SPONSORED PROJECTS

Research Newsletter 2006

May 19, 2006 (rev. 6/29/06)

This newsletter is written for faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students, and staff who are interested in current research news, as well as conferences and funding opportunities. It is written / compiled by Rosemary Alexander, Diane Weitzen, and Tracy Wilson-Holden (tracy.wilson-holden@case.edu). Editor: Rosemary Alexander

Subscribe to the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) e-list, by emailing diane.weitzen@case.edu.

News Archive: Previous newsletter issues

Sponsored Projects News

Case News

Fringe Rates
Grants Accounting has announced the fringe benefit rates for FY07:
FY07 (’06-’07):  Federal – 26%; Non-Federal - 29%
Fringe rates should be increased by 0.5% for each budget period after FY07.
Please use this information on all sponsored project proposals, as applicable.

Faculty Webpage Search Tool
If you are interested in finding a Case faculty member with specific expertise or interests, the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) has developed a useful search tool for this purpose.  Simply go to the following website:

http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/facultysearch/dynamic/search.aspx

Type in a word or text into the search box.  The search tool will identify faculty webpages that contain the word or text and display the names of the faculty members with a link to their webpage.

If you are a Case faculty member and your webpage does not appear when this search tool is used, please contact Diane Weitzen at diane.weitzen@case.edu.  OSPA keeps a database of faculty webpage URLs and the database may need to be updated.

OSPA hopes that this search tool will assist the Case community, as well as those outside the Case community, in identifying potential collaborators. 

If you are a Case faculty member and you do not have a webpage, you are encouraged to develop one.   Departments and schools may have resources for this purpose or you may want to contact the Creative Services Office.  Click here for more details.

Award Winners Posted
Congratulations to all award winners of both the Presidential Research Initiative (PRI) and the Research ShowCASE Best Graduate Student Poster Awards. The winners of the 2006 PRI awards are posted at http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/ospa. The Research ShowCASE 2006 Best Graduate Student Poster Awards: http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/showcase/winner.html .

Blanket Purchase Orders - a "how-to"
OSPA has a new page is entitled, Blanket Purchase Orders for Subcontracts . It is a self-explanatory "how-to" page.

F&A Calculation Page
A downloadable Excel spreadsheet based upon the 398 form is now available on the OSPA website for use when calculating indirect costs (F & A). Please remember it is NOT in acceptable format to be used as a face page. The spreadsheet contains macros, but has been scanned for viruses using Symantec Antivirus software, version 5/18/06 rev. 17, so it should be safe to download. Feel free to download and use it.

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Federal News

U.S. Budget Problems Threaten Competitiveness Say Experts at AAAS Forum
A panel of influential budget experts on an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) panel at the recent 31st AAAS Forum on Science and Technology in Washington, DC predicted serious federal budget problems threatening U.S. funding for research and development. John H. Marburger III, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, countered with his own prediction that the president’s proposed American Competitiveness Initiative, if approved, would “assure the future economic competitiveness of our nation.” Full story

AAAS Report on Research and Development (R&D) in FY2007
The AAAS Report XXXI: Research and Development FY 2007  provides a analysis of R&D in the proposed federal budget for FY 2007. The proposed federal R & D budget would increase spending on weapons development and space vehicles development, part of the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI). All other funding for R&D would be reduced.

Basic and applied research funding (excluding development and R&D facilities) would fall 3.3 percent. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding would remain the same for a second year, with the ability to fund proposals at about a 20% rate; but three agencies, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories would benefit by substantial budget increases after years of flat or declining funding.
Click here for more info.

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NIH

eRA Commons Submission Tips
Worth perusal are the tip sheets at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/avoiding_errors.htm , and http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/prepare_app.htm .
Learn about the most frequent electronic application errors and tips on preparing electronic applications.

Revised PHS 398
Remember that May 10, 2006 was the date that revised PHS 398 forms were implemented. See NOT-OD-06-056 and
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html .

NIH Announces Plans to Eliminate Mailing of Paper Assignment and Change of Assignment Letters
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-066.html
Effective June 1, 2006, NIH will no longer send paper notification of assignment and change of assignment letters. See notice for complete details. In order to avoid delays in the e-notification process, it is vital that all Principal Investigators , and Individual Fellows are registered in the eRA Commons. Case as a grantee organization is already registered. The exception is that this does not apply to applications for the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reminder: All R03, R21, R21/R33, R33 and R34 Grant Applications
Must Use SF424 (R&R) and Grants.gov for the June 1, 2006, Submission Date and Beyond
National Institutes of Health
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-068.html

Multiple PI Implementation Update
The National Institutes of Health will recognize multiple Principal Investigators (PI) on a selected set of grant programs beginning in September, 2006 (http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi/). This notice reminds the research community that the multiple PI option will be available only for programs involved in the pilot; that all participating PIs will need to be registered on the NIH Commons prior to submission; and that Multiple PI applications must include a leadership plan.  Finally, this notice describes the management strategies for Multiple PI projects that are in place for the pilot initiatives and special review criteria that will be used for these pilots. 
Click here to read the entire notice (NOT-OD-06-069).

