October 27, 2018
UCR Research and Economic Development Newsletter
Michael Pazzani
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
Grant Opportunity Search: http://pivot.cos.com
In this Newsletter

  • Sponsored Projects Administration Proposal Review, Approval and Submission Deadlines
  • UCR Center for Neuroimaging Pilot Project Funding
  • Dear Colleague Letter: NSF ENG, GEO, and SBE Directorates Accepting Proposals for Research Related to the 2018 Hurricane Season
  • Your Grant Application Questions Answered in New NIH Center for Scientific Review Videos
  • New NIH Grant Application Submission Tips for Success Videos
  • John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation
  • Upcoming Humanities Grants
  • NSF Bio Policy Alert
  • ORI Seminar Series - Voter Mobilization Field Experiments: Considerations and Ethical issues, November 6
  • California Gnatcatcher
Sponsored Projects Administration Proposal Review, Approval and Submission Deadlines
UCR has long had a policy that indicates the proposals are due to the Sponsored Research Office three business days before the sponsor's deadline, and seven days before the deadline for complex proposals.
  • Standard Proposal Lead Time – three (3) full business days prior to the Sponsor Due Date.

  • Non-standard Proposal Lead Time – a minimum of seven (7) full business days prior to the Sponsor Due Date. Principal Investigators are strongly encouraged to start working with their unit administrator and the Office of Research at least one month prior to the Sponsor Due Date for non-standard proposals. This will ensure that there is sufficient time to review and resolve any issues, secure special approvals, coordinate with the UC Office of the President, etc. prior to the Sponsor Due Date.

However, it is widely ignored and many proposals come in with less than 8 hours to review before submission. In 2017, 13% of the proposals were received on the same day they were due.

Starting Dec 1, we are going to enforce this deadline, but give one extra day for those that need it.
  
If SPA receives an eCAF and final proposal less than two (2) full business days, the eCAF will be returned and the proposal will nott be submitted to the sponsor. 

Two (2) Business Day Example:
The eCAF and Final Proposal (all components in final form and ready for submission) must be received in RED at least two (2) full business days before the sponsor’s submission deadline.    

Sponsor Due Date/Time                                 RED Due Date/Time
Friday, September 1 st at 5 p.m. (PST)           Wednesday, August 30 th at 5 p.m. (PST)
Monday, July 1 st at 1 p.m. (PST)                   Thursday, June 27 th at 1 p.m. (PST)

There are several reasons for enforcing this policy.
  1. UCR's faculty and proposal submissions have grown more rapidly than SPA staff, and the number of UCR awards has increased even faster . UCR staff handle more proposals per person than staff at any UC campus and more than double the average for a UC campus.
  2. As a consequence, staff have been prioritizing proposal submission over award set up. Unfortunately, faculty have been waiting far two long to be able to spend the money they have been awarded which slows down hiring students and buying equipment.
  3. The context shift of starting to set up an award or read the proposal instructions, putting it down to do a same day review wastes considerable time. Some research, including that of my former colleague at UCI indicates that it takes 20 minutes after an interruption to catch up. (see Worker, Interrupted: The Cost of Task Switching for a discussion of this research.
  4. Advance notice will allow teamwork and balancing of staff efforts. This isn't as effective in real time.
  5. We have received requests from various departments to enforce the deadline, since not enforcing creates simailr problems in departments.

Please note that the intent is not to reduce the number of proposals. It's to allow the staff to plan and be more efficient so the same number of staff can keep up with the proposal volume AND improve award setup. Just make a mental note that the deadline is 2 days earlier.


UCR Center for Neuroimaging Pilot Project Funding for Human or Animal imaging
The Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (CAN) provides state-of-art capabilities for neuroimaging and other applications of MRI. UCR invested almost $6M to construct the facility and equip with a state-of-art 3T MRI scanner (Siemens Prisma) for human imaging and is now equipped with an insert for small animal imaging. Furthermore, it is staffed with 3 highly experienced full time support staff. The techniques that are available include structural imaging, functional brain imaging, perfusion imaging, diffusion imaging, susceptibility imaging, and in vivo MR spectroscopy. These techniques are expected to play critical roles in noninvasive studies of brain and other organs.


This call for proposal is aimed at stimulating new projects utilizing the imaging centers for either himan or small animal research and at providing a vehicle for feasibility testing and pilot data collection for new projects and/or new collaborations. Each approved pilot project will be granted a limited usage of the MRI scanner (~10 hours) and support of staff in terms protocol design, data acquisition and analysis.
 
Application:  The center for advanced neuroimaging (CAN) cordially invites all members of the UCR ladder and clinical faculty to submit proposals of pilot project (a) to test ideas for potentially fundable long-term projects; (b) to collect pilot MRI data for grant applications; or (c) to establish feasibility for new collaborations.
 
