University
Research Council
April
18, 2012
Meeting
Summary
Conflict
of Interest Policy
The
U.S. Public Health Service published a new policy that will require the
University to revise its conflict of interest policy. Revisions will primarily affect NIH-funded
investigators. The policy will be
altered in the following areas: the definition of a financial conflict of
interest; remuneration from outside non-profit organizations; changes in the
threshold for reporting remuneration; the timing of updated disclosures;
training requirements; etc.
Central
Research Development Fund
The
deadline for submission of small grant proposals was Friday, March 16. Proposals now will be reviewed by one of
three Council subcommittees, whose members specialize in the health sciences,
the sciences and engineering, and the humanities and the social sciences. Nancy Baker, Jonathan Rubin, and David Harris
are chairing the respective committees.
Multidisciplinary Projects
The Provost’s Office had been exploring
and will support three multidisciplinary research projects: quantum information
science, synthetic biology, and engineered materials. Teams have been convened to discuss two new
topics: wisdom and aging and sustainability and energy.
Research Internship Program
The Office of the Provost continues to
work on the research internship program.
The goal of the program is to train individuals in research
administration so that they can subsequently take research-related
administrative jobs at the University.
Interns will rotate through the Health Sciences, the Office of Research,
Finance/Accounting, and school departments.
Office of Research
Allen DiPalma, Director of the Office
of Research, discussed a number of items that are related to the Office’s
operations:
·
ARRA grants that had been scheduled to continue
beyond September 30, 2013, must be completed by that date.
·
The Office continues to solicit
evaluations of its operations from research administrators and faculty members.
·
The Office is developing a research
administration certificate program that will be geared to administrators.
·
Many proposals still arrive late so
Office of Research Staff do not have time to
trouble-shoot them.
Miscellaneous
Council members also discussed:
·
The Middle States evaluation
·
State-level funding cuts
·
The research integrity module
·
The President’s 21st century
grand challenges
·
A NIST-sponsored manufacturing
initiative
·
Star Metrics