Notice of Pilot Program for Multiple Principal Investigators and Electronic Submission Using SF424 (R&R) Grant Application Package
National Institute of Mental Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MH-06-109.html

NIH has clarified the instructions on how to submit publications as appendix materials to NIH.
See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-053.html for the complete information.

NIH Has Replaced Principal Investigator Signature on Grant Applications, Progress Reports, and Prior Approval Requests with an Institutional Compliance Requirement
PI (or PIs) signature(s) is no longer required on applications and formal correspondence.  The institution will be required to maintain and present upon request a written certification or assurance with a unique signature and date from the PI that supports the submission of the specific application.  In lieu of PIs signing applications and formal correspondence, "...organizations must retain a unique signature and date for each submitted application...", available upon request.  The PI assurances are necessary for all named PIs and, as a minimum, state that: (1) "the information submitted within the application is true, complete and accurate to the best of the PI's knowledge"; (2) "any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject the PI to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties"; and (3) "the PI agrees to accept responsibility for the scientific conduct of the project and to provide the required progress reports if a grant is awarded as a result of the application". More details and the specific announcement may be read at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-054.html .
See related announcements at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-057.html
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-058.html

Change Re. eRA Commons Verifications of Electronically Submitted Applications
Effective for applications submitted for May 10, 2006 and beyond, NIH/AHRQ will no longer require the verification of the grant application by the AOR/SO and PD/PI. The verification step will be replaced with a two business day period for checking the assembled application in eRA Commons , after which the submission process will be complete and the application will automatically move forward to the Division of Receipt and Referral, Center for Scientific Review. Within the two day period, the AOR/SO will have the ability to “Reject” the application and stop further processing. PD/PIs must work through the AOR/SO to “Reject” an application. Many more details are in the complete announcement: Notice Number: NOT-OD-06-055

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NSF

NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions (FATC)
Download the pdf document at www.nsf.gov/pubs/cafatc/cafatc31506.pdf .

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Miscellany

Professor-Professors
Well -- in case you don't follow this kind of news closely, you may be pleased to know that one of our own made the mini-Annals of Improbable Research -- our most distinguished Professor Pirouz Pirouz. He is featured in the mini-Annals, 2006-05-09 Professor-Professors (6th helping). Read the feature below:

"Here, joining Professor Abraham Abraham and Professor Warren Warren (and the others featured here in past months), is a sixth offering of professor-professors:

• Mohammad Mohammad
  Associate Professor
  Department of Middle Eastern Studies
  University of Texas at Austin
  http://tinyurl.com/qr3nb
  (Thanks to Investigator Caroline Wiltshire for bringing this professor-professor to our attention.)


• Pirouz Pirouz
  Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Case Western Reserve University http://dmseg5.case.edu/Faculty/Pirouz
  (Thanks to Investigator Arlene M. Stillwell for bringing this professor-professor to our attention.)


• Taha Taha
  Professor
  Co-Director, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health http://faculty.jhsph.edu/?F=Taha%20El%20Tahir&L=Taha
  (Thanks to Investigators Craig A. Magaret and Carol Strong for bringing this professor-professor to our attention.)


• Wang Wang
  Professor
  Physics Department
  University of Bath
  http://www.bath.ac.uk/physics/groups/wbg/members.html
  (Thanks to Investigator Kevin Peter O'Donnell for bringing this professor-professor to our attention.)


• Xiao Xiao
  Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry as well as Pharmacology University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/people/bios/Xiao1.html
  (Thanks to Investigator Lila Guterman for bringing this professor- professor to our attention.)

A further selection selection will appear ... [in the emailed mini-Annals] next month, if anyone sends ... some new ones. Previous prof-profs are collected at http://improbable.com/2006/02/09/prof-profs ."

• "To subscribe, send a brief E-mail message to:
  LISTPROC@AIR.HARVARD.EDU
  The body of your message should contain ONLY the words
  SUBSCRIBE MINI-AIR MARIE CURIE
  (You may substitute your own name for that of Madame Curie.)"
  

