ROMEO Researcher Portal

As a web-based tool, the Researcher Portal does not require high-end computer system specifications. Either Windows or Mac operating systems may be used.

Compatible browsers are:
    1. Google Chrome (Mac and Windows)
    2. Mozilla Firefox (Windows)
    3. Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge (Windows)
    4. Safari (Mac)

Users can update most aspects of their profile from either of two locations.

1. Within an application: Users can alter aspects such as their "Role" for project purposes, their primary address or their contact number if that differs for the project period. Note however, that changes made from within an application remain specific to that application and so will not be applied to subsequent applications.
2. Portal home page: Changes made from this location will be applied to all future applications unless subsequently amended. Select "My Profile" in the top right corner of the portal home page and update fields as appropriate.

Note: For security and data integrity purposes, the department affiliation and email address of each user must be set and stored by the portal’s system administrator. (You will notice that these fields are greyed out in the "My Profile" window). In order to change these aspects of your profile, please email Researcher.Portal@dal.ca.

Yes, all email communications from the ROMEO system are sent from the "do not reply" address. The sender's email address is included in the cc line.

When responding, make sure to click “reply-all” and adjust the recipient list as needed. The “do-not-reply” address can be removed, as any response to that address will return a bounce back message.

In the growing research security landscape, this change was implemented by the software vendor to eliminate a spoofing issue that ROMEO clients were experiencing.

For draft applications (not yet submitted): 

Project team members can be added in one of two ways:

1. Under the Project Team Info tab, click Add New at the bottom of the page, and then click Search Profiles. Team members who are uploaded under this section will have access to the file in ROMEO, and will also be copied on email notifications from the system.

2. If members do not have a profile in the system and/or do not require access to the ROMEO file, their details can be typed into the team member boxes under the Project Info tab. If the team member should be added via uploading a profile, they can be asked to submit a registration request.

For applications already submitted:

For Animal Care protocols, send your request to ucla@dal.ca.

For Awards files, send your request to researcher.portal@dal.ca. The request should come from the Principal Investigator, providing brief confirmation that the team member(s) can be added to the ROMEO files. Include details that will help staff locate the relevant file. Examples might include the 5 digit account number, project title, funder name, 7 digit ROMEO file number, etc.

Note: Since team members are manually added to individual files, it might not be feasible to add them to all of the PI's projects in ROMEO. The focus is primarily on files that currently need assistance or might require assistance in the near future (e.g. adding team members to help submit events).

Anyone may start a new ROMEO file, entering all the required details. However, the Dalhousie Principal Investigator must be the person to click the Submit button, since it's the equivalent of their electronic signature.

If you are working on a ROMEO file for a PI, click the Change PI button under the Project Team Info tab. Search and select the PI's name. Then scroll to the bottom of the Team Info tab, click Add New and then Search Profiles. Look up your name, and add yourself back in as a project team member.

Save and Close the file, then notify the PI that the file is ready to submit.

Dalhousie researchers applying for incoming transfers must remain listed as the Principal Investigator in the ROMEO system as they will be the account holder and are seeking Department/Faculty approval.

Although multiple users can view one file simultaneously, only one user can edit a file at any given time. While the file is being edited, ROMEO locks the file to other users. Once the user saves and exits the file, the file unlocks and is accessible to other users for additional edits.

However, when the file is not saved and closed properly, the file remains locked and has to be manually unlocked by the either the user who locked the file or the portal’s system administrator.

In the first instance, it is advised that you contact your team member and ask that they log in again, access the file, then save and close properly. 

Should it not be possible to contact that team member and you have an urgent need to access the file, please send an email to researcher.portal@dal.ca.

The Office of Research Services generates funding reports from the ROMEO database. For consistency and accuracy, the dollar amounts must be Canadian.

If the funder is international, you can use the XE Currency Converter to retrieve the Canadian amount. The foreign currency can be typed in the Comments box above the disbursement table.

If you're unsure of the budget breakdown, you can enter the total requested amount in the first row under the relevant category (cash, in-kind, overhead). ORS and OCIE administrators will break out the disbursements later. 

If the project is awarded, you can leave a note in the comment box above the table, since the “Awarded” columns can only be accessed by ORS and OCIE administrators. 

Unless instructed otherwise, you can enter the amount that is expected to come to Dalhousie.

We encourage the application to be as close to the final version as possible before uploading to ROMEO for internal review. Depending on the program, some applications may require a final version, to obtain institutional signature.

For most grants, it's understandable if there are changes during the time between ROMEO submission and the submission to the funding agency. If documents are updated or obtained after ROMEO submission, you can email the documents to the relevant administrator, and they can upload them to the ROMEO file.

Note: Typically, a few weeks before submitting to the funding agency, the application should be submitted through ROMEO for internal review. Some funding agency portals include the option to export your entire application to PDF. Exporting the application from the agency portal, and uploading this copy to the ROMEO Attachments tab is the preferred option. If the agency does not have an export feature, then ensure that you upload a complete application with all the required components (budget, certificates, letters of support, CV, etc.) to ROMEO.

