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Office of Research & Innovation Newsletter - Winter 2024

Volume 10, Issue 1

In this issue:

In the Spotlight: Academic Research Integrity by Aleister Saunders, Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation

General

Core Facilities

Applied Innovation

Research Compliance

Sponsored Programs

Did You Know?

Training, Education, and Meeting Opportunities

 

 

In the spotlight: Academic Research Integrity

By Aleister Saunders, Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation

Over the course of the past few months, the integrity of the U.S. higher education research enterprise has been under intense scrutiny. A spate of high-profile cases of plagiarism and data manipulation have made front page news. These cases will inevitably result in the federal government stepping in to demand change with new requirements. Research integrity challenges are not isolated to a few institutions but an issue that every research-intensive institution is grappling with. As a recipient of federal funding, we must have and employ a distinct set of policies, procedures, and specific roles to cover all aspects of research integrity. Drexel has the policies, processes, roles, and responsibilities in place to try and prevent intentional and unintentional research misconduct and we have formal processes to investigate accusations of research misconduct that come with a variety of penalties. As we describe below, we are working to update our policies, procedures, and practices to incorporate upcoming regulatory changes and advances in fields like Artificial Intelligence which will impact research integrity.

Research misconduct is one of the major reputational risks we have as a research-intensive institution and as individual scholars. A lifetime of work and reputation building can evaporate very quickly and publicly. The nature of academic scholarship is such that we rely on peer review processes to keep research misconduct in check, however digital technology has outpaced peer reviewers' capabilities to detect misconduct. Just in the past few weeks the national news has contained examples of plagiarism and data manipulation. Several of the cases of data manipulation involve image manipulation. Adobe Photoshop is a powerful software tool that allows individuals to change images in ways that alter the conclusions reached by the reader. Bad actors can utilize these powerful tools to change images to tell the "story" that they want to tell rather than what the true data suggests. In recent years, journals and funders started using new software tools to perform digital forensics on images and can detect manipulations. It is only recently that these tools have become available to the public to be able to "check" images. These tools are akin to the plagiarism detection software that is now commonly used on learning platforms like Blackboard Learn.

Here at Drexel most of the recent research misconduct cases have also involved image manipulation. In our investigations we have found that several factors are at play in our misconduct cases. Practically, experimental methods used to collect, represent, and analyze experimental data have grown ever more powerful and technically complicated. As a result, many faculty know how these experimental approaches work in theory but do not know how to operationally complete the experiment and process the resulting experimental data. Add to this the hierarchal structure of research groups, with students / trainees performing much of the experimental work, which they then provide to the faculty member to review, interpret, and evaluate. If a faculty member were to perform misconduct and a student was able to detect it, the power imbalance could prevent students from reporting misconduct. If misconduct by the students / trainees occurs, faculty often do not have the tools to evaluate images or text for manipulation or plagiarism. We are working to identify the best technology for researchers to check for image manipulation. This would bolster the plagiarism detection software already available to the community. In addition to these software tools, researchers must understand that they have reporting responsibilities when they are aware of, or suspect, research misconduct.

Administratively, the Office of Research & Innovation's Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs team, led by Cassie Myers, oversees the institution's research integrity efforts with collaborations across the University. We have a set of policies, procedures, roles, and responsibilities that guide our work. Our policies identify the University's "Research Integrity Officer" and the "Deciding Official" to carry out the responsibilities associated with research integrity in a manner that maintains its independence and any undue internal influence. Our Research Integrity Officer is Lacee Harris, PhD, Executive Director of Research Compliance, and I serve as the Deciding Official. While we have a complete set of policies and procedures, we know that change is coming. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has implemented new responsible conduct of research training requirements for everyone associated with an NSF award. The US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Research Integrity is updating its research integrity rules, and we expect those to be published within the year. To ensure that Drexel is following best practices during this time of change and intense focus on academic institutions, we will be reviewing our relevant policies, processes, and resources related to research integrity. This work will kick off this spring and we hope it will be completed by early summer.

