Research News
March 2004 Issue
Table of Contents:
Fund Seeking Workshop Announced
Reminder: New Routing Template
Compliance Corner: “What’s an IRB?”
Spotlighted Funding Opportunity: NSF CCLI
Spotlighted Funding Opportunity: NSF Approaches to Combat Terrorism (ACT)
Proposals Submitted By The Numbers
Dear Readers,
Spring is here! After a long winter, flowers are blooming and trees are sprouting leaves. In this season of renewal and invigoration, we hope that IIT faculty will turn their attention toward renewing their proposal-writing efforts. You can spring into “fund-searching mode” at a workshop on fund searching coming up on April 16th. Dust off that dormant proposal idea and contact Research Support Services for help getting started!
In this issue: Funding Opportunities in the Spotlight; Compliance Corner, Fund-Seeking Workshop Announcement, and Recent IIT Awards. We’ve added a new feature, “Proposals Submitted By The Numbers.” As always, your feedback on this publication is encouraged and appreciated.
All best wishes,
- Glenn Krell MPA, CRA
Editor, Research News
Director, Research Proposal Development
Fund Seeking Workshop Friday April 16th
What: learn how to search for funds for your research; or renew your fund seeking efforts.
When: Friday, April 16th, 11:45 to 1:00pm.
Where: IIT’s Galvin Library Learning Center (LLC), Main Campus. This is one of IIT’s most high-tech classrooms, with each participant sitting at a computer.
Who: This workshop is intended for IIT faculty and researchers.
Cost: None. This workshop is provided as a service of the Graduate College.
Why: Funding agencies have lean budgets for research, and competition for awards is intense. Even the best proposal writers know that proposal writing can be something of a low numbers game. Therefore, it is critical to know how to search for funds for your research or program so that you can submit proposals to the maximum number of sponsors. Recall the principle that the more times your cast your line into the water, the more likely you are to catch a fish. In fund searching, one must adopt a process that is efficient as well as effective.
You should attend this workshop if you would like to learn how to:
- Search for funding opportunities for your research.
- Use IIT’s paid subscription to Community of Science, a powerful tool you can customize. COS has databases of collaborators and funding opportunities.
- Set up automatic weekly alerts of funding opportunities tailored to your interests.
- Search a database that will help you find collaborators at Chicagoland universities.
- Employ techniques that will help you maximize the number of search results.
Sign up/RSVP: to reserve a spot, email to Glenn Krell at krell@iit.edu. The room accommodates 20 participants; walk-ins welcome as space permits. Individual follow-up appointments for faculty will be arranged after the workshop. Each participant will be given an electronic file of fund searching links and tips.
Reminder: New Routing Template for Proposals
We would like to again remind you of this new document available online:
Thanks to a suggestion from a faculty member, the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs has revised its Routing Form, now called a Routing Template. When you double click on it, it brings up a new Word document with fields to be filled in. Department and centers are now drawdown fields, and some fields are now formatted to be specific formats (i.e. date fields or dollar fields). The new form is available for your use at:
http://www.grad.iit.edu/research/OSRP/routingsheet.html
Compliance Corner: “What’s an IRB?”
Good Question! IIT's Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews research proposals that involve human participants. IRBs are responsible for ensuring that an institution meets the requirements of the Federal regulations, and that the rights and welfare of the human subjects are adequately protected. Even projects that require minimal involvement of human participants, such as surveys or questionnaires, require some procedural IRB review.
You can find out more about our IRB by visiting:
http://www.grad.iit.edu/research/OSRP/irbhome.html
If you have questions about the IRB, or any other aspect of human subjects research, please contact Domenica G. Pappas, CRA, Associate Director, Office of Sponsored Research and Programs at pappas@iit.edu.
Editor’s Note: Domenica Pappas is Executive Officer of IIT’s Institutional Review Board and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Each month, Compliance Corner addresses common issues encountered by researchers who use human or animal subjects.
Spotlighted Funding Opportunity:
NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI)
Deadlines vary depending upon track:
June 16, 2004 – National Dissemination (ND) Track
June 17, 2004 – Educational Materials Development (EMD) Track
December 02, 2004 – Adaptation and Implementation (A&I) Track
December 08, 2004 – Assessment of Student Achievement (ASA) Track
Funding: $40 million is anticipated in funding for these four tracks.
Full details at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf04565
Description: The National Science Foundation announces its Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Program, which has four tracks as noted above. The CCLI program seeks to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for all students, based on educational research and empirical data concerning needs and opportunities in undergraduate education and effective ways to address them. It targets activities affecting learning environments, course content, curricula, and educational practices, with the aim of improving learning contributing to the relevant knowledge base that will support future efforts to enhance STEM education.
Again, please see full details at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf04565
Spotlighted Funding Opportunity:
NSF Approaches to Combat Terrorism (ACT)
Deadline: June 11, 2004
Full details at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf04561
Description: Full Program Title: Approaches to Combat Terrorism (ACT). Opportunities in Basic Research in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences with the Potential to Contribute to National Security: A Partnership Between the NSF Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the Intelligence Community.
Synopsis of Program (excerpt): “The National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and the Intelligence Community (IC) are coordinating efforts to identify bold new concepts in basic research and workforce development in the MPS disciplines with the
potential to contribute to national security. This solicitation is intended to inform researchers in disciplines supported by the MPS Directorate-- … Chemistry, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics--that NSF welcomes proposals for Small Grants for Exploratory Research that promote the objectives of the ACT program.”
Amount: Estimated Number of Awards: 15-20 Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGERs) will be awarded. Anticipated Funding Amount: $3,500,000 in FY 2004, pending availability of funds.
Again, please see full details at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf04561
NOTE- You can learn more about how to locate funding opportunities at the following Graduate College Web site:
http://www.grad.iit.edu/research/OPD/FundOpps/fundopp.html
Awards received during January 2004 at IIT
Proposals Submitted By The Numbers
New feature this month! This graph shows how IIT is doing compared to last year, in regard to number of proposals submitted through January 30, 2004--the latest month for which figures are available. This graph will be updated each month.
As of January 30, 2004, a total of 254 proposals had been submitted, as compared to 225 last fiscal year at that time.
Editor: Glenn Krell, MPA, CRA
Production Coordinator: Melissa Zabel
Ali Cinar, PhD
Dean of the Graduate College and
Vice Provost for Research
(312) 567-3637
cinar@iit.edu
Alexander J. Flueck, PhD
Associate Dean for Research
(312) 567-3625
flueck@iit.edu
Mary T. Spina, CRA
Assistant Dean for Research
Executive Director, Research Support Services
(312) 567-3035
spina@iit.edu
The Staff of Research Support Services:
Toni R. Allen
Assistant Director
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3035
allen@iit.edu
Pamela Andrews
Research Coordinator
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3022
andrewsp@iit.edu
Janice D. Haney
Administrative Assistant
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3035
haney@iit.edu
Glenn Krell, MPA, CRA
Director
Office of Research Proposal Development
(312) 567-7141
krell@iit.edu
Robert Lapointe, MBA
Research Projects Coordinator
Graduate College
(312) 567-7135
lapointe@iit.edu
Domenica G. Pappas, CRA
Associate Director
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3035
pappas@iit.edu