SPONSORED PROJECTS

Research Newsletter 2005

December 9, 2005

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 (rosemary.alexander@case.edu) and Diane Weitzen. (diane.weitzen@case.edu). Editor: Rosemary Alexander

To receive email notifications that new editions of the newsletter have been posted, as well as other occasional important email announcements, subscribe to the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) e-list, ORANews, by emailing Rosemary Alexander.

News Archive: Previous newsletter issues

Sponsored Projects News

Case News

Save the Dates! -- Research ShowCASE 2006 April 5th and 6th, 2006

The fourth annual Research ShowCASE will be held on Wednesday, April 5th and Thursday, April 6th, 2006 at the Case Western Reserve University (Case) Veale Convocation Center.  Over 600 poster presenters will be participating and there will be two symposia sessions – Fat Food Nation, with guest speaker Morgan Spurlock, director of Super Size Me, and Energy in the 21st Century.  Forums include Innovation and Creativity, with guest speaker, Kary Mullis, Nobel prize winning inventor of PCR, Studying Kids – Children as Human Subjects, with Gigi McMillan, Founder of We Can and Child Research Subject Advocate,  Misunderstanding Science, with Deborah Blum, Pulitzer prize winning author of The Monkey Wars, Integrity in Research – A Slippery Slope, and What’s it Like to be a CEO?  Guest speakers will join Case researchers in provocative discussions of these compelling topics. 

We look forward to a great event that will highlight the quality and quantity of research performed at Case, jumpstart collaboration and drive new opportunities forward.   For more information about the event, please visit the Research ShowCASE 2006 website at: http://showcase.case.edu .

Electronic University Review Form (eURF)
As you may be aware, the federal government and other sponsors of research and scholarship are increasingly requiring that proposals be submitted electronically rather than on paper.  The National Science Foundation and certain non-profit agencies (e.g., American Heart Association) have had this requirement for years.  NIH has recently announced that it expects all applications to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by 2007.  It will accomplish this in stages, e.g., all SBIR/STTR applications must be submitted electronically by December 1, 2005, all R03 and R21 applications must be submitted electronically by June 1, 2006, and all R01 applications must be submitted electronically by October 2006. 

In response to this trend to conduct grants-related business electronically, Case has developed an on-line University Review Form to replace the paper-based version.  This on-line University Review Form (called the electronic University Review Form (eURF)) can either be routed electronically with the proposal documents or it can be printed out and routed with the paper proposal documents as is the current practice.  You are strongly encouraged to route the eURF and the proposal documents electronically for review and signature.  However, there are still many sponsors, including NIH, that do not require a completely electronic submission and still require an institutional signature on a paper face page.  Hence, paper versions of the University Review Form are still acceptable.  However, beginning January 1, 2006, unless otherwise directed by your management center, only on-line University Review Forms completed via the eURF system will be accepted for review and sign-off regardless of whether the routing is done electronically or by paper.  Please note that the University Review Form only needs to be completed when routing applications (for grants or contracts) that are new, resubmissions, non-competing continuations, competitive renewals or supplements.  The URF is not needed for budget revisions, no-cost extensions, subaccount creation, or other administrative actions associated with an existing award.

Please follow the following steps to complete an on-line University Review Form

1. To access the eURF system, please go to the following link: http://spiderweb.case.edu 
   If you have never been in the system before, you will be asked for some profile information.  This is a one-time event.
   
2. Once into the system, select eURF from the main menu on the left side of the page.
3. Under “Create a new eURF”, type in a short title and click on “New”.
4. Attach all proposal documents that are normally required as part of the internal review and sign-off process.
5. Complete the URF as you normally would.  You should click on ”Save” at the bottom of the form periodically so information is not lost.
6. When you have completed the on-line form, click on “Check for Errors” at the bottom of the form to make sure all required information has been provided.
7. If you wish to generate a paper copy of the eURF to route along with paper proposal documents, click on the “View Printable Form” at the bottom of the online URF.
8. A printable version of the URF will appear and can be printed for review and signatures.  Please note that it will have an eURF id number in the upper right-hand corner.
9. If you wish to route the eURF and the proposal documents electronically, please contact Jeff Simpkins (jds41@case.edu or 368-5316) or Pat Coburn (pxc5@case.edu or 368-5092) to make sure that a valid route has been established in the system for your unit.
10. If a valid route has been established in the system for your unit, click on “Route for Signature or Send Back” at the bottom of the form and the eURF and attached documents will be routed electronically for review and signature.

