Office of Research & Innovation
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Office of Research & Innovation Newsletter - Autumn 2022

Volume 8, Issue 3

In this issue:


Welcoming New ORI Team Members

Dear Colleagues,

Drexel’s R-1 Carnegie Classification as a “Very High Research Activity” institution was first attained in 2018 and reaffirmed in 2022, with the University improving on the majority of classification metrics. Since 2014 our externally sponsored research expenditures have increased by more than 40 percent, and in the last fiscal year alone, our research community achieved the highest levels of sponsored research expenditures to date, representing a 9 percent increase over the prior year. As a biochemist who first joined Drexel 20 years ago, I could not be prouder of the colleagues and students whose work has elevated our research and innovation enterprise to the levels we see today. And I recognize that to sustain this activity requires a robust research support team. Today, I am thrilled to introduce 13 new team members to the Office of Research & Innovation who will help to support our continued growth. Many of these new colleagues are filling roles that have been vacant for some time, while a few roles have been strategically added to support our growth and the new strategic plan. Please join me in welcoming our new colleagues to the following teams: 

Joining the Drexel Applied Innovation team:

Joining the Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs team:

Joining the Research Development team:

Joining the Sponsored Programs team:


J.P. Morgan Corporate Quick Pay 

J.P. Morgan Corporate Quick Pay is an electronic payment platform that pays research study participants by using their email address or mobile phone #. Secure electronic payments are sent by J.P. Morgan to research study participants. Any Drexel PI can request access to utilize Corporate Quick Pay to pay their research study participants. (Participants need to have a bank account and be a U.S. Citizen.) 

Anyone wishing to learn more about using Quick Pay can contact Jennifer Reed-Hack at jr375@drexel.edu.

JP Morgan Quick Pay steps for PI and Department [PDF]

JP Morgan Chase Corp Quick Pay SOP [DOC]


Searching for Project and Programmatic Funding? 

Access and explore our funding search tools:

For access and the best user experience, sign in with your Drexel credentials and use Drexel VPN when not on campus.
Questions? Email researchdevelopment@drexel.edu. 


New Instrument Acquisitions in the Materials Characterization Core 

In July, we took delivery of a new state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM) that is now installed in the Materials Characterization Core (MCC). The nearly $900K SEM was acquired through a successful NSF Major Research Instrument proposal led by Prof. Christopher Li (MSE) along with co-investigators Lin Han (Biomed), Craig Johnson (ORI/MCC), Vibha Kalra (CBE) and Marina Potapova (BEES/ANS). Unique features of the SEM will enable in situ experiments where samples are imaged while also being heated, cooled, deformed, or electrically biased. The instrument will advance research in many disciplines across the University ranging from materials development for next-generation batteries to the study of rare samples from the historic collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences. The new instrument is being brought online presently under the leadership of Dr. Kate Vanderburgh (MCC) and will be made available for use in the coming months. You can follow the installation and see images from the new microscope on the MCC Instagram @drexelmcc.

In August, we received word that another NSF Major Research Instrument grant was awarded that will place a new high-solution 3D X-ray tomography microscope (also known as microCT or nanoCT) in the Materials Characterization Core early next year. The proposal was led by Prof. Antonios Kontsos (MEM) along with co-investigators Antonios Zavaliangos (MSE), Kara Spiller (Biomed), Jocelyn Sessa (BEES/ANS), and Craig Johnson (ORI/MCC). The nanoCT works like a CAT scan machine used for medical imaging in that it takes X-ray images of a sample from many different angles and combines those images into a 3D image of the internal structure of the sample. However, the nanoCT has orders of magnitude higher resolution than a typical CAT scan device and is used to look at nanoscale features in smaller volumes (and non-living materials). Like the SEM, the nanoCT will support a broad spectrum of research relying on accurate 3D characterization novel additive manufactured materials critical for aerospace, automotive, defense and medical applications, cell structures and tissues used in immune system, tissue repair and bioengineering research, pharmaceutical materials, materials for energy applications including novel batteries and energy storage devices, and natural materials and organisms used in climate and earth sciences research. The instrument will be one of only a small number of similarly powerful systems across the country and raise the profile of Drexel and the MCC as a regional resource for advanced instrumentation. 

