SPONSORED PROJECTS

Research Newsletter 2005
January & February's News

This electronic newsletter is distributed to faculty, postdoctoral researchers and staff who are interested in current research news and funding opportunities. Information is compiled by Rosemary Alexander (rosemary.alexander@case.edu) and Todd Packer. (todd.packer@case.edu). Editor: Rosemary Alexander

Sponsored Projects News

Case News

Research ShowCASE 2005 – Submissions Closes, Registration Opens
The Case community has responded enthusiastically to the call for submissions for Research ShowCase 2005. The call for submissions closed February 1, 2005. Email notifications of abstract acceptance were sent February 18, 2005.

Expanded to two days - save both April 6th [Symposia] and April 7th [Poster presentations] on your calendars! – Research ShowCase 2005 promises to be a great event. The provocative program includes many multidisciplinary research topics presented in a variety of interactive formats. Visit the program schedule and register online at:

http://showcase.case.edu

Attendance at this year’s event is expected to exceed 1,700. A broad spectrum of events includes posters and booth presentations, live demonstrations as well as symposia, workshops, panel discussions and sessions. The presentations and workshops will highlight research in the context of current local and global issues and will include the commercial aspects of research and discovery. There will also be researchers representing the variety and scope of the Case community, including law, the humanities, engineering, social sciences, management, the arts, social work and medicine. The range of topics incorporates nearly every department at Case and its collaborating institutions including University Hospitals of Cleveland, the MetroHealth Medical Center, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

For a complete schedule of events, a listing of presenters and to register, please visit the Research ShowCASE 2005 website at: http://showcase.case.edu.

2005 PRI Grants Process Closed with 45 Interdisciplinary Proposals Submitted
Researchers from throughout the Case community joined together across departments and schools to submit 45 proposals in response to the Case 2005 Presidential Research Initiative (PRI) call for proposals, which closed January 15, 2005. This year's proposals will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary PRI Review Committee with representatives from all of Case's schools. The goal is to have the PRI proposal reviews completed by April 1.

"The variety and quality of this year's PRI proposals is quite impressive," indicated Eric Cottington, Associate VP for Research. "The PRI taps into the growing trend to support interdisciplinary research that we have seen from NIH, NSF and other sponsors. The response from the Case community reveals a strong commitment to collaboration in the pursuit of new knowledge."

PRI researchers will be notified by the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) regarding the status of their proposals. If you have questions regarding your proposal, or about the PRI process, you can contact Eric Cottington at eric.cottington@case.edu.

Case OSPA Continues to Refine Electronic URF (eURF)
Over the next month, OSPA will complete the pilot test of an electronic University Review Form (eURF). The next step will be a staged rollout, initially to selected research intensive departments in various schools and colleges. After feedback is received from these departments, the eURF will be rolled out to the rest of the Case research community. The goal will be to have the eURF in use across the campus by November 2005.

"The eURF will help researchers route proposal information electronically for review and approval," stated Eric Cottington, Associate VP for Research. "Our goal is to reduce the amount of time it takes to obtain signatures on review forms and to enable researchers to complete this process without having to leave their office or home.”

PeopleSoft Grants Module Now Live & Some Changes in Grants/Contracts Processing
On February 1, the PeopleSoft Grants module went live at Case Western Reserve University. As a result, some processes have changed.

• Account Processing: The Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) has begun the transition of responsibilities of all grants and contracts for departments based in the School of Medicine (SOM) to the School of Medicine Research Office. The SOM Research Office will now handle all of the functions previously handled by OSPA, including account set-up and revisions, contract negotiation and execution, and agency requests. If you are unsure about whom to contact, please feel free to get in touch with either office; and we will be glad to get you to the proper person handling your account.
  
• Account Numbers: New accounts established under the new PeopleSoft system will follow a different format than numbers from the previous system. Historically, types of accounts were differentiated by a numbering system – research accounts began with a x42, special projects with a x43, training accounts with a x45, and discretionary accounts with a x48. The new numbering system relies on a series of letters that differentiate the account type – RES-research, SPC-special projects, TRN-training, and OSA-discretionary. The latest change with the Grants module is that any new accounts established (new accounts and renewals) begin with a 5 or 0. For example, a new research account will be RES5xxxxx. This numbering change will also impact parent reference numbers, which are now CON5xxxxx.
  
• PADS/SPIDERWEB/OSPARS: Currently, the data in PADS is historical data. No new data input under the new PeopleSoft system has been uploaded into the PADS system. Please be assured that OSPA is working to create an interface to move data from the new system into PADS, however, this interface is not yet functional. We expect to have this operational in the near future so that any information or reports that your department needs will be available to you.

