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#CategoryQuestionAnswer
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1GeneralAre there examples of Other Support documents I can use as a guide?Review the Other Support Template and the Common Other Support Examples documents on the NIH-Other Support Reporting webpage .
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2GeneralHow do you define "international entity"? Are domestic affiliates of non-US companies "international"?An international entity is one located outside of the United States (US). "International" in this context does not refer to an entity that does business internationally, but rather an entity that is formed outside the United States. If an investigator signs a contract/agreement with a US subsidiary of an international "parent" company, the US subsidiary is not considered an international entity.
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3General
What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?		How do I determine if an outside activty disclosed through M-Inform also needs to be reported as Other Support?See the Other Support, Biosketch, and M-Inform Disclosure Matrix for additional details.
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4GeneralWhat are the consequences of failing to report a source of Other Support or of inadequate reporting?False, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims (including omissions) to federal sponsors may result in criminal or civil actions. Violations of U-M policies may result in University administrative or disciplinary actions, up to and including termination of employment for non-compliance.
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5GeneralWho should I contact for assistance in understanding how to comply with policy, regulation, or generally need support in understanding disclosure requirements?Contact Other.Support.Questions@umich.edu for questions regarding sponsor documentation. Contact COI.Support@umich.edu for outside activity disclosure assistance.
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6General
Effort/Person Months		As a U-Year faculty, what are U-M 's and federal agencies expectations for reporting activities conducted during my "free time?"Per the U-M Standard Practice Guide (SPG) 201.65-1, "Faculty and staff members with 50% or more appointments owe their primary professional commitment to the University of Michigan. Accordingly, a commensurate commitment of time and intellectual energy should be used to support and enhance the mission of the University. Other part-time faculty and staff members owe time and effort commitments to the University commensurate with their appointments." Additionally, federal agencies require disclosure of outside activities for potential conflicts of interest or commitment.
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7Appointments
Biosketch		I have a 9-month appointment at U-M. I spend two months at another institution during the summer conducting research under an award to that institution. Should I report this appointment in my Biosketch and as research in my Other Support?Yes. Please see the Other Support Template and Common Other Support Examples document for guidance on how to report this Other Support.

Note, time spent in academic or research endeavors at another university also should be reported in M- nform. Start-up funding, salary (if applicable), etc. from the other university should be included in the value reported. Visit the Outside Interest Disclosure Process webpage for additional information.

Note, any active appointments, regardless of location, whether paid or unpaid, voluntary, honorary, adjunct, etc., must be included in an investigator’s Biosketch.
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8Appointments
Biosketch		Should VA (Veterans Affairs) appointments be included in the Biosketch?Any active appointments must be included an investigator's Biosketch (including VA appointments).
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9Appointments
In-kind Resources		Should VA (Veterans Affairs) or other appointments and/or resources be included in Other Support documentation?An appointment by itself would not be an entry in the Other Support document (although it would appear on the Biosketch). However, active/pending projects that result from a non-U-M appointment must be included in Other Support. In this case, the non-UM appointment information acts as detail for the entry of the active/pending project.

In addition, any non-monetary resources (e.g., space, equipment, personnel) that result from the non-U-M appointment that are actively being used in relation to any of an investigator's research endeavors should be included as “in-kind” resources in Other Support. Again, the appointment information would be detail for the resource entry.

Note: Any non-monetary resources being used in the proposed project should be included in the Facilities, Equipment, or Resources section of the application rather than in Other Support.

See Common Other Support Examples.

Note: Any appointment at another university, even if unpaid, should be reported in M-Inform. Start-up funding as well as salary, should be included in the value reported.

Note: Any active appointments must be included an investigator's Biosketch (including VA appointments).
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10ConsultingWhat types of external consulting activity need to be included as Other Support?U-M's current interpretation is that for external consulting activity to be included in Other Support, it must:
a) involve the design, conduct, or reporting of research, and
b) current or ongoing, and
c) contributes tangible work to research.

