Applications are now open for “Make Your Research Come Alive” (myRCA), a new faculty collaboratory designed for faculty who are committed to advancing and amplifying the visibility, reach, impact, and funding potential of their research, scholarship, and creative activity.

This 7-month program will bring together a cross-disciplinary cohort of UMBC faculty to:

• Develop skills in research impact storytelling, visualization, and advocacy to reach stakeholders and the public 
• Create compelling pitches and broader impact narratives tailored to foundations, corporations, and donors
• Share best practices and learn from each other in a supportive, cross-disciplinary cohort model

Participants must be PI eligible at UMBC. Up to $500 in research funds will be awarded per participant.

Applications are due October 20, 2025.

For more information including how to apply, please download the attached flyer or visit https://research.umbc.edu/internal-funding-opportunities/. 

Dear CAHSS faculty member,

We invite you to submit a proposal to be nominated for the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program competition, sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Details are below.

• The purpose of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is to support high-caliber scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. The 2026 program expects to provide fellowships of $200,000 to 30 exceptional scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals. The funding is for a period of either one or two years, with the anticipated result being a book or major study.

• The 2026 call for applications is on the theme of political polarization in the United States. The Corporation anticipates that the work of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program will explore the many ways political polarization in the United States manifests itself in society and suggest ways that it may be mitigated. Studies of polarization in other countries will be welcomed providing they offer lessons that can be applied to the United States. Projects based in disciplines across the humanities and social sciences are welcomed.

• UMBC may nominate two scholars for the competition: one tenured and one senior untenured (i.e. teaching professors and professors of the practice). Candidates must have a Ph.D. or hold a terminal degree in their field. Untenured candidates will need to become PI Eligible through the exception process, which requires a letter from the Dean or ADR explaining that the faculty has undertaken significant research during their appointment at UMBC.

• Andrew Carnegie Fellowships are open only to citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

• Previous UMBC nominees who applied for the theme of political polarization are not eligible to apply again.

Please keep in mind that Carnegie seeks projects that will be written to communicate with a broad audience. You may find it useful to browse the projects that were awarded last year and read through a study of their focus and potential impact since the theme (political polarization in the U.S.) is unchanged.

The Carnegie jury will evaluate nominations by the following criteria:

• Originality and promise of the idea
• Quality of the proposal
• Promise to offer means to reduce harmful polarization or to enhance social cohesion
• Record of the nominee
• Plans to communicate findings to a broad audience

If you are interested in being considered for the internal competition, please EMAIL the following application materials to:

Carnegi.bs0ulrhjc4r5p385@u.box.com by 5 pm EDT on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

We urge you to contact CARAT Associate Director Rachel Brubaker (rbruba1@umbc.edu) or CARAT Director Marc Ruppel (mruppel@umbc.edu) as soon as possible to discuss your proposal.

Your application materials must include:

1)  A 3-5 page, double-spaced prospectus describing the project, including a projected work plan and approximate time frame. Fellowships will be for either 12 or 24 months and must begin on the first of the month between July and September of 2026, and no later than September 1, 2026.

Note: The Carnegie program allows flexibility in how you manage your time commitment. You may opt for a regular fellowship leave or decide to teach part-time during the semester while working full-time on your project during the summer. 

2) Curriculum vitae

3) Estimate of budgetary requirement for a one- or two-year project. Funds may support:

• Salary and fringe benefits
• Project-related travel (research, conferences)
• Research assistants (hourly or stipend)
• Other project needs (i.e., data collection, surveys, transcription, project supplies and a consultant or contractual service)

The Dean's Office will convene a panel to review the applications and select one or two scholars to recommend to the President as UMBC's nominee(s) by October 22nd. The nominee(s) will work with CARAT to complete the application process and to forward all materials to the President's Office by October 30th. A letter of nomination from President Sheares Ashby is required for the application. Applications must be submitted to the Carnegie Corporation of New York by November 07, 2025 (5:00 P.M. EST).

For additional questions, please contact Associate Dean Alan Yeakley (ayeakley@umbc.edu), Marc Ruppel, Director of CARAT (mruppel@umbc.edu), or Rachel Brubaker, Associate Director of CARAT (rbruba1@umbc.edu).

