Greetings Dornsife Faculty,

 

Congratulations to Dornsife faculty, students and staff for another successful  academic year of research, teaching, study and administration!

In this issue of the Weekly Report we include: 
– High honors for a college faculty member;
– Many current and diverse funding opportunities, including one limited submission; 
– Announcement of a upcoming post semester webinar offered by the Office of Research and Innovation on innovation and entrepreneurship. The webinar is organized by the Center for Excellence in Research.
– Dornsife research administration continues to hold office hours for questions or issues in developing and reviewing faculty proposals.

 

Best regards,

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

Marci Vogel, English, is a recipient of the highly selective Camargo Fellowship for Scholars, Thinkers, and Artists. Dr. Vogel will spend 10 weeks in Cassis, France for her project involving the translation of Cairo-born francophone poet, Andrée Chedid

Internal Funding Opportunity

 

USC / Southern California Healthcare Delivery Science Center
Program: 2025 Health System Innovation Award
Synopsis: Supports projects that implement and evaluate the impact of innovations in healthcare delivery for their effectiveness in addressing challenges deemed high priority by health system stakeholders. Eligible PIs are USC faculty members. Co- Co-investigators should include healthcare system personnel. Applicants should assemble a team that includes both researchers and healthcare system stakeholders.  The award is intended to support scientific endeavors that provide value to patients receiving care from the healthcare system within the project period and generate results that support larger-scale implementation or further application of the strategies tested in the project. 

Award details: $125K over a 2-year project period.

Announcement on website: https://sites.usc.edu/hdscenter/2025-health-system-innovation-award/
Letter of Intent due date: June 27, 2025.
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External Funding Opportunities

 

***Limited Submission***
(Up to 3 awards per institution per cycle)

 

The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation
Program: Grants — Fall Cycle 2025
Synopsis: Supports basic scientific research, realizing that true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena. More recently, and with the advent of newer investigative methodologies, technology, and tools, the Foundation now embraces innovative translational research proposals. Areas of interest include immunology, microbiome, structural biology, cellular physiology, cancer biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology and infectious diseases, stem cell biology, and neuroscience. Specifically not of interest is research in Plant biology, oceanography, space exploration, global warming, medical imaging technology, and electrical engineering technology development, research conducted in human subjects, clinical trials, drug discovery.
Award details: Up to &700K over 3 years. Maximum indirect costs is 10%.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/mathers/
External announcement on website: https://mathersfoundation.org/?page_id=8
USC Internal due date: July 18, 2025.
Letter of Intent due date: October 3, 2025.
External due date (invited): December 12, 2025.
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Pen America
Program: 2026 Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists
Synopsis: Supports an author of children’s or young adult fiction for a novel-in-progress. Previously called the PEN / Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, the award was developed to help writers whose work is of high literary caliber, and assist a writer at a crucial moment in their career to complete their novel. Eligible candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated significant sales. The submitted work must be a novel-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026.
Award details: $5K
Announcement on website: https://pen.submittable.com/submit/323875/2026-pen-phyllis-naylor-grant-for-childrens-and-young-adult-novelists
Submission due date: June 1, 2025.
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Bicentennial Swedish-American Exchange Fund
Program: Travel grants
Synopsis: Support opinion-forming projects within areas such as politics, public administration, unions, organizations, mass media, industry and commerce, K-12 education, and culture. The opinion-forming component requires that the applicant emphasize how she / he/ they can disseminate their project.  Applicants must supply a realistic and comprehensive project description, which indicates follow-up plans as well as a plan for disseminating research results. U.S. applicants who have made recurrent visits to or resided in Sweden, and Swedish applicants who have made recurrent visits to or resided in the United States, will be considered only in exceptional cases. The grant may not be used to finance participation in conferences or ongoing academic research projects, or vocational or academic courses. The grant is intended for professional enrichment and is thus not applicable to studies or work related to academic degrees. Applicants must be U.S. or Swedish citizens.
Award details: Grants cover a 2-4 week travel period and may be used in conjunction with scholarship or other funds.

