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OCGA News:

OCGA/HSSPPO/SIO Holiday Closure 2008:

In a recent Campus Notice, the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor - Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice Chancellor - Business Affairs, notified the UCSD community that the campus will close during the three working days in December (December 26th, 29th, and 30th) due to the limited number of working days during this holiday period and the anticipated energy savings from reduced operations.

 

As such, the Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA), and its affiliated offices at Conflict of Interest (COI), Scripps   Institution of Oceanography (SIO) and the Health Sciences (HSSPPO), will be closed during this time, thus playing our part in achieving the anticipated savings for the campus at large.

 

Wednesday and Thursday, December 24th and 25th are official UCSD holidays as are the following Wednesday and Thursday, December 31st and January 1, 2009.

 

As such, closure of OCGA for the holidays only encompasses the three days of December 26th, 29th and 30th. This is consistent with the last four year's closing and also with several of the other UC campuses.

 

Principal Investigators and Department/ORU administrators need to be mindful of this closure when planning the submission of proposals with deadlines that fall between these dates, as well as deadlines in early January 2009.

 

Proposals with deadlines during the campus closure and also with deadlines in early January 2009 should arrive at OCGA by no later than Monday, December 8th.

 

We look forward to assisting Investigators and Department/ORU staff with any proposal actions prior to the UCSD campus holiday closure and appreciate your efforts in being timely in these submissions.

 

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

 

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OCGA Web site Gets a Face Lift and New Enhancements:

The OCGA Web site has undergone a significant facelift and added some great new enhancements! The most significant enhancements include:

  • New colors!

  • Browser friendly - All browsers, including Safari, can now access the OCGA Web site and all of the content will look the same regardless of what browser is used!

  • Home Page - The Home Page now contains the information you have requested the most!

  • Grant Proposal Preparation Pages - Topics were brought forward, so users don't have to dig through hyperlinks to find relevant information!

  • Enhanced Search for better results!

  The format of the Web site will remain the same, however, a few new books have been added:

  • Research Administration (replaced the Related Resources book)

  • Special Research Topics (now contains Export Control and Stem Cell information).

There is also a new Generic Proposal Preparation section, and the Industry book will be greatly enhanced over the next few months. Stay tuned!

 

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Conflict of Interest News:

Conflict of Interest Briefing for Researchers:

During the week of May 21, the University of California will launch an online Conflict of Interest Briefing for researchers at all UC locations.

 

The Briefing, which takes about 30-minutes to complete, is designed to help researchers recognize and deal with conflict of interest situations that may arise during their work.   The new Conflict of Interest Briefing was developed by a UC team that included members of the faculty and research staffs from various campuses, headed by the UCOP Office of Research with a vendor, Workplace Answers.

 

For additional detailed information and answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), click here.

 

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Clarification of Principles Related to Conflict of Interest in Research:

The Independent Review Committee (IRC) on Conflict of Interest (COI) wishes to clarify principles related to conflict of interest. The clarifications include:

  • Alert researchers who have ongoing COI issues that regulations and conflict of interest management are evolving to the point that we consider a clarification necessary (others may regard it as a change). This applies, in particular, to various "small business grants."

  • Inform new researchers who may face COI issues in future dealings with the IRC.

  • Reassure researchers, whether or not they have COI in their own research, that the campus treats these matters with integrity and discipline.

For further information regarding these clarifications, click here.

 

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UCSD News:

Southern California Wildfires and Electronic or Paper Proposal Submissions to Federal Agencies:

In view of the devastating wildfires that Southern California has experienced, this notice is to provide basic guidance regarding proposal submissions with deadlines of either last week or for near-term early November deadlines.

 

In regard to electronic or paper proposal submissions to Federal agencies:

  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued an official notice NOT-OD-08-009 which indicates that any proposals submitted late due to the wildfires in California will be accepted as long as they include a cover letter noting the reasons for the delay.   It is not necessary to get permission in advance for such delays.   It is expected that the delay will generally not exceed the time period that an institution is closed (i.e., since the campus was closed for five days, the PI will have an extra five days to submit). It is anticipated that this allowance will include the 11/5/07 deadline.

