Office of Research Update
Recent Awards
Congratulations to the following faculty members for their recent awards:
- Jakoah Brgoch (Chemistry) was awarded a $499,394 grant from the National Science Foundation: “From Lab to Lamp: Building a Phosphor Discovery Pipeline”
- Dinler Antunes (Biology & Biochemistry, CNRCS) was awarded a $443,475 grant from the National Institutes of Health: “Structure-Guided Cancer Immunotherapy Design with HLA-Arena and Crossdome”
- Eva Harth (Chemistry) was awarded a $399,999 grant from the National Science Foundation: Collaborative Research: “Polar-Polyolefin Segmented Copolymers with Complex Architectures - Expanding the Scope of Polymeric Hybrid Materials”
- Maxim Olshanskii (Mathematics) was awarded a $319,951 grant from the National Science Foundation: “Finite Element Methods for Complex Surface Fluids”
* The awards listed above are extracted from the awards report generated through PeopleSoft Grants system. This report includes only the awards that are fully set up with cost centers available for expenditures. Any incoming awards pending in the system will not be reported until the set up is complete.
General Reminders
Looking for new funding opportunities? Check out the NSM Office of Research’s Funding Opportunities webpage. Here you will find a list of funding opportunities curated to the interests of NSM faculty. The list is updated monthly, so check back often.
Don’t unnecessarily delay your award! The most common cause for delays in issuing a notice of award (NOA) is failing to submit just-in-time (JIT) information, such as revised budgets and current/pending support information. The biggest obstacle to award set up is congruency review—an internal review done by DOR that ensures all compliance approvals are complete (animal use, human subjects, biohazards, radiation safety). To minimize delays in getting your award, please let us know if you receive a favorable review. This typically comes in the form of a high impact score on a summary statement or a letter from the sponsor suggesting interest in the proposal. We will complete any pending JIT requests and ask DOR to begin the congruency review.
Preparing your next proposal? Please review our proposal submission timetable. We routinely have multiple grants due at or near the same time, so it is imperative that everything is in order well ahead of the deadline. This also gives us time to properly check for errors. Let us know when you have plan(s) for submission by filling out our Pre-submission Questionnaire online.
Let us create your budgets! Many of you like to fill in the UH budget worksheet yourself, but we end up transferring that information to the most current version and looking up everyone’s salary and benefits information anyway. It is simpler to just send us an outline of what you would like in the budget, and let us create it for you. A great way to do this is to make a draft of your budget justification. We can use that to create the budget.
Please check out the NSM Office of Research website for useful links and information.
– The NSM Research Team
What’s New?
Proposal Pre-submission Questionnaire
To revamp the proposal submission process and make information gathering more efficient for proposal preparation, NSM Office of Research has rolled out an improved Proposal Pre-submission Questionnaire on SmartSheet as our primary proposal in-take form. We encourage you to use it for your future proposal submissions. Let us know your plans as soon as you can.
Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) Acknowledgement Form Now Online for NSM Faculty
The Chips & Science Act of 2022 prohibits participation in any foreign talent recruitment program by personnel of Federal research agencies and prohibits participation in a malign foreign talent recruitment program by covered individuals involved with research and development awards from those agencies.
To comply with the Chips & Science Act, UH has implemented System Administrative Memorandum (SAM) 01.G.04 - Participation in Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs, which can be found through here.
When submitting proposals to Federal agencies, applicants are required to document investigators’ participation in any and all foreign talent recruitment programs. If the Federal agency requires use of the “common forms” generated by SciENcv for the Biosketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support, then this acknowledgement is recorded when the forms are generated. If the common forms are not used, a separate acknowledgement is required.
NSM Office of Research has taken this MFTRP Acknowledgement Form online for easier access and better record keeping. Please be sure to complete one when prompted by our office.
Navigate NIH Grants Policies in FY2025 with Confidence - Webinar Registration Now Open!
Mark your calendar and join your peers for the upcoming webinar, NIH Grants Policy Updates: FY2025 Edition, on October 17, 2024, from Noon to 1 pm Central. This live, virtual event is an invaluable opportunity for grant administrators, research compliance officers, and anyone involved with NIH grants to stay informed on the latest policy news. Expert presenters from the NIH Office of Extramural Research will cover crucial updates on grant policies, systems, and resources, and discuss how these changes could affect our institution’s compliance processes.
