Office of Research & Innovation Newsletter - Summer 2023
In this issue:
Introduction from Gwynne Grasberger, Associate Vice Provost, Research Development
General
- Welcoming New ORI Team Members
- Did you know that the NSF has a career-life balance initiative?
- The Annual Report for the 2021-2022 Academic Year is now available!
Core Facilities
- Drexel Core Facilities now have unique Research Resources Identifiers. Cite us in your publications.
Research Compliance
- Dr. Rick Huneke to serve as the US representative to the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science
- Drexel’s Animal Care and Use Program Receives Continued Full Accreditation from AAALAC, International
- Upcoming Changes to Research COI Process
- Community Advisory Board Member: Payment Update
- New IACUC Policies
Sponsored Programs
- Final NSF Transitions from FastLane to Research.gov
- NSF Updates to Current & Pending Support and Biosketches Coming Fall 2023
- NIH Graphic For Funding Opportunities In Different Career Stages
- Maximus Consultants Assisting with Outgoing Subawards
Did You Know?
Meetings/Opportunities
Introduction from Gwynne Grasberger, Associate Vice Provost, Research Development
Dear Colleagues,
It is hard to believe that summer is already half over, and we are in the thralls of planning the next academic year. Last summer about this time, the Education Advisory Board (EAB) led a retreat sponsored by the Office of Research & Innovation, “Expediting the Shift Toward Strategic Research Development, Eight Tactics to Increase Competitiveness for Large and Complex Federal Opportunities.” One of my most knowledgeable and trusted thought partners at EAB, Jon Barnhart, shared the following during the session "…All opportunities are growing in complexity."
Federal agencies are beginning to post solicitations on both grants.gov and sam.gov to expand the competitive landscape. The broad agency announcement (BAA) widens the pool of competitors who can lead projects, e.g., government contractors and private corporations, under Product Service Code AJ11 General Science and Technology R&D Services; General Science and Technology; Basic Research and NAICS Code 5417 Science Research and Development Services. The NSF Engines is one such example, NSF 22-082 (grant and cooperative agreement) and NSFBAA-ENGINES-2022-05-1 (contract).
Multi-federal agency solicitations trending towards translational research are becoming more prevalent for Large Dollar opportunities. Awards in the form of cooperative agreements, rather than grants, are a growing preference as the federal agencies seek to be more engaged in the execution of projects they fund. The recent National Science Foundation (NSF) program solicitation, NSF 23-571, is multi-agency translational research solicitation seeks to build a prototype version of an integrated data and knowledge infrastructure called the Open Knowledge Network (OKN). Agencies include the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Data Science Strategy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Biological and Physical Sciences Division, Department of Justice (DOJ) National Institute of Justice, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information, and Department of the Interior (DOI) US Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center.
Teaming and partnership engagement is a necessity for a competitive project. The roles and responsibilities of all participating constituents should reflect meaningful engagement to accomplish the project goals. Constituents from government, industry, academia, non-profits, citizens, and others have become the mainstay. Relationship building and understanding the strengths of your partners is key to ensuring that you can build a competitive project “Dream Team.” Large and Complex projects might include interinstitutional research consortia which, according to research conducted by EAB, tend to increase the scope and influence of industry-university partnerships. Recognizing and including the expertise in under-resourced colleges and universities when teaming and partnering is important in the quest to democratize sponsored activities, outputs, and impact. This is one of the key elements of a success vision highlighted by the NSF and National Science Board (NSB) focus group participants report section, “Reaching the Missing Millions.” NSF leadership and NSB terms the “missing millions” as those who are yet to be engaged for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce so that it reflects the racial, ethnic, and gender representation in the general population. As stated in the report, “under-resourced colleges and universities lead innovations in outreach and inclusion as well as addressing research needs of their communities, and they partner with research-intensive institutions to broaden their scope and capabilities.”
Project management is a key factor in the overall success of Large and Complex projects. Project planning, execution, monitoring, and control techniques on Large and Complex are required to ensure project goals and deliverables and fiscal stewardship are met. The management plan should clearly convey the supports necessary to manage the nuances. Project team should include a dedicated project manager to partner with the PI to be in step with timeline, budget, deliverables, and annual reporting requirements.
