Posted 01/28/09 (1 Item)
New Date for Required eBridge Grant Submissions
Working with the Biophysics Department last week, the Grants and Contracts Office was successful in submitting a real application (in response to a parent R01 announcement) through eBridge to Grants.gov. The steps executed during this submission process were the same as would be followed for any application being submitted to Grants.gov directly, as we do today. All of the grants.gov generated notifications which we currently receive for a submission today were received during the eBridge submission. We were able to track the progress of the submission also.
Delays were experienced with two of the executable activities during the submission process. We worked through these delays and now are troubleshooting the cause. After we completed the test submission, we learned that Grants.gov was experiencing some technical difficulties which may have contributed to our experience. We want to be thorough in pinpointing the causes of the delays before we open the system up for general submissions. For this reason, eBridge Grants and Contracts is still not available for those departments trained to prepare a new single budget submission. We are also delaying the required due date to submit new applications in eBridge for Biophysics, Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Toxicology to March 17, 2009. Due dates for all other departments to submit future applications in eBridge will remain the same.
Posted 12/04/08 (1 Item)
eBridge Unavailable from Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. to Dec. 15 at 8 a.m.
The eBridge system will be down for system upgrades from Thursday, Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. to Monday morning, Dec. 15 at 8 a.m. During this time the system will be taken offline. Please plan accordingly.
The eBridge system will remain available Dec. 5 through Dec. 8. The system was scheduled to be down during this time, however this is canceled.
Posted 9/26/08 (1 Item)
eBridge Grants and Contracts module offers benefits to College researchers
Training options offered in preparation for upcoming launch
After collecting feedback on the College’s eBridge Grants and Contracts module, the Office of Research will officially launch the electronic submission and review system gradually over the next several months.
Its complete implementation is expected to provide College researchers with a single access point for all components of an application, and make those components accessible at any time from any location with Internet access. It will also provide the ability to track the routing stage of any application and send reminders to those required to sign-off on grants, thus speeding up the turn-around time.
Finally, as a component of eBridge, grants and related Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols will be linked to each other and to relevant financial and personnel data residing in Oracle.
“eBridgeMCW is a highly innovative state-of-the-art application derived from the Click Commerce programming platform that is rapidly becoming the market leader in academic center regulatory compliance and grant software solutions,” said David Gutterman, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Research and the Northwestern Mutual Professor of Cardiology. “eBridgeMCW is the first comprehensive Grants and Contracts module to be launched in the U.S. based on the Click platform. Its ability to integrate IACUC, IRB, and Grants and Contracts with our extensive Oracle financial and personnel information places MCW at the technological forefront of electronic regulatory connectivity and efficiency.”
During the module’s conceptualization stage, the College established six goals for the new system:
- Provide a user-friendly system where principal investigators may take ownership to create, route and submit grant or contract applications directly to the Grants and Contracts Office.
- Collect key grants and contracts information so informed business decisions can be made based on quantitative data.
- Maintain accurate and timely information while enforcing data integrity.
- Communicate the workflow process for approvals, application statuses and submissions in a timely manner while following a defined business process.
- Reduce risks and errors by obtaining and verifying correct and current protocol approvals.
- Reduce the cost of errors and delays through integration with MCW’s Sponsored Programs department.
Prior to the launch of the eBridge Grants and Contracts module, the Office of Research will host hands-on training sessions for all faculty and staff required to utilize the system. As part of the training, each department will have its own training week assigned; the larger departments will be given several weeks to complete the training.
Comprehensive training sessions will also be provided to those individuals from each department identified as department champions. Champions are typically department administrators, who, once trained, will act as local experts within their department. The department champions will be trained early in their departments’ scheduled training week and the remainder of the week will be spent providing interactive sessions for all principal investigators and supporting staff.
Online courses that cover basic navigation of the funding proposal-portion of the eBridge system are also being offered and everyone who needs to attend their department’s training sessions should take the online course prior to attending.
If you have any questions or concerns about the training options, please call Debra Gans, 456-4019, or Robert Mautz, 456-8139. You can also obtain additional information, including the training schedule, on the eBridge Web page.
Posted 9/8/08 (1 Item)
The eBridge - Grants and Contracts module is almost ready.
Over the past several months, we have made important and necessary changes to the system. Our delay of going live with the module is evidence of our commitment to providing nothing less than a robust and highly functioning system. In addition, we are committed to providing training that will assure you are comfortable using the system before you are required to use it.
Over the last six months, we have brought back end users and subject matter experts to provide feedback regarding the system and its functionality for completing and submitting funding submissions. We have run continuous testing on the system during the same time to assure the system works as designed.
