August 2016 Newsletter

Applications Being Accepted for GAP Commercialization Grants

The FSU Office of Commercialization is accepting applications for the Fall 2016 GAP competition. This is a competitive program and pre-proposal applications are due by Friday, September 16, 2016.  Don’t miss your chance to join the 60+ FSU professors who have already been GAP winners in the past 10 years of the program. 

Several grants will be awarded. To learn more about GAP and what it takes to qualify and compete, please visit the GAP website at https://research.fsu.edu/research-offices/fsu-research-foundation/grants/gap-grant/.  

Fall CRC Funding Opportunities Workshop

On Friday, September 9, an interactive workshop will be held to introduce new professors and other interested faculty to all of the guidelines, platform, and policy changes that the Council on Research & Creativity (CRC) has made for the 2016-2017 academic year. Highlights include:

• Specifics and expectations for each program
• CRC policies
• CRC Submission Website (new features)

For more information, and to register, please visit http://research.fsu.edu/research-offices/opd/workshopstraining/fall-2016-crc-workshop/

Examples of Successful Proposals Web Resource

The Office of Proposal Development has updated its website of proposals that have been successfully funded. Faculty across disciplines have given permission for their successful proposals to be posted to our secure site to aide other faculty members interested in applying to the same funding agencies. The site can be found here (note: OMNI login required).

Issuance of FAQs on NSF's Implementation of the Department of Labor's FLSA Final Overtime Rule

The Department of Labor recently announced the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) final overtime rule. The FLSA final overtime rule automatically extends overtime pay protections to millions of workers and could impact some personnel on NSF grants, including postdoctoral researchers. The National Science Foundation continues to acknowledge the important role of postdoctoral researchers on NSF-funded projects, and, in general, NSF postdoctoral programs already include a stipend or salary in excess of the new minimum established by the FLSA final overtime rule.

Since the announcement of the new rule, NSF has received many questions on how this rule will affect NSF-funded projects. NSF has created a set of frequently asked questions in order to address these questions. The FAQs are posted on the NSF Policy Office website at http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/faqs/flsa_faqs.pdf.

Please direct any additional policy-related questions not addressed in the FAQs to policy@nsf.gov.

Important Information Regarding Automated Compliance Checking of NSF Proposals

NSF continues to focus on the automated compliance checks of proposals in order to decrease the burden on both the research community and NSF staff.  Effective July 25, 2016, all proposals will be subject to a new series of automated compliance validation checks to ensure proposals comply with requirements outlined in Chapter II.C.2. of the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

The new set of automated compliance checks will trigger error messages for each of the following rules:

• Biographical Sketch(es) and Current and Pending Support files are required for each Senior Personnel associated with a proposal; and
• Biographical Sketch(es) can only be uploaded as a file, must not exceed two pages and can no longer be entered as text.

Note About Proposal File Update (PFU):
Proposers should be aware should that if a proposal was received prior to July 25 and contained only one Biographical Sketch and/or Current & Pending Support file (rather than individual files for each senior personnel), a PFU addressing any section of the proposal will result in the proposal not being accepted if it does not comply with these new compliance checks. The checks will be run on all sections of the proposal regardless of which section was updated during the PFU.

Note About Grants.gov:
Proposers should also be aware that Grants.gov will allow a proposal to be submitted, even if it does not comply with these proposal preparation requirements. Should NSF receive a proposal from Grants.gov that is not compliant, it will be returned without review.

Please note that the new set of compliance checks are in addition to the compliance checks that currently exist in FastLane. You can view a complete list of FastLane auto-compliance checks, including these checks, by clicking here. The list specifies which checks are run depending on funding opportunity type (GPG, Program Description, Program Announcement, or Program Solicitation) and type of proposal (Research, RAPID, EAGER, Ideas Lab, Conference, Equipment, International Travel, Facility/Center, or Fellowship). It also specifies whether the check triggers a “warning” or error” message for non-compliant proposals.

For system-related questions, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or Rgov@nsf.gov. Policy-related questions should be directed to policy@nsf.gov.

NIH Revises Use of Animals Brochure

NIH has revised its brochure, “What Investigators Need to Know About the Use of Animals,” and it is now available for download (PDF).  What’s new? The 2016 revision reflects current requirements of NIH grants policy and applicability of the PHS Policy to VA, NASA, and NSF supported activities through memoranda of understanding. Plus the new factsheet format is printer-friendly saving time and resources. Note, hard copies are no longer distributed. 

What can a PI learn? This publication provides an overview of investigator responsibilities when conducting research with animals. PIs can learn about the PHS Policy requirements, what a PI needs to describe in their grant application and IACUC animal study protocol, and guidance for conducting their research to avoid noncompliance.

