New Public Access Policy Requirements

As a result of an Executive Directive from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, all federal agencies will begin to require the results of federally funded research be made freely available to the general public. The National Institutes of Health has for some time required published research articles from NIH-funded research to be deposited in the NIH PubMed Central repositories.

For all new research grants and contracts received on or after January 1, 2016 from the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of Energy, recipients will be required to deposit research articles generated as a result of federal funding in agency-specific repositories.

It is the responsibility of the award recipient to be aware of the agency-specific requirements and ensure that research articles generated as a result of federal funding are deposited in agency-specific repositories in a timely manner. Please see http://cms.uflib.ufl.edu/scholcomm/publicaccess.aspx for a list of the agency-specific requirements and repositories.

Feel free to contact Irene Cooke, UF Office of Research or Christine Fruin, Scholarly Communications Library for additional information.

Irene Cooke irenecooke@ufl.edu, (352) 294-1632 or Christine Fruin christine.ross@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2710

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RAFT Sponsored Programs Training for 2016

UF’s Division of Sponsored Programs and Contracts and Grants are pleased to announce a full line-up of Research Administration and Financials Training (RAFT) opportunities for 2016. RAFT is a professional development series providing UF research administrators with “a lifeline” to the research community.

RAFT Level One Cohort

Applications are now being accepted for the spring 2016 RAFT Level One Cohort, a program designed for research administrators with 18 months or fewer of grants management experience. The cohort is a thirteen-session classroom series that will provide a thorough introduction to all aspects of sponsored programs management at UF. Program participants will also be paired with senior research administrators who can provide guidance and assistance throughout the program. Participants who successfully complete the series will be awarded a certificate of completion. The cohort series will begin in January with sessions continuing through April.

Interested applicants should email a completed program application form to Steve Slater, grants training manager for UF Training and Organizational Development, by December 14th. Applicants from previous semesters can simply email to request their application remain active. If you have questions about the RAFT Level One Cohort, please contact Stephanie Gray, assistant vice president for the Division of Sponsored Programs, at (352) 392-3516; or Tiffany Schmidt, associate director for Contracts and Grants, at (352) 273-3101.

RAFT Level Two Training Series

The RAFT Level Two Training Series is designed for research administrators and others who support sponsored research and extension at UF. Sessions will run on a monthly basis and cover a range of topics across sponsored programs management. Offerings will be a la cart so you can choose specific topics that interest you.  Enrollment will be available in the myTraining system.

RAFT Forums

The RAFT forums will be held on a quarterly basis and cover special topics of interest to the grants community. No registration is required. The first forum will be held on January 14th. More details to follow.

RAFT Core Office Workshop

This special half-day workshop is designed specifically for the core offices and individuals that provide peripheral support to sponsored programs. Attend this workshop to gain a high level understanding of the sponsored project lifecycle.  The time and date will be announced in early 2016.

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Awarded Projects for November 2015

College of Education
Awarded Projects
November 2015
Principal Investigator: Catherine Atria (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: District Instructional Leadership and Faculty Professional Development
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $7,835
Principal Investigator: Diana Joyce Beaulieu (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Neuronet Learning, LLC
Project Title: NeuroNet: Multi-Year Longitudinal Study of Interactive Learning Curricula Effects on Student Academic Outcomes
Project Period: 9/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $2,000
Principal Investigator: Christy Gabbard (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: Title II, Part A, Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $24,998
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Walter Leite (SHDOSE)
Funding Agency: Florida’s Office of Early Learning
Project Title: Pay for Performance
Project Period: 11/13/2015 – 9/15/2016
Award Amount: $1,795,843
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Project Title: Florida Teacher Leader Fellowship (Teacher Engagement)
Project Period: 11/13/2015 – 9/15/2017
Award Amount: $764,553
Principal Investigator: Andrew Thomas (SHDOSE)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Minnesota Sports and Entertainment
Project Title: Modern Statistical Methods for Professional Ice Hockey
Project Period: 9/1/2015 – 12/31/2015
Award Amount: $5,000

 

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Submitted Projects for November 2015

College of Education
Submitted Projects
November 2015
Principal Investigator: Pavlo “Pasha” Antonenko (STL)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Proposal Title: Collaborative Research: i-Tracker: Enhancing Engineering Design Skills in Construction Engineering and Management Education Through Deep Context Immersion
Requested Amount: $56,040
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Walter Leite (SHDOSE)
Funding Agency: Florida’s Office of Early Learning
Proposal Title: Pay for Performance
Requested Amount: $1,795,843
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Lauren’s Kids
Proposal Title: Lauren’s Kids New Teacher Courses
Requested Amount: $375,000
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Promethean
Proposal Title: Buffalo Turnaround School Leaders Program
Requested Amount: $124,571

 

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Helpful Background Statistics for Proposal Writers

The U.S. Census Bureau provides the latest data on school enrollment from several different surveys and, depending on your needs, one survey may be more suitable than another.