As with every transition, there have been some growing pains; and we would ask that you please bear with us through this period. OSPA, the SOM Research Office and the ERP team continue to work together to fine-tune the PeopleSoft Grants system to ensure that accounts are processed quickly and accurately. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact OSPA (368-4510) or the SOM Research Office (368-4432); and we will do our best to resolve any issues that may arise.

Case Launches New Center for Undergraduate Research
In December, Case created a new office to support and promote the research and creative efforts of our undergraduate students. The SOURCE (Support of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors) office will serve as an important component in helping Case achieve its vision for experiential education for our undergraduates.

On December 1, 2004, Dr. Sheila Pedigo became Case's new Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors. In this newly established position, Dr. Pedigo will develop and administer the SOURCE programs for undergraduate research and creative projects at Case. Her charge includes supporting and promoting undergraduate research and creative projects, facilitating and preparing students to undertake these activities, and assisting faculty in their efforts to obtain outside funding for undergraduate projects.

College of Arts and Sciences Launches Website to Help Faculty with Grant-writing
A new Arts and Sciences web page has been launched to aid and empower the research and scholarship of the College's faculty and staff. The purpose of the site is to serve as an information base when applying for external funding. It includes an overview of College and University procedures and policies, funding research and proposal writing resources, and lists of potential funders and search engines.

In addition, you can also schedule time with the College's Grant and Fellowship Specialist for consultation on your funding search, proposal, budget, or policy issue. Check back often for additional materials and updates.

For more information, visit the new funding resources site at http://www.cwru.edu/artsci/funding/

Important Purchasing News Below: New Small Business Minority & HUBZone Vendor!
Be sure to read the Purchasing section below for news of their newest addition to their vendor database: American Merchandising Services. American Merchandising Services, a certified small business, is also certified as a minority (also called small disadvantaged business) and HUBZone small business. More details in the Purchasing section below.

Research Seminar Series Schedule
The 2004-2005 Research Seminar Series continues. Please be sure to note below the current schedule. The schedule will be expanded and updated periodically and announced in this newsletter via the e-list, oranews, and via the web at http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/researchseminars.asp. To receive periodic announcements from the Offices of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) and Research Compliance (ORC), subscribe to oranews by emailing Rosemary Alexander at rosemary.alexander@case.edu.

2005 Conflict of Interest (COI) Reminder and Update!
Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure is required of all faculty as well as non-faculty key personnel on sponsored projects on an annual basis. The COI form can be easily filled out on the web at the OSPA SPIDERWEB url: http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/spiderweb/ All you need is your CWRUnet ID and password to access it. If you have questions or problems accessing SPIDERWEB, call Jeff Simpkins at 368-5316.

Federal News

Policy

Federal Policy Change: More Than One Principal Investigator Now Permitted on Research Projects
John Marburger, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued the following new policy statement in an January 4 memo (a pdf file that may download slowly): "All federal research agencies should accommodate the recognition of two or more principal investigators on research projects (grants and contracts). This policy does not replace the use of a single Principal investigator when it is most appropriate for the project. It establishes the appropriateness of multiple principal investigators in this era of complex multi-disciplinary research."

Marburger's January 4th memo was made public in a January 11th press release (a pdf file that may download slowly). In his memo, Marburger recognized that scientific projects may not only involve more than one scientist but also that multiple contributing scientists may often be working at different institutions, which may create “ a compelling need for more than one principal investigator (PI) to manage the effort". "Current policy at some agencies", he said, "prohibits multiple PIs, and therefore credit for work is not accurately reflected or assigned.” Marburger acknowledged that the “careers of these investigators are driven by credit for the work performed, and we should strive to recognize contributors across disciplines and institutions."

In an interview with Science's Next Wave, Geoffrey Grant, staff director of the Research Business Models Subcommittee of OSTP's Committee on Science, said that the funding agencies "will develop policies that will recognize or acknowledge when multiple investigators are really acting as collaborators, senior investigators on a project. Dates of implementation of the new policy will vary by agency. This Next Wave article focuses on the impact of this policy change on postdocs.