As competition for research dollars increases, we must be strategic in our approach to applying for and securing funding. Preparing for and writing a proposal, especially for Large and Complex, requires a significant investment of time, effort, and resources. Historic approaches such as pursuing every opportunity and hoping something sticks, approaching each opportunity the same way, ignoring competitor strengths and strategies, and assuming faculty can go it alone, are no longer sufficient. Pre-solicitation competitive intelligence, networking and partnering, proposal development and grantsmanship, aesthetically pleasing proposal design and elements, and institutional commitment of resources and cost sharing are elements of successful submissions.
In this challenging landscape, there are great benefits associated with Large and Complex Federal Awards. Back to where I started, “Expediting the Shift Toward Strategic Research Development, Eight Tactics to Increase Competitiveness for Large and Complex Federal Opportunities,” EAB clearly outlines why Large and Complex opportunities are worth the effort and investment:
- Problem Complexity - Enables institutions to undertake more complex research by providing greater funding over a longer timeframe.
- Administrative Capacity - Helps institutions gain experience and credibility as responsible administrators.
- Reputational Impact - Increases opportunities for media attention and prestige— and for more researchers.
- Relationship Building - Facilitates formation and strengthening of relationships with partners and agencies.
- Innovation Impact - Paves the way to create innovative new disciplines, methods, and curriculum.
- Future Positioning - Increases institutional competitiveness for future awards.
The Office of Research & Innovation has been working diligently over the past year to stand up the Research Development Unit to support Large and Complex funding opportunities. Guided by EAB, two retreats inclusive of faculty, ADRs, and administrative units, and working group input on our strategic plan, the team will pilot services during the 2023-24 academic year aligned with Drexel 2030 in support two AEOs, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing and Advanced Computing, AI and Cyber Frontiers. As part of initial pilot, we are developing a self-service portal that be available to the Drexel community to access research development resources.
If you would like a copy of EABs presentation, to discuss Large and Complex, or have questions about the plans for research development services, please email researchdevelopment@drexel.edu.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Gwynne Grasberger, Associate Vice Provost for Research Development
General
Welcoming New ORI Team Members
Please join in welcoming our new colleagues to the following teams:
Joining the Applied Innovation team:
Chelsea Samuelson, Director of Startup Funding Programs. Chelsea joins ORI on July 31, leading the Startup Funding Program and reporting to Vice Provost for Innovation, Shintaro Kaido. In this role, she will manage the Drexel University Innovation Fund, Drexel Angels, and the Raynier Seed Fund for Underserved Entrepreneurs as a member of the Entrepreneurial Advancement team.
Joining the Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs team:
Marisa Corbett, Executive Director for Research Quality Assurance. Marisa joins Drexel on July 31 and oversees research quality assurance that includes monitoring, support, trainings, policies, and procedures for ORI units.
Joining the University Research Computing Facility (URCF) team:
Linh Ngo, Director of High Performance Computing (HPC). Linh will join ORI on August 14, leading the monitoring of the computing hardware/networking for the various HPC systems and reporting to Operations Director for Research Core Facilities and URCF Faculty Director, Dr. Craig Johnson. In this role, he will manage the design, installation, monitoring and maintenance of hardware, software and networking equipment for HPC systems in the URCF.
Questions? Email hire_ori_aj@drexel.edu.
Did you know that the NSF has a career-life balance initiative?
Instituted in 2012, Balancing the Scale: NSF's Career-Life Balance (CLB) initiative is an agency-wide approach to help attract, retain, and advance graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other researchers in STEM fields. This effort aims to help reduce the rate at which early-career researchers depart from the STEM workforce. To learn more about the initiative, visit Career-Life Balanceon the NSF website.
For information on how to apply, visit the PAPPG section Career-Life Balance (CLB) Supplemental Funding Requests that outlines the process.
Questions? Email Gwynne Grasberger, Associate Vice Provost, Research Development at grs23@drexel.edu.
The Annual Report for the 2021-2022 Academic Year is now available!
The Office of Research & Innovation has produced an Annual Report of its progress during the most recent Academic Year.