If you encounter any problems using the eURF system, please contact Jeff Simpkins or Pat Coburn as noted above.

Your cooperation in using this on-line University Review Form is greatly appreciated. 

HUBZone Vendor, Burrows Travel, No Longer in Business! But Midtown Scientific, Source of Laboratory Supplies & Office Supplies May Substitute To Help Meet HUBZone Quotas
**Note!** Researchers with federal contracts over $500,000 should take note! Federal contracts over $500,000 always include a small business subcontracting plan which requires meeting purchasing goals in the various small business categories including HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone). Meeting these goals is very important because there are penalties for not doing so, monetary and otherwise.

One of our mainstays, Burrows Travel, has unfortunately, for them and for us, gone out of business. Burrows was a HUBZone vendor, a rare find for a research contract. BUT -- Midtown Scientific, a small business featured in the last edition of the Research Newsletter in the Purchasing News section, and featured again this month, IS a HUBZone vendor. Midtown is also women-owned and minority-owned. Midtown may be able to meet your needs sufficiently to allow you to fill those HUBZone subcontracting goals. In fact, because they provide such a wide variety of goods, they may be able to help you meet those goals even better than Burrows could have. One item, by the way, that they are able to provide, but which is not mentioned on their flier, is office supplies.

Please peruse the Purchasing section below for more info about Midtown Scientific.

SOURCE Website
SOURCE (Support of Undergraduate Research & Creative Endeavors) now has a Web site: www.case.edu/provost/source

You also can find it quickly by linking onto the "Research at Case" on the home page and then linking onto SOURCE.

STUDENTS: Sheila Pedigo asks you to please help her recognize your accomplishments in research and creative endeavors by sending her updates. She will insert them in the "recognition" section. As always, if you want individual assistance, please contact her. She is happy to work with you.

FACULTY & STAFF: Sheila also encourages faculty to inform her of students' accomplishments. She invites you to share your own experiences with undergraduate research and creative endeavors either as a mentor OR as an undergraduate.

Note the Symposium link. This year's Symposium and Poster Session, Intersections, will be on April 20, 2006. The deadline for abstracts is March 20, 2006. All of you who are involved in senior capstone projects and other research and creative projects are encouraged to present your work. Sheila especially encourages humanities and arts students to consider presenting their work. A poster presentation is not required! Meeting rooms are reserved in Thwing Center for you to present your capstone (and other) papers. Sheila also wants to work with performance students about possibilities for presenting your work.

SOURCE summer funding applications will be online after January 1, 2006. The deadline for applications for SOURCE summer funding is Wednesday, March 8, 2006.

If you have additional questions or require more information, send e-mail to sheila.pedigo@case.edu .

CCF Molecular Biotechnology Core Laboratory Available to ALL Case Researchers
Dr. Satya Yadav would like the Case research community to be aware that the services of the CCF Molecular Biotechnology Core Laboratory are available to ALL Case investigators. A description of the laboratory and its contact info will now be a regular feature of this newsletter under the Molecular Biology Core Laboratory section. Their website is being revised. When it is ready, this site will link to it.

If you are aware of any other facilities that should be publicized, besides the equipment repair and fabrication facilities already featured, please contact Rosemary Alexander at 368-2008 or rosemary.alexander@case.edu to have them featured as well.

ALL Case Independent Contractor Agreements Now Reviewed/Negotiated by Purchasing
** Note! **This fall, the newly reorganized Purchasing Department, renamed, Procurement and Distribution Services, has been visiting the various management centers, presenting seminars to explain the new procedures for independent contractor agreements. ALL templates for independent contractor agreements have been changed, including those used by HR. A single new template is now in use university-wide for both research-related and non-research independent contractor agreements, for both individuals and businesses.

The new system is much less confusing because there are no decisions to be made about which template to use or which office should receive it. There is only one template and only one office receives it. In fact, now the new contract template will even be filled out for you. You merely need to go to the new Independent Contractor website and follow instructions. These agreements are now under the purview of John Kane, an attorney, who has joined the staff of Procurement and Distribution Services. His contact info is on the Independent Contractor website as well as on the old OSPA independent contractor website. Rosemary Alexander in OSPA no longer reviews/negotiates independent contractor agreements for individuals or the corresponding consulting agreements for businesses.