Announcement on website: https://1976fund.org/
Application due date: June 18, 2025.
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Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation
Programs: Scholar-Residence-in France and Host an International Colloquium in France
Synopsis: Scholar in Residence: Supports scholars a “home base” for researchers to conduct research and writing during a sabbatical leave. A scholarly publication is expected from this opportunity. International Colloquium in France: Supports academicians to organize and direct a 3-day international colloquia in their fields during the summer of 2026. Colloquia ought to be small, with an even distribution of American and European participants. A published work is expected post-colloquium.
Award details: Scholar-in-Residence: $35K for a semester or quarter during the academic year 2026-2027; International Colloquium: $40K for summer of 2026.
Announcement on website: Faculty Grants in France

Application due date: October15, 2025 for both programs.
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Smith Richardson Foundation
Program: Strategy and Policy Fellows
Synopsis: Supports young scholars and policy thinkers on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, military policy, and diplomatic and military history to research and write a book as a single author. Within the academic community, this program supports junior or adjunct faculty, research associates, and postdocs who are engaged in policy-relevant research and writing. Within the think tank community, the program supports members of the rising generation of policy thinkers who are focused on U.S. strategic and foreign policy issues.
Award details: $60K

Announcement on website: https://www.srf.org/programs/international-security-foreign-policy/strategy-policy-fellows-program/
Application due date: June 9, 2025.
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Hoover Institute of Stanford University
Program: Veteran Fellowship Program
Synopsis: Supports veterans who served on active duty within the last twenty-five years and are successful mid-career practitioners with a desire to lead in their communities and a commitment to promoting ideas and actions for free societies. Candidates must come with impactful ideas and the drive to deliver results. Each veteran should possess self-motivation, a professional network, and vision to pursue their innovative project. Hoover is interested in applications from former enlisted members and officers; those separated or retired from service; and those current or former reservists. Rather than strictly academic research, the program asks each Veteran Fellow to tackle a significant actionable policy issue that aligns with the principles and priorities of the Hoover Institution. Topic areas may include (1) Answering Challenges Faced by Advanced Capitalist Societies; (2) Reforming K-12 Education; (3) Determining America’s Role in the World; (4) Revitalizing History; (5) Empowering State and Local Governance; (6) Understanding Public Opinion; (7) Confronting and Competing with China; (8) Revitalizing American Institutions; and (9) Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance.

Award details: $10K stipend to offset the costs of travel. 

Announcement on website: https://www.hoover.org/veteran-fellowship-program
Application due date: July 31, 2025.
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American Physical Society
Program: M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship
Synopsis: Supports women who want to return to physics research careers after having had to interrupt those careers. Eligible candidates are currently U.S. or Canadian citizens, or legal residents; have completed work toward their Ph.D.; have a designated mentor; and are able to establish they will have institutional affiliation during the tenure of the grant. It is not necessary they have institutional affiliation to apply.
Award details: $45K
Announcement on website: https://www.aps.org/funding-recognition/fellowship/blewett-fellowship
Nominations due date: June 2, 2025.
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American Chemical Society (ACS)
Program: Women Chemists Committee Rising Star Award
Synopsis: Supports ACS members who identify as female and work in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering in academic, industrial, government, non-profit or other employment sectors. Appropriate candidates will typically be no more than 15 years from receipt of their terminal scientific degree and have demonstrated outstanding promise for contributions to their respective fields. Applicants can either be self-nominated or can be nominated by another individual for this award. The nominator does not need to be an ACS member. Previous Rising Star awardees are not eligible.
Award details: $15K
Announcement on website: https://www.acs.org/funding/awards/women-chemists-rising-star-award.html  
Nominations due date: June 15, 2025.
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Frontiers Research Foundation
Program: Frontiers Planet Prize
Synopsis: Supports transformational research that shows the greatest potential to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges. Engaging all stakeholders in the academic community, the process of selecting a winner is exceptionally rigorous and thorough. See details in the brochure, but broadly, scientists begin by submitting their articles to their institutions (at USC, that would be the Office of Research and Innovation), who, in turn, send 3 submissions to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The NAS in turn, selects the top three submissions from all participating institutions and sends them to the International “Jury of 100”. The Jury selects 3 international submissions for the Prize. Articles accepted for publication must fall between November 1, 2023, and October 1, 2025.
Award details: Each of the 3 international winners will receive a prize of $1M. They will also be supported in embedding their award-winning work – and sharing their knowledge – in roundtable discussions at some of the world’s most relevant conferences and regional events.
Announcement on website: https://www.frontiersplanetprize.org/fpp-brochure
Submission due date: ~September 1, 2025.

