UCR Research and Economic Development Newsletter:  October 9, 2016

Michael Pazzani

Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

http://research.ucr.edu

Back Issues of Newsletter: http://research.ucr.edu/vcr/newsletters.aspx

Grant Opportunity Search: http://pivot.cos.com

 

·         Seminar: Intellectual Property: How to Protect Your Invention – 10/11/16

·         EPIC: Entrepreneurial Proof of Concept & Innovation Center Announcement and Launch – 10/26/16

·         Limited Submissions: NSF  S-STEM, etc

·         Research and Economic Development- Collaborative Seed Grant Program – 1/12/17

·         HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program – diversity in the biomedical research community   2/15/17

·         Inaugural UC-Wide Drug Discover Symposium – 2/21-22/17

·         Nominations for the Defense Science Study Group

·         World Bank Data Challenge

·         Unless your name is Michael Pazzani, you need an ORCID

·         U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell, October 14, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, HUB 30

·         Pelican Landing

 

Intellectual Property: How to Protect Your Invention – 10/11/16

 

UCR's Office of Technology Partnerships is hosting a series of seminars focusing on Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. The first session in these series will cover the basics of intellectual property protection and commercialization.

 

Speaker is Brian Suh, Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization. His team oversees all aspects of the management of UCR intellectual property, from invention disclosures, evaluation, filing patent applications, and licensing.

 

Topics will include basic concepts of intellectual property, criteria for patenting, available resources and how to work with the Office of Technology Commercialization. Lunch will be provided.

 

Event Details:

Date:  10/11/16

Time:  12:00-1:00

Location:  Orbach Science Library, Room 240

 

A similar seminar will be delivered at the ExCITE Incubator located at 3499 10th Street, Riverside, CA 92501, same day from 5:30-6:30pm.

 

RSVP: judy.swineford@ucr.edu

 

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Entrepreneurial Proof of Concept & Innovation Center Announcement and Launch – 10/26/16

 

The County of Riverside will host the launch of UCR’s Regional Entrepreneurial Proof of Concept and Innovation Center (EPIC) on October 26, 2016 from 3:00-5:00pm at the Riverside County Administration Center. 

 

A partnership between UC Riverside, the County of Riverside, and regional innovation centers, EPIC will focus on supporting entrepreneurs and innovators by:

 

-Providing access to entrepreneurial training

-Pairing innovators and startups with experienced mentors

-Connecting startups to investors and partners

 

Come learn more about EPIC.  Listen to local start-up companies pitch to business leaders, investors and mentors.  Meet the members of our growing entrepreneurial community. 

 

Event Details:

3:00pm- Technology Showcase

5:00pm- Reception immediately following

 

Location:

The Riverside County Administration Center

4080 Lemon Street

Riverside, CA 92501

 

Register here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/entrepreneurial-proof-of-concept-innovation-center-announcement-launch-tickets-28287997161?aff=es2

 

***Complimentary parking in the adjacent parking deck on Lemon Street***

 

For information contact: judy.swineford@ucr.edu

 

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Limited Submissions

 

Several NSF limited submissions have recently been posted.  I’d like to highlight three in particular:

 

·         National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program (NRT)

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The NRT program seeks proposals that ensure that graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The NRT program includes two tracks: the Traineeship Track and the Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Track.

 

The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through the use of a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. For FY2016, there are four priority areas: (1) Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (DESE), (2) Understanding the Brain (UtB), (3) Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS), and (4) any other interdisciplinary research theme of national priority.  The priority research areas for the FY2017 competition will be (1) UtB, (2) INFEWS, and (3) any other interdisciplinary research theme of national priority.

 

The IGE Track focuses on test-bed projects aimed at piloting, testing, and validating innovative and potentially transformative approaches to graduate education.  IGE projects are intended to generate the knowledge required for their customization, implementation, and broader adoption. While the Traineeship Track promotes building on the current knowledge base to develop comprehensive programs to effectively train STEM graduate students, the IGE Track supports testing of novel models or activities with high potential to enrich and extend the knowledge base on effective graduate education approaches.

 

The NRT program addresses both workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. For both tracks, strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners are encouraged

 

There is a limit of two Traineeship Track proposals and two Innovations in Graduate Education Track proposals per competition.  Participation includes serving as a lead organization on a non-collaborative proposal or as a lead organization, non-lead organization, or subawardee on a collaborative proposal. 

 

The deadline to apply for the limited submission is 10/27/16. 

