Greetings, faculty!
Please see the list of announcements, funding opportunities, and resources below. Archives of previous updates are available on ORSP’s blog.
Research Development and Networking Opportunities
- The UTC Quantum Center is hosting bi-weekly forum sessions in Lupton Hall Room 389 from 4-5pm. The sessions planned for the remainder of 2024 are as follows:
- Nov. 7: Edward Steele, “Machine Learning-Aided Scattering Mitigation in a Quantum System”
- Nov. 21: Chris Cox, “Summary of Proceedings of recent SIAM workshop on Quantum Information Sciences“
- Dec. 5: Tam Bang, “Quantum Computing in Intelligent Transportation Systems”
- The Office of the VCR and ORSP are planning a site visit and networking opportunity with researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the UT – Oak Ridge Innovation Institute in 2025. If you’re interested in participating, please complete this brief survey by November 8 to help us select an optimal date and plan activities of interest to you.
- The next Meetup for Researchers will be held on November 8 at 11am in the Southern Writers Room (440) UTC Library. This month’s speakers include guests from the UT Research Foundation and Dr. Tom Lyons, who will be talking about the MOC Innovate Mini-Grant Competition for 2025. Register here to attend.
- The Office of the VCR and ORSP are collaborating with The Implementation Group(TIG) to provide opportunities for PIs to receive feedback on their proposals early in the development process. TIG will review a 1-page summary of your project and meet with you to discuss your project plan. Submit your 1-page summary by December 18, for a review session with TIG in January. This cycle is ideal for proposals with sponsor deadlines on or after March 1, 2025. Individuals who are planning a proposal to the 2025 NSF CAREER program are STRONGLY encouraged to participate.
Sponsor Announcements
- NSF now requires multifactor authentication to log into research.gov. Training resources including how-to guides and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are available on the new About Signing Into Research.gov page on Research.gov Help.
- NSF is hosting the Fall 2024 Virtual Grants Conference on December 9-12. Registration is free and opens on November 13 at 12pm. Click here to sign up for notifications and view recordings of past conference sessions.
- NIH is hosting two virtual town hall sessions to gather input on minority health and health disparities research. Register here to attend the November 15 orDecember 4 session.
- NIH has established an Early Career Reviewer Program. There is no deadline for enrollment, but applicants must meet all eligibility criteria to qualify. Learn more and register here.
Other 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 10 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 |
| US Dept. of Energy Environmental System Science | Pre-Application:December 11, 2024 | There are no PI eligibility restrictions based on citizenship status. Limit of 1 proposal per PI. |
| US Dept. of Energy Climate Resilience Centers | Pre-Application:December 12, 2024 | UTC is an eligible institution. There are no PI eligibility restrictions based on citizenship status. Limit of 1 proposal per PI. |
| US Dept. of Energy Atmospheric System Research | Pre-Application:January 7, 2025 | There are no PI eligibility restrictions based on citizenship status. Limit of 1 proposal per PI. |
| NSF Accelerating Computing-Enabled Scientific Discovery (ACED) | January 14, 2025 | Only Discovery (Track II) proposals accepted. PI and teaming requirements apply. |
| NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU) | January 15, 2025 | Only Level 1 proposals for all tracks accepted. Limit of 3 proposals per PI/Co-PI per year. |
| NSF Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) | January 23, 2025 | Limited to faculty (regardless of rank) meeting the “new investigator” requirements detailed in the NOFO. No Co-PIs are permitted. |
| NSF Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program | February 3, 2025 | Additional deadline in August 2025. |
| NSF Artificial Intelligence, Formal Methods, and Mathematical Reasoning (AIMing) | February 5, 2025 | Limit of 1 proposal per PI/Co-PI. Additional PI eligibility limitation applies. |
| NSF Geosciences Open Science Ecosystem | February 14, 2025 | Deadline for Track 1 (small-scale) proposals only. |
| NSF EHR Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research | February 28, 2025 | Co-PIs are not permitted on Individual Investigator Development proposals. |
Sponsored Projects Policy Spotlight: Unpaid Student Workers
UTC students benefit from our campus’ robust research ecosystem through both sponsored (funded by a grant or contract) and non-sponsored research activities. In contrast to student participants/beneficiaries, an “unpaid student worker” is a student that serves in an unpaid capacity in a role that, if included in the budget, would be considered a “personnel” role. This distinction applies regardless of whether the student is enrolled in or recruited from a specific course/capstone project.
ORSP encourages faculty to budget for all planned student workers as paid employees, either at an hourly rate or via a Graduate Assistantship including both the tuition remission and stipend. Doing so not only avoids issues of unfairness and inequitable access, but it also avoids the potential compliance and policy complications outlined here.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator/Project Director to determine the relative risks and benefits of including unpaid workers on sponsored projects, but you don’t have to make that decision in a bubble. If you are planning a research project and are thinking about including unpaid students (from a course or as general volunteers), please reach out to ORSP’s pre-award team to discuss your options. We’re here to help!
Best,
Ashley Ledford,
Director of Pre-Award Services
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Book a meeting with me!