You may read the mini-AIR on the web at http://improbable.com/category/mini-air/.

mini-Annals Limerick Contest Winners
Mastication-Perception Poet

"Last month's limerick contest asked for a limerick to honor the following study:

'Mastication and Food Texture Perception: Variation
With Age,' Laurence Mioche, Journal of Texture Studies,
vol. 35, no. 2, June 2004, pp. 145-58. The author explains:

"Aging in healthy dentate subjects induces moderate
alterations in neuro-muscular activity which could be
partly compensated by changes in chewing behaviour such
as lengthening of the chewing sequence."

The winner is Investigator Ingrid Marquez, who limericized:

'Say Doctor, I haven't a clue
If what I eat's chile or stew.'
'Old man,' said the doc,
'Keep your eye on the clock --
You've got to prolong every chew.' "

Go to the mini-Annal online to read about next month's contest.

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Compliance News

“CREC Summer School”
June 19-23, 2006 (Save the Dates!)
The Office of Research Compliance is planning a week-long series of seminars on various topics pertaining to the protection of human subjects in research.  This is an opportunity for our researchers to earn all necessary CREC credits within one week.  Seminar topics will include:

1. The Informed Consent Process
2. Human Subjects Research 101
3. Conflict of Interest in Human Subjects Research
4. Patient Privacy Issues in Research
5. Preparing for an Audit of Your IRB Protocol
6. Good Clinical Practices
7. Including Non-English Speakers as Participants
8. And more topics of interest!

All seminars will provide CREC credits and will be offered at a variety of times and locations around the Case campus area.  MetroHealth Medical Center is providing simulcasting at their campus for select seminars and will also host the Good Clinical Practices session.

Details and registration will be available beginning May 1, 2006 at oraseminars.case.edu.  Register early, these sessions will fill up quickly!

Case IBC Update
Please note that the NEW on-line application system will be going live for submission of New, Continuing Review and Terminating IBC protocols.  Visit the Case IBC homepage for more information and continuation of updates.

According to the NIH Guidelines for Research involving Recombinant DNA Molecules, prior to the generation of transgenic animals (which includes Fish, Flies, and Frogs; see next paragraph for regulations with regard to transgenic rodents), a protocol needs to be submitted and approved by the Case Institutional Biosafety Committee prior to initiation of these experiments.  This includes animals that require Biosafety Level One (BL-1) containment and transgenic rodents that are constructed, purchased, or transferred under Biosafety Level Two (BL-2) or higher containment.

Therefore, a protocol needs to be submitted to the Case IBC simultaneous with initiation of the construction or transfer of transgenic rodents, under Biosafety Level One (BL-1) containment.  Please see the IBC website for further information.

Conflict of Interest News
All faculty members and all investigators/key personnel on sponsored research administered through Case are required to fill out an annual Case Conflict of Interest Faculty and Sponsored Research Disclosure Form. With your Case network ID and password, you can submit the COI form online via Spiderweb, or print the Faculty and Sponsored Research COI Disclosure form and fax or mail it to the address listed.

In response to your suggestions, improvements have been made to the disclosure process.  There is now only one Faculty and Sponsored Research COI Disclosure Form and the COI webpage has been updated. 

Data Retention - Revised Brochure Available Online
The Council on Government Relations (COGR) has made available, “Access to and Retention of Research Data:  Rights and Responsibilities”.  This is a web-based brochure which has been recently updated.  Access the brochure through the ORC’s Research Integrity webpage.

New Compliance Resource at University Hospitals of Cleveland
The Office of Research Compliance at UHC has begun a newsletter entitled, “Research Collaboration Corner”.  This monthly publication will include updates on regulations, announcements, and links to important websites.  The UHC Office of Research Compliance’s website will be up and running soon.

FDA Offers New and Updated Clinical Trials Guidance Documents
Two new clinical trials guidance documents have been posted and can be accessed through the FDA’s website.

Guidance for Industry, Using a Centralized IRB Review Process in Multicenter Clinical Trials can be accessed at www.fda.gov/cber/gdlns/irbclintrial.htm

Guidance for Clinical Trial Sponsors:  Establishment and Operation of Clinical Trial Data Monitoring Committees can be accessed at www.fda.gov/cber/guidelines.htm

In addition, the FDA has posted a complete, updated list of current guidance documents and those that have been withdrawn between January 5, 2005 and January 5, 2006.  Access the Annual List at http://www.fda.gov/cber/gdlns/anguidlst.pdf

Case IRB Tip of the Month
Please be sure to use the most recent forms when filling out the IRB New Protocol or Continuing Review applications.  Regulations require that additional questions be answered that were not on outdated versions of the forms.  When planning to submit any application to the IRB, always download the most recent version from the Case IRB Page of the ORC website.  The IRB cannot accept any applications completed on outdated forms.  Also, please remember that applications must include original signatures.

