Greeting Dornsife Faculty,

In this issue we include: 
–  4 new external funding awards for Dornsife faculty; 
–  Many and diverse external funding opportunities including 3 limited submissions;
–  New DCG NewsFlash! concerning NIH's updated security standards and practices for shared NIH Genomic Data Sharing policy; 
– Reminder of video recordings of the Center for Excellence in Research Fall 2024 workshops; and
  -  Reminder of weekly office hours for Dornsife research administration matters.

 

Best regards,

Renee J. Perez, Vice Dean, Administration and Finance
Cathleen Crayton, Project Specialist, Research Administration

Amalia Aruda Almada, Sea Grant, A Seafood Equity Hub: addressing barriers to seafood in low-income food-insecure communities using domestic production and supply chains, Community Services Unlimited

 

Dani Byrd, Linguistics and Shrikanth Narayanan (Viterbi), SHADOW: Spoken Human Signal Anonymization and Disentanglement for the Obfuscation of Various Voice Attributes, Johns Hopkins University

 

Laura Melissa Guzman, Biological Sciences, Living Planet Report Canada, World Wildlife Fund Canada

 

Simon Quach, Economics, The Labor Market Impacts of Remote Work: Implications for the Geography of Work, the Gender Pay Gap, and Income Inequality, Russell Sage Foundation

 

Correction: In announcing her NEH fellowship, we noted Dorinne Kondo's department as Anthropology. Dr. Kondo's department is American Studies & Ethnicity.

 

External Funding Opportunities

 

***Limited Submission***
(2 per institution)

 

The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
Program: 2025 Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering
Synopsis: Supports faculty members who are eligible to serve as principal investigators engaged in research in the natural and physical sciences or engineering and must be within the first three years of their faculty careers. Disciplines that will be considered include physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering. Candidates engaged in research in the social sciences will not be considered. Candidates must be faculty members in the first three years of their faculty careers, that is, whose initial faculty appointments began no earlier than May 31, 2022, and no later than May 31, 2025.
Award details: $175K per year for 5 years. Of the total amount award 10% is available to the university as compensation for administrative fees.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/packard/
Announcement on website: https://www.packard.org/approach/fellowships-for-science-engineering/
USC Internal due date: February 7, 2025.
Nominations due date: March 15, 2025.
External due date: April 20, 2025.
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***Limited Submission***
(2 per institution)

 

Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Science (SC) / Basic Energy Sciences (BES) / Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
Program: Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC): Partnerships in Basic Energy Sciences

NOFO #: DE-FOA-0003515

Synopsis: Supports interdisciplinary teams to establish partnerships between domain scientists in the fields of materials science, condensed matter physics, chemical sciences, geosciences, energy-related biosciences, applied mathematics, and computer science. Scientists will work synergistically to overcome barriers between these disciplines and advance discovery science through advanced computation. The integrated teams will engage with the SciDAC Institutes and allow full use of DOE’s classical HPC capabilities. In addition, applications must focus on one of the following three topics: 

  -  Topic A - Complex dynamical systems for energy-relevant chemical and/or physical systems and materials: 

  -  Topic B - Reliable and explainable Artificial Intelligence for chemical and/or physical mechanism extraction from phenomena
  -  Topic C - Foundation Models (FMs) for chemical and materials sciences
Award details: $40M program funding. Individual awards are expected to range from $1M and $2.5M per year for 4 years.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/de-foa-0003515/
Announcement on website: SciDAC 
USC Internal due date: January 29, 2025.
Pre-Application due date (required): February 21, 2025
Full Application due date: April 25, 2025.
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***Limited Submission***
(2 per institution)

 

Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Science (SC) / Isotope R&D and Production (DoE IP)
Program: Research, Development and Training in Isotope Production
NOFO #: DE-FOA-0003530
Synopsis: Supports research and development of advanced, cost-effective, and efficient technologies for enriching, producing, processing, recycling, and purifying isotopes in short supply. Broadly, specific areas of interest include (partial)
  - Automation, advanced manufacturing, AI/ML and/or robotics that would lead to advancement of production and processing techniques, targetry, and/or enhancement of facilities to increase the efficiency and/or safety of stable isotope enrichment or radioisotope production and/or processing;
  - Novel or improved metal conversion chemistry between phases of matter (e.g., plasmas, gases, liquids, solids) for the processing and fabrication of enriched stable and radioisotopes in multiple form factors. Research using sublimation and distillation techniques would also be responsive;
  - Advancements in novel pathways to produce enriched stable isotopes of hydrogen (H-2 or deuterium) and other isotopes relevant to fusion energy fuel cycles.