Attendees can submit questions during registration, which may be addressed during the live Q&A session. Ensure you and your team are prepared for the upcoming fiscal year. Registration is required.
Recent and Upcoming Changes in NIH Applications and Reports
- Automated Email Seeking Just-in-Time Information to Be Retired October 1, 2024: An automated email from eRA for Just-in-Time information, sent for applications with an overall impact score of 30 or less, will be retired on October 1, 2024 (NOT-OD-24-165). Official notification of the need for JIT material(s) will continue to be sent directly by NIH staff from the awarding Institute/Center to those who are required to provide the material(s). The JIT link to submit the materials, when requested, will also continue to be available in eRA Commons until the application is awarded.
- Report DMS Plan Activities in RPPR: NIH will require the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) to address NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan activities including updates on data sharing, repositories, and unique identifiers for data that have been shared (NOT-OD-24-123). The updated NIH RPPR Instructions Guide will be posted to the RPPR page, and NIH plans to implement the new DMS reporting questions for RPPRs submitted on or after October 1, 2024.
- Guidance for Videos Submitted as NIH Application Materials: NIH will no longer accept video files in CD/DVD/USB formats. Only digital video files submitted via email will be accepted. The files must be submitted by institutional AOR no later than 30 days prior to peer review. Multiple videos may be submitted per application, but their aggregate length (at normal speed) must not exceed two minutes for single-project applications and five minutes for multi-component applications. The maximum file size for all videos combined is 35 MB (NOT-OD-24-067).
- Marking Changes in Resubmission Applications: Markups should not be used to identify changes in Resubmission applications. Changes made to a Resubmission application should only be outlined in the Introduction attachment (NOT-OD-24-061).
- Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support: Effective for all applications and RPPRs submitted on or after May 25, 2025, Applicants/Recipients must use the Common Forms for both Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support. Applicants/Recipients will be required to use Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) for completing and certifying the Common Forms. Additionally, NIH will require all Senior/Key Personnel to enter the ORCID ID into SciENcv in the Persistent Identifier (PID) section of the Common Forms and all Senior/Key Personnel to link their ORCID ID to their eRA Commons Personal Profile (NOT-24-163).
Reminder: Until the Common Forms are fully adopted by May 25, 2025, NIH requires applicants and recipients to use the current NIH Biosketch and Other Support formats for applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) Reports, and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs).
Six New Product Types in NSF Public Access Repository
Effective July 1, 2024, NSF enabled six new product types in the NSF Public Access Repository (NSF-PAR): audiovisual, data paper, educational aid and curriculum, posted content, software, and sound.
Visit the Research.gov About Public Access page for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and updated how-to guides that include the six new product types. Also see the NSF Public Access Initiative page for the latest information on open science.
DOE: Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plans
All Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and DOE National Lab Announcements and other funding solicitations now require a PIER Plan as an appendix to the proposal narrative. PIER Plans should describe the activities and strategies applicants will incorporate to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their research projects. PIER Plans will be evaluated as part of the merit review process and will be used to inform funding decisions. Find more information about PIER plans.
Certification of Non-Participation in Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs and Disclosure of Participation in Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs
In response to new federal guidance regarding Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (FTRPs), UH will require all key personnel to sign a certification stating that they have disclosed participation in FTRPs and that they are not participants in malign FTRPs. This certification will be a requirement for all new proposals.
Simplified Review Framework for NIH Research Project Grant Applications
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is simplifying the peer review process for most Research Project Grant applications, effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2025. These changes are designed to enable reviewers to better focus on answering the key questions necessary to assess scientific and technical merit, mitigate reputational bias, and reduce reviewer burden.
The major changes are as follows:
- The current 5 review criteria will be reorganized into just 3 criteria, with only 2 of them scored:
- Factor 1. Importance of the research (significance and innovation) - scored 1–9
- Factor 2. Rigor and feasibility (approach) - scored 1–9
- Factor 3. Expertise and resources (investigators, environment) - not scored
- Reduce reputational bias by asking reviewers to access the adequacy of investigator experience and institutional resources with respect to the work proposed as a binary choice: (1) adequate/appropriate or (2) additional expertise/resources needed.
