Meeting Summary
Council members discussed the fringe
benefit rate for the University’s graduate students. The current rate is 50 percent of a graduate
student researcher’s salary. A rate
increase would benefit the University’s overall finances, but it would unduly
affect researchers, who already face increasing financial constraints. The
NIH is operating under a continuing resolution, which limits non-competing
awards to 80 percent of previously committed funding. Due to growing competition for grants and to
real decreases in its budget, the NIH also is funding new awards at reduced
levels.
The Bayh-Dole Act
Council members discussed the Bayh-Dole Act, which is also known as the University and
Small Business Patent Procedures Act. The
Act gives intellectual property control over inventions to organizations that
discover these devices/products via federally funded research. The Act applies to
Report from the Office of Research
Allen DiPalma,
Director of the Office of Research, discussed the transition to the federal
government’s Internet-based, grant-application site, Grants.gov.
The University’s internal, grant-submission deadline
will be 10 days prior to the NIH’s February 1
deadline. Additional information on the
deadline is located in an Office of the Provost memo.
The Office of Research offers a training program that teaches faculty
and staff how to utilize the site. The
Office sponsors computer-based training and a monthly open forum. Additional information on the training
sessions can be found on the Office of Research’s website.
Miscellaneous
Council members also discussed: