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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Awarded Projects for September 2015

College of Education
Awarded Projects
September 2015
Principal Investigator: Pavlo “Pasha” Antonenko (STL)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Project Title: EAGER: Collaborative Research: Cyber-Eye: Empowering Learning through Remote Visualizations Using Unmanned Aerial Systems
Project Period: 9/1/2015 – 8/31/2017
Award Amount: $58,145
Principal Investigator: Pavlo “Pasha” Antonenko (STL)
Co-PI: Andreas Keil (Psychology)
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Project Title: SL-CN: Project LENS: Leveraging Expertise in Neurotechnologies to Study Individual Differences in Multimedia Learning
Project Period: 9/15/2015 – 8/31/2018
Award Amount: $765,000
Principal Investigator: Michael Bowie (RRMA)
Co-PI: Nancy Waldron (Administration, Dean’s Area)
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: College Reach-Out Program (CROP)
Project Period: 8/1/2015 – 7/31/2016
Award Amount: $71,290
Principal Investigator: Alice Kay Emery (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: Working with the Experts 2015-2016
Project Period: 8/1/2015 – 7/31/2016
Award Amount: $240,000
Principal Investigator: Ashley Pennypacker Hill (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: IDEA, Part B
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $241,268
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: The Children’s Trust of Miami
Project Title: University of Florida Early Childhood Technical Assistance Certification: Coaching Program
Project Period: 9/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $30,000
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Susan Butler (STL), Walter Leite (SHDOSE)
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Project Title: Mathematics and Science Partnership – Palm Beach
Project Period: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Award Amount: $500,000
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Alyson Adams (STL)
Funding Agency: University of Florida Foundation
Project Title: Coalition Building across Stakeholders to Connect Disparate Elements of Initiatives to Support Effective Teaching into One Coherent System
Project Period: 10/2/2014 – 10/1/2016
Award Amount: $351,102
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Submitted Projects for September 2015

College of Education
Submitted Projects
September 2015
Principal Investigator: Andrew Thomas (SHDOSE)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Minnesota Sports and Entertainment
Proposal Title: Modern Statistical Methods for Professional Ice Hockey
Requested Amount: $5,000
Principal Investigator: David Therriault (SHDOSE)
Co-PI: Chang-Yu Wu (Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment)
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Proposal Title: Collaborative Research: Ambiguity as Choice: Role of Ambiguity During Ill-Structured Problem-Solving in Engineering
Requested Amount: $796,847
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: The Children’s Trust of Miami
Proposal Title: University of Florida Early Childhood Technical Assistance Certification: Coaching Program
Requested Amount: $30,000
Principal Investigator: Philip Poekert (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Promethean
Proposal Title: Promethean/UF Turnaround School Leaders Program
Requested Amount: $46,729
Principal Investigator: Carole Beal (STL)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: University of Arizona (Subcontract – NIH Flow Through)
Proposal Title: Improving Language, Improving Math: Strategies for Children with Language Challenges
Requested Amount: $351,415
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: Alyson Adams (STL)
Funding Agency: University of Florida Foundation
Proposal Title: Coalition Building across Stakeholders to Connect Disparate Elements of Initiatives to Support Effective Teaching into One Coherent System
Requested Amount: $318,168
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Join ResearchGate for Free

ResearchGate is a professional online network of 7 million researchers, including 45 Nobel laureates. ResearchGate connects researchers allowing them to share and access scientific output, knowledge, and expertise.

If you are already a member or decide to join, please send your ResearchGate link to Rosie Connolly rconnolly@coe.ufl.edu in OER, so she can add the link to your faculty research profile page.

UF ResearchGate currently has 7,860 members in 244 departments.

  • Share your publications, access millions more, and publish your data.
  • Get statistics about views, downloads, and citations of your research.
  • Connect and collaborate with colleagues, peers, co-authors, and specialists in your field.
  • Ask questions; get answers, and find solutions to research problems.

Join for free: http://www.researchgate.net/

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NIMH Offers Webinar Series for Early Stage Investigators

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is offering a webinar series for early stage investigators. The webinar Building a Competitive Research Program: What Early Stage Investigators Need to Know about the NIMH and NIH Grants Process will be held Sept. 8, 2015 from 8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (EDT).

This webinar will (1) introduce investigators to the NIMH, (2) highlight current research areas and areas of special interest to the institute, and (3) demystify the NIH application and review process.

This webinar is appropriate for new and early stage investigators, researchers, graduate students, grant administrators, and anyone interested in learning more about mental health research funding opportunities, the NIMH, NIH, and the grants process.

Register now. Space is limited. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity:
http://apps1.seiservices.com/nimh/prospectiveinvestigatorswebinar/

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ERIC Holds Virtual Town Hall Meeting

ERIC will hold a virtual town hall meeting to discuss proposed changes to how ERIC identifies records as peer reviewed and feedback from the ERIC community on Sept. 15, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. EST. A draft Peer Review Policy has been developed that will extend the peer-reviewed indicator to qualified grey literature, such as conference papers, reports, and other materials.

You can sign up for the town hall meeting at following link: https://edinfoevents.webex.com/edinfoevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=eae6d74a6e13521edce12092c84840ad9

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Standardized Testing: Education Policy and Politics

The rise of standardized testing dominates the discussion and politics surrounding public education. Nathan Crabbe, editorial page editor from The Gainesville Sun, will moderate a panel discussion on this important issue, Sept. 16, 2015 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. The event is free and open to the public.

See the Bob Graham Center for Public Service website for more information:

http://www.bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu/events/standardized-testing-education-policy-and-politics

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