- “Additional considerations” will no longer be required of peer reviewers. Considerations not directly related to scientific merit will shift to NIH staff for review.
Additional resources/information about the upcoming changes are listed below:
- nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2024/04/04/changes-coming-to-applications-and-peer-review-in-january-2025/
- grants.nih.gov/policy/peer/simplifying-review.htm
Information that Must be Disclosed in the NSF Current and Pending (Other) Support Document
In recent years, all federal agencies have increased their requirements for what must be disclosed when reporting current and pending support. Here is a list of items that must be included for NSF:
- All projects currently under consideration (including the current proposal) from whatever source, and all ongoing projects, irrespective of whether support is provided through the proposing organization, another organization, or directly to the individual, and regardless of whether or not they have monetary value (e.g., even if the support received are in-kind contributions such as office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, or employees).
- In-kind contributions not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed and have an associated time commitment.
- Current or pending participation in, or applications to, programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs.
- Postdoctoral scholars, students, or visiting scholars who are supported by an external entity, whose research activities are not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed and have an associated time commitment.
- Consulting that falls outside of an individual’s appointment/agreement.
- Travel supported/paid by an external entity to perform research activities with an associated time commitment.
- Startup company based on non-organization-licensed IP.
- Startup packages from other than the proposing organization.
For more information, NSF offers a disclosures table and FAQ on Current & Pending Support.
Hanover Research
Hanover Grants Calendar: Early Career, STEM Research, and Minority-Serving Institutions
As part of efforts to monitor the funding landscape and facilitate strategic planning, Hanover produces bimonthly Grants Calendars centered on certain funding interests. These calendars review upcoming grant opportunities focused on Early Career Research, STEM Research and Minority-Serving Institutions, covering a range of grantmakers. Short-term targets with set deadlines are included alongside longer-term opportunities projected to occur across the next year and beyond.
Hanover Watch On-Demand
Hanover has these additional resources:
- Presentation slides for Key Insights and Strategies for Pursuing NSF CAREER
- View the 2024 Grants Webinar Schedule (with dates and topics)
- To register for any upcoming events, go to Hanover’s webinars page
- Submit a webinar topic for an upcoming session
- Sign up to receive Hanover’s Grant Alerts and Calendars
University of Houston
Announcements
PeopleSoft Functions: Subaward Invoice
As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance operations, the Office of Contracts and Grants has expanded PeopleSoft functions to include the payment of subaward invoices.
Beginning July 1, the subaward invoice process is as follows:
- OCG will receive invoices at subaward@central.uh.edu.
- Invoices received will be assigned a Subaward Invoice function by OCG.
- PIs will receive an email notification informing them of an invoice requiring their review and approval.
- PIs will review and approve in their My Inbox within PeopleSoft Grants.
- Once PI approval is complete, OCG will be notified and will initiate the voucher for payment.
These updates were covered in the recent Research Administration Forum. Watch this segment on SharePoint
Watch on SharePoint: July Research Administration Forum
The July Research Administration Forum features presentations on non-monetary agreements, monthly reconciliation of project expenditures, and a tour of the new UH Research SharePoint site.
Watch: Getting Started with ORCID
Andrea Malone of UH Libraries walks you through the process of setting up your ORCID iD and adding works to your profile. Watch on SharePoint.
UH Libraries Can Help You with Research Data Management
UH Libraries offers a range of support for Research Data Management, archiving, and sharing:
- Guidance on data management planning for grant proposals or any research project.
- Assistance for sustained compliance with funder and university policies.
- Workshops and consultations for graduate students on collaborative work practices and strategies for handling data throughout research.
- An institutional data repository for archiving and sharing data and related content at no cost for up to 10 GB per project.
For more information about data management see: UH Libraries Data Management Resources.
Gulf Coast Consortium News
GCC Job Board
Looking for a postdoc or research position at a GCC member institution? The GCC Job Board currently lists several positions. The Job Board is where graduating Ph.D. students and postdocs from GCC institutions can post their resumes and search for jobs at GCC institutions.
