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Collaboration Initiative - Save the Date: Thursday, October 28, 9:15am - 3:30pm

The primary purpose of the Collaboration Initiative is to enhance the competitiveness of University of Nebraska faculty for extramural funding by fully leveraging intellectual capacity and research resources across the campuses. This year's Request for Applications (RFA) will solicit proposals from multi-campus multidisciplinary teams. Faculty in all disciplines are encouraged to apply; projects are intended to build towards a competitive extramural funding application.

Principal Investigators must attend the Collaboration Initiative Retreat to be eligible for funding from this program. Registration will open on September 16. The Request for Applications (RFA) will also be available on September 16. (Registration will close on October 14.)

  • Team Formation and Publication Grant - One year, up to $7,500, each
  • Preliminary Data and Application Preparation Grant - One year, up to $40,000, each
  • Team Seed Grant - Two years, up to $150,000, each

NuRamp Training Sessions

NuRamp (formerly MavGrants) training sessions are available to teach faculty, staff, and students how to use the electronic research administration portal. Trainings cover all modules including where to apply for internal proposals, conflict of interest/commitment disclosures, export control checks, timeline conversion to NuRamp completion, and more.

Introduction to UNO's Funding Databases

These sessions are a brief introduction to UNO's subscribed funding databases such as GrantForward.com and Foundation Directory Online. View a recorded training here.

UNMC IRB Annual Conference – Registration Open

Registration is now open for the 11th Annual Hot Topics Conference in the Protection of Human Subjects! The virtual conference will be held on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. CST. Registration will be open online through Sep. 20, 2021:

https://nuramp.nebraska.edu/ems/event.php?EMSEventUUID=2958f8be-93e8-47d6-8b8f-532415c2b22e

The tentative schedule for the conference can be found on the conference website, which will contain the most up-to-date information about the conference.

In addition to the conference presentations, UNMC will also be hosting a Breakout and Takeout session following the last keynote speaker. This networking opportunity will be a time to exchange best practices, ask questions, and learn more about IRB operations from similar institutions in Zoom breakout rooms. Submit questions or topics you would like to discuss when you submit your registration.

Great Plains IDeA-CTR 5th Annual Scientific Meeting and 2021 UNMC College of Medicine Campus Research Retreat

October 6-7, 2021

Click here for more information

Water for Food Global Forum tackles water and food security in month-long virtual event

Each week will dive into a new topic related to global water and food security including:

  • Food systems and nutrition (October 3-9)
  • Innovations and entrepreneurship in agriculture and water management (October 10-16)
  • Water and nutrient management (October 17-23)
  • Climate change and extreme events (October 24-30)

Click here for more information

Grant Writing Workshop

UNO's ORCA and UNMC's Great Plains IDeA CTR collaborated to host Paul Casella's Grant Writing Workshop. Paul Casella is a writer, teacher, editor, and producer. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Since 1988 Paul has worked with health professionals to improve the clarity and effectiveness of their manuscripts for publication, formal presentations, grant applications, slides, posters, videos, and other media for scientific purposes.

This workshop focused on:

  • Writing for publication
  • Writing effective NIH proposals
  • Speaking for Success: strategies for effective medical and scientific presentations

Watch the recording of the workshop

Department of Justice Self-Guided Training Resources

Training materials include self-guided eLearning videos, which are supplemented by job aid reference guides and infographics that provide further clarification, definitions, or visual representations of unique systems processes or information.

Learn more on the DOJ website.

National Funding Foundation Professional Grant Proposal Writing Workshop

The National Funding Foundation is hosting a workshop explaining the process, structure, and skill of professional proposal writing. This course is characterized by its ability to act as a thorough overview, introduction, and refresher at the same time.

Register for the grant proposal writing workshop

STEM Trail Center Grant Writing Workshop Series

The STEM Trail Center is hosting multiple workshops with ORCA guest presenters this year. Please click the links below for more information on each session.

Date Session
January 29 Compliance and Human Subjects/IRB
February 26 Grant Coordinators Presentation

Faculty Research Orientation

The Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) hosted its Faculty Research Orientation, March 17, 1 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. via Zoom. This was an informative session about on-campus research resources detailing how UNO users can best interact with ORCA. The orientation will provide recent hires with core information and support contacts they need to launch their research and collaboration efforts at UNO. While the orientation is aimed at new hires, we encourage all levels of faculty to attend to better understand how ORCA can support your needs.