Try saving your document as a compressed or "reduced size" PDF document (Adobe instructions here). If this is not sufficient to meet the file size restriction, check if your PDF reader has a "Split Document" feature. This feature will enable you to break the file into pieces equal to or less than 10MB. Clearly label each piece (e.g. "Application - Part 1 of 3") and upload.

Only the information from the Project Info tab, Project Team Info tab, Project Sponsor Info tab, and the application’s custom questions (e.g. Investigator Checklist tab) will be included in the exported file.

Any documents uploaded under the Attachments tab need to be individually downloaded, although the names of the files will be included in the export.

The answer mainly depends on where your file is currently located in the workflow. See below for potential options.
 

Option #1: The Administrator or Signing Authority can enable editing mode

Locate the relevant file, which may be sitting under Applications: Post Review or Applications: Under Review. Check the workflow status.
 

If the file is currently with the Department or Faculty, reach out to your Department Head or Dean/ADR and request the file to be returned for editing.

If the file is currently with the Other Signing Authority (i.e. hospital signatory), then refer to option #3 (withdrawal and creating a copy).

If the workflow status says "ORS Review" or "Approval Decision Made", then contact the relevant administrator for your project. They can return the file for editing.

Option #2: Emailing documents to the Administrator

This option is ideal if you need to send additional or updated documents, but don't need to make changes to anything else in the checklist. If the workflow status says "ORS Review" or "Approval Decision Made", you can email the documents directly to the ORS or OCIE administrator for your project. They can upload the documents to your ROMEO file.

Option #3: Withdrawing the File and Creating a Copy

This option is ideal if you've recently submitted the file, but realized you need to make a change.

1. Go to Applications: Under Review and locate the relevant file number.
2. Click the orange View button on the left side to open the file.
3. Click the orange Withdraw button at the top.
4. A pop-up box will appear. Leave any comment in the box, then click Submit.
5. Clicking Submit will automatically close the file and take you back to the homepage.
6. Go to the Applications: Withdrawn folder.
7. Click the orange Clone button on the left side of the relevant file number.
8. Checkmark the information/tabs you wish to copy over and click Clone. This will create a new copy in your Applications: Drafts folder.

Note: Files can only be withdrawn if they're currently with the Other, Department or Faculty signatories. Once they reach ORS, they cannot be withdrawn.

If you're uncertain who to contact, or need further help, please email researcher.portal@dal.ca.

ROMEO Events are used for more complex activities that may involve elements of legal review, committee review, multiple documents related to the same task, etc. Along with the submission form, the Event record serves as the repository to keep these documents housed together.

Available event forms include:

• Legal agreements with no account opening (material & data transfer etc.)
• Funding applications and agreements
• Indigenous Engagement Release of Funds 
• Amendments to Grants & Contracts
• Animal Care Renewals and/or Amendments
• Outbound Transfer of Funds Requests

In other situations, a document can be emailed to the relevant administrator, to be uploaded to the ROMEO file. Especially in cases where the ROMEO file has already been submitted, but some of the documents were not final, or not obtained yet.

Examples include:

• Updated application
• Updated budget
• Letter of Support
• Certificates (Human & Animal Ethics, etc.)
• Financial Services Research Account Application and/or Journal Entry
• Notice of Award

After submission, the application can be withdrawn by clicking Applications: Under Review. Locate the file and click the View button. Then click Withdraw.

Applications cannot be withdrawn after they are approved by the faculty. At this point, the application will reach the Office of Research Services and the Withdraw button will be automatically disabled. The PI must contact either the research administrator or the researcher portal team to close the file.

If you are starting a new application that is very similar to a previous application, you can create a copy to save time on manual data entry.

Locate the previous ROMEO file, and click the Clone button on the left side of the file number. A pop-up box will appear. Check-mark the information/tabs that you wish to copy over and click Clone. The new copy will appear under your Applications: Drafts folder.

Please ensure that you review and update all the application details of the new checklist to reflect the new project or protocol. For example, if you clone the Attachments tab, please remove irrelevant documents. If you clone the Common Questions, which is the checklist tab, ensure that you review and update the responses accordingly.

Note that for Animal Ethics files, please leave the Animal Use tab unchecked. Cloning this tab will carry over the approved numbers from the previous protocol, which cannot be removed.

Making the appropriate updates will enable a faster and more efficient review by the research facilitators. If the file contains outdated or inaccurate information, the PI might be required to submit a new file, to ensure appropriate review by all the relevant signatories.

Signing Authority configurations are managed by the Information Management team on request.

Notifications of a new application are typically sent to the individual Dalhousie email addresses of the Department Head and the Dean/ADR. Multiple emails can be listed at the department and faculty levels. All emails will receive a notification, but only one approval is required to move the application to the next level.

It is up to the discretion of the faculty and department on how they wish to structure the signing authority process. Options include individual emails, or email handles that are shared by signing authorities.