Limited Submission Opportunity through the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research

http://research.umbc.edu/limited-submission-opportunities/

Internal proposals are due by August 28, 2015

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipend program provides funding for faculty and independent scholars to pursue research in the humanities during the summer. UMBC may submit up to two nominations for NEH Summer Stipends.

These stipends support individuals in advancing research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources. Though this is an NEH program, many faculty members in the arts and social sciences work on projects that the NEH might fund. Summer Stipends support projects at any stage of development.

Successful applicants will receive outright awards of $6,000 to support two consecutive months of full-time research during summer 2016.

For complete instructions: http://research.umbc.edu/neh-2016-summer-stipend-program-internal-proposal-guidelines/

As announced earlier this month by the Office of Sponsored Programs, NIH had released the updated Grants Policy Guidance (GPG) on March 31, 2015 to replace interim guidance as well as incorporate the new Uniform Guidance requirements.  Here is a link to the 3/31/15 NIH Grants Policy Statement.

We in the OPRC wanted to highlight a few items from the GPG that are of interest to areas in research compliance. If you have questions or want more information, please contact us at complaince@umbc.edu.

2.3.12 Protecting Sensitive Data and Information Used in Research

NIH fund recipients are required to protect sensitive and confidential data and take all reasonable and appropriate actions to prevent the inadvertent disclosure, release or loss of sensitive personal information. NIH advises that personally identifiable, sensitive, and confidential information about research participants not be housed on portable electronic devices. If such devices must be used (such as laptops, CDs, disc drives, flash drives), they should be encrypted to safeguard data and information.

Personally identifiable information should be restricted via password protection and other means. Research data should be transmitted only when the security of the recipient’s systems is known and is satisfactory to the transmitter.  For more information, go to the ORPC page on UMBC’s security requirements for protecting sensitive research data.

4.1.1 Animal Welfare Requirements

The PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy) requires that an approved Animal Welfare Assurance be on file with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) at the time of award for all recipient organizations receiving PHS support for research or related activities using live vertebrate animals. The use of vertebrate animals required in the Research Plan of the application. If the involvement of animals is indefinite at the time of application, applicants should provide an explanation and indicate when it is anticipated that animals will be used. Verification of IACUC approval may be filed at any time before award in accord with Just-in-Time procedures. IACUC approval must have been granted within three years of the budget period start date to be valid; however, IACUCs may determine that continuing review on a more frequent basis is appropriate. For more information, go to the ORPC page on the UMBC IACUC’s protocol submission procedures.

4.1.10 Financial Conflict of Interest

NIH requires recipients and investigators (except Phase I SBIR/STTR applicants and recipients) to comply with the requirements of 42 CFR 50, Subpart F, “Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which PHS Funding is Sought.” These regulations are designed to promote objectivity in research by establishing standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, or reporting of research funded under PHS grants or cooperative agreements will be free from bias by any conflicting financial interest of an Investigator.  For more information, go to the ORPC page on how to report and manage potential financial conflicts of interest.

4.1.15 Human Subjects Protections

The HHS regulations for the protection of human subjects provide the framework to safeguard the rights and welfare of individuals who participate as subjects in research activities supported or conducted by the NIH or other HHS components. HHS regulations stipulate that the recipient organization, whether domestic or foreign, bears ultimate responsibility for safeguarding the rights and welfare of human subjects. In accepting an award that supports human subjects research, a recipient institution assumes responsibility for all research conducted under the award, including protection of human subjects at all participating and consortium sites, and for ensuring that an FWA and certification of IRB review and approval exists for each site before human subjects research may begin. Verification of IRB approval may be filed at any time before award in accord with Just-in-Time procedures. Certification of IRB review and approval must be provided before research activities with human subjects begin. For more information, go to the ORPC page on the UMBC IRB’s protocol submission procedures.

4.1.26 Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules

The NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) apply to all research projects (NIH-funded and non-NIH-funded) that involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and are conducted at or sponsored by an organization that receives NIH support for recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule research.  Each organization that conducts research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, including contractors under grants, must have policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the NIH Guidelines and must establish a standing IBC. The IBC is required to review each proposed project for recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule experiments to ensure that the procedures, project, personnel, and facilities are adequate and in compliance with the NIH Guidelines. For more information, go to the ORPC page on the UMBC IBC’s submission procedures.

 4.1.27 Research Misconduct

The PHS Policy on Research Misconduct specifies recipient responsibilities to have written policies and procedures for addressing allegations of research misconduct, to file an Assurance of Compliance with the HHS Office of Research Integrity, and take all reasonable and practical steps to foster research integrity. Research misconduct is defined as the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. The ORPC plays a role in the assurance process.  Education is a key component of the “steps to foster research integrity). For more information on what’s required to conduct research responsibly, go to the ORPC page on Responsible Conduct of Research.

