Upcoming Research-Focused Educational Opportunities

Appointing People on Sponsored Projects
Oct. 11, 2018, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Video-linked: Room 145, PAES Building (Columbus) – 130 Research Services (Wooster)
In this session by the Office of Research geared toward staff, learn about common types of faculty, graduate student, post doc, and staff appointments. Off-duty compensation, release time appointments, supplemental compensation, and salary capping are covered, as well as personnel-related compliance topics, such as time and effort reporting, key personnel, and cost sharing. Open to all faculty and staff. Register via BuckeyeLearn.
Sponsored by the Office for Research

Graduate Student Finance Workshops
Oct. 15, 16 and 18, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
126 Research Services (Wooster)
CFAES, BioHio Research Park, and OARDC Scholars invite you to our 2018 Finance Workshop: Financial Tips and Tools for Career Success. Learn the basics of finance and accounting needed to succeed in entrepreneurial ventures, write grants, and manage personal monies. This series will take place over three days: Monday, Oct. 15, Tuesday, Oct. 16, and Thursday, Oct. 18 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. in 126 Research Services (Wooster). This event is open to all CFAES graduate students and post-docs. Dinner will be provided. Please send questions and RSVP to Betty Aylsworth by Thursday, Oct. 11.

Introduction to the PI Portal
Oct. 16, 1-2 p.m., FABE 200 (Wooster)
Oct. 17, 10-11 a.m., Agricultural Administration Building 250A (Columbus)
This workshop will provide an overview of the new, redesigned PI Portal, demonstrate its enhanced features and address questions. In this session, you will learn tips on how to use the PI Portal system to manage financial aspects of a project, verify remaining balances, reconcile outstanding expenditures, monitor cost-share activity, and review commitments and personnel appointments. We will also review project deadlines, uploaded documents, invoices/payments, expenditure allocation, important alerts from the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and how to use the Portal to close Purchase Orders. Open to all faculty, staff, and students. Register here.
Presenter: Angie LeMaster, CFAES Finance

Navigating the CFAES Research Enterprise
Oct. 31, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Video-linked: Parker Food Science and Technology Building 120 (Columbus) – Gerlaugh Hall 121 (Wooster)
Join us to learn the different responsibilities of the Primary Investigator, Grant Development Support Unit, and the Office of Sponsored Programs when working on sponsored project proposals and throughout the life of the project. Open to all faculty, staff, and students. Register here.
Presenters: Lori Kaser, Grants and Contracts Administrator and Traci Aquara, Senior Sponsored Program Officer

NIFA Listens Coming to a Location Near You

NIFA is accepting input from stakeholders regarding research, extension, and education priorities in food and agriculture. A series of four in-person listening sessions, beginning Oct. 11 and hosted in different regions across the country, and submission of written comments are two ways to share your thoughts and ideas. Stakeholder input received from both methods will be treated equally.

The 2018 NIFA listening opportunity allows stakeholders to provide feedback on the following questions:

  • When considering all of agriculture, what is the greatest challenge that should be addressed through NIFA’s research, education, and extension programs?
  • In your field, what is the most-needed breakthrough in science/technology that would advance your agricultural enterprise? Breakthroughs result in transformative changes in knowledge, technology, or behavior.
  • What is your top priority in food and agricultural research, extension, or education that NIFA should address?

NIFA wants to hear from you about priorities and opportunities in agricultural sciences. Remember to RSVP if you are planning to attend a listening session in person. Click here for more information about the listening sessions.

GDSU Fall 2018 Seminar Series

The Grant Development Support Unit is hosting educational opportunities throughout the fall.

Making “Cents” of NIFA Budgets (Budget Basics)Register
Sept. 24, 3-4 p.m., Kottman Hall 244 (Columbus)
Oct. 1, 1-2 p.m., Research Services 130 (Wooster)

This workshop will provide an overview of the expenses most commonly requested in grant applications, specifically focusing on NIFA applications. We will also discuss critical issues associated with developing budgets, including direct costs, allowable costs, and budget justifications.
Presenter: Lori Kaser, Grants and Contracts Administrator

Introduction to the PI PortalRegister
Oct. 16, 1-2 p.m., FABE 200 (Wooster)
Oct. 17, 10-11 a.m., Agricultural Administration Building 250A (Columbus)

This workshop will provide an overview of the new, redesigned PI Portal, demonstrate its enhanced features, and address questions. In this session, you will learn tips on how to use the PI Portal system to manage financial aspects of a project, verify remaining balances, reconcile outstanding expenditures, monitor cost-share activity, and review commitments and personnel appointments. We will also review project deadlines, uploaded documents, invoices/payments, expenditure allocation, important alerts from the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), and how to use the Portal to close Purchase Orders.
Presenter: Angie LeMaster, CFAES Finance

Navigating the CFAES Research EnterpriseRegister
Oct. 31, 10-11 a.m.
Video-linked: Parker Food Science and Technology Building 120 (Columbus) and 122 Gerlaugh Hall (Wooster)

Join us to learn the different responsibilities of the Primary Investigator, Grant Development Support Unit, and the Office of Sponsored Programs when working on sponsored project proposals and throughout the life of a project.
Presenters: Lori Kaser, Grants and Contracts Administrator and Traci Aquara, Senior Sponsored Program Officer

Communicating ScienceRegister
Nov. 13, 1-2 p.m., Kottman Hall 244 (Columbus)
Nov. 16, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., FABE 200 (Wooster)

It is incredibly important that scientists are able to communicate their research in ways that the general public can understand. In this session, we will discuss tips on how to communicate your work to non-scientists, including how to write compelling impact statements.
Presenter: Kayla Arnold, Administrative Associate, Office for Research and Graduate Education

Working with the Private SectorRegister
Dec. 6, 2-3 p.m.
Video-linked: 130 Research Services (Wooster) and Agricultural Administration Building 250A (Columbus)

The university interacts with industry partners in many ways. In this session, we will consider the opportunities and advantages of engaging with private sector companies, non-profits, commodity groups, and philanthropic organizations and entrepreneurship early and often in your academic career.
Presenter: Shauna Brummet, President of BioHio

SEEDS Faculty RFP Informational Sessions

The FY 19 Request for Proposals for SEEDS: The Research Competitive Grants Program is available online.

