Research and Innovation Digital Newsletter November 2018
New Board of Trustee Quarterly Reports
Beginning this month, the WMU BOT received its first revised quarterly reports from the Office of the Vice President for Research, replacing the older monthly reports. The new reports offer a more robust data set to track submissions, awards and expenditures, along with facilities and administrative (F&A) costs. They are available on the OVPR website: 2018-19 Quarter 1 report
Innovation Networking Session on PFAS and Other Emerging Contaminants - Thursday, Nov. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Keynote speaker, Sara Pearson from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, will present on "Environmental Perspectives of Emerging Contaminants" at our next Innovation Networking Session. This event brings together researchers across disciplines interested in learning about ongoing research work in this area, whether your interest and expertise is in health communications, education, engineering, environmental sciences or public policy. All are welcome to build collaborations and learn about funding opportunities in this area. Links for more information and schedule or to register.
Nov. 20 Discovery Acceleration Workshop: "Ins and Outs of National Science Foundation Grants"
Join us on Nov. 20 when Dr. Mark Hurwitz, WMU professor of political science and 2016-2018 NSF Program Director, will share his insights on the NSF from an insider's perspective, at the next Discovery Acceleration Workshop. Hurwitz will share what the National Science Foundation funds, how they review proposals, and key strategies for writing a competitive NSF proposal. Learn more about the workshop and register.
MTRAC Innovation Hubs -- Reduction in Cost Share Announced
The goal of the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) program is to support translating research into the commercial market via a license or startup. MTRAC recently announced that, for institutions with less than $50 million in expenditures, it was reducing the institutional cost share from 50% to 10%. Researchers can submit proposals to one of four hubs: Life Sciences, Advanced Transportation, Advanced Applied Materials, and AgBio.
Reminder: Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Excellence Award Deadline Extended
The deadline for undergraduates to apply for this internal funding award has been extended to noon on Nov. 15. More
Congratulations Offered on Recent Research Endeavors
- Dr. Jeremy Duncan was awarded a three-year NIH grant to study genes necessary during inner ear development. His study aims to better understand hearing loss and to explore hearing restoration efforts.
- Dr. Michael Famiano's book, Creating the Molecules of Life, is available in electronic version with the hardcover expected in a few weeks. Famiano is co-author with Dr. Richard Boyd, Ohio State University.
NSF Policy and Procedure Changes Announced
The National Science Foundation has issued a revised version of the NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 19-1). The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 28, 2019. Faculty and staff who submit proposals to NSF are encouraged to review the summary of significant changes.
Limited Competition Program for Teacher-Scholar Award
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation announces the Feb. 7 deadline for the 2019 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program. The program supports the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty in chemical sciences programs that grant a doctoral degree. More information here. Faculty interested in being considered for nomination must notify Sarah Pratt in OVPR by email no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018. If multiple faculty are interested, further instructions will be provided regarding an internal pre-proposal competition.
Huron Consulting Group Uses WMU as Case Study of Successful Effort Certification Process
WMU reduced the number of people needing to confirm effort certification statements by 67% after implementing a project-based confirmation process. The partnership between WMU and Huron allows researchers to spend more time advancing their research and less time on administrative work. Read more.
Updates on ecrt
The confirmation period for ecrt at WMU began October 2. To date, 167 total project statements have been confirmed out of 191. As a reminder, if your project statement remains in "ready to confirm" status, please log into ecrt and complete the process today. Fall Planned Effort forms should have been completed at the beginning of the semester. You can use ecrt to check and verify that current period payroll expenses are being allocated to the proper grant account.
We are now within the window in which Spring Planned Effort forms can be completed and submitted to Grants and Contracts. The form was revised in September to now include cost share. Contact your restricted fund accountant in Grants and Contracts if you have questions.
Upcoming events
- WMU IT Forum, E-Commerce and Digital Marketing, Nov. 15, Fetzer Center. Registration and more information.
- 2019 Grant Writers Workshop, "Writing Winning Grant Proposals," will be offered on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. More information available.
- WMU Research Day is April 11, 2019
- WMed Research Day 2019 -- Research Day deadlines and research submission categories are now available. Questions may be sent to researchday@med.wmich.edu.