 

More information can be found here:  https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505015&WT.mc_id=USNSF_180&WT.mc_ev=click

 

·         NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)

The program seeks: 1) to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need obtaining degrees in STEM and entering the workforce or graduate programs in STEM; 2) to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, with a focus on academically talented low-income students; and 3) to generate knowledge to advance understanding of how  factors or evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities affect  the success, retention, transfer, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM of low-income students.

 

The STEM disciplines supported by the S-STEM program include:

 

Biological sciences (except medicine and other clinical fields);

Physical sciences (including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and materials science);

Mathematical sciences;

Computer and information sciences;

Geosciences;

Engineering; and

Technology areas associated with the preceding disciplines (for example, biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology, etc.)

 

An Institution may submit one proposal (either as a single institution or as subawardee or a member of a Collaborative Research project) from each constituent school or college that awards degrees in an eligible field. See Additional Eligibility Information below for more details.

 

The deadline to apply for the limited submission is 11/17/16. 

 

More information can be found here:  https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5257&WT.mc_id=USNSF_180&WT.mc_ev=click

 

 

Other NSF limited submissions are:

 

Title

Internal Deadline

Undergraduate STEM Education: Pathways into Geoscience (IUSE: GEOPATHS)

10/16/2016

Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN)

10/16/2016

Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML)

10/16/2016

Scalable Nanomanufacturing for Integrated Systems (SNM-IS)

10/16/2016

Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE)

10/27/2016

Collections in Support of Biological Research (CSBR)

1/12/2017

 

See http://research.ucr.edu/ord/limitedsubmissions.aspx for more information, and for the UCR application process.

 

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Research and Economic Development Collaborative Seed Grant Program – 1/12/17

 

The Office of Research and Economic Development (RED) is pleased to announce the continuation of the collaborative seed grant program. The grants are internal funds for UCR faculty teams to collaborate and publish in advance of proposing multi-investigator projects and centers to external agencies. Teams with seed funding who generate preliminary results and gain experience working jointly have proven more successful when they later compete for multi-investigator and/or multidisciplinary grants.

 

PURPOSE

Serving as a catalyst for UCR faculty to form new teams, the seed grant program is intended to initiate new intellectual directions for faculty and to make UCR more competitive for multidisciplinary grants. Selection criteria for seed grants reward projects that create new relationships and synergies across schools, departments or centers. Key considerations include whether the project can be leveraged toward new externally-funded research, and whether the project cannot be otherwise initiated using regular department or school resources. An ideal project would apply for external funding within 6-10 months following seed funding.

 

TYPES OF AWARDS

 

ELIGIBILITY

Proposals are invited from all UCR individuals eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator. (For additional information on PI eligibility see Policy #527-3.) Although external collaborations with universities or companies are encouraged, seed funded projects must involve at least two UCR faculty (a PI and at least one UCR CoPI) and funds may not be used to support outside institutions. A faculty member may participate as PI or CoPI on only one seed grant. A faculty PI on an award made through the Large or Small Collaborative Seed Grant Program in 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016 cannot be a PI or CoPI on a seed grant in 2017, unless they have been awarded a grant as a result of the prior seed grant or applied three times for funding based on the seed grant. 

 

USE OF FUNDS

Funds may be used for any activity directly related to the conduct of the research, e.g. salaries and benefits for students, postdocs, or research scientists, research supplies, equipment/facility recharge, etc. Funds may not be used for faculty summer salaries, administrative staff, course buyouts, seminar speakers, consultants, conferences, or travel, except to federal agencies or proposer workshops. Small project seed grants will receive all funding at the start of the project. Large project seed grants will receive 50% of funds to initiate the project, with the remainder made available upon completion and approval of a brief report on project status. All funds must be expended by the end of the project period. To focus on projects that can make rapid progress, unexpended funds will be returned.

 

DEADLINES

The internal proposal deadline for both Large and Small Seed Grants is January 12, 2017.

 

PROGRESS TRACKING AND REPORTING

Awardees of Large Grants are required to submit both a brief interim report to release the remaining 50% of the funds and a final project report within 60 days of the award period end. Small Grant awardees are required only to submit a final project report within 60 days. The final project report should include the results of the research, a financial statement and plans or efforts underway to obtain external funding. Lack of timely reporting may result in exclusion from future award opportunities.

 

REVIEW PROCESS

Proposals will be reviewed by UCR faculty with comments returned to explain funding decisions. The alignment of projects with the goals of innovation and high impact, and the feasibility of completing the project and submitting a collaborative grant proposal are evaluation priorities. Proposals that are disruptive, use technology in new ways, or launch entirely novel approaches are specifically encouraged. The assessment will consider the extent of inter-disciplinary and inter-departmental collaboration as well as the potential for subsequent extramural funding. Deans of the PI and co-PIs also will be asked for input on the importance of the project for their school.

