RESEARCH & COMMERCIALIZATION NEWS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

• UMSL Small Grants Fund Restated with New Focus, Proposal Deadline Set
  The next deadline for Small Grants Fund proposal submission is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. On recommendation by the Senate Research Policy Committee, this competition has been limited to conference travel and is open to full-time, untenured, tenure-track faculty. Up to $1,000 will be awarded for expenses to attend professional conferences at which the applicant will be making a presentation. For more information, see the new Small Grants Guidelines or contact Brenda Stutte at x 5897.
  

• UM Research Board Video Showcase, Next Proposal Submission Deadline
  The University of Missouri Research Board web site now features four new video interviews that showcase faculty from each UM campus who have received funding from the Research Board and how this financial support has helped their careers and research efforts. There are now 12 video interviews posted, and another four will be posted this academic year. Watch the Videos
  
  Make sure you take advantage of the UM Research Board grant program, which has $1 million available each round. Unfortunately, UM-St. Louis continues to fall behind all other UM campuses in the number of applications to the Research Board, with only 11 submitted in fall 2009. The next UM Research Board grant application deadline is Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Stutte at x 5897.
  

• UMSL is Finalist in Collaborative NSF Proposal to Establish Center for Plant Lipid Systems. UMSL, Danforth Center Host NSF Site Visit.
  On Oct. 15-16, a collaborative team of 16 institutions from academia and industry presented plans for a Center for Plant Lipid Systems (CPLiS) to an 11-person National Science Foundation site visit panel. The collaboration, headed by UMSL's Dr. Xuemin "Sam" Wang, E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Biology, who is also a Member and Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, is one of a handful of finalists for a 5-year, $25 million dollar center grant from the NSF under the "Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships Program." This program supports "innovative, potentially transformative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards."
  
  The CPLiS' overall vision is to provide an integrated, innovative program of research and education to advance the nation's science and technology agenda through understanding the most energy-rich natural products in living organisms -- plant lipids. Work at the center is expected to have positive impacts in the areas of quality food supply, nutrition, renewable energy and environmental sustainability.
  
  The NSF Site Visit Committee (SVC) provided positive feedback in its report including that the SVC believes "the intellectual merit of this proposal is highly convincing," and that "the scale and import of the proposed research...is fully commensurate with the intended goals of the NSF Science and Technology Centers."
  
  If the CPLiS initiative is funded, UMSL will be the lead institution. Collaborators include Iowa State, Kansas State, Langston, Michigan State, North Carolina State and Washington State universities; the universities of Kansas, Missouri (Columbia), Nebraska and North Texas; Georgia Institute of Technology, St. Louis Community College, and Washington University in St. Louis; the Danforth Center and Monsanto.
  
  The awards will be announced in mid-February at the White House with projects expected to commence in June 2010.

• Has a discovery or invention come from your sponsored research or during your time as a University employee? Please contact Tamara Wilgers (516-6884) for help with invention disclosure policies and procedures, or visit the ORA web site's technology transfer section.

REPORTS

• External Funding, Quarterly Report, 1st Quarter, FY2010 (PDF)
• External Funding, September 2009 Awards (PDF)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• Recent Opportunity Announcements, Federal Agencies, November 2009 (PDF)
• Opportunity Databases:
  • InfoEd (Contact Brenda Stutte for assistance with your account and email alerts)
  • Grants.gov

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

• Compliance Policies & Procedures
• Fiscal Post-Award Roles and Responsibilities (PDF)
• Guide to Managing Converging Interests in Research -- potential conflict of interest (PDF)
• Internal Controls -- effort verification, transaction approvals by PI, payroll, non-owned equipment (PDF)
• ORA Policy & Procedure: Grant Submission Deadlines -- budgets, electronic submissions, signature page (PDF)
• Technology Transfer FAQs (PDF)

• ORA Policies & Procedures (all)

The Office of Research Administration at the University of Missouri-St. Louis publishes the Spirit of Innovation Newsletter once each month. The online and e-mail publication is designed to inform the campus community of grants received; highlight the research and commercialization accomplishments of UMSL faculty, graduate students and staff; and provide information on important deadlines and events. Also included is recent news about research and commercialization at the University and elsewhere. Recipients are UMSL faculty, students and staff. E-mail wilgerst@umsl.edu if you have questions, comments or suggestions on content.

The Office of Research Administration provides leadership and support in the development, execution and operation of programs in sponsored research, technology transfer and economic development throughout the University of Missouri-St. Louis. (ORA Mission)

© 2009 University of Missouri-St. Louis