Greetings, faculty!
Please see the list of announcements, funding opportunities, and resources below. Archives of previous updates are available on ORSP’s blog.
ORSP Announcements
- ORSP will be closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29. We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and looking forward to reconnecting with you on Monday, December 2.
- 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.
Important UT Policy Changes
- With the transition to DASH Financial in January, the UT System has established negotiated fringe benefits rates (similar to how we have a negotiated indirect cost rate). Here’s what this means for investigators and sponsored project personnel:
- Effective immediately, ORSP Pre-Award staff will apply the negotiated fringe rates to all budget proposals.
- For proposals that have been submitted already, ORSP staff will help you revise your budget to align with the new rates at time of award.
- If you have an active sponsored project, the new rates will be charged to your account beginning in January. PIs, unit leaders, and administrative personnel should review their active awards, discuss budgets, and take any necessary actions. Accounting Services and ORSP will only process post-award budget revision requests when they are required to meet the terms and conditions of relevant awards.
- FAQs are available on ORSP’s budgeting webpage.
- If you are participating on a grant proposal with a submission deadline between now and January 31, but have not submitted your updated Outside Interest Disclosure (OID) form for 2024, please do so as soon as possible. The last day to submit an OID form in IRIS is December 13. A disclosure guide for those participating in research and sponsored project activities can be found here.
- Changes are coming to the Outside Interest Disclosure process. Join a webinar on December 2 at 10am or December 4 at 2pm for a systemwide training on the new Conflict of Interest (COI) certification process going live January 6, 2025. Formerly known as Outside Interests Disclosure, the new COI process will be hosted in DASH Research but will continue to be a requirement for all UT employees. Annual disclosure will occur in September 2025, but we encourage all employees, especially those planning to participate in research, to attend. Webinar registration is not required; click here for more information and meeting links.
Sponsor Announcements
- NSF is hosting the Fall 2024 Virtual Grants Conference on December 9-12. Click here to register for free.
- FORMS-I will be required for all NIH proposals due on or after January 25, 2025. Click here for a summary of changes.
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 |
| NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture for Higher Education or K-12 Educators | February 12, 2025 | An optional draft may be submitted to NEH by January 6, 2025 for feedback prior to review. |
| NSF Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) | February 20, 2025 | Solicitation should be posted within the next 1-2 business days. |
| NSF Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) | March 5, 2025 | Limited to two proposals per PI/Co-PI per year. |
| US Dept of Energy FY25 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program | Rolling through September 30, 2025 | Pre-application requirements and restrictions vary by program. See NOFO for details. |
Sponsored Projects Policy Spotlight: UT Code of Conduct
UT’s code of conduct is intended to assist employees and their departments in creating a responsible and ethical workplace. It outlines the basic expectations for employees, directs them to policy requirements and training resources and provides instructions for reporting concerns and violations. PIs are expected to apply this policy to the management of their grant proposals and sponsored projects.
Best,
Ashley Ledford,
Director of Pre-Award Services
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Book a meeting with me!