WHAT IS ITSS?
ITSS (Information Technology Shared Services) stands as a centralized technology delivery model meticulously crafted to disseminate comprehensive service and support. Operating within UC San Diego Health Information Services, ITSS integrates crucial components, including People, Processes, and Technology, to cater to the dynamic needs of faculty and staff immersed in the spirit of research discovery.
UC San Diego Health Information Services (IS) is dedicated to leveraging technology to effectively and securely support our three school's missions, including the delivery of quality healthcare, outstanding medical education, and advancement of innovative research at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy & School of Public Health.
WHY ITSS?
The genesis of ITSS addresses the inadequacies of the previous fragmented Professional Schools support model. The absence of unified services resulted in additional and unnecessary costs, cybersecurity incidents, a lack of cohesive user experiences, and, in certain instances, a complete absence of IT support. This disparity posed challenges to various groups within the Professional Schools enterprise, hindering the pursuit of innovative research discovery.
ITSS AT UC SAN DIEGO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS - A PRINCIPLED APPROACH
The Information Technology Shared Services (ITSS) at our institution is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee composed of representatives from all three major professional schools, alongside key members of the Information Services senior leadership team. This collaborative committee plays a crucial role in providing valuable insights, direction, and strategic counsel to ITSS activities. Committed to enhancing service delivery and fostering transparency, the Advisory Committee serves as a dynamic force, ensuring that ITSS aligns with the evolving needs of the academic community while maintaining the highest standards of operational transparency. Their collective expertise contributes significantly to the effective functioning of ITSS and underscores our commitment to excellence in information technology support.
HOW DOES ITSS BENEFIT ME?
ITSS empowers the School of Medicine community by fostering collaboration, efficiency, and providing essential tools for impactful and effective roles, all within the context of the vibrant spirit of research discovery. By offering cutting-edge technology in areas such as security, cloud computing, desktop, and server engineering, ITSS not only promotes unity but also safeguards our organization against unwanted cyber threats, thereby facilitating a conducive environment for groundbreaking research endeavors.
HOW DO I BUDGET ITSS IN CONTRACTS AND GRANTS?
The application of the HS Technology Service Charge (HS-TSC) to contracts and grants is strategically aimed at ensuring an elevated level of security protection for Health Sciences personnel actively engaged in research discovery within an environment rich with HIPAA data. Clear guidelines emphasize the importance of supporting the security and technological needs of faculty and staff, fostering an environment conducive to groundbreaking research exploration.
Following are guidelines regarding the application of the HS Technology Service Charge to contracts and grants:
- $140.06 per month per projected full-time employee (FTE) or fractional proportion based on FTE effort
- Please note that on March 29, 2022, our Executive Body came to the conclusion that certain IT investments had to be made to protect our Organization from malicious attackers. As such, it has been decided that an increase of 7% for the next 5 years is necessary. Therefore, please make note of the following HS-TSC fees and plan accordingly:
- Fiscal 2023 --> $122.33
- Fiscal 2024 --> $130.89
- Fiscal 2025 --> $140.06
- Fiscal 2026 --> $149.86
- Fiscal 2027 --> $160.35
- Applies to contracts and grants for researchers operating within the Health Sciences domain and receiving full-service support from UC San Diego Health Information Services.
- Applies to contract and grant budgets for all sponsors
- Include on proposal budgets effective July 1, 2021
- Applies to contract and grant awards effective July 1, 2021
- Will not apply to awards from sponsors that do not allow these types of costs as direct charge without advance notification and approval. If a sponsor does not approve, it will be necessary to allocate this charge to other discretionary funds as approved by the Department Chair.
- Awards where funding is not adequate to cover these charges will be given consideration of a waiver from the Department Chair for these fees, on an award-by-award basis.
- Does not apply to General Campus or Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) researchers. For General Campus or SIO researchers collaborating with Health Sciences researchers on projects, the fee will only be assessed for Health Sciences affiliated personnel and will not be assessed on the salaries of non-Health Sciences personnel.
A line item for this charge should be included in proposal budgets and a detailed explanation should be included in the budget justification. For example:
BUDGET LINE ITEM: HS-TSC (Health Sciences Technology Services Charge) $$$$
BUDGET JUSTIFICATION:
UC San Diego Health Information Services costs have been included to reflect costs associated with the increased level of security required for all personnel within UC San Diego Health, which includes UC San Diego School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the hospitals and clinics. These charges are directly attributable and proportionally applied for the individual(s) included in the proposed budget on the project.
TO BE USED IN THE DETAILED BUDGET JUSTIFICATION:
UC San Diego Health Information Services (IS) provides mandatory Information Technology Services to all of Health Sciences faculty and investigators, to include costs associated with the increased level of security required for all personnel within UC San Diego Health, which includes UC San Diego School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Schoolf of Public Health and the hospitals and clinics. To mitigate the specific risk profile of this highly connected environment, UC San Diego Health Information Services ensures that all PIs who IS provides services to, whether they directly access patient information or not, operate in a highly secure desktop, application and server environment with dedicated and highly trained support. Charges are based on percent of FTE working on a grant and are charged on a monthly basis.
These costs are not included in the campus' Facilities & Administration (F&A) rate as an indirect cost. UC San Diego auditors have determined that it is both equitable and consistent with the OMB Circular 2 CFR 200 provisions on cost allocability that the costs be assigned to FTE on grant and contract funds. Accordingly, an allocable portion of these Technology Services costs is included in this proposal as direct project costs.
For questions about the Health Sciences Technology Services Charge, please contact Miguel Villalobos.
The information found above relating to the HS-TSC charge can also be located on Blink & Pulse.