Examples include:
-- Developing a research protocol
-- Analyzing data from a research project
-- Serving on a steering committee for a project
-- Work that results in publication of the research (i.e., in an academic journal, at conferences, etc.) such that your contribution is cited in the publication.

High-level activity, such as a one-time phone conference to discuss the feasibility of a research concept or to provide subject matter expertise, is not considered an activity that needs to be reported as Other Support.

When in doubt, U-M advises that you disclose consulting activity.
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11ConsultingI am coordinating PI for multiple multicenter international clinical trials funded by Pharma. I also have an external consulting agreement for the same Pharma company. How do I report these activities in Other Support?Include the clinical trial as a project in Other Support.
If the outside consulting involves the design, conduct, or reporting of research, it should also be included in Other Support as a separate entry.
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12Consulting
Subawards/Subcontracts
Other Support Data Entry		Do I need to report consulting on an award or subaward to U-M as Other Support?Yes, regardless of whether it's paid or unpaid. However, the information included in Other Support varies slightly depending on whether the consulting is for a direct award to U-M versus a subaward. For a subaward, the Project Number and PD/PI Name should reflect the overall project, while all the other information provided should reflect the work conducted through the U-M subaward.
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13Consulting
Other Support Data Entry
For an external consulting activity that is research-related but not associated with my U-M appointment, what value should I enter for “Person Months (Calendar/Academic/Summer) per budget period” on the NIH Other Support template?If the consulting activity is independent of an investigator's U-M appointment, then list effort as zero person months. However, the Other Support entry should still include the dollar amount for the consulting activity. See Common Other Support Examples.
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14Consulting
Other Support Data Entry
To report a research-related external consulting activity, do I need to include the total cost of a non-UM award?Yes. For consulting related to a specific non-U-M research project, include the total dollar amount for the project in Other Support.

To report non-project-specific consulting, enter the dollar amount for the investigator's consulting activity.
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15Effort/Person Months
Other Support Data Entry		Do I need to report as Other Support grants or contracts where I may be Co-Investigator (CO-I) but have no effort?Yes. Serving as Co-Investigator on a grant or contract would be part of your research endeavors and need to be listed in other support (regardless of effort). For minimal or no specified effort, enter "0.01" person months.
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16Effort/Person Months
Other Support Data Entry		For the person month table, do we exclude budget years that have expired?Yes – exclude budget years that have expired.
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17In-kind Resources
What is considered "in-kind" support?In-kind (i.e., non-monetary) resources that meet all the following criteria:
- Are not publicly/widely available, and
- Were provided by a non-UM entity (either domestic or foreign), and
- Were provided in the past three years, and
- Are not being used on the proposed project, and
- Aside from the proposed project, are being actively used in support of any of an investigator’s other research endeavors.

In-kind resources include, but are not limited to:
- Personnel (e.g., visiting scholars, visiting students, supported by a non-UM entity)
- Space
- Equipment
- Materials
- Supplies

Note: In-kind resources intended for use on the proposed project should be included as part of the 'Facilities and Other Resources' or 'Equipment' section of the application and not 'Other Support'
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18In-Kind ResourcesAs the principal investigator on a federally sponsored project, do I list the other investigators who are participating on the project as in-kind support in my Other Support documentation?No. Assuming that the other participating investigators are listed on the project in some way (e.g., as senior/key personnel or in the Statement of Work), the PI would not report those investigators as an in-kind resource on their own Other Support documentation. Instead, those investigators would list the sponsored project on their own submissions of Other Support documentation.
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19In-kind Resources
Do we have to list equipment as Other Support?If the equipment is being used in the proposed project, it should be included in the ‘Equipment’ section of the proposal.
If the equipment is not being used in the proposed project, and it meets the criteria of in-kind support, then it should be included in Other Support documents.
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20In-kind Resources
Is there a threshold value at which I have to report an in-kind resource in Other Support?No, regardless of the value, if the in-kind resource meets these criteria, it should be reported in Other Support.
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21In-kind Resources
Other Support Data Entry
What if the dollar value of an in-kind resource is not readily ascertainable? Is $0 acceptable?
If the dollar value is not readily ascertainable, reasonable estimates should be provided. A zero dollar amount is not acceptable.
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22In-kind ResourcesA visitor (student/post-doc, professor/scholar) is working in my lab and participating in my research. They have funding from their home university to cover expenses and are not associated with U-M in any other way. I will not receive any external funds related to their visit. Does this need to be reported as Other Support? If the visitor is made available at no cost to U-M to support any of the U-M investigator’s research endeavors, they are considered an in-kind resource and must be included in the Other Support document.

