Office of the Vice Provost for Research

Research Updates - 2017

OVPR Research Updates

November 2017

NEWS

Last Call for Nominations: 2018 OVPR Faculty Awards
Nominations are now being accepted for the OVPR Faculty Awards (the Distinguished Researcher Award, the Distinguished Scholar Award, the Early Career Researcher Award and the Early Career Scholar Award). The researcher awards are for those who conduct scientific research (e.g., in engineering, medicine, public health, psychology, nursing, among other fields and disciplines). The scholar awards are geared toward faculty who work in social sciences, the arts and humanities. The awards will be presented at the annual Faculty Honors Ceremony held in the spring of 2018. Nominations are due by Friday, November 17, 2017 via InfoReady and completed nomination packages are due by Friday, December 15, 2017. For more details on criteria and the nomination and selection processes, visit the OVPR Faculty Awards website. Email [email protected] with any questions.
 
NSF Issues Revised Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the release of a revised Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 18-1). We encourage you to review the summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG. This version of the PAPPG becomes effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 29, 2018. In the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 17-1) continue to apply.
 
Kickoff Event for New Graduate Student Organization, GW COMPASS
GW COMPASS is a new graduate student organization designed to help MS and PhD students in STEM identify various career pathways after graduation. The organization seeks to provide a community of personal and professional support to enhance the graduate student experience through a variety of networking engagements, outreach events and mentorship. GW COMPASS's kickoff event will be held on Friday, November 17, 2017 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the lower level of the Science and Engineering Hall (B1167). Grad students, postdocs, faculty and research staff are encouraged to attend! Registration is optional but encouraged.
 
Health and Medicine App Hackathon
Have an idea for an app related to health or medicine? The Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National (CTSI- CN), a partnership between Children's National Medical Center and the George Washington University (GW), is hosting a half-day hackathon on Friday, April 13, 2018. The purpose of the hackathon is to develop the requirements and prototype user interface for medical software applications. Submissions of ideas are due by Friday, December 15, 2017. Individuals affiliated with Children's and GW are eligible to participate.

 

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October 2017

NEWS

Call for Nominations: 2018 OVPR Faculty Awards
OVPR is pleased to announce the nomination process for the third annual OVPR Faculty Awards. Nominations are now being accepted for the Distinguished Researcher Award, the Distinguished Scholar Award, the Early Career Researcher Award and the Early Career Scholar Award. The researcher awards are for those who conduct scientific research (e.g., in engineering, medicine, public health, psychology, nursing, among other fields and disciplines). The scholar awards are geared toward faculty who work in social sciences, the arts and humanities. The awards will be presented at the annual Faculty Honors Ceremony held in the spring of 2018. Nominations are due by Friday, November 17, 2017 via InfoReady and completed nomination packages are due by Friday, December 15, 2017. For more details on criteria and the nomination and selection processes, visit the OVPR Faculty Awards website. Email [email protected] with any questions.
 
Reminder: University Facilitating Fund Letters of Intent Due October 20, 2017
OVPR's University Facilitating Fund (UFF) intramural competition supports the creation of new research projects and scholarly activities that will lead to applications for external funding and/or bring external recognition to GW.
 
Eligible faculty include:
  • active-status university faculty who are assistant professors, associate professors, assistant research professors, associate research professors or research scientists, who are continuing service at the university the following academic year; AND
  • have less than $100,000 of total active funding, unless submitting for a new field of research. (If this is a field of research for which the principal investigator (PI) has not received external funding, it may be considered new.)
  • faculty in SMHS, Milken Institute SPH, and Law may participate, but not serve as the PI of a UFF proposal.
A letter of intent is required no later than Friday, October 20, 2017, and can be completed using InfoReady. The full proposal is due Wednesday, December 6, 2017. A letter of intent is required to be eligible to submit a proposal. More details about UFF are available online. Email [email protected] with any questions or for more information.
 
AccelerateGW I-Corps Site Program and Support for Innovators
GW has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Site grant to educate the university community on entrepreneurial principles and to provide seed funding for exploring the commercial potential of new technologies. After completing an introductory course, each successful team will receive up to $3,000 for customer discovery and prototyping. GW faculty, staff, postdocs, grad students and undergraduates are eligible to apply. While applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, the next introductory course at GW will begin on Friday, November 3, 2017. Learn more about the AccelerateGW I-Corps Site Program. Apply online.

