Dear Colleagues,
November is National Gratitude Month, a time to be thankful. I’m grateful for our shared commitment to improve the world. Our institution is a global leader in scholarship, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship because of you.
We are developing the next generation of innovators and changemakers through the many entrepreneurial hubs on our campuses. I invite you to participate in the first USC and Techstars University Catalyst Pitch Day Showcase to be held virtually on November 14. These early-stage founders are USC faculty, students, and staff committed to providing solutions for a wide array of societal problems, from fentanyl testing to ovarian cancer detection.
Thank you for all that you do!
With kind regards, Ishwar
FACULTY ENGAGEMENT: Upcoming proposal submission deadlines: OORI’s award cycle begins again in January. Click here for a complete list of award programs and proposal submission deadlines. Proposals submitted for the SBIR/STTR Planning Award and the GenAI – Generative AI Award are currently under review. Please contact us at rii@usc.edu if you have any questions!
Center for Excellence in Research: Fall 2024 training workshops are open for registration on our website! Zoom seminars and workshops include Conversation with Ken Blum on Foundation Funding (November 1), Developing a Successful Mission Agency Grant (November 13), and Funding from Foundations for Arts and Humanities (November 18).
If you would like to be updated about upcoming workshops, please join our mailing list. Do you have an idea for a workshop? We’d love to hear from you! We’re also looking for faculty or staff to teach a workshop via Zoom this spring on topics such as research resources/methods, professional development, grant writing, etc. Any ideas you think would be useful are welcome!
RESEARCH STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT: Staffing Update: We are pleased to announce that Robyn Hejmej has been appointed as Executive Director of Research Strategy and Development. Ms. Hejmej will be responsible for supporting USC faculty and staff in the strategic pursuit of competitive federal funding opportunities with a targeted focus on large, multidisciplinary research endeavors. She will also support the Associate Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation and the broader Office of Research and Innovation by participating in university-wide research development and faculty engagement activities. Ms. Hejmej will assume this role beginning January 6th, 2025.
Techstars Update: The inaugural USC and Techstars Digital Economy Accelerator is accepting applications through November 20th. This 13-week in-person on-campus accelerator is open to companies with a USC-affiliated founding member, including a USC student, alumni, faculty or staff. Participating companies will receive up to $120,000 in funding, as well as hands-on mentorship, curated entrepreneurial content and programming, and access to Techstars’ global network of mentors, investors, alumni, and corporate partners. Additional details are available here.
Federal Funding Resources: NIH is hosting a virtual, interactive event hosted by NIH experts designed to cover key aspects of the grants process, available resources, and related systems. Anyone seeking a better understanding of the grants process is encouraged to attend. Registration details are available here.
DEPARTMENT OF CONTRACTS & GRANTS: Staffing Update: The Department of Contracts and Grants is pleased to announce a staffing update. We would like to welcome Alexander Chiu to the DCG Team. Alex will be the new Senior Officer for the HSC campus and brings a strong background in research administration from Ohio State University where he served as a Sponsored Programs Officer.
Monthly Training Dates for November: The Department of Contracts and Grants offers on a monthly basis, and upon request, a pre-award and post-award training. The pre-award training walks administrators through the proposal process at USC covering; roles and responsibilities, how to route proposals through the Cayuse system, and USC processes and policies to be aware of. The post-award training provides an overview of roles and responsibilities, cost principles, common post award issues and how/when to seek sponsor prior approval. Below are the dates and times the trainings will be available in November:
Pre-Award Training: A Walk-Through Cayuse SP and the Proposal Process
Zoom Link
Monday, November 25th from 1:30 – 3:00 pm PST
Post-Award: Managing Common Post Award Issues and Questions
Zoom Link
Tuesday, November 26th from 1:00pm – 2:30pm PST
The Holiday Season: The Department of Contracts and Grants would like to wish you and your families a happy holiday Season.
In observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday, DCG will be closed on Thursday, 11/28 and Friday, 11/29. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, 12/2.
In observance of the Winter Break, DCG will be closed from December 24th through January 3rd 2025. Will resume normal business hours on Monday, 1/6.
Principal Investigators and Department Administrators should be mindful of this closure when planning the submission of:
- Proposals with deadlines that fall on these dates
- Post-award actions such as no-cost extensions, prior approval requests for equipment purchases, etc.
It is critical that all researchers and research administrators allow sufficient time to review and submit proposals and award actions.