Pilot proposals should be prepared using the attached application form and should be submitted electronically to  CAN@ucr.edu  using the attached application form and including sufficient details for evaluation.  Ten (10) hours  of scanning time is recommended for each pilot project. Each PI can hold at most two current pilot projects. Approved scanner time will be valid for 1 year from the time of the approval. In addition to scanner time, approved pilot projects will have access the center’s technical and scientific expertise in terms of protocol design, data collection and data analysis.
 
Pilot Projects will be funded based on their merits. Applications must be submitted at least  three (3) weeks  prior to the intended start date. An IRB (for human study)/IACUC (for animal study) approval must be in place before the start of the project. Once received, applications will be reviewed by the scientific advisory committee (SAC) of the center  based on its scientific merit, impact, potential for external funding and feasibility . A decision will be made by the CAN director based on the committee review and MR time availability and emailed to the applicant.
 
For more details, please see the attached pilot project policy and visit the UCR-CAN website ( http://can.ucr.edu ) or contact CAN via email ( can@ucr.edu ),
 
For the application, please click here:   http://research.ucr.edu/ord/funding/opportunities/ucr-can.aspx
 
Below is an image of the Vice Chancellor's brain and another of rat. Can you tell which is which?
Dear Colleague Letter: NSF ENG, GEO, and SBE Directorates Accepting Proposals for Research Related to the 2018 Hurricane Season
Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the Directorates for Engineering (ENG), Geosciences (GEO), and the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) encourage the submission of proposals that address challenges related to Hurricane Florence, similar events that could occur in the coming weeks, and their aftermaths. These directorates support fundamental science and engineering research projects whose results enable families, communities, businesses, institutions, and governments to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from future catastrophic events. With this DCL, NSF seeks to support research on new science and engineering questions posed by such natural disasters, primarily those that require immediate, time-sensitive data collection and other research activities to advance basic science.

The ENG, GEO, and SBE directorates invite proposals to support time-sensitive research seeking to address the challenges related to Hurricane Florence and any other hurricanes that might occur in the United States prior to October 31, 2018. Rapid Response Research (RAPID) proposals may be submitted to conduct new research related to these hurricanes. Although NSF accepts RAPID proposals at any time, Hurricane Florence-related RAPID awards proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. submitter's local time on October 15, 2018.

Submission Guidelines:  The RAPID funding mechanism supports projects for which there is an urgent need for data, facilities, or specialized equipment that can be utilized for quick-response research about natural disasters. RAPID proposal project descriptions are expected to be brief. They may not exceed five pages. Requests may be up to $200,000 and up to one year in duration. See the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG)  Chapter II.E.1  for instructions on preparation of a RAPID proposal. Proposals submitted pursuant to this DCL must designate the proposal as being related to this DCL by including "2018 Hurricane Season:" at the beginning of the proposal title.

To submit a RAPID request, investigators must contact the ENG, GEO, or SBE Program Officer most closely related to the proposal topic before submitting to determine if the proposed activities meet NSF's guidelines for these types of submissions or whether the proposed work is more suitable for submission as a regular research proposal.

Proposals submitted pursuant to this DCL may request the use of NSF-funded advanced computing resources such as Blue Waters or Stampede2. In these cases, investigators must contact the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) prior to submission of the proposal.

Research proposals relating to a better fundamental understanding of storms and their impacts (physical, biological and societal), human aspects of natural disasters (including first responders and the public), means of improving emergency response methods, and approaches that promise to reduce future damage also are welcome. NSF continues to support fundamental science and engineering research projects whose results on the topics listed above are not time-sensitive. Such proposals should be submitted to standing programs and competitions according to their established deadlines.

Investigators with general questions are advised to contact one of the following Directorate liaisons:
ENG: Joy Pauschke,  jpauschk@nsf.gov , (703) 292-7024
GEO: Chungu Lu,  clu@nsf.gov , (703) 292-8524
SBE: Robert (Bob) O'Connor,  roconnor@nsf.gov , (703) 292-7263
Your Grant Application Questions Answered in New NIH Center for Scientific Review Videos
Curious about how NIH grant applications are reviewed? Get a front row seat to the peer review process in this video created by the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR). Investigators will get insights into how applications are reviewed so they can better enhance and advance their applications in the NIH peer review process.

New NIH Grant Application Submission Tips for Success Videos
Getting ready to apply for a grant and don’t know where to start? Set yourself up for success with tips from the experts at NIH. Quickly learn how to access application forms, ensure your application is a good fit for an announcement, and make an important final check of your application after submitting with new videos from the Office of Extramural Research (OER). 

John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation
 
Established in 1926 by a prominent, reform-minded physician and his suffragist wife, the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation is a leading supporter of social science research for Los Angeles. It is also the oldest private foundation in the city.

Each year, the Haynes Fnd spends up to $3 million in distributing grants and scholarships to various public and private institutions, most of them local. These funds, in turn, are used to encourage study and research into the underlying causes of social problems in Los Angeles and to recommend ways of addressing them.

