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Past DER Weekly Newsletters |
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Weekly In Progress Report |
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October 2023
Message From DER Director
Fall--that transitional season with its crisp air and vibrant foliage--has arrived! Its onset is another opportunity to experience things we enjoy. For some, it's the excitement of August 16th, marking the beginning of a new academic year. Sports enthusiasts reminisce about their first tailgate party, celebrating the inaugural home game of the season. Meanwhile, others identify the autumnal equinox on September 22nd as the official start of fall. As temperatures recently dropped from sweltering 80s to pleasant 60s, it prompted me to reflect on the remarkable months we've had in the Division of Engineering Research (DER) world leading up to this seasonal shift.
In July, we bid adieu to the CAREER proposal marathon, having successfully assisted 20 Engineering faculty members in crossing the finish line. August witnessed a weekly surge in proposal submissions, eventually propelling us to record levels as September dawned. The second week of September brought an extraordinary challenge, with over one dozen proposals due simultaneously; it propelled that week’s proposal count to a near historic high. With 105 proposals in development, it marked not only the largest number since my arrival at DER (fall of 2020), but also crossing the 100-proposal (active) threshold. I'm delighted to share that the entire DER team rallied together, surpassing this recent peak with flying colors.
Notably, this fall the College of Engineering is witnessing an increase in DER seminars, the likes of which we haven't seen since our return to campus. While I have always emphasized quality over quantity, I'm pleased to report that these recent and upcoming seminars deliver both. Our annual "DER is Here to Help" seminar, provided insights into DER's offerings, was a resounding success and is now available in the DER Seminar Library. Recently, we welcomed representatives from Amazon Web Services, shedding light on how they can support your research through the utilization of large databases, computational power, and analytic capabilities. This presentation was only available in person, but if you need more information or contact information from Amazon Web Services, please contact Brice Nelson (MSU Business Connect).
In the coming weeks/months, DER will present and host discussions with staff who support research in the College of Engineering. Staff Support for Sponsored Funding (understanding roles and responsibilities) will be held on October 24, 2023, and the seminar and discussion will help bring each office together and provide instruction regarding processes and best practices on how to best assist you in your research endeavors. In each of these sessions, DER aims to provide helpful resources and tools that will help enhance faculty’s research and promote your proposal development success.
As we closed the quarter, DER provided a cautionary instruction newsletter article (article) on preparing for a potential governmental shutdown. Fortunately, a temporary resolution was passed, ensuring that we can continue submitting proposals and receiving new awards without any interruption in agency operations. Let's celebrate the successful beginning of the new academic year and the arrival of fall by eagerly anticipating the exciting developments that the next few months have in store for us.
If you have any question regarding the information above or 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.
Article by: Alex Delavan DER Director
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Spotlight Opportunities & Information |
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$11.5 million in new research added to MSU Engineering
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Research Roundup: robotic harvesting, cleaner water, and more
The College of Engineering is among Michigan State University’s top producers of research discoveries and commercialization that help build a diversified economy and generate jobs for Michigan and the region. Highlights of the college's newest research grants and gifts total $11.5M
LETTING ROBOTS HARVEST THE APPLES
"Development of an Automated and Integrated Mobile System (AIMS) for Apple Harvest and In-field Sorting"
• MSU and partners received $3.5M from the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative Program (SCRI) for the development of an Automated and Integrated Mobile System (AIMS) for Apple Harvest and In-field Sorting over four years. The collaboration brings together the expertise of USDA, MSU, Penn State, and Washington State. Zhaojian Li, Red Cedar Distinguished Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MSU, is the principal investigator (PI) and lead developer of the efficient robotic harvesting project. Read more and see more on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tekrEG0NBKk.
Additionally, Li and his team are the winners of the 2023 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE) Engineering Concept of the Year, a major award to recognize their contributions to robotic technologies for fruit harvesting.
IMPROVING THE WORKPLACE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
"Improving Disability Inclusion in the Workforce Through Assessment and Augmentation of Individual Abilities and Workflow Redesign in Real-World Contexts”
• PI Ranjan Mukherjee, interim chair and professor of Mechanical Engineering, and a team from the College of Engineering, College of Business, and College of Education have been awarded a $2M NSF grant assessing and augmenting ways to redesign workflow to improve disability inclusion in the workforce. The researchers include Charles Owen, Computer Science, Sriram Narayanan, Supply Chain Management, Rajiv Ranganathan, Kinesiology, and Hung Jen Kuo, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselling.