  • The National Science Foundation (NSF) has a standard policy regarding natural disasters that allows for a delayed submittal that requires that a Principal Investigator contact their Program Official in advance.   The full text of this policy reads as follows:

    "Flexibility in meeting announced deadline dates because of a natural or anthropogenic disasters may be granted with the prior approval of the cognizant NSF Program Officer. Proposers should contact the cognizant NSF Program Officer in the Division/Office to which they intend to submit their proposal and request authorization to submit a late proposal. Such contact should be via e-mail (or telephone, if e-mail is unavailable). Proposers should then follow the written or verbal guidance provided by the cognizant NSF Program Officer. Generally, NSF permits extension of the deadline by 5 business days. The Foundation, however, will work with each impacted organization on a case-by-case basis to address their specific issue(s)."

Please Note: Given that large federal agencies such as NIH and NSF are allowing for the special circumstances due to the fires, it is possible that other federal agencies will as well. However, as this is not a certainty, it is critical for all Principal Investigators anticipating proposal submissions of early November to contact these other federal agencies for guidance on potential leniency.

 

In regard to electronic or paper proposal submissions to all other Federal agencies:

Following the Federal lead, it is anticipated that extensions may also be allowed for proposals to non-profit, industry, and foreign agencies. However, as this is not a certainty, it is critical for all Principal Investigators anticipating proposal submissions of early November to contact these agencies for guidance on potential leniency.

 

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Funding News:

Tobacco Industry Funding - University of California Regents Item 89:

In September 2007, the University of California, Board of Regents approved RE-89, a resolution that requires the adoption of special review, approval, and reporting procedures for proposals to obtain research funding from the tobacco industry.   This resolution also provides that University researchers should consider carefully whether to accept research funding from the tobacco industry (or other tobacco entity), and to exercise the utmost care to ensure that their research adheres to the highest scientific and ethical standards, including vigilance in not allowing any sponsor to direct or control the outcome of their research or the dissemination of its results.

 

For further detailed information, click here.

 

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Budget News:

Academic Salary Escalation Tables Updated:

The Academic Salary Escalation Tables have been updated to reflect new dates and figures. The 15 tables begin with October 1, 2008, with salaries escalated through October 1, 2015.

 

To access all of the Academic Salary Escalation Tables, click here.

 

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Fringe Benefit Rates in Extramural Proposal Budgets:

At the September meeting of the UC Board of Regents, a plan was announced for the resumption of employee and employer contributions to the UC Retirement Plan (UCRP), effective July 1, 2009.   The actual amounts of the University employer contribution will be decided at a future Regents meeting; however, estimated employer benefit rates are provided here for immediate use in the preparation of proposal budgets for extramural funding.

 

Please Note: This is interim guidance only.   Once The Regents make final decisions on UCRP contribution rates, additional guidance will be provided.

 

All other Miscellaneous Special Rates remain unchanged and are not to be escalated.

 

If a proposal period of performance crosses two fiscal years (i.e., 11/1/08 - 10/30/09) a combination of the two applicable benefits rates should be used (i.e. for academic personnel, 8 months at 17%, and 4 months at 21%).

            

The campus will continue to monitor overall planning benefit rates, with the goal of providing annual guidance on or before July 1 of each year.   We appreciate the cooperation of Principal Investigators, Departments and ORUs in incorporating these new rates into proposals for extramural funding.

 

To access the new Fringe Benefit Rates to be used when preparing extramural proposal budgets, click here.

 

To print out the new Budget Preparation Rates Quick Reference sheet, which includes Fringe Benefit Rates, Tuition Remission Rates and Indirect Cost Rates, click here.

 

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New Tuition Remission Rates for 2008 Graduate Student Research:

Effective immediately, Graduate Student Research Tuition-and-Fee (GSRTF) Remission Rates for use in proposals for extramural support have been updated to reflect increases for the 10/01/08 time frame. To access the new Tuition Remission Rates, click here.

 

In addition, the Budget Preparation Rates Quick Reference Guide has been updated to reflect the new Tuition Remission Rates. To access the new updated Quick Reference Guide, click here.

 

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NIH News:

NIH/AHRQ/CDC/FDA Transition to Adobe forms for SF424 (R&R) Electronic Submissions using Grants.gov:

New updated details and dates pertaining to the Transition Schedule for NIH/AHRQ/CDC/NIOSH/FDA from PureEdge to Adobe-based grant application forms for electronic submissions of SF424 Research and Related (R&R) applications.