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University of Pennsylvania / PennCURF (Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships)
Program: Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
Synopsis: Supports undergraduates in good academic standing, and who are U.S. citizens, or otherwise legal residents, and who have demonstrated an interest in pursuing graduate study for Ph.D. and / or M.D, with a fully-paid summer internship that provides training and mentoring in the principles underlying the conduct of research and prepares them to pursue competitive applications to Ph.D. or MD-Ph.D. programs. The SR-EIP offers closely mentored research experiences in the life and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities at 20 research institutions across the country (USC is not among this group of 20 research institutions). Interested students may apply once to 3 SR-EIP schools.
Award details: 8-10 weeks at a Leadership Alliance Institute; stipend; receive both research and professional development mentoring; travel and housing costs covered.

Announcement on website: https://curf.upenn.edu/content/summer-research-early-identification-program-sr-eip
Application due date (tentative): February 3, 2026.
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The Franklin Institute
Program: The 2026 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science — Human Gene Therapy
Synopsis: Supports and recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of the field of human gene therapy. Nominations are encouraged in, but not limited to, the following areas
- Ex vivo / in vivo cellular engineering
- In vivo gene transfer
- Cell-based gene therapies
- Development of viral and non-viral delivery platforms
- Mediators of genotoxicity
Nominations, including self-nominations, from any individual or organization will be accepted. Nominations of candidates traditionally underrepresented in science are particularly encouraged.
Award details: $250K, and a 14- karat gold medal.
Announcement on website: 2026 Bower Award
Nominations due date: May 30, 2025.
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Oak Spring Garden Foundation
Program: Fellowship in Plant Science
Synopsis: Supports early-career plant scientists, with preference given to scientists working in organismal plant biology.  The goal is to provide advanced graduate students, post-docs, and beginning faculty, working in organismal plant biology, with an extended stay of 2 - 5 weeks on the Oak Spring estate to undertake independent writing and thinking, away from the day-to-day demands of their other responsibilities. The Fellowship is well-suited for individuals working on dissertations or writing projects that require dedicated time in a supportive community with minimal distractions.

Award details: $10K grant.
Announcement on website: https://www.osgf.org/fellowships/plant-science-research
Application due date: May 31, 2025.
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American Society of Primatologists (ASP)
Program: Small Research Grant - Primate Research
Synopsis: Supports studies designed to test hypotheses about the proximate and ultimate processes that influence primate behavior, social organization, development, reproduction, physiology, anatomy and / or evolution. Proposals focused purely on welfare or conservation activities are not eligible. To be eligible, applicants must be current ASP members. Undergraduate and graduate student applicants must have a sponsor/mentor. Field/Zoo/Laboratory/Sanctuary applications will be treated equally.
Award details: Grants range from $500 to $2K.
Announcement on website: https://asp.org/grants-and-awards/research-grants/
Application due date: June 20, 2025.
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Brain Injury Association of America
Program: Young Investigator Seed Grants and Brain Injury Scholar Seed Grants
Synopsis: (1) Young Investigator See Grants: Supports the background work needed to establish a line of research for a new investigator. The applicant must identify a mentor to assist them with the study. Seed grants are to assist PI to prepare for larger funding from organizations such as NIH, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research or other public or private funding sources.
(2) Brain Injury Scholar Seed Grants: Supports experienced investigators who already have $300K or more in funding or have a publication record of peer-reviewed articles and who wish to supplement an existing project by testing a new hypothesis, adding an additional cohort, or conducting secondary analysis of existing data.
Award details: Up to $25K over 2 years.
Announcement on website: https://biausa.org/professionals/research/grants/seed-grants
Letter of Interest due date: July 1, 2025.
Proposal due date (invited): September 16, 2025.
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The McKnight Brain Research (MBRF) and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)
Program: Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss
Synopsis: Supports full-time independent investigators at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor (or equivalent) with established independent research programs who have already demonstrated a firm commitment to cognitive aging research. The award will add substantial start-up support for a period of three years to help these investigators develop and / or expand an outstanding research program in cognitive aging and memory loss. One award will be made to support innovative studies focusing on clinical translational research and another will support innovative studies of basic biological mechanisms underlying cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Applicants may be no more than 7 years after postdoc training.
Award details: $750K over 3 years.
Announcement on website: https://www.afar.org/grants/mcknight-award
Application due date: August 12, 2025.
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American Psychological Foundation
Program: Joseph B. Gittler Award
Synopsis: Supports psychologists who are within 10 years of obtaining their doctoral degree for their continued contributions to our understanding of the the philosophical contributions foundations to psychological knowledge. APF encourages applications from all qualified psychologists.
Award details: $4.5K
Announcement on website: https://ampsychfdn.org/funding/gittler-award/
Application due date: Jun 5, 2025.
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American Psychological Foundation
Program: Wayne F. Placek Grant Program
Synopsis: Supports research that addresses the following topics: heterosexual attitudes and behaviors toward LGBTQIA+ people, including prejudice, discrimination, and violence; family and workplace issues relevant to LGBTQIA+ people; special concerns of sectors of the LGBTQIA+ population that have historically been underrepresented in scientific research; and issues concerning Black LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities. Post-doctoral applicants, as well as candidates for the doctorate, are eligible to apply.
Award details: $15K. One of the grants, the Wayne F. Placek Grant in Memorial
of John Peterson, will be focused on psychological research into issues concerning Black LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities conducted by scholars of color.
Announcement on website: https://ampsychfdn.org/funding/placek-grants/
Application due date: June 12, 2025.
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When Everyone Survives Leukemia Research Foundation (WES Foundation)
Program: WES 2025 Research Grant
Synopsis: Supports new and established investigators for laboratory, translational, or clinical research related to acute leukemia.

