The UW-Madison Effort Project: What It Means For You Linda Johnson Assistant Dean for Pre-Award Research Services College of Letters and Science

Overview Personnel Activity Reports (PARs) – the old Effort Certification System Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT) – the new Effort Certification System

PARs Personnel Activity Report – automatically generated for UW faculty and staff who are paid or cost-shared on FEDERAL funds.

PARs – continued Important because: Confusing because: Fulfill a FEDERAL reporting requirement Means for tracking shared costs on awards which require cost-sharing Confusing because: A PAR only showed a person’s effort on their federal money, not the “whole picture.”

New System: ECRT No more paper PARs! New System – web-based Easy to Use Allows for a view of the “whole picture” on a person’s UW effort

ECRT: sample 25 X X 15 60 X 100 DONE !

ECRT – Major Changes WHO: PIs will be required to certify their own effort PIs will be required to certify the effort of grad students on their projects Academic Staff will be required to certify their own effort The role of departmental Effort Coordinator will be more involved and complex than the current PAR Coordinator.

ECRT – Major Changes WHEN: The effort certification periods are CHANGING: Faculty and Academic Staff: 2 times per year (Jan-Jun and July-Dec) Classified Staff: 4 times per year (4 quarters) We are ALREADY IN the first new 6-month certification period

ECRT – Major Changes WHERE: The system will be web-based (online) UW staff will have access to the system from anywhere they have internet access with their NetID login Important information and updates about the system will be at www.RSP.wisc.edu

ECRT – Major Changes HOW: Training will be provided SOON by RSP to both departmental effort coordinators and project certifiers (PIs and staff) The system will be populated by existing sponsored projects payroll and cost sharing data In the future (2008) the system will also be updated with commitments of effort pledged in proposal budgets and narratives as they are given award account numbers

ECRT – Major Changes WHY: The federal government has made effort reporting a top target for audits. NSF’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is making the rounds of research universities. The Department of Justice is involved, filing charges under the False Claims Act. Many universities have had to pay millions of dollars in fines.

A Short Primer on Effort vs Payroll

It’s a piece of . . . . Pie! 1.0 FTE

It’s a piece of . . . . Pie! 0.5 FTE

With 2 different funds paying a half-time person: 0.25 FTE 0.25 FTE 0.5 FTE 0.5 FTE TOTAL

EFFORT: All the pie you have is 100% Effort 0.5 FTE 100% Effort

So, for 2 different funds paying a half-time person: 0.25 FTE Project 1 work 50% Effort 50% Effort Project 2 work 0.25 FTE 0.5 FTE 0.5 FTE Total Payroll 100% Total Effort

What if you work more than 40: Unless you are “full time plus” . . . What if you work more than 40:

Your effort is ALL your effort!

Your effort is ALL your effort! 9/13/2018 Your effort is ALL your effort!

Certifying effort is not the same as certifying payroll! ? = ?

SO…. Please attend a training Please work within your departments and units to identify who will be your Effort Coordinator Linda will contact units soon to get the name of the Effort Coordinator

Thank You! Linda Johnson L&S Research Services