Given the volume of our scholarly production, it is not realistic for Drexel, or other large research-intensive institutions, to individually evaluate each scholarly product for research misconduct. Hence, our prevention efforts focus on educating researchers on their roles in maintaining research integrity. We are required by the federal government to provide responsible conduct of research (RCR) training for researchers. The nature of this training differs between federal agencies, which makes it challenging for us to implement a single training course across the diverse set of disciplines here at Drexel. For the past ~8 years we have collaborated with the Graduate College to provide this type of training. We recently reflected on our efforts and realized that a more centralized and auditable approach is needed. In addition to this training, we also provide additional resources in our "RCR Toolkit" for all to use. We will be adding to these resources, please stay tuned. We are committed to RCR. Approximately 5 years ago we partnered with UPenn and Temple to organize a day-long symposium on responsible conduct of research. In addition to that local collaboration, we participate in national professional organizations focused on research integrity and stay abreast on the latest approaches to prevent misconduct.

In terms of enforcement, we follow our federally mandated policies, procedures, roles, and responsibilities for reporting research misconduct and investigating any research misconduct claims. Drexel's resources can be found on our compliance page. We receive accusations of research misconduct in many ways, including via our compliance hotline and directly from journals/funders. We investigate all claims of research misconduct. Research misconduct investigations are challenging and often very time consuming. We rely on internal peers to help us conduct a multi-phase investigation and engage with outside experts outside if specialized insight is required. These investigations are overseen by our Research Integrity Officer who, together with the investigation committee, makes a recommendation to the institution's Deciding Official. Using the formal report, the Deciding Official, in consultation with the Provost, and the General Counsel, will determine whether law enforcement agencies, professional societies, professional licensing boards, editors of journals in which falsified reports may have been published, collaborators of the respondent in the work, or other relevant parties should be notified of the outcome of the case. The Deciding Official will also determine, based on the severity of misconduct, whether to impose research sanctions such as, but not limited to, imposing certification requirements to ensure compliance with the terms of a grant, suspension or termination of a grant, or suspension of principal investigator privileges. Also, the Provost may assess administrative sanctions appropriate to the level of misconduct, including a letter of reprimand, termination of employment for a faculty or staff member, or expulsion of a student. The imposition of some sanctions may be subject to the procedures for approval and/or appeal prescribed by the University's Appointment and Tenure Policies or University Personnel Policies. Finally, depending on the type of research involved, other research compliance functions, such as the IRB or IACUC, may have additional requirements or take additional actions.

The global research community is facing a reckoning because of bad actors with access to technology who are motivated by success by all costs rather than scientific truth. The incentives to be deceptive are real -- publications in high impact journals and improved chances of securing sponsored research funding. Now that journals / sponsors are checking for fraud with modern technologies, in some cases retrospectively, we are experiencing a wave of accusations and investigations for academic researchers. Drexel, like every other institution of higher education, needs to prepare for the negative consequences associated with research misconduct accusations and findings. We will be reviewing our policies and procedures, bolstering our responsible conduct of research training, and preparing for the regulatory changes coming from the federal government. We will, as always, keep the Drexel research community apprised of our efforts and any changes.

As we set our sights on the strategic goals for our research enterprise, we know that maintaining and promoting a research enterprise that fosters high-quality, rigorous, and reproducible scholarship will be critical to achieving these goals.

Additional readings

Resources

Questions? Email Aleister Saunders, Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation, at aleister.j.saunders@drexel.edu.

 

 

General

Welcoming New ORI Team Members

Please join in welcoming these new colleagues to the following teams:

Joining the University Laboratory Animal Resources (ULAR) team

Kevin O'Brien, Animal Caretaker Position I. Kevin began on January 29 at the Queen Lane location. Kevin shares an interest for research and animal care and is excited to be a part of the team. He is looking forward to being trained in the field and taking advantage of the opportunities that Drexel has to offer. Kevin brings a QA and tech background with some informal animal experience. His attention to detail and QA experience will prove invaluable to the team, especially in preparing for inspections. He joins the permanent staff of three other employees who handle caretaker duties at Queen Lane and serve as essential personnel through weekends and holidays. The ULAR team is happy to have him onboard!

Joining the Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs team

Carissa Miller, Compliance Coordinator. ORI would like to welcome Carissa with her extensive customer service and administration experience. She will be supporting both Research Compliance/Regulatory Affairs and Office of Sponsored Programs with ongoing projects and initiatives such as CITI-RCR and the Clarity Project.

Questions? Email the ORI Hiring Team at hire_ori_aj@drexel.edu.

Follow the Office of Research & Innovation's new LinkedIn Page!

