Announcements

All Active ORIS Announcements

• The Office of Research Campus Update is Available Online Apr 2, 2013 at 1pm

  The Office of Research Campus Update is now available online. Read about sequestration, an update on the Research Roadmap and a variety of topics of interest to the research community.

• National Academy of Sciences selects Mary Lidstrom, David Kaplan May 2, 2013 at 6am

  The University of Washington’s Mary Lidstrom and David Kaplan are among the 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries just announced by National Academy of Sciences. Members are named for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, according to the academy.

  Lidstrom is vice provost for research and a professor of chemical engineering and microbiology. Her research focuses on developing environmentally friendly and economically viable alternatives to chemical fuels. Lidstrom was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2011. She also is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lidstrom has been at the UW twice, from 1978 to 1985 and again since 1996. She received her bachelor’s in microbiology from Oregon State University and her master’s and doctorate in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin.

  Kaplan is a professor of physics and the director of the UW’s Institute of Nuclear Theory. He did his undergraduate work at Stanford University and earned a doctorate in physics from Harvard University in 1985. He joined the UW faculty in 1994 and became director of the Institute for Nuclear Theory in 2006. Kaplan’s research focuses on the application of quantum field theory to the strong interaction, lattice field theory, cosmology and physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model is the well-tested theory of the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions that predicted the existence of the Higgs boson, which was discovered last year at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. (UW Today Article posted 5/1/13.)

   

• New in SAGE Budget: Preliminary Benefit Rates Apr 30, 2013 at 1pm

  You may now choose between using current benefit rates or preliminary benefit rates for future budgeting; new budgets will default to preliminary rates.

  • SAGE Budget uses the correct rate based on the period start date when using preliminary rates.
  • You can update your budgets globally when preliminary rates become available.
  • For each person in each period, SAGE Budget displays whether the rate is current or preliminary.
• Mary Lidstrom Received ARPA-E Award of $4 million for “Biocatalyst for Small-Scale Conversion of Natural Gas into Diesel Fuel” Dec 6, 2012 at 3pm

  DOE’s ARPA-E awards have been announced, and one of the recipients is the University of Washington team led by Mary Lidstrom, Vice Provost for Research and Professor in Chemical Engineering and Microbiology. Sixty-six projects were awarded $130 million for projects that, “…seeks out transformational, breakthrough technologies that show fundamental technical promise but are too early for private-sector investment. These projects have the potential to produce game-changing breakthroughs in energy technology, form the foundation for entirely new industries, and have large commercial impacts.” The awards support Obama’s goals of, “…solving our nation’s most pressing energy challenges.” Lidstrom’s project description is below.

  Biocatalyst for Small-Scale Conversion of Natural Gas into Diesel Fuel

  The University of Washington will develop microbes that convert methane found in natural gas into liquid diesel fuel. These microbes enable small-scale gas-to-liquid conversion at lower cost than current methods, which require infrastructure that is too expensive to deploy at smaller scales. Small-scale conversion would leverage abundant, domestic natural gas resources and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

• Three School of Public Health faculty members elected to Institute of Medicine Nov 7, 2012 at 9am

  Three School of Public Health faculty members have been elected to the Institute of Medicine. The new UW members have worked in many fields, including pharmaceutical outcomes research, cancer prevention, biostatstics, global health, and emergency preparedness. They are:

  • Chris Elias, a clinical professor of global health and president of global development for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  •  Thomas Fleming, professor of Biostatistics and professor of Statistics
  • Andy Stergachis, professor of epidemiology and of global health, adjunct professor of health services, and adjunct professor of pharmacy.

  Read the full article in UW Today.

   

• Revised FCOI policies GIM-10 and GIM-7 are now available Aug 23, 2012 at 10am

  The revised FCOI policies GIM-10 and GIM-7 are now available.  The policies have been revised to ensure compliance with the new PHS FCOI regulations.  Investigators must comply with the revised policies beginning with today’s date, August 24, 2012. We will keep you updated through the FCOI Website on further implementation and process enhancements.  Please contact the Office of Research at research@uw.edu with any questions.

