Conflict of Interest and Notice of Intent (COI/NOI) Module Now Live

The COI/NOI module launched for a limited audience on May 12. The COI/NOI module replaces the separate legacy COI and NOI online systems, with both forms now being housed in the Research Enterprise Data (RED) system.

Now that the COI/NOI module is live, the legacy systems have been deprecated to prevent new-data entry. They will remain read-only accessible for reference, review and reporting until winter 2020.

All new COI disclosures and NOI forms must now be submitted through RED. EHRA employees who intend to engage in an External Professional Activity for Pay (EPAP) must file a NOI through RED at least ten days prior to the activity’s start date. Training resources for the COI/NOI module are provided within the forms and can also be found at go.ncsu.edu/red-coi-noi-training.

The only people at this time who are required to complete a COI disclosure in RED are:

• Newly hired EHRA employees;
• Those who undergo a status change that requires them to submit a COI disclosure (e.g., SHRA to EHRA, graduate student who becomes involved in sponsored research); and
• Anyone who needs to update their COI disclosure due to a change in circumstances.

If you need to use RED to submit a COI disclosure, you have been or will be notified.

If you do not fall into one of the categories listed above and do not currently have any conflicts of interest to disclose, you have the option to wait until August to complete a new COI disclosure. You will receive an email notification if you are required to complete a COI disclosure at that time.

We decided to perform a phased rollout of the COI/NOI module to minimize the burden on campus and the project team. That said, throughout the summer, those who wish to begin taking advantage of RED sooner than later are welcome to submit their annual COI disclosure early. The SPARCS COI Guidance page lists all the categories of individuals who are required to file a COI disclosure. 

Though the COI/NOI module — like all parts of RED, and any new software system — brings change that can be daunting to deal with, it also brings with it the many benefits of an enterprise-level system. 

• COI/NOI all in one location; no longer separate systems.
• The COI disclosure now uses branching logic, meaning that certain responses prompt certain sections of the disclosure to appear. Moreover, this means that there is no longer a need for two separate COI disclosures (i.e., standard or PHS-compliant).
• COI disclosures submitted in RED will expire 365 days from an individual’s date of submission; over time, not everyone’s disclosure will expire around the start of fall semester anymore. RED will send email reminders to each person in advance of their individual due date. 

And once the Proposal Tracking and Award Tracking (PT/AT) modules launch, they will automatically pull data from the COI/NOI module to help ensure an individual’s information is up to date when required for the purpose of seeking or receiving sponsored project funding.

We will provide more information as needed throughout the phased rollout of the COI/NOI module, but now that it is live, the project management team’s focus has begun to shift more toward the upcoming PT/AT launch — which is currently set for mid-fall 2020. The high-level timeline has been updated accordingly. Keep in mind that our timeline will remain intentionally fluid; further adjustments may be made as needed to ensure NC State’s research administration business processes continue to run smoothly and that we get the best final product possible.

More information about the progress we’ve made and plans we have for the PT/AT modules will be posted on this blog. Remember that you can always reach out to us directly at any time by emailing era-project@ncsu.edu.