In addition, the Career Services Network and Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University offer current information on recruiting trends, including hiring outlook and starting salaries, among other topics.

The U.S. Census Bureau school enrollment data tables provide information by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, family income, type of college, employment status, nativity, foreign-born parentage, attendance status (full or part time), type of school (public or private), and vocational course enrollment. They also delve into topics such as nursery school and kindergarten enrollment, the likelihood of being enrolled in an age appropriate grade, and the percentage of young adults enrolled in college. Historical tables are also provided.

To view the complete list of surveys, see the U.S. Census Bureau School Enrollment webpage.

The Career Services Network and Collegiate Employment Research Institute (CERI) at Michigan State University 2015-16 Recruiting Trends Report Briefs provide information drawn from 4,723 employers that seek college talent through their interactions with college career service offices. The data show improvement over the calendar year across all industry sectors. Of the respondents, 91% reported that they hired at least one new college graduate during the 2014-15 academic year. All but 3% of these respondents plan to hire new graduates again this year. Among those who did not hire last year, only 25% will not be hiring anyone this year. In addition, 84% (up two percentage points) described the new college labor market within their sector as good to excellent.

To view the complete list of report briefs, see the CERI 2015-16 Recruiting Trends Report Briefs webpage.

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NSF Releases New Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 16-1)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a revised version of the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide which becomes effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 26, 2015.  Per NSF, significant changes include the following:

  • Enforcement of 5 pm submitter’s local time across all NSF funding opportunities
  • Implementation of NSF’s Public Access Policy
  • Submission of proposal certifications by the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) concurrently with proposal submission
  • NSF’s implementation of the US Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences on Dual Use Research of Concern
  • Provision of Collaborators and Other Affiliations information as a new single-copy document, instead of as part of the Biographical Sketch
  • Submission of Biographical Sketches and Current and Pending Support separately for each senior personnel
  • Electronic signature and submission of notifications and requests by the AOR only
  • Revision of timeframe for submission of final project reports, project outcomes reports and financial closure of awards to 120 days after the award end date
  • Numerous clarifications throughout the document

If you are a recipient of NSF funding or plan to apply for NSF funding, we suggest you become familiar with the new document.

Please share this information with your colleagues. If you have any questions, contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188, or ithelpcentral@nsf.gov

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NSF Adds No-Cost Extension Requests and Notifications to Research.gov in October

As part of the effort that began in April 2015, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is continuing to transition post-award notifications and requests from FastLane to Research.gov. Notification and request policies are outlined in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide; see the Award and Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II.A.2.

On October 24, 2015, as the next step in this transition, the following two notifications and requests will be released in Research.gov and retired from FastLane:

  • Grantee-Approved No-Cost Extension
  • NSF-Approved No-Cost Extension

As of October 24, if you click on the notifications and requests link in FastLane, you will be redirected to login to Research.gov.

As a reminder, the following notifications and requests are also available in Research.gov:

  • Additional categories of participant support costs other than those described in 2 CFR § 200.75 (such as incentives, gifts, souvenirs, t-shirts and/or memorabilia)
  • Change in Person-Months Devoted to Project
  • Changes in Objectives or Scope
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Long-term Disengagement of the PI (Principal Investigator)/PD (Project Director) or co-PI/co-PD (Over Three Months)
  • Pre-award Costs in Excess of 90 Days
  • Reallocation of Funds Provided for Participant Support Costs
  • Rearrangements/Alterations in excess of $25,000 (Construction)
  • Salaries of Administrative or Clerical Staff
  • Significant Changes/Delays or Events of Unusual Interest
  • Significant Changes in Methods/Procedures
  • Travel Costs for Dependents
  • Withdrawal of PI/PD or co-PI/co-PD

All remaining notifications and requests will continue to reside in FastLane and will be migrated in the future. Awardees may view the status of all notifications and requests in both FastLane and Research.gov, regardless of where they were created and submitted.

