Getting Started
Research Policies
Policies that affect Research at UNMC involve employee and workplace safety, financial and regulatory compliance, and research subject protection. There are policies at all levels and units of our organization that might impact your work.
A partial listing of policies relevant to research have been grouped on the VCR website.
A complete catalog of UNMC policies can be found on the UNMC Policies and Procedures Wiki.
Conflict of Interest Reporting and Outside Employment
When to Disclose
UNMC Conflict of Interest Procedures (Policy #8010); an initial conflict of interest (COI) disclosure must be completed by all faculty members, directors, administrators, and department heads (or equivalents) within 90 days of appointment/hire and annually thereafter. New financial interests must be added to the COI disclosure within 30 days. Complete the Annual Disclosure of Financial Interest Questionnaire.
The “Permission to Engage in Outside Activities” form per UNMC Board of Regents (Policy #1049) may also need to be added. Depending on conflicts disclosed, an investigator’s permission to engage in outside activities may require Board of Regents approval.
How to Disclose
UNMC uses a Web-based system, COI-SMART to identify, track, and manage COI Disclosures and Outside Professional Employment.
To access COI-SMART, log in to the UNMC Research Support System (RSS) website. Click on the COI tab, for the COI-SMART link.
For questions regarding COI or outside employment see the Office of Academic Affairs compliance website.
Phone: 402-559-6767
UNMC-Omaha Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Faculty with a dual appointment at UNMC and the Omaha VAMC and who wish to engage in federal research must have an internal UNMC-Omaha VAMC MOU on record at UNMC and Omaha VAMC. The MOU describes the investigator’s complete professional effort and ensures there is not dual compensation for the same work.
To initiate an MOU, contact Sponsored Programs Administration.
Phone: 402-559-7456
Research conducted at the Omaha VAMC must be submitted to and receive separate regulatory approval by their human subjects and animal welfare committees, as applicable. UNMC and Omaha VAMC have reciprocity for approved animal protocols, but the protocols must still be in the format required for each institution. Likewise, CITI training can be used for both UNMC and VA personnel for human subjects training. For Omaha VAMC IRB and IACUC guidelines, see the information on the VA research website.
Training and Certification Requirements to Conduct Research
Training is required of all UNMC investigators prior to participating in research. Many departments have a Compliance Training Coordinator who can direct you to the training modules required for you and your research staff. Otherwise, instructions for completing the online training modules are provided on the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs compliance website.
NEMed employees can complete required compliance training not involving human subjects through Apollo
Human subjects training
All who participate in human subject research are required to complete human subject research training via the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).
This includes faculty, employees, students, and staff at UNMC, Nebraska Medicine (NEMed), Nebraska Medicine Bellevue (NMB), Children’s Hospital & Medical Center (CH&MC), and the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). Individuals who work at one of these organizations and also work at the Omaha VA Medical Center (OVAMC) must designate their affiliation with both OVAMC as well as UNMC on the CITI website.
Animal welfare training
UNMC personnel must complete training prior to entering an animal facility or having contact with any research animals. Training requirements are listed on the Comparative Medicine website.
Faculty, students, and personnel working with animals at the Omaha VA Medical Center (OVAMC) must also complete training. Instructions on what modules must be completed can be found at the VA IACUC website.
To gain access to training and for additional information, contact Comparative Medicine. Phone: 402-559-4034
Transferring to UNMC
Grants
Grants are typically awarded to the institution, not to the investigator, so the grantee institution must first approve the transfer. The transfer is a two-step process:
- The original institution relinquishes interests and rights to the grant
- The new grantee institution assumes legal and administrative responsibilities for the grant
This process requires assistance from Sponsored Programs Administration. See their website for additional information about grant transfers or contact them to begin the transfer process.
Phone: 402-559-7456
Email: spadmin@unmc.edu
Animals
Animals may be transferred between institutions with appropriate Comparative Medicine (CM) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval. Contact Comparative Medicine for assistance at 402-559-4034.
Additional information on conducting research using animals may be found in the Conducting Animal Research section of this manual.
This process requires assistance from Comparative Medicine. To initiate the process of animal transfer, contact their office. Or, visit the CM website for additional information. Phone: 402-559-4034
Materials
To receive or send materials, you must obtain a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA). UNeMed, UNMC’s technology transfer organization, or Sponsored Programs Administration (SPAdmin) if the MTA is part of a contract, negotiates incoming and outgoing MTAs on behalf of UNMC. MTAs address terms regarding use of tangible research materials.
To request a Material Transfer Agreement, visit UNeMed's material transfer website.
Human Tissue Use and Transfer
Human tissue obtained through clinical procedures or for research may be used within the Nebraska Medicine campus or transferred to external organizations consistent with the Nebraska Medicine campus mission of patient care, teaching, research, and outreach. See the Human Tissue Use and Transfer policy (Policy #8013) for details.
General Laboratory Equipment and Supplies
Department administrators usually coordinate the transfer of equipment and supplies in and out of laboratories. Researchers assigned to laboratories work with the Campus Research Resource Manager. If the equipment is for part of a research core facility or requires special space requirements or alterations, please contact the Director of Research Resources in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.