COVID-19 Relief Bill Allocates $100 Million to IES for Research Addressing Learning Loss

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill titled H.R.1319 – American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that would appropriate funds for education-related programs, including $100 million for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) for education grants to carry out research related to addressing learning loss caused by the coronavirus. The Senate has passed its version which maintains this funding and language. The bill must now return to the House for a final vote before being signed into law.

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Reminder: OER Offers Resources to Help with IES Cost Analysis

The Office of Educational Research (OER) offers resources on its Cost Analysis webpage to help faculty meet the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) requirement for conducting cost analysis as part of their studies.

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IES Hosts On-Demand Webinar Series for Upcoming Funding Opportunities

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is hosting a series of on-demand webinars for applicants interested in upcoming funding opportunities. The presentations will be posted on a rolling basis. Some webinar topics include the following:

  • IES Basic Overview of Research Grants and Information for New Applicants to IES
  • IES Grant Writing Workshop
  • IES Application Process
  • After Submitting an IES Application
  • IES Peer Review Panel Discussion

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NSF Offers 5 Tips on How to Work with a Program Officer

Excerpted from NSF Science Matters blog February 23, 2021 by Vincent Tedjasaputra, PhD

Whatever the phase of your research career, it is a good idea to reach out to a National Science Foundation (NSF) program officer as the first step in the NSF application process. Program officers are researchers — experts from the research community who guide grant proposals through Merit Review, part of the process that determines if a proposal is funded. Don’t be intimidated to reach out to a program officer. The myth that reaching out might hinder your chances couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are five tips from NSF program officers to help you work with them:

  1. Do your homework.

If you don’t know or have a program officer, you can search the NSF funding website using keywords or click through the research areas. Read through relevant policies and solicitations, and search through the NSF awards database for recent awards made. If your research idea spans multiple disciplines, you may explore NSF’s interdisciplinary research opportunities. 

  1. Reach out as early as possible.

Program officers can provide general advice on writing proposals and tell you if your idea is a good fit. They can also tell you how proposals are evaluated, information that can be helpful as you develop your proposal. If your idea doesn’t align with that particular program, program officers can point you toward other contacts and programs that may be a better fit. 

  1. Continue to stay in contact with your program officer.

Regardless of whether your proposal is selected for funding, you should continue to stay in contact with your program officer in the post-review process. 

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NIH Program Officers Discuss Developing a Research Plan

In the latest All About Grants podcast, National Institutes of Health (NIH) program officers discuss Considerations for Developing a Research Plan, including the relationship between the specific aims and research strategy. They also provide helpful suggestions and share common pitfalls. NIH encourages researchers to contact NIH staff and provides a guide for contacting the right person at each phase of the application and award process.

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NIH Provides Video on the Peer Review Process

In a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) video, NIH Peer Review: “Live” Mock Study Section, NIH scientists gather to review three fictional grant applications in response to a fictional Request for Applications (RFA). The reviewers discuss how applications are scored and what mistakes to avoid in the application.

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NIH Launches Improved Functionality of RePORTER Site

Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched its RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools) website to provide reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities. The site’s functionality has been updated, including a new version of MyRePORTER. With MyRePORTER, users can save their searches and customize email alerts. Users outside NIH will need a login.gov account to access MyRePORTER.

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UF Research Provides Examples of Successful Proposals

Writing a successful proposal is one of the most important steps in the application process. This shared drive contains examples of successful proposals. Proposals here are included with permission from the principal investigator (PI). Sections may be redacted depending on the preference of the PI. You must have an active UF credential to view.   Read more →

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UF Research Provides UF-Preferred Template Agreements

UF Research provides template agreements with UF-preferred language ready to send to any potential partner. Using a UF-preferred template and language cuts negotiation time as these templates use predetermined favorable terms on behalf of the Principal Investigator and the university (e.g., publication rights, intellectual property rights, rights in data, payment terms, etc.).