The WES Foundation supports leukemia research because it recognizes that significant advances in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of leukemia are needed to achieve the goal of “when everyone survives”.
Award details: $50K for one year. Renewal of initial research support may be considered for one or more additional years based upon productivity.
Announcement on website: https://www.wheneveryonesurvives.org/grant_application
Application due date: June 1, 2025.
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Program: Dialogues on the Experience of War
Synopsis: Supports the development of humanities-focused discussion programs that enlarge the understanding of the meaning and experiences of military service and war. Through the training of facilitators for and the offering of these discussion programs, Dialogues projects enable veterans and nonveterans to explore together and in depth such topics as civic engagement, veteran identity, legacies of military service, the human costs of war, and homecoming.
Award details: Up to $100K
Announcement on website: https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/dialogues-the-experience-war
Application submission window (anticipated): June 16, 2025 to September 16, 2025. Project start date anywhere from May 1, 2026 to September 1, 2026.
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NASA / Space Technology Mission Directorate
Program: Early Career Faculty
NOFO #: NNH25ZTR001N-25ECF-B1
Synopsis: Supports early-stage space technology research of high priority to NASA’s Mission Directorates. Proposals are sought on specific space technologies that are currently at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). The program seeks to tap into the talent base of highly skilled engineers, scientists, and technologists at U.S. universities, challenging early-career faculty to examine the theoretical feasibility of new ideas and approaches that are critical to making space exploration, space science, and other civil space pursuits more effective, affordable, and sustainable. The PI must be an untenured Assistant Professor on the tenure track at the sponsoring U.S. university at the time of award. The PI must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful status of permanent residency at the time of award. The PI must be the primary researcher on the effort; Co-Investigators are not permitted. Collaborators (other than NASA civil servants and JPL employees) are permitted. The 2 topics of interest are broadly
  (1) Advanced Diagnostics for High-Enthalpy Test Facilities Simulating Spacecraft Atmospheric Entry with the goal to develop instruments and diagnostic techniques to provide detailed measurements of flow-field properties for high-enthalpy test facilities, such as long-duration arc-heated wind tunnels, that are used to simulate aerothermal environments experienced by spacecraft during atmospheric entry.
  (2) Planning for Autonomous Spacecraft Using Machine Learning Methods to Enable Onboard Guidance, Navigation, and Control with the goal to enable the next generation of onboard guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) operations for spacecraft using machine learning to achieve goals while operating independently of external control.

Award details: Up to $750K over a maximum 3-year project period. No budget for any year may exceed $250K.
Announcement on website: NASA Early Career
Notice of Intent due date: June 10, 2025.
Proposal due date: July 10, 2025.