 

APPLICATION FORMAT

Bearing in mind that not all reviewers will have an extensive knowledge of their field of inquiry, faculty should use proposal language accessible to the most faculty. Both types of Seed Grant proposals use the same application format:

  1. Application Form
  2. Research Plan - No more than 3 pages, single-spaced, 12 point font with one-inch margins. Typical proposals should include: a brief introduction and one-year objectives, research plan - specific aims and methodology, and anticipated results.
  3. External Funding Target: What specific federal funding opportunity will be targeted for subsequent funding? What is the proposed timeline for applying for external funding? Projects that do not indicate a specific opportunity will be returned without review.
  4. Budget with breakdown of cost categories.
  5. CVs (no more than 2 pages for each investigator).
  6. Results of prior seed grant(s).

 

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Applications should be submitted through the "EasyChair" system at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=csgp2017

 

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HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program – diversity in the biomedical research community   2/15/17

 

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has announced the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program. Recognizing the value of individuals from different backgrounds to move science forward, HHMI seeks to increase diversity in the biomedical research community. The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program will recruit and retain early career scientists who are from groups underrepresented in the life sciences and who have the potential to become leaders in academic research. Through their successful careers, Hanna H. Gray Fellows will inspire the next generation of scientists from America’s diverse talent pool. The Institute will select and support up to 15 Fellows in this first competition.

 

You help is appreciated in distributing this announcement and encouraging eligible individuals to apply. Applicants can establish eligibility and submit an application via the HHMI online competition site www.hhmi.org/research/application/fellow2017. Applications are due February 15, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).

 

Program Overview

Fellows will receive funding ($80,000) for up to four years of their postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding ($270,000) for up to four years during their early career years as independent faculty. The program includes opportunities for career development, including mentoring and active involvement in the HHMI scientific community.

 

Eligibility

·         The program is open to individuals who are from gender, racial, ethnic, and other groups underrepresented in the life sciences at the career stages targeted by this program, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

·         Applicants must have a PhD and/or MD (or equivalent) by the start of the grant term and can have no more than 12 months of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the application due date.

·         The program is open to applicants of any citizenship or nationality who have been accepted to join a laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow at a research institution located in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico).

·         The program is open to basic science researchers and physician-scientists in all biomedical and life science disciplines.

 

Selection of Fellows

The review process will assess the applicant’s potential for a career as an independent academic researcher and the quality of the training environment with the selected mentor. The selection of finalists will be made by the end of September 2017. Awards may begin as early as November 15, 2017, but no later than January 15, 2018.

 

Additional information including a full Program Announcement is available at www.hhmi.org/HannaGrayFellows2017. For questions, contact program staff at fellows@hhmi.org.

 

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Inaugural UC-Wide Drug Discover Symposium – Feb. 21-22, 2017

 

Save the date!  Share drug discovery success stories, highlights and strategies.  Learn about resources for translational research across the campuses.  Work toward a cross-campus drug discovery and development pipeline.  Improve UC competitiveness through cross-campus connections.  Network with industry leaders seeking academic partnerships.

 

Location: UCLA California Nanosystems Institute

 

Host: UC BRAID Drug, Device, Discovery and Development Group

 

To register:  http://ucdrugdiscovery.eventbrite.com

 

For questions please contact: Robert Damoiseaux, California NanoSystems Institute, Phone: 310-794-1974

 

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Nominations to the Defense Science Study Group

 

UCR has the opportunity to nominate two members of your faculty to participate in the Defense Science Study Group (DSSG). This program, begun in 1985, is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and administered by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). The DSSG is a unique program of education and study that introduces some of the nation's most outstanding professors of science and engineering to the challenges facing national security. It also provides the members with an opportunity to become involved in and to contribute to those issues on an ongoing basis. The two-year program requires that the member of the class devote approximately 20 days per year to DSSG activities. To minimize disruption of the academic year, the majority of the time for DSSG activity is scheduled during the summer months.

The selection criteria are, briefly, as follows:

•        A faculty member in science, engineering or related discipline (the DSSG has enjoyed broad disciplinary representation over the years ranging from medicine to math)

•        Outstanding academic accomplishments and a likely future leader in their field

•        Preferably within 15 years of their Ph.D.

•        Must be a U.S. citizen (to acquire a security clearance).

 

 

To be considered send a CV to limitedsubmissions@ucr.edu. By Dec 1, 2016 plus a brief cover letter indicating your interest and history with DARPA, DoD and Federal agencies or advisory boards.