PIs must be in a permanent or indefinitely extendible position, or long-term at the applicant institution, whether tenured, tenure-track, or a staff appointment. The solicitation also includes a description of two different mechanisms to submit multi-institutional applications.
Award details: ~$11M funds projected to be available for 8 to 12 awards. Individual awards are expected to be between $100,000 per year and $750,000 per year. The award size will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds. Project periods will be for 2 years.
USC Internal Announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/de-foa-0003530/
External announcement on website: Isotope Research and Production 
USC Internal due date: January 29, 2025.
Pre-Application due date (required): February 17, 2025.
Application due date: April 17, 2025.
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Program: Reimagining Land Use and Zoning for Health Equity
Synopsis: Supports, as part of RWJF’s Healthy Communities portfolio, organizations and communities that are actively working to reimagine land use and zoning as tools for advancing healthy, thriving, and equitable communities. This call for proposals (CFP) is designed to identify and support existing and ongoing work that is in the demonstration (pilot), implementation, or evaluation stage, rather than concept, startup, or initiation phases. One focus of this work is creating equitable approaches to how communities are planned, revitalized, and built.
Award details: Each award is $250K for 18 months. 10 awards will be made

Announcement on website: https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2025/reimagining-land-use-and-zoning-for-health-equity.html
Letter of Intent due date: February 6, 2025.
Due date for full proposals (invited): April 15, 2025. Grant start date is July 1, 2025.
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California Health Care Foundation
Program: RFP — California Healthcare Payments Database Affordability Research Fund
Synopsis: Supports researchers interested in using California’s new Healthcare Payments Database (HPD) to study consumer affordability challenges or system wide cost drivers or both in the state. CHCF welcomes applications from a broad group of researchers, including those who are earlier in their careers, those who self-identify with a demographic group currently underrepresented in health services research, and those whose research interests include health care affordability challenges among historically disadvantaged groups.

Award details: Up to $500K of this funding will be awarded in spring 2025 and up to $500K will be awarded in spring 2026. This RFP is intended to identify an initial set of up to five grantees for awards that will be announced in March 2025.
Announcement on website:  https://www.chcf.org/rfp/request-for-proposals-california-healthcare-payments-database-affordability-research-fund/
Proposal due date: Online proposal due February 14, 2025.
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Herb Society of America (HSA)
Program: Research Grant
Synopsis: Supports the research of the horticultural, scientific, and/or medicinal use of herbs throughout history. Research must define an herb as historically useful for flavoring, medicine, economic, industrial, or cosmetic purposes and have the potential to significantly increase the knowledge of the field. This grant is intended to support small, self-contained research projects over a short period of time.
Award details: $10K

Announcement on website: https://www.herbsociety.org/get-involved/grants-scholarships/research-grant.html
Application due date: February 14, 2025.
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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR)
Program: Innovator Award in Food and Agriculture Research
Synopsis: Supports early-career scientists whose research addresses significant food and agriculture challenges. These awards enable the grantees to focus exclusively on research without the pressure of securing additional funding. Eligible candidates must also conduct research that aligns with FFAR research priority areas  (1) cultivating thriving through production systems; (2) sustaining vibrant agroecosystems; (3) and bolstering healthy food systems. Eligible candidates include faculty members in a tenure-track position no longer than three years, and who are within eight years of receiving their Ph.D. Individuals with significant research experience prior to obtaining their faculty position will not be considered for this award. Significant research experience is defined as an individual who has been awarded a substantial research grant (three to five years of support) or has received project funding totaling over $1M within the time of their tenure position, or similar career development awards with similar budgetary scopes.
Award details: Up to $150K per year for up to 3 years.
Announcement on website: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/opportunities/new-innovators-request-for-applications/
Nominations due date: February 19, 2025.
Full proposal due date: February 26, 2025.
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Cure Childhood Cancer
Programs: (1) Translation to CURE award (T2C) and (2) Early Investigator award (EI)
Synopsis: Supports investigators for targeted cancer research. T2C: open to investigators at any stage of their career (Assistant to Full Professor). EI: open to beginning scientists and physician scientists at the Instructor or Assistant Professor level. PhD scientists within 5 years of an initial appointment as a tenure track Assistant Professor are also invited to apply for this award.
Award details: T2C: Up to $150K per year for 2 years, plus 10% indirect costs; EI: $100K per year for 2 years, plus 10% indirect costs.
Announcement on website: https://curechildhoodcancer.org/our-research/for-researchers/
Letter of Intent due date: February 14, 2025.
Application due date (invited): March 28, 2025.
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HMHI)
Program: Hanna H. Gray Fellows
Synopsis: Supports early career scientists with the potential to become leaders in academic research. Fellows receive funding to support their postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding during their early career years as independent faculty. Eligible applicants have been accepted to join a lab at an eligible institution in the U.S., including Puerto Rico (USC is an eligible institution) led by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. Applicants must not have more than 2 years postdoctoral research experience by the application date, and are willing to commit to an additional 2 years of postdoctoral training. There is an opportunity to participate in webinars January 23rd and January 30th, 2025.
Award details: Postdoc Phase: An annual salary, $80K ,for the first year, and $20K annual expense allowance. The postdoc phase is 2-4 years Faculty Phase: Fellows will receive $250K in research funding and a $20K expense allowance per year, paid through a grant to the institution where they have attained a faculty position. The early career phase is up to 4 years.