We are now preparing for the Grand Opening of the eBridge – Grants and Contracts module as well as to begin training for all departments. The system will go-live by the end of this year, where each department will have their own start date and requirements for system optional and mandatory use. Since we are introducing a single system for all departments, we will provide the training on a department-by-department basis so we may provide specific training and address each department’s specific needs. Each department will have its own assigned training week; larger departments will be given several weeks. If your department has facilities available for us to host the training, we will bring laptops and we will come to you.
We will provide comprehensive training to “Department Champions”, department administrators who will act as local experts within their department. Department Champions will be trained early in the week of their scheduled training and the remainder of the week will be spent providing an hour and a half interactive session for all principal investigators and their supporting staff. Additional classes will also be provided on more specific points for different kinds of funding submissions. Please contact your department administrator for more specific details about when and where your training will take place.
You will also have the opportunity to take an online course that covers basic navigation of the Funding Proposal portion of the eBridge system. Because this course is an online module, you can take it whenever and wherever you like. You can start it, pause it, rewind it; so the training will fit into the time when you are available. The department training for principal investigators and the proposal teams will begin where this online training left off, so the online training will be required before you attend your department’s training.
If you have any questions about the training options, please do not hesitate to call Debbie Gans, 456-4019, or Robert Mautz, 456-8139, with any of your questions.
Posted 6/23/08 (1 Item)
eBridge Grants & Contracts
The Office of Research will launch the eBridgeMCW – Grants and Contracts electronic submission and review system this fall. The summer will be spent in refocused testing of the system and refining the system’s usability.
Training will be available after Labor Day. Submission of funding applications using the eBridge system will not be required until after training is provided.
In August, information sessions will also be held to address the functions of the system and how the system fulfills the goals of the Office of Research and the institutional initiatives of the Medical College of Wisconsin. These sessions will be open to everyone.
Posted 5/16/08 (1 Item)
eBridge - Grants & Contracts
On May 7, we invited back subject matter experts who had helped us during alpha and beta testing to evaluate and provide input on specific design features of the current eBridge – Grants module. The primary focus was on Federal SF424 grant applications. We are now assessing the feasibility of their feedback in conjunction with system functionality.
Posted 4/18/08 (1 Item)
eBridge - Grants & Contracts
The implementation date of the Grants and Contracts eBridge module has been delayed to provide more time for system development. This module will integrate with the eBridge IRB and IACUC modules and with the Oracle financial system and there is inherent complexity to the system that demands broader participation in validating system functionality. Establishing a new date for the Grants and Contracts roll out should occur in May. Updates on the progress will be provided via InfoScope and the eBridge web page at http://www.mcw.edu/ebridge.htm.
Role Specific training is also being restructured in order to accommodate the different needs of users, based on their varying experience levels with the eBridge system. For those individuals who have had their training session cancelled, you will be contacted by email to reschedule your training.
We are committed to providing a high quality product, which will provide research faculty and staff with tools to better manage the increasingly complex administrative processes required for the conduct of research in the 21st century.
Posted 1/19/08 (1 Item)
Best Practice to avoid eBridge Slowdowns and Lockups
Some users have voiced concern over the slowness and lockups while using the eBridge web application. The Office of Research, eBridge Application staff and MCW-IS are continuing efforts to improve and fine-tune the network and eBridge web application to provide a quality product for our users.
Here's are some tips for improving your access to eBridge:
1. Remote Access vs Direct Web Access – Upon investigation, some users are accessing the eBridge web application thru Citrix Remote Access. While perfectly acceptable the application can be accessed directly by going to the website located at http://ebridge.mcw.edu. This will eliminate the middle tier (Citrix Remote Access) and any network overhead.
2. Reminder: the eBridge application has a regularly scheduled maintenance downtime every Wednesday 8 p.m. until Thursday 8 a.m. Please refer to http://ebridge.mcw.edu for more information.
Posted 2/11/08 (1 Item)
Adding / Removing eBridge Department Approvers
To change your current eBridge Department Approver (by assigning a new or removing an existing Department Approver), the Department Administrator or Department Chair should sent this request to the Help Desk at help-ebridge@mcw.edu or 456-8476. A department may list more than one individual as an eBridge Department Approver.
Posted 10/22/07 (2 Items)
Logging into eBridge
Please remember to put in "mcwcorp\" before your username when logging into eBridge from outside of the MCW Collaborative Services Network (MCWCorp Domain).
eIRB (eBridgeMCW) Logins to Change on October 22
Current eIRB users will be contacted via email regarding changes to their logins. Also, note that eIRB system will now be called eBridgeMCW with the addition of the Animal Research module. For more information, click on this article: (article on InfoScope – requires MCW Network access) – link to: http://infoscope.mcw.edu/display/router.asp?docid=25923
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Posted April 28, 2006 (1 Item)
Which Consent Was Changed?