Call for Proposals for Spring 2016 Residential Faculty Research Fellowships

Application Deadline is May 1, 2015

The Dresher Center for the Humanities invites applications for two Residential Faculty Research Fellowships for spring 2016. Funding is intended to support and promote significant humanities research at UMBC. Dresher Center Residential Research Fellows will reside at least one day a week in the Dresher Center and receive release from teaching (up to two course releases) in order to work on a significant humanities research project or the training necessary to embark on such a project. Faculty wishing to develop expertise in a new field or discipline towards a future project are also encouraged to apply. Each fellow will have the use of a private office in the Dresher Center and will be awarded $500 to hire an undergraduate research assistant (junior or senior) for the semester.

Fellows will conduct two research works-in-progress sessions during the semester. The first will be a Fellows and Others session on their research methods held toward the beginning of the semester. The second will be a session in the CURRENTS: Humanities Work Now series on the work that has been accomplished during the semester. The CURRENTS session should take place by late April. Fellows will also participate actively in Dresher Center programs, including attendance at Fellows and Others and CURRENTS sessions, and at least two Humanities Forum events. A short report on fellowship activity will be due to the director within 3 months of completion of the fellowship. Residential faculty fellows will be considered fellows of the Dresher Center for as long as they are on the faculty of UMBC. After their semester in residence they will be expected to serve for a two-year term on the Dresher Center Advisory Board and remain active participants in Dresher Center programs.

The Dresher Center welcomes proposals from all full-time, tenured and tenure-track faculty members pursuing humanities research in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.  Applications are especially encouraged from, but not limited to, full-time faculty with appointments in departments and programs with a humanities focus. Two fellowships are available. Proposals will be reviewed by the Dresher Center Advisory Board, with decisions by mid-July 2014.

Click the link below for a fillable PDF application. Download the application and attach it in an email, along with your proposal, to dreshercenter@umbc.edu.

Dresher Center Faculty Research Fellows Application 

UMBC welcomed the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for a regional grant-writing workshop on February 20, 2015. The workshop, conducted by the NEH’s Division of Research Programs, was sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS); and the Office of the Vice President for Research. 

Faculty participants from UMBC and seven area colleges and universities learned about NEH grant and fellowship programs, and special initiatives. The Maryland Humanities Council also spoke about its grant opportunities. A “mock” evaluation panel, led by UMBC NEH Fellows Kate Brown (History), Thomas Field (MLLI), and Anna Shields (MLLI), discussed the NEH proposal review process. Grant application-writing strategies were also shared. 

"The Dresher Center was pleased to welcome the NEH to campus,” noted director Jessica Berman. “Workshops like these give a shot in the arm to researchers, who then begin to consider how their work fits into national priorities and initiatives. The workshop also showcased the strengths of UMBC faculty work in the humanities.”

With an annual program budget of $108 million, the NEH awards grants to individuals and groups of humanities researchers at universities, museums, libraries and archives, and other cultural and educational organizations. These highly competitive grants, which are evaluated by scholars and other experts in their field, have an average award rate of between seven and ten per cent per year. If denied, NEH encourages applicants to re-submit.

The Endowment also supports public programs and special initiatives, like the new “Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square,” which seeks to bring humanities scholarship to public attention in new, significant ways. The NEH’s Office of Digital Humanities provides grants to projects that integrate new technologies in humanities research, as well as those that study digital culture from a humanistic perspective. 

NEH-funded research projects often cross the disciplinary boundaries between the arts, humanities, and social sciences. At UMBC, NEH fellowships and grants have been awarded to CAHSS faculty in the departments of Africana Studies; English; Geography and Environmental Systems; History; Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication; Political Science, Sociology-Anthropology, Theatre, and Visual Arts. 

For information on NEH programs, contact Rachel Brubaker, Assistant Director for Grants and Program Development, Dresher Center for the Humanities: rbruba1@umbc.edu. 

Photo (from left to right): Anna Shields, MLLI; Tom Field, MLLI; and Kate Brown, History

The Dresher Center for the Humanities invites applications for two residential graduate student research fellowships. Funding will be given for the fall 2015 semester and is intended to promote promising research by graduate students in the humanities. The fellowships are open to all UMBC doctoral and master's level students working on humanities-related research projects that will culminate in a dissertation or master's thesis.

Fellows will reside two days a week in a shared office in the Dresher Center during the fall semester and will receive up to $1,000 to be used for research travel, materials, or other directly-related research expenses. Fellows will present a session as part of the CURRENTS: Humanities Work Now series and attend the Humanities Forum and other Dresher Center events and workshops.

After the fall semester, fellows will submit a summary of the work they accomplished during the semester, as well as a statement on the progress made towards the completion of their dissertation or master's thesis.

Applications for Fall 2015 fellowships must be received by March 15, 2015.

For information and an application: http://dreshercenter.umbc.edu/scholarly-resources/umbc-graduate-student-residential-fellowship-program/