• Financial Interest Disclosure System (FIDS) is now available. Aug 21, 2012 at 10am

  The Financial Interest Disclosure System (FIDS) is now available and replaces the current paper-based system to submit Significant Financial Interests (SFI) disclosures.  Now, Investigators must use FIDS to electronically submit their SFI and travel disclosures.   For more information, please see the FCOI website.

• New Online Training for Process Improvement Jul 30, 2012 at 7am

  OEI has partnered with the Institute of Translational Health Sciences to develop online training for Organizational Effectiveness tools.   This modular training includes an overview of continuous improvement, and introductions to various tools on problem solving, decision making, visual management and more. To request an invitation to the training, please send OEI (oei@uw.edu) your full name and UW email address. You will receive an email with the invitation to join the course from Training Xchange. Please create an account to access the training. As a UW faculty, staff or student, you will have access to all the current modules free of charge.

  This project was supported by the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant 3UL1RR025014.

• Free Statistical Consulting Services Offered by the Departments of Biostatistics and Statistics Jun 18, 2012 at 7am

  Graduate students and faculty in the Consulting Program of the Departments of Biostatistics and Statistics offer free statistical advice to UW faculty, staff and students.  Through 50 minute consulting appointments, the consulting program provides assistance with:

  • design of studies and experiments, including preparation of grant proposals
  • data visualization and presentation
  •  choice and application of statistical methods
  •  development of specialized statistical methods

  Consulting appointments can be scheduled during  academic quarters, including summer quarter. To schedule an appointment, contact the departments of Biostatistics (616-6790, bconslt@u.washington.edu) or Statistics (543-7273, sconslt@stat.washington.edu). Researchers may schedule appointments in either department.  See www.stat.washington.edu/consulting, where there are links to an appointment calendar and  an online  Problem Description Form  required for all new appointments.

  Consultants can provide free assistance with some data analysis projects, but extensive hands-on assistance with data analysis is not available without funding. This service does not provide software training.  Fee-based collaborative consulting is available through the Center for Statistical Consulting (www.stat.washington.edu/consulting/csc.html) or the Center for Biomedical Statistics (depts.washington.edu/medstat).

• New FCOI training available Jun 7, 2012 at 10am

  The online Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI) training is now available at http://uw.edu/research/fcoi. Starting August 24th, 2012, Public Health Service (PHS)-funded investigators or investigators anticipating receiving PHS funds must complete the online FCOI training prior to the expenditure of funds on any new awards.

• Coming this Summer: New Financial Conflicts of Interest Regulations May 25, 2012 at 12pm

  The University of Washington’s policy on Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) will be revised to comply with the Public Health Service (PHS) FCOI regulations which go into effect on August 24, 2012. UW investigators must continue to follow the current UW’s SFI Disclosure Policy (GIM-10) until otherwise informed.

  The Office of Research is developing implementation processes and throughout the summer will post frequent updates on the new FCOI Web site

• Coming this Summer: New Financial Conflicts of Interest Regulations May 17, 2012 at 11am

  The University of Washington’s policy on Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI) will be revised to comply with the Public Health Service (PHS) FCOI regulations which go into effect on August 24, 2012.  UW investigators must continue to follow the current UW’s SFI Disclosure Policy (GIM-10) until otherwise informed.

  The Office of Research is developing implementation processes and throughout the summer will post frequent updates on the new FCOI Web site http://uw.edu/research/fcoi.

• Department of Energy Awards More Than $145 Million for Advanced Solar Technologies Sep 14, 2011 at 2pm

  Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced more than $145 million for projects to help shape the next generation of solar energy technologies and ensure that the United States remains a leader in this global market. Sixty-nine projects in 24 states will accelerate research and development to increase efficiency, lower costs, and advance cutting-edge technologies. Funded through DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the projects will also improve materials, manufacturing processes, and supply chains for a wide range of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and components of solar energy systems. Some of these investments also support efforts that will shorten the overall timeline from prototype to production and streamline building codes, zoning laws, permitting rules, and business processes for installing solar energy systems.
  