Rosemary also no longer countersigns payment requests for independent contractor agreements. All of these must now go to John Kane for signature. Please be aware that protocols for payments for those contracts signed after October 31 have also changed. Payment requests for new contracts are no longer the correct vehicle for payment. The new procedures are explained on the new website. Contact John Kane for clarification if need be. You may however still use payment requests for those independent contractor agreements for individuals (not businesses) signed before October 31, 2005.

The Office of Sponsored Projects Administration still reviews, negotiates and administers all of the other contracts it previously handled, but Rosemary Alexander in OSPA no longer handles any aspect of research-related independent contractor agreements.

Case Exhibit of Birth Control Devices Highlighted in The Chronicle of Higher Education
At Case Western Reserve, an Exhibit With a Rhythm All Its Own" by Katherine S. Mangan
"Case Western Reserve University is known for its emphasis on research in the often-dispassionate fields of technology and engineering. But a collection recently acquired by the university's Dittrick Medical History Center shows how such research is adapted to the highly personal arena of contraception.

The world's largest collection of birth-control devices traces the evolution of contraception from ancient to modern times with more than 650 artifacts and 150 books and pamphlets. Among its more unusual items are beaver-testicle tea, blobs of elephant and crocodile dung with supposed spermicidal qualities, and intracervical devices made of gold. Percy Skuy, who retired in 1995 as president of Toronto-based Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, assembled the collection and donated it to the Dittrick center last year. ..." Subscribers may view the full text online in The Chronicle, in the Research & Publishing section, Volume 52, Issue 10, pg A18 or by clicking here.

Federal News

AAAS Congressional R&D Funding Update
The American Association of Advancement of Science (AAAS) released its latest update (Nov 30, 2005) on congressional action or lack thereof regarding FY06 Research and Development (R&D) funding ( www.aaas.org/spp/rd ). Highlights include:

Final negotiations over the FY 2006 appropriations bills stalled on November 17 when the House rejected an appropriations bill. Per the AAAS update, "...the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and the Interior, and NASA, NSF, and EPA have their final budgets, leaving final action on the two largest R&D funding agencies (DOD and NIH) for December. But in an added wrinkle to a confusing budget process, Congress is preparing to include an across-the-board cut of up to 2 percent for all programs in the last FY 2006 spending bill, which will trim R&D funding even for agencies whose budgets have already been signed into law. ..."

• $3.0 billion of the $3.2 billion increase for DOD weapons development and NASA space exploration R&D
• Funding for all other federal R&D programs to barely increase under current plans.
• Basic and applied research: $57.1 billion, an increase of $1.2 billion or 2.1 percent over 2005 with NASA applied research absorbing most of the increase, and giving most other agencies only small increases which would fall short of inflation.
• Record-breaking amounts for R&D earmarks, totaling $2.1 billion in appropriations so far.

Congress resumes deliberations next week.

AAAS R&D Funding Updates on final FY 2006 R&D appropriations with details may be viewed on the AAAS R&D web site. See the "What's New" page for the latest updates. ( http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/new.htm )"

The AAAS R&D web site is continually updated regarding the status of FY 2006 appropriations ( http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/approp06.htm )

NCI and NSF Launch Collaboration; Training Grants Awarded for Nanobiotechnology
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced a collaboration that will establish integrative training environments for U.S. science and engineering doctoral students to focus on interdisciplinary nanoscience and technology research with applications to cancer. Through this partnership, $12.8 million in grants are being awarded to four institutions over the next five years. More info: NCI Alliance News Release

Grants.gov
** Reminder ** Effective October 1, 2005, the US Department of Energy, Office of Science requires all financial assistance applications be submitted through the Grants.gov website. Grant.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov is the single access point for over 1000 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal Grant-making agencies.

NEH Grants via Grants.gov as of January 2006
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that, beginning in January 2006,  it will only accept institutional grant applications via Grants.gov. 

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Policy

Agencies Hope to Cash In on the Allure of Competition
by Eli Kintisch
From Science, September 30, 2005, Vol. 309. no. 5744, pp. 2153 - 2154
"In the wake of the Ansari X Prize for space travel, U.S. science policymakers see prizes as a way to stretch tight budgets and uncover new talent.

When Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris in 1927, he did more than win a permanent place in aviation history. He also pocketed a $25,000 prize put up by a New York hotel owner for the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean.

