Dear Colleagues:
On November 18, 2021, the State of California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPCC) regulations were modified to permit agencies like the University of California to accept Statement of Economic Interests for Principal Investigators, Form 700-U, with electronic signatures. The changes went into effect on November 22, 2021.
While forms may still be submitted in paper format with an original “wet” signature, agencies may also accept them with secure electronic signatures, as long as the signature meets the standards specified within the Fair Political Practices Act. DocuSign meets the criteria for an acceptable electronic signature. Thus, effective immediately, Principal Investigators who complete Form 700-U in conjunction with proposals for research support from a non-governmental entity (i.e. for-profit and not-for profit sponsors) through contract, grants, or Material Transfer Agreements (MTA), and in connection with gifts for a specific research project or for a specific researcher, should complete a Form 700-U using DocuSign. Those forms should be submitted to the UCLA office that handles the proposal/award transaction, MTA, and/or gift.
Please note that in order to meet FPCC requirements, the Form 700-U that is completed via DocuSign must be submitted to your respective offices from a UCLA email address.
You will find the FPCC regulatory changes here.
Please send questions about submission of the electronic Form 700-U to circadmin@research.ucla.edu.
Sincerely,
Ann Pollack
Associate Vice Chancellor – Research