RAMP Grants has entered its fourth month. More than 600 Funding Proposals have been created!

The Grants module offers system-to-system proposal submission capability that connects with Grants.gov, and it integrates with the RAMP Agreements and RAMP IRB modules, as well as OMNI. As previously communicated, to assist in the transition to learning a new system (RAMP), a brief period of time was provided where researchers and administrators could utilize non-RAMP systems for submission of proposals. Effective 10/15/20, all proposals supported by RAMP-Grants and Grants.gov will be required to be submitted System to System via RAMP-Grants. The only proposals that may be submitted via specific agency systems, such as ASSIST or Fastlane, will be those that are not supported by RAMP-Grants. To locate the documents that cannot be submitted via RAMP, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/ (click on “Unsupported Documents” in the right-hand navigational menu). Training materials, educational videos, and How-to Guides to assist with the RAMP proposal process are also available on that page. If you have any questions, please check with your SRA Grants Officer to determine whether the solicitation is supported in advance via email to RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu.

If you weren’t able to attend RAMP training in the past, it is not too late to learn what you need to know to successfully navigate RAMP Grants. In addition to the materials noted above on the training page, Virtual “Office Hours” have been scheduled in October to respond to user questions and provide direct software assistance using Zoom screen-share functionality. Registration is required and space may become limited due to screen-sharing considerations (additional sessions will be offered based upon demand). Registration and session times can be found at https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/training/.

REMINDER: The RAMP Grants support email, RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu, is the quickest way to reach the Grants training team for any questions or concerns. Please continue to provide us with your feedback as we continually work to improve the training program. We are dedicated to supporting your efforts to learn and use this robust new system!

Sponsored Guest Access

Sponsored Guest Access is now available in RAMP. Occasionally, there is the need for someone outside FSU to have limited access to RAMP. This occurs most often when FSU is acting as a single IRB (but could occur in other cases). Rather than going through the longer onboarding process that is required and appropriate for individuals who will have an ongoing relationship with FSU, individuals can be provided with limited access to the system. For more information, please visit https://ramp.research.fsu.edu/sponsored-guest/

All requests for a Sponsored Guest must be submitted to the RAMP-Grants@fsu.edu mailbox with the subject: Sponsored Guest Access Request.

The request should contain the following:

1. Guest’s name and Guest’s external email address of fewer than 30 characters (will be used as FSUID)
2. FSU Requestor’s name, department and title. (If this individual is not submitting request, they should be cc’d on request.).
3. The request should also include a very brief description as to the need for the access (i.e., to access IRB protocol when FSU acting as IRB, etc.)
4. The approval of the Associate Dean, Department Chair or designee. (This can be submitted as an attached email approval or they can be cc’d on the email and respond with an “I approve.” The request will not be processed without this approval.)

Once the request has been received, the RAMP Support Director will create the Sponsored Guest Access request in OMNI. The Guest will then receive an email with a link to provide the required information: NAME, HOME ADDRESS COUNTRY, EMAIL ADDRESS CONFIRMATION, DATE OF BIRTH, GENDER and PASSWORD CREATION.

Upon receipt of information from the Guest, the RAMP Support Director will create the account in RAMP and notify the Guest and Requestor that the access is now active.

This process can typically occur within 1-3 days but is dependent upon the Guest providing their information in a timely manner. It is recommended, when possible, to request access approximately two weeks prior to need.

PIs Needed

Starting in December, the RAMP Support Team will be conducting PI Focus Group Meetings to gather information about the RAMP user experience. We are seeking feedback on the value of the training (including ease of access and quality of information provided), Help Desk support quality, and system functionality. These groups will be composed of PIs who are willing to share their opinions as well as an hour of their time to build a better RAMP product for the research community. If you have submitted a proposal in RAMP as a PI and would will willing to provide one hour of your time (via zoom) to participate in a focus group, please email dmullins2@fsu.edu.

Export Controls

RAMP Export Control remains on course to go-live on November 23, 2020. Development of training materials is currently underway as the team prepares to offer How-To Guides, reference materials and virtual trainings via Zoom.

As we prepare to launch RAMP Export Control, you will have the opportunity for a sneak peek of the software this month prior to our training, which will begin in November. We have organized brief testing sessions to guide you through using the Export Control module. Your participation is essential as it will help us identify any critical issues within the system and allow us to gain feedback as we work toward crafting effective training materials for the research community. All individuals are welcome to participate – researchers, department administrators, chairs, deans and directors. Most sessions are only an hour and they have been segmented based on Export Control request types. A guided test script will be provided during these sessions. Following is the testing schedule and Zoom links to join:

In order to join the session(s) that closely align(s) with the Export Control requests initiated by your department, college or center, please refer to the following request type descriptions:

DD Form 2345 – Selected if FSU’s DD Form 2345 is needed: (1) for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) solicitations that involve access to export-controlled data, (2) for conference/meeting attendance with export controlled material/data, (3) for export-controlled technical data exchange between vendors, (4) to obtain Request for Proposal (RFP) details with export-controlled data, (5) for DoD Research/Development projects involving export-controlled data, or (6) to participate in a Directly Arranged Visit (DAV) (Canada to U.S. or U.S. to Canada).

Biologics Access Controls – Requests involving the transfer of biological materials by FSU to another institution, or, in certain cases, materials that may be export controlled under the EAR and in rare cases under the ITAR.

Shipment – Requests for international shipments only. Approval is not required for domestic shipments.

Visitor – Selected for a visiting scholar (paid or unpaid) or short-term visitor to (1) Register a foreign visitor for a stay of 14 days or less, or (2) To request approval to invite a foreign or domestic visitor for a stay of more than 14 days.

Visa – Request to hire a foreign national (international employee).

Other RAMP Activities

Known Issues: While the system is working very well for FSU, as with all implementations, there are a few items that require some adjustment. A list of current technical and user-identified concerns for RAMP Grants is now available as an additional resource on the RAMP project website Known Issues page so users can easily view the status.

New Customizations: Currently, the RAMP Modules support teams are identifying new requirements and FSU customizations to the RAMP system that will enhance the users’ experience and provide better functionalities in some of the Modules. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead.

RAMP System Upgrade: Coming in late Spring 2021, RAMP will be upgrading to the newest Huron Suite Platform that will bring some exciting new features for users as well as the administrative support teams. Information updates will be posted on the RAMP project website as well as included in the monthly Research Newsletter.

For questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

For questions regarding Export Controls, please contact:
Angie Rowe, RAMP Project Manager, at arrowe@fsu.edu
Diana Key, Director of Research Compliance and RAMP Export Control functional lead, at dkey@fsu.edu

All other questions regarding RAMP Support should be directed to:
Dan Mullins, RAMP Support Director, at dmullins2@fsu.edu
Kerry Peluso, Associate Vice President for Research Administration & Finance, at kpeluso@fsu.edu