NIH

Second Phase of the NIH Roadmap Exploratory Centers for Interdisciplinary Research
NIH notice NOT-RR-05-003 informs potential applicants about the plans for the second phase of the Interdisciplinary Research Centers program which is part of the NIH Roadmap (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/). This program began with a Request for Applications (RFA) soliciting planning centers using the P20 mechanism (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-04-004.html). The P20 RFA called for planning center grants to develop new interdisciplinary approaches to solving significant and complex biomedical research problems. Twenty-one of these planning centers have been funded, and information about each center can be found at http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/ncrrprog/roadmap/ecirdirectory.asp. Each planning center was funded for three years, and the awards for these centers will expire in July 2007.

Under the NIH Roadmap, all of the Institutes and Centers at NIH plan to participate in a follow-on program to support Interdisciplinary Research Consortia starting in fiscal year 2007. NIH plans to fund 8-10 consortia with direct costs of approximately $3 million each year, for five years. There may be a possibility for renewal depending on the priorities of the NIH Roadmap program and the status of the funded consortia. Applicants for the Interdisciplinary Research Consortia need not have received funding under the P20 planning center phase.

The Interdisciplinary Consortia will use a newly approved model for large programs that involves teams of investigators. These teams will be assembled by the applicants. Each consortium will contain an interrelated set of separate, but linked, applications that may include a variety of grant mechanisms. Each consortium will, therefore, comprise a coherent group of multiple awards to multiple investigators. The coordination and leadership of the parts of the consortium will be funded using a separate award, and the PI of that award will be the overall leader of the consortium. The details of the mechanisms to be used will appear in the RFA, but NIH anticipates that individual investigator awards, training awards, and core awards for instrumentation and other resources are likely to be among the mechanisms that will be available to each consortium. Potential applicants with suggestions for the use of other mechanisms are encouraged to contact program staff with their suggestions.

The review of these consortia will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, white papers will be accepted from all potential applicants. These white papers will be evaluated in special emphasis panels and will be scored. Following this first review, the Implementation Group (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/interdisciplinary/members.asp) will invite full proposals. This two-stage review is required to deal with the large number of applications that are expected and the large size of the full proposals. More details at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RR-05-003.html

Not Better Late: NIH Issues Guidelines on Late Submission of Grant Applications
In January, NIH issued Notice NOT-OD-05-030, “NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications”, that outlines the NIH policy regarding definitions and circumstances of proposals submitted after the date listed in the application kit, RFA or PAR. While clarifying that “NIH expects that grant applications will be submitted on time,” the policy indicates “NIH will consider accepting late applications based on the acceptability of the explanation and the processing time required for two different kinds of submission dates: Regular Standing Submission Dates and Expedited Standing Submission Dates.

The policy outlines a window of time for which NIH will consider late applications, but this does not mean that NIH will automatically accept these late applications. The policy notes: “In the past, late applications have been accepted for reasons such as: death of an immediate family member of the principal investigator, sudden acute severe illness of the principal investigator or immediate family member, or large scale natural disasters. Recent service on an NIH review group that could reasonably be expected to require a time commitment that could have been used to prepare an application is also an allowable reason. Note this does not apply to non-NIH review activities. Examples of reasons that have not led to the acceptance of a late application are: heavy teaching or administrative responsibilities, relocation of laboratory, health problems or personal events for participants other than the principal investigator, attendance at scientific meetings, or having a very busy schedule.” To review the entire Notice, click here.

New NIH Guidelines for Salary Limitation on Grants
In January, NIH released a notice on "Salary Limitation on Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts" (Notice NOT-OD-05-024). Effective January 1, 2005, the Executive Level I salary level increased to $180,100. The notice provides updated information on salary limitations for NIH and extramural grants and awards. In addition the notice clarifies issues on implementation and offers examples of adjustments NIH will make when salaries exceed the current salary limitation. For a salary cap summary with time frames on existing caps, visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary.htm.
For more info on this notice, click here.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipend and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2005
NIH Notice: NOT-OD-05-032
This notice lists the stipend levels for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and fellows, to be used in the preparation of future competing and non-competing NRSA institutional training grant and individual fellowship applications. They will be administratively applied to all applications currently in the review process. See the announcement for complete details.

Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research
NIH Notice: NOT-OD-05-022
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that as of May 2, 2005, NIH-funded investigators are requested to submit to the NIH National Library of Medicine's (NLM) PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of the author's final manuscript upon acceptance for publication, resulting from research supported, in whole or in part, with direct costs from NIH. The author's final manuscript was defined as the final version accepted for journal publication, which includes all modifications from the publishing peer review process.

