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Past DER Weekly Newsletters |
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Weekly In Progress Report |
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| Help DER continue to be forward-looking using resources like “Big 10+ Engineering Directors” |
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On the field and out on the court, the other Big 10 schools are our rivals. However, beyond that the Big 10 is a collaborative environment in ways that the average college sports fan may not understand.
Just as you have research collaborators and partners across the other Big Ten universities, here in DER we are working collaboratively with Engineering Research offices across the nation. Members of your DER team meet and work regularly with research administration teams outside of MSU. In fact, I have the chance to meet monthly with Engineering Research Directors from schools beyond our own conference; the knowledge and experience gleaned from the group helps to enhance and promote the success of research within the College of Engineering.
This group includes members who hold a wealth of research development knowledge, strong best practice experience, and great skill in troubleshooting pitfalls that could negatively impact a proposal. As members of the group continue to grow in their roles within and beyond their institution, we find that this valuable resource grows exponentially, and each institution benefits more.
Along with general best practices, common topics that are discussed include the ever-changing agency requirements and new developments in the field of Research Administration. General operational practice topics have included returning to work, managing a hybrid RA workforce, hiring practices in the new environment, and more. Changing RA dynamic topics over the last few months have included SciENcv, National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33), federal equipment audits, Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Reporting, Faculty having Joint College appointments, and many more.
This Monday, as a dedication to maintaining a collaborative professional connection between the members, I’ll be meeting face to face with the Big 10+ Engineering Directors group in Chicago for the first time since joining DER in the fall of 2020. Our agenda includes topics such as office structure of centralized college-wide office model (such as DER’s Pre-award RA operations) vs the decentralized departmental administration model (like our departmental Post-Award RA operations), staffing/workload levels, workload/workflow management (such as DER’s internal Ticketing System), effort tracking, subcontract tracking, and quite a few more. There will be open space in the session for open discussion and I invite you to send me any immediate topics for me to seek input and/or feedback regarding how our sister schools may be navigating through the same or similar complex issues. Your questions and feedback topics are very important.
Like I’ve said many times, here in DER we specialize in the field of Research Administration so you can specialize and thrive in your own specific field. Collaboratively with the help of our Big 10+ counterparts, DER wants to stay ahead of the changing dynamics of funding agencies so you can have the best/most compliant proposals to have the best chance at receiving funding to support your research. If you have topics for me to discuss at the upcoming Big 10+ Engineering Directors group or have questions regarding DER or regarding your upcoming proposal, please send an email to proposals@egr.msu.edu or feel free to contact me directly at alexd@msu.edu with any questions relating to DER.
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| Spotlight Opportunities & Information |
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Office of Foundation Relations - New Foundation Relations Funding Opportunities Website
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I hope this finds you enjoying the beginning of summer and gearing up for the weekend ahead!
The Office of Foundation Relations has been asked numerous times over the years if MSU has a website where faculty can search for up-to-date foundation funding opportunities. Though there are public websites that source some of these opportunities, we have internally discussed the value of creating a platform where faculty can search for funding that our office manages and updates on a day-to-day basis. I am excited to share the launch of that website!
We are more than willing to present this tool to any group within your unit that might have an interest. We will also be highlighting this at the next Development and Alumni meeting. Please feel free to help us spread the word to faculty and leadership within your unit!
This change is ultimately to streamline our internal processes.
Take care,
Adam Kingston, Senior Director of Foundation Relations, University Advancement, Office - 517-884-1045, email: kingsto9@msu.edu
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Beckman Foundation: Arnold O. Beckman - Postdoctoral Fellowship
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Grant Amount: $180K
Deadline: LOI due by September 6, 2023
Announcement: Link to Opportunity
Additional Information: The Arnold O. Beckman
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Sciences or Chemical Instrumentation
Award Program supports advanced research by postdoctoral scholars
within the core areas of fundamental chemistry of the development and
build of chemical instrumentation.
Research must be innovative in method, speed or process, or represent
new instrument technology. This fellowship will be a catalyst from
"mentored yet independent" postdocs to outstanding, independent
researchers in academic or industry/governmental labs.
The Fellowships will be in two tracks (applicants will choose one):
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Sciences will
allow chemists to pursue advanced research within the core areas of
fundamental chemistry, such as chemical physics, chemical engineering,
and chemistry of materials research. The fellowship is not intended to
fund proposals that are supported by traditional NIH mechanisms in the
fields of chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry.
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Instrumentation
will allow researchers in chemistry to conceptualize, develop and build
instrumentation suitable to advanced research in chemistry, chemical
physics, chemical engineering, and chemistry of materials science.
Instrumentation projects must be suitable to the two-year fellowship
timeframe, be driven by a need in the chemical sciences listed above, be
innovative in method speed or process or represent a wholly new
instrument for technical advancement in chemistry and may potentially be
used for future research in the broader scientific community.