 

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September 2017

NEWS
 
University Facilitating Fund: Letters of Intent Due Friday, October 20, 2017
OVPR's University Facilitating Fund (UFF) intramural competition supports the creation of new research projects and scholarly activities that will lead to applications for external funding and/or bring external recognition to GW. Eligible faculty include:
  • active-status university faculty who are assistant professors, associate professors, assistant research professors, associate research professors or research scientists, who are continuing service at the university the following academic year; AND
  • have less than $100,000 of total active funding, unless submitting for a new field of research. (If this is a field of research for which the principal investigator (PI) has not received external funding, it may be considered new.)
  • faculty in SMHS, Milken Institute SPH, and Law may participate, but not serve as the PI of a UFF proposal.
A letter of intent is required no later than Friday, October 20, 2017, and can be completed using InfoReady. The full proposal is due Wednesday, December 6, 2017. A letter of intent is required to be eligible to submit a proposal. More details about UFF are available online. Email [email protected] with any questions or for more information.
 
Four Questions For Researchers Involved In Human Subjects Research
For National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposals due on or after January 25, 2018, identifying whether your study is a clinical trial will be important for picking the right funding opportunity, ensuring your proposal includes all the information required for review, and complying with the appropriate policies and regulations. NIH poses four questions to researchers involved in human subject studies:
  1. Does the study involve human participants?
  2. Are the participants prospectively assigned to an intervention?
  3. Is the study designed to evaluate the effect of the intervention on the participants?
  4. Is the effect that will be evaluated a health-related biomedical or behavioral outcome?
If the answer to all four questions is yes, then NIH considers your research a clinical trial. NIH has launched a new web-based decision-making tool to help applicants determine if their projects meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.
 
AccelerateGW I-Corps Site Program and Support for Innovators
GW has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Site grant to educate the university community on entrepreneurial principles and to provide seed funding for exploring the commercial potential of new technologies. After completing an introductory course, each successful team will receive up to $3,000 for customer discovery and prototyping. GW faculty, staff, postdocs, grad students and undergraduates are eligible to apply. While applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, the next introductory course at GW will begin on Friday, November 3, 2017. Learn more about the AccelerateGW I-Corps Site Program. Apply online.
 
Collaborative Research Survey
The Collaboration & Multidisciplinary Team Science (CMTS) group of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National (CTSI-CN) has created a survey to evaluate the level of interest in team science and potential barriers to participation in collaborative research. CMTS invites GW faculty and research staff to participate and estimates the survey will take less than ten minutes to complete. Questions about the survey can be directed to Sara Alyamani at [email protected]. Take the team science survey. CMTS requests your responses by October 6, 2017.
 
New Issue of GW Research Magazine
The latest issue of GW Research Magazine is now available online. The magazine showcases the breadth of research, scholarship, innovation and entrepreneurship at GW including research highlights, Q&As with GW investigators and feature-length articles on sex and gender differences in autism, the history of immigration in New York City, a GW technology that steers small satellites, and a student-led project to boost oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay. View the publication by visiting https://researchmagazine.gwu.edu. If you or your office would like print copies of the magazine, please email [email protected] with your request.

 

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June 2017

NEWS

**ALERT: NSF FastLane Will Be Unavailable June 30 - July 4**
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is moving its Data Center IT servers to the foundation's new headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, from June 30 at 8:00 PM EDT through July 4 at 6:00 PM EDT. Please be advised that during that period of time, the NSF website, Research.gov, and FastLane will be unavailable. During this outage period, there will be no access to these websites, proposals cannot be submitted in FastLane, and project reports and cash requests cannot be submitted in Research.gov. 
 
NIH Launches "Next Generation Researchers Initiative"
Last month we shared details of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposal to limit the number of grants that any one investigator can hold. That proposal, the Grant Support Index (GSI), garnered significant feedback. While NIH still believes that reforms are necessary to support early-career investigators and to strengthen the biomedical research enterprise, the GSI methodology will not be implemented. In its place, NIH has launched the Next Generation Researchers Initiative to provide more support for early- and mid-career investigators and to develop and test metrics that can be used to assess the impact of NIH grant support on scientific progress. Read the NIH director's letter announcing the initiative.
 
Office of Human Research Updates
IRB of Record
Requests for an IRB of Record (i.e., a reliance agreement or IAA) should be routed through the Office of Human Research (OHR). There are several steps that an IRB of Record request must undergo prior to final approval by signatory officials. More information regarding this process can be found on OHR's IRB of Record webpage. In addition, an IRB Training Series on reliance agreements will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at 12:00pm via WebEx. Details on how to join the WebEx can be found in the calendar listing below. Please send IRB of Record requests and questions to [email protected].
 