The policy applies to all research grant and career development award mechanisms, cooperative agreements, contracts, Institutional and Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards, as well as NIH intramural research studies. The policy is intended to: 1) create a stable archive of peer-reviewed research publications resulting from NIH-funded research to ensure the permanent preservation of these vital published research findings; 2) secure a searchable compendium of these peer-reviewed research publications that NIH and its awardees can use to manage more efficiently and to understand better their research portfolios, monitor scientific productivity, and ultimately, help set research priorities; and 3) make published results of NIH-funded research more readily accessible to the public, health care providers, educators, and scientists. See the announcement for more detail.

New NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Listings Now Available
NIH Notice NOT-OD-05-025
The static listings for browsing published NIH Guide announcements have been replaced by a database that can be queried. on the web. A query to this database provides active Requests for Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs), based on the expiration dates stated in those announcements. The new listing for NIH Guide Notices displays Notices published over the last two years, by default, since expiration dates are not currently assigned to these announcements. Links to these new resources are available from the main NIH Guide Funding Opportunities and Notices page, at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html . This looks like a good page to bookmark. Read the announcement for more details.

New NIA Policy on Receipt Dates for Program Project (P01) Grant Applications
NIH Notice NOT-AG-05-003
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) announced that effective January 14, 2005, new competing (Type 1), competing continuation (Type 2), and amended Type 1 and Type 2 P01 grant applications will be restricted to two receipt dates per year: February 1 and June 1. Supplements to funded P01 applications will continue to be accepted three times per year: October 1, February 1 and June 1. Read the announcement for more details.

Request for Information (RFI): Programs in Systems Biology for HLBS Research
NIH Notice NOT-HL-05-106
The NHLBI is soliciting comments and ideas on the development and application of systems biology approaches to heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. Your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions will help guide future NHLBI activities designed to help develop and apply systems biology to biological research questions. You are asked to comment on one or more of the issues listed in the announcement. Responses will be shared with the NHLBI Board of Extramural Advisors and the National Heart, Lung, Blood Advisory Council. Read the announcement for more details.

NSF

NSF Debuts Gemini Observatory's Online Image Gallery
The National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled three new images to mark the formal launch of the Online Image Gallery for the Gemini Observatory. Based in Hawaii, the Gemini Observatory's telescopes have captured dazzling images of stars, galaxies and other celestial phenomena. In addition to viewing many pictures of astronomical objects, you can download posters, illustrations, videos and animations, as well as multiple images of the twin telescopes themselves, at the Gemini Image Gallery. Gemini is an international partnership managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. For a press release with more info., click here.

The Gemini Observatory Image Gallery can be accessed at: http://www.gemini.edu/images

NASA

NASA Implements New Proposal Submission Process, Announces New Grants
NASA has made available the 2005 Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES-2005) through their NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (click on "Solicitations" then click on "Open Solicitations"). This NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicits proposals for supporting basic and applied research and technology across a broad range of Earth and space science program elements relevant to one or more of the three defined NASA science themes: Earth-Sun System, Solar System, and Universe. NASA requires electronically submitted Notice of Intent (NOI) to propose for all program elements.

In a major change from 2004, NASA now has implemented a new master proposal data base system. New in 2005, NASA now requires that all proposers, co-investigators, and proposing organizations must register with the system at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ A significant change from the previous system is the requirement that the required, electronically submitted Cover Page / Proposal Summary / Budget Summary must be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Every organization that intends to submit a proposal in response to this NRA must be registered with the system. Potential proposers are urged to access the system well in advance of the proposal due date(s) of interest to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information.

Non-Profit News

Miscellany

The mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR") announced in January the start of Project Cuppa. Project Cuppa is an attempt to collect and analyze the best scientists' best rituals for preparing tea or coffee. If you are a good scientist and you have a tried-and-true ritual for preparing your cup of tea or coffee, you are invited to share it; and mini-AIR promises, "We will share the best of them with the world."

Please describe your tea or coffee preparation ritual (per mini-AIR instructions, "brew it down to a description of fewer than 100 words, please!"), and email it to either:

PROJECT CUPPA (tea)
c/o marca@chem2.harvard.edu

or

PROJECT CUPPA (coffee)
c/o marca@chem2.harvard.edu

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Compliance News

Staff Additions
Human Subjects
CREC program
Conflict of Interest

New Staff Members in Office of Research Compliance
The office is pleased to announce the additions of Ms. Kimberly Volarcik and Ms. Denise Turso. Denise will act as the Compliance Education Administrator. Her responsibilities include managing the Research Seminar Series, CREC Program and other regulatory education programs. Kim will act as Assistant Director. Her responsibilities include management of IRB Quality Improvement Programs and the Institutional Biosafety Committee (recombinant DNA research). Kim replaces Ms. Natale Polinko who moved out of state with her family.