Three-quarters of a century later, the U.S. government has caught prize fever. ...

What's making U.S. lawmakers and federal officials so prize-happy is the chance to tap into the creative talents of a vast pool of techno-entrepreneurs they might not otherwise reach--and for relatively little cost. Cash prizes also give tight-fisted federal bureaucrats a chance to piggyback on the investment of others, as well as paying the piper only when--and if--a specific milestone has been achieved. That contrasts with a grant, in which the funds are disbursed ahead of time for something that may never pan out, or a contract, in which the government picks a person or institution to conduct research or deliver an agreed-upon product. 'As opposed to the government looking into its crystal ball and choosing one [contractor] based on a bunch of technical proposals, this way it's more of a survival of the fittest,' says NASA official Ken Davidian.

But as the idea wins support, some are asking whether prizes make sense for a basic research agency such as NSF. And others worry that they might put blinders on academic scientists by steering them toward defined challenges.

... skeptics--including some lawmakers--worry about possible unintended side effects of shifting federal resources into science and technology prizes. With the cost of the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina recovery adding to an already large budget deficit, every dollar put toward an open-ended prize means one less for a grant or research contract. "I don't see how the pool is widened," says Molly Macauley of the nonprofit organization Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C. Some brilliant scientists might lose out if the government curtails or drops an existing research program, she notes.

Some legislators are also concerned about losing control over the purse strings if they allow an agency to craft an expansive prize program that may not be paid out for many years. ..."

Subscribers who would like to read the rest of this interesting article, online, may click here.

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CDC

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Publishes Research Blueprint for Public Comment
The CDC, published a draft agency-wide Research Guide, also titled CDC Health Protection Research Guide 2006-2015, which covers the six areas of research. One function of the guide will be to guide intramural and extramural research. The CDC is asking for comments on among other things, the scope and the use of the guide, including its success in identifying appropriate the areas of health protection research, the relevance and specificity of proposed research topics, the guide's development process, as well as possible improvements. Click here for a one page pdf file giving a brief overview of the guide and a URL through which to provide comments. The deadline for response is January 15, 1006.

NIH

• Competing Awards:  the Institutes and Centers will manage their portfolios so as not to exceed the FY2005 average total cost of awards.


• Non-competing Awards :  individual awards will be issued at a provisional level up to 80% of the level recommended for FY2006 on the previous Notice of Grant Award. The new Notice of Grant Award will be footnoted to indicate those awards made at a level below that recommended on the previous Notice of Grant Award.  If the final appropriation permits, upward adjustments will be made.

Career, Fellowship, and Training Awards:

• Competing Awards:  the Institutes and Centers will manage their portfolios so as not to exceed the FY2005 average total cost of awards.


• Non-competing Awards:  individual awards will be issued at the FY2006 committed level recommended on the Notice of Grant Award.

NIH OPASI TO Begin Operation Shortly
NIH's new Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategics Initiative (OPASI) is to open up shop within the next month according to Deputy Director Raynard Kingston. Per the Federal Register notice 05-19371 , the OPASI will consist of three branches: the Division of Resource Development and Analysis, the Division of Strategic Coordination, and the Division of Evaluation and Systematic Assessments. OPASI will assume oversight of the NIH Roadmap Initiative function from the immediate Office of the Director, the Office of Evaluation from the Office of Science Policy (OSP), into OPASI; and certain functions of the Office of Science Policy and Planning (OSPP), OSP, revising the functional statement of the OSPP. OPASI will identify and integrate information to support the planning and implementation of trans-NIH initiatives. Subscribers to the Research Policy Alert may want to read more by clicking here.

Young Scientists Get a Helping Hand
by Yudhijit Bhatttacharjee
Science, Dec 9, 2005, Vol. 310. no. 5754, p. 1601
"Getting that first faculty job represents the end of one arduous journey for a biomedical scientist--and, given the difficulties and cost of establishing a new lab, the start of another. Last week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) rolled out three initiatives intended to smooth that transition to becoming an independent researcher.

One of them, expected to be finalized by spring, is a 5-year award for postdocs that will provide initial salary support and then convert to a full-fledged research grant once the scientist gains a faculty position. The other two are already being tested: an independent investigator grant program that does not require applicants to submit preliminary data and a process to speed up the resubmission of R01 grant applications by new investigators who fail on their first attempt. NIH officials hope that the three initiatives will help young scientists get their labs up and running more quickly--a goal agency Director Elias Zerhouni calls his 'number one priority.' ... "

Subscribers may read full article online at www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/310/5754/1601b .