Notifications and requests communicate changes in the scope, time, staff or budget of an NSF funded project. Depending on the type of change, awardee organizations must notify or request approval from NSF prior to taking action. Notifications and requests can be created and submitted by either the PIs and/or Sponsored Project Offices (SPOs), depending on the type of notification and/or request.  For a full listing of all NSF notifications and requests, please see the Award and Administration Guide (AAG), Exhibit II-1.

Please share this information with your colleagues. If you have any questions, contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188, or ithelpcentral@nsf.gov

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Proposed Changes to Human Subjects Regulations Are Open for Comment

As many researchers know, the “Common Rule” refers to current regulations to protect individuals who participate in research as human subjects. The regulations, which have been in place since 1991, are followed by 18 federal agencies that support research.

In September 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published proposed changes to the Common Rule through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which is now open for public comment through December 7, 2015.

The NPRM contains many wide-ranging changes to the Common Rule, with the aim of modernizing the current regulations to reflect how research is done today.

Some of the proposed changes include:

  • A requirement that in most cases research being conducted at more than one institution (multisite research) must rely on a single Institutional Review Board (IRB).
  • Applying the Common Rule regulations to all clinical trials, regardless of funding source, if they are conducted in a U.S. institution that receives funding for research involving human participants from a Common Rule agency.
  • Implementing new data security and information protection standards that would reduce the potential for violations of privacy and confidentiality.

The research community is encouraged to submit comments as described on the NPRM website at regulations.gov. The HHS Office of Human Research Protections has also published a number of resources on its website to help you review the proposed changes and submit comments.

Excerpted from Open Mike posted on October 23, 2015 by Mike Lauer

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NIH Updates Application Forms and Instructions

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) periodically updates its application forms and instructions to accommodate changing policy, address new business needs, and reduce the amount of information it asks of PIs.

The upcoming revisions implement a number of policy changes impacting applications submitted in 2016. The changes will be made in two phases. You may want to pay particular attention to the following changes, effective for applications submitted on or after January 25, 2016:

  • New application requirements and review language regarding enhanced rigor and reproducibility.
  • Updates to the NIH policy on inclusion of children to lower the age designation for children to include those under 18 years old. (The current age designation for children includes all research subjects under 21 years old.)
  • For training grants, information requirements will change and lower applicant burden.

For due dates of May 25, 2016 and beyond, NIH will require use of new application forms (FORMS-D). NIH will reissue fellowship, career development, training, and all parent funding opportunity announcements this spring, to ensure the announcements include instructions that match the form requirements. NIH will also make a variety of resources available this spring to help ensure you submit using the right forms.

If you have been using the Grants.gov downloadable forms and have not tried ASSIST yet, NIH (the electronic Research Administration or eRA) is working on enhancing the copy application feature to make it even easier to move your application (including attachments) from one form version to another. During the last round of grant applications, over 25% of the applicants switched from using downloadable forms to ASSIST. They successfully submitted their applications on the first try over 90% of the time compared with only 60% of the time for those still using the standard downloadable forms.

NIH will continue to release more communications regarding the new policies.

Excerpted from Open Mike posted on posted on October 29, 2015 by Mike Lauer

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IES Releases Mathematics and Science Compendium

A new compendium that describes over 300 mathematics and science projects funded by the National Center for Education Research (NCER) and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) is now available on the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) website.

The purpose of this compendium is to provide information on completed and current projects that the two centers have funded in a structured, accessible, and usable format. It covers grants made between 2002 and 2013.

For additional information, please view A Compendium of Math and Science Research Funded by NCER and NCSER: 2002-2013.

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Awarded Projects for October 2015

College of Education
Awarded Projects
October 2015
Principal Investigator: Mary Brownell (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Boston University (Subcontract – IES Flow-Through)
Project Title: Validating an Observation Protocol for the Evaluation of Special Educators
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2019
Award Amount: $200,058
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Funding Agency: Florida’s Office of Early Learning
Project Title: 2016 Early Learning Florida
Project Period: 10/15/2015 – 7/31/2016
Award Amount: $2,000,000
Principal Investigator: Ashley Pennypacker Hill (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: Title I Part A Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting 2015-2016
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $142,673
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Bright From the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Project Title: Georgia DECAL – Coaching
Project Period: 8/15/2015 – 12/31/2015
Award Amount: $18,633
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Raquel Diaz (STL)
Funding Agency: Bright From the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Project Title: Georgia DECAL – TA
Project Period: 8/15/2015 – 12/31/2017
Award Amount: $270,435
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Duval County
Project Title: Mathematics Science Partnership – Duval County Schools
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $222,500

