As most of you know, the process of confirming work activity in relation to salary earned, commonly known as “Effort Reporting”, is required by OMB Circular A-21 for all individuals earning salary from federal funding.  JMU currently complies with this requirement through paper “Activity Reports” that must be completed, signed and returned to Grants and Contracts Financial Services.

Beginning with this summer semester, we are preparing to implement the MAXIMUS, Inc. Effort Reporting System (ERS).  This system will capture payroll data from the HR/Payroll System, calculate the percentage of ‘effort’ attributable to each Department ID (based on the employee’s base salary), and prepare an electronic certification form for each employee.  The system then sends an email to the appropriate certifier (normally the grant PI) that contains a link to ERS.  The certifier’s JMU e-ID and password will gain access to ERS and confirmation or modifications are then recorded electronically. 

We expect this system to be as easy as or easier to understand than the Activity Reports and the data should be more useful and accurate than the current paper process.  However, accurate data must be available for this system to operate correctly.  PAR Forms and Agency Transaction Vouchers (ATV’s) affecting salary data must be submitted in a timely manner to ensure the data is there when certification takes place.

More information and training will be provided as the summer progresses.  Should you have questions or concerns at any time about this new process, please contact us.

Although there are variations from year to year, "there is a general trend of increase in the number of proposals submitted and decrease in the success rate" since 2000, according to a report to the National Science Board, NSF's policy-making arm. Officials say, success rates at the National Science Foundation crept up last year, but the agency's ability to award high quality proposals is eroding. NSF wants to identify best grant pracices to achieve an appropriate balance between proposal success rates, award size and duration. (http://www.nsf.gov/)

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The key to measuring outcomes is making sure the grant applicant is clear about the funder's expectations. Applicants need to pin down what the funder has in mind in terms of program goals and objectives to be able to translate expectations into outcome measures. Make sure you know what your funder wants in terms of data. Once funder and applicant are on the same page, the trick is "putting in place a system that's going to capture those numbers."

There's no template for creating outcome measures. Tailoring measures to the program shows the funder, "you've really thought through what you plan to do." Keep in mind that project data yielded can provide the basis for future grant proposals to providing specifics for annual reports.

*Comments by Nan Pemberton, director of administration for the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities that were shared with the workshop attendees at the National Grants Management Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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The HHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI) announced the addition of seven Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) resources to its Web site, making a total of 36 items now available. The new resources include video vignettes on research ethics and academic integrity, a training course on research conflicts of interest, a peer review quick guide, and even a publication with the topic, "Administrators and the Responsible Conduct of Research." All of the resources are available at http://ori.hhs.gov/education/products.
ORI newsletter - "Seven RCR Instructional Resources added to ORI Website"

The RCR Resources include: General RCR Training, Animal Research, Collaborative Science, Conflicts of Interest, Data Management, Human Subjects, Mentorship, Research Misconduct, Peer Review, and Authorship

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a JMU committee tasked with the oversight of all research that involves human subjects.  The mission of the IRB is to oversee and review all research projects that involve research with human subjects.  The IRB reviews all projects, not just externally funded activities.  These reviews include faculty/student research and classroom activities as well. The faculty IRB committee conducted fifteen (15) convened meetings this fiscal year to review thirty-one (31) faculty/staff, twenty-three (23) graduate, and thirteen (13) undergraduate for a total of sixty-seven (67) human subject research protocols requiring full board review.  In addition to the 67 human subject protocols requiring full board review, the IRB evaluated 227 expedited, 68 exempt, 42 extension requests, and 19 addendum requests for a total of 423 human subject research protocols.

The Office of Sponsored Programs provided oversight on the IRB training for 114 faculty and staff, 4 adjunct faculty, 2 visiting faculty, 6 research associates, 10 administrative staff, 241 graduate students and 1479 undergraduate students for a total of 1856 individuals on the proper conduct of human research studies during this reporting year. As a continuation of regulatory compliance service to the faculty, staff, and student research community, the Office of Sponsored Programs, along with the IRB members, administered the review, editing, distribution, and approval process of 423 Human Research protocols.  The dedicated IRB members are to be commended for their time and proficiency in effectively reviewing and critiquing the 423 research protocols. Through their diligence and timely reviews, risks to the human participants involved in research on this campus were diminished.