PREDICTING WATER SAFETY
“Optimizing Drinking Water Disinfection to Minimize Opportunistic Pathogen & DBP Risks”
• PI Jade Mitchell, associate professor of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will use a $2.1M grant from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better understand and predict occurrence of opportunistic pathogens and disinfection by-products in drinking water distribution systems and the associated health risk tradeoffs posed by them. Research objectives are to develop a strategic sampling program based on health data, characteristics, and occurrences.
TEACHING NEW TEACHERS
"Intelligent, Adaptive Program with Just-in-time Feedback for Preservice Teachers”
• MSU Foundation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Jiliang Tang and researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of Georgia Research Foundation will improve evidence-based teaching practices for preservice teachers by leveraging AI especially ChatGPT, thanks to $2M NSF grant. The program will be developed and refined through an interactive and conversational design. Such design enables human-in-the-loop learning to incorporate feedback from instructors of mathematics courses and from preservice teachers.
EXTENDING SECURE CELLULAR NETWORKS
"Exploring the Non-Standardized Polices, Operations, and Requirements for 5G Cellular Networks and Beyond: Advancing the Modeling, Tools, and Evaluation"
• PI Guan-Hua Tu
and Co-PI Hui Liu, assistant professors of Computer Science and Engineering, received a $600k NeTS small grant for three years. The project's broader significance and importance are to extend the state-of-the-art cellular network research to a new frontier, investigate original problems that entreat innovative non-3GPP standardized policies, operations, and requirements exploration, analysis, network modeling, data collection, data mining solutions, and pave the way for a new research endeavor to enable more robust, resilient, and secure cellular networks.
EXPLORING THREATS TO YOUR ALEXA
“Robust Speaker and Speech Recognition Under AI-Driven Physical and Digital Attacks”
• PI Qiben Yan, assistant professor of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), with CSE Professor Li Xiao and Arun Ross, the Martin J. Vanderploeg Professor of Engineering, will use a $600k NSF grant to explore new cybersecurity threats to commercial voice assistants that consumers interact with regularly. These voice assistants have diverse applications across many critical sectors, ranging from smart homes and healthcare to e-commerce and self-driving vehicles.
ENHANCING LONG-DISTANCE, LOW-POWER COMMUNICATIONS
“Towards High-Performing LoRa with Embedded Intelligence on the Edge”
• Zhichao Cao, assistant professor of Computer Science and Engineering, is the PI of a $445k NSF grant to design a new long range physical layer to enhance long-distance and low-power long-distance communications. Research will seek to correct long-range receivers that perform poorly when there is complex environmental noise.
OPENING UP OPEN RADIO ACCESS
“An Integrated Multi-Time Scale Approach to High-Performance, Intelligent, and Secure O-RAN based NextG”
• Huacheng Zeng, assistant professor of Computer Science and Engineering, has been awarded a three-year, $300k NSF grant to enhance the performance, intelligence, and trustworthiness of Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN). The research will tackle several fundamental challenges across its control loops of three different time scales.
... Learn more Here.
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Spartan spotlight - Syed Waqar Haider, pavement expert
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Haider, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named an American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, Fellow. This honor, which only extends to 3% of ASCE members, is attributed to his contributions to the field of civil engineering and pavement expertise.
... Learn more Here.
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EGLE's Michigan Coastal Management Program, 2025 Grant Funding Opportunity
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The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is pleased to announce the Michigan Coastal Management Program’s (MCMP) 2025 Grant Funding Opportunity. The MCMP provides grant funds to assist in the development of vibrant and resilient coastal communities through the protection and restoration of our sensitive coastal resources and biologically diverse ecosystems. The MCMP is seeking projects that protect community character and revitalize ports and harbors; plan for growth and change in our coastal communities to strengthen economies and minimize risk from coastal hazards; protect and restore healthy coastal ecosystems for public use and enjoyment; devise solutions for the nature-based solutions to slow the flow of stormwater; and create and enhance public access.
The MCMP anticipates $1M to be available in grant funds. These grant funds are made possible through the partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.