Faculty proposals are due Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, at 5 p.m.

Everyone is invited to attend informational sessions on the SEEDS faculty RFP. The dates and times of these sessions are:

Tuesday, September 11
250A Ag. Admin (Columbus)
10 – 11 a.m.

Wednesday, September 12
250A Ag. Admin (Columbus)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 13
130 Research Services (Wooster)
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, September 13
130 Research Services (Wooster)
1 – 2 p.m.

Diabetes Prevention Study

Want to lose weight? Are you at risk for diabetes?

A study at Ohio State is recruiting employees to participate in an 18-month research study to help people lose weight. The study includes a group-based nutrition and physical activity program. You may be eligible if you are eligible for employee benefits, at least 21 years old, and have an elevated glucose level.

Please call 292-4772, contact diabetesimpactstudy@osu.edu or visit https://u.osu.edu/impactstudy for more information.

Diabetes Prevention Study Flyer

SEEDS RFP for FY19 Issued

The new FY 19 Request for Proposals for SEEDS: The Research Competitive Grants Program is now available online. Click here to access the RFP.

Faculty proposals will be due Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, at 5 p.m.
Undergraduate proposals will be due Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, at 5 p.m.
Graduate proposals will be due Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, at 5 p.m.

Everyone is invited to attend informational sessions on the SEEDS faculty RFP. The dates and times of these sessions are:

Tuesday, Sept. 11
250A Ag. Admin (Columbus)
10-11 a.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 12
250A Ag. Admin (Columbus)
2:30-3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 13
130 Research Services (Wooster)
10:30-11:30 a.m. AND 1-2 p.m.

Informational sessions on the student RFP will be announced at a later date. Please be on the lookout for a future announcement.

Based on comments and recommendations in the panel meetings over the course of the past year, the Request for Proposal (RFP) FY 2019 was updated. Significant changes include:

FACULTY RFP

Partnership Grant Competition (pg. 2)
No in-kind contributions or purchases by outside parties can be used to satisfy the Partnership matching funds component.

Eligibility and Service as an Investigator (pg. 4)
Active projects and final reports must be completed by the proposal application due date (Oct. 10, 2018), in order to be eligible for new funding. Additionally, any P.I. serving as a faculty advisor to a student with an overdue SEEDS report will be ineligible for new SEEDS funding for themselves or for other student projects until the overdue report is filed.

Submission Process (pg. 5)
Due to the high volume of submissions, no technical or administrative questions will be answered by the SEEDS Coordinator on the day of submission unless they are related to website submission errors.

STUDENT RFP

Graduate Student Proposal Deadlines (pg. 3)
In order to have graduate projects start earlier in the spring, the graduate proposal deadline has been moved up to Dec. 19, 2018.

Submission Process (pg. 3)
Due to the high volume of submissions, no technical or administrative questions will be answered by the SEEDS Coordinator on the day of submission unless they are related to website submission errors.

Current Funding (pg. 5)
We are now asking students to include a list of current funding.

Gary Pierzynski, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, will be encouraging the selection panels to place greater emphasis on using SEEDS funding to make faculty members or teams more competitive for external funding. Therefore, presenting a clear plan for how this will be accomplished should the grant be funded will strengthen the proposal.

In FY 2018, 49 SEEDS applications were submitted requesting $2,412,158 in funding. Overall, 19 faculty awards were made, an investment of $894,745. In addition to the faculty awards, 51 student proposals were submitted this year. Three undergraduate and 20 graduate awards were made for an investment of $107,579.

Funding Opportunity for Sustainable Agricultural Systems

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of up to $80 million in funding for integrated projects to increase sustainable production of food and agricultural products. Funding is made through a new program in NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program. AFRI is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, which aims to address challenges in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences.

SAS program focuses on system-level approaches that promote transformational changes in food and agricultural systems within the next 25 years. SAS supports trans-disciplinary projects that aim to transform agricultural systems that provide safe, nutritious, abundant, and affordable food for a growing population, while enhancing economic opportunities for Americans, especially those in rural areas.

Applications are solicited for projects focused on increasing agricultural productivity; optimizing water and nitrogen use efficiency; protecting yield losses from stresses, diseases and pests; reducing food-borne diseases; and advancing development of biobased fuels, chemicals, and coproducts.

Eligible applicants include colleges and universities, 1994 land-grant institutions, and Hispanic serving agricultural colleges and universities. NIFA reviews all proposals accepted in NIFA’s competitive grant programs through an external peer review process. Specific details on panel meetings, review formats, and evaluation criteria may vary among programs.

A letter of intent is a prerequisite for the submission of an application. The deadline to submit a letter of intent is June 27, 2018.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 10, 2018.

See the SAS Program Request for Applications for more details.