DER Weekly Newsletter, December 18th, 2020


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December 18th, 2020

DER Funding Database

Weekly In Progress Report

DER is here for you during the holidays.

While many are enjoying a much needed break and time with family over the holidays, the Division of Engineering Research along with our partners in the Office of Sponsored Programs will be ready to assist faculty as needs arise. Staff here will also be taking some time off, but we arranged schedules so that at least one research administrator and a director or assistant director are available each day over the holiday period. Here is a link to individual contacts or EGR DER Directory and if you are unsure who to contact over the holiday, you can use the proposals@egr.msu.edu to reach the full team. Happy Holidays from your friends in DER.

Engineering Research Reactivation SharePoint

The Engineering Research Reactivation all-inclusive SharePoint page has helpful reopening resources, important processes, and documents that need to be completed and approved to "return to research". Please request access if prompted.

Important Announcement:

Where is my "LABORATORY PLAN FOR A SAFE RETURN" in the approval process?

You can see what step of the approval process your plan is on by looking under the “Engineering Research Reactivation” folders on the SharePoint site.

If the plan has been approved by the Department Chair, you can see if it has been sent to VPRI by clicking on “EGR ADR Review” > “At VPRI for Review”. If the plan is in the “At VPRI for Review” folder then it is currently being reviewed by VPRI.
To check to see if your plan has been completely approved by all required departments (DC, EGR Dean's Office, and VPRI), you can click on the “VPRI Final Approved Plans” folder. If your plan is in the “VPRI Final Approved Plans” folder then you approved to return to research. Monique Blackmer (monique@msu.edu) will reach out to you.

SharePoint Page

Dear Colleague Letter: Research Internships for Graduate Students at Air Force Research Laboratory (NSF-AFRL INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity

The PI or co-PI of an active NSF award may request supplemental funding for one or more graduate students to gain knowledge, skills and experiences that will augment their preparation for a successful long-term career through an internship at the AFRL. Learn more HERE.

NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. Proposals are requested that address any interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national priority, as noted above. Learn more HERE.

Funding Opportunity Announcement for the National Defense Education Program for STEM, and Biotechnology Education, Outreach, and Workforce Initiative Programs and Enhanced Civics Education

The Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Education Program (NDEP) seeks innovative applications on mechanisms to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and/or workforce initiative programs, here onto referred as STEM activities. NDEP also seeks innovative applications on mechanisms to specifically implement Biotechnology outreach and workforce development, which here onto will be referred as Biotech activities. Additional NDEP efforts also includes a pilot program in Enhanced Civics education. Learn more HERE.

CALL for Entries New international Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research

The Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research aims to provide recognition and publicity for outstanding efforts that enhance the rigor, reliability, robustness, and transparency of research, and stimulate awareness and activities fostering research quality among scientists, institutions, funders, and politicians. To acknowledge the outstanding role early career researchers (ECRs) have in promoting research quality, ECRs will be invited to propose projects that foster research quality and value. Projects will be competitively selected for funding and internationally showcased. Learn more HERE.

DER's Proposal Volume

The chart above shows DER's Proposal Volume from 2016 to 2021 as of (12/18/2020).

Take a closer look

DER Seminars

Miss the Last Seminar? Watch it Here!

The Project Summary is one of the most important parts of every NSF grant proposal. A clear and concise Project Summary will make a positive first impression on reviewers and succinctly convey the key points of your project. However, writing a strong Project Summary can be deceptively hard. With only a single page to work with, it can be difficult to decide which information to include and how to best frame that information for impact. During this seminar, Dr. Sara Steenrod (Grant Consultant with OSVPRI) will walk you through best practices for writing a compelling Project Summary for your next NSF proposal.