The MCMP will host two informational webinars covering application and funding requirements.
- A general overview webinar for all applicants will be conducted on October 24, 2023, from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. This webinar is intended for all applicants interested in the funding opportunity and will cover general application requirements, program objectives, and funding preferences.
- An in-depth overview webinar of the detailed requirements associated with Low-cost Construction and Land Acquisition will be conducted on October 26, 2023, from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. This webinar is intended for applicants seeking funding for projects proposing low-cost construction and land acquisition and will cover state and federal permitting considerations, environmental compliance, historic preservation review, project construction footprints, timing of activities, and more.
For more information, visit the MCMP’s website, Michigan.gov/CoastalManagement. For questions about the webinars, contact Weston Hillier, Coastal Management Program Unit, Water Resources Division at 517- 230-6487 or HillierW@Michigan.gov.
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Nominations for GCUA2030 award for PhD research on sustainability
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Dear PhD students engaged in research on sustainability,
MSU is a founding member of the GCUA2030 - Global Challenges University Alliance 2030. The Alliance is a network of university partners from across the globe with a common vision of contributing to sustainable, global development. MSU participation in GCUA2030 is coordinated via the Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CERES).
On behalf of GCUA2030, we are writing to invite applications for the GCUA2030 award. The award is established to encourage high quality research of relevance for sustainable global development.
Link to Opportunity
The prize sum is 3500 EUR for the winner, 1000 EUR for the second place and 500 EUR for third place. The prize sum will go via each institution and be part of the laureates research funding.
Eligible candidates are current PhD students or those who will have defended their PhD theses in 2023 at one of GCUA2030 member universities.
Those interested in applying for this award should send their applications by email to ceres@isp.msu.edu with “GCUA2030” as the subject line and the following:
- An abstract of the research in English (max 400 words)
- A motivation of how the research contributes to sustainable development including potential for impact (250 words),
- A video presentation summarizing the thesis in a popular scientific way focusing on how the research contributes to sustainable global development (see https://sdgs.un.org/goals). The video should be no longer than two minutes.
Note! New deadline! Deadline for submission of nominations is 27 October 2023.
... Learn more Here.
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ONR - Summer Faculty Research Program
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Description: The ONR Summer Faculty Research Program is accepting applications for 2024. ONR sponsors the Summer Faculty Research Program for U.S. citizens who hold teaching or research appointments at U.S. colleges and universities. This program provides an opportunity for faculty members to participate in research of mutual interest to the faculty member and professional peers at U.S. Navy Laboratories.
The Summer Faculty Research Program awards qualified faculty from Majority and Minority Serving Institutions (MI’s) - (HBCU’s, TCU’s, HSI’s) - the opportunity to conduct research for 10-weeks at one of 20 participating ONR facilities. A travel and housing allowance and competitive stipend are provided for awardees. All work must be completed on site at the sponsoring U.S. Navy Laboratory.
The application deadline is December 14, 2023, for the 2024 award year. For more information visit http://onroutreach-summer-faculty-research-sabbatical.com.
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ONR - FY24 Long Range BAA (N0001424SB001)
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Description: ONR, ONRG, and MCWL are interested in receiving proposals for Long-Range S&T Projects that offer potential for advancement and improvement of Navy and Marine Corps operations.
Link to Opportunity
Reference number: N0001424SB001
Response due: 09/30/2024 02:00 PM US/Eastern
Set Aside:
NAICS: 541715
PSC / FSC: AC12-NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; DEPARTMENT OF DEFEN
Agency: Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Contracting office:
Office of Naval Research (BD251)
875 N. Randolph Street
Arlington, VA 22203-1995
Contact: Barbara Christian, lynn.christian@navy.mil
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MSU Science Festival - BE A PRESENTER (Submit Your Proposal)
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Proposal Deadline: NOVEMBER 4, 2023
Description: Share what inspires you about your field with audiences across Michigan.
The MSU Science Festival, now in its 12th year, is an exciting and awe-inspiring multiday series of events for people of all ages to experience science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) through live presentations.
Every April, MSU Science Festival programs celebrate the joys of science, curiosity, discovery, and innovation. For the upcoming 2024 Festival, we're excited to expand fan-favorite events like our Expo Day weekend while continuing to explore new and exciting program formats. If you have ideas for a new STEAM-focused program or event, we'd love to hear from you.
