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ANNOUNCEMENTS

DER Noontime Seminars Series

Anne Plovanich-Jones, Ph.D, Office of the Vice President for Research, Faculty Specialist Grant Writer (also attending will be several faculty Dr. Plovanich-Jones has assisted in grant preparation) - Grant Writing in a Nutshell

December 09, 2014; 12:00-1:00 pm, 3540 EB; pizza and refreshments provided.

MSU Sponsored Projects’ Proposal Deadline Policy

College of Engineering’s Proposal Processing Timeline

All proposals due to the sponsor on or after December 1, 2014 must follow the new OSP proposal deadline policy. The new policy requires that completed proposals must be provided to OSP at least three full business days prior to the sponsor's deadline to be considered on time. On-time proposals will take precedence over those considered late. Thank you for your continued cooperation and commitment to improving the process of proposal review, approval and timely submission. See the proposal submission deadline policy for a more detailed description.

*All deadlines listed in this announcement indicate the date submissions are due to the agency. Please account for your adjusted deadline with these new policies before submitting your PPF.

2015 Write Winning Grant Proposals Workshop

Register now for the full day seminar that will cover tips and tricks for presenting research cases to reviewers. During the seminar, you will learn more about the practical and conceptual aspects that drive the successful proposal writing process. January 08, 2015; 8:00am-5:00pm; 138 Chemistry Building. $90.00 registration inlcudes lunch, break refreshments and one workbook.

VPRGS 2015 Research Workshops

·  Campus Research Resources to Help You. International Center Spartan Rooms A&B. January 15, 2015 from 3-5pm.

·  NIH Funding for Non-Medical Projects. Main Library

North Conference Room, 4th Floor. February 19, 2015 from 3-5pm.

·  Sciences and Engineering: Funding Your Graduate Experience. 3540EB. February 20, 2015 from 3-4:30pm.

·  Taking Your Research Abroad. Main Library, North Conference Room, 4th Floor. April 16, 2015 from 3-4pm.

Dear Colleague Letter: MPS Graduate Research Supplement for Veterans (MPS-GRSV) NSF 15-024

The National Science Foundation recognizes that Veterans represent a potential underutilized workforce for America's research and industrial communities. The Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) is now accepting supplemental requests to support one (additional) Ph.D. student per award, as long as the graduate student is a United States Veteran. The proposed MPS-GRSVs will afford Veterans an opportunity to conduct research towards a doctoral degree with an NSF MPS Directorate active grantee.

New Biographical Sketch Format Required for NIH and AHRQ Grant Applications Submitted for Due Dates on or After January 25, 2015 NOT-OD-15-024

The revised forms and instructions are now available on the SF 424 (R&R) Forms and Applications page. The new format extends the page limit from four to five pages, and allows researchers to describe up to five of their most significant contributions to science, along with the historical background that framed their research. Investigators can outline the central findings of prior work and the influence of those findings on the investigator’s field. Investigators involved in Team Science are provided the opportunity to describe their specific role(s) in the work. Each description can be accompanied by a listing of up to four relevant peer-reviewed publications or other non-publication research products, including audio or video products; patents; data and research materials; databases; educational aids or curricula; instruments or equipment; models; protocols; and software or netware that are relevant to the described contribution. In addition to the descriptions of specific contributions and documentation, researchers will be allowed to include a link to a full list of their published work as found in a publicly available digital database such as MyBibliography or SciENcv .

New Grant Proposal Guide and Award & Administration Guide NSF 15-001

Effective for all new awards and funding increments to existing awards made on or after December 26, 2014. For awards made prior to December 26, 2014, the guidelines in NSF 14-1 apply.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1.  Energy Innovation Hub Renewal - Fuels from Sunlight DE-FOA-0001205

2.  Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM) 2015 NSF 14-546

3.  Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)

4.  Jefferson Science Fellowship 2015

5.  Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research- Research Alliance (PFI:AIR-RA) NSF 14-612