Visit the MCC Website


Facilities & Administration Cost Recovery: Explained

Did you know that, in contrast to tuition, Drexel’s F&A cost recovery is not revenue but a repayment of costs already sustained?

Every sponsored project/program has both Direct and Indirect costs. 
The federal government has established what costs may be charged as direct costs and what costs are considered included in indirect costs.

Direct costs are those costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, instruction, other sponsored activity or other institutional activity relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.  

The terms “Facilities & Administrative Costs," "F&A costs" "Indirect Costs," “IDCs” and "overhead" are often used interchangeably. The F&A (Facilities & Administrative) rate agreement is set by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
F&A cost recovery is a reimbursement of expenditures to cover some portion of the Indirect (F&A) costs incurred as a function of completing a research award. 

A comprehensive definition of Direct and Indirect (F&A) costs be found at the U.S. Government Publishing Office website, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards issued by the Office of Management and Budget (Uniform Guidance). 
CFR §200.413 Direct costs. 
CFR §200.414 Indirect (F&A) costs.

Questions? Email researchdevelopment@drexel.edu. 


Manufacturing PA Innovation Program Request for Proposals

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) established the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program to leverage the internationally acclaimed science and engineering talent and discovery capacity of Pennsylvania’s institutions of higher education to ensure that Pennsylvania remains a national and international leader in manufacturing and achieves the full economic potential for high-paying manufacturing jobs. 

A main component of the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program is the PA Manufacturing Fellows Initiative (PMFI). This initiative supports manufacturing research collaborations between accredited PA colleges/universities and PA manufacturers. The goal of the program is to enable these institutions to seamlessly bring their capabilities to bear to support industrial innovation and position the Commonwealth at the forefront of the next wave of manufacturing.

DCED began soliciting proposals September 12, 2022 and will accept through November 7, 2022 at 5:00 pm from faculty Principal Investigators (PI) at any accredited PA college/university for projects that fit within the Innovation Program mission and program guidelines. In this cycle, approximately $1,900,000 may be made available for research projects.   

A faculty member may only submit one proposal as the PI but may serve as a Co-PI on other proposals.  

Proposals must include a PA industry partner. Please note that companies may serve as project partners, but they may not receive state funding.

Submission guidelines and details on the program

Review previously funded projects, including those submitted by Drexel faculty

Questions? Email researchdevelopment@drexel.edu 


Drexel to Join NSF's Innovation Network Regional Hub Led by Princeton

Drexel University has been tapped to join the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps, a network of universities focused on nurturing researchers as they translate their innovative work for commercial viability. As a partner institution of the I-Corps Hub Northeast Region led by Princeton University, Drexel will share its deep expertise in experiential learning and entrepreneurial training with faculty, staff and students throughout the region. 

As a member of the I-Corps, Drexel will receive $600,000 over four years to provide experiential training focused on entrepreneurship to participating teams, including faculty, staff and graduate students working in science and engineering fields.

Read About Drexel Joining NSF Innovation Hub

Current or prior NSF funding is not required to participate in I-Corps.

Drexel faculty, staff and graduate students can learn more about the program at https://icorpsnortheasthub.org/ or by contacting Caroline Schauer (cls52@drexel.edu) or Shintaro Kaido (sk3434@drexel.edu).


Issuance of NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1)

The NSF has announced that a revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) has been issued.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023. Significant changes include: 

  • Revisions to incorporate Research.gov as the replacement for FastLane for proposal preparation and submission.
  • Information about the use of Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) and the BAA Management System (BAAM).
  • Revisions to the certification for Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) for proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023, which expands the training to faculty and other senior personnel as well as requires specific training mandated by the America COMPETES Act, as amended.
  • Use of Concept Outlines as a submission type and the Program Suitability and Proposal Concept Tool (ProSPCT).
  • Requirement for proposers to provide a certification regarding Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus and Off-Site Research.
  • Revisions to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support formats to include certifications from the individual (as required by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act,  Section 223) regarding information being accurate, current, and complete. 
  • Requirement for NSF program officers to request updated Current and Pending Support information prior to making a funding recommendation, in accordance with the NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance.
  • Requirements for use of SciENcv for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Support documents.
  • Implementation of Build America, Buy America statutes.
    New sections on Research Security and Scientific Integrity.

