The Department of Energy (DOE) mandates that all sponsors and donors undergo re-certification every two years. Berkeley Lab uses the Representations and Certifications form to accurately capture the profiles of organizations interested in or pursuing research projects with the Lab. The information on the form is crucial for fulfilling DOE contractual requirements.
It provides information about the research partner type, ownership, and foreign affiliation. It also determines the additional questions asked in eSRA.
When should the form be completed?
The form must be completed and signed at the proposal initiation phase before any proposal approval is obtained in eSRA related to this research partner.
Renewal or re-certification of the form is due every two years. A completed and signed Representations and Certifications form is valid for two years from the date of the last signature. After that, the affected organization must recertify.
Who must complete the form?
Not every research partner completes the Representations and Certifications form. The partners below do not need to complete this form:
- Integrated Contractors (DOE National Laboratories)
- U.S. Federal Government
- DOE (Dept. of Energy)
- State of California
- State (states other than California) or Local Governments
If a research partner does not fall into one of the categories listed above, they must complete a Representations and Certifications form under the categories below:
- New Research Partner, Sponsor, or Donor: any organization not yet registered in the Berkeley Lab research system.
- Continuing Research Partner, Sponsor, or Donor (No Prior Form): any organization currently listed in the Berkeley Lab research system but has never completed a Representations and Certifications form.
- Continuing Research Partners, Sponsor, or Donor (with Outdated Forms): any organization in the Berkeley Lab research system with an outdated form requiring re-certification.
How do I ensure the form is completed?
For secure handling of personally identifiable information (PII), the SPO Sponsor Administrator manages the Representations and Certifications form via ShareFile.
- For a New Research Partner, Sponsor, or Donor: The Resource Analyst responsible for preparing a proposal must promptly enter a new sponsor request in eSRA along with the point of contact (POC) information so that the Sponsor Administrator can send the Representations and Certifications form to the organization’s POC.
- For Continuing Research Partner, Sponsor, or Donor (No Prior Form) and Continuing Research Partners, Sponsor, or Donor (with Outdated Forms): The SPO Sponsor Administrator uses a daily report of active proposals in eSRA to identify outdated Representations and Certifications that require re-certification.
For more information, please reach out to schedule a meeting or ask questions by emailing SPO-ResearchAdmin@lbl.gov.