To assist the Principal Investigators, Study Coordinators, Committee Members and the IRB Staff in identifying which consent(s) have been changed in the eIRB System, PI/Study Coordinators should indicate in the Amendment section on page 2b question 2b.1.1, the "Title" of the consent being changed. In a "New Study," PI/Study Coordinators should "Withdraw" consent(s) that will not be part of the Study before they are submitted.
Which Consent Was Changed
Posted April 27, 2006 (2 Items)
Creating PDF in eIRB
Instructions for creating a PDF file in eIRB are now available.
PDF instruction file
Editing Consent Builder & Submitting to eIRB
New instructions for editing the Consent Builder template language are now available for Principal Investigators and Study Staff.
Editing Consent Builder
Posted March 31, 2006 (2 Items)
IRB Personnel Changes Announcement
Over the past couple months there have been several personnel changes in the IRB staff. In order to keep you current with the staff responsible for each IRB committee and related functions, please review the information below:
IRB Coordinator 1
Mary Vigdor - 456-8413; mvigdor@mcw.edu
Tanya Rittmann - 456-4452; trittman@mcw.edu
MCW/FH IRB #1 - IRB Coordinator 2
Faye Overly - 456-8601; foverly@mcw.edu
MCW/FH IRB #2 - IRB Coordinator 2
Mike Bingham - 456-8464; mbingham@mcw.edu
MCW/FH IRB #3 - IRB Coordinator 2
Jordan Baye - 456-4408; jbaye@mcw.edu
HRRC - IRB Coordinator 2
David Bazett-Jones - 456-8505; dbjones@mcw.edu
IRB Coordinator 3 - IRB Supervisor
Connie Byrne - 456-8455; cbyrne@mcw.edu
If you have any questions, please contact the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu.
Consent Builder Language Change
The compensation for injury language in the Clinical and Behavioral consents template has been revised.
Posted March 29, 2006 (1 Item)
Study Smartform – PI Must be Listed in 2.1 & 2.2
On Page 2 of the Study Smartform, the Principal Investigator (PI) must be listed in sections 2.1 and 2.2. The listing of the PI's name in both sections will enable the PI to submit study information and to receive study notifications.
Posted March 2, 2006 (1 Item)
Consent Builder - How to Remove Incorrect Consents
An end user brought the following to our attention: If Study Staff starts to create a consent in Consent Builder and then they realize they do not need it, there is no way to get the Consent to stop showing up in their Inboxes. Study Staff now has the ability to withdraw a Consent that is in the "Presubmission" state. Once the Consent is withdrawn, it will be removed from all Study Staff Inboxes. If you have any questions, please contact the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu.
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Posted February 22, 2006 (2 Items)
Consent Builder Consent Form Improvements
The Clinical and Behavioral Consents in Consent Builder have been improved. The approval period for the Consent will now be listed on every page in a header. Two new items have been added to the header: the Study Number and a place for the Study Staff to add in a Sponsor Version.
Forgot Your Password or User Name?
If you forget your password or your user name, you can automatically request one from the logon page. Simply select "Forgot password?" to have a new password emailed to you at any time or "Forgot user name?" to have your user name emailed to you at any time. If you have any questions, please contact the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu.
Posted February 20, 2006 (2 Items)
Incorrect Emails Sent from eIRB System
Unfortunately, you may have received some incorrect emails from the eIRB system since Thursday (2/16/06). On Thursday, there was a technical configuration change which resulted in emails being sent out from an old copy of the eIRB system. A concerned user notified the eIRB Help Desk when they received an incorrect email. This notification alerted us to the problem and allowed us to remedy the situation quickly. If you have a question concerning an email you received, please contact the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Consents (created outside of eIRB) Needing Hand Stamping
For consents needing hand stamping outside eIRB, a hard copy of the stamped consent will be sent to the research coordinator in addition to scanning it and uploading it into eIRB. This should solve the immediate problem of readability of the scanned consent form. If existing hand stamped consents are a problem, research coordinators should notify their IRB Coordinator II.
Posted January 19, 2006 (1 Item)
Adding a Study Coordinator to Existing Research Studies in eIRB
Many investigators and research study coordinators have asked if HRPO can streamline the process for adding a study coordinator's name to a research study in existence before eIRB went live on October 3, 2005. These studies were brought into eIRB as a shell, and at the time of Continuing Progress Report in cases where a study coordinator was not listed in the shell, the investigator is required to enter all the currently approved study information into the eIRB forms. Feedback has suggested the current process places a burden on principal investigators that may delay or stop the progress of currently approved studies, which is concerning.
Based on this feedback, the eIRB Core Team has worked with me to develop a solution that will streamline the process for principal investigators and research coordinators, and ensure that eIRB processes maintain compliance with federal regulations and institutional policies.
The new process applies to existing research studies, with a current approval, which were brought into eIRB ("legacy data") as a shell.
Here is the process for adding a study coordinator to an existing study.