You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG.
 
NSF will present information about these changes at the upcoming NSF Grants Conference as part of the Proposal and Award Policy Update session on November 17th. Additional information and no-cost registration are available at: https://nsfpolicyoutreach.com/22-grants-conference/.
 
While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 30, 2023, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 22-1) continue to apply.  
 
If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov. 


NSF Programs to Stop Accepting Proposals via FastLane Website

The FastLane website (fastlane.nsf.gov) is scheduled to be removed as a submission option for NSF funding opportunities in January 2023. Some programs in NSF’s Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate have already stopped accepting proposals through FastLane, and others will stop accepting them over the remainder of 2022. 

The transition from the FastLane website to Research.gov and Grants.gov is part of NSF’s ongoing information technology modernization efforts. Since NSF’s update on Research.gov implementation in September 2020, NSF has been gradually removing FastLane as a submission option in program solicitations and descriptions.

Please consult the tables in this document [PDF] for additional information about the transition to Research.gov, including dates throughout the summer and fall when some programs will stop accepting proposals through FastLane. You can also check program web pages for information about which submission methods are accepted by each program and contact the program officers listed on those pages or email rgov@nsf.gov with any questions. 

For tutorials and guidance on how to use Research.gov please visit the Research.gov proposal preparation and submission resources site.


NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

Effective January 25, 2023, NIH’s new Data Management and Sharing Policy will go into effect to promote the sharing of scientific data. Under the new policy, investigators and their institutions will:

  • Plan and budget for the managing and sharing of data
  • Submit a Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Plan for review when applying for funding
  • Comply with the approved DMS plan
    • Plan becomes a term & condition of the award.

In preparation for the policy rollout, NIH is offering webinars as well as a website with updates. Check out the following website for more information: https://sharing.nih.gov/.


NSTC Research Security Subcommittee Released: NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Disclosure Requirements & Standardization 

Public comment on NSPM-33 hit the federal register last month. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has agreed to serve as steward for these common forms as well as for posting and maintenance of the table entitled, NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Pre- and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support.

As the federal agencies attempt to harmonize, this is your opportunity to review and provide feedback during the public comment period.

Comments are requested on: 
(a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; 
(b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and 
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

"For Comment" Documents
a. A common Biographical Sketch form [PDF], including data elements and associated instructions;
b. A common Current and Pending (Other) Support form [PDF], including data elements and associated instructions; and
c. An excel spreadsheet that summarizes all the data elements [XLSX], as well as their data attributes.

Written comments on the notice must be received by October 31, 2022 to be considered.


Upcoming Trainings & Events

Virtual NIH Grants Conference & PreCon Events
August 2022 – February 2023

Register to attend monthly pre-conference deep dive webinars as well as the annual conference (February 2023). If you are new to NIH proposals and awards or would like to learn more about specific aspects of NIH, make sure to attend. The conference is open to all: faculty, researchers, research administrators, post-docs, trainees, project staff, and more.
Register at: https://grants.nih.gov/learning-center/conference

SRA International Annual Meeting
October 31 – November 4, 2022
Las Vegas, Nevada

The 2022 Annual Meeting will bring together research administrators from around the world to explore the theme, “Leading Change, Inspiring Excellence”, and will feature subject matter experts from industry, government, health care organizations, non-profits, and institutions of higher education. It will be a diverse, innovative program for those new to the profession, mid-career research administrators, and high-level decision-makers. For more information and to register: https://www.sraannualmeeting.org/2022/index.cfm

NCURA Region 2 Regional Meeting
November 6-9, 2022
Wilmington, DE

Join fellow research administrators from Delaware, DC, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia at Region 2’s first in-person regional meeting since the pandemic. Attend the conference and Wednesday workshop to keep abreast on the latest information in research administration. Education, professional development, and networking opportunities will make this a perfect opportunity to reconnect with fellow peers. For more information and to register: https://www.ncuraregion2.org/2022-regional-meeting

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