6.  Buildings Energy Effeciency Frontier & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2015 DE-FOA-0001166

7.  Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) NSF 14-588

8.  Global Grand Challenges in Global Health

9.  National Robotics Initiative (NRI) NSF 15-505

10. Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Core Programs NSF 14-596

11. Physical Sciences-Oncology Network (PS-ON): Physical Sciences-Oncology Projects (PS-OP) (U01) PAR-15-021

12. Systems Biology Research to Advance Sustainable Bioenergy Crop Development DE-FOA-0001207

13. Scalable Nanomanufacturing (SNM) NSF 15-507

14. US Ignite NSF 15-508

15. Research in Engineering Education (REE) PD 10-1340

16. Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI): Instrument Acquisition or Development NSF 15-504

1)  Energy Innovation Hub Renewal - Fuels from Sunlight DE-FOA-0001205

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits a renewal application for the current Fuels from Sunlight Hub. The renewal project should build on previous efforts and focus particularly on R&D needed to enable efficient, sustainable and scalable photochemical reduction of carbon dixoide. The project should advance all aspects of discovery research, incorporating prototype development where appropriate to examine component integration or demonstrate capabilities. The Hub should continue to operate according to a comprehensive project plan that includes well-defined five-year goal(s), substantive measurable scientific and technical milestones, key decision points, and alternate strategies as needed to achieve milestones on the critical path to success.

Deadline: due December 29, 2015

2)  Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM) 2015 NSF 14-546

Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM) funds research projects that identify factors that are efficacious in the formation of ethical STEM researchers in all the fields of science and engineering that NSF supports. CCE STEM solicits proposals for research that explores the following: ‘What constitutes ethical STEM research and practice? Which cultural and institutional contexts promote ethical STEM research and practice and why?' Factors one might consider include: honor codes, professional ethics codes and licensing requirements, an ethic of service and/or service learning, life-long learning requirements, curricula or memberships in organizations (e.g. Engineers without Borders) that stress social responsibility and humanitarian goals, institutions that serve under-represented groups, institutions where academic and research integrity are cultivated at multiple levels, institutions that cultivate ethics across the curriculum, or programs that promote group work, or do not grade. Do certain labs have a ‘culture of academic integrity'? What practices contribute to the establishment and maintenance of ethical cultures and how can these practices be transferred, extended to, and integrated into other research and learning settings?

Internal deadline: January 06, 2015

3)  Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the U.S. Government’s preeminent foreign assistance agency. The agency is dedicated to helping nations meet the needs of their citizens by providing health-care, education, and economic opportunity to end extreme poverty and promote democratic, resilient societies. The U.S. Global Development Lab (The Lab) at USAID is bringing together a diverse set of partners to discover, test, and scale breakthrough solutions to address critical challenges in international development. A key element of this strategy is the support of scientific and technological research through the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program. PEER is a competitive grants program that invites scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities on topics of importance to USAID and conducted in partnership with U.S. Government-funded partners.

Deadline: pre-proposals due January 09, 2015

4)  Jefferson Science Fellowship 2015

The application period opens each fall and closes in mid-January. Selected Jefferson Science Fellows spend one year on assignment at the U.S. Department of State or USAID as science advisors on foreign policy issues. Assignments are tailored to the needs of the hosting office, while taking into account the Fellows’ interests and areas of expertise. As part of their assignments, Jefferson Fellows also have the opportunity to travel to U.S. embassies and missions overseas. Following the fellowship year, the Jefferson Science Fellow will return to his/her academic career, but will remain available to the U.S. government as an experienced consultant for short-term projects.

Deadline: January 12, 2015

5)  Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research- Research Alliance (PFI:AIR-RA) NSF 14-612

This PFI:AIR-Research Alliance (RA) solicitation is intended to accelerate the translation and transfer of existing research discoveries into competitive technologies and commercial realities by leveraging the investments NSF has made in research consortia (e.g., Engineering Research Centers, Industry University Cooperative Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, Centers for Chemical Innovation, and others) and catalyzing academic-based innovation ecosystems. The goal is that these synergistic partnerships and collaborations between government, academia, and other public and private entities will result in new wealth and the building of strong local and regional economies.