Watch the Faculty Orientation

Research Management and Professional Development Group

The Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) invites you to attend our Research Management and Professional Development meetings. The Research Management and Professional Development group welcomes all faculty and staff who participate in research across campus, whether pre-award or post-award, to attend its monthly meetings. Participants are not required to attend every month but are encouraged to attend topics that will apply to their role in the research process.

Registration is requested to allow ORCA to prepare for all attendees, but last-minute attendees are welcome.

Please email Katy Vitale at kvitale@unomaha.edu if you are interested in this opportunity, but cannot attend one of the sessions.

Consent Form Readability Standards

In response to Common Rule requirements, beginning October 31, 2019, consent forms must satisfy minimum readability standards; specifically, the Flesch Kincaid reading level and Flesch Reading Ease. Please see more about readability standards and how to get started or contact the Office of Research and Creative Activity with questions.

In accordance with Health and Human Services Regulations for Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46), an Institutional Review Board (IRB) composed of members from a variety of scientific disciplines and individuals from the community, assists investigators in the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) IRB was established to assure the protection of all human subjects in research projects conducted by anyone on the premises of UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, Nebraska Medicine - Bellevue, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center (CH&MC), and the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).

In addition, the IRB has oversight for all research that is conducted elsewhere by faculty, students, staff, or other representatives of these institutions.

The IRB also serves to facilitate valuable human subject research, as well as, protect the investigator and the institutions through a comprehensive review process. All human subject research projects must be reviewed and approved by the IRB prior to initiation and then conducted in full compliance with the federal regulations and institutional policies.

Research Studios

The GP IDeA-CTR is pleased to offer Research Studios for early-career investigators, to help refine their research. We recently updated the format to better meet individual needs. Those interested in submitting requests can choose from one of the following options:

  1. Review of an aims page with brief proposed methods
  2. Grant review before submission (simulated mock NIH review)
  3. Brainstorming session for investigators who have hit a funding roadblock

In general, our goals are intended to enhance research quality, improve funding success, foster networking, and facilitate the development of multi-disciplinary teams.

If you would like to participate in a studio, we will help assemble a multidisciplinary team (approximately 4-6 experts) and set up one, 60-90 minute session. Depending on your request (aims page review, mock review, or brainstorming) you will be asked to provide written information for review (see below). Please note that we can set up remote meetings through video conferencing, if necessary.

Goals

The goal of the Research Studios is to support the professional development of faculty who are assistant or associate professors. With suggestions from the trainee, relevant experts are identified to provide feedback on strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities of the trainee’s research. Such consultation will not only advance the research and scholarship agendas of these faculty but will also help expand their professional networks. The studios provide a chance to bring a more senior scholar or scholars from local and outside universities to participate in this opportunity. A key objective of the studio is to offer this support at a critical time in the faculty member’s career.

Eligibility
  • Faculty from participating institutions who are not full professors (with preference to assistant and associate professors). Priority will be given to individuals who have unsuccessfully applied for prior Great Plains IDeA-CTR funding (Scholar or Pilot program applications).
  • Previous or current Scholar/Pilot awardees are not eligible.
  • Other applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Fill out the request form through the link below and attach your proposal and biosketch to be reviewed.

Request a research studio
Documents Required for Studio Options

Please select from the following option that best meets your needs for the studio (1, 2, or 3).

  1. Aims page review and refinement. Submit aims page (1 page) with brief proposed methods (1 -2 pages if drafted and you want feedback).
  2. Mock review of grant application. Submit Aims page plus a 6-page research strategy (that addresses Significance, Innovation, and Approach – design, sample, variables/measures, procedure, and data analysis sections) for review four (4) weeks prior to the grant submission deadline. No appendices, please.
  3. Brainstorming Session, particularly for individuals that have hit a funding roadblock. Submit a previous short narrative describing the status of grant submissions and what you want the reviewers to focus on. Include summary sheet(s) with proposal(s) for discussion.
Contact
For additional information or to set up a studio, please contact the Great Plains IDeA-CTR office at 402.552.2260 or gpctr@unmc.edu.