Bob Damrauer’s July Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

I know I said that there would only be one more newsletter this summer, but, since we have updated some of our ORS documentation and our grant application forms, I will break my word and indicate some of the changes now.

The Bob’s Hopefully Helpful Hints document on the ORS website has been removed in favor of incorporating the same information into the ‘ORS Funding Announcement Information’ document that can be downloaded from the pull down ORS Internal Grant Opportunities menu on the ORS website at http://www.ucdenver.edu/ors. A screenshot of the first page of the website is shown at the end of the newsletter, maybe too small to be of real value, but large enough for you to have a sense of what it looks like.

Another change in the website is that some funded sample proposals are posted in the pulldown section of the webpage (left open in the screenshot). Some other of the changes are provided below. Go to the website to see the complete document.

The other major change is that Small Grants will only evaluated three times a year in the future. We are making this change to more evenly distribute the number of Small Grant submissions we receive. Over the last couple of years, submissions have been erratic in ways we have been unable to predict. It is pretty clear that certain submission dates have not been optimal, so ORS has decided to make this change. While we will accept Small Grants at any time, we only will review them shortly after the end of March, July, and November. A full accounting of due dates for all other grants can be found in the ‘ORS Funding Announcement Information’ document referred to above or in the applications themselves.

These hints may help you in preparing requests to ORS for funding.

• Please understand that a submission to ORS for funding is a mini-grant proposal, which means that various criteria need to be met. Paramount is that its abstract succinctly tells the ORS Grant Review Committee what you are planning to do and how it will be done. There is ample space thereafter to expound on these things, but we find ourselves hunting for things that should be placed in the abstract. The ORS Grant Review Committee also often finds itself asking why the abstract is the same as the first paragraph of the project description. The categories have different intents in our minds, and you need to consider why. If you would like some help in sorting such things out, feel free to consult Naomi Nishi in our office. She is a technical writing expert and is willing to help.
• There continues to be a problem that many proposals are written in language the ORS Grant Review Committee finds too technical or too jargon-filled. You must understand that we have expressly asked that all requests for funding be submitted in language that a layperson can understand. There are two reasons for this: (1) the ORS Grant Review Committee is a group of folks whose expertise cannot cover all areas and (2) we believe being able to communicate in layperson’s language is a skill that one needs throughout an academic career, even in applying for technically-based support. Naomi Nishi in our office recently blogged on this subject if you are interested: http://orde-cu.blogspot.com/2017/06/trading-esoteric-for-understandable.html
• The ORS Grant Review Committee often is puzzled by budgets and budget justifications in submissions. We discuss why a particular hourly rate of pay is requested for a worker. You need to explain the norm in your unit and justify its use. If your request is outside the norm, that too requires explanation. You also need to use proper university approved fringe benefits for these employees. If you do not know these, ask a financial person in your unit.
• A Last Tip: The most important tip you need to know is that the ORS operation at CU Denver has many resources, both human and financial, to help you in developing your career. Use us! Contact us to arrange a meeting that will help you understand how we can help you.

 RECENT ORS FUNDING NEWS

Small Grant funds have been awarded to Stacey Bosick (Sociology, CLAS), Michelle Carpenter (Visual Arts, CAM), Alfred Martin, Jr. (Communication, CLAS),  and Diana Tomback/Annika Mosier (Integrative Biology, CLAS).

Travel Expenses were awarded to Mia Fischer (Communication, CLAS).

Publication funds were awarded to Lisa Keranen (Communication, CLAS).

Discretionary funds were awarded to Jody Beck (Landscape Architecture, CAP).

Congratulations to each of you.

This Month’s  External Grant Awardees: Our June, 2017 Denver Campus Awards are ~$2,200,000 – Congratulations to the awardees.

 June 2017 Denver Campus Award Increments

Grant DEADLINES:

The deadline for the next round of Small Faculty Grants is July 31st.

The deadline for the next round of Large Faculty Grants is December 31st.

Travel and publication/page charge requests are accepted anytime.

Special requests for discretionary funding can be made anytime, but please talk with me before making a request. IF YOU NEED SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO FALL INTO ANY OF OUR NORMAL FUNDING CATEGORIES, WE SHOULD TALK.

All these opportunities are described on the ORS webpage.

Drop-In News: Next year’s sessions will be September 28, 2017 and March 20, 2018, both from 11:45 until 1:00 PM, both in LSC 300.

Because drop-ins may not be the optimal vehicle for you, I am happy to meet with you individually (lots of people do). Just let me know a couple of times that work for you; I will respond quickly. OR, you may prefer to meet with Assistant Vice Chancellor Michael Jensen. Just contact him directly.

If you want to participate in an upcoming NSF or NIH grant workshops, (1) you need to let me know of your interest and (2) you need to monitor their websites to avoid missing deadlines. Once you are approved by ORS, you can register.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/outreach.jsp

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (THIS IS NEW)

https://regionalseminars.od.nih.gov/neworleans2017/

Some additional information from NIH can be found at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-17-026.html.

If your department or individuals therein wish to meet with the ORS staff to hear about our services, contact Carie Carroll and she will arrange a meeting at your convenience.

In lieu of a meeting, a careful read of our website will give you a good orientation to our funding opportunities. We have made some minor changes in the ORS Funding Announcement and the various funding applications all found on the ORS services webpage at ucdenver.edu/ors.

Thanks,

Bob Damrauer
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
Special Assistant to the Provost
Professor of Chemistry