Principal Investigator (PI) Escalation Process Remediated: When PI Escalation is selected on an eGC1 Certify & Route page, the reviewer for the Cost Center Receiving Funding is now able to approve the eGC1 on the PI’s behalf in their absence.
SAGE Budget Updates & Fixes
Budget Navigation & Snapshot Help Text Updates: Within SAGE Budget, the left navigation menu text of an open budget has been updated from “History” to “Snapshots & History.” Once selected, additional help text clarifies the use of snapshots for Award Modifications.
Improved Performance on Complex Budgets: Technical improvements have been made to decrease the time it takes to load and save large, complex SAGE budgets, improving SAGE stability by reducing timeouts experienced by users.
Fix: Worksheet Custom F&A Saving Issues: An issue has been resolved where users were at times experiencing long wait times when saving custom F&A settings.
SAGE Awards Updates & Fixes
Character Limit for Return Comments Increased: When reviewers return Award Setup Requests (ASRs) or Modification Requests (MODs) to campus users, reviewers now may enter up to 1,000 characters when adding comments for return reasons.
Fix: Missing Workday Awards Synced to SAGE: The Workday award numbers now display for all processed award requests (Advance, Award Setup, and Modification Requests).Note: This fix was implemented as a patch on 3/27/2024 to address missing award ID reports.
Fix: Award PI Not Displaying on the Request List: When a PI is changed on an award, users now see the current Workday Award PI on the request list, instead of the PI at the time of the request.
Fix: Changing the Award Preparer Blocks ASR Resubmissions: Changing the Award Preparer while an ASR is in process no longer causes errors when attempting to resubmit returned ASRs.
Fix: Ad hoc Award Reviewer Events and Comments Not Saving: Ad hoc approver actions (approvals or returns) now log as event records in the Comments & History section, and reviewer comments are now saved as expected.Note: An update is still required to implement sending an email notification to the Award Preparer when an Ad Hoc Approver returns an item.
SAGE Subawards Update
Subaward Performance Improvements: Performance improvements have been implemented to decrease the processing time required to open and submit subawards.
SAGE Central Updates
Funding Entity Name Default in Admin Actions: When an Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) user creates a new admin action that is linked to an eGC1, the current sponsor name from FECDM will default, instead of the original SAGE sponsor name from the eGC1.
Award Email Notifications
Award Notifications Updated: Notification formats for ADVs, ASRs, and MODs have been updated to provide clarity on when action is needed and by whom.
Miscellaneous Maintenance
SAGE No Longer Sends $0 Rows to Workday Plans: The SAGE integration to Workday has been updated so that rows with $0 amounts will not be integrated into Award Plans. This was occurring at times when PIs were added to SAGE budgets with no costs, or when line items existed with no costs in the current period.
Error Handling Updated for Dependent Services: To improve SAGE stabilization, improvements have been made to error handling when external services that SAGE depends on are unavailable. This will reduce load on the servers when issues arise that prevent SAGE from retrieving data from those systems and services.
Required Security Updates: To keep SAGE up-to-date with security needs, the technology used for development of SAGE user interfaces (Node, Angular, Nx) has been updated to the most recent versions.
Use this section of your advance to review the Significant Financial Interest (SFI) and Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Training status of the investigators on the associated application. The table lists each investigator, their role, SFI disclosure submission status, and their FCOI training status. When any investigators are not up-to-date, an alert appears above the table.
SFI Disclosure Requirement
Each investigator must have completed an SFI disclosure in FIDS for the associated application whether or not they have any financial interests to disclose. If the investigator submitted that disclosure more than 12 months ago from the current date, and has not created another disclosure of any kind within the past 12 months, the investigator would need to submit an annual update disclosure.
An investigator’s disclosure status is either “Up-to-date” or “Disclosure Required” with a Notify link. Select the Notify link to send a notification that either the primary disclosure or an annual update disclosure is needed. The system determines which disclosure is required and sends the corresponding notification. The advance preparer is copied on the notification. You can select the Notify link more than once. The date will refresh automatically. Review Advance SFI & FCOI Notifications for details.