Other templates available include non-disclosure agreements, teaming agreements, master agreements and more. UFIRST also has an option where you can indicate you need a UF template when you start an agreement. There is no need to attach a template or create your own document. To access these templates, visit the Forms & Templates page on the UF Research website.
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UF Libraries Continues to Offer Helpful Virtual Workshops

UF Libraries provides helpful virtual workshops for faculty. Some upcoming workshops include the following:

Biosketch Boot-camp (NIH)
Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Register

Best Practices in Data Management (Creating a DMP)
Thursday, March 11, 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Register

Using GitHub for Collaboration
Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Register

Introduction to Research Impact
Friday, March 19, 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Register

20 Minutes to Impact Series: Journal Impact Factor
Friday, April 2, 2021, 12:00pm – 12:30pm
Register

My NCBI Tools: My Bibliography and SciENcv
Friday, April 16, 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Register

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UFIT Hosts Spring 2021 HiPerGator Symposium

UFIT is hosting its second virtual HiPerGator Symposium of this academic year on Tuesday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Spring 2021 HiPerGator Symposium will feature presentations from UF’s Artificial Intelligence Research Catalyst Fund awardees, who are pursuing multidisciplinary research lines of inquiry using AI.

The event will begin with an introduction to UFIT’s AI staff and the services they provide, including upcoming trainings and computational support. The Catalyst Fund winners will then present their research ideas and discuss how they plan to use HiPerGator AI.

Visit the Spring 2021 HiPerGator Symposium event page for more information and to register. The HiPerGator Symposium is free and open to everyone, including state and national constituents. (Pre-registration is required to attend.)

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Options for Using HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI

HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI can be used for teaching and research by UF faculty and faculty from Florida’s state universities. Options for using University of Florida supercomputing resources are as follows:

  1. For teaching a class, allocations are free and last for one semester.
  2. For research, allocations can be purchased for periods ranging from three months to several years. The rates are listed at https://www.rc.ufl.edu/services/rates/.
  3. A free three-month trial allocation may also be requested. Trial allocations can be used to develop a course and to explore HiPerGator’s use for research. Interested faculty should complete the trial application form. Upon completion of the trial period, faculty will work with UFIT to find the best way forward for continuing their use of HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI.
  4. Colleges and departments can also request a free three-month trial allocation to be shared between faculty in the unit. This option provides access for learning about AI and preparing to include AI in courses at no cost to individual faculty. Details of a basic AI Starter Allocationare available on the https://www.rc.ufl.edu/artificial-intelligence

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Awarded Projects for February 2021

Congratulations to Lynda Hayes for her awards from the Florida Department of Education; Kristy Boyer and Maya Israel for their award from the National Science Foundation; Maya Israel for her award from the National Science Foundation; Wei Li for his subcontract award NSF Flow Through from the University of North Carolina; Mark Pacheco for his subcontract award Spencer Foundation Flow Through from Vanderbilt University; Paige Pullen for her award from Florida Children’s Council; and Darbianne Shannon for her subcontract award Administration for Children & Families Flow Through from the University of South Carolina.

For more details, see the Awarded Projects table.

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Submitted Projects for February 2021

Best wishes to Amor Menezes and Pasha Antonenko for their proposal to the National Science Foundation; Mary Bratsch-Hines for her subcontract proposal IES Flow Through from the University of North Carolina; Catherine Cavanaugh, Paige Pullen, and Jose De León Alejandro for their proposal to the Institute of Education Sciences; Catherine Cavanaugh, Philip Poekert, Jose De León Alejandro, and Jinnie Shin for their subcontract proposal IES Flow Through from Arizona State University; Ester de Jong, Mark Pacheco, and Timothy Vetere for their proposal to the Spencer Foundation; Hannah Mathews for her proposal to the Spencer Foundation; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for their proposal to the Florida Department of Education; Paige Pullen for her proposal to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Paige Pullen for her proposal to the National Institutes of Health; Paige Pullen for her proposal to the Louisiana Department of Education; Paige Pullen for her proposal to Florida Children’s Council; Jacqueline Swank, Sondra Smith, and Caronne Rush for their proposal to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Wanli Xing and Walter Leite for their subcontract proposal IES Flow Through from the University of San Diego; Wanli Xing and Zhihui Fang for their proposal to the National Science Foundation; and Wanli Xing for his proposals to the National Science Foundation.

For more details, see the Submitted Projects table.

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