 

In September 2008, NIH announced its plan to transition to the new electronic Adobe-based grant application forms Guide Notice NOT-OD-08-117.   Most electronic submissions to NIH for receipt dates on or after January 1, 2009 will be required to use the new Adobe-based forms.   Please see the full Adobe Transition Timeline for specific dates and details.

 

For further detailed information, click here.

 

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NIH Policy Change: Only One Resubmission Will Soon Be Allowed:

Starting with new and renewal proposals submitted for the first time on or after Jan. 25, 2009, NIH will allow only one resubmission (amended application).   For proposals originally submitted earlier, the previous policy allowing two resubmissions will still be applied, as long as the final -A2 application is submitted prior to January 7, 2011.

 

Under the new policy, projects that are not funded after the first resubmission must be substantially re-designed and then submitted as a "New" application in order to be reviewed and considered for funding.

 

For further detailed information, click here.

 

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NIH Opens xTrain to All Federal Demonstration Partnership Members:

NIH's electronic system for trainee appointments and terminations is now available to UCSD's T32 and T34 training grants.   It is called xTrain, and is part of the NIH eRA Commons.   After trainees each complete their on-line personal profiles, most of the electronic appointment and termination forms will be pre-populated and can be submitted on-line.

 

For an introduction to the xTrain system, click here.

 

For further detailed information, click here.

 

To access the NIH Notice, click here.

 

Please Note: Anyone using xTrain must be registered in the eRA Commons:

  • PIs should already have a Commons account through UCSD's Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA).   They will be responsible for initiating and submitting appointment forms.

  • Trainees are automatically invited to register (as Trainees) once the PI begins an appointment screen for them.   Registration will be done by NIH via a special mechanism.

  • Business Officials (BO) who will have signature authority for trainee terminations and administration must register via OCGA.

  • Assistants (ASST) who can be delegated certain responsibilities by the training grant PI must register via OCGA.

  • To register for the eRA Commons, click here.

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NIH Announces its FY2008 Fiscal Policy:

The policy reflects the $29.2 billion NIH appropriation for FY2008; a 1% increase over the FY2007 funding level.   Highlights of the NIH fiscal policy include:

  1. Non-Competing Awards: These will be funded, on average, at approximately a 98 percent level of the previously established commitments.   Note, previously established commitments were based on a 3% inflation allowance.   Since the NIH appropriation resulted in only a 1% increase, the previously established commitments had to be adjusted, accordingly.

  2. Competing Awards:   The average cost of competing awards will be allowed to increase by 1% over FY2007.   It is estimated this will allow the Institutes and Centers to support the NIH investigator pool with approximately 9,700 new and competing RPGs, and will allow the number of new investigators to be comparable to the average of the most recent five years.

  3. Career Awards, SBIR/STTRs:   These programs will generally be funded at the committed levels.

  4. Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA):   Funds for stipends, tuition and training-related expenses are held at the FY2007 levels.

Each Institute and Center will be required to manage its portfolio in compliance with the 1% NIH appropriation increase.   However, the FY2008 fiscal policy does allow each IC more flexibility than was provided in FY2006 and FY2007 (both years also experienced sub-inflation appropriation increases).   For example, individual Non-Competing Awards may be funded at higher level, or a lower level, as long as the Institute or Center (in total) remains in compliance with its funding target (i.e., 1% increase).

 

For further detailed information regarding this NIH Notice, click here.

 

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NIH releases newly revised PHS 398 and PHS 2590 instructions and forms:

  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) release newly revised Application for a DHHS Public Health Service Grant (PHS 398, rev. 11/07) instructions and forms. They are available and will be accepted for due dates on or after January 25, 2008. All applications received for May 25, 2008 and subsequent due dates must use the new instructions and forms.

Please Note: During the transition period the previous version (interim revision 04/2006) will continue to be available, and applications using the previous version will be accepted.  However, applications submitted using instructions and forms other than the PHS 398 (rev 11/07) for May 25, 2008 and subsequent due dates will be returned to the applicant. For further detailed information, click here.

 

  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) release newly revised Continuation Progress Report for a DHHS Public Health Service Grant (PHS 2590, rev. 11/07) instructions and forms are now available and will be accepted immediately. All progress reports received on or after March 1, 2008 must use the new instructions and forms.