Highlights include:
- A message from the Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation
- Office of Research & Innovation Milestones
- Updates on ORI's investments in research resources and tools
- Support and recognition for research excellence
- ORI's progress in discovery and innovation
- Information about the ORI team and its partners
View the 2021-2022 Annual report
Questions? Email Becky Campbell, Senior Business Analyst, Research Systems - Training & Communications at rim26@drexel.edu.
Core Facilities
Drexel Core Facilities now have unique Research Resources Identifiers. Cite us in your publications.
Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) were developed by the biomedical research community to promote research resource identification, discovery, and reuse. Similar to ORCHID IDs, RRIDs are persistent, unique, machine readable, free to access and consistent across publishers and journals. They can be assigned to key resources including research core facilities, software and databases, cell lines, antibodies, model organisms and more. In addition to facilitating transparency, reproducibility, and reuse, citing RRIDs in literature enables resource providers like core facilities, funding agencies and others to track usage and impact. Funding agencies and hundreds of leading scientific journals prompt authors to include RRIDs and we encourage the Drexel research community to cite your use of Drexel Core Facilities in your publications and other communications using the following RRIDs:
- Cell Imaging Center (CIC) - RRID:SCR_022689
- Materials Characterization Core (MCC) - RRID:SCR_022684
- University Research Computing Facility (URCF) - RRID:SCR_023420
Your acknowledgements will help us stay compliant with federal grants, publicize our cores to the broader community and track scientific impact more rigorously.
Resource Identification Portal
Questions? Email Harini Sreenivasappa, PhD, Director of Core Operations, Cell Imaging Center at hs324@drexel.edu.
Research Compliance
Dr. Rick Huneke to serve as the US representative to the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science
Dr. Rick Huneke, Executive Director of ULAR, was appointed to serve as the US representative (through the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science) to the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science. ICLAS serves to harmonize laboratory standards worldwide, promote laboratory animal care and ethics, and provide training opportunities to developing areas in the world. Dr. Huneke will begin to serve a 4 year term starting in October.
This opportunity will benefit the University through international connections as well as disseminating information about the Master of Laboratory Animal Science program. ICLAS offers scholarships to lab animal personnel in underserved areas to attend lab animal training.
Questions? Email Rick Huneke, Executive Director, ULAR at rbh25@drexel.edu.
Drexel’s Animal Care and Use Program Receives Continued Full Accreditation from AAALAC, International
AAALAC, International granted Continued Full Accreditation to the Drexel Program for Animal Care and Use at the May 2023 meeting of the Council for Accreditation. The triennial site visit by AAALAC, International occurred in October 2021 and the required conditions were met to achieve continued accreditation. The program at Drexel has been fully accredited for 41 years, with our first site visit occurring in 1982.
Without the teamwork and assistance by everyone involved, we would not have such a successful animal care and use program. I am happy and proud of our continued success. And as we all know, great animal care creates great research!
Rick Huneke
Executive Director, ULAR
Questions? Email Rick Huneke, Executive Director, ULAR at rbh25@drexel.edu.
Upcoming Changes to Research COI Process
As the research portfolio at Drexel continues to grow, the ORI is constantly seeking ways to improve processes for researchers and become more efficient. ORI’s Conflict of Interest team will be rolling out an annual solicitation process on September 1st. The purpose of the process change is to minimize reporting on a per-proposal basis, unless there are significant changes at the time a proposal is submitted.
The disclosure form/forms for the year will be distributed to researchers via email and do NOT replace the requirement to complete the University COI disclosure.
Questions? Email ORI’s Conflict of Interest team at fcoi@drexel.edu.
Community Advisory Board Member: Payment Update
As part of Drexel University’s long-term multi-generational commitment to community engagement, ORI has been obtaining feedback from Faculty, Staff, and past Community Advisory Board (CAB) Members and working with stakeholders across campus to implement a more CAB Member-centric process for payment. CABs are essential for connecting Drexel University and its collaborators with the communities we serve, bringing forward lived experiences and priorities while serving as a two-way bridge.
As part of this implementation, ORI collaborated with the Office of the General Counsel, Accounts Payable, and Tax Compliance for the following activities:
- Reviewed existing CAB Member practices, procedures, and attestations from different institutions to identify common themes, language, and processes consistent with Drexel University’s commitments and feedback.
- Developed the Drexel University CAB Member Attestation Form that encompasses language about a CAB’s purpose, members’ impact, responsibilities, and payment.
