News from the Dearborn Research Office

Reorganization and Name Change

Last month the Ann Arbor campus Division of Research Development and Administration (DRDA) began a reorganization process which will enable them to better meet the needs of university researchers.  As part of that reorganization they changed their name to the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects.  In order to avoid any confusion that may arise between the Ann Arbor Office of Research and Sponsored Projects and the Dearborn Office of Research and Sponsored Programs we are now calling our office the Dearborn Research Office.  Further details about the reorganization and its impact on Dearborn researchers will be announced as they become available.

Campus Grant Awards Announced

At their winter meeting the Research Support Committee awarded over $72,000 to University of Michigan Dearborn faculty.  Awards were made in the following categories:

Educational Enhancement Grants enable faculty members to enhance the educational experiences of students through the development of new courses and curricula or the purchase of one time course materials or equipment.  One award was made to:

William DeGenaro from Language, Culture, and Communication received $500 for his project “Beirut-Dearborn Writing and Learning Community.”

Step-2 Grants for Research (Dearborn Rackham Replacement) provide support to junior faculty who are beginning their research career and to senior faculty who are beginning a new area of research.  Awards were made to:

Susan Erickson, professor from Literature, Philosophy, and Arts received $15,000 for her project “Bronze Ritual Vessels and the Collateral Minor Arts in Hoards and Tombs.”

Yangjin Kim, assistant professor from Mathematics and Statistics received $15,000 for his project “The role of Biomechanics in the early development of breast cancer and glioblastoma.”

Lora Bex Lempert, professor from Behavioral Sciences received $15,000 for her project “Doing Life: A Multi-Method Study of the Forms of Agency that Women Incarcerated for Life in the State of Michigan Activate to Create Meaningful Lives inside Prison Walls.”

Jin Wang, assistant professor from Natural Sciences received $15,000 for her project “Time Dependent ‘Delayed Choice’ Quantum Eraser & Cost Effective Nano-mover Alternatives.”

EIC Associates:  Environmental-Sustainability Research Grant provides funds for research and scholarship related to sustainability, conservation, or environmental education and research.  The grant was awarded to:

Anne Danielson-Francois, assistant professor in Natural Sciences received $12,000 for her project “Toxic Web: Tracking Pollutants Across Ecological Webs.”

UM-Dearborn Proposal Submission Deadline Policy

The deadline policy described below will be enforced to insure grant proposals meet the minimum requirements of the program guidelines, federal regulations, and University policy; and that commitments, compliance, and safety issues are identified and reconciled prior to submission.

1. Critical Deadlines.  Even though your proposal and PAF may have been reviewed by the Chair and Dean well in advance of the deadline (following the milestones described below), any—

WHAT:  NSF Fastlane proposal must be finalized*;  WHEN:  at least three (3) full business days** before the deadline (note: count the deadline day);  OR:  your proposal will NOT be approved by DBN-RO*** or forwarded to AA-ORSP*** for submission;
UNLESS:
•    the PAF has been reviewed and approved by the Chair and Dean; AND
•    the proposal is substantially completed, in other words, requires only minor work (such as linking with a collaborator, submission of the linked proposal by the collaborator, fixing errors).

WHAT:  Any other proposal, including those submitted by the PI and particularly one submitted via Grants.gov must be finalized;  WHEN:  at least four (4) full business days before the deadline;  OR:  your proposal will NOT be approved by DBN-RO or forwarded to AA-ORSP for submission.

2.  Target Dates.****  Finalize the budget as soon as possible; upload draft and finalized documents to the PAF as early as available to allow DBN-RO review of your proposal in parallel with your efforts; notify DBN-RO if you think you might not make any of these deadlines or target dates—we can help. The following target dates are considered sufficient time for normal proposal review (in order of increasing importance):

WHAT:  i) alert DBN-RO of the proposal; ii) start the PAF (Proposal Approval Form); and iii) finalize the budget for Grants.gov and contract cost proposals.  WHEN:  12 business days before the deadline.

WHAT:  i) sign and route the PAF for approvals; ii) attach Budget, Budget Narrative, and Draft Proposal Narrative to the PAF; and iii) review the PAF for accuracy, sign it, and route it for approval.  WHEN:  10 business days before the deadline.

WHAT:  i) finalize the budget for all proposals; and ii) complete and finalize all forms and proposal sections—except for the proposal narrative which may be attached to the PAF in draft form (you can continue to work on the proposal narrative up until the Critical Deadlines in #1).  WHEN:  8 business days before the deadline (6 business days for NSF Fastlane proposals).

3.  Special Requirements.****  WHAT: for proposals requiring the following:  a) budgets of $200,000 or more; b) the preparation of a Cost Proposal; c) review of more than a few, standard contract terms and conditions; d) cost-sharing; e) the completion of certain complex or detailed forms (e.g., NEPA Environmental Questionnaire); or f) the need for instrumentation or infrastructure improvements, additions, or upgrades.  WHEN: contact DBN-RO at least 20 business days before the deadline.

Important Notes:  
*The term “finalize” means a document or proposal that is ready to submit to the sponsor.  It is not just the final draft: it is on the correct form, in the right format, and uploaded to the sponsor’s system or added to the grants.gov forms within the PAF.  Note that uploading a document to the Proposal Documents section does not insure it will be submitted to the sponsor unless it is also uploaded to the sponsor’s system (e.g., Fastlane) or incorporated into the grants.gov forms.
**Days shown are business days or working days (not counting the weekend) and include the deadline day.
***As of 1/10/2012, DRDA’s name changed to Office of Research & Sponsored Projects (AA-ORSP); the Dearborn Research Office (DBN-RO) is also known as the UM-Dearborn Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
****Failure to meet any two of the dates in paragraph #2 or #3 puts the proposal in jeopardy.