FCOI Training Requirement
If the application’s sponsor is one that requires UW review of SFI, the investigator’s FCOI training must also be “up-to-date.” The training expires after four years. If the investigator’s training is not current, their status is “Training Required” with a Notify link. Use the link to send a notification about the training requirement, with instructions. The advance preparer is copied on the notification.
The following image shows this section for a grant with one of the personnel needing to complete a disclosure or the training.
Below the table is a link to the parent application’s PI, Personnel, & Organizations page where you can update the list of investigators. If you make changes, the advance request will automatically update.
SAGE sends a number of email notifications during the routing and approval processes. The table below lists each notification type, the condition that generates the email, and the recipients. SAGE generally sends emails to the person’s UW NetID address.
Use the link in the Email column to see an example of the email.
To notify owners that the Modification Request has been processed by GCA. The email includes a PDF of the completed form as an attachment.
GCA completes the Modification Request and clicks the “Process Request” button
Award Preparer(s)
Investigator SFI & FCOI
As part of the Award Setup Request and Modification Request process, an Award Preparer can notify any investigators who are not up-to-date on either their SFI disclosures or FCOI Training.
Select the link in the Email column of the table below to see an example of the email’s content.
To notify an investigator they need to complete an annual update disclosure before the related request can be submitted
“Notify” selected under SFI Disclosure which sends the SFI Annual Update Disclosure notification if the last disclosure was more than 12 months from the current date
Investigator named on the award, cc: Award Preparer(s)
To notify the Compliance Officer to re-review the primary disclosure(s) with SFI for the Award Setup Request’s associated eGC1
The Award Preparer routes the Award Setup Request AND at least one investigator’s primary disclosure has a status of “Waiting for JIT” or “Review Required” and has SFI
To notify the Compliance Officer to re-review the primary or related disclosure(s) with management plans for the associated eGC1 of a Modification Request
The Award Preparer routes the Modification Request AND at least one investigator’s primary disclosure has a management plan indicated
SAGE sends a number of email notifications during the routing and approval process. The table below lists each notification type, the condition that generates the email, and the recipients. SAGE generally sends emails to the person’s UW NetID address.
Select the link in the Email column below to see an example of the email.
To alert the PI that an Advance is being submitted in their name and that the PI Approval is being delegated due to their absence or inability to approve
PI Delegation is selected on “Submit & Route” page
To notify the sub-budget PI and Advance Preparer that an Advance Budget Number extension has been denied
GCA denies the extension
Sub-budget PI, cc: Advance Preparer(s)
Investigator SFI & FCOI
As part of the Advance Budget Request process, an Advance Preparer can notify any investigators who are not up-to-date on either their SFI disclosures or FCOI Training.
Select the link in the Email column below to see an example of its content.
To notify an investigator they need to complete an annual update disclosure before the Advance Budget Request can be submitted
“Notify” selected under SFI Disclosure—Sends the SFI Annual Update Disclosure notification if the last disclosure was more than 12 months from the current date
To notify the Compliance Officer to re-review the primary disclosure(s) with SFI for the Advance Budget Request’s associated eGC1
The Advance Preparer routes the Advance Budget Request AND at least one investigator’s primary disclosure has a status of “Waiting for JIT” or “Review Required” and has SFI
When a preparer completes an eGC1 and submits it into routing, SAGE automatically sends an email notification to the Principal Investigator (PI). The notification email specifies the action required of the reviewer and includes a direct link to the approval graph.
Note: If the person initially routing the eGC1 for approval is the PI, then the system assumes PI approval of the eGC1 at that time.
Once the PI has approved, SAGE automatically notifies the next set of reviewers on the approval flow. Each authorized reviewer for a unit receives a notification, but only one reviewer is required to review and approve the eGC1. Once a reviewer approves the eGC1, the status of the node on the approval graph changes to “Approved by” followed by that reviewer’s name. The node also changes color from Waiting Approval (purple) to Approved (light green).
