Volume 12, number 8: February 1, 2006
FEDERAL NEWS
Carolina in the Capitol
The Carolina in the Capitol column, contributed by the Office of Research, Federal Affairs, contains valuable information on federal issues that affect researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill. The current column contains:
- new assistant director joins the Office of Research, Federal Affairs;
- federal research and development spending;
- campus priority research;
- HEA reauthorization efforts and budget reconciliation;
- increasing Carolina 's visibility in Washington, DC;
- NC staff delegation campus visit; and
- 2006 federal policy agenda, with an emphasis on innovation. READ MORE
AAAS Federal R&D Budget Report
The American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual report on final FY 2006 appropriations for research and development (R&D) in the federal budget is now available online. This publication provides an analysis of R&D in the president's budget for FY 2006, as approved by Congress, including major funding trends and details on the final FY 2006 budgets of the major R&D funding agencies. A 13-page summary containing highlights from this book is available as a Preview Report. READ MORE
NIH Multiple Principal Investigator Initiative Launched
In the past, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recognized only a single Principal Investigator (PI) on research grants. Therefore, major contributors to NIH-funded research projects often do not receive appropriate credit for their intellectual contributions. To encourage and facilitate a broader use of team approaches, the NIH plans to start recognizing more than one PI on research grants and contracts beginning in May 2006. Initially, this capacity will be restricted to a small number of pre-announced Requests for Applications and Program Announcements. A timeline for the complete roll-out will be announced in the near future. For more information, visit the Multiple Principal Investigator website or the NIH Extramural Nexus.
NEH Requires Grants.gov Submissions for All Grants
Beginning February 6, all institutions interested in applying for National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants must do so through Grants.gov, a secure website managed by the federal government. READ MORE
NIH Funding Opportunities Now Available in RSS Format
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guide for Grants and Contracts is now available in RSS format. For timely notification of latest NIH funding opportunities, direct a news aggregator to the NIH RSS feed. READ MORE
NIH Counterterrorism Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a webpage dedicated to medical counterterrorism research. The website introduces the NIH Countermeasures against Chemical Threats (CounterAct) Research Network which will conduct basic, translational, and clinical research aimed at the discovery and/or identification of better therapeutic and diagnostic medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents, and their movement through the regulatory process. The NIH counterterrorism webpage also includes funding announcements, information on workshops and other activities, and additional resources. READ MORE
Research Priorities for AHRQ
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a notice of its FY 2006 research priorities. AHRQ plans to emphasize research gaps regarding the care of individuals with multiple health conditions in its portfolio of research grants and career development awards. READ MORE
NSF Current
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the debut of NSF Current, an e-newsletter highlighting research and education projects supported by the foundation. NSF Current will notify stakeholders of current trends in basic science and engineering research and education and provide information about important issues affecting NSF and the larger science and engineering enterprise. READ MORE
NIH Extramural Nexus
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research (OER) has a new publication, the NIH Extramural Nexus, which provides updates on NIH extramural issues. The OER is the hub for grants policy and operations, grants administration, and the coordination of NIH's extramural programs and activities. Through Nexus, the OER will provide the external scientific community with updates on NIH policies and activities as well as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the operation of extramural programs. READ MORE
Humanities Advocacy Day 2006
Register to attend the Humanities Advocacy Day to be held in Washington, D.C. on March 1-2. This is an annual event to promote federal support for research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. READ MORE
National Security Language Initiative
President Bush has launched the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), a plan to dramatically increase the number of Americans learning critical-need foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Farsi, and others through new and expanded programs from kindergarten through university and into the workforce.
The Secretaries of State, Education, and Defense and the Director of National Intelligence will seek to partner with institutions of learning, foundations, and the private sector to assist in all phases of this initiative, including partnering in the K-16 language studies, and providing job opportunities and incentives for graduates of these programs. READ MORE
HUD Early Release of SuperNOFA
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the first part of its FY 2006 $2.2 billion SuperNOFA (Notice of Funding Availability) in the January 20 Federal Register. This notice gives prospective applicants advance notice of HUD's requirements, strategic goals, and policy priorities applicable to the individual NOFAs within the SuperNOFA. HUD anticipates publication of the rest of the SuperNOFA, including the individual program NOFAs, within the next few weeks. Potential applicants should subscribe to Grants.gov to receive notification of the availability of the program NOFAs. READ MORE