Process Change for Stamping Documents
As of Tuesday, May 30, 2017, the GW IRB will no longer place a stamp on consent documents, recruitment materials, data collection tools, or other documents for minimal and greater than minimal risk. Instead, OHR will watermark the approval date on these documents with the watermark appearing on each page. Please note your current documents are still valid and you do not need to re-submit anything due to this change.
 
Change to NIH Policy on Post-Submission Materials
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have announced changes to their policy for post-submission materials for applications submitted for due dates on or after September 25, 2017. The policy has been expanded to include citations to issued patents as allowable post-submission materials. Post-submission materials are those submitted after submission of the grant application but prior to initial peer review. They are not intended to correct oversights or errors discovered after submission of the application, but rather allow applicants the opportunity to respond to unforeseen events. Read the notice (NOT-OD-17-066).
 
GWNIC Announces Rates for Cleanroom Equipment
The GW Nanofabrication and Imaging Center (GWNIC) has finalized the rates for use of its cleanroom and nanofabrication equipment. Visit the GWNIC website for more information about accessing the center and its state-of-the-art equipment. Rates can be found on the "Usage Fees" tab of the "Access the Facilities" page. Discounted rates are available for GW-affiliated and external not-for-profit users. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
 
GW's CAAREN Highlighted in Multiple Publications
The Capital Area Advanced Research and Education Network (CAAREN), a high-capacity communications network that connects GW and regional member institutions to each other and to Internet2, is featured in recent publications by the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and The Quilt. The NVTC article explores the future of connected technology and the importance of high-capacity networks (article begins on page 18). The Quilt published an article about a new collaboration between CAAREN and the Michigan Cyber Range (MCR) to boost cybersecurity education in Virginia (article on page 15).

 

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May 2017

NEWS
 
University Facilitating Fund (UFF) Recipients Announced
OVPR is pleased to announce the eighteen research and scholarly projects that will receive support from the University Facilitating Fund (UFF) in fiscal year 2018. The goal of the fund is to foster the creation of new research projects and scholarly activities that will generate proposals for external funding or bring recognition to the PI and university. Funded projects span the sciences, arts and humanities and represent the breadth of expertise at GW. View the recently-funded projects.
 
Deadline Extended: Survey on Research Participant Recruitment & Retention
The Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National (CTSI-CN), a partnership with GW, is conducting a survey to evaluate factors related to the recruitment and retention of study participants. CTSI-CN invites all research staff at GW to participate in this anonymous survey. For more information, contact Jurran Wilson at [email protected].
 
NIH Considering Grant Cap for Individual Principal Investigators
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is considering a proposal to cap the amount of NIH support that an investigator may hold at any given time. This Grant Support Index (GSI) would assign a point value to grants based on type, complexity and size. Investigators would be limited to holding the equivalent of 21 points worth of NIH funding. (As an example, a single-PI R01 would count as seven points.) Applications for NIH funding to support researchers who have GSIs over 21 would be expected to explain how they would adjust their existing grant load to be within the GSI limits if their application is awarded. Over the next few months, NIH will be seeking feedback on how best to implement the GSI limit. OVPR will continue to monitor the situation and report back to the GW research community as we learn more. Read the NIH announcement. Read more about the Grant Support Index, including a table with proposed point values.
 
Fostering Integrity in Research: New Report by the National Academy of Sciences
A new report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Fostering Integrity in Research, stresses the important role played by institutions and environments - not only individual researchers - in supporting scientific integrity. The report suggests actions to ensure the availability of data necessary for reproducing research, clarify authorship standards, protect whistleblowers, and make sure that negative as well as positive research findings are reported, among other steps. Download the report or read more about the report and its findings.
 
Online Tools for Collaborative Science
The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a free, open source tool created and hosted by the Center for Open Science (COS). Designed to meet immediate needs like file sharing, collaboration and project management, OSF contains additional features that become useful for later phases of research such as preparing for publication or grant renewal. Flexible private/public settings allow researchers to share their work selectively and even receive Digital Object Identifiers, for persistent citation, without needing to leave the platform. For more information about OSF or COS, contact Megan Potterbusch, National Digital Stewardship Resident at the Association of Research Libraries, at [email protected].

