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Descripton at end of newsletter Week of March 25, 2024
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Greetings Dornsife Faculty,
This week our report includes
- Honor for one Dornsife faculty member;
- External funding success for five Dornsife faculty members;
- Two USC internal funding opportunities;
- Current and diverse external funding opportunities;
- Announcement of upcoming Center for Excellence in Research workshop;
- Announcements from DCG on (1) Revised NSF Grants.gov Application Guide; and (2) Reminder on guidelines on PI eligibility for Sponsored Research Projects; and
- Invitation to Dornsife Research Administration office hours.
Best regards,
Renee J. Perez, Vice Dean, Administration & Finance
Cathleen Crayton, Project Specialist
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Accolade
Nayan Shah, American Studies & Ethnicity, has been elected member of the Society of American Historians in recognition of Dr. Shah’s “narrative power” and scholarly distinction of Dr. Shah’s historical work.
External Funding Successes
Marco Angrisani, Economics, UAS-CLEAR: A new nationally representative longitudinal study of caregiving experiences and well-being across the life-course, Regents of the University of Michigan
Moh El-Naggar, Physics and Astronomy, Mistletoe Unfettered Research Grant, Momental Foundation
Eric Heller, Anthropology, The Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative, Canyonlands Natural History Association
Jill McNitt, Human and Evolutionary Biology, Personalizing informational repositories and performance feedback for coaches and athletes, USA Track & Field
Arthur Stone, Psychology, Advancing the Science and Practice of Ecological Momentary Assessment, National Institute on Aging
USC Internal Funding Opportunities
USC Office of the Senior Vice President of Health Affairs
Program: Nemirovsky Engineering and Medicine Opportunity (NEMO) Prize
Synopsis: Supports early stage research at the intersection of health sciences and engineering that do not yet qualify for support by federal agencies and are not yet mature enough for private investment. The goal is to support true health-engineering collaborations. The most competitive applicants will have lead investigators with both health science and engineering expertise. Both new and ongoing collaborative teams are invited to apply. Faculty and research investigators from USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are eligible to apply. The most competitive applicants will have lead investigators with academic appointments in one of the health sciences schools and in the Viterbi School of Engineering. Early stage or seasoned investigators can apply however we encourage teams to include an early-stage investigator(s). No preliminary data are needed but proposals will need to demonstrate that the project is feasible, and the team has the resources it needs to be successful. Information on 2 upcoming webinars to learn more about the prize can be found here.
Award details: $125K
Announcement: NEMO Prize
Letter of Intent due date: May 17, 2024.
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USC Office of Research and Innovation
Program: Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences (HHSS) Program
Synopsis: Supports humanities and humanistic social science faculty in
their individual and collective scholarly work. The activities supported will encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. The humanities and humanistic social sciences take a rich qualitative approach to the study of human creative thought and expression, and apply it to understanding and contextualizing how people process and document the human experience through events, ideas, policies, and human relationships. Humanities and humanistic social science scholarship produces better-informed leaders, innovators, and global citizens with a social conscience who are able to express their views persuasively and through different media and forms. The HHSS program consists of two subprograms: (1) HHSS Scholars Award, which will allow faculty to be
coached and receive advice on writing more competitive grant applications to external funding organizations; and (2) HHS Initiative Award, which is focused on a larger collaborative effort that includes multiple humanists and humanistic social scientists. All tenured, tenure track, and Research, Teaching, Practice, and Clinical (RTPC) faculty (with the exception of lecturers, adjunct, and part-time faculty) may serve as Principal Investigators.
Award details: HHSS Scholars Award: $110K for 1 year; HHSS Initiative Award: $140K for 1 year.