Announcement on website: https://www.hhmi.org/programs/hanna-h-gray-fellows#award-information
Application due date: February 26, 2025
Required mentor materials due date: March 5, 2025.
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V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation (VKRF)
Program: Call for Proposals — Nature-Centrism as a Lens for Organizational Behavior and Decision-Making
Synopsis: Supports projects that explore on a systems level, the consequences of, and solutions to, humanity’s anthropocentric departure from value structures based on our kinship with nature. VKRM believes that many of these already-existing frameworks for nature-centric worldviews have the potential to lead to new ethical paradigms, models for cooperation, coexistence, and resilience that will overcome humans’ alienation from nature and foster wellbeing of all life on our shared planet. As an entry point for its upcoming spring 2025 grantmaking round, the foundation will explore whether a more mainstream adoption of a nature-centric worldview is possible, either within our current structures or in the future, when the escalating polycrisis prepares the ground for a broader re-examination of our current paradigm. Types of applicants include academic collaborating with stakeholders and influencing actual decision-making processes; influential alliances, networks and associations, and large organizations and institutions that are able to develop and test the application of nature-centric lenses in their own organizations and in external stakeholders.
Award details: Program funding is $6M, from which 12 to 15 projects will be funded. Overhead, indirect costs, and contingency may not exceed 20% of the grant’s budget, and fiscal sponsor fees may not exceed 15%.

Announcement on website: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6390dd77f81b020e2df52dcc/t/677c63a8d748d67cb77b7649/1736205224661/Call+for+Proposals+-+Spring+2025+-+Nature-Centric+Behavior+%5E0+Decision-Making.pdf
Letter of Inquiry due date: 2-Page Letter of Inquiry due February 3, 2025.
Full proposal due date (invited): April 9, 2025.
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Program: The State and Impact of the Humanities
Synopsis: Supports research that helps us better understand how and why the humanities matter, and how with data-grounded research studies how a stronger, more impactful humanities can be realized. Research designs may be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed. Research may draw on a wide variety of data sources and may include humanistic approaches. Project activities may include planning, data collection, data analysis, communication, and dissemination. This program does not fund data collection without additional associated analysis. 

Project teams may involve one or more people, one of whom must be a humanist.
Award details: Level 1: $75K for up to year; Level 2: $150K for up to 2 years.
Announcement on website: https://www.neh.gov/program/state-and-impact-humanities
Optional draft due date: February 14, 2025.
Application due date: April 16, 2025.
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Program: Fellowships for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan
Synopsis: Supports research and writing on modern Japanese society and political economy, Japan's international relations, and U.S.-Japan relations. The program encourages research that puts these subjects in wider regional and global contexts, is comparative and contemporary in nature, and contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the general public’s understanding. Appropriate disciplines include anthropology, economics, geography, history, international relations, linguistics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Awards must lead to a product, such as an article, monograph, book, e-book, digital material, translation, edition, or other scholarly resource. NEH also encourages applications from scholars who have earned their doctorate within the last 7 years to foster the next generation of leaders in developing and maintaining the Japan-U.S. relationship.
Award details: $60K per year ($5K month per year). Per the new payment service operated by the U.S. Department of Treasury, award checks will be deposited directly into individual accounts rather than institutional accounts.

