For Investigators

When do I have to disclose inventions to the VA?

At the time of invention, Federal Employees (whether VA Paid or WOC) are obligated to disclose to the VA any inventions or potential inventions to the Federal Government. The VA Office of Technology Transfer will then review the disclosure and make an ownership determination. The government will either claim ownership or return rights back to the party disclosing.

How do I disclose an Invention to the VA?

Employees who need to disclose to the VA should contact the Research Office. You can also find the appropriate forms and more information on the Intranet at http://vaww.research.va.gov/programs/tech_transfer/policies/ . After you complete the forms, submit them to the Research Office for Review, Signature and Submission to VACO.

I disclosed to Emory, do I need to disclose to VA as well?

Yes. As a Federal Employee you must disclose your work to the Federal Government for determination of Ownership and rights. Will Emory and VA work together? Yes, if VA selects to obtain a right to ownership, they will work with Emory’s Tech Transfer Office to sort out ownership issues, licenses etc.

The VA did not make any contribution to my invention. Am I still required to submit a VA disclosure?

Yes. Many employees believe that if an invention is not made during official working hours or with no contribution of the VA, a disclosure of the invention is not necessary. Even if VA made no contribution towards an invention, i.e., the invention was made entirely outside official working hours, unrelated to VA employment, and with no use of VA facilities, equipment, etc., a VA disclosure is still required by Federal law. Following receipt of a disclosure, the Technology Transfer office will review the file and make a recommendation regarding ownership and submit it to the Office of General Counsel (OGC). OGC will review the facts presented in the disclosure and issue a legal determination of rights. (https://www.research.va.gov/programs/tech_transfer/faq.cfm)

Link to Invention Disclosure and Certification Forms

Forms, Templates and Model Agreements (va.gov)

As of Oct. 1, 2011, all VA investigators are required to upload notifications about upcoming publications, presentations, media interviews, and other professional activities to PubTracker. This system replaces the email-notification system that had been in use. Access the PubTracker link through the ORD public website at Publication Notification (va.gov). The actual PubTracker can only be accessed through the VA intranet.

Further information can be found at on the ORD website here

Yes. Please download the file named Checklist for publishing VA research at the bottom of this page.

The complete policy statement on “Presentation of Research Results” can be found in Handbook 1200.19 (https://www.research.va.gov/resources/policies/handbooks.cfm?msclkid=8f…). While the investigator is encouraged to review this handbook in its entirety, segments from the handbook that are frequently referenced are abstracted below. A PDF of these segments can be downloaded from the Forms and Tools Section Below

1. PROCEDURES FOR ACKNOWLEDGING VA RESEARCH SUPPORT AND VA EMPLOYMENT

     a. Acknowledgement of VA Research Support. All publications and presentations of VA research              results must contain the following (or equivalent) acknowledgement:

          (1) “This material is based upon work supported (or supported in part) by the Department of                        Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development” (add                    as applicable Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development, Clinical Sciences Research                  and Development including the Cooperative Studies Program, Rehabilitation Research and                      Development Service, and Health Services Research and Development).

          (2) If VA provided no direct research funding, but the research involved the use of other VA                              resources (e.g., facilities or patients), the publications, or presentations must contain a                              similar acknowledgement. For example, “This material is the result of work supported with                      resources and the use of facilities at the (name and location of VA medical center).”

     b. Acknowledgement of VA Employment. Authors of clinical and research manuscripts, abstracts, books, book chapters, and presentations must acknowledge their employment using the following format: “VA Title, VA Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, City, and State.”

          (1) When the author also holds a faculty appointment, the academic title and school also may                     be acknowledged.

          (2)When the Principal Investigator (PI) has a 5/8ths or more VA appointment, VA must be named                 first, regardless whether VA is the primary source of funding or where the funds are                                       administered.

          (3) Authors or presenters of research results are required to list VA employment first if any of the                 following conditions apply:

                    (a) Work was funded primarily from VA resources (50 percent or more), either directly or                                 indirectly;

                    (b) The research was conducted primarily in VA facilities; or

                    (c) The first author was a junior scientist (e.g., resident, fellow trainee) whose salary may                                  not have been provided by VA, but who primarily used VA funding or facilities, or whose                              mentor or supervisor was primarily employed or funded by VA.

……….

     e. Disclaimer Requirement. Publications or presentations must include a disclaimer stating that the contents do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

Step 1:

A reporter interested in ORD work contacts a researcher or other VA employee

Step 2:

The research/employee immediately advises the reporter to refer all questions to the local VA public affairs officer (PAO), and at the same time sends the request to ORD Communications (VAResearchMedia@va.gov) and the PAO.

Step 3:

ORD Communications  and the PAO assess the request and recommend approval to VHA Communications, or forward any concerns

Step 4:

VHA Communications assesses the request and recommends approval to the VA Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs (OPIA) or forwards any concerns.

Step 5:

OPIA assesses the request and makes a determination. Upon approval, VHA Communications will work with ORD Communications and the local PAO to coordinate with the investigator or other research personnel on providing the reporter a timely response.

Step 6:

Once a phone or email interview is approved and scheduled, the researcher or a designee uses the PubTracker Portal to provide details about the medical contact, per VHA Directive 1200.19

See the Media Clearance Flow Chart in the Forms and Tools section on this page

Health care and medical research are some of the most widely covered topics reported by local and national media. Media interviews enable our clinicians and investigators to promote and share VA success stories with potentially thousands of readers and viewers. This has tremendous benefits for the VA and its employees. However, before conducting interviews, please refer all media queries to the Atlanta VAMC Public Affairs Office. The Public Affairs Office  will work with you to expedite your request and to ensure that the topic of the interview does not require guidance from the office of the VA Secretary (enabling all VAMCs to speak with one voice). In most cases, local media requests are approved at the medical center level, however national and international media requests must be cleared by VACO and can take a couple of days before final approval.

See the Donated Travel Guidelines in the Forms and Tools Section

Emory University

Emory School of Medicine Research Support

Visit the VHA Data Portal's Guidance Page on DUAs 

Your Research ADPAC will submit an ePAS. Please contact the Research ADPAC for more information.

Medical Medical Media can help teams with printing color pages, editing flyers or pamphlets, and offer graphic design consultative services.

Submit your request here (VA Intranet only)

For help with determining if your project is Research or QA/QI contact the HRPP Manager, Jennifer Whelan, at Jennifer.Whelan@va.gov. Also, see the following documents in the Forms and Tools section

• QA/QI Research Workflow
• Is my Project Research Determination Request Form

All staff who are on a project must be added onto the study at the VA through the eRRRP system. This site is available while on the VA network only.

Please follow your sponsor and IRB requirements for staff additions as each entity will differ slightly.

For staff additions to animal studies, please make sure that staff have completed all required training modules including species specific trainings in CITI. Contact Tedra.Ricks@va.gov for assistance with CITI