Please visit the IRB website for more information on submitting human subject research and to view the 2007-2008 IRB meeting schedule: http://www.jmu.edu/sponsprog/irb.html

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http://www.jmu.edu/sponsprog/fsources.html

COS provides services that enable faculty to find funding, promote their work, identify experts, manage resources, and collaborate with colleagues

• COS Funding Opportunities is an up-to-date database of announcements for grants, fellowships, awards, etc.
• COS Workbench is an easy-to-use Web workspace for Expertise profile holders, with many features to help you promote your work and manage your resume/CV.
• PLEASE NOTE: New Registration page - As part of the ongoing evolution of COS services, they have recently been making some behind-the-scenes changes to the registration and account access functions. These changes will enable COS to further improve their service to subscribers and users. However, you may notice that the appearance of the registration page has recently changed. It functions he same, though asks for additional information.

• Program Announcement
• Request for Proposal (RFP)
• Electronic version of Attachments C, D, & E

• Program Announcement
• DC3 Digital Forensics Challenge website
• 2007 Department of Defense Cyber Crime Conference
• Rules and Instructions; Register ONLINE; Application (pdf); Report of Examination; Methodology/Notes

Instituational Grants for Youth and Science Education

Respite Day Programs

Restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland)

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program - Traditional Program for Faculty and Professionals

YouthBuild

Fund for Postsecondary Improvement
Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers

Detecting pathogens in drinking water

Special Education Research - Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education and Assessment for Young Children with Disabilities

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Access to Artistic Excellence

Preservation and Access: Humanities Collections and Resources
Summer Stipends
Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development

Alcohol education projects

Children with mild to severe hearing loss

Advancing Theory in Biology (ATB)
Broadening particpation in biology
Creative IT
Cyberinfrastructure Training, Education, Advancement, and Mentoring for Our 21st Century Workforce (CI-TEAM) 
Law and social science
Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)
Science and Society (S&S)
Science of learning centers

Multicultural scholars

Institutional Grants for Youth and Science Education

• Through a program of responsible investment (of contribution funds) in organizations meeting the needs of the American society in the areas of youth and scientific education, the Foundation strives to assist in deriving long term benefits for the communities in which it operates and the society as a whole. The Foundation defines "youth" as prenatal through twenty-one years of age. "Scientific education" encompasses both the physical and life sciences, mathematics, and the environmental sciences.
• Funding: The average grant range is $40,000 to $80,000 per year.
• Web: http://corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.aspx?id=ahf
• Deadline: August 1, 2007, November 1, 2007, February 1, 2008, May 1, 2008

Respite Day Programs

• Since 1989, the Brookdale Foundation Group has awarded seed grants to organizations to develop and implement social model group respite day programs that have served thousands of elders with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, and their family caregivers.
• Eligibility: Private nonprofit 501(c)(3) or public agencies for the development of new dementia-specific social model programs. Funds cannot be used to develop or expand an overnight or in-home respite program; building, renovation or capital improvements; or be used to support or expand the hours, days or service capacity of existing social, health, or medical model programs. Applications are available online by clicking on the "Request for Proposals for 2007" link. Detailed instructions can be found through the "RFP Guidelines" link.
• Funding: $7,500 in first year, renewable for $3,000 in second year for 15 group respite programs, and up to five early-memory-loss programs.
• Web: http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/respiteprogram.htm
• Deadline: July 6, 2007
  

Restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland)

• The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides financial support to promote public awareness and participation in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Proposals projecting partnerships, matching contributions and clear goals will receive an edge. The trust makes grants to schools and public agencies, nonprofit organizations, community associations, and civic groups through eight programs, which include Mini, Stewardship, Fisheries, Community Greening, and Pioneer Grants.
• Funding: Grants range from less than $5,000 to $150,000.
• Web: http://www.cbtrust.org/site/c.enJIKQNoFiG/b.2020181/k.A9BD/Types_of_Grants.htm
• Deadline: Varies per grant. Check Web for details.

