The offices of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and the Vice President for Finance and Budget, with the support of VCU’s senior administration, have updated mandatory training programs in sponsored project compliance and effort certification to increase awareness and accountability and to reduce risk to the university. The inaugural training program began in 2012. New regulations and requirements are addressed in the updated training, which was released in 2016.

All principal investigators are required to complete this training program. Co-investigators are encouraged to complete the program as well. The training program is available on Blackboard and should take approximately one hour to complete.

Mandatory sponsored project and effort reporting training get started guide - use this guide to assist with locating and self-enrolling in the Blackboard training course required for PIs and recommended for co-PIs, in addition to confirming completion.

If you have any problems registering for the course, please send an email to cfshort@vcu.edu.

Once in Blackboard, click on the My Courses tab and select "Mandatory Sponsored Project and Effort Reporting Training." You will need to review the Course Instructions tab and then review the two slide shows, "Managing Your Project" and "ECRT Training for Investigators." Once reviewed, you'll need to take the two associated exams. Scoring 80 on each is passing.

VCU has an obligation to preserve public trust in the integrity and quality of its sponsored projects. Ensuring that our faculty and staff are aware of and comply with federal regulations and university policies strengthens that trust. We appreciate your willingness to participate in this program.

A separate training, Administrator Sponsored Project and Effort Reporting Training, is available for VCU staff involved in sponsored projects or who manage funds in sponsored projects accounts.

To enroll in this program, follow the instructions in the Administrator sponsored project and effort reporting training get started guide or contact Cathy Short, training manager at cfshort@vcu.edu or (804) 628-9230.

Additionally, administrators that are requesting primary or secondary access to the Effort Reporting system (ECRT) will need to first complete the required training, Administrator Sponsored Project and Effort Reporting Training, and then submit an ECRT Access Request Form to Effort Reporting. Instructions regarding the mandatory effort reporting training are located on the University Controller’s Office website as is the ECRT Access Request Form.

VCU has an obligation to preserve public trust in the integrity and quality of its sponsored projects. Ensuring that our faculty and staff are aware of and comply with federal regulations and university policies strengthens that trust. We appreciate your willingness to participate in this program.

The offices of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and the Vice President for Finance and Budget have jointly sponsored the Sponsored Projects Administration Certification Program continuously since 2004/2005. The program, usually offered annually, has certified approximately 445 research administrators. The curriculum has grown to five modules and 27 units and, as a result, the time is right for an overhaul and recalibration. One major goal of the redesign is to create a standalone Introduction to Research Administration module that will be available online. A second goal is to rework the Compliance, Clinical Trial, Financial, Post-Award and Project Management modules for a projected launch of fall 2020. Please contact Cathy Short (cfshort@vcu.edu), training manager, G&C/Division of Sponsored Programs, with any questions.

Grants and contracts accounting training – This training is offered several times a year and is designed for employees with less than one year of experience working with sponsored programs. The session provides those who are new to grant administration an overview of grants and contracts policies and procedures and commonly used Banner forms. Participants must have completed the Banner Basic Navigation course located at blackboard.vcu.edu or other classroom Banner experience. Register via Talent@VCU.

Effort reporting (basic) – This training is designed for effort coordinators with less than one year of experience working with effort and/or ECRT. The session will provide an overview of effort reporting, ECRT and compliance. Register via Talent@VCU.

Effort reporting (intermediate) – This training is designed for effort coordinators with more than one year of experience working with effort and/or ECRT. The session provides a more detailed view of effort reporting, ECRT and compliance. Register via Talent@VCU.

Getting started in research administration guide
This guide summarizes the many training opportunities and online resources offered by Sponsored Programs and Grants and Contracts Accounting. It is designed to acclimate those new to research administration and provides course descriptions, as well as registration instructions.

NIH and the Office of Extramural Research have made podcasts available that feature conversations with NIH staff members. The podcasts are designed for investigators, fellows, students, research administrators and others. The podcasts vary in length (between 10-20 minutes) and relevant subject matter and are updated every other week.

Please visit the "All About Grants" podcast website to download episodes or to subscribe to this service.