SAMPLE UNIVERSITY LETTER IN SUPPORT OF VA-ADD ON
Please paraphrase and add locally relevant examples and details.
Date
Address separate letters to:
Ms. Carol Tippery
Acting Director, Office of Policy for
Extramural Research Administration
(OPERA)
National Institute of Health (NIH)
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7730
Bethesda, MD 20892-7730
|
Mr. Joe Cook
Director
Office of Audit Resolution and Cost Policy
Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS)
200 Independence Ave. SW 522E
Washington DC 20201
|
Dear :
I am writing to indicate my support for appropriate sharing of the
indirect costs associated with National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored
research conducted in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. I
strongly support the concept of a "VA add on" facilities and
administration (F&A) rate over and above our usual indirect cost rate
when studies are administered by the (university name) and the work is
conducted at our affiliated VA (VAMC name).
Provide specific local examples of the cost benefit to your
university and NIH of conducting university-administered, NIH-sponsored
research in partnership with your VA. See attached Stanford letter.
Other possible benefits: faculty access to VA laboratory and clinical
space often negates the need for additional university construction at
NIH expense; shared equipment reduces overhead; and even with the VA-add
on, total F&A may be lower than the university on-campus rate. Please
detail similar mutually beneficial arrangements with your affiliated VA
that impact NIH costs or foster research collaboration with your VA.
I encourage the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and NIH
to finalize policy that will allow equitable sharing of VA's costs in
support of NIH research. The concept of a "VA add on" indirect cost rate
of 15% added to our off campus F&A rate seems to me a reasonable
mechanism to share costs. The 15% rate appears to be both justifiable
and of sufficient size to have positive effect on our VA's ability to
provide the support necessary for NIH research conducted in its
facilities. The (name of university) currently administers (number of
NIH grants) grants on behalf of faculty with joint VA/university
appointments. We would view very positively a change in policy that
would allow VA to recoup some of the costs it is incurring in support of
these grants.
Our longstanding, highly productive partnership with the (name of
VAMC) is extremely important to both institutions. A mechanism such as
the proposed VA-add on would foster and strengthen this relationship. I
strongly encourage HHS and NIH to act expeditiously to implement policy
that would provide rational mechanisms for NIH to assume responsibility
for a reasonable share of the costs incurred by NIH-sponsored research
conducted in VA facilities. Thank you for considering my views.
Sincerely,
University President or Designated Signatory
Cc: VAMC Medical Center Director
ACOS R&D
