We have 6 items of interest for you this week:

1. Despite the short week, we will still be hosting our NPC Discussion Groups on Tuesday from 3-4pm ET and on Wednesday from 1:30-2:30pm ET and 3-4pm ET.  You can attend any of the three at https://www.gotomeet.me/NAVREF/navref-video-conference-room

1. Indirect cost rates and the direct cost distribution base are about to become publicly available (effective FY2022).  OMB issued a memo on Nov 12 (attached) about how this will occur:

"On August 13, 2020,4 0MB published an update to the Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR) which requires the publication of the federally negotiated indirect rate, distribution base, and rate type for a non-Federal entity on an OMB-designated Federal website. This memorandum designates USASpending.gov as the official Federal website to display the federally negotiated indirect rate, distribution base, and rate type for a non-Federal entity receiving federal Financial Assistance awards.  Effective FY2022, cognizant agencies must report this information by non-Federal entity to a central location for display on USASpending.gov recipient profiles. Additionally, agencies must begin reporting indirect cost by total dollar amount by award with their Federal Assistance Broker Submission (F ABS) data to the DATA Act broker. Within fifteen days of issuance of this memorandum, 0MB, in accordance with Section 6 of the GREAT Act and in partnership with the Grants Standards setting agency, will convene a working group to provide recommendations on a set of common standard data elements for award agreements, otherwise known as notice of awards (NOA), and information related to grant awards and indirect costs. The Grants Data Standards Element Working Group will further inform what data elements are needed to link this information to recipient data in SAM. 8 Pub. L. No. 116-103 § 6(b). indirect cost rates."

1. Clinical Repurposing Funding Opportunity. The global nonprofit Cures Within Reach recently launched the Clinical Repurposing for Veterans Initiative.  The program’s goal is to identify new medical treatments for already approved medications and devices to impact high-priority health concerns for veterans and active military. Cures Within Reach is launching its Clinical Repurposing for Veterans Initiative with a Request for Proposals (RFP) specifically for repurposing research in any disease area that will benefit veterans. Investigator-initiated proposals can come from any US-based institution, and at least one project will be selected to receive a $50,000 grant from Cures Within Reach and its funding partner, the Kahlert Foundation for a clinical repurposing trial. Additional details are in the attached press release or at cureswithinreach.org.  
2. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) announced VA Chief Research and Development Officer, Rachel Ramoni, Ph.D., has been selected as the first recipient of the Above and Beyond Award from the Women in Science Forum of the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

• Ramoni received the award for advancing biomedical research and clinical trials for veterans with prostate cancer and contributing to the fight against COVID-19.  To support better prostate cancer care for veterans, the department established the VA Precision Oncology Program for Cancer of the Prostate (POPCaP) in partnership with the PCF. The program aims to deliver precision cancer care to all veterans, including those who live in remote rural areas. There are currently 12 hubs in the POPCaP network distributed across the U.S.  Under Ramoni's stewardship, the VA Office of Research and Development has implemented policies that have streamlined research efforts, especially for multi-site clinical trials. In some cases, this has reduced the start-up time for clinical trials from several months to a matter of weeks.  In addition to advancing precision oncology research, Ramoni promotes diversity within the VA research enterprise and has been instrumental in mentoring women researchers in VA. See full press release at https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5572

1. SCRS Offers Upcoming Webinar:  Key Strategies for Effective Oncology Clinical Trial Budgeting

• December 3, 2020 @ 12:00 PM ET  -  Join Kathleen Hurtado, R.Ph., Director, Office of Research Administration, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, for a session that will dive into the policies and business rules that must be in place to support optimal budget development. Kathleen will review strategies for effective budget negotiations, determination of cost and necessary reimbursements, and working with transparency and how FMV comes into play.  Register here: https://customer28911c419.portal.membersuite.com/events/ViewEvent.aspx?contextID=fbf07b1c-0078-cc91-d848-634f9347538a

1. Calendar Items: