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Descripton at end of newsletter Week of January 22, 2024
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Greetings Dornsife Faculty,
This week the Weekly Report includes
- 1 accolade for a Dornsife faculty member;
- Correction of a misspelling of a previously announced receipient of a prestigious award;
- Great external funding success achieved by 4 College faculty;
- Many external funding opportunities this week including 2 limited submissions;
- Announcement on NIH update; and
- Shout out for the Center for Excellence in Research upcoming traiining program..
Also, a reminder that Dornsife offers expertise in crafting propoposals in the persons of Dr. Heidi Parker for federal science projects (hkparker@usc.edu) and Dr. Sarah Bishop in framing Humanities submissions (sarahbis@usc.edu)
Best regards,
Renee J. Perez, Vice Dean, Administration & Finance
Cathleen Crayton, Project Specialist
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Accolade
Joan Flores-Villalobos, History, has been awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her book project, Veins of Gold: Race, Environment, and Nation in an Amazonian Borderland.
Correction from the week of January 8, 2024: Alison Dundes Renteln, Political Science and International Relations has been appointed as an International Affairs Fellow for Tenured International Relations Scholars for the 2024-25 academic year by the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent nonpartisan member organization think tank and publisher.
External Funding Successes
Yehuda Ben-Zion, Southern California Earthquake Center, FY2023 California ShakeOut & Earthquake Country Alliance Support, Sate of California Governors Office of Emergency Services
Yehuda Ben-Zion, Southern California Earthquake Center, Statewide California Earthquake Center, 2024-2026, US-Geological Survey
Lowell Stott, Earth Sciences, Collaborative Research: Resolving the LGM ventilation age conundrum: New radiocarbon records from high sedimentation rate sites in the deep western Pacific, National Science Foundation
Ian Ehrenreich, Molecular & Computational Biology, Phenotypic plasticity, genetic variation, and the origins of novel, complex traits, University of North Carolina
Laura Melissa Guzman, Marine & Environmental Biology, Mapping Native Bee Distributions in Colombia (ColombiaABEJAS): Biogeography Drives Biodiversity Sustainability, Conservation, Food & Health Foundation
External Funding Opportunities
***Limited Submission***
(Time sensitive)
Foundation for Food Agriculture Research (FFAR)
Program: New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Award
Synopsis: Supports early career scientists whose research addresses significant food and agriculture challenges. These awards allow the grantees to focus exclusively on research without the pressure of securing additional funding. Eligible candidates are tenure-track faculty who have been no more than 3 years in their position and who are within 8 years of receiving their Ph.D.
Award details: $150K per year for 3 years.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/ffar/
External announcement on website: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/opportunities/new-innovators-request-for-applications/
USC Internal due date: February 5, 2024.
Letter of Intent due date: February 21, 2024.
External nominations due date: April 3, 2024.
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***Limited Submission***
(time sensitve)
Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Science / Advanced Scientific Computing Research
Program: Data Reduction for Science
FOA #: DE-FOA-0003266
Synopsis: Supports applied mathematics and computer science approaches that address one or more of the following priority research directions (PRDs)
(1) effective algorithms and tools that can be trusted by scientists for accuracy and efficiency, (2) progressive reduction algorithms that enable data to be prioritized for efficient streaming, (3) algorithms which can preserve information in features and quantities of interest with quantified uncertainty, and (4) mapping techniques to new architectures and use cases.
Award details: Maximum total award range from $150K to $1M per year for multi-institutional applications (that includes only one lead applicant and may include 1 subaward). Anticipate average size will be $150K per year for non-DoE National Labs for 3 years.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/de-foa-0003266/
External announcement on website: Data Reduction for Science
USC Internal due date: February 9, 2024.
Letter of Intent due date: March 19, 2024.
External due date: May 7, 2024.
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American Philosophical Society
Program: Phillips Fund for Native American Research
Synopsis: Supports research in Native American linguistics, ethnohistory, and the history of studies of Native Americans, in the continental United States and Canada. Grants are not made for projects in archaeology, ethnography, or psycholinguistics. The committee distinguishes ethnohistory from contemporary ethnography as the study of cultures and cultural change through time. Also excluded are costs related to the purchase of permanent equipment or for the preparation of pedagogical materials. Preference is given to younger scholars. Applications from graduate students for research for a thesis or dissertation can also be considered.
Award details: Grants may range up to $3.5K, and 2 awards to the same individual may be made to the same awarded within a 5-year period. The grants are intended for such costs as travel, audio and video recordings, and consultants' fees.
Announcement on website: https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/phillips-fund-native-american-research
Application due date: March 1, 2024.
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Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
Program: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Topical PCORI Funding Announcement -- Cycle 1 2024
Synopsis: Supports high-quality, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects focused on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This opportunity aims to fund the comparison of interventions encountered by individuals of all ages with IDD with a special interest in the areas of sleep health, Down syndrome, and improving care delivery with a focus on ableism. Comparisons can be clinical interventions or systems approaches and can include pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions.
Award details: Will consider budgets up to $12M in direct costs over a 5-year period.
Announcement on website: https://www.pcori.org/funding-opportunities/announcement/intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities-topical-pcori-funding-announcement-cycle-1-2024
Letter of Intent due date: February 6, 2024.
Application due date: May 7, 2024.
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The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group
Program: 2024 Allen Distinguished Investigator— Membrane Biophysics Approaches
Synopsis: Supports early-stage research that will develop new experimental approaches for probing the biophysics of cellular membranes to reveal essential aspects of the interplay between membrane form, function, and dynamics. Such approaches encompass new technologies for perturbing, analyzing, and observing cellular membranes (with priority given to non-imaging-based technologies, for example leveraging material sciences, etc.) and/or new analytical frameworks (including prioritizing integration of theory and creative uses of new or existent model systems and their combinations). Eligible submissions include those from researchers across all career stages — Assistant professors (and similar positions) — onward. Encourages projects that are unlikely to be funded by traditional funding.
Award details: Program funding is up to $4.5M of which up to 3 awards will be made.
Announcement on website: https://alleninstitute.org/division/frontiers-group/open-calls-science-funding/open-call-membrane-biophysics-approaches/
Letter of Intent due date: February 14, 2024, through online portal. Based on a review of LOIs, select applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.
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The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group
Program: 2024 Allen Distinguished Investigator — Organelle Communication
Synopsis: Supports research that will elucidate new biological principles associated with inter-organelle communication via membrane-membrane contact sites. Such new perspectives on membrane contact sites include the exploration of new
fundamental biological functions and mechanisms of action (e.g., via metabolic compartmentalization), and functional characterization of dynamic changes in membrane contact sites in time and intracellular space (e.g., mechanisms of regulation, coordination, and integration with other cellular processes and components). Eligible submissions include those from researchers across all career stages — Assistant professors (and similar positions) — onward. Encourages projects that are unlikely to be funded by traditional funding.
Award details: Program funding is up to $4.5M of which up to 3 awards will be made.
Announcement on website: https://alleninstitute.org/division/frontiers-group/open-calls-science-funding/open-call-organelle-communication/
Letter of Intent due date: February 14, 2024, through online portal. Based on a review of LOIs, select applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.
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American Psychological Foundation (APF) / Division 56
Program: Trauma Psychology Grant
Synopsis: Supports early career psychologists — 10 years or less postdoctoral — for innovative work to alleviate trauma. APF’s Division 56 provides a forum for scientific research, professional and public education, and the exchange of collegial support for professional activities related to traumatic stress. The goal is to facilitate a state-of-the-art response by psychologists and move an understanding of trauma psychology forward. Division 56 offers a specifically psychological voice to the interdisciplinary discourse on trauma, blending science, practice, and a commitment to human welfare in their work.
Award details: Up to $3K
Announcement on website: https://apf.apa.org/funding/trauma-psychology/
Application due date: February 21, 2024.
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American Psychological Association
Program: Esther Katz Rosen Fund Grants
Synopsis: Supports research, pilot projects, and research-based programs on the psychological understanding of gifted children and adolescents. Efforts to enable and enhance the development of identified gifted and talented children and adolescents and encourage promising psychologists to continue innovative research and programs in this area will be supported. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree, or be a graduate student, and must have demonstrated competency and capability to execute the proposed project.
Award details: Up to $50K
Announcement on website: https://apf.apa.org/funding/katz-rosen-fund-grants/
Application due date: March 6, 2024.
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Foundation for Prader-Willi Research
Program: Grant Program
Synopsis: Supports research to advance the understanding and treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Examples of priority research areas include
- Genetics: Genotype to Phenotype
- Neurobiology of PWS pathology and phenotype (emphasis on hyperphagia)
- Cognition, maladaptive behavior, and mental illness in PWS
Academic research applicants should have a primary faculty appointment at the level of Instructor or higher. This grant program will be useful for junior faculty in the early stages of their careers, established investigators in other areas of research who wish to enter the field of PWS research, or investigators in the PWS field who are seeking funding to support pilot studies in a new area of PWS research. FPR welcomes highly integrated, multi-disciplinary research teams to address ambitious and challenging research questions that are important for the mission of FPWR and are beyond the scope of one or two investigators.
Award details: Up to $150K in direct costs for the initial 18 months of support, with the possibility of a second grant period of 18 months of funding upon competitive renewal. Indirect costs of up to 8% are allowed.
Announcement on website: https://www.fpwr.org/grant-program
Letter of Intent due date: March 1, 2024.
Application due date: May 17, 2024.
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Program: Fellowships
Synopsis: Supports individual scholars in all disciplines (including independent and junior scholars) to conduct research or to produce books, monographs, peer-reviewed articles, e-books, digital materials, translations with annotations or a critical apparatus, or critical editions resulting from previous research. Projects may be at any stage of development. Research must be exceptional, using rigorous analysis, written clearly, and must clearly articulate a project’s value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.
Award details: Maximum award is $60K per year ($5K per month). The period of performance is 6 to 12 months.
Announcement on website: https://www.neh.gov/grants/research/fellowships
Application due date: April 10, 2024. The project start date is January 1, 2025.
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National Institute of Justice / Office of Justice Programs
Program: NIJ FY2024 Graduate Research Fellowship
Grants.gov Opportunity #: O-NIJ-2024-171946
Synopsis: Supports doctoral dissertation research that is relevant to preventing and controlling crime, advancing knowledge of victimization and effective victim services, or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal or juvenile justice in the United States. This program furthers the DOJ’s mission by increasing the pool of researchers who are engaged in providing science-based solutions to problems relevant to criminal and juvenile justice policy and practice in the United States. This program furthers DOJ’s mission to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights. Applicant academic institutions are eligible to apply only if: 1. The student is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in the sciences or engineering1. 2. The student’s proposed dissertation research has demonstrable relevance to preventing and controlling crime, advancing knowledge of victimization and effective victim services, or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal or juvenile justice, in the United States.
Award details: $41,000 for Salary and Fringe, up to $16,000 in Cost of Education Allowance, and up to $3,000 in Research Expenses per year for 3 years.
Announcement on website: https://nij.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh171/files/media/document/O-NIJ-2024-171946.pdf
Grants.gov due date: April 10, 2024.
JustGrants due date: April 17, 2024.
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Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Program: Small Innovative Projects in Solar: Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaics (SIPS: CSP & PV)
Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0003308
Synopsis: Supports seedling R&D projects for both photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal power technologies that accelerate the large-scale development and deployment of solar technologies to support an equitable transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035, and a decarbonized energy sector by 2050. This initiative aims to meet the threat of climate change and ensure that all Americans benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. All aspects of CSP plants with thermal energy storage, as well as solar-thermal industrial process heat innovations, are of interest. For Photovoltaics, of interest is research that can produce significant results within the first year of performance and, if successful, lay the foundation for continued research. This funding opportunity is designed to streamline the application process and to encourage applicants with a diverse range of backgrounds.
Award details: Individual awards will range between $250K and $400K. $6.5M is anticipated to make 14-24 awards.
Announcement: Small Innovative Projects in Solar: Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaics (EMMA)
Application due date: March 6, 2024.