Announcement: HHSS RFP
Application due date: May 29, 2024. (Updated)
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External Funding Opportunities
Wenner-Gren
Program: Post Ph.D. Research Grants
Synopsis: Supports individual research projects undertaken by doctorates in anthropology or a closely related field that furthers understanding of what it means to be human. There is no preference for any methodology, research location, topic or subfield. The Foundation particularly welcomes proposals that integrate two or more subfields and pioneer new approaches and ideas. Qualified scholars of any nationality or institutional affiliation including senior scholars and those who are within 5 months of receiving their doctorate at application, but who have obtained their doctorate by the start date.
Award details: Up to $25K.
Announcement on website: https://wennergren.org/program/post-phd-research-grant/
Application due dates: Multiple due dates. The next due date is May 1, 2024.
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The Retirement Research Foundation (dba RRF Foundation for Aging)
Program: Research Grants
Synopsis: Supports research that seeks to identify interventions, policies, and practices to improve the well-being of older adults and / or their caregivers. Preference is given to projects aimed at generating practical knowledge and guidance that can be used by advocates, policy-makers, providers, and the aging network. Of particular interest are:
- Interventional trials; translational studies; and health services and policy research;
- Projects that build on the investigator’s past studies;
- Proposals that include robust dissemination plans to assure actionable findings reach appropriate audiences.
Award details: The requested budget should include evaluation costs such as data collection (e.g., personnel, copying, transportation, purchase of datasets if applicable, etc.); data management (checking for accuracy and entering data); and data analysis (software purchases, analysis time not included in other staff salary figures, and consultant fees).
Announcement on website: https://www.rrf.org/apply-for-a-grant/
Letter of Intent due date: Next LOI due May 1, 2024.
Application due date: August 5, 2024. Decisions are made in November.
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American Philosophical Association (APA)
Program: Berry Fund for Public Philosophy
Synopsis: Supports the APA committee’s public philosophy, whose goal is to identify and create opportunities to demonstrate the personal value and social usefulness of philosophy.
Award details: $1K
Announcement on website: https://www.apaonline.org/page/grants
Application due date: The grant request deadlines are October 30 and April 30. Funding decisions are normally made within three weeks after each deadline, with funds being available for disbursement immediately thereafter.
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National Council of Teachers — Mathematics (NCTM)
Program: Action Research on Mathematics Teaching Practices Grant
Synopsis: Support for action research conducted as a collaborative by university faculty, pre-service teacher(s), and classroom teacher(s) seeking to improve their teaching of mathematics in PK-12 classroom(s). Applicants may be either a teacher in the PK-12 classroom, a mathematics coach assigned to work with the classroom(s) where the research will be conducted, or a university mathematics educator. The primary applicant must be a current (on or before the application deadline) Essential or Premium member of NCTM.
Award details: $6K
Announcement on website: NCTM
Application due date: May 1, 2024. Awards notification is made in July. The award period is August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2024, of the upcoming school year.
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The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Program: Emerging Leader Award
Synopsis: Supports innovative cancer research from the next generation of leaders. The grants are awarded to early career investigators for high-impact, high-risk projects that are distinct from their current research portfolio. This award is not intended to be the primary source for research support and applicants are expected to have an NSF / CAREER award or an NIH R01 etc. Eligible applicants are three to eight years from the start of an independent faculty research appointment as of December 31, 2024 (i.e., the official start date of the appointment must fall within the calendar years 2016-2021). Exceptions due to prolonged medical or family leave will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applications are accepted from investigators from U.S. and Canadian institutions.
Award details: $250K per year for 3 years. Included in the $250K is a maximum 10% of that amount.
Announcement on website: https://themarkfoundation.org/emerging-leader-award-2/
Notice of Intent due date: April 29, 2024.
Full application due date (invited): July 22, 2024. The award begins in January 2025.
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Science / American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) & SciLifeLab
Program: Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists
Synopsis: Supports and encourages young scientists whose doctorates were obtained in the last 2 years (2022 and 2023) in the following categories: Cell and Molecular Biology; Genomics, Proteomics, and Systems Biology approaches; Ecology andEnvironment; Molecular Medicine. SciLifeLab is a joint effort between four Swedish universities (Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University, and Uppsala University), and of course, AAAS is the publisher of Science.
