NSF National AI Research Institutes

The National Science Foundation has announced a limited grant opportunity to establish National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes. The University of Florida will only be able to submit two preliminary proposals. There are six themes for this competition:
• Theme 1: Intelligent Agents for Next-Generation Cybersecurity
• Theme 2: Neural and Cognitive Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
• Theme 3: AI for Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry
• Theme 4: AI for Decision making
• Theme 5: Trustworthy AI
• Theme 6: AI-Augmented Learning to Expand Education

Internal registration is due on or before Friday, October 15, 2021. The UF Office of Research is requesting that teams who are interested notify them by email to assist with the review process for the internal selection. Please register your intent to submit a concept for the internal selection. By email: Sobha Jaishankar (sjaishan@ufl.edu), cc Lloyd Horne (limitedprograms@research.ufl.edu).

Please provide the following information in your email:
1. Do you want to lead a UF submission? – yes/no. What is the thematic area?
2. Do you want to participate in a UF submission? – yes/no.
3. If you wish to participate in a UF led proposal, who would the PI be?
4. Do you want to participate in a proposal lead by another institution? – yes/no. Indicate the lead institution.
5. Your contact information – email, department, college, and area of expertise.

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OER Hosts Panel Presentation: Research Opportunity Seed Fund

The UF Office of Research has announced the 2022 Research Opportunity Seed Fund (ROSF) competition. The program focuses on new projects and/or new collaborative partnerships. Visit https://research.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022-ROSF-Call-for-Proposal.pdf  to review the 2022 guidelines and review criteria. To participate in the college’s internal review and selection of proposals to move forward, submit your two-page concept paper (in a single-file PDF) to research@coe.ufl.edu by October 18, 2021, 5pm. In preparation, the Office of Educational Research (OER) hosted an online panel presentation that was led by past recipients and experienced applicants. You can now access a recording of the event with the integrated audio transcript here.

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DSL Seeks Collaborative Partnerships for Multidisciplinary Research

The Division of Student Life (DSL) seeks collaborative partnerships with faculty researchers interested in conducting multidisciplinary studies at UF.  With a variety of departments – for full list click here – the Division qualifies as a department/unit/college for funding opportunities like the 2022 Research Opportunity Seed Fund and houses a wide range of avenues for possible research. Embedded within the Division, The Department of Assessment and Research (A&R) can assist with serving as an honest broker for enriching research with student data, connecting faculty researchers with other DSL departments for partnerships, and facilitating access to students as appropriate. The Department of A&R welcomes interested faculty to reach out at assessment@ufsa.ufl.edu.

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From the IES Director: “Better is Good”

The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM panel) formed to discuss the future of education research at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The panel discussions are nearing completion and recommendations are forthcoming. IES Director Mark Schneider commented in his blog about important issues the panel has reviewed. He is also interested in thoughts from the field and invites input from researchers, educators, policymakers, and other members of the community. Discussion of these topics will help IES think about its response to the NASEM panel, including how to change next year’s RFAs.

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OER Annual Report of Accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2020

The Office of Educational Research (OER) completed its annual report outlining data on externally funded projects and grant activities in the College of Education (COE). Faculty productivity and efforts toward securing external funding remain high and have surpassed fiscal year (FY) 2019 in (a) dollar amount of proposal submissions, (b) number of proposal submissions, (c) number of collaborative proposal submissions, (d) dollar amount of collaborative proposal submissions, (e) number of collaborative currently funded projects, (f) dollar amount of collaborative currently funded projects, (g) number of currently funded projects, (h) dollar amount of currently funded projects, (i) dollar amount of collaborative newly funded awards, (j) number of collaborative newly funded awards, and (k) dollar amount of funding per faculty member. The following represents a summary of external funding activities for FY 2020.

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2021 UF Centers & Cores Networking Event

The University of Florida’s diverse collection of scientific centers and cores will unite for the 2021 UF Centers & Cores Networking Event, offering a unique opportunity to network with colleagues and drive discussions behind important topics. Sponsored by UF Research, registrants can expect a full day of meaningful connection, including breakout sessions and a special Q&A session with UF Research Leadership. This is an internal event for UF staff and faculty. We are currently planning an in-person event, but could change to virtual as the date approaches. The Centers and Cores Networking Event will be held at Emerson Alumni Hall. Parking, refreshments and lunch will be provided for attendees. Due to space, the amount of attendees will be limited. Registration is now open.

• Friday, October 29, 2021
9:00am – 4:00pm EDT

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NSF Supports Infrastructure-Focused Research Projects Grounded in Behavioral and Social Science

The NSF is supporting 20+ exploratory research projects examining the interactions of people and society with physical and digital infrastructure. Through NSF’s Strengthening American Infrastructure initiative launched in 2020, researchers will investigate a variety of areas — from bridges and electrical grids to online education — with the goal of producing knowledge that can be used to make current and future infrastructure safer, smarter, and more cost effective. A total of $6.2 million will be invested into projects exploring multiple aspects of national and local infrastructure. Projects are encouraged to be cross-disciplinary and collaborative.

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UF Policy on Gifts: Gifts vs Grants

The University has published a new policy on “Classification and Management of External Support”, which I will more practically refer to as Gift vs Grant. Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) has updated guidance on our webpage. We will be including these resources in upcoming educational opportunities sponsored by DSP. The key elements of both resources are: (1) a list of indicators of elements in an award that helps to identify if it as a gift or a grant and (2) expectations that gifts go to UFF; non-gifts go to DSP. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the DSP office.  As they collect questions, they will expand the web page including FAQ to support you in your work.

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Awarded Projects for September 2021

Congratulations to Pasha Antonenko for his National Science Foundation award; Mary Bartsch-Hines for her award from Take Stock in Children; Jing Du, Kent Crippen, Xiao Yu, and Jonathan Adams for their National Science Foundation award; Lynda Hayes for her two awards from the Florida Department of Education; Philip Poekert, Taryrn Brown, Chonika Coleman King, and Hyunyi Jung for their award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Philip Poekert for his award from Bright from the Start Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning; Philip Poekert for an award from Orange County Public Schools; and Joni Splett for her subcontract IES Flow Through award from East Carolina University.

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Submitted Projects for September 2021

Best wishes to Anthony Botelho for his proposal to the U.S. Department of Education/IES; Catherine Cavanaugh for her subcontract DHHS Flow Through proposal to the Florida Office of Early Learning; Frank Fernandez for his two proposals, one for a subcontract NSF Flow Through with Texas Tech University and one to the American College Personnel Association; Holly Lane, Kristi Cheyney-Collante, and Valentina Contesse for their two proposals to the U.S. Department of Education/IES; Justin Ortagus and Benjamin Skinner for their proposal to the U.S. Department of Education/IES; Philip Poekert, Catherine Cavanaugh, and Paige Pullen for their proposal to the Florida Department of Education; Paige Pullen, Mary Bratsch-Hines, and Anne Corrine Manley for their proposal to the U.S. Department of Education/IES; Paige Pullen and Mary Bratsch-Hines for their second proposal to U.S. Department of Education/IES; Paige Pullen for her proposal for a subcontract DHHS Flow Through with Lutheran Services Florida; Christopher Redding and Frank “Chris” Curran for their proposal to the William T. Grant Foundation; Anne Seraphine and David Miller for their proposal to the Florida Department of Education; and Pengfei Zhao, Walter Leite, and Mary Bratsch-Hines for their proposal to the U.S. Department of Education/IES.

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