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Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program - Traditional Program for Faculty and Professionals

• The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. Grantees lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. 
• Eligibility: U.S. citizenship, a Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree, college or university teaching experience, foreign language proficiency (as required), sound physical and mental health.
• Funding: Generally, Fulbright grants are budgeted to cover travel and living costs in-country.
• Web: http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/guidelines.htm
• Deadline: August 1, 2007

YouthBuild

• The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of grant funds for YouthBuild Grants, awarded through a competitive process. Grant funds will be used to provide disadvantaged youth with: The education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency in occupations with high demand and postsecondary education and training opportunities, opportunities for meaningful work and service to their communities, and opportunities to develop employment and leadership skills and a commitment to community development among youth in low-income communities. As part of their programming, YouthBuild grantees will tap the energies and talents of disadvantaged youth to increase the supply of permanent affordable housing for homeless individuals and low-income families and to help youth develop the leadership, learning, and high-demand occupational skills needed to succeed in today’s global economy. ETA hopes to serve approximately 2,900 youth participants during the first year of this initiative, with projects operating in approximately 90–100 communities across the country. Under this announcement, ETA will be awarding grants to organizations to oversee the provision of education and employment services to disadvantaged youth in their communities. This solicitation provides background information and describes the application submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and outlines the evaluation criteria used as a basis for selecting a grantee.
• Funding: approximately $47 million
• Web: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-7974.pdf
• Deadline: July 3, 2007

• The Education Department invites proposals for creative projects designed to implement reforms innovations and significant improvements to postsecondary education that respond to nationally significant problems.
• Funding: $3.4 million for 16 to 20 awards of $100,000 to $250,000 a year each.
• Web: http://www.ed.gov/programs/fipsecomp/applicant.html
• Deadline: June 13, 2007

• The Education Department seeks proposals for research on interventions for the needs of struggling adolescent and adult readers who are unable to read well enough to grasp short passages and longer text most readers are expected to understand and whose limitations impede their pursuit of education and employment.
• Funding: $100,000 to 1.2 million a year each for up to five years
• Web: http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/funding/intervention/index.asp
• Deadline: July 26, 2007 and November 1, 2007

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• The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking applications proposing development and evaluation of innovative approaches to quantitatively detect waterborne pathogens. The purpose of this request for applications is to improve the suite of available detection methods for known and emerging microbial drinking water contaminants including freshwater algae or its toxins. Any proposed method should be applicable to source water, treated water, and/or water in the distribution system. EPA is seeking research proposals that: determine the occurrence of waterborne pathogens, cyanobacteria or high priority cyanotoxins (microcystins, anatoxin-a, and cylindrospermopsins) and enumerate them; present a protocol for preparing and processing water samples for application of the proposed approach; and for those pathogens where it is possible, compare the performance of the new detection method with existing approved EPA methods. (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2007-STAR-G1)
• Funding: $3.6 million for six awards up to $600,000 each for up to three years.
• Web: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2007/2007_star_drinkingwater.html
• Deadline: July 10, 2007

Special Education Research - Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education and Assessment for Young Children with Disabilities

• Through its Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education, and Assessment for Young Children with Disabilities Research Grants Program, the IES intends to support research that contributes to the improvement of cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, adaptive, and physical outcomes of infants, toddlers, and young children (from birth through 5) with disabilities or to prevent the development of disabilities.
• Funding: $100,000 each to $1.2 million each (duration: 5 years)
• Web: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/funding/early_intervention/index.asp
• Deadline: July 26, 2007

• Access to Artistic Excellence encourages and supports artistic creativity, preserves our diverse cultural heritage, and makes the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country.  While projects in this category may focus on just one of these areas, the Arts Endowment recognizes that many of the most effective projects encompass both artistic excellence and enhanced access. Support is available for projects that do one or more of the following: (a) Provide opportunities for artists to create, refine, perform, and exhibit their work; (b) Present artistic works of all cultures and periods; (c) Preserve significant works of art and cultural traditions; (d) Enable arts organizations and artists to expand and diversify their audiences; (e) Provide opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities; (f) Enhance the effectiveness of both arts organizations and artists; (g) Employ the arts in strengthening communities
• Eligibility: Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501 © (3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply.  Applicants may be arts organizations, local art agencies, arts service organizations, local education agencies (school districts), and other organizations that can help advance the goals of the Arts Endowment.  
• Funding: An organization may request a grant amount from $5,000 to $150,000.
• Web: http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/Artsed.html
• Deadline: August 13, 2007