Award details: The grand prize winner will receive a prize of $30K; each of the three category winners will receive $10K The grand prize-winning essay will be published in Science and essays from the three category winners will be published online.
Announcement on website: https://www.science.org/content/page/science-scilifelab-prize-young-scientists
Application due date: July 15, 2024.
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National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Program: Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations
Synopsis: Supports Small and mid-sized cultural organizations in meeting the community’s needs by expanding the scope, reach, and excellence of their public programs. These awards support a variety of activities that focus on enriching interpretive strategies, strengthening interpretive skill sets or enhancing community engagement with public-facing programs. Additionally, applicants may choose to propose the implementation of new programs applicants have already developed. Another option is to request support for professional development opportunities that will assist staff and volunteers in expanding their skills as interpreters of humanities-grounded material. Applicants may also combine one or more of these approaches to create a strategy that meets the needs of your organization and audience. NEH encourages proposals from first-time applicants and those who have not received NEH funding.
Award details: Maximum award is $25K.
Announcement on website: https://www.neh.gov/program/public-impact-projects-smaller-organizations
Optional draft due date: May 8, 2024.
Application due date: June 12, 2024.
Project start date: March 1, 2025 to May 1, 2025.
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U.S. Department of Education
Program: 2024 Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program
Funding Opportunity #: ED-GRANTS-022324-001
Synopsis: Supports faculty who propose to conduct research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies to improve their skill in languages and their knowledge of the culture of the people of these countries. Eligible applicants teach in relevant to their foreign area of specialization for 2 years preceding the date of the award. U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents are eligible to apply.
Award details: The award covers travel expenses to and from the residence of the fellow and the country or countries of research, a maintenance stipend for the fellow related to his or her academic year salary, and an allowance for research-related expenses overseas such as books and photocopying, tuition, affiliation fees, local travel, and other incidental expenses. The award is 3-12 months.
Announcement on website: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/iegps/fra-press-kit.pdf
Application due date: April 23, 2024.
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U.S. Department of State / Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability
Program: 2024 Fiscal Year BAA 2024 Key Verification Assets Fund
Funding #: BAA-2024-DOS-ADS-02
Synopsis: Supports proposals focusing on research and development of technologies or support for programs to meet the mission of the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability (ADS) of the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Funded categories are broadly
- Nuclear Arms Control
- Chemical and Biological Weapons
- Emerging Technologies and AI
- Space and Missal Defense
- Conventional Risk Reduction and Stability Tools
Award details: Projects in 2021-2023 had an average total cost of $213K, with the base year cost generally falling between $50K and $150K. Estimated funding amounts may increase or decrease at any time based on current and future appropriations and can affect the actual funding approved compared to the cost identified in the White Papers / Proposals.
Announcement on website: Key Verification Assets Fund
White Papers due date: April 28, 2024.
Full proposal due date: 2 weeks after invitation to submit.
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Department of the Interior / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
Program: 2024 Invasive Species Eradication
Funding #: F24AS00320
Synopsis: Supports projects that propose the eradication of a newly introduced or established species in terrestrial or aquatic habitats of the United States, including the U.S. territories (aquatic habitats include freshwater, wetland, riparian, estuarian, and marine). While preference will be given to proposals that result in the eradication of invasive species, research proposals that advance research that increases the effectiveness and availability of eradication tools will be considered. For this solicitation “eradication” is defined as the elimination of all individuals of a distinct population in a geographically defined area that is not contiguous or connected (via natural dispersal) with other populations and that is surrounded by naturally occurring or human-made barriers sufficiently effective to prevent re-invasion as verified using monitoring and inventories.
Award details: Expected awards range from $50K to $1M
Announcement on website: Invasive Species Eradication
Application due date: May 27, 2024
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Health / Congressional Directed
Medical Research Program
Program: Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award Level 3
Funding Opportunity Number: HT942524BCRPBTA3
Synopsis: Supports research that will address the urgency of ending breast cancer. Specifically, the BCRP seeks to accelerate high-impact research with clinical relevance, encourage innovation, stimulate creativity, and facilitate productive collaborations. Challenges that ought to be addressed, and lead to or have a breakthrough and make an impact include
- Prevent breast cancer (primary prevention)
- Identify determinants of breast cancer initiation, risk, or susceptibility
- Distinguish deadly from non-deadly breast cancers
- Conquer the problems of over-diagnosis and overtreatment
- Identify what drives breast cancer growth; determine how to stop it
- Identify why some breast cancers become metastatic
- Determine why and how breast cancer cells lie dormant for years and then re-emerge; determine how to prevent lethal recurrence
- Revolutionize treatment regimens by replacing them with ones that are more effective, less toxic, and impact survival
- Eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer
With adequate justification, applications may identify and address another overarching challenge related to the breast cancer landscape. Justification must be provided in the application.
Award details: Maximum awards are $4M for applications with a single PI or $5M if applying under the Partnering PI Option (includes a Partnering PI in addition to the Initiating PI). Awards supported with FY24 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2025.
Announcement on website: Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award Level 3
Pre-Application due date: May 14, 2024.
Application due date: June 14, 2024.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Health / Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
Program: Ovarian Cancer Research Program Pilot Award
Funding Opportunity Number: HT942524OCRPPA
Synopsis: Supports the exploration of innovative concepts or theories in ovarian cancer that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will drive the field forward. The proposed research must demonstrate a clear focus on ovarian cancer (e.g., using tissues, cell lines, datasets, or appropriate animal models), and catalyze to expand or modify current thinking about and/or approaches in ovarian cancer. If cell lines or animals are to be used, a clear justification should be provided for the choice of proposed cell line(s) or animal model(s). Proposed research must address at least one of the critical areas, a couple we list here
- Understand the basic biology and etiology of ovarian cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, recurrence, genetics, and other critical events;
- Address health disparities;
- Investigate innovative approaches for ovarian cancer prevention.
Award details: $300K for direct cost over 2 years.
Announcement on website: Ovarian Cancer Research Program Pilot Award
Pre-Application (pre-proposal) due date: May 14, 2024.
Application due date (invited): June 17, 2024.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Health / Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
Program: Epilepsy Research Program / Idea Development Award
Funding Opportunity #: HT942524ERPIDA
Synopsis: Supports projects to (1) investigate topics related to epileptogenesis for the identification of mechanisms by which brain injury produces epilepsy, (2) study the prevention of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and concomitant comorbidities, and (3) develop innovative research tools or biomarkers to better detect, diagnose, or predict the development of PTE.
Award details: Funding will be on 2 levels: Funding Level I - Pathway to Independence Option: Early-career investigators ranging from the postdoctoral level (e.g., research associate, fellows, residents, or equivalent) to within 3 years of their first independent faculty position (or equivalent) may be named by the organization as the PI on the application (mentor required); and Funding Level II - Innovative New Direction Option: Investigators at all career levels may be named by the organization as the PI on the application. The maximum project period is 3 years.
Announcement on website: Epilepsy Research Program
Idea Development Award
Pre-Application due date: June 5, 2024.
Application due date: June 20, 2024.
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NSF / Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) – Division of Mathematics & Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Program: Mathematical Foundations of Digital Twins (MATH-DT)
Solicitation #: 24-559
Synopsis: Supports collaborative teams of 2 or more PIs or co-PIs to pursue foundational mathematical and statistical research on Digital Twins in applied sciences in response to the growing need to promote research aiming to stimulate an interplay between mathematics / statistics / computation and practical applications in the realm of Digital Twins. This program encourages new collaborative efforts within the realm of Digital Twins, aiming at stimulating fundamental research innovation, pushing, and expanding the boundaries of knowledge, and exploring new frontiers in mathematics and computation for Digital Twin development, and its applications. By leveraging this synergy, the program aims to harness science, technology, and innovation to address some of our Society's most pressing challenges. To learn more about the future of Digital Twins, check out this National Academy of Sciences publication courtesy Jim Murday.