Kim can be contacted at 368-0134 or kimberly.volarcik@case.edu and Denise can be contacted at 368-6131 or denise.turso@case.edu. Please join us in welcoming them to their new positions.

Human Subjects

HIPAA Security Rule Compliance Required By April 2005
Any researcher who maintains research PHI (protected health information) electronically will be subject to a new set of requirements. See the following presentation slides for more information:
http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/ospa/News/HIPAA_ORC_11172004.ppt

For more information and resources on HIPAA, visit the ORC "HIPAA Help!" site:
http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/orc_hipaa.asp

Changes to Online Human Subject Education Program Registration: CITI
Those persons who are required to take the CREC Program through the CITI site will now be allowed to register using their affiliated hospital e-mail address as the unique account identifier instead of CWRUnet ID. This is due to the fact that the process for obtaining IDs has become more difficult. Please note that CWRUnet ID will still be required to access CREC Online and Spiderweb to gain access to your CREC account information.

CREC Website Updated and Two New Opportunities to Earn Credits
As of July 20, 2004, the Case website for the Continuing Research Education Credit (CREC) Program has been revised to reflect changes in the program and suggestions from faculty, staff, and students. The revised sites include detailed instructions for the CITI Basic and Refresher Courses. Go to http://crec.case.edu to view the new information. (IF YOU CURRENTLY HAVE THE SITE BOOKMARKED OR IN YOUR FAVORITES YOU WILL NEED TO HIT THE "REFRESH" or "RELOAD" BUTTON TO LOAD NEW PAGES ON YOUR COMPUTER)

In addition, two new series were added to the CREC Online program (International Research and Investigator-Initiated Research). Researchers can now earn all 12 continuing credits (CREC) through this option or pick from any of the other options listed on the "Continuing CREC" site.

CREC Online is a series of web-based educational programs on the protection of human subjects in research. Featuring high-profile panelists who tackle critical ethical issues faced by investigators and participants in biomedical and social science research, the series provides real-world education and awareness training in the timeless debate over participant research.

Developed at Case, in conjunction with the affiliated medical centers, CREC Online provides required continuing education for researchers involved with human subjects research and enrolled in the CREC program.

Conflict of Interest
On January 14, sixty faculty, administrators, and students participated in the Institutional Conflict of Interest in Human Subjects Research seminar held in BRB105. Institutional conflict of interest affects the conduct of human subject research when the University itself has a financial interest in the sponsor of the research. The University is working on a draft policy to address such conflicts. Click on the following to view the materials covered during the seminar: http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/orc_coi.asp.

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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.

March Seminars
April Seminars

March Seminars

March 22nd (9 am- 4:45 pm) & March 23 (9 am - 12:45 pm), 1 1/2 day course
Ethical & Legal Considerations for Genetic Research
The Cleveland Clinic
CREC Credits: N/A

Presented by EDGE-Education in Genetics Ethics, this is an NIH-funded 1 ½ day course comprised of up to 9 modules, including case studies or discussion, covering diverse ethical and legal issues of interest to investigators and others involved in genetic research. CE credit is available.
COURSE AGENDA
REGISTER: ethicsedge.org For Information contact Cathy Rupf at 502-852-4985, or cfrupf01@louiseville.edu

March 24th: Research Involving Children
9:00 am -10:30 am
Nord 310
CREC Credits: 4

This seminar presented by Betty Dunger, Regulatory Specialist, Cleveland FES Center, The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, will include a comparison of DHHS and FDA Regulations, why it is important to include children in research, what is the difference between assent, consent and parental permission, and why research staff need to understand that children are not just “small adults."
Register online.

March 29th: Case IRB 101: Social Science Research
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Nord 310
Credits: 4

Discover the Case Institutional Review Board process as presented by the Case IRB Administrator, Isabel Sanchez. In addition, Case IRB members, as a panel, will answer questions related to IRB submission and review. Parking will be validated for attendees who work outside the local campus.
Register online,

April Seminars

April 6th & 7th Research ShowCASE 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm, April 6th 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, April 7th Veal Convocation Center CREC Credits: N/A

The symposia on April 6 will focus on two topics of interest to the Case community: Cell-Based Therapies and Technology Transfer for Women in Academia. The Cell-Based Therapies symposium will feature a discussion of the partnership between the FDA and researchers to discover and implement cellular therapies. The Technology Transfer for Women in Academia symposium is being organized as a result of the National Science Foundation's Academic Careers in Science and Engineering (ACES) grant to Case. This symposium will instruct women researchers in the art of commercializing their research.