If the visitor will be working on the proposed project, and are not a budgeted resource, then they should be included in the Facilities and Other Resources section of the proposal application.

See Common Other Support Examples.
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23In-kind Resources
What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?		Do faculty members mentoring trainees (e.g., postdocs, grad students) need to include the trainees as a type of Other Support?Yes, if the trainee is supported by a non-U-M entity (e.g., their home institution), and the trainee is contributing to any of the U-M faculty member's research endeavors, then the U-M faculty member would need to include the trainee as a type of "in-kind" resource on their Other Support document.

Do not include the trainee as an in-kind resource on the U-M faculty member's Other Support document if the trainee is supported solely through funds that are routed through U-M (including federal grants/awards).
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24Other Support Data EntryShould the proposed project be included as Other Support (i.e., as a "Pending" project)?Yes. The project being proposed should be included in the Other Support document at JIT as a project with a status of "Pending."
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25Other Support Data EntryFor the “Primary Place of Performance” if we are a sub-award under a parent award, is the Primary Place of Performance Michigan or the parent organization?University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

For subprojects, recipients should provide the project number and PD/PI name for the overall project. All other information, including total award amount and person months, for the subproject only.
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26Other Support Data Entry
Subawards/Subcontracts		In the case where U-M is the subrecipient on an NIH award, should we name the direct sponsor as the "Source of Support" or should it be NIH (the prime sponsor)?The researcher should provide the project number and PD/PI name for the prime award. All other information, including the total award amount and person months, should be specific to the subaward.
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27Other Support Data Entry
Template		On the Other Support template, should we list the below sections, if applicable, following the "In-Kind Section" or after Overlap?
-- Foreign Collaborations/Foreign Components
-- Visiting Faculty/Scholars/Scientist/Postdoc/Students Supported by Funds Not Managed by UM
-- Materials that are not freely Available to Others
-- Appointment/Affiliations

NIH’s new template does not specifically call out these items as separate sections, however, the information contained in these sections may still need to be included in either the "Projects" or "In-Kind" sections of the revised Other Support template.

For example, any active visiting faculty/scholars/scientists, etc. that you would have included in the old format should now be included in the “In-Kind Contributions” section of the Other Support document, as should any active “Materials that are not freely available to others.”

Any active “Appointments/Affiliations” that you would have included in the old Other Support format should likely appear in the investigator’s Biosketch.
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28Other Support Data Entry
Template		What do I enter on the Other Support documentation when I don't have any overlap of the science, budget, or committed effort?If there is no overlap, you can simply state: “None of the active/pending projects listed above represents an overlap of science, budget, or committed effort.”
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29Signing Other SupportWhat signature format is acceptable for Other Support?A digital signature is required, using an electronic signature software application. The University recommends using the SignNow application.

-- A scanned copy of an ink signature is NOT acceptable.

-- A typed name name of an investigator is NOT acceptable.

-- A .jpg, .png. or other type of image of an investigator's signature is NOT acceptable.

For SignNow guidance see:
-- ITS quick reference guide
-- Michigan Medicine quick reference guide
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30Signing Other SupportCan I use Adobe to electronically sign my Other Support documentation?Yes, but with qualifications. Use Adobe’s Prepare Agreement option under the Sign menu and the Insert Digital Signature function to ensure the required audit trail is assigned.