NIMH Announces the Availability of a New Resource for Researchers: The Schizophrenia Trials Network (STN)
Notice: NOT-MH-05-02
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) announces a new resource for investigators in the field of schizophrenia research. The Schizophrenia Trials Network (STN), (www.stn.unc.edu), has been established to support the conduct of treatment trials on schizophrenia treatment effectiveness in a community setting. The NIMH notice invites researchers to explore working collaboratively with the STN in conducting clinical trials, or research with a significant translational component (e.g., genetics, behavior, and environment) related to schizophrenia treatment. Projects for the STN are expected to have major public health significance and require the expertise and resources available on the research network. See the notice for more details.

Availability of Deltagen and Lexicon Genetics Knockout Mice and Phenotypic Data
Notice: NOT-OD-06-012
The National Institutes of Health has recently contracted with Deltagen Inc. of San Carlos , Calif. , and Lexicon Genetics Incorporated of The Woodlands, Texas , to provide NIH and its scientific partners with access to about 250 lines of knockout mice that have been extensively characterized. This resource will give researchers unprecedented access to two private collections of knockout mice, providing valuable models for the study of human disease and laying the groundwork for a public, genome-wide library of knockout mice. See notice for more details.

Request for Information (RFI): Notice of Information on Human Cancer Biospecimen Collections
Notice: NOT-CA-06-002
The NIH has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for analysis and planning purposes (not as a solicitation for proposals). Any investigator with biospecimen collections within the United States , or internationally, is encouraged to respond to the RFI and provide the information requested. See the announcement for full details. Deadline for submittal is January 12, 2006.

Request for Information (RFI): Standards for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
Notice: NOT-OD-06-011
The NIH is soliciting new scientifically valid information, methods or practices, published data or other advances in the humane care and use of laboratory animals in order to explore the need to update the laboratory animal welfare standards of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. See announcement for additional details. Deadline for submittal is February 28, 2006

NIH Aims to Create 'Homes' for Clinical Science
by Jocelyn Kaiser
From Science, October 21, 2005, Vol. 310. no. 5747, pp. 422 - 423
"Elias Zerhouni's mantra since taking the helm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 3 years ago has been 'translational research'--meaning he wants to find better ways to move basic discoveries into the clinic." In mid- October, Zerhouni announced in a commentary in the 13 October New England Journal of Medicine, that NIH would create academic 'homes" for clinical and translational science over 7 years to establish "a new ... academic discipline.'

According to Ms. Kaiser's report in Science, "Research institutions are reacting with both excitement and anxiety. 'It's really long overdue,' says William Crowley, director of clinical research at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. One worry, however, is that by mandating such medically oriented homes, NIH will force institutions to wall off clinical researchers instead of bringing them together with basic scientists. 'The danger is separatism. Most people believe clinical and translational research should be part of the fabric of the whole institution,' says Howard Dickler, director of the research division of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

NIH says inclusion is the goal of the new plan, part of Zerhouni's Roadmap, initiatives that pool money from all 27 NIH institutes and centers for common projects. The problem it addresses, notes Crowley, is that there are too few new clinical scientists in academia; many find research less appealing than other careers. The genomics explosion and rise in chronic disease, Zerhouni adds, require individualized treatments that move from bench to bedside 'in a much more facile way.'..."

Funding will eventually total $500 million disbursed among 60 Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA), fewer than the current 78 GCRCs which they will replace.

Subscribers who wish to read the full article, online, may click here.

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NSF

NSF Supplemental Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions for Managers of FFRDCs
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Cooperative Agreement, Supplemental Financial & Administrative Terms and Conditions for Managers of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) was updated in September. For the latest update, go to the URL, www.nsf.gov/pubs/cafatc/cafatcffrdc905.pdf .

Latest NSF Facility Plan Report
The National Science Foundation's latest "Facility Plan Report" published in September 2005, offers an interesting overview of NSF research. To view the report, a pdf file, the URL is www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05058/nsf05058.pdf .