 

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Late March 2017

NEWS

Faculty Awards for Research and Scholarship

A number of faculty awards for research and scholarship will be presented at GW's Seventh Annual Faculty Honors Ceremony:

  • Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Prize for Faculty Scholarship (Research): Graciela Laura Kaminsky, Professor of Economics and International Affairs
  • OVPR Distinguished Researcher Award: Michael Keidar, A. James Clark Professor of Engineering
  • OVPR Distinguished Scholar Award: Ilana Feldman, Professor of Anthropology, History, and International Affairs
  • OVPR Early Career Researcher Award: Volker J. Sorger, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Orthogonal Physics Enabled Nanophotonics (OPEN) Laboratory
  • OVPR Early Career Scholar Award: Caitlin Talmadge, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

Please help us congratulate these faculty on their contributions to the university and their respective fields. The GW Faculty Honors Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 from 4:00-6:00 pm in Jack Morton Auditorium. Read more about the 2017 OVPR Faculty Award recipients.

Research Days 2017

GW Research Days, the annual showcase of undergraduate, graduate and postdoc research and scholarship, will be held on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5, 2017. April 4th will focus on arts, business, education, engineering, humanities, law, mathematics, sciences and other topics. April 5th will focus on health and medicine topics. Visit the Research Days website for more information, including the full schedule of events.

Reminder: International Travel on Sponsored Projects

There are a number of important considerations when planning international travel on a sponsored project.

Fly America Act

Foreign travel supported by federal grants and contracts is subject to the Fly America Act which requires grantees to use U.S. flag air carriers to the maximum extent possible. The Office of Sponsored Projects website has more information about the Fly America Act and how to book compliant travel using GW's iBuy+ Travel.

Export Control

GW affiliates traveling abroad may have equipment, technology, computers or personal devices with data subject to export controls. Travelers should review the Record of Export Control Questionnaire to assess export control requirements. Questions about export control can be directed to [email protected].

Register Your Travel with the university

If you are a faculty or staff member traveling abroad on GW business, please register your travel with the university using the GW Passport system.

New Grant(s) Transfer Notification Webform

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) has launched a new webform that investigators or their designee must complete in order to initiate the process of transferring a grant from GW to another institution. The webform generates notifications to OSP and the investigator's school, center or institute. View the Grant(s) Transfer Notification webform.

Final Revisions to the Common Rule

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and fifteen other federal departments and agencies have issued final revisions to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (the Common Rule). The new rule better protects human subjects involved in research, while facilitating valuable research and reducing burden, delay, and ambiguity for investigators. Most provisions in the new rule will go into effect in 2018. Common Rule changes and the single IRB mandate will be covered at the GW-hosted D.C. Research Collaborative event on human subjects protection on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.

NSF Launches Proposal and Award Policy Newsletter

National Science Foundation recently announced a new Proposal & Award Policy Newsletter designed to provide information about upcoming changes and clarifications to policies and procedures that affect how you prepare and submit proposals and manage NSF awards.  

 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS

NIH: Bridges to the Baccalaureate and to the Doctorate Programs

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Education Program (R25) supports educational activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical research workforce. The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program funds projects that help community college students transition to and complete a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences. The Bridges to the Doctorate Program funds projects that help master's level students transition to and complete PhD's in biomedical sciences. NIH will accept submissions to these programs between August 25, 2017 and September 25, 2017. GW may submit only one proposal per program. If you are interested in developing a proposal for either of the Bridges programs, please email [email protected].

Graduate Research Opportunity at DOE National Laboratories

The Department of Energy's Office of Science is now accepting applications for the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program. The SCGSR program provides doctoral dissertation/thesis research opportunities for graduate students at DOE national laboratories. Applications are due by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. View program details and application instructions.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Program

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has announced its intent to identify and appoint up to 20 new biomedical researchers through its investigator competition. The HHMI investigator competition is open to basic researchers and physician scientists. Selected investigators continue to be based at their host institutions; however, HHMI investigators and some of their laboratory personnel are Institute employees and are supported by HHMI field offices throughout the country. Each investigator receives his or her full salary, benefits, and a research budget from HHMI. The term of the appointment is seven-years, which may be renewed after a review process. View the HHMI Investigator Program website for more details. The application deadline is June 27, 2017 at 3:00 pm EDT.

Gulf War Illness Research Program

A number of new and modified award mechanisms have been pre-announced by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) for research that improves the health and lives of veterans who have Gulf War Illness. CDMRP is providing information to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY17 funding opportunities. CDMRP anticipates that final announcements, application instructions, and deadlines will be posted on Grants.gov in May 2017. View the pre-announcement.

