myResearch FAQs

myResearch Home : FAQs

Here are frequently asked questions about the myResearch Portal. If you have a question about myResearch that isn't answered below email myResearch@psu.edu.

Below you'll find answers to questions commonly asked about: Access, Data, Current and Pending Reports, Proposals and Awards, Financials (myFunds), Delegates, Research Protocols/Studies

April 15, 2024: myResearch Financials (myFunds) Phase II is now available. An overview of myResearch Financials (myFunds) is available myResearch Financials (myFunds) Overview.

• Full Summary and Category reports with expenditure details for SIMBA Sponsored Grant Accounts (GM).
• Summary level access for Annual and Life to Date internal accounts (FM).
• Line Item Filtering tool for faculty and myFunds delegates to extract specific expenditure entries.
• Account Communication feature to allow faculty and myFunds delegates for quick and accurate identification and comment on account details.

Access

1. Who has access to the myResearch Portal?
   Any PSU staff or faculty member can login using their standard WebAccess account.
2. What do I need to login to the myResearch Portal?
   Multi-factor authentication is required to login to the myResearch Portal. This consists of a Penn State Account and password and second form of authentication.
3. Can I access the myResearch Portal from home or only from a PSU network?
   The myResearch Portal can be accessed from any network (work, home, public, etc.) that has connectivity to the Internet.
4. Can my administrator login to the myResearch Portal and see my data?
   Faculty can delegate access to their myResearch Portal page. See the delegation section below, which includes a short tutorial on how to delegate access.
5. How do I enroll in Multi-factor authentication?
   Click here to get started.
6. What do I do if the Multi-factor authentication doesn't work?
   Contact your area's IT support or the IT Service Desk at 814-865-4357 or email IT Service Desk.

Data

1. Can I update data through the myResearch Portal?
   No, the myResearch Portal is a display-only capability for data. Data can only be updated in the source systems by those with appropriate access. See "Proposals and Awards" section for exceptions.
2. Where does the data that is displayed in the myResearch Portal come from?
   The data is provided to the myResearch Portal from the source systems (SIMS, COINS, CATS IRB, CATS IACUC, CATS Safety, and PRAMS) in real time.
3. Who do I contact if I have questions about the data or there is missing or incorrect information?
   As a first step, contact your department or college research administrator or financial officer.
4. Can my department head or research dean see my information?
   There is no department head or research dean access to this data through the myResearch Portal. They may have access through other systems such as Simba or the data warehouse.
5. I'm a co-PI on a grant, what can I see?
   You can view your pending proposals, active awards, and active protocols. You will not see scanned documents associated with your awards.

Current and Pending Reports

1. How do I obtain Current and Pending (Other Support) Reports?
   Select 'Current & Pending Report' from the MyResearch top menu. Then select the desired format for the Current and Pending Report from the Current and Pending Report Options popup, and press the Submit button. The Current and Pending Report will be sent to you via email.

Proposals and Awards

1. There are pending proposals that are not funded. How do I notify someone?
   The Primary PI or a delegate can mark a proposal as "Not Funded" by the sponsor by clicking on the envelope icon next to the proposal. Proposals that were "Not Funded" can always be viewed by clicking on the "View Not-Funded Proposals" button and some proposals can be marked back to "Pending", if marked as "Not Funded" within the last 90 days.
2. What do the indicators mean that are shown in the column titled 'Flags' in the Active Awards panel?
   
   • CS - This project involves a Cost Share (CS) commitment, which needs to be tracked and reported to the sponsor in accordance with Penn State Policy RA50 and RAG50.
   • PSC - This project includes funds for Participant Support Costs (PSC), which must be tracked separately from any other costs associated with this award. Refer to Policy RA22 for further information.
   • TCP - This project is subject to export control restrictions. Work must be performed in accordance with a Technology Control Plan (TCP). Additional guidance can be found in RA40 and RAG40.

Financials (myFunds)

1. What Financial Account (SIMBA) information does MyResearch Portal provide? Financial Accounts are maintained entirely in SIMBA and are available in the Financials (myFunds) section of myResearch. Responsible PI's can view active Sponsored Grants and Internal Orders.
2. Who has access to Finacials (myFunds) information?
   Access to Financials (myFunds) is managed through SIMBA. Faculty members listed as responsible personnel in either a PI or Co-PI role, as well as support staff with myFunds delegate (MFD) access, can access account information. A faculty member in a PI role has full access to a Grant and all associated Sponsored Programs, while a Co-PI and myFunds delegate have access to Sponsored Programs and associated totals only. Access to Annual and Life-to-Date funds is restricted to the responsible principal investigator. For more information on the access, please see myFunds Reports - Definitions and Roles and for any account security questions, faculty are encouraged to contact their Unit, Research Office, or Financial Officer.
3. Where can I find additional information on Financials (myFunds)? Additional information can be found on Financials (myFunds) in the myResearch Portal KB.

Delegates

1. I'm an administrator, how can I get access to a faculty member's information to help them?
   The faculty member must delegate you access individually by clicking on the Delegate Access icon.
2. Can the myResearch administration team make me a delegate for all the faculty in my department?
   No; delegation is done by each faculty member in the myResearch Portal on an individual basis.
3. Can delegates view all of the same information as the faculty member?
   No; it depends on the delegate's access in the source system. When a delegate attempts to drill down to detailed information, the source system checks the delegate's access and not the faculty member's access. The myResearch Portal honors the source system's security, so the delegate only views detailed data based on their own access. A delegate can never view conflict of interest data from COINS
4. How do I delegate access to someone so that they can see my information in the myResearch Portal?
   Instructions describing how to delegate access to your myReseach Portal information are provided in the Knowlege Base article ORIS-SIMS: myResearch Portal (Dashboard): How to Delegate Access to your myReseach Portal Information and in the presentation Delegating Access.

Research Protocols/Studies

1. Can I submit a continuing review or modification to my approved study/protocol through the myResearch Portal?
   No; the myResearch Portal is a display-only capability for data. You will have to login to the CATS (IRB), CATS IACUC, CATS Safety, or PRAMS) systems directly to request a modification or continuing review of your protocol.
2. How do I start a new protocol application?
   Login to the CATS (IRB), CATS IACUC, or CATS Safety system directly to initiate a new study/protocol.
3. Can delegates view studies/protocols?
   Yes; if they are listed on the study/protocol.