Please Note: During the transition period the previous version (interim revision 04/2006) will continue to be available, and progress reports using the previous version will be accepted through February 29, 2008. For further detailed information, click here.

 

For access to the new PHS 398 or PHS 2590 Face Pages with UCSD pre-populated information, click here.

 

For access to proposal packages (1, 2, 3, 4, 9, or 10) that contain the new PHS 398 or PHS 2590 Face Pages, click here.

 

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NIH Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications:

The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law. Specifics include:

  1. The NIH Public Access Policy applies to all peer-reviewed articles that arise, in whole or in part, from direct costs funded by NIH, or from NIH staff, that are accepted for publication on or after April 7, 2008.  

  2. Institutions and Investigators are responsible for ensuring that any publishing or copyright agreements concerning submitted articles fully comply with this Policy.

  3. PubMed Central (PMC) is the NIH digital archive of full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles.   Its content is publicly accessible and integrated with other databases.

  4. The final, peer-reviewed manuscript includes all graphics and supplemental materials that are associated with the article.  

  5. Beginning May 25, 2008, anyone submitting an application, proposal or progress report to the NIH must include the PMC or NIH Manuscript Submission reference number when citing applicable articles that arise from their NIH funded research. This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008 due date and subsequent due dates.

  6. Failure to comply with this policy may jeopardize an Investigator’s future NIH funding.

For further detailed information regarding this NIH Notice, click here.

 

For further detailed information for UCSD Investigators, click here.

 

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NIH Reduces Temporary Error Correction Window from 5 Business Days to 2:

NIH will reduce the error correction window (i.e. the time allowed after the submission deadline to address NIH system identified errors/warnings) from five (5) business days to two (2) business days for all electronically submitted grant applications with submission deadlines on or after January 8, 2008.

 

For further detailed information regarding this announcement, click here.

 

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NIH Announces Changes to eRA Commons, particularly (eSNAP) Function:

Some of the improvements to the eRA Commons include the new ability for PIs to delegate access to the Commons "Status" screens to anyone on campus registered in the Commons as an ASSISTANT (ASST).   That ASST would then be able see the same data for all of the PI's proposals as is now available to Signing Officials and Administrative Officials. This feature may be very useful for UCSD departmental fund managers and PI proposal contacts, especially when determining if a Grants.gov electronic submission has generated errors or warnings.

 

For further detail regarding this NIH Notice, click here.

 

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NIH Revised Notice of Award Letter:

NIH has changed the format of their grant awards. They will now consist of an e-mail and a PDF attachment which, together, make up the complete award document. Formerly referred to as the "Notice of Grant Award" or NGA, while the e-mail subject line may still contain NGA in it, the awards themselves will now be referred to as the "Notice of Award" or NOA.

 

For further detail regarding this NIH Notice, click here.

 

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NIH announces Salary Limitation on Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts:

NIH announces updated information regarding the salary limitation for NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards and extramural research and development contract awards. Effective January 1, 2007, the salary cap will be 186,600.

 

For further detailed information, click here.

 

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NIH Policy on Late Submission, Multiple PI Applications, and New Submission/Receipt Dates:

NIH announces information on the implementation of the NIH Policy on Late Applications (Notice OD-06-086) for applications involving multiple Principal Investigators (PIs) and includes the receipt dates that will be effective in February 2007.

 

For further detailed information regarding this announcement, click here.

 

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NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH New limits on Appendix materials for all Grant Applications:

New limits have been announced on Appendix materials for all NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Grant Applications beginning with receipt dates on or after January 3, 2007.

 

For further detailed information regarding this announcement, click here.

 

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NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Change in Standing Receipt Dates for Beginning in January 2007:

Standard receipt dates for grant applications submitted to NIH, AHRQ and NIOSH have changed. The new receipt dates will be effective as of January 2007 and will apply to both paper and electronic applications.

 

For further detailed information regarding this announcement, click here.

 

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NIH New Policy for Funding of Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance on NSRAs:

The NIH announces a change in policy for funding of tuition, fees, and health insurance costs associated with Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). The new policy applies to a variety of new and competing-continuation (renewal) NRSA institutional research training grants.