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Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Program: Marine Energy Foundational Research and Development
Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0003097
Synopsis: Supports foundational research at universities to address challenges faced by marine energy industries and spur innovation and development. Universities offer an array of exceptional capabilities and resources that create a rich ecosystem for high-level research combining intellectual capital, advanced infrastructure, a commitment to knowledge creation and dissemination, and a training ground for the next generation of scientists and scholars. Funding research opportunities at institutions of higher education allows for interdisciplinary collaboration and the exploration of complex research questions from multiple angles. Moreover, universities are often uniquely situated to take advantage of partnership opportunities with other institutions, communities, and industries. Projects funded under this FOA will support the goals of carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and net zero Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050 by reducing carbon emissions of offshore aquaculture, and microgrids in coastal, remote, and islanded communities in the near term and provide clean and reliable power to the grid in the years. Very broadly, the 4 Topic Ares of Interest are
(1) Publicly Available Marine Energy Data Analysis & Test Platform(s) to Produce Publicly Available Data
(2) Sustainable & Scalable Offshore Wind, Marine Energy, and Aquaculture
(3) Undergraduate Senior Design and / or Research Project
(4 Open Topic Area
The solicitation provides extensive details on the topic areas 1-3 including budget periods. The objective of the 4th, Open Topic area is to develop innovative technologies that have the potential to significantly advance Marine Energy technologies and the state of the Marine Energy industry.
Award details: Total program funding is $14.5M, of which it is expected that 33 awards will be made. Awards may range from $200K up to $1M. Project periods will range from 1 year to 4 years depending on the project.
Announcement on website: Marine Energy Foundation Research and Development
Concept Paper due date: February 20, 2024.
Full Application due date: April 22, 2024.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) / Foundational Sciences Research Unit (FRSU)
Program: Broad Agency Announcement for Basic Scientific Research fiscal year 2025
Funding Opportunity #: W911NF24S0005
Synopsis: Supports research to conduct basic research that will provide a scientific foundation to support the following broad strategic areas for advancing personnel science: capabilities.
- Science of Measurement of Individuals and Collectives: Advanced psychometric theory for deriving valid measurements from complex assessments and continuous streams of data.
- Understanding Multilevel and Organizational Dynamics: Multilevel theory and methods for understanding dynamic restructuring, coordination, and composition processes in teams and complex organizations
- Formal / I nformal Learning and Development: Holistic models of individual and collective learning and development across work settings and contexts throughout the career span.
This funding opportunity is divided into three types of proposals for basic research: (1) Standard Basic Research proposals and (2) Targeted Opportunities which encompass: a) Early Career Proposals (ECP) and, b) [3] Short-Term Innovative Research (STIR) Proposals (both of which are for basic research also). ARI will accept all three types in response to this BAA.
Award details: Detailed cost is submitted with the proposal. Details of budget requirements may be found in the solicitation. Award type will be cost reimbursement or fixed price.
Announcement on website: BAA FRSU (ARI Foundational Research
White Paper due date: March 1, 2024.
Proposal due date: July 1, 2024.
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NSF / Across Multiple Directorates (including GEO, BIO, SBE and STEM)
Program: Growing Convergence Research (GCR)
Solicitation #: 24-527
Synopsis: Supports multidisciplinary teams who are embracing convergence research as a means of developing highly innovative solutions to complex research problems by understanding GCR as being (1) Research driven by a specific and compelling problem; and (2) Deep integration across disciplines. Convergence research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. GCR proposals are expected to be bold and address scientific or technical challenges and bottlenecks which if resolved have the potential to transform scientific understanding and solve vexing problems. Successful GCR projects are anticipated to lead to paradigm-shifting approaches within disciplines, the establishment of new scientific communities, or the development of transformative technologies that have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact.
Award details: $16M pending availability of funds, to support Phase I of new awards and to support Phase II of projects started two years earlier which have shown exceptional progress.
Announcement on website: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2024/nsf24527/nsf24527.pdf
Full proposal due date: April 12, 2024.