STEVENS CENTER FOR INNOVATION: Last month, Executive Director Erin Overstreet and Technology Licensing Manager Veronica Go-Stevens attended the inaugural Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Retreat in Pasadena. This one-day retreat brought translational scientists from multiple departments across the USC ecosystem (UPC, HSC, Children’s Hospital). During this offsite, the participants discussed ongoing research, resources, and emerging therapeutics within each of their respective departments. This retreat gave a snapshot of the impact that USC scientists had on developing novel therapeutics for various diseases and fostered a sense of collaboration among the scientists. At the end of the meeting, participants discussed the current state of translational research at USC and brainstormed ideas to create an even bigger impact on therapeutic development for patients with unmet medical needs. Overall, this meeting allowed translational scientists to come together, learn about the incredible research at USC across departments, and discuss ways to enhance the therapeutic inventiveness at USC!
HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION PROGRAM: We have updated the PAM link to make it easier to use. This version of the PAM can only be used for self-assessment. For investigators who do not have a tool for post approval monitoring, this tool is intended to help you verify that your research is being conducted as approved by the IRB and in compliance with federal, state, and institutional policies.
If you have included non-English speaking participants in your target population in the protocol you submitted and that was approved by the IRB, you must have informed consents or information sheets in the languages spoken by those participants. The translated informed consent or information sheet must be submitted to the IRB before enrolling non-English speaking participants. If your study is a greater than minimal risk study (reviewed at the full board), you may request use of the short form for initial use and then submit a translated consent along with a certificate of translation for the informed consent.
The IRB wait time is the approximate time it takes for an IRB analyst to be assigned to review a new protocol submission. Amendments are subject to this same timeline for an analyst to be alerted to the new submission. The wait time is not the length of time it will take to complete the review of a protocol or an amendment. The length of time associated with review and approval is dependent on a variety of factors, including the completeness, level of risk, and complexity of the submission as well as the number of other protocols being reviewed simultaneously. We appreciate your patience. For amendments, please reach out to the analyst assigned to your study if you have questions. The current wait time is approximately one-week.
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL RESOURCES: Winter Recess and Holiday changes for Imports, Exports, Orders, and Transfers: To provide you with advanced notice for your planning purposes, the Department of Animal Resources will process all orders and transfers (imports and exports) during October and November this year. Orders and transfers will be on hold in December then will start again in January 2025. This is a process implemented every year to ensure there is space for incoming animals and personnel available at receiving institutions for processing exports. Thank you for using this information to plan accordingly.
Upgrade Announcement in Animal Facilities: The ZNI bulk sterilizer is finally installed and operational! After 2.5 years of planning and contracting we are happy to see that this exciting upgrade for all ZNI and BCC users will mean less backlog of cage washing, reduced labor and injuries for staff, and an environmentally sustainable process since this equipment uses dry heat. The previous sterilizer/autoclave for caging in ZNI was over 20 years old, needed constant costly repairs, was half the size, and used steam.
DAR continues to oversee all projects for research continuity, continuous improvement, and animal welfare.
Please see below for the timeline of completion:
- RRI floor repairs are underway for a single room – Oct 27-29
Space Capacity and Planning: There has been increased compression of animal space at HSC and UPC. UPC animal facilities are 100% full due to new renovations, recruits, and expansion of existing animal work. DAR is tasked with assigning space when it is available and according to federal regulations. Unfortunately, DAR cannot create space. You can now use the new Space Occupancy report to connect, collaborate, and cooperate on space use in the animal facility. It is our hope that opportunities for sharing space and maximizing occupancy can be found. Conversations are ongoing with faculty, new recruits, and leaders to solve this emerging issue.
Planning for animal costs: The 5 year rate schedule for per diem rate change is always posted for your award planning or changing purposes. You can also access the deck from the budget online seminar on 6/14/24, which provided helpful tips on expecting rising costs in animal proposals and explained the services, supplies, and costs that go into per diem and service rate calculations. Information and further details on the DAR cost structure and rate analysis from 2023 can always be found here.
Did you know: DAR prevents viruses, bacteria, and parasitic infections in all lab animals from affecting your research by reviewing vendor records, performing health surveillance on a triannual basis for rodent species and annual basis for others that are housed for over 1 year, and performing a rigorous health screening and review of imported animals before arrival from non-commercial vendor institutions (ex. other universities). Rederiving or using approved commercial vendors like Charles River, Envigo, and Marshall, provides high quality animals that are already free of specific pathogens that DAR excludes is always recommended over imports. Quarantine and imports are the riskiest way for pathogens to be brought into an animal facility.
Monthly updates are archived here.