Applications are due February 15th for the 2021 Center for Social Science Scholarship Summer Fellowships!

Download the application here.

The purpose of this fellowship is to support significant social science research by tenure-track or tenured faculty in the UMBC College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, resulting in a submittable product by December 2021.

Applications are welcome from any tenured or tenure-track faculty pursuing social science research in any CAHSS department. Fellows will receive a $6,000 award during the summer of 2021. Up to three fellowships will be awarded.

By December 2021, each Fellow agrees to complete a submittable product, which can include an external grant or fellowship proposal, journal article, policy paper, book manuscript, or book chapter; upon completion, Fellows shall provide a copy of this submitted product to the Director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship. Fellows who are preparing an external proposal are expected to work with MIPAR for pre- and post-award assistance.

Interested faculty should complete and submit an application consisting of this downloadable 2-page cover sheet and proposal that adheres to the specified guidelines. The deadline for applications is FEBRUARY 15, 2021.

Applications will be reviewed and ranked by members of the Center for Social Science Scholarship Advisory Board, according to the following criteria:

• Quality of proposed research project;
• Significance of the project in its field;
• Publishing/funding potential of the work;
• Qualification of the faculty member to carry out the work, including the requisite expertise in the topic area and prior research productivity;
• Likelihood that the proposed work can be successfully completed with fellowship support and that it will result in a submittable product within the specified time period;
• Approval and recommendation of faculty member’s department chair.

For more information, interested faculty may contact Christine Mallinson, Director, Center for Social Science Scholarship.

Funds for this fellowship are provided by the Center for Social Science Scholarship, the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), and the UMBC Vice President for Research.

Social Science Faculty: please consider joining in these important conversations about research at UMBC.

Please join Karl Steiner, UMBC's Vice President for Research, for a virtual lunch series to discuss UMBC’s Research and Creative Achievements (RCA).  All questions and RCA topics are welcome, but we anticipate that some of the dialog will address individual challenges faced in conducting RCA activities during the pandemic. 

All members of our UMBC community are invited to join in on these recurring virtual lunches that are scheduled from 12:00 to 1:00 pm on alternating Fridays via this Webex link on February 5 & 19; March 5 & 19; April 2, 16 & 30; and May 14. 

There are no RSVPs required; just drop in and join us – starting this Friday, February 5 at noon.  Follow the OVPR myUMBC group for information on upcoming events and opportunities.  

Please join Karl Steiner, UMBC's Vice President for Research, for a virtual lunch series to discuss UMBC’s Research and Creative Achievements (RCA).  All questions and RCA topics are welcome, but we anticipate that some of the dialog will address individual challenges faced in conducting RCA activities during the pandemic. 

All members of our UMBC community are invited to join in on these recurring virtual lunches that are scheduled from 12:00 to 1:00 pm on alternating Fridays via this Webex link on February 5 & 19; March 5 & 19; April 2, 16 & 30; and May 14. 

There are no RSVPs required; just drop in and join us – starting this Friday, February 5 at noon.

Please review the following NIH Notices and Related Announcements for important updates to Fiscal Policies for FY 2021

Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect for FY 2021

Notice Number: NOT-OD-21-058 

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-058.html

This Notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations for Fiscal Year 2021 and implements the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020.

The agreement provides $42.93 billion for NIH, including $404 million from the 21st Century Cures Act (Public Law 114-255), a three percent increase above FY 2020. The agreement provides a funding increase of no less than 1.5 percent above fiscal year 2020 to every Institute and Center (IC).

Related Announcements

Notice of Legislative Mandates in Effect for FY 2021

NOT-OD-21-056 

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-056.html

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020, provides funding to NIH for the Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2021. The intent of this notice is to provide current requirements outlined in the following statutory provision that limits or conditions the use of funds on NIH grant, cooperative agreement, and contract awards for FY 2021.

FY 2021 Legislative Mandates in effect are as follows:

Division H, Title II - Department of Health and Human Services

• Salary Limitation (Section 202)
• Gun Control (Section 210)

Division H, Title V - General Provisions, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

• Anti-Lobbying (Section 503)
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding (Section 505)
• Restriction on Abortions (Section 506)
• Exceptions to Restriction on Abortions (Section 507)
• Ban on Funding Human Embryo Research (Section 508)
• Limitation on Use of Funds for Promotion of Legalization of Controlled Substances (Section 509)
• Restriction on Disclosure of Political Affiliation for Federal Scientific Advisory Committee Candidates (Section 515(a))
• Dissemination of False or Misleading Information (Section (515(b))
• Restriction of Pornography on Computer Networks (Section 520)
• Restriction on Distribution of Sterile Needles (Section 527)

Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY 2021

NOT-OD-21-057

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-057.html

This Notice provides information regarding the salary limitation for NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards and extramural research and development contract awards.

Since 1990, Congress has legislatively mandated a limitation on direct salary for individuals under NIH awards. The mandate appears in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020, which provides authority for NIH to incur obligations for Fiscal Year 2021.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 restricts the amount of direct salary to Executive Level II of the Federal Executive pay scale. The Office of Personnel Management recently released new salary levels for the Executive Pay Scale. Effective January 3, 2021, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $199,300.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2021

NOT-OD-21-049

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-049.html

This Notice supersedes NOT-OD-20-070 and establishes stipend levels for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral trainees and fellows, as shown in the tables below. The Training Related Expenses and Institutional Allowances for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and fellows and the Tuition and Fees for all educational levels remain unchanged from the prior budget year. This Notice reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020.

Undergraduates: For institutional training grants supporting undergraduate trainees (T34, TL4), appointments for undergraduate candidates will continue to be made by distinct category (i.e., Freshmen/Sophomores and Juniors/Seniors), but the stipend levels for the categories will be the same:

Predoctoral Trainees and Fellows: For institutional training grants (T32, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31), one stipend level is used for all predoctoral candidates, regardless of the level of experience.

Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows: For institutional training grants, (T32, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F32), the stipend level for the entire first year of support is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching assistantship, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree. Once the appropriate stipend level has been determined, the trainee or fellow must be paid at that level for the entire grant year. The stipend for each additional year of Kirschstein-NRSA support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.

Senior Fellows (F33 only): The stipend level must be commensurate with the base salary or remuneration that would have been paid by the institution with which the individual is permanently affiliated when the award is issued but cannot exceed the current Kirschstein-NRSA stipend limit set by the NIH for those with 7 or more years of experience. The level of Kirschstein-NRSA support will take into account concurrent salary support provided by the institution and the policy of the sponsoring institution. NIH support does not provide fringe benefits for senior fellows.

For further details, please refer to individual Notices linked above. 

If you have any questions, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.

NEW SALARY LEVEL FOR THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL II_ Effective January 2021

•     Salary Limitation on AHRQ FY2021 Grants, Cooperative Agreements,             and Contracts

•     Notice Number: NOT-HS-21-007

Effective January 3, 2021, the Executive Level II salary level is $199,300.

Though this Notice refers to AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), the Executive Level II salary level applies to all Federal agencies including NIH.

Please refer to the Notice linked below for implementation.

•    https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-21-007.html

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).