Implementation of NIH Research Security Policies

Notice Number:

NOT-OD-25-154

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-154.html

Purpose:

Research Security Program Policy:

In alignment with the OSTP memorandum, NIH will require two-part compliance for both covered institutions and individuals as outlined below:

1.            Covered institutions (i.e., participants in the U.S. R&D enterprise receiving federal science and engineering support "in excess of $50 million per year"). Covered institutions will certify to the NIH that the institution has established and operates a research security program. Each research security program must include elements relating to (1) cybersecurity; (2) foreign travel security; (3) research security training; and (4) export control training, as appropriate.

2.            Covered individuals (i.e., each individual identified as a senior/key person). Covered individuals will certify that they have completed the requisite research security training that meets the research security training requirements within 12 months prior to application submission.

Compliance will be effective for applications submitted on or after January 25, 2026. NIH is participating with NSF other Federal research agencies to develop resources for each of the required elements and to develop a centralized process for recipients to certify compliance. NIH will issue more information on the central certification process as it becomes available.

Please refer to the full notice linked above for further details.

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

This is a reminder to please complete CITI's Research Security Training (Combined Course) if you have not already done so by 10/1/2025. This training is required by multiple federal grant funding agencies and is especially important for key personnel who are on existing awards.    CITI estimates this training to take around 1 hour to complete. 

Please follow the steps below to add the course to your account:

Step 1: Log into your CITI account via UMBC's single sign on.
Step 2: At the top of the Welcome page, select My Courses.
Step 3: Under Institutional Courses, select View Courses.
Step 4: Scroll to the bottom of your Course Page and select Add a Course.
Step 5: Scroll down the Curriculum Page to Question 12 and select Research Security Training (Combined Course). 
Step 6: Hit Submit. Your new course will now appear on your Course Page.

Troubleshooting Tips:

Per CITI's Support Center, if you experience any issues, such as getting stuck on a slide within the module, try navigating back 1–3 slides and then proceed forward again. This allows the stuck slide to fully load any content or sections that may have been skipped. The issue often occurs when users click through slides too quickly or use the playback bar to fast-forward, which can disrupt the module's progress.

For the best performance, please use one of the following supported browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.  Please do not switch between browsers prior to completing this training. 

If you encounter any issues or have further questions, feel free to reach out to ORPC at researchintegrity@umbc.edu.

This is a reminder to please complete CITI's Research Security Training (Combined Course) if you have not already done so by 10/1/2025. This training is required by multiple federal grant funding agencies and is especially important for key personnel who are on existing awards.    CITI estimates this training to take around 1 hour to complete. 

Please follow the steps below to add the course to your account:

Step 1: Log into your CITI account via UMBC's single sign on.
Step 2: At the top of the Welcome page, select My Courses.
Step 3: Under Institutional Courses, select View Courses.
Step 4: Scroll to the bottom of your Course Page and select Add a Course.
Step 5: Scroll down the Curriculum Page to Question 12 and select Research Security Training (Combined Course). 
Step 6: Hit Submit. Your new course will now appear on your Course Page.

Troubleshooting Tips:

Per CITI's Support Center, if you experience any issues, such as getting stuck on a slide within the module, try navigating back 1–3 slides and then proceed forward again. This allows the stuck slide to fully load any content or sections that may have been skipped. The issue often occurs when users click through slides too quickly or use the playback bar to fast-forward, which can disrupt the module's progress.

For the best performance, please use one of the following supported browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.  Please do not switch between browsers prior to completing this training. 

If you encounter any issues or have further questions, feel free to reach out to ORPC at researchintegrity@umbc.edu.

The Office of Research Protections and Compliances Department of Animal Welfare and Assurance (DAWA) will have office hours from 7:00am- 12:00pm on Wednesdays in the ILSB room 051B. During office hours, we are more than happy to discuss KUALI with PIs, required trainings and all aspects of your IACUC protocols. If you are unable to meet with us during our office hours, please do not hesitate to reach out for us to schedule a time to meet.