1. To add a study coordinator to an existing study, the PI of the study must fill in a paper amendment indicating the name to be added. This is the only change that can be made on this amendment.
2. After you submit the amendment, the IRB staff will process and approve the amendment using a paper process. Once approved the eIRB technical staff will make the change in eIRB.
Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin studies are not handled by the eIRB system.
If you have any questions about this, please contact the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu
Posted January 11, 2006 (1 Item)
eIRB SmartForm PDF Files
Electronic copies of the eIRB SmartForms are now available in PDF format on the eIRB Training and FAQs page of the IRB website, eIRB Training and FAQs Page. The documents are for review purposes only, and will not be accepted in place of an electronic submission. The current version of the eIRB SmartForms for New Studies, Amendments, Continuing Progress Reports and Reportable Events are available to view or print.
Posted January 9, 2006 (7 Items)
Continuing Progress Report ("CPR") Automatic Reminders
We revised the eIRB system to stop sending CPR reminder emails once the PI selects "Submit to IRB" in the eIRB system. However, if you have submitted the CPR in paper, this feature is not available and the CPR reminder emails will still be sent until the IRB gives its final approval.
Continuing Progress Report ("CPR") Expiration
A CPR submitted in eIRB will register as expired if the final IRB review and approval is not granted on or before the expiration date.
Logoff – Extended to 2 Hours
Effective Friday, January 6, 2006, the system inactivity logoff time will be extended from 30 minutes to 2 hours. You are still encouraged to save your work periodically to prevent the loss of data.
Office Hours
eIRB Office Hours are being restructured to better meet the needs of our end users. eIRB Office Hours are on Fridays from Noon to 2 pm. In order to provide individualized help, we ask that you register for a date and time by calling or emailing the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu. Office Hours will be set up in this way for the next two months.
Spell Check
We have been informed by the eIRB software vendor that spell check will not be available for at least six months. Based on end user rankings completed by all nationwide users of the product, the spell check feature scored too low to receive immediate attention as an enhancement to the existing product. We will keep you posted on future progress.
Compatibility with Apple Computers
Some Mac users have found compatibility problems between their systems and use of some features of the eIRB system. These primarily appear to be due to Web browser (Safari, Firefox) version and configuration and/or use of the Java software component. We are seeking a couple of volunteers who regularly use Macs with the eIRB system to help us test and resolve these issues. Please contact the eIRB Help Desk if you would be willing to help test the system.
Slow System Performance
Some users have noticed periodic slow system performance when accessing their studies. We are in the process of fine tuning our system configuration to maximize your access speed while preserving necessary security and backup functions on the server. We are developing a system alert process so you can be notified of any technical difficulties or planned system maintenance times prior to logging-on to the eIRB site. If you experience difficulty accessing the eIRB system, please call the eIRB Help Desk at (414)456-8476 or help-eirb@mcw.edu.
Posted December 2, 2005: You may experience a minor inconvenience when trying to view an IRB Decision Letter dated prior to November 28, 2005 in the eIRB system. When you select the link to the letter, you may be prompted to enter your user name and password again. Once you enter your user name and password, you will be able to view the decision letter. We have determined we need to work with the vendor to correct this issue. Therefore, it may take up to 2 weeks to get resolved. If you have any questions about this email, please contact the eIRB Help Desk at 414-456-8476.
Posted October 28, 2005: What do I need to do in order to submit a reportable event, amendment, continuing review, or just update all of my study information? Click here for detailed instructions.
Posted October 28, 2005: What should you do if you are a Study Coordinator, and cannot see your currently approved studies? For currently approved studies, a study coordinator needs to have permission in eIRB to be able to view and/or edit studies. If you do not see any studies in your "Studies" tab, then the Principle Investigator for that study must submit a request by October 31st to help-eirb@mcw.edu listing 1) each of their studies, and 2) who should be the primary study coordinator. After October 31st, all requests must then be submitted as an amendment.
Posted October 28, 2005: All new studies requiring Full IRB Committee Review must first be approved by the Principle Investigator's Department before the study is routed to the IRB. If you are unsure who the designated reviewer for your department is, click here.
Posted October 10, 2005
What do I need to do in order to submit a reportable event, amendment, continuing review, or just update all of my study information? Click here for detailed instructions.
Posted October 10, 2005
What should you do if you are a Study Coordinator, and cannot see your currently approved studies? For currently approved studies, a study coordinator needs to have permission in eIRB to be able to view and/or edit studies. If you do not see any studies in your "Studies" tab, then the Principle Investigator for that study must submit a request by October 18th to help-eirb@mcw.edu listing 1)each of their studies, 2)who should be the primary study coordinator, and 3)any additional coordinators. After October 18th, all requests must then be submitted as an amendment.
Posted October 3, 2005
eIRB is up and running!