 

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World Bank Data Challenge: Nov 9

 

The World Bank is announcing a global call for big data solutions and prototypes that address climate change-related issues pertaining to food security, nutrition, landscapes, forestry and watersheds. The Bank seeks to identify and support the implementation of high-potential solutions and prototypes developed by academics, citizens, entrepreneurs, businesses, and nonprofits addressing these critical areas of sustainable development. 

These issues are high priorities in service to the World Bank's goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity, and are also identified priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 

The call for prototypes that address climate change-related issues pertaining to two challenge areas: 
1) Food: food security and nutrition 
2) Landscapes: forestry and watersheds. 

The bank seeks to identify and support the implementation of at least two high-potential solutions and prototypes addressing these critical areas of sustainable development. 

The Bank is seeking innovative solutions and working prototypes that leverage big data to understand and address the impacts of climate change on food security and nutrition. The solutions and prototypes may be developed by individuals and organizations from member countries of the World Bank Group, and may leverage data sources such as government-released open data, satellite imagery, mobile network data, anonymized private sector data, social media data and surveys, among others. 

The following represent illustrative areas of need: 
- Mapping or measuring the risks to farmer's income throughout the food supply chain 
- Understanding of the food supply chain, its vulnerabilities and food loss points
- The distribution of value added and income at different stages of the food supply chain 
- Understanding, forecasting or raising awareness of constraints on food availability, affordability, and consumption, including local prices and seasonality 
- Linking seasonal food production and consumption with nutrition and health, including behavioral aspects, and identification of options for intervention 
- Mapping of agricultural production diversity in specific regions, including average crop yields and prices 

Innovative data solutions, technologies and methodologies, including the concepts listed below, represent relevant types of solutions: 
- Artificial intelligence 
- Crowdsourcing applications 
- Data science 
- Dynamic visualizations 
- Machine learning 
- Predictive analytics on existing datasets or through combinations of datasets to generate insights, information or new data 
- Software applications that allow the capture and management of data 
- Hardware applications that generate and capture agriculture, water or weather data 

 

 

http://bigdatainnovationchallenge.org/apply/

 

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Unless your name is Michael Pazzani, you need an ORCID

 

Because my last name is uncommon, my publications are attributed to me fairly easily.  However, for many faculty, automated citation and indexing is not 100% accurate.   The ORCID is a solution to this problem.  

 

ORCID and the University of California

Prepared by Lisa Schiff, Ivy Anderson and Günter Waibel, California Digital Library (CDL)

September 27, 2016

ORCID Summary

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is an international registry service that allows an individual researcher to obtain a personal unique identifier that can be used to create linkages to his/her scholarly activities in various systems used by that researcher. This identifier prevents a researcher’s work from being incorrectly attributed to another individual with a similar name.  As of September 27, 2016 almost 2,600,000 researchers worldwide have registered for an ORCID.

ORCID Benefits for Individuals

Individual scholars benefit from ORCID in a number of ways.

ORCID at the University of California

Individual UC researchers are already using this service in substantial numbers: Almost 13,000 UC-affiliated individuals currently possess ORCID iDs. If you don’t already have an ORCID iD, simply complete the ORCID registration form. Add professional information to enhance your newly created ORCID record, and then use your ORCID iD wherever your name appears professionally, such as in your email signature line, your webpage and in submitting manuscripts or applying for grants.

 

P.S., My ORCID is orcid.org/0000-0002-4240-7349.  It is pretty easy to import BibTex at orcid.org and export BibTex from Google Scholar to create an initial profile.  It is likely in the next year or two, many federal funding agencies will require an ORCID with proposal submission.  

 

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U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell, October 14, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, HUB 302

 

UCR’s Living the Promise symposium series will kickoff with a visit by U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell on Friday, October 14 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm in HUB 302. Dr. Mitchell will deliver about 20 minutes of remarks, after which he will spend time in conversation with Provost and EVC D’Anieri about UCR’s distinctive position in U.S. higher education and how we will leverage our strengths and achievements to advance excellence, access, and opportunity. Time is also allocated for audience Q&A – so please come welcome Dr. Mitchell to UCR and participate in this interesting conversation.

 

 

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Pelican Landing

Here’s a photo of a Pelican landing taken at Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach yesterday.  It’s one of my favorite birding spots in Southern California, and an exemplar of habitat restoration.  However, it wasn’t particularly birdy yesterday, but it was a nice day to walk around the coast.

cid:image003.jpg@01D2220E.222D3400

 

(click to enlarge)

 

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