Activities on April 7 include panel discussions on such topics as Alzheimer's Disease, AIDS, and polymers; workshops on how to protect discoveries; roundtable sessions and public talks on the Cleveland cultural collaboration and creative research in fiction and non-fiction; and, of course, hundreds of posters, exhibits and demonstrations. The day will end with a keynote address by well-known futurist, Alvin Toffler, author of Future Shock and The Third Wave.

View the Research ShowCASE Program.
Register Online.

April 22nd: Export Controls Laws and Sponsored Research
9:00 am - 10:30 am
BRB (Biomedical Research Building) 105
Credits: N/A

Federal laws restricting the export of goods and technology (including information) have been in existence since the 1940s. Attention to export controls has increased due to recent heightened concerns about national and homeland security. Export controls present unique challenges to universities because they require balancing concerns about national security and U.S. economic vitality with traditional concepts of unrestricted academic freedom and publication and dissemination of research findings and results. For example, to the extent that activities of universities involve shipping equipment abroad or teaching or training foreign students on campus or foreign colleagues abroad how to use technology, export control issues do arise. Dr. Eric Cottington, Associate Vice President for Research, will provide some basic information to help faculty, staff and students identify how and when export control issues may arise and how to ensure that there is an open transfer and sharing of information in and outside the U.S. with students, colleagues and others who are foreign nationals. Several case studies will be discussed. Parking will be validated for attendees who work outside the local campus.
Register online.

The next two month's schedule is below.

April 29th: Effort Reporting
Nord 310
9:00 am - 10:30 am
CREC Credits: N/A

The compensation and effort reporting practices of recipients of NIH awards are receiving increased national attention. This is a result of several high-profile, multi-million dollar settlements between major research universities and the NIH for alleged effort reporting problems and recent NIH statements clarifying the requirements for including clinical practice compensation as part of the institutional base salary. In light of this trend, Dr. Eric Cottington, Associate Vice President for Research, will present an overview of effort reporting requirements as they pertain to federally sponsored research and discuss Case's effort reporting system. Parking will be validated for attendees who work outside the local campus.
Register online.

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Tech Transfer News

BAMarray™ Genetic Analysis Software Now Available
BAMarray is a new piece of Java software that implements BAM (Bayesian Analysis of Variance for Microarrays), a new statistical technique for detecting differentially expressing genes from multigroup microarray experiments. BAM differs from other methods that try to control false detection rates (FDR). BAM's success relies on a special type of inferential regularization allowing it to balance the number of false detections against false non-detections. This is an oracle-like property of BAM that ensures that more truly differentially expressing genes are discovered.

BAM is implemented by BAMarray, a user friendly Java interface developed by researchers at Case and CCF and sponsored by the Technology Transfer Offices of both institutions.

Visit the BAM homepage for further details. A free 30 day trial demo is available.

Case Technology Transfer Office Seminar Series
The Case Technology Transfer Office sponsors a series of seminars throughout the year. To view the schedule and to register for these, click here.

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Purchasing News

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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 Rosemary Alexander at rosemary.alexander@case.edu.

Needed! rat dual-arm stereotaxic instrument and a Mettler type drug scale [mg]
Christine Nocjar, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, needs a rat dual-arm stereotaxic instrument and a Mettler type drug scale [mg]. Please contact her at 440-526-3030, ext 939-6608, or cxn18@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 Rosemary Alexander 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, currently under construction, will be available at 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/News/Funding_news.cfm). This list of funding announcements is not meant to be comprehensive. It changes at least monthly, sometimes daily. Announcements will be displayed on the website until the letter of intent due date or the application due date and will not be archived, so be sure to save any announcements to which you wish to refer in a future month. The list may include internal funding opportunities as they arise, as well as some less publicized and/or cross-discipline funding announcements sent to us by various routes. OSPA assumes that the reader is also making use of Community of Science (see below), to which the university subscribes, as well as the other resources listed in the links which follow these announcements. If you know of funding announcements that you think should be posted on this page, please contact Rosemary Alexander at rosemary.alexander@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 liaisons, Monica Bradley (368-4432 or monica.bradley@case.edu) or Narinder Dhaliwal (368-2001 or narinder.dhaliwal@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. Contact Narinder Dhaliwal in the School of Medicine at 368-2001 or narinder.dhaliwal@case.edu if you have questions.

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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