Curious about what type of research is being conducted at Drexel? Be sure to follow the new Drexel University Office of Research & Innovation LinkedIn page! The page posts important news coming out of the ORI, in addition to sharing updates about ongoing research. It's a great way to stay connected while learning about exciting research developments!

Visit the ORI LinkedIn page

Questions? Email Becky Campbell, Senior Business Analyst, Research Systems at becky.campbell@drexel.edu.

Have you heard about Drexel Medicine Diagnostics?

DREXEL MEDICINE DIAGNOSTICS is a medical laboratory offering testing for patient specimens. They offer services to the community, state, and country facilities who oversee patient laboratory draws. The laboratory was formed from the Covid Testing Program which was quickly started in response to meet Drexel student and employee safety and testing needs during the pandemic. The lab offers a service not previously offered at Drexel.

Drexel Medicine Diagnostics is CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Act of 1988) approved, and CAP (College of American Pathologists) accredited. The laboratory focuses on Toxicology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Infectious Diseases, and Customized Therapeutic Drug Monitoring tests. It also serves medical facilities outside Drexel, the researchers inside Drexel, as well as the Physician practices affiliated with Drexel. The laboratory is located in the New College Building and participates in the Co-op program, offering students a chance to work in the laboratory. If you wish to utilize DMD for research, please contact Dr. DJ Hall (dch66@drexel.edu). He can offer price quotes, how to request a discussion to get pricing/methods completed for an internal agreement on currently available tests, and how to request a discussion to get pricing/methods for development of a new 'not yet available' test(s).

Learn More About Drexel Medicine Diagnostics

Drexel Medical Diagnostics images

Photos by Jeff Fusco

Questions? Email DJ Hall, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at dch66@drexel.edu.

Concourse Payment Platform

ORI Finance and Administration successfully transitioned its JP Morgan Payment Platform from Quick Pay to Concourse effective November 1, 2023. If you missed the training sessions, please contact Jeannine Reed-Heil at jeannine.reed-heil@drexel.edu.

Questions? Email quickpay.helpdesk@drexel.edu.

 

 

Core Facilities

URCF Workshop Schedule for Winter 2024

The URCF is excited to share dates for its ongoing winter workshop series. There were over 240 attendees for the fall 2023 workshops and so far, there have been over 100 attendees at the winter workshop series. There are still four workshops available – be sure to sign up now!

For the upcoming winter quarter, in addition to the workshops offered in fall 2023, URCF will have a new workshop on introduction to programming using R. This workshop will introduce the R programming language for data analytics using the Jupyter/RStudio interface on Picotte. Workshop contents include basic understand of R, installation of additional R modules, introduction to data manipulation, introduction to visualization, and several best practices for using R.

The training schedule and registration links for the winter quarter is as follows:

The training workshops will be disseminated via Zoom. The Zoom link and setup instruction will be sent via email the day before the workshop.

Coming soon: be on the lookout for spring workshop dates!

Questions? Email Linh B. Ngo, Ph.D, Director of High Performance Computing, at linh.bao.ngo@drexel.edu.

 

 

Applied Innovation

News from the Graduate College

Registration is now open for this year's Philadelphia postdoc preview taking place virtually on Tuesday, February 6, 2024!

The upcoming recruitment program, taking place virtually on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, will include introductions to the 8 biomedical research institutions, discuss priorities for a postdoctoral position, advisor, and research institution, connect with stakeholders, and provide information on living and working in Philadelphia. In addition, current postdocs from participating institutions will share their experiences.

Register for this year's Philadelphia Postdoc Preview

Read about the Philadelphia Postdoc Preview 2024

 

Questions? Email Lillian Rukenstein, Manager, Entrepreneurial Community, Drexel Applied Innovation, at lillian.rukenstein@drexel.edu.

Calling All Drexel Researchers and Graduate Students!

Please see below for upcoming opportunities from the NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub:

Propelus I-Corps – March 2024

  • The 4-week Propelus I-Corps program will take place April 2, 5, 12 and 26, 2024 · 9:30 am – 12:30 pm ET online.
  • This program helps researchers engage in customer-discovery research focused on identifying the technology's potential for development in a startup or other venture. Teams receive a $3,000 grant to aid customer discovery.

Learn More about the Propelus I-Corps Program

Apply to Propelus I-Corps by March 12, 2024

Questions about the NSF I-Corps program and/or application process? Email applied_innovation@drexel.edu.

