Category: General

Attention Principal Investigators: Nominate your Project Staff for the 2025 RCUH Outstanding Employees of the Year Awards

These awards encourage, recognize, and reward RCUH employees who have made demonstrable, significant, and exemplary contributions to their project during the past fiscal year (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025) or years. The nominee(s) must be in a Regular-status position, employed by the nominating program for at least one (1) year, have passed their new hire probation period, and in good standing (which includes completion of all required training).

CATEGORIES

  1. Researcher/Project Manager/Professional (exempt status position)
  2. Project Support Staff (non-exempt status position)
  3. Team (2-4 staff in exempt and/or non-exempt positions)

AWARDS

  • $1,000 to the first-place awardee in each category
  • $500 to the second-place awardee in each category
  • $100 to each nominee
  • Team awards for first and second place will be shared equally among team members.

NOMINATIONS

A Principal Investigator (PI) may submit one (1) nomination. Team nominations are limited to no more than four (4) individuals per team.

Each category will be limited to five (5) nominations, which includes one (1) alternate*. Due to the category limits, PIs must indicate their intent to submit a nomination by emailing rcuh@rcuh.com during the period May 19-June 6, 2025. (Intents are taken in the order received.) The email should include the employee’s name and nomination category. Upon eligibility verification, RCUH will provide the PI with a nomination form. The deadline to submit the completed and signed nomination form is July 18, 2025.

*The alternate will be advanced only when a nominee is ineligible or withdraws.

This year, there will be no interviews and filming of nominees and PIs, and no annual awards luncheon. We hope that projects will find a way to include their entire staff in celebrating their honoree(s).

For more information, please refer to policy 3.450 Outstanding Employee of the Year or contact RCUH Corporate Services at rcuh@rcuh.com or 808-956-0504.

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Notice to Attorneys Interested in Providing Legal Services to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii

We have extended the deadline for submissions to Friday, May 23, 2025.

Licensed attorneys who wish to provide specialized legal services to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH) for Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026), are invited to submit a Statement of Qualifications and Expression of Interest (SOQ) to RCUH pursuant to HRS § 103D-304.

RCUH is currently looking to contract for legal services in the following areas:

  1. Employment:  Employment, disciplinary, termination, workers’ compensation and discrimination/retaliation issues. Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
    b. Providing advice and recommendations regarding responses to claims asserted by current and former employees; 
    c. Participating in negotiations regarding items (a) and (b); and
    d. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

Previous experience advising employers is essential, and previous experience advising government agencies is preferred.  

  1. Employment:  Employee benefits, including retirement benefits. Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
    b. Providing advice and recommendations regarding responses to claims asserted by current and former employees; 
    c. Participating in negotiations regarding items (a) and (b); and
    d. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

Previous experience advising employers is essential, and previous experience advising government agencies is preferred.  

  1. Immigration: Temporary visa and/or immigrant visa applications. Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
    b. Completing and filing temporary and immigrant visa applications and related documentation (previous experience representing employers in the application process is essential); and
    c. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.
  1. Tax: Payroll, IRS compliance, foreign payroll and/or nonresident alien and foreign entity contractor payments (crossover immigration experience preferred), IRS compliance. Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, internal policies, and other legal requirements.
  1. Maritime: Charter, third-party vessel, and other marine-related agreements; marine insurance terms and policies. Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto; and
    b. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, insurance policies/terms, internal policies, and other legal requirements.

Please email your SOQ to: eyoda@rcuh.com by Friday, May 23, 2025, to be eligible for consideration. SOQs received after May 23, 2025 will be classified as “late submittals” for the balance of the fiscal year. Late submittals will be considered for services beginning October 1, 2025, unless it is received after September 30, 2025, in which case the submittal will be considered for services at the start of the following quarter (i.e., January 1, 2026 or April 1, 2026).

SOQ forms are available here.

Amendment to Request for Proposal (RFP) for Consulting Services to Develop a Management Plan for the Newly Established Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority (MKSOA); plus Final Questions and Responses

Amendment to MKSOA RFP# MKSOA 6884-2025-01:

Download [631.08 KB]

Questions and Responses for MKSOA RFP# MKSOA 6884-2025-01:

Download [72.62 KB]

Fiscal Year-End June 30, 2025

Important Dates:

Monday, June 30, 2025Last Check Run for FY 2025 (Payments must be approved by 12:00 noon)
Thursday, July 3, 2025RCUH Financial System scheduled to reopen First Check Run for FY 2026 (4:00 PM)

RCUH Financial Portal purchasing, payment, and travel transactions must be approved by Fiscal Administrators by 12:00 noon on Monday, June 30, 2025 to be included in FY 2025. The last check run for the fiscal year will be on Monday, June 30, 2025. Pending transactions will remain in the RCUH Financial Portal and will not be automatically deleted or disapproved.

From June 30, 12:00 noon through July 2, online purchasing, payment, and travel transactions can be created, but Fiscal Administrators will not have the ability to approve transactions. Transactions will not be posted to project accounts until the RCUH financial system is reopened for FY 2026, which is scheduled for Thursday, July 3, 2025. The first check run for FY 2026 is scheduled for Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM.

On an emergency basis only, manual checks can be issued during this period. Fiscal Administrators should contact RCUH Disbursing at rcuhdisb@rcuh.com.

Project reports will be accessible on the Financial Portal. However, report balances will only reflect transactions posted through June 30, 2025, until system processing resumes on July 3, 2025. During this period, UH Project Fiscal Reports may reflect incorrect amounts and balances until opening balances are loaded into KFS for FY 2026 and transmitted to the RCUH financial system.