Announcement on website: https://www.neh.gov/grants/research/fellowships-advanced-social-science-research-japan
Application due date: April 23, 2025; Project start date January 1, 2026 – September 1, 2027. Online information session will be held for applicants on March 5, 2025.
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U.S. Department of State / U.S. Embassy in Panama
Program:  Strengthening Government Through Civil Society Engagement in Panama
NOFO #: S-PM070-25-GR-501

Synopsis: Supports educational institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) for projects that aim to promote democratic institutions, accountability, and good governance in Panama. Proposals should focus on advancing both the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) goals as well as the Root Causes Strategy (RCS) — specifically to focus  on the CARSI Goal Three to support the development of strong, capable, and accountable Central American governments and the RCS Pillar II goal to combat corruption, strengthen democratic governance, and advance the rule of law.
Award details: $500K program funding. Anticipate making 2-3 individual awards for $100K to $250K for an 18-24 month project period.
Announcement on website: CARSI Panama 
Application due date: March 14, 2025.
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National Institute of Justice
Program: NIJ FY2025 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes
NOFO #: O-NIJ-2025-172351

Synopsis: Supports basic scientific research, and fosters research

and development in broader scientific fields applicable to forensic science. The aim is the development of highly discriminating, accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and rapid methods for the identification, analysis, and interpretation of forensic evidence for criminal justice purposes and ongoing forensic science research. Applicants are encouraged to propose multidisciplinary research teams to build on the complementary strengths of different methods and areas of subject matter expertise.
Award details: Program funding is $12.5M from which up to 30 awards will be made. Applicants are encouraged to propose budgets that match the research activities proposed, up to the full dollar amount anticipated to be awarded.
Announcement on website: NIJ FY25 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes 
Grants.gov application due date: April 2, 2025.
JustGrants application due date: April 16, 2025.
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Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Science (SC)
Program: 2025 Early Career Research Program (ECRP)
NOFO #: DE-FOA-0003450
Synopsis: Supports tenure-track assistant professors or untenured associate professors    in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP); Nuclear Physics (NP); Isotope Research and Development (R&D) and Production (DOE IP); and Accelerator R&D and Production (ARDAP). The purpose of this program is to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and to stimulate research careers in the areas supported by SC. For the present competition, those who received doctorates on or after January 1, 2014, are eligible.
Award details: Individual awards range to $875K over 5 years.
Announcement on website: Early Career Research Program (ECRP) 2025 
Pre-Application due date (required): February 18, 2025
Application due date: April 22, 2025.
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Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Science (SC) / Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
Program: EXPRESS: 2025 Exploratory Research for Extreme-Scale

NOFO #: DE-FOA-0003545

Synopsis: Supports research on the following topics, broadly, with details in the NOFO.
  - Quantum computation based on topological concepts
  -  Local and Campus-Area Quantum Networking for Next Generation Parallel Quantum

Computing
  -  Neuromorphic Computing
  -  Computational Physical Systems

  -  Deep Understanding of AI Models

Proposed research should focus on creating the body of knowledge and understanding that will inform future advances in extreme-scale science. Therefore, funding from this NOFO is not intended to incrementally extend current research in the area of the proposed project.
Award details: $16M program funding. Individual grants will run $200K to $1M over 2 years. 20 awards anticipated.
Announcement on website: EXPRESS 2025 
Pre-Application due date (required): February 25, 2025.
Application due date: May 6, 2025.
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Department of Energy (DoE) / Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Carbon Utilization
Program: Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Accelerating CO2 Conversion Technology and Development and Deployment — Biological, Catalytic, and Mineralization Pathways
NOFO #: DE-FOA-000349
Synopsis: Supports R&D to advance the conversion of anthropogenic carbon oxides through biological, catalytic, and mineralization pathways. These technologies will benefit producers and consumers by enabling the manufacture of more sustainable products with the long-term potential for lower costs and superior performance. Topic areas of interest include
- Pilot Scale Biological Conversion
- Pilot Scale Catalytic Conversion
- Pilot Scale Mineralization
- Other Testing and LCA Development Required for Commercialization
Award details: Specific award amounts vary with topic area. The project period for all topic areas is 2 years. There is a 20% cost share for all awards.
Announcement on website: Fossil Energy and Carbon Management BIL 
Application due date: April 11, 2025.
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NSF / Multiple Directorates including BIO, GEO, MPS, STEM
Program: Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI)
NSF Solicitation #: 25-534
Synopsis: Supports projects that build research capacity that address challenges to critical infrastructure that support and enable Americans in almost everything we do, including infrastructure that supports transportation, water, power, information technology, ecosystems, education, healthcare and emergency response systems. This solicitation aims to bring together experts from one or more of the social, behavioral and economic (SBE) science disciplines with experts across other scientific and engineering disciplines to support substantial and potentially pathbreaking and use-inspired fundamental research that will help to strengthen American infrastructure.
Award details: Program funding is estimated at $9.6M, from which 15 awards are expected. Individual award amounts contingent on quality of proposals and available funding.