For assistance planning your program or event, please reach out to our team at any time at scifest@msu.edu.
Presentation formats include:
- Hands-on activities
- Demonstrations and performances
- Behind-the-scenes tours and open houses
- Resources for self-guided experiences, hikes, or other activities
- Hosted book talks, game nights, poetry readings, or other out-of-the-box ideas
Why present at the festival?
- Meet National Science Foundation (NSF) requirements for broader impacts
- Inspire future generations about STEAM fields and opportunities
Who can present?
- MSU faculty and academic staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students
- Community partners across Michigan
How to submit a proposal?
... Learn more Here.
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Halo - Current Opportunities
Deadline October 31:
Bayer Consumer Health - Novel nutritional ingredients or experts in prenatal nutrition - Bayer Consumer Health is seeking novel nutritional ingredients and/or experts in the field of prenatal nutrition.
Under Armour - Novel cushioning and thermal comfort solutions for athletic footwear - Under Armour is seeking technologies that can deliver increased thermal comfort through better airflow across the foot while maintaining key properties in athletic footwear (energy return, compression set, weight).
Bayer Consumer Health - Moisture resistant technologies and formulations for solid effervescent tablets - Bayer Consumer Health is seeking alternative effervescent components and/or moisture barrier coatings for tablets used to deliver drugs or nutritional supplements.
Unilever - Nutritional interventions for telomere defense - Unilever is seeking novel nutritional interventions, specifically ingredients or blends of ingredients suitable for dietary supplements, to help maintain optimal telomere length.
Private Company - Antibodies for food safety lateral flow assays - The company is seeking collaborators with expertise in developing highly sensitive, specific, and robust antibodies for use in lateral flow assays. They are also looking for opportunities to buy or license antibodies that are already developed.
Unilever - Screening system to identify SGLT1, GLUT5 inhibitors and activators - Unilever is seeking tools and screening capabilities to help understand the impact of different dietary ingredients on SGLT1 and GLUT5.
Altium Packaging - Recyclable materials, additives, or coatings for monolayer barriers - Altium is seeking a monolayer barrier solution that is compatible with their manufacturing assets (specifically the reciprocating screw blow molding machines used for EBM).
Altium Packaging - Improvements to lightweight plastic bottle packaging - Altium is seeking materials, additives, processing technologies, and design techniques to enable lighter weight packaging.
Altium Packaging - Bio-based resins and extrusion technologies for rigid plastic packaging applications - Altium is seeking bio-based resins for plastic packaging and/or polymer extrusion tooling and extrusion technologies that effectively process bio-based resins.
Altium Packaging - Mechanically recycled polymers that perform like virgin polymers - Altium is seeking to identify manufacturing methods and materials for PCR resins that offer significant improvement in molded product appearance, mechanical performance, and ease of process than current material available at scale.
General Mills - Making ice cream more resilient towards fluctuations in temperature - General Mills is seeking technologies to make ice cream more resilient towards temperature fluctuations in terms of textural and physical stability, without compromising the sensory experience. Potential solutions can include ingredients, processing, distribution, packaging, and storage.
Deadline November 30:
Private Company - Novel approaches (long-duration) to chronic inflammatory skin conditions - We are seeking therapeutic approaches to chronic inflammatory skin conditions (e.g., atopic and allergic dermatitis) that can achieve long duration of modulated disease progression or severity.
Private Company - Genome editing with CRISPR in vegetable crops - We are seeking a single base genome editing with CRISPR in vegetable crops for known candidate genes.
BASF - Modeling plants to create a "digital twin" - We are seeking graph-based building and querying technologies that can be applied to model plants. We are also looking for methods to integrate data from different physiological levels and different conditions.
BASF - "Point-of-Care" tool for DNA/RNA detection - We are seeking new "point-of-care" tools for detection of DNA and/or RNA features in plant material for routine use in non-lab settings.
Private Company - Caffeine Potentiation and Natural Caffeine Alternatives - We are seeking tools, collaboration, and subject matter expertise to help understand the effects of caffeine and nootropics on cognitive and energy related outcomes in the context of a caffeinated beverage.