CSL Research Acceleration Initiative – 2024 Grants

Drexel researchers are invited to submit a proposal to the CSL Research Acceleration Initiative for funding of up to $400,000. CSL is a leading global biotech company with focus in these Therapeutic areas [PDF]. Interested faculty should contact Sue Rhoades at sue.rhoades@drexel.edu for an invitation to the upcoming February 5th webinar. Application deadline is February 27.

Questions? Email Sue Rhoades, Industry Engagement Manager, Drexel Applied Innovation, at sue.rhoades@drexel.edu.

 

 

Research Compliance

International Travel Registration

Embarking on an international trip soon?

For Faculty and Staff:

If your travel includes sponsored research, university-issued devices (cellphones or laptops, machinery, or other Drexel owned equipment), or you are being reimbursed by your department, please take a moment to register your international travel. This step not only helps the team support you during your trip but also ensures that you have access to necessary resources abroad.

Register International Travel

Important Note: Travel registration is a requirement of NSPM-33. National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) is a crucial policy framework that outlines guidelines for securing the nation's sensitive information and resources during international travel. This directive mandates that Drexel maintain a comprehensive travel registration process when engaging in international trips related to Drexel Business.

Registration should be completed 60 days prior to your departure. This allows the team to better assist you and ensure compliance.

Thank you for your cooperation in making Drexel a globally engaged institution. Safe travels!

Questions? Email Dan Kampsen, Director, Global Safety and Operations, Global Engagement at dan.kampsen@drexel.edu or Elan Mitchell-Gee, PhD, Director, Export Control and Research Security at elan.virginia.mitchell-gee@drexel.edu.

NSF-Expanded Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Requirements for Grant Proposals

As part of NSF's commitment to the responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR/RCR), Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is critical for excellence and public trust in science and engineering. RCR involves not only a responsibility to generate and disseminate knowledge with rigor and integrity but also a responsibility to:

  1. conduct peer review with the highest ethical standards
  2. diligently protect proprietary information and intellectual property from inappropriate disclosure and
  3. treat students and colleagues fairly and with respect.

NSF Mandate

To support these efforts and responsibilities, NSF recently updated the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), expanding the requirements for Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RCR) training.

For NSF grant proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023, the NSF requires all undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel supported by the proposed research project to complete an approved form of RCR training before any funding can be awarded.

Drexel University Response

In response, Drexel University's Office of Research and Innovation will check all NSF proposals at the time of proposal submission for completion of RCR and notify those who have outstanding training. If RCR has not been completed by "time of award," this may impact account set-up or require changes in study personnel.

Drexel University provides training for RCR to all researchers through the CITI training platform. If you have already completed the training within the last 4 years, it's recommended to associate your CITI account with Drexel University. Please see the instructions linked below for enrolling in CITI courses for RCR.

CITI Updates

As part of ORI's response, Drexel's settings and selections are being reviewed with CITI and have several planned improvements that are currently in process and will begin to see over the next several weeks that ORI believes will decrease unnecessary burden to our research community:

  1. If you previously have taken training at another institution, and the course numbers match Drexel University's course numbers, the training will be accepted across all of the ORI's compliance departments (e.g., HRPP-IRB, IACUC, COI), and when affiliating with Drexel you will only be required to take courses that you have not completed previously provided they are still within the valid timeframe (i.e., have not expired).
  2. Designations of Social, Biomedical/Medical and IRB/Research Administration will be removed where there has not been a distinguishable difference in the courses to improve user experience and simplify processes (e.g., RCR).
  3. The CITI-RCR will have a revision to the required courses to align with NSF's requirements. However, if you have completed the RCR course previously, you will not be required to complete the new courses until you are required to renew.

For additional information on Responsible Conduct of Research, please go to the ORI-Responsible Conduct of Research site:

  1. CITI RCR Instructions [DOC]
  2. Frequently Asked Questions [DOC]

Questions? Email Marisa Corbett, Executive Director of Research Quality Assurance at marisa.jo.corbett@drexel.edu or Cassandra Myers, Associate Vice Provost of Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs at cassandra.j.myers@drexel.edu.

IRB Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Drexel HRP/IRB has added to its collection of investigator resources a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [PDF] document. Recognizing that the regulatory landscape is complicated and the many resources posted on the HRP website can be challenging to navigate, this document intends to guide investigators to resources and provide answers to questions that may not be answered in existing resources. The FAQ will be searchable by keyword and will be built over time to address the most common questions. The FAQs will be accessible from the Drexel HRP homepage.