... Learn more Here.
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ORI’s free editing services for NSF CAREER proposals
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Dear Colleagues,
I hope you are all having a nice summer. I also wanted to let you know that Sara Steenrod and I are happy to work with PIs who are interested in using ORI’s free editing services for their CAREER proposals. Please feel free to reach out by email if this is of interest to you.
Kind regards,
Lauren Aerni-Flessner, Ph.D., MBA
Outreach Specialist
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: aernifle@msu.edu
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Chan Zuckerberg Initiative - Cryo-CLEM Labels
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Grant Amount: Up to $165K
Deadline: Applications due by July 20, 2023
Announcement: Link to Opportunity
Additional Information: To gain a deeper mechanistic understanding of biological systems, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Imaging program aims to visualize and measure them across biological scales and in their biological context. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) seeks to support one-year projects in the field of cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy (cryo-CLEM) labels to drive development of complete, general-purpose, intracellular imaging probes for cryo-CLEM. This grant program will advance the utility of cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) of cells by providing information on specific aspects of cell function.
... Learn more Here.
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NSF - NSF Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 & 2 for 2023 Cohort
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The NSF Convergence Accelerator, a Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships or TIP program, has issued a new funding opportunity for three new research track topics aligned to equitable water solutions, chemical sensing applications, and bio-inspired design innovations. These research track topics were selected from the program’s ideation process and are a part of the program’s 2023 cohort.
Researchers and innovators have two submission pathways to submit their proposals to this funding opportunity: Solicitation, NSF 23-590, and Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), NSFBAA-23-01.
“Since 2019, the Convergence Accelerator has brought a wide range of researchers and innovators together to develop use-inspired solutions aligned to topics of national importance,” said Douglas Maughan, head of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program. “We are excited to launch this new funding opportunity and encourage researchers and innovators from academia, industry, non-profit, government, and others to submit proposals to these three convergent research tracks or consider teaming with organizations who are going to submit.”
Convergent research track topics
(The funding opportunity research track topics include):
- Track K: Equitable Water Solutions - Fresh water is critical for future ecosystems, human health, and national security. This track will converge foundational knowledge and advancements in environmental sciences, geosciences, engineering, computing, social and behavioral sciences as well as other disciplines to develop solutions for water quality, quantity, and equity issues.
- Track L: Real World Chemical Sensing Applications - Society is faced with challenges related to environmental quality and monitoring, food safety, agriculture, disease diagnostics, security, and terrorism. This track builds on foundational knowledge and recent advances to transform scientific discoveries into practice for societal and economic benefits. Science advances include olfaction and chemical sensing, sensor technologies, digital olfaction, artificial intelligence, neuromorphic systems, computational modeling, biomanufacturing, and robotics.
- Swedish Research Council
and Vinnova, two Sweden government agencies, are partnering with the NSF Convergence Accelerator on Track L. Swedish researchers and innovators can submit proposals to lead or be a team member on a multidisciplinary team for Track L.
- Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations - Bio-inspired solutions are needed to mitigate complex societal challenges, including climate change, infrastructure monitoring and resilience, food production and human health. This track capitalizes on foundational knowledge of nature to inspire the creation of innovative concepts, approaches, and technologies that build and control similar to nature to address pressing societal and economic challenges.
Who can Apply: Researchers and innovators from academia, industry, government, nonprofit, and other organizations are encouraged to submit a letter of intent (required) and full proposal.
Funding Opportunity: Submit your proposal using one of the submission pathways:
Solicitation Key Dates:
- Letter of Intent (required): July 11, 2023
- Full Proposal Deadline: August 22, 2023 (*Full proposals are due 5 p.m. submitter’s local time)
Informational Webinar for the 2023 NSF Phase 1 and 2 for 2023 Cohort | June 6, 2023
Join an NSF Convergence Accelerator webinar to learn about the program and the current funding opportunity. During the webinar, participants will learn about the program’s model and fundamentals, including the program’s phased approach and innovation processes used to accelerate basic research into practice; and the solicitation opportunity and the research track focuses, required Convergence Accelerator key components, and important submission information. The goal of this webinar is to bring awareness of this exciting opportunity to develop use-inspired solutions to have a positive impact on national and societal challenges.
Optional 30-minute Track Breakouts: At 4:30 p.m. EDT, join us for an optional 30-minute breakout session featuring the three track topics. Here you can ask additional questions and engage with similarly interested stakeholders and researchers to potentially assist you in forming your team and proposal.