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• The National Endowment for the Humanities seeks applications to preserve and create intellectual access to such collections as books, journals, newspapers, manuscripts, archival materials, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, arts and cultural objects.
• Eligibility: Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, federal matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the applicant's preference and the availability of NEH funds.
• Funding: $50,000 to $350,000 for two-years
• Web: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/Collections_and_Resources.html
• Deadline: July 17, 2007

• The National Endowment for the Humanities is seeking applications for its Summer Stipends grant awards. The stipends are intended to support research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of humanities. Recipients usually produce articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, translations, additions, or other scholarly tools.
• Funding: 80 awards for a $6,000 maximum each.
• Web: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/stipends.html
• Deadline: October 2, 2007

• The National Endowment for the Humanities is seeking applications for its grant program geared toward Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development. Awards support projects that improve humanities education. Projects must incorporate scholars and teachers as advisers. NEH is particularly interested in proposals that offer solutions to problems frequently encountered by teachers. Projects may improve curriculum or materials.
• Funding: Curriculum Development Projects can be funded to a maximum of $100,000 and may span a period of 12 to 18 months; Materials Development Projects can be funded to a maximum of $200,000 and may span a period of up to three years.
• Web: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/teachinglearning.html
• Deadline: October 1, 2007

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• The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism seeks proposals to develop health education activities in K-12 science education and undergraduate/graduate education, health professions education and public health education. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) supports research programs to advance understanding of the biological and behavioral processes involved in the development, expression, and consequences of alcoholism and other alcohol-related problems. The Institute also supports prevention, treatment, and health services research on alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
• Eligibility: K-12, undergraduate and graduate education projects should be directed toward enhancing knowledge of educators and/or students.
• Funding: up to $250,000 a year each for two years
• Web: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-001.html
• Deadline: September 25, 2007; also refer to the application schedule located at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

• The National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality invite applications for research on interventions to mitigate the negative effects of mild-to-severe hearing loss on the communication, educational, and social development of young children.
• Funding: Up to $2 million for one or two awards.
• Web: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DC-08-001.html
• Deadline: September 4, 2007

• The Biological Sciences Directorate invites submission of proposals that advance our conceptual and theoretical understanding of the dynamics of living systems. The emergence of complex biological phenomena from dynamic interactions among less complex elements is a central theme in modern biology, and it permeates inquiries at all levels of biological organization from macromolecules to ecosystems. Such interactions are typically non-linear, distributed, and often span many levels of biological organization. These properties limit the understanding that can be gained by traditional experimental analyses.  The program is designed to develop new conceptualizations and theoretical approaches to identify fundamental principles that traverse levels of biological complexity.
• Funding: $3.5 million for 20-25 awards. Proposals may vary in size (up to $250,000 per year) and duration (up to three years), in the number of investigators involved, and in the nature of collaborations.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07556/nsf07556.htm
• Deadline: July 3, 2007

• With the goal of broadening participation to all biologists including members from groups under-represented in biology, the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) at NSF offers two funding opportunities under this solicitation: 1. Research Initiation Grants (RIG) and 2. Career Advancement Awards (CAA). Currently, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are under-represented in biology. These grants are intended to increase the diversity of researchers who apply for and receive BIO funding to 1. initiate research programs early in their careers and 2. advance their careers by adding new approaches or directions to their on-going research programs.
  By providing these funding opportunities, BIO intends to further broaden participation of biological researchers who share NSF's commitment to diversity.
• Eligibility: Principal Investigators must be U.S. citizens or lawfully admitted U.S. permanent residents at the time of application; visa-holders are not eligible.
• Funding: Awards are for 24 months and are limited to a maximum of $150,000 total costs (direct plus indirect) with up to an additional $25,000 for equipment.
• Web: www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07560/nsf07560.pdf
• Deadline: January 14, 2008

• The National Science Foundation solicits proposals for research that focuses on creativity to advance computer science and creative cognition, creativity support tools, engineering design or science.
• Funding: $10 million for 30 to 35 awards, including 25 to 30 pilot awards of up to $200,000 over two years and five major awards of up to $800,000 over three years.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501096&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund
• Deadline: July 23, 2007 for optional letters; September 21, 2007 for proposals.

