UCR Research and Economic Development Newsletter: January 20, 2016
Michael Pazzani
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
Back Issues of Newsletter: http://research.ucr.edu/vcr/newsletters.aspx
Grant Opportunity Search: http://pivot.cos.com
·
Fulbright Alumni Ambassador
Workshop – 1/28/16, 10:00am
·
Talk: Army Research
Lab: Jan 29, 10am
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Funding Opportunity: Department of Defense Releases FOA for the Minerva
Research Initiative
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Informed
Consent Guide for IRB
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Faculty Networking Lunches – 2/8/16 and 3/7/16
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To Patent or Not to Patent : Jan 21 3pm
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Research Development & Grant Writing News
USDA Announces $8.8 Million Available to Support Food and Agricultural
Sciences Education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions
Unfortunately,
the USDA gave less than a month to develop full applications and limits the
number of applications we can submit. While we have a formal process for
limited applications (see http://research.ucr.edu/ord/limitedsubmissions.aspx), we are going to abbreviate the
process. If you are interested in applying, send email to Randy Black by
the end of the day Wednesday January 21 with details on which program, the PI
and the team. Only if there are more submissions than slots
available, we will request details and go through the more formal reviewed
process.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) announced the availability of more than $8.8 million in
competitive funding to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ (HSIs)
agricultural science education programs. These grants will enhance the ability
of these colleges and universities to support underserved students and develop
a skilled American workforce.
“The number of jobs available in
fields pertaining to food, agriculture, natural resources and the environment
are far outpacing the number of students graduating with expertise in those
areas. At the same time, the agriculture industry, much like other sectors of
our economy, is recognizing that a more diverse workforce will help its
businesses thrive,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“Hispanic-Serving Institutions can use this investment to increase
enrollment in science fields of study, further developing students with the
potential to solve society’s future agricultural challenges. These fields will
only become more important as we continue to develop solutions to feed more
than 9 billion people by 2050.”
These grants are awarded through
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Hispanic-Serving Institution Education
Grants Program. The
purpose of this program is to support innovative teaching or education
applications with potential to impact Hispanic-Serving Institutions to build
capacity and then to become models for other institutions that serve
underrepresented students, at the regional or national level. While research
and extension activities may be included in a funded HSI Education project, the
primary focus must be to improve teaching, enrollment, and graduation rates
within a degree-granting program. Since 2009, NIFA has awarded more than $58.5
million in funding to this program.
A May 2015 report released by NIFA and Purdue
University showed that there is tremendous demand for recent college graduates
with a degree in agricultural programs, with an estimated 57,900 high-skilled
job openings annually in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources,
and environment fields in the United States. Meanwhile, there is an average of
35,400 new U.S. graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher in agriculture
related fields, 22,500 short of the jobs available annually. The report
projects almost half of the job opportunities will be in management and business. Another 27 percent will be in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM)
areas. Jobs in food and biomaterials production will make up 15 percent, and 12
percent of the openings will be in education, communication, and
governmental services.
The HSI program follows the NIFA
Priority Science Areas, which are considered national priorities:
- Climate
Variability and Change
- Childhood
Obesity and Prevention
- Food
Safety
- Food
Security
- Sustainable
Bioenergy
- Water
for Agriculture
Priority will be given to projects
that promote and strengthen the ability of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to
carry out education, as determined by each institution, within a broadly
defined area of food and agricultural sciences and related disciplines.
Applications for collaboration
projects are due Feb. 9, standard applications are due Feb. 10, and
strengthening project applications are due Feb. 12. Please see the request for applications for specific program
requirements.
Since
2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and transformative initiatives
to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture.
NIFA’s integrated research, education, and extension programs, supporting the
best and brightest scientists and extension personnel, have resulted
user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity,
improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability
issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating
climate variability, and ensuring food safety. To learn more about NIFA’s
impact on agricultural science, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates,
or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts.
Fulbright Alumni Ambassador Workshop
– 1/28/16, 10:00am
Are you interested in
teaching or conducting research abroad? Learn more about the Fulbright
Scholar Program in a workshop with Dr. Sheryl Ehrman,
a 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholar to India.
Where: University of
California, Riverside, Highlander Union Building (HUB-260)
When: Thursday,
January 28th, 2016 (10:00 – 11:30 a.m.)
In this workshop,
Fulbright Ambassador Dr. Sheryl Ehrman, Keystone
Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,
University of Maryland College Park, will share her experiences as a Fulbright
Scholar to India in 2006-2007. Scholars like Sheryl Ehrman
return to their campuses with new perspectives on their fields and fresh ideas
for further international engagement. Faculty and administrators will learn
about the benefits of Fulbright and the impact it can have personally and
professionally.
The Fulbright Ambassador
Program trains and utilizes a select group of Fulbright Scholar alumni from the
full spectrum of U.S. academic disciplines, higher education institutions, and
geographic regions to serve as representatives for the Fulbright Scholar
Program at campus workshops and academic conferences across the United States.