Announcement on website: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf25534.pdf?VersionId=elI3GVCjwytz7r6Bg9Qjmbt1Zz7JWTOR
Proposal due dates: April 17, 2025 and March 6, 2026.

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NSF / Directorate for Biological Sciences (Divisions of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Systems) and Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Program: Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP)
NSF Solicitation #: 25-524
Synopsis: Supports conservation research that investigates organismal biology, ecology, and/or evolution and is designed to contribute to the development and implementation of evidence-based activities and/or technology solutions to advance biodiversity conservation needs in the U.S. or associated territories. Examples could include but are not limited to testing hypotheses about the mechanism(s) causing a biodiversity conservation problem; exploring how organismal, ecological, or evolutionary processes relate to urgent conservation needs; understanding how environmental variation, emerging diseases, or changing environments influence organismal responses and hence biodiversity conservation. In addition to the conservation impacts, the PACSP program encourages broader impacts that increase the recruitment, training, and retention of individuals or groups underrepresented in conservation science and practice. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation supports a global portfolio of partners working to preserve ocean health, protect wildlife, combat climate change, and strengthen communities. The Foundation invests in grantees to leverage technology, fill data and science gaps, and support public policy to enable lasting change.
Award details: Anticipate $16M program of which it is estimated 8 to 16 awards will be made for projects up to 5 years duration.
Announcement on website: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf25524_0.pdf?VersionId=OioPMHzsxvNBS7gR5TOQeCODxhvaqPXG
Proposal due date: December 17, 2025.
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NIH / National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Program: NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Broad Participation in Translational Research for AD / ADRD (F31 — Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Grant Award)
NOFO #: PAR-24-333
Synopsis: Supports research training of promising predoctoral candidates from diverse backgrounds and emphasizes the development of translational research skills and their application to various aspects of AD / ADRD research (from populations studies to research that can lead to new treatments and diagnostics, including all aspects of behavioral and social research). The long-term goal of this program is to develop a diverse translational workforce that can effectively participate in and / or lead a team-science, interdisciplinary approach to studies of AD / ADRD treatment, prevention, early detection, and disease management and care.
Award details: NIA intends to fund 6 awards for FYs 2026, 2027 and 2028 from $335K direct cost program funding. Award budgets are composed of stipends, tuition and fees, and institutional allowance.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-24-333.html
Application due dates: New applications are due 3 times a year through 2027. Next due date is April 8, 2025.
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Dornsife Corporate and Foundation Relationship
(Contact Kerri Bennett at kerriben@usc.edu for assistance if interested)

 

Simons Foundation
Program: Targeted Grants in MPS
Synopsis: Support high-risk theoretical mathematics, physics and computer science projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis. PIs and co-Investigators must have a Ph.D. and a tenure-track or tenured position at established U.S. and foreign public and private educational institutions and stand-alone research centers at the time of application.
Award details: Provides funding for up to five years. The funding level and duration is flexible and should be appropriate based on the type of support requested in the proposal. There is no recommended or assumed funding level for this program. See the request for application for details on allowable funding.
Announcement on website: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/targeted-grants-in-mps/?tab=rfa
Letter of Intent and Application due date: On a rolling basis.
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Department of Contracts and Grants

 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has updated its security standards in its NIH Security Best Practices for Controlled-Access Data Subject to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) Policy. Effective January 25, 2025, adherence to the updated security standards in the NIH Security Best Practices for Users of Controlled-Access Data will be included in new or renewed Data Use Certifications or similar agreements. Click here for more info.

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Research Initiatives and Infrastructure
Center for Excellence in Research (CER)

 

While the Spring 2025 schedule of workshops has not been released yet, recordings of presentations of Fall 2024 workshops are available. 

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Office Hours for Help with Research Administration Questions
Every Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. via Zoom: USC Dornsife Research Administration is now offering weekly office hours via Zoom. Feel free to join to ask questions and connect with research administration staff.

Zoom: https://usc.zoom.us/j/94648152007?pwd=M1ZPQU81QmtWc3VZaHp6QnhnK0RSdz09
Meeting ID: 946 4815 2007
Passcode:  989008

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