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NASA / Office of STEM Engagement
Program: Engagement Opportunities in NASA STEM 2025 (EONS-2025) — Omnibus announcement
NOFO #: NNH25ZHA001C

Synopsis: Supports projects for a wide range of NASA science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) engagement opportunities for basic and applied science and technology research and education. NASA investments in STEM engagement are focused on building a future STEM workforce through program elements designed to bolster capacity and to attract, engage, and enable students to move toward STEM careers through NASA-unique opportunities. Specific opportunities will be issued periodically throughout the year as appendices to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) with individual requirements and milestones.
Award details: Program funding is anticipated at $135M, of which 300 awards ranging from $150K to $5M. are anticipated

Announcement on website: EOS-2025
Application due date: TBD
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NSF / Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
Program: Science of Science: Discovery, Communication and Impact SoS:DCI)
Solicitation #: PD 19-126Y
Synopsis: Supports rigorous, empirical research focused on advancing knowledge and theory on the social science of scientific discovery; theories, models and data improving our understanding of scientific communication; and how science advances evidence-based policymaking and public value. Of particular interest are proposals with the potential to strengthen America’s global leadership in science and increase national competitiveness across a broad range of domains.

Research interests include
  -  The social and structural mechanisms of scientific discovery.
  -  Theories, frameworks, models and data that improve our understanding of scientific communication and outcomes.

  -  The societal benefits of scientific activity and how science advances evidence-based policy making and the creation of public value.

This program places a high priority on broadening participation in the sciences. It encourages proposals from early-career researchers and from researchers who represent groups and regions that have historically participated at disproportionately low rates in science, mathematics, and engineering.
Award details: Recent awards have ranged up to $500K+ for Standard Grants. Conference grants are also available.

Announcement on website:

https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/sosdci-science-science-discovery-communication-impact
Proposal target dates: September 9, 2025, and February 10, 2026.
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The Following National Institutes of Health (NIH) Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) are Forecasted 

 

NIH / National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Program: Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) Consortia Research Resource (U24 — Resource-Related Research Projects--Cooperative Agreements)
Opportunity #: NOT-AA-25-010

Synopsis: Supports two collaborative research consortia through an open competition to study brain-body homeostatic dysregulation that promotes and perpetuates excessive alcohol drinking and related Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) phenotypes. The program will seek hypothesis-centered research on interactions between alcohol and other relevant causal influences. Focus on trajectories from initial alcohol exposure to the development of pathological drinking by some individuals will identify translatable markers and mechanisms to support future prevention and intervention efforts that reduce the chronic conditions associated with alcohol misuse including but not limited to AUD.
Announcement: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/358826
Estimated post date: October 1, 2025.
Estimated application due date: May 1, 2026.
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NIH
Program: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
Synopsis: Support the integrated research and clinical training needs of highly promising predoctoral students, who are matriculated in a combined MD/PhD or other dual-doctoral degree training program (e.g. DO / PhD, DDS / PhD, AuD / PhD, DVM / PhD), during their mentored research training and clinical training under the guidance of faculty sponsors.

Announcement: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/358832  
Estimated Post Date: Passed – May 10, 2025
Estimated application due date: August 8, 2025.
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NIH
Program: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Senior Fellowship (F33)
Synopsis: Supports experienced scientists (7 years beyond the doctorate, at the associate professors and full professors level) who wish to make major changes in the direction of their research careers or who wish to broaden their scientific background by acquiring new research capabilities as independent research investigators in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
Announcement: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/358833
Estimated Post Date: Passed – May 10, 2025
Estimated application due date: August 8, 2025.
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Office of Research and Innovation
Center for Excellence in Research

Upcoming Webinar

 

Planting the Seed: Innovation at the Early Stage of Entrepreneurship
USC is poised to create an ecosystem focused on a startup mindset, entrepreneurship, and a path to commercialization. Leaders work with leaders, so this initiative welcomes experts from the region to join us in this vision and discuss how they envision innovation evolving in the LA region and beyond. Join in for an engaging and interactive webinar where you’ll hear from leading experts in student entrepreneurship, incubator and accelerator models, and fundraising as they share their knowledge and experiences. The webinar will also feature emerging concepts in new disciplines and how this is shaping the future of innovation.

Date:  May 28, 2025                                                Time: 10:00 A.M.

Registration: https://rii.usc.edu/cer/

Contact usccer@usc.edu or https://rii.usc.edu/cer/ with any questions.

 

Webinar Highlights Include: Steve Moldin, PhD, Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation, USC Opening remarks and introduction to the USC Innovation Vision Panelists Introduction: Thanassis Rikakis, PhD, Dean and Professor Iovine Young Academy Nikki Lin, MBA, Director of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, UCLA Magnify Howard Xu, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, Director of LA Biospace, CSLA Gabriel Schlumberger, Managing Director, USC Techstars Accelerator.
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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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