Just a reminder for those of you considering submitting a proposal to the Layman Awards competitions that they are due Friday, Nov. 9 by 5 p.m. Here is the link to the Internal Competitions page:
http://research.unl.edu/internal-funding-opportunities/
New for this year is a requirement for junior faculty regarding the need for Layman funds if you still have funding available from your start-up package. Mark Riley, associate dean for research, does not recommend new faculty in their first or second year going after a Layman award while having a majority of their startup available. ORED’s point “d” below is new in the call this year, but is a reflection of the conventional wisdom that has been used by the reviewers and decision makers in ORED. Some senior faculty may encourage new faculty to go after the Layman award since it is a short proposal and would demonstrate early success, but garnering an internal award does little to convince an external reviewer when reviewing a submission of an NSF proposal, or similar.
Riley suggests waiting until faculty are within sight of exhausting their startup before submitting a Layman Award proposal. Those in their 4th – 6th years (and possibly 3rd) are likely to have a better chance in this program and they would be eligible for the Seed Program (for not yet tenured faculty) but not for the New Directions Program (tenured faculty).
From section 2. d. of the Proposal Preparation Instructions. If you received a start-up package in the last three years, please justify the need for Layman funds relative to the availability of funding from your start-up package.
Please let Tim Terrell or Mari Greer know if you have any questions.
The Layman Awards provide funding for projects that will enhance the grantee's ability to obtain external funding to support prominent scholarly work. Two types of Layman Awards exist: the Layman Seed program and the Layman New Directions program.
Layman Seed Program: Provides funding for projects by non-tenured early career faculty, to enhance the grantee's ability to obtain external research funding.
New Directions Program: Provides funding for tenured faculty (Associate/Full) who are re-entering research or branching into new directions, to enhance the grantee's ability to obtain external research funding.
Proposals for both must be fully routed and approved in NUgrant by 5 p.m. Nov. 9, 2018. For more information and proposal preparation instructions, please refer to the RFA.
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The Institutional Review Board (IRB) has experienced a significant increase in incidents of serious non-compliance with human subjects research over approximately the last two months. While each incident of serious non-compliance varies regarding the specifics of the projects, in general, two main themes have emerged:
1) Failure of PI’s to understand and adhere to approved protocols
2) Failure to obtain IRB approval to begin a protocol or implement a change.
To try and prevent further incidents of this nature, the IRB and Research Compliance Services (RCS) Office is asking for help to communicate the importance of following IRB requirements to faculty and students. They would greatly appreciate reiterating the following general information and resources within your departments or colleges:
• Research involving human subjects (including recruitment) cannot begin until receipt of IRB approval notification. Simply submitting or starting work on an NUgrant IRB application does not constitute approval.
• Protocols and consent forms approved by the IRB must be followed as written. If a change is needed in a non-exempt protocol (i.e. expedited or full-board), a change request form must be submitted to the IRB for approval and the change cannot be implemented until receipt of IRB approval. Only protocols falling under an exempt category allow for limited submissions of change requests. Please reference our guidance linked below.
• Please encourage PI’s in your respective areas to proactively review and double check their protocols and consent forms to ensure they are following the approved procedures. If there is a student-led project, please encourage the faculty advisor(s) to discuss IRB requirements with the students along with appropriate ways in which to complete and document the informed consent process.
• In addition to policies posted on our website, the IRB also provides:
o Guidance documents
o Templates
o An overview of processes for the review, approval and post-approval requirements of human subjects research protocols
o IRB FAQ
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Monday is the proposal deadline for faculty interested in participating in Nebraska Research’s November Research and Creative Activity Slam. Faculty who are interested in delivering a 10-minute presentation on their research or creative activities at the Nov. 8 Faculty Connector – 4-6 p.m. in Wick Alumni Center Great Hall – are encouraged to submit a 90-second video proposal that answers the question: “If you had no limit to the amount of funding you could request, what project would you pitch?” Instructions for submitting a proposal are available on line at:
http://research.unl.edu/fallresearchfair/faculty-research-and-creative-activity-slam/
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A two-day grant proposal workshop is set for Nov. 12-13 at the Scott Conference Center on the Scott Campus in Omaha. This intensive two-day grant proposal workshop is geared toward those who wish to strengthen their grant writing skills, as well as beginners who wish to acquire and master the techniques of preparing and writing winning proposals to various funding agencies. The focus will be on how to effectively write proposals in times of keen competition and limited resources. Workshop fee is $595 and includes a comprehensive directory, electronic workbook, certificate of completion and continental breakfast.
Go to https://granttrainingcenter.com/workshop_description/1620?utm_source=1620&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ol for more information or to register.
If you cannot attend the workshop in person, an online version is available for $335. Go to https://granttrainingcenter.com/workshop_description/1599?utm_source=1620&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ol for more information about this option.
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Has your department or program thought about creating a summer research experience and don’t know where to start? The Office of Graduate Studies is seeking to expand the Nebraska Summer Research Program by partnering with new faculty and departments to offer more NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and other summer research program sites. We invite you to attend an information session at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6 in the Heritage Room. All fields and disciplines are welcome.
RSVP here: http://research.unl.edu/events/event.php?eventID=3579
This information session will feature Dr. Don Becker, PI for the Redox Biology REU and professor of biochemistry and director of the Redox Biology Center; Dr. Martha Mamo, PI for the Applied Plant Systems Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) and professor and chair of agronomy and horticulture; and Dr. Mark Griep, PI for the Chemical Assembly REU and associate professor of chemistry. These faculty members will share their experiences securing funding for summer research sites and collaborating with the Office of Graduate Studies. Graduate Studies will also share how they support the Nebraska Summer Research Program students, department staff, and faculty. Come learn how and when you can start your funding applications to start your research site in Summer 2020.
Contact Justina Clark at jclark17@unl.edu with any questions.