Interested UCR faculty,
postdocs, and administrators are all encouraged to attend this FREE workshop.
To reserve a seat, please
send an email to Robert.Chan@ucr.edu or register online at the
UCR Research & Economic Development website: http://research.ucr.edu/about/calendar.aspx.
Talk: Army
Research Lab: Jan 29, 10:00 am
Dr. Steven Taulbee
from the Army Research Lab will be visiting UCR on January 29th to
discuss Materials Research and pursue potential collaboration in research under
the new ARL Open Campus Initiative. He will give a seminar on Jan.
29 at 10:00 am, in WCH 443. Topics covered will include
Below are some of the major research programs at our part of ARL (the
Materials Research and Science)s:
* Advanced Structural and Armor Materials
* Energetic Materials
* Multifunctional and Nanomaterials
* Additive Manufacturing
* Adhesive Bonding and Interphase Science
* Macromolecular Science and Technology
* Coatings, Corrosion, and Engineered Polymers
* Ceramic and Transparent Materials
* Lightweight and Specialty Metals
* Composite and Hybrid Materials
* Applied Physics and Physics Phenomenology
* Optics and Photonics
* Continuum Mechanics (Solid Mechanics, Structural Engineering,
etc.)
* Biomechanics and Humans in Extreme Environments
* Guidance, Navigation, and Control of Flight Vehicles
(Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering related)
* Computational Fluid Dynamics
If you are interested in
meeting with Dr Taulbee,
please contact my assistant at VCREDadmin@ucr.edu.
Funding Opportunity: Department of
Defense Releases FOA for the Minerva Research Initiative
The Department of Defense
(DOD) has released a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for its
signature social science research program, the Minerva Research Initiative
(Minerva). Minerva, first started by former Secretary Robert Gates and
continued by his successors, seeks to fund top-quality social science research
that provides DOD with a better understanding of the factors influencing the
geopolitical environment in which it operates. As the FOA highlights, the
Minerva program seeks to support “research in specific areas of social science
and to promote a candid and constructive relationship between DOD and the social
science academic community.”
As with previous years,
the newest Minerva FOA solicits projects in topic areas that closely reflect
current world events, such as understanding how individuals are recruited into
global terrorism, exploring the underpinnings of mass migration from conflicts,
and examining how a cyber-enabled world has led to powerful, non-state
entities. For 2016, the Minerva program will focus on five primary topic
areas and 11 subtopics to call for proposals focused on a broad range of priority
countries, regions, and disciplines. While four topic areas are similar
to last year’s announcement, there is a new topic for 2016 on analytical
methods and metrics. Complete details of each topic area, as well as
overviews of all subtopics, are in the full FOA. The five primary topic
areas are:
·
Identity, Influence, and Mobilization – This topic seeks
projects with the potential to improve DOD’s understanding of social and
cultural factors that influence belief formation and mobilization, particularly
when leading to violence. Categories include culture, identity, and
security and influence and mobilization for change.
·
Contributors to Societal Resilience and Change – This category seeks
projects with the ability to identify factors that make societies resilient to
unrest and external shocks. Categories include governance and rule of
law, migration and urbanization, environment and natural resources, and
economics.
·
Power and Deterrence – Through this topic area, DOD
solicits projects with the ability to better explain and model the shifts of
power of state and non-state entities given changes in geopolitical factors and
increased technological capabilities. Categories include global order,
power projection and diffusion, beyond conventional deterrence, and area
studies.
·
Analytical Methods and Metrics for Security Research – This new topic
seeks interdisciplinary projects to develop innovative quantitative methods and
models for understanding social science systems for defense-critical challenges.
Projects should be rooted in qualitative context.
·
Innovations in National Security, Conflict, and
Cooperation –
This broad topic area allows for researchers to propose international and
national security projects, not already enumerated in the FOA, in emerging or
yet to be understood areas.
The Basic Research Office
within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and
Engineering coordinates Minerva and will make final funding decisions (with
input from the Services). DOD will consider both individual awards as
well as team proposals for this iteration of Minerva. However, team
proposals must name one Principal Investigator as the primary point of contact
and designate one institution as the administrative lead for dealing with
DOD. Team proposals should describe the expertise brought by each team
member and the relationship between participating institutions on a team.
White Papers: DOD strongly encourages researchers interested in
Minerva to submit white papers to the appropriate program point of contact, the
Research Topic Chiefs, prior to preparing a full proposal. Interested
researchers are also strongly encouraged to contact the Topic Chief by February
15 to discuss ideas. The Topic Chiefs for each area are listed in the full
FOA. White papers are due by 3:00 PM (EST) on February 29, 2016.
Full Proposals: Following to feedback on the white papers, researchers
will be required to submit full proposals. While a researcher may submit
a full proposal without having first submitted a white paper, it is discouraged
by DOD. The deadline to submit full proposals is 3:00 PM (EDT) on June 17,
2016.
Total Funding and Award
Size: A total of $15 million is
available for this round of Minerva over the next three years. The FOA
states that DOD plans to make between 10 to 12 awards averaging between
$150,000 and $1 million per year for a period of three to five years.