 

This Notice revises and supersedes NOT-OD-06-090. It clarifies that the new policy applies to all grant mechanisms that use NRSA funding authorities; corrects the stipend levels shown for postdoctoral trainees and fellows in the tables; clarifies F&A applicability under the new policy; and includes minor clarifications to the language. There are no substantive changes to the policy itself.

 

For further detailed information regarding this announcement, click here.

 

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NIH Fiscal Year 2006 - Salary Cap, NRSA Stipend Levels, and Related Notices:

 

NIH has just published 4 notices related to the recently-signed 2006 fiscal year DHHS appropriation bill:

 

FY2006 Salary Cap for NIH, AHRQ, and SAMHSA:

  • The new salary cap is now $183,500, effective 1/1/06:

Salary Limitation on Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts

 

FY2006 Stipend levels for NIH NRSA Training Grants and Fellowships:

  • Only the lowest post-doctoral stipends have been increased.   This will also increase the graduate student compensation ceiling to $36,996:

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipend and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2006

 

FY2006 NIH Financial Policy:

  • Due to reductions to the NIH appropriation, non-competing award amounts are being reduced to 97.65% of the previously approved amount for each grant:

NIH Financial Policy for Grant Awards ­ FY 2006

 

FY2006 Legislative Mandates:

  • NIH funds cannot be used for the items on this list:

Notice of Legislative Mandates Contained in the FY 2006 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act P.L. 109-149; Signed December 30, 2005

 

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NSF News:

NSF announces a new guide entitled Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG):

Effective June 1, 2007, the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) will be combined into a new guide entitled Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

 

For access to the new PAPPG guide, click here.

 

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Grants.gov News:

Grants.gov submissions to NIH will require Adobe Packages beginning January 2009:

Electronic proposal submissions using Grants.gov are beginning to require Adobe Form Packages in place of PureEdge form packages. NIH will make the transition to Adobe forms in January 2009 for most of their electronic proposals. Keep the following in mind as you prepare for this transition:

  • As of yet, the new Adobe Form Packages are not available. For any proposals that will have to be submitted as an Adobe package in January 2009, concentrate for now on completing the Research plan and the PDF attachment files. Do not use a PureEdge package that may currently be linked to your funding solicitation.   Adobe packages for NIH applications should be available in December 2008.

  • Completing an Adobe Form Package will require a specific version of Adobe Reader, which will be free, or the corresponding version of Adobe Acrobat Professional. Please Note: Using older versions of these programs will permanently corrupt the application package and make it impossible to submit. For the most up-to-date list of compatible versions of the Adobe software as well as for free Acrobat Reader programs to download, click here.

  • To test compatibility of your existing Adobe software, click here.  

  • Don't Panic! Adobe Form Packages look very similar to PureEdge packages. The same form pages will be included. Unlike PureEdge packages, Adobe packages should be compatible with Mac and Vista operating systems.

  • For more detailed information regarding the Grants.gov Adobe transition, click here.

  • For more detailed information regarding the NIH Adobe Transition, click here.  

  • For more detailed information about the NIH transition; NIH Notice NOT-OD-08-117, click here:

  • For an animated Adobe tutorial, click here.

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Grants.gov Adobe forms:

During the course of 2008, all 26 federal granting agencies utilizing Grants.gov for proposal submission will transition to Adobe forms in lieu of the current PureEdge forms. The exact time line for all agencies has not yet been established, however, a few of the smaller agencies have already begun to do so. Large agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tentatively plan to delay their transition until mid-summer.

 

As such, this year there will be the need to be able to use both PureEdge forms and Adobe forms depending on the agency and the Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs).

 

Please Note: Since it is imperative to have compatible software in order to prepare proposals using Grants.gov, they have developed a Adobe Versioning Test Application Package to determine if the version of Adobe Reader installed on your computer is consistent with what is necessary. Compatible versions of Adobe Reader are available on the Grants.gov Download Software Page for free downloading.

 

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Other News:

Registration of Clinical Trials:

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) that represents major journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association, now requires that clinical trials be registered in a publicly accessible trials' registry as a condition of consideration for publication.

 

If you have any questions, please visit http://irb.ucsd.edu/Registry_Fact_Sheet.pdf for further information on the details of the ICMJE's registration requirements including which trials should be registered and how to complete the registration process.

 

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