Questions? Email the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) at hrpp@drexel.edu.

Exciting news regarding the Conflict-of-Interest webpage!

The ORI's commitment to transparency and ethical practices is unwavering, and these updates aim to reinforce the dedication to maintaining the highest standards.

What's New:

Questions? Email Lacee Harris, PhD, Executive Director of Research Compliance, at lacee.harris@drexel.edu.

Updates to the Export Control webpage!

As the ORI navigates the complexities of export control and increased responsibility, a few updates have been made to the webpage.

What's New:

Questions? Email Lacee Harris, PhD, Executive Director of Research Compliance, at lacee.harris@drexel.edu.

 

 

Sponsored Programs

OSP Updates and Reminders

  1. Rob Biron, Assistant Director of Contracts, recently left Drexel University for another position. During the interim, Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs, will be providing direct oversight of the Contracts Team. If you have any contracting issues, please email ResearchContracts@drexel.edu or email Sarah directly, sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.
  2. All contracts related to sponsored programs and research currently have a 30-day initial review period. If your agreement is time sensitive, please email ResearchContracts@drexel.edu or email the Contracts Administrator assigned to your agreement.
  3. Please remember that Drexel currently has a 3-day deadline guideline for all proposal submissions. In order to receive a full review of your proposal, the complete proposal package should be uploaded into the sponsor portal as well as a Coeus record approved through the dean's level at least three business days prior to the proposal deadline date. If a proposal is received after this time, OSP Grants Administrators will not complete a full review of a proposal and the submission runs the risk of being returned from the sponsor without review.
  4. Proposals are submitted through sponsor portals during Drexel's normal operating hours, 8 am – 5 pm, Monday - Friday.

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.

New NIH Scoring System Effective 1/25/2025

The NIH recently announced a simplified review framework for NIH research project grant applications, which will be implemented for grant receipt deadlines of January 25, 2025 and beyond.

This revised framework will better focus peer reviewers on the essential questions required to assess the scientific and technical merit of proposed research projects: "Should the proposed research project be conducted?" "Can the proposed research project be conducted?"

Currently, there are five review criteria: Significance, Innovation, Approach, Investigator, and Environment. These are being reorganized into three broader factors to help reviewers focus on key questions that determine a project's merit. Reviewers will consider these areas in shaping the overall impact score, which determines their assessment of the projected impact of the proposed research.

Factor 1: Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation), factor score 1-9
Factor 2: Rigor and Feasibility (Approach), factor score 1-9,
Factor 3: Expertise and Resources (Investigator and Environment), either rated as sufficient for the proposed research or not (in which case reviewers must provide an explanation)

Read the NIH Announcement

View the NIH Research Project Grants Webinar

Learn More about the Simplified Framework for NIH Peer Review

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.

NIH Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY2024

NIH just announced the salary cap limitation effective January 1, 2024. Please use the salary cap for all proposal submissions effective immediately. For active awards, including awards that have been issued in FY 2024 (continuation and new) that were restricted to Executive Level II, if adequate funds are available and if the salary cap increase is consistent with the institutional base salary, recipients may rebudget funds to accommodate the current Executive Level II salary level.

Learn More About NIH's Guidance on Salary Limitation

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.

Linked Fund Numbers on Collaborative Research Awards

The Office of Research & Innovation and the Office of the Comptroller have been working on improving transparency in managing collaborative research awards in the RCM budget environment. Beginning with proposals submitted on or after January 1, 2024, a main fund number for a PI along with linked fund numbers for Co-PIs and Co-Is will be established on awarded projects. Effective March 1, 2024, a budget template will be required in Coeus at the time of proposal submission.

For more information as well as a recording of the December 19, 2023 training and budget template, please visit our Linked Fund Numbers page.

ORI would like to thank Michelle Doyle and Zach Hathaway from CNHP's Research Office for their work in developing the budget template for this project.

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu or Evelyn Balabis, Executive Director, Research Accounting Services at evelyn.balabis@drexel.edu.