Deadline: LOI due January 12, 2015

6)  Buildings Energy Effeciency Frontier & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2015 DE-FOA-0001166

The Emerging Technologies (ET) Program of the Building Technologies Office (BTO) supports applied research and development for technologies and systems that contribute to building energy consumption. BTO’s goal is to deliver 50% primary energy savings in the year 2030, relative to the baseline energy consumption projected by the 2010 Annual Energy Outlook. The ET Program is helping to meet this goal by enabling cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies to be developed and introduced into the marketplace. The ET Program maintains support for the national laboratories in five core areas: Solid-State Lighting, HVAC (includes water heating and appliances), Sensors & Controls, Windows & Envelope, and Modeling & Tools. This FOA combines an early-stage research and development topic (Innovations) with a later-stage research and development topic (Frontiers) that complement the core funding provided to the national labs and allow all interested parties, including corporations, universities, and non-profits as well as the national labs, to contribute to advancement in two of these core technological areas: Non-vapor compression HVAC technologies and advanced vapor compression HVAC technologies.

Deadline: full proposal due January 12, 2015

7)  Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) NSF 14-588

The Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program invites proposals that address immediate challenges and opportunities that are facing undergraduate STEM education, as well as those that anticipate new structures (e.g. organizational changes, new methods for certification or credentialing, course re-conception, cyberlearning, etc.) and new functions of the undergraduate learning and teaching enterprise. The IUSE program recognizes and respects the variety of discipline-specific challenges and opportunities facing STEM faculty as they strive to incorporate results from educational research into classroom practice and work with education research colleagues and social science learning scholars to advance our understanding of effective teaching and learning.

Engaged Student Learning: Exploration Deadline: January 13, 2015

Institutional and Community Transformation: Exploration Deadline: January 13, 2015

8)  Global Grand Challenges in Global Health

Grand Challenges Explorations fosters innovation in global health research. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes that solving our greatest global health issues is a long-term effort. Through Grand Challenges in Global Health, the Foundation is committed to seeking out and rewarding not only established researchers in science and technology, but also young investigators, entrepreneurs and innovators to help expand the pipeline of ideas to fight diseases that claim millions of lives each year. Current Grand Challenges Grant Opportunities include: Putting Women and Girls at the Center of Development; Creating and Measuring Integrated Solutions for Healthy Birth, Growth, and Development; and New Interventions for Global Health.

Deadline: January 13, 2015

9)  National Robotics Initiative (NRI) NSF 15-505

The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside or cooperatively with people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots working in symbiotic relationships with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The purpose of this program is the development of this next generation of robotics, to advance the capability and usability of such systems and artifacts, and to encourage existing and new communities to focus on innovative application areas. It will address the entire life cycle from fundamental research and development to manufacturing and deployment.

Deadline: January 14, 2015

10)  Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Core Programs NSF 14-596

The Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) studies the inter-related roles of people, computers, and information. IIS supports research and education activities that 1) develop new knowledge about the role of people in the design and use of information technology; 2) increase our capability to create, manage, and understand data and information in circumstances ranging from personal computers to globally-distributed systems; and 3) advance our understanding of how computational systems can exhibit the hallmarks of intelligence.

Deadline: January 14, 2015

11)  Physical Sciences-Oncology Network (PS-ON): Physical Sciences-Oncology Projects (PS-OP) (U01) PAR-15-021

The goal of the Physical Science-Oncology Projects (PS-Ops) is to foster the convergence of physical sciences approaches and perspectives with cancer research to advance our understanding of cancer biology and oncology by forming small transdisciplinary teams of physical scientists and cancer biologists/physician scientists. Examples of physical scientists may include engineers, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and computer scientists. The PS-OPs, individually and as a collaborative Network along with other PS-OPs and the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC), will support transdisciplinary research that: (1) establishes a physical sciences perspective within the cancer research community; (2) facilitates team science and field convergence at the intersection of physical sciences and cancer research; and (3) collectively tests physical sciences-based experimental and theoretical concepts of cancer and promotes innovative solutions to address outstanding questions in cancer research.