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Mid-March 2017

NEWS

Submit a Proposal to Present at AAAS Annual Meeting

The 2018 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting will be held in Austin, TX on February 15-19, 2018. The meeting's theme is "Advancing Science: Discovery to Application." OVPR encourages researchers to consider submitting proposals for scientific symposia or career development workshops at this meeting. More information about submitting proposals is available on the AAAS proposal submission website. The submission deadline for scientific symposia is Thursday, April 20, 2017; the deadline for career development workshops is Thursday, April 27, 2017.

OVPR and External Relations can provide communications, presentation and organizational support to researchers that have proposals accepted, in addition to editorial assistance during the proposal submission process. If you are interested in submitting a presentation proposal to AAAS, please send an email to [email protected].

Research Days 2017

GW Research Days, the annual showcase of undergraduate, graduate and postdoc research and scholarship, will be held on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5, 2017. April 4th will focus on arts, business, education, engineering, humanities, law, mathematics, sciences and other topics. April 5th will focus on health and medicine topics. Visit the Research Days website for more information.

GW faculty who are interested in serving as a poster presentation judge should email [email protected].

Webinar: NSF Electronic Research Administration Forum

National Science Foundation is holding its third Electronic Research Administration Forum Webinar on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 from 10:00 to 11:30 am. This session will focus on Proposal Submission Modernization topics including Sponsored Projects Office and Authorized Organizational Representative access and activities. Learn more about the NSF Electronic Research Administration Forum.

NSF Request for Information: Future Needs for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure

National Science Foundation (NSF) has launched an effort to refresh its vision and strategy for advanced cyberinfrastructure (NSF CI 2030). Through this Request for Information (RFI), NSF invites contributions from the science, engineering, education, and CI research community to inform this planning effort. Submissions should be made using the NSF CI 2030 RFI website by 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

New Office of Sponsored Projects Website

The Office of Sponsored Projects has launched a new website designed to be more user-friendly. New features include a section on subawards, a homepage newsfeed, a reformatted OSP staff directory by portfolio, and an International Research Toolkit, among others. Visit and bookmark the new site at https://sponsoredprojects.gwu.edu.

 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS

Funding Opportunities in the Humanities

The Office of Sponsored Project's Research Enhancement Unit has identified a number of funding opportunities that may be of interest to researchers and scholars in the humanities. These opportunities can be viewed within Pivot, a database of funding opportunities available to GW affiliates as part of GW's institutional subscription to the service. With a Pivot account, users can search, save searches for re-use, and receive alerts when new opportunities become available. Questions about funding searches or COS Pivot can be directed to the Research Enhancement Unit at [email protected].

Higher Education Research Experiences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Higher Education Research Experiences (HERE) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) program includes research participation programs for both faculty and students at various academic levels. The program provides research opportunities that complement academic programs by utilizing the unique resources of ORNL. Faculty, graduate students and undergraduates are encouraged to review the program's website. The HERE program also includes a thesis or dissertation research component. Applications are accepted and selections are made year-round.

Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program

The Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program offers scientists and engineers from a wide variety of disciplines unique opportunities to conduct research in a wide range of topics relevant to the Intelligence Community. In partnership with a research advisor, the postdoc composes and submits a technical proposal that responds to a research opportunity identified here. Eligible postdocs are U.S. citizens who have received their PhD within 5 years of the application deadline. Annual stipends range from $75,000 to $79,000, depending on research location. The application deadline is Friday, March 31, 2017. The fellowship program is managed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) under an interagency agreement between the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Biomedical Research and Technology to Support Astronaut Health

The Translational Research Institute (TRI), funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and headquartered at Baylor College of Medicine, seeks innovative and disruptive technologies, techniques and countermeasures to enable and enhance human exploration of deep space. TRI is soliciting proposals from any US-based biomedical researcher, regardless of previous NASA funding. Letters of intent are due April 10, 2017. A pre-proposal webinar, during which TRI will answer questions about the research announcement, will be held on March 23, 2017 and is open to all interested proposers. Read the announcement, topics of current interest, and proposal instructions.

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February 2017

NEWS

Reminder: New Proposal and Award Guidance from NIH and NSF

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have issued new guidance documents with regard to proposals and awards.

Research Days 2017 Abstract Submissions

GW Research Days, the annual showcase of undergraduate, graduate and postdoc research and scholarship, will be held on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5, 2017. April 4th will focus on arts, business, education, engineering, humanities, law, mathematics, sciences and other topics. April 5th will focus on health and medicine topics. Visit the new Research Days website for more information. The abstract submission forms are now open through February 28, 2017. Please mark your calendars and encourage your students to participate.