 

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Submitted Projects for October 2015

College of Education
Submitted Projects
October 2015
Principal Investigator: Michelina MacDonald (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Lowes
Proposal Title: PKY Community Garden Renewal and Expansion
Requested Amount: $4,800
Principal Investigator: Ashley MacSuga-Gage (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: University of South Florida (Subcontract – US Dept of Ed/OSERS flow-through)
Proposal Title: University of South Florida’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (FLPBIS) Project School Climate Grant Partner
Requested Amount: $53,745
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Funding Agency: Florida’s Office of Early Learning
Proposal Title: 2016 Early Learning Florida
Requested Amount: $2,000,000
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Proposal Title: Florida Teacher Leader Fellowship
Requested Amount: $764,553

 

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UFIRST SF424 Is Now Live

Beginning Sept. 30, 2015, the next phase of UFIRST (UFIRST SF424) became the primary submission mechanism for Grants.gov applications. As of this date, Cayuse is no longer available for use.

Official training sessions for RSH281: UFIRST SF424 commenced in August and will continue regularly until October. You can sign up for the session at http://mytraining.hr.ufl.edu/.

Additional resources, including a new UFIRST SF424 section of the UFIRST Manual and Instructional Guides, have been developed and can be found at: http://hr.ufl.edu/learn-grow/just-in-time-training/myufl-toolkits/grants/.

If there are any UFIRST-specific questions, please contact UFIRST specialists at ufirst@research.ufl.edu. All other inquiries can be directed to ufproposals@ufl.edu.

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Research + Practice Collaboratory Offers Webinar Series

The Research + Practice Collaboratory will offer a webinar series on the third Thursday of each month beginning October 2015 through March 2016, 5 pm – 6 pm ET. Educators and researchers will have the opportunity to collaborate in research-practice partnerships (RPPs) to transform how educational challenges are defined and approached.

The webinars will feature a panel of leaders from RPPs around the country, who will share tools and insights to support new and ongoing RPPs. Webinar dates and topics are as follows:

10-15-15    Getting a Partnership Started
11-19-15    Defining the Focus of Partnership Work
12-17-15    Negotiating Roles in Partnerships
01-21-16    Addressing Challenges in Partnerships
02-18-16    Measuring Impacts of Partnerships
03-17-16    Sustaining Partnerships

The Research + Practice Collaboratory, funded by the National Science Foundation, brings together educators and researchers to develop more equitable innovations for STEM teaching and learning.

See the Research – Practice Partnerships Forum flyer for more information and links.

For more information about the Research + Practice Collaboratory, see http://researchandpractice.org/.

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What Are the Chances of Getting NIH Funding?

Many PIs monitor success rates as an indicator of NIH funding trends, but award and funding rates should also be considered. Funding rates, which are higher than either success or award rates, depict a more promising scenario for the prospects of receiving NIH funding. But what exactly do all these rates mean?

Success rate describes the likelihood of a project or an idea getting funded, rather than of the success of the individual application submission.

Success Rate = Number of awards in a fiscal year
Applications reviewed (excluding resubmissions in that fiscal year)

Award rate describes the chance of an individual application being funded and is the number that more closely reflects institute and center paylines (which can vary significantly from one institute or center to another).

Award Rate = Number of awards in a fiscal year
Applications reviewed (including resubmissions in that fiscal year)

Funding rate reflects the number of investigators who seek and obtain funding. Each PI is counted once, whether he or she submits one or more applications or receives one or more awards in a fiscal year.

Funding Rate = Number of unique PIs receiving funding in a fiscal year
Number of unique PIs with applications reviewed in that fiscal year

In fiscal year 2014, NIH received 51,073 research project grant applications, out of which 9,241 were funded, resulting in an 18.1% success rate.  Considering the award rate, which accounts for resubmissions during the same fiscal year, the application count increases to 54,519 resulting in a 17.0% award rate. For numbers of PIs, NIH funded 9,986 PIs out of 39,809 total investigator applicants resulting in a 25.1% funding rate.

Success, award, and funding rates correspond closely to the NIH budget. In these challenging times, the NIH budget is not keeping pace with demand. As a result, success, award, and funding rates are at historically low levels. However, more applications are being submitted and more PIs are being supported now compared to 15 years ago.

Excerpted from “What are the Chances of Getting Funded?” Rock Talk, June 29, 2015

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