The following image shows an example graph. After the PI approved the eGC1, SAGE would have notified the Department Reviewers for Bioengineering and the Dean Reviewers for the College of Engineering. One of the reviewers for Bioengineering has approved, while the eGC1 is still “Waiting Approval” for the College of Engineering. The eGC1 is “En Route” to the remaining reviewers.
As the preceding nodes in the graph move to “approved” statue, the system notifies the next node(s) and they change status (and color) from En Route to Waiting Approval. For the example in the image above, when a College of Engineering Dean Reviewer approves, the School of Medicine Dean Reviewers receive notifications, since by following the thread (connecting lines), you can see that the college node is earlier in the flow.
Note: Any campus reviewer may approve the application prior to receiving their notification. The system does not impose any specific order on the approvals.
Once all of the campus reviewers have approved the eGC1, it moves to In OSP status, and the system sends an email to the eGC1 Preparer, PI, Application PI (if any), Administrative Contact, and Pre-Award Budget Contact notifying them of the status change.
You can view the list of email notifications sent to reviewers, and preparers and contacts for a specific application by clicking Email Notifications from the left-navigation menu.
The information displayed includes:
Field
Description
Name:
The person receiving the notification.
Rule Type (and Organization)
The reason for the email notification. This is based on the role listed on the approval graph.
Action Taken
The action that caused the email notification to be sent.
Date
The date and time the notification was sent.
Email Address
The email address where the notification was sent. SAGE generally sends email to the “UW NetID” email address.
This page describes the email notifications sent during the eGC1 approval process. The SAGE Suite Email Notifications article provides information about other system emails.
Who is Notified, When and Why
SAGE sends a number of email notifications during the eGC1 routing and approval process. The table below lists each notification type, the condition that generates the email, and the recipients. SAGE generally sends emails to the person’s UW NetID address.
Note: If a reviewer approves an eGC1 before the email notification would have been sent, the system does not send it.
Select a link in the Email column to display an example of the email contents.
To alert the owners of the need to modify eGC1 data
Any approver clicking the RETURN button on the approvals flow
eGC1 Preparer, PI, Application PI, Budget Contact, Admin Contact – the reason the application is being returned will be contained in the email notification
To alert the owners that the eGC1 has reached OSP and will begin the central review process – this email provides the name of the person in OSP assigned to review the application
All campus units and any individuals listed on the graph have approved the eGC1
Depending on your association with an eGC1 application as it is approved, and possibly awarded, you may receive a number of different email notifications.
Email notifications are sent from various parts of the SAGE Suite:
SAGE – used by PIs, research administrators, advance preparers, award preparers, approvers
The PI, investigators, eGC1 preparer, and contacts on an application
Watchers and approvers of an application
The preparer of an advance budget request
The preparer of an award request
Some notifications are entirely system-generated, while others have standard paragraphs that can be included and then customized. The customized emails don’t link to examples.
FIDS Notifications
The FIDS system sends email notifications related to financial disclosures. Each one is listed below along with the conditions that generate the email being sent as well as the individuals the email is sent to (we can never promise that messages are received). Emails sent to investigators use the email address in their FIDS Profile. Select a link in the Email column to display an example of the email contents.
To let the investigator know a disclosure needs to be completed for this eGC1. The email is only sent once to each investigator. At the same time the notification is sent, a pending disclosure is created.
Exception: If the investigator doesn’t yet have an email address in their FIDS Profile, the email is instead sent to the eGC1 Preparer to forward to the investigator.
Send Disclosure Notification button is clicked on the eGC1 PI & Personnel page -OR- the eGC1 is completed without the button having been clicked (a daily batch job sends the email at 7:00 AM).
If an investigator had already completed a disclosure before the notification was sent, then no notification would be sent.
Investigator; the eGC1 Preparer only if the Investigator’s email is not available.