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NASA

NASA Starts Squeezing to Fit Missions Into Tight Budget
by Andrew Lawler
Science, December 9, 2005, Vol. 310. no. 5754, pp. 1594 - 1595
"... In the past few weeks, NASA managers have decided to delay by 2 years the flight of a new space telescope and halted work on an asteroid mission that is nearly on the launch pad, and they are reconsidering plans to revive a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. "We've got to get everything under control," says Mary Cleave, NASA's new science chief. "We're overcommitted."

Meanwhile, another part of the agency has begun to cancel a slew of life sciences experiments slated for the international space station, despite a National Academies' report released 28 November that criticized NASA's scaling back of research on the orbiting base. "We're refocusing on near-term needs," explains NASA exploration chief Scott Horowitz. The agency intends to slice in half the roughly $1 billion it spends annually on biological and physical sciences research; the other half will be devoted primarily to ensuring the health of astronauts on lunar and Mars missions, which are the centerpiece of President George W. Bush's plan to return humans to the moon and send them on to Mars. The vast majority of exploration funding will be devoted to building new launchers. ... "

Subscribers may read full article online at www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/310/5754/1594 .

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Miscellany

Public Library of Science (PLoS) Clinical Trials Will Debut in March 2006
PLoS will seek to eliminate publication bias in clinical trial reporting. PLoS Clinical Trials, an online journal, www.plosclinicaltrials.org/, will not exclude studies that reach negative conclusions or that achieve results that are not statistically significant, those studies most in danger of not being reported. Indeed, concern about unpublicized trials has prompted introduction of a bill in the United States Congress (the Fair Access to Clinical Trials Act). Click here for more details about this new journal. See also www.plos.org/news/announce_clinicaltrials.html. Chronicle of Higher Education subscribers may read http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i10/10a02001.htm.

Disaster Research Education and Mentoring Center (DREM)
With the passing of disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, funding for studies of disasters has increased. The DREM Center seeks to improve the capacity for high-quality disaster research and timely data collection in the aftermath of disasters. One goal is to enhance the preparedness of communities, researchers, and collaborative agencies to expedite disaster research. For researchers, the DREM Center provides education and mentoring; for government officials it offers both education and guidance. The site contains various resources such as tips on getting started on research projects, education and training materials for researchers, assessment instruments, as well as other features of interest.

U.K. Doubles Stem Cell Funding
by Michael Schirber
Science, December 9, 2005, Vol. 310. no. 5754, p. 1599

"Heeding warnings that it risks falling behind, the U.K. government announced on 1 December that it will increase its funding of stem cell research from £50 million to £100 million ($85 million to $170 million) over the next 2 years. But even more is needed if the country is to compete with places such as California, which pledged $3 billion over the next decade, says a new report by the government-appointed U.K. Stem Cell Initiative. ..."

Subscribers may read full article online at www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/310/5754/1599a .

Suggesting or Excluding Reviewers Can Help Get Your Paper Published
by David Grimm
Science, September 23, 2005, Vol. 309. no. 5743, p. 1974

"... Having a say over who will review one's work should be a good thing. Authors may be better placed than editors to know who is best qualified to evaluate their findings, and they may have valid reasons for keeping sensitive results out of the hands of a close competitor. Yet many decline to suggest reviewers, and only a small percentage opt to exclude them.

That may change, thanks to the results of three studies presented here last week at the Fifth International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication, organized by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Publishing Group. Either suggesting or excluding reviewers, the studies show, can significantly increase a manuscript's chances of being accepted. ..."

Subscribers may read full article online at www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/309/5743/1974 .

Know-Thine-Own-Self Survey: Part 1 Results & Part 2 Questions Seeking Responses

From The mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR")
Issue number 2005-12 December 2005

The mini-AIR is a free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in the bi-monthly paper magazine Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)

RESULTS of Part 1 of the KNOW-THINE-OWN-SELF SURVEY (2005-12-04)
The survey asked authors and co-authors of research reports:

Of the references listed in your papers, what percentage have you actually read?

As a group, the authors and co-authors report that they have read:

(A) ALL OF -- 66% of the reference works they cited
(B) JUST A SUMMARY -- OF 32% of those reference works
(C) ONLY THE NAME OF -- 02% of those reference works

Some respondents, who tended more than other respondents to express outrage, report that they have read all of their cited reference works. More typical are the respondents who say they skimmed or read the "relevant portions" of nearly all of the cited works, and read all of at least half of them.