Impact of Federal Regulatory Freeze and Award Restrictions

The Council on Governmental Regulations (COGR), an association of research universities and affiliated medical centers and independent research institutes, has issued advisories regarding a freeze on new or pending regulations that will impact research as well as the "freeze" on grants and contracts funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, visit the "Federal Updates" section of the COGR website.

New Office of Sponsored Projects Website

The Office of Sponsored Projects has launched a new website designed to be more user-friendly. New features include a section on subawards, a homepage newsfeed, a reformatted OSP staff directory by portfolio, and an International Research Toolkit, among others. Visit and bookmark the new site at https://sponsoredprojects.gwu.edu. Send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected].

Change in Capitalization Threshold

Effective January 1, 2017, the capitalization threshold changed from $2,500 to $5,000 per unit cost for purchases related to property, furniture, equipment, and software. Any property, furniture, equipment, or software that equals or exceeds a per unit cost of $5,000 and has a useful life of more than one year should be capitalized using the appropriate capitalization expense accounts. A presentation (PDF) discussing the definition of a capitalized asset and a list of the capitalized expense accounts can be found on the Office of the Comptroller's website. The fixed asset policy is in the process of being updated to reflect the new threshold amount.

Certificates of Confidentiality

Certificates of Confidentiality (CoC) are issued to researchers by the National Institutes of Health and other Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies to help protect the privacy of human subjects enrolled in sensitive, health-related research. Certificates protect against compulsory legal demands for identifying information or identifying characteristics of a research participant, such as court orders and subpoenas. The Office of Human Research has posted guidance about the CoC application process and instructions for completing required documentation. Questions about the CoC process can be answered by visiting the NIH Certificates of Confidentiality (CoC) Kiosk FAQs or by emailing [email protected].

Call for Submissions: 2017 Innovation Competition

The 2017 Innovation Competition, organized by OVPR's Technology Commercialization Office (TCO), showcases promising and impactful GW research with commercial potential. The event provides a forum for idea sharing and an opportunity to present technologies available for licensing to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs, investors and industry professionals. Finalists pitch their technologies for a chance to win $30,000 in prizes. Applications to participate are being accepted through Monday, March 6, 2017. Email [email protected] to submit your invention. The competition will be held on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 from 1:00 - 5:30 pm in Lehman Auditorium of Science and Engineering Hall.

Offer Responsible Conduct of Research Credits at Your Event

Numerous events, seminars, trainings and workshops contribute to an environment that supports responsible and ethical research practices. These events, which are organized by offices across campus and by affiliated institutions, may be eligible for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) credits if they address an approved topic. Please see the OVPR website for a full list of topics and the benefits of providing RCR credits to your attendees. Email questions to [email protected].

 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS

Eating Disorders Research Grants Program

The Klarman Family Foundation has announced the 2017 grant cycle for its Eating Disorders Research Grants Program. In this application round, the foundation is seeking to fund projects that investigate the underlying biology of anorexia nervosa, and the questions of how and why it develops and persists. More details can be found at the foundation's website. The deadline for this opportunity is Tuesday, March 14, 2017.

Cottrell Scholar Program

The Research Corporation for Science Advancement's (RCSA) Cottrell Scholar (CS) program develops outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills. The program champions the very best early career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics and astronomy by providing significant discretionary awards for research. The initial tier of the program, which includes a $100,000 award, is open to faculty at the end of the third year of their first faculty appointment. Pre-proposals for first-tier awards are due Monday, May 1, 2017. Learn more and apply online.

Women Cyber Security Scholarship Program

The Raytheon Women's Cybersecurity Scholarship is aimed at developing global cyber talent. Eligible applicants include high school seniors, first-year undergraduate students, or mid-career professionals pursuing an undergraduate degree. Learn more about this scholarship opportunity.

Data Incubator Fellowship

The Data Incubator is an intensive 8 week fellowship that prepares masters students, PhDs, and postdocs in STEM and social science fields seeking industry careers as data scientists. The program is free for fellows and supported by sponsorships from hundreds of employers across multiple industries. The next program (both in-person and online) will be March 27 - May 19, 2017. Anyone who has already obtained a masters or PhD degree or who is within one year of graduating with a masters or PhD is welcome to apply. Applications from international students are welcome. Learn more about this fellowship opportunity.

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Follow OVPR on Twitter!

Follow the Office of the Vice Provost for Research on Twitter @GW_OVPR for announcements of training opportunities, limited proposal competitions and other research-related news and updates.