To inform the owners of an eGC1 that an investigator on the eGC1 has made a change to their role and/or investigator status –OR – added themselves to an existing eGC1.
An investigator uses the FIDS Add an eGC1 tool.
Principal Investigator, Administrative Contact, Budget Contact, eGC1 Preparer; cc: Investigator making the change
To inform the investigator that their disclosure has been reviewed and no Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) has been found. The clearance email should only be sent once. If the Institutional Official saves the disclosure again, even with a different status, the email is not resent. If the disclosure is for an eGC1, basic information about the eGC1 will be included, and any related eGC1s will be listed.
The disclosure review status is set to “Review Complete” -AND- the SFI related status is No or the FCOI found status is set to No.
To remind the investigator that an annual disclosure is required.
Two versions of emails may be sent: one at 45 days before the deadline, and one at 15 days before. Each reminder is sent just once. The number of days in the subject line is calculated.
The latest disclosure completion date is 45 days or fewer from being a year old. A second notice is sent at 15 days (or fewer).
Investigator
OSP and GCA (SAGE Central) Notifications
SAGE Central sends email notifications related to the approval and processing of items. Each one is listed below along with the condition that generates the email being sent as well as the individuals the email is sent to (we can never promise that messages are received). Emails are always sent to the UW NetID at uw.edu (not the email address from the directory). Select a link in the Email column to display an example of the email contents.
Reminder email sent if the application’s value for the Ready to Submit question is “No.” If the value changes to “Yes” within the six-to-three day timeline, the email is no longer sent.
NOTE: This email is not sent if the application is after-the-fact or a clinical trial.
Each day (at 6:00 AM), the system checks for any applications that are between six and three business days prior to their sponsor deadline with the application’s value for Ready to Submit as “No.”
PI, Administrative Contact, Pre-Award Budget Contact, and eGC1 Preparer
Grant Runner: Update Detailed Budget Roles to Free Text
On the Grant Runner detailed budget forms (project and subaward budgets) the key persons role type has been converted from a drop-down list to an open text box, to allow users to enter a wider range of other roles not previously listed. For example, users can now enter “Consortium PI” on the subaward budgets, or any other role type necessary.
Grant Runner: Round budget indirect totals to whole number
NIH Guidelines ask for detailed budget figures to be entered as whole dollars. In the indirect cost section of the detailed budget, where the total was automatically calculated based on rates and base amounts, cents were included without allowing users the ability to change the figure to a whole number. With this update, the indirect cost totals on the project and subaward detailed budgets and the modular budget forms will be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
Provide visibility to missing investigator emails (201633)
In order to ensure attention is drawn to situations where an investigator may not receive a disclosure notification email, due to a missing email address, the PI & Personnel page of the eGC1 is being updated to display available email addresses. The available email address will display for everyone listed on the PI & Personnel page, and when one isn’t available a message of “Email Address Unlisted” will display in its place.
In addition, if a disclosure notification fails to send to an investigator due to no email address being available, then the eGC1 Preparer will be sent an email they can forward to the investigator.
Require Email and Phone Number for eGC1 Preparer (206089)
In order to ensure that eGC1 preparers receive key email notifications generated from SAGE and SPAERC, including the newly added email above which forwards disclosure notifications when investigators cannot be reached by email, the Preparer’s phone number and email address are now required on the eGC1.
Fixes
PI entry erroneously cleared
Under certain circumstances during the updating of a PI on the eGC1, the entry was not saving correctly, resulting in the PI entry being blanked out and at times causing an error that the user could not resolve. This fix corrects the issue, allowing PI changes to be saved appropriately.
FCOI JIT Email Update
The primary contacts on the eGC1 will now only receive the FCOI JIT email once, rather than anytime the contacts listed on the eGC1 change.
An issue in FIDS that caused disclosure notifications to be sent to investigators who had already completed a primary eGC1 disclosure has been fixed. Investigators will only receive notifications if they have not already been sent one and if they have not already completed a primary disclosure for that eGC1.
