September 2015 Newsletter
NIH ASSIST Workshop Set for September 4
The Office of Proposal Development will host a workshop this Friday, September 4 to introduce interested faculty to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST). For more information about this workshop, and to register, please visit the NIH ASSIST Workshop Page.
Fall 2015 CRC Workshop
On Friday, September 11, an interactive workshop will be held to introduce faculty to all of the guidelines, platform and policy changes that the Council on Research & Creativity (CRC) has made for the 2015-2016 academic year. While we are encouraging new faculty who are not familiar with the CRC to attend, all faculty, as well as staff, are welcome.
For more information, and to register, please visit the Fall 2015 Council on Research & Creativity Workshop page on the Office of Proposal Development site.
Pre-Proposal Applications Due for Fall Grant Assistance Program (GAP)
Are you a member of the FSU Research Community with a great idea that someday could become a product or service that has value in the commercial world? Would up to $50,000 help you to bring that idea closer to commercial use? If you answered 'yes' to these two questions, the FSU Grant Assistance Program (GAP) may be for you.
FSU is currently accepting applications to be part of the Fall 2015 GAP competition, where you can compete for a GAP grant to take your idea from the lab and into the real world. This is a competitive program and pre-proposal applications are due by September 11, 2015. Don’t miss your chance to join the 60 or more FSU professors who have already been GAP winners in the past 10 years of the GAP Program.
To find out more about GAP and what is takes to qualify and compete, please visit the GAP site on Office of Research.
Council on Research & Creativity updates
The Council on Research and Creativity (CRC) has undergone a significant transition in preparation for the 2015 – 2016 academic year. Changes include:
- On the CRC website:
- New! CRC Programs Guide
- New! No Cost Extensions & Budget Amendments electronic submission page
- New! CRC Programs' Statistics
- Request for Proposals Amendments
- A new CRC submission website which will be ready for submissions starting September 11.
The CRC website provides detailed information about the CRC programs available to faculty which include:
- Arts & Humanities Program Enhancement Grants (AHPEGs)
- Committee on Faculty Research Support (COFRS)
- Developing Scholar Award (DSA)
- Distinguished Research Professor (DRP)
- Distinguished University Scholar (DUS)
- Equipment & Infrastructure Enhancement Grant (fall and spring competitions) (EIEGs)
- First Year Assistant Professor Support (FYAPs)
- Funding Agency Travel (FATs)
- MultiDisciplinary Support (MDS)
- Planning Grants (fall and spring competitions) (PGs)
- Small Grant Proposals (fall and spring competitions) (SGPs)
The CRC has provided, below, the odds of a proposal being awarded for each program.
| Program | Proposals Submitted | Proposals Selected | Success Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities Program Enhancement Grant | 5 | 3 | 60% |
| Committee on Faculty Research Support | 54 | 30 | 56% |
| First Year Assistant Professor Award | 65 | 65 | 100% |
| Funding Agency Travel Program | 18 | 15 | 83% |
| Multidisciplinary Support Program | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Planning Grant (Fall & Spring) | 69 | 32 | 46% |
| Small Grants Program (Fall & Spring) | 19 | 6 | 32% |
| Honorary Award Programs | |||
| Developing Scholar Award | 15 | 5 | 33% |
| Distinguished Research Professor Award | 9 | 2 | 22% |
| Distinguished University Scholar Award | 2 | 1 | 50% |
Please visit the CRC website to learn more about the programs and how to apply.
President’s Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence
All students, staff, and faculty are invited to the annual President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence in the Augustus B. Turnbull III Conference Center on Monday, September 28th, from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. Come hear about all the great research and creative projects undertaken by this year’s Summer Research Award winners.
Oral, poster and creative presentations run throughout the event. Free food provided!
For more information or to view the event program, visit the event website or see the Facebook event page.
Federal Lobbying Activities Report is Due October 5
Federal regulations require that FSU report to the U.S. House and Senate all time and expenses related to federal lobbying activities conducted by its faculty and staff. To aid us in completing those reports accurately, employees who participate in federal lobbying related to University activities should report those activities to FSU’s Office of Federal Relations.
The Federal Lobbying Activities Report covering the period July – September 2015 should be submitted to the Office of Federal Relations no later than October 5, 2015. To access the form and additional information, please visit the Federal Relations website.
Exhibit Your Research at Discovery on Parade
For the past six years, the FSU Office of Commercialization has hosted an event called “Sneak Peek” where FSU researchers have shared with the community the impressive work being accomplished by our labs, institutes and centers that have potential for commercial success in the form of licenses, products, or startup businesses. This year, we are excited to announce a partnership between FSU, FAMU and TCC that replaces the Sneak Peek with the first annual “Discovery on Parade,” which is an interinstitutional effort to showcase research and commercialization in all of Tallahassee’s institutes of higher education.
Last year’s Sneak Peek event had nearly 40 FSU exhibitors and attracted more than 300 business, government and community members. With the partnership of FAMU and TCC, we anticipate record attendance for this event and want to make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity to highlight all of the great projects that are in the works on our campus.
Discovery on Parade 2015 will kick off on the evening of Tuesday, December 1 at the FSU Turnbull Conference Center. Each individual or team of exhibitors will have a table to display posters, provide demonstrations, or just talk about the work they are doing and what the end goal for their work will be. In past events, this process has not only made our community more aware of our efforts but has enabled many of our faculty and staff to gain interest from community members that has turned into mentoring and investment support down the road.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Tamika Sisinni (tamika.sisinni@fsu.edu) for more details.