NIH Reminder: Commons ID Required for All on Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form, Effective Mid-January

In April 2021, NIH announced that all personnel listed on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form must have an eRA Commons ID. Those who did not comply were given a warning. NIH will now update the warning to an error for non-compliance with this requirement in mid-January. Applicants will receive an error if the "Credential, e.g., agency field" is blank or does not contain a valid eRA Commons ID for all personnel on the form. That includes Senior/Key Personnel and Other Significant Contributors. Errors must be corrected before an application can be successfully submitted to the agency. See NOT-OD-24-042.

The requirement enforcement is expected to facilitate better data collection for individuals contributing to federally funded research as well as help in disambiguating data on applications and facilitating identification of conflicts of interest in peer review.

Applicants are encouraged to check that their Commons account is active well before the due dates.

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.

 

 

Did You Know?

Advertisements & the IRB

What are considered research advertisements and recruitment materials?

Research advertisements and recruitment materials are participant facing documents or electronic media that are used to invite participants to join a research study. Recruitment materials can include but are not limited to flyers, social media posts, emails, letters, telephone recruitment scripts, study brochures, and recruitment videos to name a few.

Recruitment materials may be shared through various methods which may include electronic and hard copy media. The IRB reviews recruitment methods and the advertisements and to do so requires that they be included in the IRB submission along with any related scripts. Recruitment materials should be approved by the IRB prior to sharing with potential participants.

Please be aware there may be additional permissions required from the research site(s) or other gatekeepers to advertise for research recruitment. It is the investigators responsibility to maintain the records of permission and to ensure that any appropriate gatekeeper approval was obtained.

When creating your recruitment materials please keep the following guidelines in mind:

Recruitment materials should include the following information:

  • The name and contact information of the investigator (must use Drexel email)
  • A statement that the study involves research
  • The location of the research (if the study is limited to online participation please state)
  • The time commitment required of the participants
  • A brief description of the research and what participation entails

Recruitment materials should not:

  • Include Exclamation points and catchy words like "free" or "exciting"
  • Include exculpatory language, which would imply the participant is made to waive or appear to waive any of their legal rights, or releases or appears to release the investigator, the sponsor, the institution, or its agents from liability for negligence
  • Compensation is not emphasized (through use of bold type, larger font, exclamation points, or inclusion in subject lines or tag lines). The ad may simply indicate that compensation will be provided. Note: compensation should also not be listed as a benefit of the research.
  • No claims should be made, either explicitly or implicitly, that the drug, biologic or device is safe or effective for the purposes under investigation, or that the test article is known to be equivalent or superior to any other drug, biologic or device
  • No promises to receive "free medical treatment"

The IRB submission and protocol should thoroughly describe the recruitment plan the investigator intends to follow along with copies of any and all advertisements or recruitment materials.

Questions? Email the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) at hrpp@drexel.edu.

 

 

Training, Education, and Meeting Opportunities

Training Opportunities and Training Recordings

The Office of Research & Innovation has recently added a training calendar to their website! This training calendar lists all research-related events across campus. This is a great opportunity to stay up to date on all things research at Drexel!

View ORI's Upcoming Trainings

Additionally, the ORI has developed a SharePoint archive to share past trainings recordings. Please take advantage of this great resource for Drexel researchers.

Access The ORI Informational and Training Video Library

Questions? Email Becky Campbell, Senior Business Analyst, Research Systems at becky.campbell@drexel.edu.

OSP Lunch and Learn "How to" Series

Please join OSP for a new monthly Lunch and Learn "How to" series. Information will be provided on how to navigate research administration here at Drexel as well as with sponsors.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024
12 – 1 pm

Register for February 27

Tuesday, March 26, 2024
12 – 1 pm

Register for March 26

Tuesday, April 23, 2024
12 – 1 pm

Register for APril 23

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.

14th Annual Community Driven Research Day (CDRD)

Community Driven Research Day (CDRD)

Bringing Community-Based Organizations and Local Researchers Together
Making Connections & Supporting Community-Based Participatory Research
14th Annual Community Driven Research Day (CDRD)
Friday, February 9, 2024
9:30am – 12:30 pm

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Roberts Center
2716 South Street
1st Floor CR1120A & 1120B
Philadelphia, PA 19146

2024 CDRD theme:
Resilient Communities: Advancing Health Together

About Community Driven Research Day

Community-Driven Research Day (CDRD) is a program that encourages collaboration between researchers and community-based organizations (CBOs)/community groups that have research questions they are interested in answering.

