Grants Management Officer, Grants Management Specialist, Program Official, Scientific Review Officer, NIH Staff, HHS Staff

2.1.1 NIH and HHS Staff

The roles and responsibilities of NIH and HHS participants are as follows:

• Grants Management Officer An NIH official responsible for the business management aspects of grants and cooperative agreements, including review, negotiation, award, and administration, and for the interpretation of grants administration policies and provisions. GMOs are delegated the authority from the CGMO to obligate NIH to the expenditure of funds and permit changes to approved projects on behalf of NIH. Each NIH IC that awards grants has one or more GMOs with responsibility for particular programs or awards. See also Chief Grants Management Officer definition.. The GMO whose name appears in the NoA Notice of Award: The official, legally binding document, signed (or the electronic equivalent of signature) by a Grants Management Officer that: (1) notifies the recipient of the award of a grant; (2) contains or references all the terms and conditions of the grant and Federal funding limits and obligations; and, (3) provides the documentary basis for recording the obligation of Federal funds in the NIH accounting system. is the NIH official responsible for the business management and other non-programmatic aspects of the award. These activities include, but are not limited to, evaluating grant applications for administrative content and compliance with statutes, regulations, and guidelines; negotiating grants; providing consultation and technical assistance to applicants and recipients, including interpretation of grants administration policies and provisions; and administering and closing out grants. The GMO works closely with their counterparts in other NIH ICs and with the designated PO. The GMO is the focal point for receiving and acting on requests for NIH prior approval Written approval by an authorized HHS official, e.g., a designated IC GMO, evidencing prior consent before a recipient undertakes certain activities or incurs specific costs (see Administrative Requirements-Changes in Project and Budget-Prior Approval Requirements). or for changes in the terms and conditions of award, and is the only NIH official authorized to obligate NIH to the expenditure of Federal funds or to change the funding, duration, or other terms and conditions of award. A Chief Grants Management Officer An NIH official responsible for the business management aspects of grants and cooperative agreements, including review, negotiation, award, and administration, and for the interpretation of grants administration policies and provisions. GMOs are delegated the authority from the CGMO to obligate NIH to the expenditure of funds and permit changes to approved projects on behalf of NIH. Each NIH IC that awards grants has one or more GMOs with responsibility for particular programs or awards. See also Chief Grants Management Officer definition. is the principal GMO who provides leadership to an organizational component that is responsible for the business and fiscal management of the ICs grant portfolio. Generally, the CGMO will have the authority to appoint and exercise line authority over one or more GMOs. At NIH each awarding component has a CGMO.
• Grants Management Specialist. The GMS whose name appears in the NoA Notice of Award: The official, legally binding document, signed (or the electronic equivalent of signature) by a Grants Management Officer that: (1) notifies the recipient of the award of a grant; (2) contains or references all the terms and conditions of the grant and Federal funding limits and obligations; and, (3) provides the documentary basis for recording the obligation of Federal funds in the NIH accounting system. is an agent of the GMO and is assigned responsibility for the day-to-day management of a portfolio of grants.
• Program Official. The PO is responsible for the programmatic, scientific, and/or technical aspects of assigned applications and grants. The PO's responsibilities include, but are not limited to, development of research and research training programs to meet the IC The NIH organizational component responsible for a particular grant program or set of activities. The terms "NIH IC," or "awarding IC" are used throughout this document to designate a point of contact for advice and interpretation of grant requirements and to establish the focal point for requesting necessary prior approvals or changes in the terms and conditions of award.'s mission; coordination with CSR/IC The NIH organizational component responsible for a particular grant program or set of activities. The terms "NIH IC," or "awarding IC" are used throughout this document to designate a point of contact for advice and interpretation of grant requirements and to establish the focal point for requesting necessary prior approvals or changes in the terms and conditions of award. SROs; and post-award administration, including review of progress reports, participation in site visits, and other activities complementary to those of the GMO. The PO and the GMO work as a team on many of these activities.
• Scientific Review Officer. SROs are health science administrators who manage the activities of SRGs, including CSR study sections. The SRO Scientific Review Officer: The NIH official who serves as the designated Federal official having legal responsibility for managing the peer review meeting, the procedures for evaluating the applications assigned to the SRG and the determinations and management of conflicts of interest, as noted in 42 CFR 52(h). is responsible for conduct of the SRG in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. For the SRG for which they are responsible, the SRO Scientific Review Officer: The NIH official who serves as the designated Federal official having legal responsibility for managing the peer review meeting, the procedures for evaluating the applications assigned to the SRG and the determinations and management of conflicts of interest, as noted in 42 CFR 52(h). reviews applications for completeness and conformity to requirements, ensures that adequate numbers of reviewers with appropriate expertise are available for application review, assigns applications to individual reviewers as discussion leaders and for preparation of written critiques, manages conflicts of interest and confidentiality, and serves as the overall point of contact with applicants during the initial phase of the peer review process, i.e., until the conclusion of the SRG meeting.
• Other NIH, HHS and Federal Agency Staff. In addition to the GMO and PO, the recipient may be required to interact with other NIH or HHS staff members or offices with respect to its organization-wide systems and/or individual transactions. These include the office responsible for negotiating F&A costs Necessary costs incurred by a recipient for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved. To facilitate equitable distribution of indirect expenses to the cost objectives served, it may be necessary to establish a number of pools of F&A (indirect) costs. F&A (indirect) cost pools must be distributed to benefitted cost objectives on bases that will produce an equitable result in consideration of relative benefits derived. and research patient care rates, typically the cognizant CAS office, ONR, or DFAS; OIG; OHRP; ORI; OLAW; and OPERA. Staff members in these offices generally coordinate with the GMO, but they are responsible for discrete areas of specialization and are not required to channel their communications with the recipient through the GMO. Part III includes a list of these organizations and their addresses and telephone numbers. ONR is the cognizant agency for negotiation of F&A costs Necessary costs incurred by a recipient for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved. To facilitate equitable distribution of indirect expenses to the cost objectives served, it may be necessary to establish a number of pools of F&A (indirect) costs. F&A (indirect) cost pools must be distributed to benefitted cost objectives on bases that will produce an equitable result in consideration of relative benefits derived. for some NIH recipients.