Research Notes

Research information from the Office of the Vice President for Research
for Brown faculty, grant-related staff, and students

A five-year, $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will enable researchers from Brown and across the country to identify mechanisms that drive differences in how males and females age. Read more 

Office of Research Strategy and Development

Apply for OVPR Research Seed Awards: LOI due 9/27
Last chance to submit an LOI for Research Seed Funds - due by 12 noon on 9/27/22. Full proposals (via UFunds) are due by 5 p.m. on 10/18/22. Apply

New VP for Community Engagement shares her vision on 10/12
MJ Callan, Vice President for Community Engagement, will give a virtual presentation about her vision for Brown’s priorities and evolving context for engaged scholarship and broader impact work. 10/12/22, 12-1pm. Register

Apply for Pandemic Response Policy Research Funding: Proposals due 10/18
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation awarded Brown University $1 million to fund research proposals on the challenges and potential solutions of global pandemics. Cycle 2 funding proposals (via UFunds) are due by 5 p.m. on 10/18/22. Apply

Apply for OVPR Salomon Faculty Research Awards: Proposals due 11/10
These awards support excellence in scholarly work, funding projects up to $15,000. Open to all disciplines; preference for junior faculty who are in the process of building their research portfolio. Proposals (via UFunds) are due by 5 p.m. on 11/10/22. Apply

Resource: Engaged Scholarship and Broader Impacts
Are you developing a proposal that requires a broader impact component, or looking to incorporate outreach and engaged scholarship activities into your research? See these resources from the Engaged Scholarship and Broader Impacts Working Group.

Research Development and Grant Writing Newsletter
This newsletter offers strategies on how to compete successfully for research funding and highlights new funding opportunities. Catch up on past issues here.

Office of Sponsored Projects

Foreign Component reminder for NIH awards
Prior Approval is required for Foreign Components on NIH awards. Please be sure to contact OSP if you have questions or would like to discuss the addition of a Foreign Component. Read more

New NIH and NSF Award Relinquishment forms available
OSP has developed standard forms for collecting information related to NIH and NSF award transfers. Please complete these forms when PIs plan to depart and transfer active grants.

OSP Brown Bag quarterly meeting
This month’s Brown Bag was held on September 22nd via Zoom.  If you were unable to attend, you can access the video and slides here on 9/30. Email Resadmin@brown.edu to be added to the mailing list for notifications.

Research Administration Information Systems

Sponsored Project proposal or awards—which systems access and roles are needed?
If you are new to a department, are a new department manager, or have recent new hires, learn which systems you may need access and role(s) in to properly work on Sponsored Project proposals or awards. Read more

Coeus best practice for proposal Aggregators:  Avoid narrative & routing errors
Having an inactive employee in an Aggregator role can cause Narrative editing errors that may prevent you from uploading PDFs ​or prevent you from routing the PD record for approvals. To avoid these issues, keep reading for more information.

Technology Innovations

BTI report highlights a strong year for Brown startups and faculty inventions
Brown Technology Innovations released the 2022 Annual Report, highlighting an increase in issued patents, licensing agreements, and biomedical business ventures driven by support and initiatives from the BBII and Entrepreneur Connect programs.

Brown biotech startup sublicensee Ocean Biomedical acquired for $345M
In a potential jumpstart for the biotech markets, Ocean Biomedical, a Brown startup Sublicensee specializing in cancer therapeutics, entered a $345M merger deal with Aesther Healthcare Acquisition Corp. Read more

Brown doctoral student to design a more inclusive pulse oximeter
Pulse oximeters fail to accurately measure blood oxygen levels in patients of color. To combat this issue, Brown doctoral student Rutendo Jakachira of the Toussaint Lab is developing a pulse oximeter that works on all patients, regardless of melanin levels.

BTI launches Innovations Fellowship Program
New fellowship helps graduate students, medical students, and postdocs apply their scientific and technical expertise to projects in technology evaluation, market research, and intellectual property. Inaugural interns:  Josephine Kalshoven, Liam Connolly, Xiaozhou Fan, and Alex Wong.

BTI hires new Science Communications Intern
The Brown Technology Innovations (BTI) office has hired Julia Hecking as the new Science Communications Intern. Julia is a current Master’s student in Brown’s Biotechnology program.

Rhode Island Startup Week 2022: October 1-7
This year's weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship includes the new Young Entrepreneurs Summit on 10/1, and a kickoff event on 10/3 with special guest Danny Warshay, executive director of Brown University’s Nelson Center and author of See, Solve, Scale. 

Office of Research Integrity

Office of Science and Technology Policy memorandum
The White House OSTP issued a memorandum on Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research that will make taxpayer-funded research immediately available for the public to freely access and fully use.

Implementation changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans
In an effort to reduce the burden of duplicative reporting expectations, NIH intends to establish a single plan submission requirement for research that is subject to both the GDS Policy and the new DMS Policy, effective January 25, 2023.

Next BEARCORE Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course: Spring 2023
ORI will offer a new BEARCORE RCR course in March-April 2023. BEARCORE meets NIH and NSF RCR requirements. Contact Juliane Blyth to be notified when registration opens.

Ongoing requirements for exports to Russia and Belarus
Shipments to, collaborations, and other interactions with Russia and Belarus are still heavily restricted. All proposed activities involving Russia and/or Belarus must be discussed with the Export Control Team in advance to ensure compliance with federal regulations.

NEW Human Subjects Research Application
On 10/1/22, a new Human Subjects Research Application will replace BOTH the Application for Exemption and the Application for Expedited/Full Board IRB Review. We expect this shorter application to reduce burden on researchers and reviewers.

FDA issues guidance on "Charging for Investigational Drugs Under an IND" regulations
This draft guidance addresses the most frequently asked questions about the FDA's regulations on charging for investigational drugs under an IND for clinical trials.

FDA issues Real-World Data/Real-World Evidence guidance for IND applications
IND applications that contain Real-World Data/Real-World Evidence (RWD/RWE) intended to support a regulatory decision regarding product safety and/or effectiveness should include the use of RWD/RWE in IND submission cover letters.

IRB tip: Deadlines for Full Board submissions
Unsure when to submit for Full Board review? What's the difference between the submission and pre-review deadlines? Will a submission always be reviewed at the next Full Board meeting? See Full Board Meeting and Deadline Dates for guidance.

Meeting dates & submission deadlines