Greetings, faculty!
Please see the list of announcements, funding opportunities, and resources below. This will be our last ORSP Updates email for 2023.
Announcements
- ORSP will have limited staff availability on December 21 and will be closed December 22 – January 1. We wish you all a wonderful holiday break and look forward to reconnecting in the new year.
- The Vice Chancellor for Research and ORSP invite you to participate in a Site Visit to Oak Ridge National Laboratory on February 23, 2024. To participate, you must register for the trip in InfoReady Review by December 15, 2023 at https://tennessee.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1923432. NOTE: Capacity is limited to 30 individuals. Slots will be filled based on the order of registration.
- As a friendly reminder, the deadline for submitting your annual Outside Interest Disclosure form is December 31, 2023. See more information about this requirement in the Policy Spotlight section below.
- NSF is accepting applications from post-bac and MS graduate students for the CISE Graduate Fellowships (CSGrad4US) through May 31, 2024. Eligibility restrictions apply. If you have a student interested in pursuing a research-based doctoral degree, please forward them this opportunity.
- NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative is offering Open Science 101, a series of 5 modules covering the principles and practices of open science and data management. Read more about the curriculum and enroll here.
Special Acknowledgements
Seasons greetings and best wishes for a restful winter break!
ORSP offers our warmest wishes to Dr. Romagni on her transition back to the faculty and thanks her for her visionary leadership during her 9 years of service. We welcome the leadership of Dr. Reinhold Mann, who will assume the VCR role effective January 1, 2024 for the next two years.
Funding Opportunities
If you are interested in applying to any of the opportunities below, please notify ORSP at least 4-6 weeks in advance of the deadline. Proposals with fewer than 5 business days notice may face barriers to submission. More information about ORSP’s proposal development timeline and services is available here.
| Sponsor/Program | Deadline | Limitations or Special Considerations |
| NSF Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) | March 7, 2024 | An individual may serve as PI/Co-PI on no more than 2 proposals per competition cycle. The next deadline is November 13, 2024 for FY25 funding. |
| NSF Emerging Mathematics in Biology (eMB) | March 11, 2024 | This is a target deadline; other submission deadline options should be discussed with the PO. |
| NSF Collaborations in Artificial Intelligence and Geosciences (CAIG) | March 15, 2024 | An individual may serve as Senior Personnel on no more than 2 proposals per competition cycle. PI eligibility restrictions apply. |
| NSF-Lemelson Initiative on Environmental and Social Sustainability in Engineering Education | N/A | Proposals must be submitted through the NSF RFE program. There is no deadline to apply; however, proposals submitted by April 30 will be considered for the current federal fiscal year (Oct 1 – Sept 30). |
Sponsored Projects Policy Spotlight: Conflicts of Interest
UT Policy #GE0002 explains the UT Conflict of Interests Policy, provides examples of conflicts of interest and includes information about faculty and staff reporting requirements and links to the Outside Interest Disclosure (OID) Form that all faculty and staff should complete annually. This disclosure process helps the University identify and manage conflicts between employees’ outside interests and their University responsibilities. This is especially important for faculty and staff who are participating in sponsored projects. Annual OID forms are due by December 31 each year.
ORSP reviews each participating individual’s OID form at the time of proposal and again at time of award. Each individual must have an OID form on file that has been reviewed and approved within the last 12 months. Even if you have no changes to report, a new form must be submitted each year. Note that disclosing an activity does not imply wrongdoing, nor does a disclosure mean that there is a conflict—it simply helps the university identify any perceived, potential, or actual conflicts that may need to be managed. When in doubt, always disclose an outside interest or activity.
For help filling out your OID form, see the guide on ORSP’s webpage here, as well as the UT Policy Guidance on What to Disclose and Disclosures for Research Activities.
Best,
Ashley Ledford,
Director of Pre-Award Services
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Book a meeting with me!