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NSF / Directorate for Biological Sciences
Program: Leveraging Innovations from Evolution via Dear Colleague Letter (DCL)
Solicitation # 24-049
Synopsis: Supports research that leverages the full diversity and complexity of life to focus attention on the discovery of molecular and evolutionary mechanisms that have permitted organisms, over millions of years of evolution, to innovate and thrive, often in hostile and changing environments. By Leveraging Innovations From Evolution (LIFE), and bolstering computational tools and resources (e.g., biobanks, databases, and algorithms), NSF BIO seeks to speed discoveries of nature-based solutions that will benefit science and society. This DCL encourages proposals using comparative approaches to identify evolutionary convergent adaptations to life's challenges and the underlying mechanisms. Proposals should include the relevance of the proposed work to inform applications toward a sustainable global bioeconomy. Proposals may be submitted to the Integrative Research in Biology (IntBIO) track, or directly to the core solicitation in any of the following divisions
- Division of Environmental Biology;
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
- Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
- Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Sciences
Announcement on website: DCL LIFE
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NIH / Across Multiple Dornsife-relevant Institutes
Program: Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity
NOFO #: RFA-NR-24-004
Synopsis: Supports unusually innovative intervention research addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) which, if successful, would have a major impact on preventing, reducing, or eliminating health disparities and advancing health equity. Projects should clearly demonstrate, based on the strength of the logic, a compelling potential to produce a major impact on advancing NIH’s commitment to addressing SDOH to accelerate progress in improving health for all. Preliminary data are not required for this initiative. Areas of Interest include (partial)
- Studies that examine the role of specific and modifiable SDOH in neurological health disparities;
- Identify SDOH that mediate or moderate intervention and/or implementation effectiveness; and
- prospective interventions that develop and test interventions addressing the intersection of social and environmental determinants of health at multiple levels.
Award details: $500K per year for direct costs for a maximum project period of 5 years.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NR-24-004.html
Application due date: March 22, 2024 for ALL TYPES of applications.
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NIH / Fogarty International Center / National Cancer Institute and National Institute on Deafness and Communication
Program: International Research Scientist Development Award (IRSDA) (K01 — RSDA Research and Training)
NOFO #: PAR-24-113
Synopsis: Supports with protected time for advanced postdoctoral U.S. research scientists and recently-appointed U.S. junior faculty who propose career development activities and a research project that is relevant to the health priorities of a low- or middle income country (LMIC) —“LMIC” as defined by the World Bank— under the mentorship of LMIC and U.S. mentors. Awardees must spend a minimum of 50% of the cumulative effort over the project period (all years) physically in-country conducting collaborative research at the LMIC institution. In addition, in each year of the award, the recipient must spend a minimum of three months in the LMIC. Applicants must be at least 2 years beyond conferral of doctorate.
Award details: NIH will contribute salary support of up to $100,000 per year plus fringe benefits for the career award recipient, as well as $40K toward the research development costs. Project period range from 3 to 5 years.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-24-113.html
Application due date: Multiple due dates through 2026. Next due date for ALL applications is March 8, 2024.
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Announements of Interest for Dornsife Investigators
USC Office of Research and Innovation
Department of Contracts and Grants
NIH has begun to implement new requirements for outgoing subawards, effective January 1s. The new policy requires foreign subrecipients clearly commit (at time of proposal) to abide by all requirements set forth in the solicitation, including but not limited to, the requirement to provide the USC PI access to copies of all lab notebooks, all data, and all documentation that supports the research outcomes as described in the progress report, in alignment with the timing requirements for Research Performance Progress Report submission (but not less frequently than annually). See announcement ffrom DCG or additional info for PIs and Department and Research Administrators: https://dcg.usc.edu/2024/01/17/nih-final-updated-policy-guidance-for-subaward-consortium-written-agreements/
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Center for Excellence in Research
Each semester, the Office of Research & Innovation (OORI)‘s Center for Excellence in Research organizes virtual workshops for USC researchers and scholars. These courses are designed to provide faculty, staff, postdocs, Ph.D. students, and graduate students across all fields of study with specialized skills and knowledge in seeking funding from government, foundation, and corporate organizations, as well as a variety of other topics. In addition to the online schedule, the Weekly Report will announce workshops at least a week in advance of the workshop.
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Book Cover: Race and Role: The Mixed-Race Asian Experience in American Drama
(Rutgers University Press, June 2023) Rena M. Heinrich, School of Dramatic Arts and East Asian Studies (affiliated)
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