Do not use Adobe’s “Fill & Sign” or the “Sign Yourself” options.

NIH requires that “[a]pplicants and recipients maintain supporting documentation to reasonably authenticate that the appropriate individual signed the form.” “Supporting documentation” is interpreted to mean an audit trail associated with each instance of an electronic signature.

Adobe stores the signature and PDF file locally (e.g., computer drive). The individual is responsible for locating and providing the supporting documentation upon request from NIH or others.

SignNow is U-M’s supported software for applying e-signatures to PDF documentation. As a centralized application, all the supporting documentation would be available through SignNow.
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31What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?Should my U-M startup support be reported as Other Support?While your U-M startup support in and of itself does not need to be reported as Other Support, organized research projects supported by the startup funds do need to be included.
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32What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?Should U-M gifts be reported as Other Support?While U-M gifts in and of themselves are not included in Other Support, organized research projects supported by a gift do need to be included.
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33What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?Do we report endowment funds as Other Support?No, U-M endowed funds do not need to be reported as Other Support.
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34What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?Should U-M funds used for covering the NIH salary cap be reported as Other Support?No.
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35What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?Our NIH-funded center provides "seed" grants for early-stage projects. These projects do not allow PI effort but they do support the investigator’s research. Should these seed grants be reported as Other Support?Yes, the seed grant PI needs to report the seed grant as Other Support. The presence or absence of committed effort on the part of the senior/key person is not determinative in whether a grant should be included in Other Support.
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36What activites/resouces should be included in Other Support?If a postdoc in my lab is supported by a federally-sponsored training grant, is that considered Other Support?No. Training awards from federal agencies are excluded from the definition of Other Support.
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37What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?Do I need to report speaking engagements and honoraria as Other Support?The speaking engagement and honorarium need to be disclosed in M-Inform as an outside activity, however, they do not need to be disclosed in Other Support.
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38What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?Do I need to report the review of a research center in another country as Other Support?If the University is paying you to perform this activity as part of your U-M responsibilities, then nothing needs to be disclosed.
However, if you are performing this activity outside your U-M role, then it needs to be disclosed in M-Inform. In addition, if the external review involves the design, conduct, or reporting of research, it needs to be included in your Other Support document.
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39What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?Do I need to report a review of a research proposal from another country where I receive some sort of payment or honorarium as Other Support?This proposal review and the payment/honorarium need to be disclosed in M-Inform, as an outside activity. They do not need to be reported as Other Support.
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40What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?Does serving as an editor for journal that is based in another country need to be reported as Other Support? This activity needs to be disclosed in M-Inform, as an outside activity. It does not need to be reported as Other Support. This is true regardless of the location of the journal's publisher.
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41What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?I periodically travel to another country for short periods to teach a medical procedure at an academic institute, without research being involved. Do these trips need to be included in Other Support?No. Since the activity does not involve the design, conduct, and reporting of research, it does not need to be reported as Other Support.

However, these activities should be disclosed in M-Inform.
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42What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?Do I need to include K (career-development) awards on my Other Support document?Yes, when you are the career-development recipient. If you are serving as a mentor without specified effort, it does not need to be included in your Other Support.
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43What activities/resources should be included in Other Support?If I'm working on another project (e.g., R01) and my effort is paid by a K award, do I need to list the R01 on my Other Support?Any projects that are fostered through a K award (e.g., the R01) need to be included in your Other Support document with a notation for the effort listed such as "this project is running concurrently with [K award ID number].
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44RPPRDo I need to submit complete Other Support for investigators at RPPR?Yes, but only if any of the investigators' active support has changed. In that case, submit complete Other Support, including both active and pending sources of support and any supporting documents. Investigators do not need to submit Other Support at RPPR if the only thing that has changed is their pending support.
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45RPPRDo I submit Other Support for new investigators being added at RPPR?Yes. Submit complete Other Support including active and pending sources of support and any required supporting documentation.
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