Limited Submissions
In Limited Submission Programs, the sponsor restricts the number of applications or proposals a campus can submit to the agency. The guidelines for these programs require institutions to screen pre-proposals or nominations to determine which applications will be submitted for competition. Generally, institutions are allowed to submit one or two proposals or nominations to the sponsor.
The Office of Research has a Limited Submission site that provides faculty with a listing of upcoming opportunities, along with the internal and external deadline dates. You can also submit your internal request from this site. If you are viewing a solicitation that allows a limited number of submissions, please visit the limited submission site to determine internal deadline date.
iThenticate Plagiarism Detection Software Now Available
Most faculty are already familiar with the software program called Turnitin, which is used by FSU students to screen their class papers for potential plagiarism issues prior to submitting them to their instructor. The Office of Research is pleased to announce that faculty, staff, and students now have access to an additional plagiarism detection tool called iThenticate.
Where Turnitin is used primarily for student assignments, iThenticate is designed to screen more scholarly works, such as research proposals, journal articles, and conference presentations. The Office of Research strongly encourages investigators to screen draft proposals through iThenticate prior to submitting them to the funding agency. Many federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, also use iThenticate to scan proposals.
For more information about iThenticate and avoiding plagiarism, please visit the Office of Research Compliance Program’s updated website on Research Misconduct.
Build a “Boat” for Whatever Floats Your Boat Regatta
Summer is a great time to build a vessel for the 4th Annual Whatever Floats Your Boat Regatta at the Florida State University Coastal & Marine Laboratory. Challenge friends, family, and colleagues to build boats out of stuff that any normal person would take to the dump. Just build ‘em and they will float… more or less. Gather recycled materials and get started! For more information and to register, visit: http://marinelab.fsu.edu/outreach/regatta/.
Landlubbers will be busy ashore cheering on the captains and crews of these outrageously constructed vessels as they sail, row, or scull around the course, topple over, or slowly sink into Apalachee Bay. Enjoy good food, have loads of fun, all while learning about recycling and how to reduce the impact of plastics on marine environments.
Join us on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for a day of racing fun.
NSB Welcomes Nominations for 2016 Honorary Awards
Each year, the National Science Board (NSB) pays tribute to remarkable contributions and public service in science and engineering through its Vannevar Bush and Public Service awards. NSB is currently accepting nominations for its 2016 honorary awards through Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.
Named after the gifted visionary and dynamic public servant who was behind the creation of the National Science Foundation (NSF), NSB's Vannevar Bush Award honors life-long leaders who have made exceptional contributions toward the welfare of humankind and the nation through public service activities in science, technology, and public policy. Past recipients include former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, former science advisor and NSF director Neal Lane, and Maxine Singer, former Carnegie Institution president.
Nomination instructions are available on the Vannevar Bush Award website and all recipients are listed on the NSB site.
NSB's Public Service Award honors individuals and groups for substantial contributions to increasing public understanding of science and engineering in the United States. These contributions may be in a wide variety of areas, including mass media, social media, education, training programs and entertainment. Moira Gunn, host of Tech Nation, Craig Barrett, of Intel Corporation, and the PBS series "NOVA," are past awardees. A complete list of recipients, as well as nomination instructions, can be found on the award website.
Leaders in the higher education, scientific society and association, congressional, federal, and private industry communities celebrate the accomplishments of NSB award recipients during an awards ceremony held in May.
Funding Opportunities
Please click here to access some of the latest funding opportunities available for the arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM disciplines and medicine.
FSU Awards Report
A monthly awards report is available online. This report will allow interested faculty, staff and others, to learn more about who has been recently awarded research grants. Access the latest report here.
NSF Automated Compliance Checking
NSF has implemented new features in the FastLane system for automated compliance checking and about common reasons for lack of compliance. The goals are to ensure consistency in NSF's proposal submissions, to enhance the ease of submissions, to reduce the number of submitted proposals that will be returned without review, and to enable a greater number of meritorious ideas to advance.
FastLane users are encouraged to check proposals for compliance during the proposal preparation and submission process. The current complete NSF Proposal Preparation Checklist can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf15001/gpg_2.jsp#IIex1.
Below are the most common reasons for return without review for proposals previously submitted to the Engineering Directorate.
PROJECT SUMMARY
- Should ONLY be uploaded as a PDF if the use of special character is required.
- Must include separate sections labeled "Overview," "Intellectual Merit," and "Broader Impacts" if uploaded as a PDF.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
- Must include "Results from Prior NSF Support" over the past five years for each PI and Co-PI.
- Must include a section — with a heading — for "Broader Impacts" of the proposed work.
Research Photos, Videos, Story Opportunities Needed
Do you take pictures of your research? Capture videos of experiments, creative endeavors, etc.? Do you blog? Do you have a paper ready to be published or a new grant you just received? If any of these even remotely apply, we want to hear from you!
Whether it’s @FSUResearch, the FSU research blog, the FSU news website, or news releases in general, we have a variety of ways to promote your research. But we need your help in getting the content so we can communicate it to the masses.
Please contact Tom Butler (tbutler@fsu.edu) and Kathleen Haughney (khaughney@fsu.edu) with any photos, videos or news opportunities you would like to send along.