Here is one survey response, as typical as almost any other.
INVESTIGATOR BILL DERSHOWITZ writes:

"Over the course of 30 years of publications, I estimate these averages (of course there is huge variation between papers):

A) read all of -- 15% (or at least tried to...)
B) read just a summary of -- 1%
C) read only the name of -- 30% (because I am using a reference from someone else's citation)
D) skimmed for content of interest -- 54%"

----------------------------------------------------------
Questions for Part 2 of the KNOW-THINE-OWN-SELF SURVEY ( 2005-12-05)
"Please answer, if you will and only if it applies to you, Part 2 of the survey:

QUESTION: Have you read every one of the research papers
on which you yourself are listed as a co-author?

Please send your answer to:
KNOW-THINE-OWN-SELF SURVEY (PART 2)
c/o marca@chem2.harvard.edu "

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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.

January Seminars
February Seminars

January 11, 2006
NIHs New Electronic Grant Application Process and the SF424(R&R)
Ford Auditorium in the Allen Memorial Library
8:30 AM - 12:00 pm
CREC Credits: N/A
The deadline is quickly approaching. - Soon, all NIH research grant applications will have to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 Research & Related (R&R) form set. This webcast training session, geared toward the applicant community, will provide an overview of NIH’s transition plans, the submission process and the new form set. Representatives from the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration and departmental grant offices will be on hand to answer questions following the formal presentation.
Registration is online. Click here to register.

January 11, 2006
NIHs New Electronic Grant Application Process and the SF424 (R&R)
Ford Auditorium in the Allen Memorial Library
12:30 PM - 4:00 pm
CREC Credits: N/A
REPEAT OF MORNING SESSION ABOVE
The deadline is quickly approaching … Soon, all NIH research grant applications will have to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 Research & Related (R&R) form set. This webcast training session, geared toward the applicant community, will provide an overview of NIH’s transition plans, the submission process and the new form set. Representatives from the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration and departmental grant offices will be on hand to answer questions following the formal presentation.
Registration is online. Click here to register.

January 26, 2006
Introduction to Proposal Writing
Wolstein Auditorium
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
CREC Credits: N/A
Robert A. Lucas, Director of the Institute for Scholarly Activity, is the author of many papers and a book entitled "The Grants World Inside Out." This seminar will include: 1)How to identify fundable ideas; 2)How to develop a strong and convincing proposal; 3)How to draft a foundation letter of inquiry and many other granting skills. Refreshments will be served.
Registration is online. Click here to register.

February 24, 2006
Grants.gov and the NIH Electronic Submission Process
BRB 105
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
CREC Credits: N/A
Eric Cottington, Case's AVP for Research, will present information concerning grants.gov – the federal gateway for submitting applications electronically – and the NIH electronic submission process for faculty and department administrators involved in grants administration. NIH has recently announced a timeline and phased process for utilizing grants.gov such that all proposals will be submitted electronically to NIH by May 2007. Specific information about this process and the requisite tools will be presented.
Registration is online. Click here to register.

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Purchasing News

Vendor Spotlight: A quick overview, followed by a more detailed introduction
Midtown Scientific Inc. – Newest Distributor in Cleveland’s Scientific Research Community

Midtown Scientific, Inc.
4415 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland OH 44103

Attention researchers with federal small business subcontracting plan goals to meet! Midtown Scientific meets all of the categories below.

• Certified Minority Business Enterprise
• Certified Women Owned Business
• Certified HUBZone Business

Distributor/supplier of Scientific and Laboratory Research Supplies and Equipment and Biochemical Reagents, Office Supplies. Click here for pdf flier.

Midtown Scientific Contact: Darlene Darby Baldwin, 216-431-0110, 216-431-0128 (fax)

Web address: www.midtownscientific.com

Below is a press release that provides more background on the company:
Cleveland, OH---Midtown Scientific, Inc. (MSI) has joined Cleveland’s scientific community as its first minority scientific supply distributor. It will distribute scientific research supplies, equipment, chemicals and safety products to research scientists in northeast Ohio.

MSI offers competitively priced scientific products and services. The company has modeled its business as a strategic partner and alternative for medical hospitals and universities. Most research products are bought from companies outside Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio. MSI is the first African American-owned company of its kind. It partners nationally with numerous manufacturers and suppliers, providing complete lines of scientific research products that help the local economy grow.