• The National Science Foundation invites proposals that aim toprepare a diverse, cyberinfrastructure-savvy science and engineering workforce.
• Funding: $12 million for 12 to 15 demonstration projects of up to $250,000 each and 7 to 12 implementation projectes of up to $1 million each.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12782&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund
• Deadline: August 27, 2007

• The National Science Foundation seeks proposals for the social science studies of law and law-like systems of rules, institutions, processes, and behaviors.
• Funding: Grants range from $8,000 for dissertation awards to research awards in the $75,000 to $375,000 range.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5422
• Deadline: August 15, 2007

• The National Science Foundation invites applications to establish centers to support interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary materials research and address fundamental problems in science and engineering.
• Funding: $29 million for 12 to 15 grants ranging from $1 million to $5 million a year. The project period is six years.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5295&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund
• Deadline: September 5, 2007 for required preliminary proposals; January 18, 2008 for full proposals

• S&S considers proposals that examine questions that arise in the interactions of engineering, science, technology, and society. There are four components: Ethics and Values in Science, Engineering and Technology (EVS); History and Philosophy of Science, Engineering and Technology (HPS); Social Studies of Science, Engineering and Technology (SSS); and Studies of Policy, Science, Engineering and Technology (SPS). The components overlap, but are distinguished by the different scientific and scholarly orientations they take to the subject matter, as well as by different focuses within the subject area.
• Funding: This program solicitation covers the following modes of support: S&S Scholars Awards, Standard Research Grants and Grants for Collaborative Research, S&S Postdoctoral Fellowships, S&S Professional Development Fellowships, Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, Small Grants for Training and Research, Conference and Workshop Awards, Other Funding Opportunities.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05588/nsf05588.htm
• Deadline: August 1, 2007

• The National Science Foundation of Learning program, which funds large-scale, long-term centers that conduct broad programs of multidisciplinary research on learning, invites workshops and Small Grants for Exploratory Research.
• Funding: As a general rule, workshops are funded at $50,000 to $75,000 and SGER grants up to $100,000 for one or two years.
• Web: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5567&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund
• Deadline: August 6, 2007 and February 4, 2008.

• The Department of Agriculture invites applications to conduct undergraduate scholarship programs to increase the cultural diversity of individuals trained in the food and agricultural sciences and professions.
• Funding: $990,000. Applicants must request at least $72,000 for scholarship support of a cohort of students. Applicants may request $4,500 in stipend support per scholar per year for up to four years.
• Web: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/fundview.cfm?fonum=1110
• Deadline: June 29, 2007

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The following external links are funding deadlines organized by discipline. Please select the applicable discipline to access possible funding opportunities: (courtesy of The Grant Advisor Plus)

• Fine Arts
• Humanities
  
• Sciences
  
• Social Sciences
  
• Federal Register
  
• Education
  
• International
  
• Health Related
  
• Unrestricted / Other
  
• Minorities / Women

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John Hulvey, Director of Sponsored Programs Administration and Accounting
MSC 5728, JMAC-6, Suite 26
hulveyjd@jmu.edu
x8-3725

Sponsored Programs Administration:
Pre-Award & Post-Award (Non-fiscal)
www.jmu.edu/sponsprog/
jmu_grants@jmu.edu
JMAC-6, Suite 26
MSC 5728
Phone: 568-6872; Fax: 568-6240

Sponsored Programs Accounting :
Post-Award (Grants & Contracts)
www.jmu.edu/acadaffairs/grant.shtml
JMAC-6, Suite 30
MSC 5713
Fax: 568-2397

Tamara Hatch, Associate Director
hatchtt@jmu.edu
x8-2350

Denise Cooper, Grants Specialist
IACUC & Web Manager
cooperdm@jmu.edu
x8-3558

Sally Dickenson, Grants Specialist
dickensr@jmu.edu
x8-2336

Carolyn Strong, IRB Research Coordinator
IRB Contact
strongcd@jmu.edu
x8-2318

Donna Crumpton, Financial Administrator
crumptdl@jmu.edu
x8-8099

Brenda Seifried, Financial Administrator
wilburbc@jmu.edu
x8-8-2314

Kyra Shiflet, Financial Administrator
shiflekl@jmu.edu
x8-7108

 

 

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