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Research Seminar Series

The Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) and the Office of Research Compliance (ORC) offer frequent seminars throughout the year. To view the Research Seminars schedule in full, click here. Below are the upcoming seminars. Many of the seminars require online registration. The announcement will specify. If you have never registered online for the Research Seminars, you must first click here to establish an account for this and future registrations. If you need assistance with the registration process, contact Maureen Dore-Arshenovitz at mxd4@case.edu. Registrations are not confirmed until one week before the event.

June Seminars

"CREC Summer School"
June 19-23, 2006
The Office of Research Compliance is planning a week-long series of seminars on various topics pertaining to the protection of human subjects in research.  This is an opportunity for our researchers to earn all necessary CREC credits within one week.  Seminar topics will include:

1. The Informed Consent Process
2. Human Subjects Research 101
3. Conflict of Interest in Human Subjects Research
4. Patient Privacy Issues in Research
5. Preparing for an Audit of Your IRB Protocol
6. Good Clinical Practices
7. Including Non-English Speakers as Participants
8. And more topics of interest!

All seminars will provide CREC credits and will be offered at a variety of times and locations around the Case campus area.  MetroHealth Medical Center is providing simulcasting at their campus for select seminars and will also host the Good Clinical Practices session.

Details and registration will be available beginning May 1, 2006 at oraseminars.case.edu.  Register early, these sessions will fill up quickly!

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Core Facilities

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Research Equipment Resources

Equipment to Borrow or Lend?
Do you need some equipment but do not have the funds to purchase it? Do you have equipment you are not using and would be willing to lend to other researchers at CWRU? This spot in the newsletter will be devoted to those needs. Send notices of equipment you are willing to lend or need to borrow to diane.weitzen@case.edu.

Equipment Broken or Working Poorly?
The Scientific Instrument Repair Center (SIRC), directed by William M. Frank, services a wide variety of research equipment from small bench top equipment to X-ray generators for any laboratory on campus at reduced cost. The SIRC also offers advice when purchasing new equipment and extended warranties. The Center is located on the CWRU campus in the School of Medicine in TB07. Contact Mr. Frank at 368-3225 or william.frank@case.edu for details about fees and services or go to http://mediswww.cwru.edu/sirc/.

If you need to borrow equipment while yours is being serviced, you are welcome to post a notice in this space. Email diane.weitzen@case.edu with your notice.


Need Specialized Equipment Built?
The Design and Fabrication Center (DFC), located on campus in the School of Medicine in EG-1, is a fully equipped machine shop, and will custom build new equipment or modify existing equipment to meet your needs at reduced cost. The DFC can provide technical and engineering support service for any mechanical, electrical, and computerized application, for significantly less money. The DFC provides services not only to any CWRU lab, but also to University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, and CWRU-affiliated biomedical companies. Contact Mr. Torontali at 368-3461 or steven.torontali@case.edu. The DFC website is http://mediswww.cwru.edu/DFC/

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Funding Opportunities

OSPA Funding News
The Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) maintains a funding page at the this link (http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/ospa/funding/index.cfm). This list of funding announcements is not meant to be comprehensive. If you know of funding announcements that you think should be posted on this page, please contact diane.weitzen@case.edu.

Community of Science (COS)
Case is a subscriber to Community of Science (COS), which makes it possible for you as faculty or research staff to make use of this excellent service. If you have not already set up your own profile in Community of Science and need help in doing so, please do not hesitate to call OSPA for guidance (368-4510). You may also contact the Case campus COS liaison, Monica Bradley (368-4432) monica.bradley@case.edu for help.

School of Medicine Funding Alerts
While many of you may already receive hard copies of the School of Medicine Funding Alert, the School of Medicine's quarterly newsletter listing funding opportunities and grant-writing tips, you may not be aware that the Funding Alert is also available, in its entirety, online in PDF format. A comprehensive list of RFP's available for the current period, may be viewed at http://mediswww.cwru.edu/researchoffice/index.html. At this URL, click on "Funding Opportunities". Then choose the current School of Medicine Funding Alert.

Links to Sponsors
For an ever-growing list of links to many sources of funding announcements, both public and private, to aid your searches, click on the OSPA Links page.

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Conferences & Symposiums

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Printing this newsletter:

If you wish to save this newsletter as a pdf file, you may do so on PCs via Adobe Acrobat (the full version), which is downloadable for free to faculty, staff, and students from the Case Software Center. In Adobe Acrobat, choose "Open Web Page" from the "File" menu, then insert the URL and click "Download". Adobe Acrobat may display an error message re. one gif file which may not load correctly. Just ignore this, it does not affect the appearance of the newsletter. Mac users using the Safari browser, may choose to print to pdf. Internet Explorer also will print to pdf, but truncates the right portion of the page in doing so.

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