- Initiated a pilot with several Faculty members, utilizing a new CAB member attestation form and consult process.
From this pilot, the ORI will incorporate additional feedback and broadly disseminate the attestation form, a frequently asked questions document, and process map to identify when the CAB Member Attestation and applicable payment processes as appropriate and instructions for use in August 2023. The ORI has also scheduled an education session for a review of the material prior to the release on August 23, 2023, from 9:00-10:00 AM EST; please register at: Community Advisory Board Member: ORI Process Training.
A special thank you to our pilot users: Naomi Goldstein, Amanda NeMoyer, Elizabeth Hassrick, Victoria Egan, and Brisa Sanchez for their participation and feedback.
Questions about the CAB Member process or pilot? Email Cassandra Myers, Associate Vice Provost of Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs at cjm523@drexel.edu.
New IACUC Policies
The IACUC has recently revised the following policies.
- ACU-003 IACUC Policy for Animal Number Justifications - This policy now states that mouse (Mus musculus) and rats (Rattus rattus) fetuses greater that embryonic day 16 (E16) must be justified. This is not a change to current practices; it just was not highlighted in this document.
- ACU-202 IACUC Rodent Breeding Policy - This policy was formerly a mouse breeding policy but was updated to a rodent breeding policy to include rats (Rattus rattus). The procedures for submitting monthly in-house birth reports have been updated within the policy. The weaning calendar has been added to the policy document.
- ACU-216 IACUC Policy on the Use of Image or Sound Recordings in Animal Facilities, Research or Teaching Laboratories – This policy now includes extra precautions to consider when recording images and sounds in animal facilities, research, or teaching laboratories in response to the 2023 NIH DMS Policy.
Please use this as a reminder to submit your monthly in-house breeding report: In-House Breeding Submission Form. (This form can also be found on the Drexel IACUC Guidelines and Procedures webpage: Guidelines and Procedures | Office of Research & Innovation | Drexel University.)
All revised policies are attached and can be found on the Drexel IACUC Guidelines and Procedures webpage: Guidelines and Procedures | Office of Research & Innovation | Drexel University.
Questions? Email Elizabeth Hann, Director of Animal Welfare at eah363@drexel.edu.
Sponsored Programs
Final NSF Transitions from FastLane to Research.gov
As NSF is continuing to sunset FastLane, several functionalities are now required to use Reseach.gov.
- Since June 26, 2023, all PI Transfer requests will be submitted in Research.gov. Any in-progress PI Transfer requests in FastLane as of June 23, 2023, were moved to Research.gov. All notifications and requests previously submitted in FastLane are now available in Research.gov.
- Friday, September 29, 2023 (5:00 PM submitter’s local time) is the last day to submit proposal file updates and budget revisions in FastLane, withdraw FastLane submitted proposals, and withdraw supplemental funding requests submitted in FastLane. In addition, September 29th is the last day to access FastLane submitted and in-progress letters of intent, proposals, and supplemental funding requests. Please note: FastLane submitted and in-progress letters of intent, proposals, and supplemental funding requests will not be transferred to Research.gov; however, the reviews and summaries for proposals submitted in FastLane will remain available in Research.gov. Friday, September 29, 2023 (11:00 PM Eastern Time) is the last day to access the FastLane Proposals, Awards and Status tab; Research Administration tab; and Honorary Awards tab on the FastLane homepage. These tabs will be removed from the FastLane homepage as of September 30, 2023, and the functionality will be decommissioned in FastLane.
For more information, please visit NSF's FastLane Decommissioning website
Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sms559@drexel.edu
NSF Updates to Current & Pending Support and Biosketches Coming Fall 2023
Beginning October 23, 2023, NSF will require SciENcv to be used for all biosketches and current and pending (other) support pages for proposal submissions.
Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sms559@drexel.edu
NIH Graphic For Funding Opportunities In Different Career Stages
NIH has recently created a graphic showing different funding opportunities throughout a researcher's career, from undergraduate to established investigator:
Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sms559@drexel.edu
Maximus Consultants Assisting with Outgoing Subawards
The Office of Sponsored Programs has engaged with Maximus in assisting with outgoing subawards. OSP is currently working on a transition plan to have the consultants, Jennifer Barron and Heather Winters, prepare and execute all outgoing subawards on currently funded projects. More information will be provided to the research community on any process changes on the transition is completed.
Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sms559@drexel.edu
Did You Know?: Drexel Applied Innovation
Drexel Applied Innovation offers resources to help you expand the impact of your research through comprehensive technology transfer services!
- IP & Agreements: PROTECT Drexel innovation and innovators through IP development and high-quality license agreements
- Industry Engagement: CONNECT Drexel IP and their inventors to industry’s unmet needs and innovation challenges
- Entrepreneurial Development: PROMOTE impact-oriented mindset within the Drexel research enterprise, offering startup support and funding programs
FACULTY MEMBERS: Expand the impact of your innovation through NSF I-Corps!
- Immersive, experiential program
- Explore the question: “Given my innovation, who would care about it the most, why, and by how much” with the members of your lab (postdocs and PhD students)
- Applicable to a wide variety of research-based innovations
- Prior NSF Funding is NOT required!
- GET INVOLVED
- NOVUS
- Learn the basics
- Half-day program followed by self-paced introductory coursework
- PROPELUS (REGIONALS)
- Four sessions (online) guiding you through customer discovery research – customer, problem, solution and value proposition testing
- $3,000 NSF grant
- NATIONALS
- Seven weeks/15 hr per week commitment
- Engage with prospective customers, partners, and others in the ecosystem
- $50,000 NSF grant
- NOVUS
- Opens the door for
- Help with your future grant proposals
- “Broader Impacts” - NSF and NIH - A summary paragraph describes the expected broader societal, commercial and educational outcomes of the proposed project.”
- Expanding your rolodex of industry contacts
- During I-Corps, you would be connecting with at least 100 industry companies and stakeholders
- Exploring forming a startup
- Access to Drexel Express Startup License
- Startup and investor friendly licensing agreement with pre-set terms to eliminate barriers and open the doors for commercialization pathways
- For more information, click here.
- Many other potential beneficial outcomes
- Help with your future grant proposals
Drexel Innovation Fund: How it Works
- Hands-on venture capital learning experience for students
- Invests in Drexel innovators and technology addressing the world's most pressing challenges
- Evergreen fund - reinvests all returns into future startups
Receive $150,000 to accelerate your entrepreneurial endeavor and shorten the time to the first round of professional investor capital with the Drexel University Innovation Fund!
- Invests in both Drexel student and tech transfer startups
- Investment candidates: NSF I-Corps, Drexel Coulter Translational Research program, Baiada incubator, Drexel Startups Fund, ic@3401, etc.
- Investment size = $150K per company; up to 4 investments per year
- “Early stage”
- University to play the role of a “friends and family” investor; often too early stage for investors who are only focused on financial returns
- Often the first check into the company
"This is a bold new initiative to empower our problem solvers to dream big and take on society’s most pressing challenges. We are doubling down on our entrepreneurial talent and research innovations." --President John Fry
Connect with Drexel Applied Innovation to chart your journey.
Drexel Applied Innovation would love to hear what you’re working on and discuss next steps!
DAI will work with you to evaluate your invention, assess whether it might be of interest to industry/investors/entrepreneurs, protect it with intellectual property, market it, negotiate agreements, etc.
Questions? Email Applied_Innovation@drexel.edu.
Meetings/Opportunities
Upcoming Social Science and Humanities RFPs from Private Funders
Please see below for a list of social science and humanities RFPs from private funders with August, September, and rolling deadlines. The list is organized by deadline from earliest to latest, with rolling deadlines at the end.
For more information or if you are interested in applying, please reach out to:
- College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Professions, and Dornsife School of Public Health: Ingrid Broadnax at pib25@drexel.edu.
- St. Christopher’s: Pamela Loos at pl526@drexel.edu.
- College of Engineering, College of Computing & Informatics, and School of Biomedical Engineering: Karen Shore at kes325@drexel.edu.
- Westphal College and School of Education: Megan Loeb at ml3756@drexel.edu.
- College of Arts and Sciences, LeBow College of Business/Close School of Entrepreneurship, Goodwin College of Professional Studies, and Kline School of Law: Brenna McBride at bcm48@drexel.edu.