Previous Minerva awards have averaged approximately $400,000 per year.
Sources and Additional
Information:
·
The
complete FOA and other details are available at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=280923
·
Complete
background on the Minerva program, including information on previous awardees,
is available at http://minerva.dtic.mil/.
Informed Consent Guide for IRB
The Office of Research Integrity has created UCR ORI Informed
Consent Guide. This document is meant to be a guidance document for UCR
researchers as well as IRB-Sb members when they create/review the consent
documents. https://research.ucr.edu/webdocs/RI/Forms/HRRB/UCR%20Informed%20Consent%20Guide.pdf
For more information, please contact Dario Kuzmanovic at Dario.kuzmanovic@ucr.edu.
Faculty Networking Lunches – 2/8/16
& 3/7/16
I will be holding two catered lunchtime meetings for UCR
faculty. The goal is to have an informal discussion on research topics that
cross departments and schools and to allow faculty to meet potential
collaborators. The lunches will be held in UOB 210 and consist of Thai food
from a nearby restaurant. A vegetarian and a gluten-free option will be
available. Lunch will be served promptly at 12:00 and the meetings will
last until 1:15.
The first lunch of the year will be on Diabetes Research
on 2/8/16. To sign up, click on this link: http://diabetes-research.eventbrite.com
The second lunch topic will be on Water Research on
3/7/16. To sign up, click on this link: https://water-research.eventbrite.com.
Both topics are selected because they are of potential
interest to faculty from many disciplines.
Additional lunches are scheduled March 28th, April
11th, May 2nd, and May 23rd. NO TOPICS HAVE
BEEN DETERMINED for these meetings. CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A
TOPIC that you think 8-12 other faculty will be interested in.
To Patent or Not to Patent – January
21, 3:00pm
One of the key value drivers for early
business is the ownership and documentation of Intellectual Property. This can
be in the form of patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks... the list
goes on.
Russell Jeide
is a partner at Knobbe Martens and will be talking
about the basics of intellectual property law. This workshop is designed to
answer your questions about what you can and can't patent, the difference
between the different kinds of patents, when you may NOT want to patent, and
more.
A series has been designed that will
be held the third Thursday of every month, with one upcoming meeting at
UCR on January 21st at 3:00pm for students and
faculty. This presentation will be at a fairly high level, and while
Russell could likely speak for hours about one specific aspect of IP, this
workshop will be a general presentation and there will be plenty of time for
questions. In future meetings we will get into the meat of the different kinds
of patents, how to search for patents, protecting against infringement,
building your IP fortress, and more.
Any executive, entrepreneur, scientist
or researcher who deals with innovation MUST ATTEND these workshops. You will
be getting thousands of dollars’ worth of value - if not more.
Please register so we can plan
accordingly. The UCR meeting is at the University Office Building, Suite 210
(second floor.) Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/to-patent-or-not-to-patent-at-ucr-tickets-20816455579
For more information, please
contact Jay Goth at jgoth@insocalconnect.org.
Academic Research Funding Strategies: Research
Development & Grant Writing News
UCR
has subscribed to a newsletter from Academic Research Funding Strategies.
I have fou8nd this issue particularly useful so I attached it to my
newsletter. The discussion on the NIH Strategic Plan and the Overview of
Foundations are highly recommended. Back issues are available on
the web at http://research.ucr.edu/OrApps/SP/Info/GrantWriting/GrantWritingNews.aspx. The index is below.
Note that this report is
for UCR internal use only. It may not be forwarded to colleagues at other
institutions or professional associations.
January 2016
·
Topics of
Interest URLs
·
Private
Foundations that Fund Academic Research: A Quick Guide
·
Research
Narrative Knowledge Base
·
In Brief: NIH
New Strategic Plan (2016-2020)
·
Write Like You
Are the Reviewer
·
Nexus of Food,
Energy, and Water Systems
·
Research Grant
Writing Web Resources
·
Educational
Grant Writing Web Resources
·
Agency
Research News
·
Agency
Reports, Workshops & Roadmaps
·
New Funding
Opportunities
·
About Academic Research Funding Strategies
Bird Photos
No
one won last weeks “bird photo contest” so the prize rolls over to this
week. This week, I’m offering two Meyer lemons to the first person that
identifies the photo below I took in Los Angeles this weekend.
The American
Goldfinch is the state bird of New Jersey and the Western Meadowlark the state
bird of North Dakota, two states associated with the new CNAS dean.
The chancellor said this was too obscure. I did learn in the process that
many of our faculty have Meyer lemon trees and they all are producing an
abundant crop this year. If you can’t identify the photo above, you can
probably get some lemons from the person in the office next to yours.
Below is a real
photo of a Pyrrhuloxia, I took in Arizona over
break.
Michael Pazzani
Vice Chancellor for Research
and Economic Development
Professor, Computer Science
& Engineering
University of California,
Riverside
200 University Office
Building
Riverside, CA 92521
Assistant: Linda
Bejenaru
Email: VCREDadmin@ucr.edu