Through CDRD, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and community groups interested in developing partnerships to conduct research participate in an interactive rapid presentation that highlights the organization's/group's mission, goals, and major accomplishments, as well as display research questions that they are interested in answering about how health and equity can be advanced for their community members.

To open the event, an esteemed panel of past CDRD awardees and community-driven research experts will present on effective community-academic collaborations. Following the panel discussion, CBO's and community groups will participate in an interactive poster session to highlight research questions of interest to researchers, public sector partners, and others interested in community-academic partnerships.

The event is jointly sponsored by the following institutions: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Temple University College of Public Health, La Salle University, Thomas Jefferson University, and The University of Pennsylvania.

2024 Keynote Speaker

An esteemed panel of past CDRD awardees and community-driven research experts will present on effective community-academic collaborations.

Each participating institution awards small grants to promising community partner-researcher collaborations through a competitive submission process post this event.

Non-Presenters – Register to Attend

All non-presenting individuals interested in attending Community-Driven Research Day, including academic faculty, staff, students, community members, and representatives of non-academic institutions.

Register to Community Driven Research Day

The CDRD committee is committed to community-based participatory research, which includes the basic tenet that both community partners and research partners are involved in all phases of research, allowing community capacity and related opportunities to be developed and sustained. The focus of CDRD is about making connections and the CDRD organizing committee is willing to help facilitate connections.

Learn More about the CDRD Committee

Questions? Email Jennifer Gregory, Research Events Manager at RDevents@drexel.edu.

Free NCURA Training: Better Together-When Pre-Award Becomes a Post-Award Activity

The Office of Sponsored Programs is pleased to provide the following NCURA training free to Drexel's research community:

Better Together: When Pre-Award Becomes a Post-Award Activity
February 7, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 pm EST * Webinar
3:35 – 4:30 pm EST * After the Show * Talk with the Faculty Directly!

How do Pre-Award actions affect Post-Award success? This session will incorporate multiple perspectives including those from central offices, departments, and principal investigators to review common and preventable Post-Award issues and best proactive strategies on how to prevent them in the Pre-Award process.

Members of the Drexel community can register for the event using their Drexel email on the NCURA website

Please Note: If you do not have an NCURA Profile, you will need to create on the NCURA website. Then, you may register for the free event using the link above.

Questions or login issues? Email DUResearch@drexel.edu.

Free NCURA Training: Get Control over Subrecipient Monitoring Controls

The Office of Sponsored Programs is pleased to provide the following NCURA training free to Drexel's research community:

Get Control over Subrecipient Monitoring Controls
February 20, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 pm EST * Webinar
3:35 – 4:30 pm EST * After the Show * Talk with the Faculty Directly!

This webinar will explore the internal controls framework for subrecipient monitoring based on federal regulations. By close examination of the rules, this session will break down the requirements (must!") vs. the nice to haves ("should!") and how to create a compliant institutional framework.

Anyone from the Drexel community may attend this free event by registering with their log-in credentials here: NCURA website.

Please Note: If you do not have an NCURA Profile, you will need to create one here: NCURA website. Then, you may register for the free event using the link above.

Questions or login issues? Email DUResearch@drexel.edu.

Free NCURA Training: Same Same, But Different: Departmental Challenges and Successes

The Office of Sponsored Programs is pleased to provide the following NCURA training free to Drexel's research community:

Same Same, But Different: Departmental Challenges and Successes
April 25, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 pm ET * Webinar
3:35 – 4:30 pm ET * After the Show * Talk with the Faculty Directly!

Borrowing from this popular phrase with origins in Southeast Asia, this session will explore the similarities and differences between research administration offices of all sizes whether central or departmental. While research volumes are drastically different, the workloads, per capita funding for staffing, and stressors are quite similar. Join NCURA as they provide perspectives from different vantage points. They will discuss staffing challenges, remote/hybrid workforces, and dealing with last minute proposals along with the challenge of being all things to all people.

Anyone from Drexel's community may register for the event using their Drexel credentials: NCURA website.

Please Note: If you do not have an NCURA Profile, you will need to create one here: NCURA website. Then, you may register for the free event using the link above.

Questions or login issues? Email DUResearch@drexel.edu.

NSF Fall Virtual Conference Recordings

For anyone who was unable to attend the NSF Virtual Conference in December 2023, all recordings are available through NSF here: NSF Resource Center.

Questions? Email Sarah Saxton, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs at sarah.m.saxton@drexel.edu.

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