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Conducting Research in the Age of COVID-19
A Message from the Vice Provost for Research
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Dr. Chris Spilling
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Research
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| Dear UMSL Research Community,
The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges and will have significant impact on the research community at UMSL and at universities around the globe. It also presents us with tremendous opportunities to be key contributors in developing solutions to this novel virus. Research funding for COVID-19 is readily available from both federal agencies and foundations. If you conduct research related to COVID-19 or you can easily pivot to COVID-19, we encourage you to do so.
Funding opportunities are emerging daily in health, physical, biological sciences, AI and supply chain areas and in clinical and social science areas to develop novel interventions and approaches for the cascade of events that will affect our communities during and after the pandemic. Increases in research expenditures will help UMSL weather the potential difficulties that lie ahead.
We know that you have suspended your labs as well as direct contact with human subjects, transitioned your classes online, often while home schooling your children and continuing to write manuscripts and research proposals. On behalf of the entire team at ORA, we want to say THANK YOU for your tremendous effort during this unprecedented time. We are here to support you in finding funding, preparing, reviewing and submitting proposals. If there is anything we can do to reduce your burden in seeking grants, please reach out to us.
We encourage you to use this time to work on manuscripts, write proposals, perfect your online teaching, stay connected with colleagues, strengthen and cultivate partnerships with colleagues across the UM System and area universities, and take advantage of the technology resources available to our campus to support virtual collaboration. Most of all, be safe, take care of yourselves and each other.
Sincerely,
Christopher D. Spilling, PhD, CChem, FRSC
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Research
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Below are links to key agency updates (see more in "External Funding Opportunities & News"):
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EXTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & NEWS
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COVID-19 Funding Opportunities
Federal Agency Grants News
The Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) has compiled information and links to "Institutional and Agency Responses to COVID-19 and Additional Resources." Agencies included at distribution time of this e-newsletter include the following: CDC, DARPA, DHHS, DOD, DOE, DOJ, EPA, FDA, HRSA, NASA, NIH, NAVY, NEH, NSA, NSF, OMB, ONR, SAMHSA, USAMRAA, USAID, USDOT, and USDA.
Below is additional information on agency response to COVID-19 along with additional grants-related guidelines and requirements.
Local Commercialization Programs- Arch Grants
Arch Grants has delayed new application deadline indefinitely and launched a relief fund program for current companies.
- InvestMidwest Forum
InvestMidwest has gone virtual and moves to May 5, 2020. Get all the details.
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Opt Into the Research Enabled Portal to Connect with Industry-Sponsored Research Opportunities Directed Toward Your Interests and Expertise!
No matter your discipline, the portal will help you find support for your research and initiatives, connect you with companies needing your expertise and resources, and provide you a tool to get your current projects in front of potential industry collaborators.
Go to ResearchEnabled.org to claim your profile today and engage with industry when the portal goes live!
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Research Enabled is a collaborative initiative (led by UMSL) among the University of Missouri and Southern Illinois University systems, community partners and industry including Bayer Crop Science, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, MilliporeSigma, Nidec Motor Corporation, BioSTL, IMEC, ITEN, Missouri Association of Manufacturers, Missouri Enterprise, and the workforce development boards of St. Louis City and County. The Research Enabled project is sponsored in part by the Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (award #ED19HDQ0200011).
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ABOUT THE ORA
The Office of Research Administration (ORA) strives to enhance the campus research enterprise, from maintaining an investigator-focused infrastructure and streamlining research processes to facilitating and diversifying investigators' avenues for funding and commercializing research discoveries. Please feel free to stop by the ORA (341 Woods Hall) to find out more about how we can help you succeed. Or visit umsl.edu/research, email ora@umsl.edu or call 314-516-5899. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Sponsored Projects at UMSL
The Office of Research Administration (ORA) administers grants and contracts for sponsored research and other activities at UMSL. Staff can assist you with many aspects of both internal and external funding, including the following:
- funding opportunity identification
- grant writing
- research compliance
- pre-award budgeting and submission
- post-award financials
- project close-out
For assistance with funding opportunities and grant writing, contact Cynthia Jobe (jobec@umsl.edu, 516-5674). To find your pre- and post-award accountant, download the ORA Staff Responsibilities PDF.
Visit the ORA web site for more information on "Proposals, Grants and Contracts" and "Compliance." Feel free to stop by the office at 341 Woods Hall anytime to meet the staff.
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Technology Transfer at UMSL
The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at UMSL, which is part of the ORA, is here to assist faculty in bringing their research discoveries and inventions, including copyrightable works such as software, to market.
So, why do universities engage in Technology Transfer? Watch this quick video by the Association of University Technology Managers:
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UMSL's TTO staff work to analyze the technology regarding intellectual property protection and the market need to determine whether patent applications should be filed and/or copyrights should be registered. For those inventions that can be protected (and even some that cannot), we then look for potential industry partners, which could include established companies and/or startup ventures, to license and commercialize the discovery.
We also process all Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), and research-related fee-for-service agreements, among others, for UMSL.
Please visit the TTO web site for more information or to disclose an invention. Feel free to come see us at 346 Woods Hall. Email: wilgerst@umsl.edu
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