-year No-Cost Extension (NCE) option has been reactivated. This option allows eligible Principal Investigators to extend the final budget period of their project by up to 12 months, without requesting additional funds, in order to complete the originally approved scope of work. Why This Matters: This change […]
NIH Research Security Training
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued NOT-OD-25-133, outlining a new research security training requirement for all Senior/Key Personnel. This includes the requirement to disclose all research activities and affiliations (active and pending) in Other Support (see Other Support Form). These changes impact all NIH-funded proposals and awards and are effective October 1, 2025. Note, if you also […]