Date: June 6, 2023, from 3 – 5 p.m. EDT
Registration: eventbrite.com/nsf-convergence-accelerator
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Brightfocus Foundation – National Glaucoma Research Awards (Fall 2023)
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Summary: The Brightfocus Foundation has issued an RFP for its 2022 National Glaucoma Research Grants. BrightFocus Foundation is a premier private funder of research to defeat Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. The National Glaucoma Research grants support US and international researchers pursuing pioneering research leading to a greater understanding, prevention and treatment of glaucoma. There are two grants: 1) Standard Awards ($200k) - provide significant funding for researchers who have already generated some amount of preliminary data, but are often required to demonstrate additional, significant progress before they can apply to governmental or industrial funding agencies. 2) Postdoctoral fellowship awards ($150k) - are intended for young researchers in their final stages of mentored training. These awards fund projects in an established laboratory that will serve as the basis for the applicant's own independent research career. An overview and links are below. Please forward to any faculty in your units that may have interest. The application deadline for both grants is October 31, 2023 by 5:00 pm EST.
RFP: National Glaucoma Research Grants
BrightFocus provides research funds for U.S. and international researchers pursuing pioneering research leading to greater understanding, prevention, and treatment of glaucoma. BrightFocus is committed to supporting scientists from diverse backgrounds to foster creativity and innovation in addressing complex scientific challenges. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who are from groups underrepresented in the field of glaucoma research.
The NGR program offers two types of awards:
- Standard Awards - The standard award provides significant funding for researchers who have already generated some amount of preliminary data, but are often required to demonstrate additional, significant progress before they can apply to governmental or industrial funding agencies. Duration: 2 years
- Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards - Postdoctoral fellowship awards are intended for young researchers in their final stages of mentored training. These awards fund projects in an established laboratory that will serve as the basis for the applicant's own independent research career. Duration: 2 years
Past Awards: 2022 Awards
APPLICATION PROCESS: Directions are at the link: https://science.brightfocus.org/how-apply-grant
PROJECT CONTACT: Tel: 800-437-2423, Email: researchgrants@brightfocus.org.
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DOE - Architect and Engineering (A-E) Services
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Title: Architect and Engineering (A-E) Services Reference Number: 89303023RMA000051 NAICS Code: 541330 Response Due Date: 6/27/2023 1:00:00 PM R
Description: This Synopsis is amended in response to the questions received. The following is added and made part of the synopsis: A) The response to the questions the government received are included as an attachment labeled Attachment 4-Government Response to Questions A-E Services. B) The Government has removed the requirement that a firm be a small business under both NAICS Codes to be considered for this requirement, Synopsis_A-E Support Services_Amd 0001 is attached with revision. C) All other conditions remain unchanged. Please see FedConnect for further information and attachments.
Overview:
Reference number: 89303023RMA000051
Response due: 06/27/2023 02:00 PM US/Eastern
Set Aside: Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)
NAICS: 541330
PSC / FSC: C219-ARCHITECT AND ENGINEERING- GENERAL: OTHER
Agency: DOE
Contracting office:
Headquarters Procurement Services
U.S. Department of Energy
MA-64
Forrestal Building
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585
Announcement: Use the following link to view this opportunity
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Federal, State, and Foundation Funding
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Resources for finding Federal, State and Foundation funding opportunities.
... Learn more Here.
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Description: DER has a catalog of research and funding seminars available on demand. Seminar topics range from critical instruction for new faculty through advanced training for senior research faculty. These presentations include instruction from experts regarding themes that include best practices in research, MSU policy, sponsor compliance, industry specific seminars, and more. Check them out today and utilize this incredible resource to help streamline your proposal development and promote success in your research. Watch now on demand!!!
Recent seminar presentations include:
- DER is Here to Help (proposal & proposal development resources geared to promote success)
- Tips for Writing a Persuasive Grant Proposal (grant writing to ‘sell’ a project to funders)
- Finding Funding (tips for finding funding to support your research)
- Roles and Responsibilities (tips for understanding roles and responsibilities at each stage of the project)
- CAREER Award Workshop - Session 1 (best practices and strategies for producing successful NSF Career proposals)
- And many more…
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| Internal Funding Notifications & News |
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Does effort reporting for your grants and contracts seem more cumbersome than it should be? CGA has compiled a very
helpful list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Topics range from reporting deadlines, to resolving errors, and everything in between!
As you peruse this list, you might notice that there is a dedicated email address for any questions or issues you may have when submitting effort reporting. Please use effortreporting@cga.msu.edu to expedite service.
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| External Sponsor Notifications & News |
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| Ongoing Updates and Posts |
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| NAMC Opportunities |
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| Ongoing Updates and Posts |
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| Press Releases and Funding Opportunities |
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U.S. Department of Defense |
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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National Institutes of Health |
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National Science Foundation |
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Office of Naval Research |
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Research in Germany - Land of Ideas |
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U.S. Department of Energy |
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United States Department of Agriculture |
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