Award details: $5M program funding. Awards intended for collaborative teams of 2 or more PIs or co-PIs.
Announcement on website: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf24559.pdf
Proposal due date: Annual due dates. The next due date is June 20, 2024.
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NIH / National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Program: NINDS Program Project Grant (P01 — Research Program Projects)
NOFO #: PAR-24-169
Synopsis: Supports innovative, interactive research to answer significant scientific questions that are important for the mission of NINDS, via a synergistic collaboration between outstanding scientists who might not otherwise collaborate. The program project grant is designed to support research in which the funding of several interdependent highly meritorious projects as a group offers significant scientific advantages over support of these same projects as individual research grants. In keeping with its tradition of strong support of investigator-initiated research, NINDS expects the program project grant director to define the integrating theme and to develop the approaches that would be used to accomplish the objectives of the proposed research program. The theme of a program project could be, for example, basic research on regeneration and plasticity in the nervous system or basic and clinical research on a specific disease process; the unifying concept could be a hypothesis concerning the fundamental mechanisms that result in the clinical manifestations of the specific disease process.
Award details: Not likely to accept applications in excel of $1M for direct costs per year. t is strongly recommended that potential applicants contact NINDS while they are still in the process of developing conceptual plans for a PPG and at least 8 weeks before submitting, and if a decision to apply is made PI ought to identify the NINDS contact with whom they contacted in the cover letter included with the proposal
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-24-169.html
Letter of Intent due date: 30 days prior to submission of application.
Application due dates for new applications: May 25, 2024; September 25, 2024.
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Announcements of Interest for Dornsife Investigators
USC Office for Research and Innovation
Center for Excellence in Research
Upcoming Workshop
Avoiding Research Misconduct Allegations Against Your Lab
Allegations of research misconduct are disruptive and potentially career-damaging, even if the allegations are unsubstantiated. In this seminar, ways to reduce the risk of an allegation against your lab, steps to take when you, a member of your lab, or a colleague are accused, and what to do when your work is mentioned negatively on PubPeer or other social media sites will be discussed.
Date: April 9, 2024. Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Virtual Registration: https://rii.usc.edu/cer/
Presenter: Kristen Grace, Research Integrity Officer, Office of Research & Innovation
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Department of Contracts and Grants
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has published a revised version of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide. Overall, the guide has been updated to align with the revisions to NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). A by-chapter summary of changes is provided at the beginning of the document. The guide will be effective for applications submitted (via Grants.gov) or due, on or after May 20, 2024. See DCG's NewsFlash! for more information.
Also from DCG: A Reminder — Consistent with the USC Guide to Sponsored Research, all tenured, tenure track, and Research, Teaching, Practice, and Clinical (RTPC) faculty (with the exception of lecturers, adjunct, and part-time faculty) may serve as Principal Investigators on Sponsored Research Projects. Other specific employee types including part-time faculty, certain staff positions and postdoctoral scholars may serve as a Principal Investigator only if a waiver is granted.
To streamline the request for a waiver to serve in a PI role, please complete the applicable Principal Investigator Exception Request and Approval form and, once complete and signed by your school, provide to DCG to secure VP approval.
Your DCG point of contact for all PI eligibility waiver forms is Katie Rountree. Please direct all completed forms to her attention to secure VP approval. For additional guidance, please see the PI Eligibility section of the DCG Website and / or Dornsife Research Office.
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Dornsife Research Office
USC Dornsife Research Administrtion
Dornsife Research Office is offering weekly online office hours on Wednesday afternoon from 3pm-4pm via Zoom. Feel free to drop in with a question and connect with Dornsife research staff.
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Book Cover: Histories of Indian Perfume ( Marg Magazine, Volume 25 Issue 2 September-December 2023) Edited by James Mchugh, Religin
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