Council on Research & Creativity Updates

The websites for the various Council on Research & Creativity (CRC) competitive grant programs and the three honorary award programs will be updated and active effective August 22. Watch for specific details on these programs in the September Office of Research Newsletter.

New Process for NSF FastLane Password Resets

On Monday, July 25, NSF implemented a more convenient and secure process for resetting passwords. NSF awardees and applicants will no longer be able to reach out to Sponsored Projects Offices (SPO) to reset their passwords on both FastLane and Research.gov; instead, they can reset their own password.   To do this, go to www.research.gov. Click “Log In,” then “Forgot Password.” Enter your NSF ID and click “Send Temporary Password.” You will be able to reset your password using the temporary password sent to your email address on file.

Passwords must be between 8 and 20 characters and use three of the four categories below:

• Upper-case letter
• Lower-case letter
• Number
• One of these special characters # & % ! @ ( ) 

In addition, the last six passwords cannot be reused, and accounts will be locked for five minutes after the tenth unsuccessful password attempt.

To learn more about Research.gov/FastLane password modernization, including accessing a getting started guide and FAQs, please click here.

Also, you can find helpful Research.gov information by clicking Help in the top right-hand corner of Research.gov or on FastLane, by clicking the FastLane Help in the top right-hand corner of the homepage.

For additional assistance, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 or Rgov@nsf.gov.

Build a “Boat” for Whatever Floats Your Boat Regatta

Summer is a great time to build a vessel for the 5th 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, Sept. 24 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for a day of racing fun.

Discover DH: Introduction to Digital Humanities Theories and Methods

University Libraries Office of Digital Research and Scholarship is hosting a 10-week workshop series to acquaint attendees with the ins-and-outs of digital research in the humanities. The courses cover a broad range of topics, framed by “Yack” sessions (discussion-based explorations on a topic) and “Hack” sessions (hands-on work with digital tools and humanities data). Please register by visiting lib.fsu.edu/drs/events. 

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.

Funding Opportunities

Please click here to access some of the latest funding opportunities available for the arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM disciplines and medicine.

SUS Washington Update

Attached is the August edition of the State University System E-Update Newsletter from Washington. Click here for the update.

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program

The faculty portal is now open for FSU's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP): http://cre.fsu.edu/Faculty-Research-Mentors/Undergraduate-Research-Opportunity-Program-UROP

UROP is a year-long program in which high-achieving first- and second-year students, as well as some transfer and veteran students, serve as research assistants to faculty members working on research or creative projects. Students admitted into UROP get access to the projects submitted by faculty, interview with faculty, and serve as research assistants for the academic year. Faculty who submit a project are under no obligation to accept a student. All UROP students attend a year-long research colloquium and present their work at the annual FSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

As UROP research mentors, faculty members, postdocs and graduate students can have student research assistants at no cost to them. Faculty can also receive a materials grant for up to $1,000 (a maximum of $500 per student) and be eligible for a $2,000 Undergraduate Research Mentor award. Graduate students can receive a materials grant of up to $250 and be eligible for a $500 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. We encourage you to upload your research or creative project(s) for which you would like research assistants (and view previous UROP projects) through the UROP site. For more information on UROP, contact Dr. Jhunu Chatterjee at jchatterjee@fsu.edu.

New Faces in the Office of Research

Three new team members have recently joined the Office of Research family. Please join us in giving them a warm welcome.

Shannon Richardson
Say hello to Shannon Richardson, Sponsored Research Administration’s newest accounting coordinator. She will be the assigned coordinator for a department range under the garnet team. Shannon recently relocated to Tallahassee from Mississippi and comes to us from the private sector working in the accounting field.

Keelyn Robey
Welcome Keelyn Robey as Sponsored Research Administration’s newest SRA grants office I. She will be responsible for coordination of sponsored research activities from public and/or private sources, and assisting faculty and staff in all areas of pre-award activities and post-award administrative activities. Keelyn just became a Nole alumna with degrees in Social Work and International Affairs. She is in the position previously held by Matt Hunter.

Beverlyn Samuels
The next time you visit the Office of Commercialization (OC), say hi to their new operations manager, Beverlyn Samuels. She will be responsible for management of the office and all non-licensing aspects including reporting information, HR and events the OC is involved with during the year. Beverlyn offers a versatile background as Human Resource Manager, Generalist, and Program Coordinator that spans higher education and private industry. Since October 2014, she has served as the Senior HR Specialist in FSU’s Office of Human Resources providing consultative services and support to the university community regarding employee & labor relations matters. She is in the position previously held by Tamika Sisinni.