Over the years, the Haynes Fnd has funded hundreds of important urban studies in the areas of education, transportation, local government, elections, public safety, demographics, public personal services and natural resources. In doing so, the Haynes Fnd has remained true to its founder's philosophy of promoting "the social betterment of mankind."

Upcoming Proposal Due Dates for Major Research Grants
November 7, 2018
March 7, 2019
May 9, 2019
August 8, 2019
October 23, 2019
 
Upcoming Proposal Due Dates for Faculty Fellowships
December 13, 2018
 
Upcoming Proposal Due Dates for Haynes Lindley Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
February 5, 2019
 
Upcoming Proposal Due Dates for Archival Grants
January 9, 2019


If you plan to submit to the Haynes Fnd, please contact Cassie Riger, Director, Foundation Development. Cassie is the campus contact for packaging and submitting all Haynes proposals/applications. You can reach Cassie at cassie.riger@ucr.edu.
Upcoming Humanities Grants
For CHASS Faculty, find details on these grants/fellowships by visiting: http://chass.ucr.edu/resources_for_research/grant_fellowship_funding_calendars.html

Friday, October 26
 The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation - Career Enhancement Program

Wednesday, October 31
 Gerda Henkel Foundation

Thursday, November 1
 American Academy in Rome, 2019 Rome Prize
 American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowships/Grants
 Folger Shakespeare Library Semi-residential Long-term Fellowships 2019-20
 Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) School of Social Science Fellowship "Economy & Society"
 KURT WEILL FND FOR MUSIC
 UCLA Library Special Collections Short-term Research Fellowships
 Wenner-Gren Fnd Post-Ph.D. Grants
 AAUW Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowships DEADLINE

Friday, November 2
 Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Fellowships
 James Marston Fitch Mid-Career Fellowship

Monday, November 5
 Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellowships

Tuesday, November 6
 Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellowships
 NIH BRAIN Initiative: Targeted BRAIN Circuits Projects (BCP)

Wednesday, November 7
 ACLS Comparative Perspectives on Chinese Culture & Society
 Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Program in China Studies

Friday, November 9
 The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, Career Enhancement Adjunct Faculty

Thursday, November 15
 Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard Univ, fellowships
 Harry Ransom Center, Univ of Texas, Austin
 The Jack, Joseph & Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
 NEH Dialogues on the Experience of War
 Fellows at The Huntington

Monday, November 19
 UC Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)

Friday, November 30
 Russell Sage Letters of Inquiry due (multiple programs; see website)
 USArtists International Grant
NSF Bio Policy Alert
In an effort to address a rising number of grant submissions, the National Science Foundation’s biological sciences directorate announced a new policy that limits researchers to submitting one grant a year as principal investigator or co-PI within the directorate’s core program areas. (Researchers can still be listed as “senior personnel” on additional proposals.) The change has caused consternation among some stakeholders, including 70 scientists who submitted a letter asking the agency to reconsider the idea. This is not the first time that the BIO directorate has tried new approaches; it previously dropped a preproposal requirement, and eliminated annual deadlines in favor of rolling deadlines. Acting BIO head Joanne Tornow says the directorate will continue to monitor and adjust the new policy as needed."
 
ORI Seminar Series - Voter Mobilization Field Experiments: Considerations and Ethical issues, November 6
UCR’s Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is proud to present the next talk in the ORI Seminar Series . The seminars focus on ethical dilemmas and hot topics in human subjects research and compliance.

The next seminar, entitled “ Voter Mobilization Field Experiments: Considerations and Ethical issues,” will be led by Dr. Daniel Biggers, Assistant Professor of Political Science. This seminar will take place on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6 at 2:00 PM in HUB 260. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Sciences.

Field experimental designs are generally viewed by political scientists as the gold standard for assessing theories of voter turnout and political participation. These experiments, conducted on potential voters in the context of actual elections, raise a number of questions about the treatment of human subjects who do not consent to partake in these studies and may never actually know of their involvement in this research, as well as broader concerns about academics interjecting themselves into the electoral process. In this presentation, Dr. Biggers will discuss the ethical considerations scholars face when engaging in this type of research and highlight practices to best ensure the protection of human subjects.
Bio: Daniel R. Biggers is an assistant professor in the department of political science. Prior to coming to UCR, he earned his Ph.D. in government and politics from the University of Maryland and spent three years as a postdoctoral associate at the Center for the Study of American Politics and the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. His research interests include political behavior and quantitative and experimental methodology, with a primary focus on the causes and consequences of political behavior (particularly for those underrepresented in the electorate).
This seminar is free and open to the public. No registration is required but seating is limited. Light refreshments will be provided.
California Gnatcatcher
Here's a photo of a California Gnatcatcher from San Diego. This species of gnatcatcher in listed as threatened in the endangered species act. Its primary habitat is coastal sage scrub which is diminishing in Southern California.Although many coastal, a few have been spotted in Riverside County and they are occasionally seen on the UCR campus.