Additional Funding ranges up to $300k USD for the initial proof-of-concept with the potential for follow-on funding.
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University Outreach and Engagement - Broader Impacts Writing Retreat
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Attention: Faculty, Academic Staff, Postdocs, and Graduate Students
November 16, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, East Lansing, Michigan (Lunch and beverages provided)
Description: Spend a full day with MSU's broader impacts consultants away from your everyday responsibilities working on the broader impacts plan for your next NSF proposal. We will start at 10:00 a.m. with a quick overview of the fundamentals of broader impacts and an introduction to the ARIS Broader Impacts Toolkit, a suite of online tools to assist you in developing your BI plan. BI consultants will be on hand throughout the day to answer your questions and provide individual consultation and feedback on your BI plan.
Broader Impacts Consultants:
- Miles McNall, Director for Community-Engaged Research, Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship, University Outreach and Engagement
- Sara Steenrod, Grant Consultant, Office of Research and Innovation
- Lauren Aerni-Flessner, Grant Consultant, Office of Research and Innovation
- Denice Blair, Director of Education, MSU Museum
- Angie Kankula, Research Administration Manager, Office of Research and Innovation
... Learn more Here.
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Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation - 2024 Young Investigator Grant Program
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Grant Amount: Up to $180k
Deadline: December 11, 2023
Category: Cancer; Biomedical Sciences; Medical & Health Sciences; Science
Link to Opportunity
Additional Information: The Young Investigator grant is a three-year award designed to support early career researchers, such as postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows or instructors, pursuing promising childhood cancer research ideas. These grants aim to cultivate the best and brightest researchers of the future who demonstrate a commitment to a research career in pediatric cancer. A mentor is required, and a career development plan must be included. The Young Investigator grant offers up to $60,000 in direct costs per year for three years. Applicants must have an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD or equivalent and must not have achieved an appointment higher than Instructor. Assistant Professors, including adjuncts at this level, will not be considered. Award recipients will be notified in May 2024.
... Learn more Here.
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Staff Support for Sponsored Funding (understanding roles and responsibilities)
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SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, October 24th from 12-1PM EDT,
DER presents Staff Support for Sponsored Funding - understanding roles
and responsibilities (Dean's Conference Room (3405A EB) & virtually
(Zoom)). We all expect new faculty each semester, but what about the
staff? DER invites all unit administrators and FOs who help to
administer sponsored research projects to a seminar geared just for you.
After all, it’s both departmental staff and DER that make up the pit
crew that keeps the sponsored funding race moving. DER will provide a
brief overview of the services we provide, and we want to hear from
departmental staff regarding your role in administering sponsored
funding. Meet your cohorts from the various offices, enjoy lunch, and
discuss how we can make the process run even more efficiently. Together
we will “optimize power” to collect more checkered flags printed with
dollar signs! Show up with your glove box full of questions and an empty
gas tank! We hope to see you there!
Lunch will be provided!
... Learn more Here.
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Amazon - Call for Proposals: Amazon Research Awards Fall 2023
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Deadline: Apply before Nov. 1, 2023
Description: Amazon Research Awards (ARA)
is announcing the fall 2023 call for proposals for the following topics: AI for Information Security; Automated Reasoning; AWS AI, AWS Cryptography and Privacy; Distributed Database Systems; and Sustainability. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. PT on Nov. 1, 2023.
Proposals will be reviewed for the quality of their scientific content, creativity, and potential for impact at scale. Proposals related to theory, practice, and novel new techniques are all welcome.
ARA provides grant recipients unrestricted funds and AWS promotional credits. Funded projects are assigned an Amazon research contact, and recipients also receive training resources, including AWS tutorials and hands-on sessions with Amazon scientists and engineers.
Before applying, researchers are encouraged to visit the ARA website and read the frequently asked questions for more specific program information.
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DER's Week (at-a-glance) as of 10/06/2023
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In Progress
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73
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Open tickets
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3
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Just-in-Time activities
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63
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Research proposals in progress*
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4
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Fee For Service proposals
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3
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Gift proposals
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1%
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Bonus Statistic(s): Decrease in active tickets from last week.
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16 EGR proposals (under a variety of diverse sponsors) were submitted this week by close of business Thursday, October 6, with more to be submitted today.
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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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