Please contact RCUH Accounting at rcuh_accounting@rcuh.com if you have any questions.

RCUH Website Redesign―Photos Wanted!

Our refreshed website, currently in development, is primed to feature a wide cross-section of the outstanding people, research, and training that RCUH supports. Please help us by sharing your visually captivating, high-resolution photos showcasing your project’s work. Please complete the Project Profile and submit it along with your photos to rcuh@rcuh.com.  As a reminder, please ensure you have permission from any identifiable individual(s) in your photos. Mahalo!

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NOTICE TO ATTORNEYS INTERESTED IN PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES TO THE RESEARCH CORPORATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

Licensed attorneys who wish to provide specialized legal services to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH) for Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026), are invited to submit a Statement of Qualifications and Expression of Interest (SOQ) to RCUH pursuant to HRS § 103D-304.

RCUH is currently looking to contract for legal services in the following areas:

  1. Employment:  Employment, disciplinary, termination, workers’ compensation and discrimination/retaliation issues.  Services shall include but not be limited to:

    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
    b. Providing advice and recommendations regarding responses to claims asserted by current and former employees; 
    c. Participating in negotiations regarding items (a) and (b); and
    d. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

Previous experience advising employers is essential, and previous experience advising government agencies is preferred.  

  1. Employment:  Employee benefits, including retirement benefits.  Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
    b. Providing advice and recommendations regarding responses to claims asserted by current and former employees; 
    c. Participating in negotiations regarding items (a) and (b); and
    d. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

Previous experience advising employers is essential, and previous experience advising government agencies is preferred.  

  1. Immigration: Temporary visa and/or immigrant visa applications.  Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
    b. Completing and filing temporary and immigrant visa applications and related documentation (previous experience representing employers in the application process is essential); and
    c. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.
  1. Tax: Payroll, IRS compliance, foreign payroll and/or nonresident alien and foreign entity contractor payments (crossover immigration experience preferred), IRS compliance.  Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, internal policies, and other legal requirements.
  1. Maritime: Charter, third-party vessel, and other marine-related agreements; marine insurance terms and policies.  Services shall include but not be limited to:
    a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto; and
    b. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, insurance policies/terms, internal policies, and other legal requirements.

Please email your SOQ to: eyoda@rcuh.com by Monday, May 19, 2025, to be eligible for consideration. SOQs received after May 19, 2025 will be classified as “late submittals” for the balance of the fiscal year. Late submittals will be considered for services beginning October 1, 2025, unless it is received after September 30, 2025, in which case the submittal will be considered for services at the start of the following quarter (i.e., January 1, 2026 or April 1, 2026).

SOQ forms are available here.

Request for Proposal for Consulting Services to Develop a Management Plan for the Newly Established Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority (MKSOA)

All questions about the RFP must be directed to Lloyd Unebasami at lloyd.i.unebasami@hawaii.gov. Closing Date for Receipt of Offeror Questions is 4:30 PM (Hawaii Standard Time), April 30, 2025.

Download [1.27 MB]

RCUH Statement and UH Update on Federal Funding/Policy

We have received many questions relating to how RCUH is handling the system-wide measures recently announced by University of Hawai’i President Wendy Hensel. Consistent with UH policy, any RCUH employee who supports a UH project, must follow the instruction of their Principal Investigator and the UH administration’s measures.

UH VPRI UPDATE ON DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NOTICE

This also serves to inform you, if you have not already seen it, that UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis Syrmos released a notice on April 14 that said UH received a policy flash from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) stating an immediate change to their indirect cost policy. Similar to the proposed cap by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the DOE will immediately institute a 15% indirect cost rate on new grants to institutes of higher education (IHEs) and is “undertaking” action to terminate all grant awards to IHEs that do not conform with this updated policy.”

If you have received a related termination notice or award-related information from the DOE, please contact Victoria Rivera, UH Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Compliance.

Please remember to check out the latest information on VPRI’s webpage New Administration Federal Funding Updates and the UH Federal Policy Updates and Resources webpage.

UH VPA UPDATE ON PERSONNEL ACTIONS – LOSS OF FEDERAL FUNDS

UH Vice President for Administration Jan Gouveia also notified UH officers yesterday that a mandatory review by the Office of Human Resources and RCUH Human Resources (if applicable), is being instituted prior to any of the following actions:

  • Changing funding source(s) for permanent/temporary funded positions due to loss of federal funds-including temporary bridging funds
  • Reducing FTE due to loss of federal funds
  • Creating a new position or recruiting for a position intended to replace a position previously funded with federal funds
  • Terminating employment due to loss of federal funds.

The University created a webpage with guidance and Frequently Asked Questions relating to personnel actions: https://www.hawaii.edu/ohr/personnel-actions-loss-of-federal-funds/. UH also developed request forms for respective UH employees and RCUH employees.

Intramural Account Renewals

To: Principal Investigators and Fiscal Administrators

The continuation of intramural accounts beyond their termination date require a renewal request. If your account(s) is(are) expiring on June 30, 2025, you will receive a reminder email from RCUH Project Administration in mid-April.

It is highly recommended that you submit the renewal request(s) for UH approval as soon as possible. Procurement actions will be delayed on an expired account.

Your prompt attention and submittal(s) are appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Chang at jchang@rcuh.com or (808) 956-0513.