MSI, located in the Empowerment and Historically Underutilized Business (EZ/HUB) Zone of the Midtown Corridor, is small, women-owned, and MBE-certified through the Northern Ohio Minority Business Council (NOMBC).

In Cleveland, where research is conducted in hospitals, universities, the biotech industry and research institutions, MSI fulfills grant requirements mandated by the federal government.

“Midtown Scientific is pleased to be a part of Cleveland’s research community,” said Darlene Darby Baldwin, president and CEO. “As a minority supplier, the research institutions have received us warmly. I am so excited about this business, particularly that we have met the requirements and joined the vendor list at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University. It is so gratifying. We’re still completing applications for additional certifications, presenting quotes and filling purchase order requests. It is my greatest hope that our major institutions will really utilize us a strategic partner to fuel our local economy.”

According to Dorothy A. Terrell, president and CEO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and John Koten, editor-in-chief, Inc. Magazine, MSI, has been identified as a “good candidate” to compete in the 2006 “Inner City One Hundred” competition which identifies the 100 fastest growing businesses located in America’s inner cities.

A Cleveland native, Darlene is a Cleveland public schools success story and graduate of John Carroll and Case Western Reserve Universities. “I’m just trying to use the gifts and talents God gave me to improve the quality of life for others – whether it’s through supplying research scientists with what is needed to find a cure, or finding a way to boost our local economy through creating new opportunities,” she said.

To find out more about Midtown Scientific Inc., call (216) 431-0110 or visit the Web site at: www.midtownscientific.com

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Molecular Biotechnology Core Laboratory

The Molecular Biotechnology Core laboratory provides research support services and consultation to investigators in the areas of Biomolecular Interaction Analysis using Biacore 3000, N-terminal sequencing by Edman degradation, peptide design and synthesis, and peptide purification.

The Biacore system uses Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology to monitor the biomolecular interactions in real time. The Biacore 3000 is used to measure equilibrium and kinetic parameters in protein-nucleic acid interactions, protein-protein interactions and in competition assays. The Biacore technology can also be used to characterize mutant proteins, in epitope mapping and ranking the antibodies based on their affinities. The Core provides the basic training to use the system and help investigators to perform their Biacore experiments. An initial determination of the feasibility of a project takes only a day. 

The core laboratory offers N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis by Edman degradation chemistry using Procise 492 Protein sequencer from Applied Biosystems. Protein samples (5-10 pmoles) can be submitted as PVDF blots or samples dissolved in 10-20 ul of a suitable solvent, such as MilliQ water, 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, 5% acetic acid, or aqueous acetonitrile.

The Core uses state-of-the art chemistries and automated instrumentation for small (50 umole) to medium (250 umole) scales of peptide synthesis by Fmoc solid-phase chemistry. The process of peptide synthesis requires several discrete steps such as; design of the peptides, chemical synthesis, modifications, cleavage of peptide from the resin, purification and quality evaluation.  Every peptide synthesized is rigorously evaluated routinely by mass spectrometry, HPLC analysis and by N-terminal sequencing if necessary with the ultimate goal of providing the correct intended peptide sequence to the investigators. The Core routinely synthesizes peptides with the following modifications: peptides containing unusual or modified amino acids (e.g., phospho-Tyr, phospho-Ser/Thr, D-amino acids or other analogs), biotinylation at N- or C- terminals, fatty acid conjugation (butyric, amino hexanoic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid), fluorochrome conjugation (fluorescein, rhodamine, phycoerythrin) N-acetylation, peptides amides, and peptide cyclization via s-s bonds.  The Core provides thorough documentation of HPLC analysis and Mass spectral analysis of every peptide.

Contact:
Satya P. Yadav, Ph.D., Director
Molecular Biotechnology Core Laboratory
Bldg. NN1-13
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
9500 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
Tel: (216) 445-7095
Fax: (216) 636-0556
Email: YADAVS@ccf.org

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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 Case? 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.

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 Case 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 Case lab, but also to University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, and Case-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 is updated often 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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Re. 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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To subscribe or unsubscribe to ORANews:
If you do not wish to receive notifications that this newsletter has been updated via ORANews, the OSPA e-list, please contact Rosemary Alexander at rosemary.alexander@case.edu. If you are aware of individuals who are not currently on our e-mailing list and would like to subscribe to ORANews, please have them email Rosemary Alexander.