To place a resume on the Job Board, register as a Job Seeker and enter the requested information. To place a job opening, register as a GCC Recruiter and enter the requested information. Anyone not from a GCC institution can register through Public Access and view job openings and resumes but cannot place anything on the Job Board.
Highlighted Core Technology of the Month: Single Cell Omics
Single Cell Genomics Core, Baylor College of Medicine
Looking for a Particular Piece of Equipment?
Did you know that the GCC has a Shared Equipment and Resource Committee composed of the Directors/Leaders in equipment inventory and acquisition from each of the GCC institutions? If you are looking for a particular piece of equipment, please email Suzanne Tomlinson (smtomlin@rice.edu), and the committee members will work together to try to locate it and introduce you to the PI who owns/administers it. View GCC Shared Core Facilities
Upcoming Events
Becoming a Resilient Scientist Series and Discussion Group - via Zoom, beginning Sept 23
Biomedical research has many rewards as well as challenges and frustrations. Sharon Milgram, Ph.D., (Director of the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education) has developed the Becoming a Resilient Scientist online series to provide trainees with the resilience tools needed to study and work in high-knowledge environments. Develop well-being, assertiveness, and feedback skills with the goal of improved relationships in research groups and beyond. Following each session, the GCC is sponsoring an inter-institutional small group online discussion led by Sara Dann, Ph.D., (UTMB) to dig deeper into the challenges unique to our community.
- Register Here to attend the NIH 5-week series beginning Monday, Sept 23, 2-3:30 pm Central.
- Register Here to join GCC’s online local discussion group beginning Thursday, Sept 26, 11:30 am-1 pm Central.
Save the Date: GCC Single Cell Omics Symposium, Oct 16
Confirmed keynote presenters: Alexandrea-Chloe Villani, Harvard Univ., and Devin Lawson, Univ. of California, Irvine. More information can be found on the symposium website.
Save the Date: 34th Keck Annual Research Conference and Poster Session, Machine Learning and Computational Biology in Structure, Oct 25
Machine learning and computational methods are rapidly advancing in many areas of biomedical research. In this conference, leaders in the field will highlight how these state-of-the-art developments have changed structural biology. The conference and poster session will also highlight the outstanding research underway by predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in the seven inter-institutional training programs administered by the GCC/Keck Center in the greater Houston area. Confirmed speakers: Alisia Fadini, Univ. of Cambridge; Lydia Kavraki, Rice Univ.; Andrej Sali, Univ. of California, San Francisco; and Jeremy Smith, Univ. of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 2024 Keck Conference co-chairs are Matthew Baker, Ph.D., UTHealth, and Monte Pettitt, Ph.D., UTMB.
Date: Fri, Oct 25
Location: Bioscience Research Collaborative
Conference website
Save the Date: Brown Bag Mentoring Refresher - Creating A Mentoring Plan, Nov 12
Designed for all faculty engaged in biomedical research. Understand what mentoring is/isn’t and how to align your mentoring with your institutional objectives. It is strongly recommended that attendees complete a full six-hour Mentor Training workshop or equivalent before participating (visit the GCC Research Mentor Training webpage for more information). Facilitator: Tracy Toliver-Kinsky, Ph.D., UTMB.
Date/Time: Tue, Nov 12, 12:00–1:00pm
Registration for upcoming sessions will be available soon.
Save the Date: Research Mentor Training Workshop for Faculty - In-person, Dec 6
This in-person, 6-hour, evidence-based workshop helps develop skills and insights in mentoring and provides interactions and discussions between mentors at different institutions and in different disciplines. Workshops cover various aspects of mentoring young scientists in the lab. Participants benefit from case study and group discussions. Facilitators include Sandra Haudek, Assoc Professor, BCM, Tracy Toliver-Kinsky, Assoc Dean for Recruitment - GSBS, UTMB; Vicki Alger, Training Administrator/Evaluator, GCC.
Date/Time: Fri, Dec 6, 9:30–3:30 pm.
Location: Bioscience Research Collaborative
Registration opening in the Fall.