Highlighted Opportunities

• 2019 Minerva Research Initiative Topics of Interest, June 20 (White Papers), Sept. 26 (Full Proposals): The Minerva Research Initiative supports social science research aimed at improving our basic understanding of security. All supported projects are university-based and unclassified, with the intention that all work be shared widely to support thriving, stable and safe communities. The goal is to improve the Department of Defense's basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the U.S. Sample projects are available online.
• NIH Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), July 11 and Nov. 12: The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to promote the discovery and validation of novel therapeutic targets to facilitate the development of pain therapeutics. Specifically, the focus is on the basic science discovery of targets in the peripheral nervous system, central nervous system, immune system, or other tissues in the body that can be used to develop treatments that have minimal side effects and little to no abuse and addiction liability.
• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Bioprocessing and Bioengineering (A1531), July 26: This program area priority focuses on engineered products and processes to improve agriculturally relevant plant, animal, forestry, and natural resource systems. Applications must have a significant engineering component. Engineering, in the context of this program area priority, is defined as the application of engineering principles and tools to biological materials or systems to create usable, tangible, economically viable products and processes. Request for applications is available online. Additional NIFA funding is also available.
• NSF Smart and Connected Communities, Aug. 6 (Letter of Intent), Sept. 6 (Full Proposals): The Smart and Connected Communities program supports integrative research that addresses fundamental technological and social science dimensions of smart and connected communities and pilots solutions together with communities. Importantly, the program is interested in projects that consider the sustainability of the research outcomes beyond the life of the project, including the scalability and transferability of the proposed solutions.
• NSF Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation, Nov. 1: The Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation umbrella program seeks to enable funding opportunities that are flexible and responsive to the evolving and emerging needs in cyberinfrastructure. This program continues the CSSI program by removing the distinction between software and data elements and framework implementations, instead emphasizing integrated cyberinfrastructure services, quantitative metrics with targets for delivery and usage of these services and community creation.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evidence for Action – Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health, Rolling Deadline: Evidence for Action (E4A), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, funds research that expands the evidence needed to build a culture of health. A culture of health is broadly defined as one in which good health and well-being flourish across geographic, demographic, and social sectors; public and private decision-making is guided by the goal of fostering equitable communities; and everyone has the opportunity to make choices that lead to healthy lifestyles.

eTRACS Development is Underway

In late October 2018, ECU contracted with InfoEd Global® for a new electronic research administration system. Implementation planning began immediately for eTRACS (Electronic Research Administration and Compliance System), and the technical staff and project team have been working diligently these last few months to configure the system for ECU’s specific needs. The major functionalities of the new system include:

• Proposal Development (PD): In-system proposal and budget development with system-to-system (S2S) proposal submission for federal sponsors;
• Proposal Tracking and Award Tracking (PT and AT): Replacement for current RAMSeS functions, automation of current paper processes, and adds additional workflow monitoring and reporting capability; and
• Financial Tracking (FT): More efficient award set-up and provision of a soft encumbrance system to more easily track financial commitments.

To take maximum advantage of the many functionalities available in the InfoEd product that are not available in RAMSeS, the project team is preparing for a go-live date for the PD, PT and AT modules on Oct. 1, 2019. Work on FT implementation will begin in October with go-live anticipated on July 1, 2020. RAMSeS will be available for several months after eTRACS PD/PT/AT go-live to accommodate proposals already in development in RAMSeS and to provide time for transfer of active awards to the new award tracking system. REDE will provide ample opportunity for faculty and staff training prior to go-live. To stay current on implementation progress, visit the eTRACS website.

What's Coming Up?

• The Office of Faculty Excellence offers sessions on various research platforms, including NVivo, Tableau, Qualtrics, SPSS, and others. Sign up for workshops through the OFE Calendar.
• NIH Sample Applications and Summary Statements: The NIH has launched applications to assist researchers in writing grant proposals.
• National Security Agency Laboratory for Analytic Sciences Collaborators Day, June 12: This event formally kicks-off the planning cycle for the lab's current and future academic and industry partners interested for 2020. The Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement is planning to take a group of researchers to the event at the James B. Hunt Library on N.C. State's campus. Contact Robin Kneisley to RSVP. White papers will be accepted by the lab until July 19.

Funding Opportunities

Looking for more? Check out our funding opportunities page! In partnership with Joyner Library, we have developed search results curated by research interest – now with up-to-the-minute results updated every time you run the search. It’s the next best thing to having a SPIN account yourself (if you want one of those, contact ORA directly).

For more information, visit ORA online or send us an email. Find the latest REDE on Twitter and Facebook.