Volume 14, Number 4: October 3, 2007
CAMPUS NEWS
New F&A Rates for On-Campus Sponsored Research
The Office of Sponsored Research and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have recently completed verbal negotiations of new facilities and administrative (F&A) rates for on-campus sponsored research activities. The new rates are 47.5% for FY09 (start date July 1, 2008) and 48.0% for FY10 (start date July 1, 2009).
Effective immediately, departments should use the FY09 rate of 47.5% in all new and competing renewal budgets that have an anticipated budget period start date of July 1, 2008. This budgeting guidance applies to on-campus sponsored research activities only. All other F&A rates (e.g. off-campus, clinical trials) remain unchanged until the final agreement is executed.
If you have any questions about the implementation of these rates, please contact Kevin Maynor (962-4453), Hamilton Brown (843-0874), or James Peterson (966-2542).
Upcoming RASG Forum
Date: Thursday, October 11
Time: 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Place: Hitchcock General Purpose Room, 111 Sonja Haynes Stone Center
The next Research Administrator Support Group (RASG) Forum will feature presentations from Carolina's Research Compliance Program, information about training programs from the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), and updates on the OSR reorganization process.
Odum Institute Workshop on Proposal Development
Date: November 07, 2007
Time: 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
Place: 14 Manning Hall
Writing a proposal shouldn't be a chore. If you know what you want to do and approach it with the right attitude, it can actually be fun. This workshop will help you get started by giving you an introduction to fundamentals of developing an idea, creating a plan, and putting the plan to paper. Please come prepared with an idea you would like to develop.
Campus-wide Research Retreat on Aging
Date: October 29, 2007
Time: 1:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Location: Bioinformatics Building
Scholars at UNC-Chapel Hill interested in research on aging should register now for a campus-wide retreat on existing aging research and research opportunities and constraints. The interdisciplinary retreat will be introduced by Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, and will focus on ways to enhance aging research efforts at the university. Follow-up activities will be planned based on input from the retreat.
Minimum Stipend for Postdoctoral Scholars
In 2006, the minimum stipend for postdoctoral scholars was set at $34,200 with a projected annual 3% increase, based upon the recommendation of the Postdoctoral Advisory Committee. This year, the minimum stipend level will increase by 3% to $35,226, effective October 15, 2007. Higher stipends for postdoctoral scholars based upon their performance are encouraged.
One-Stop Searching for Internal Funding at Carolina
Internal funding sources can be an important part of your total funding picture, particularly if you are looking for money for a scholarly leave, publication, or seed or planning grant. The Carolina Internal Funding Database provides information about university-administered and limited-submission sources of funding for UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and others.
This database has recently been updated for funding opportunities with fall deadlines. For example, faculty can apply in November for the Center for Global Initiatives' Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Program to conduct research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. We invite you to check out the database to learn about internal funding opportunities for your scholarly activities.
This database also provides a good way to publicize funding opportunities administered by your department, office, center, or institute. To add an award, send an email with information about your funding opportunity, including a contact's name, department, email, and phone number to gs@unc.edu or call 919-962-3463.
OHRE/IRB Update News Bulletin
The Office of Human Research Ethics (OHRE) has posted updates on several items of interest to faculty, students, and staff who conduct research involving human subjects and/or deal with the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). These topics include:
- Guidance on student research and class projects
- Secondary use of de-identified or coded information/specimens
- Existing studies that no longer require IRB approval
- Collecting social security numbers for research-related purposes
- Revised HIPAA authorization template
- Accessing protocol status information via "My Research at Carolina"
- IRB standardization and coming enhancements to the application process
Conference Call for Proposals – Beyond the Sunbelt: Southern Economic Development in a Global Context
UNC-Chapel Hill's annual interdisciplinary conference on the globalization of the South will bring together 200 academics, policy makers, and economic development practitioners from across the region and beyond. The conference will examine how global forces are shaping regional economic development strategies and to consider the best paths forward.
We invite abbreviated proposals for presentations by scholars, policymakers, and professionals dealing with regional economic development issues that connect the U.S. South and the world. Specifically, the conference will explore the globalization of business and of labor and how they affect economic development at the regional, state, and local level.
To be considered for a single presentation or an entire panel, please submit a brief proposal along with an abbreviated CV or resume by November 1, 2007.
Postdoctoral Scholars Awards for Research Excellence
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs recently hosted the 2007 Postdoctoral Scholars Awards for Research Excellence, given in recognition of the research promise demonstrated by individual postdoctoral scholars. The awards are open to postdoctoral scholars in all disciplines and are designed to assist postdoctoral scholars in their continued professional development by supporting the recipients in conference travel, purchasing books and lab materials, or engaging in other scholarly activities that directly enhance professional growth.
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Upcoming Workshops for Postdoctoral Scholars
Writing the Academic Book: From Proposal to Publication
Date: Wednesday, October 31
Time: 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Place: Graduate Student Center, 211A W. Cameron Ave.
North Carolina PhD & Master's Career Fair
Date: Tuesday, November 13
Place: William and Ida Friday Center
Contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at (919) 962-9982 with questions or to register.
New Patents and License Agreements
The Office of Technology Development (OTD) reports that the university executed five license agreements in September.
Patent rights to an invention entitled "Multi-Wire Signaling" have been exclusively licensed to a provider of high-speed interface technology. Created by John Poulton, Robert Palmer, and Stephen Tell of the Department of Computer Science, "Multi-Wire Signaling" has broad applicability to electronic signaling systems, where information is sent from one part of an electronic system to another.
UNC-Chapel Hill has agreed to provide Sanofi-Aventis Inc. with a purified enzyme from the laboratory of Hengming Ke, professor of biochemistry and biophysics. The enzyme represents a potential therapeutic target for pharmaceutical intervention and will serve to allow Sanofi to gauge their interest for future development in this area.
UCB Pharma has signed an Option and Collaboration Agreement with UNC-Chapel Hill for a drug discovery project in Harold Kohn's lab. The three technologies are: "Functionalized Amidoaminoacids and Functionalized Amidosemicarbazides, and Prodrugs thereof: Useful Drugs for the Treatment of CNS an PNS Disorders," by Harold Kohn, Kenan Professor in the School of Pharmacy; "N-Substituted and N,N-Disubstituted Amino Acid Derivatives: New Neuropharmacological Agents," by Harold Kohn, Arnaud LeTiran, and Cecile Beguin; and " Primary Amino Acid Derivatives (PAADs)-Selective Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Agents," by Harold Kohn.
To learn more about these new patents and license agreements, please contact otd@unc.edu or call 966-3929. For other information on licenses and agreements, click here.
Carolina North Community Meeting
Date: Thursday, October 4
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: School of Government, Knapp-Saunders Building, room 2603
The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved a revised Carolina North plan on September 26, and has directed the administration to submit a plan to local government by the end of October. The university invites local residents, faculty, staff, and students to participate in a community meeting about the project. Click here to view comments about the information presented at previous meetings.