  Two faculty received awards:  Hugh Hillhouse got the only award that went to Washington State and Scott Dunham is funded via the award to Solar World (in Oregon).
  
  Read the full article at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/news_detail.html?news_id=17701

• UW ranked 16th in world in recent study Aug 26, 2011 at 1pm

  The University of Washington ranks 16th among universities around the world in a recent study by the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Read the article at UW Today at: http://www.washington.edu/news/articles/uw-ranked-16th-in-world-in-recent-study-1

• Access Award Documents Directly from SAGE May 4, 2011 at 2pm

  Tired of hunting around for copies of those all-important award documents? Soon you won’t have to.
  
  We’re enhancing SAGE to give you (and anybody with permission to view your eGC1) on-demand access to documents attached by OSP to your proposal. That includes the signed concurrence letter, agreements, and the fully executed award document. You’ll be able to track and access these documents from the Attachments page of your eGC1 in SAGE.
  
  Look for this and other improvements in our next release!

• Experience the Connection! Apr 20, 2011 at 8am

  We've improved the connection between eGC1s and budgets created in SAGE. You can now:

  • See the most current data in your budget from your eGC1. No longer will you have to disassociate and re-associate an eGC1and a budget each time you make a change in SAGE Budget. Connect them once, and any updates to your budget worksheet automatically display on the budget page of the connected eGC1.
  • Route a budget built in SAGE with an eGC1. When a budget is connected to an eGC1, it shares the same routing path, and all users who have access to the eGC1 can also access the budget. You no longer have to grant individual Approvers access to your budget; they can click to open it from the routing eGC1.
  • Track changes to your budget and access previous versions. New Budget Edit Numbers in the Budget History enable you to see when a budget has been revised and to read comments associated with those changes.

  You can also view a read-only version of the budget at a specific point in time by clicking the Budget Edit Number associated with that version.
  
  Want to learn more? Come to our demo at the next MRAM on May 12th, 9:00 a.m., in the UW Tower Auditorium.
  
  You can also register here for an upcoming Budget drop-in session if you want hands-on help connecting your budget to your eGC1 and managing budget history. 
  
  Please note: Associating a budget to an eGC1 will no longer be an option as of today. If you or anybody you know has a budget associated with an eGC1 that is still pending approval, we recommend that you disassociate that budget and then reconnect it to the eGC1 using the Connect a Budget feature. This ensures that your latest budget information is always available from the eGC1.

• ORIS Learning Opportunities Jan 12, 2011 at 4pm
  ORIS has posted classes and materials to support the January SAGE System update:

  • New online tutorial to explore the improvements to managing people in your eGC1
  • SAGE Budget drop in sessions- multiple sessions, multiple locations
  • SAGE 101 class scheduled for January

  You can access these materials from the ORIS Learning webpage. Who should attend SAGE Budget Drop-In Sessions? Researchers and administrators who currently work with budgets, as well as those interested in learning more about the features just released What will you learn?

  • The difference between the budget page and the budget building capabilities of SAGE Budget
  • An overview of how to use SAGE Budget, demonstrating the newest features to create your budget quickly
  • How to use the power of SAGE Budget for real time salary, benefit and F&A rates and generate a budget that can be attached to your current or new eGC1.
  • How to copy budgets to create templates for future use.

  Is there a cost for these classes? No, all of these classes are free of charge. Registration is required to ensure enough class room space and materials are available. To register, go to ORIS Learning
• New HSD Website Goes Live Sep 10, 2010 at 4pm
  On September 13th, the Human Subjects Division, in partnership with the ORIS Web team, launched its new Website. The completely redesigned site represents a milestone in Web design and delivery for the Office of Research:

  • HSD Content is now organized around the common IRB-review tasks researchers perform, so visitors can quickly navigate to material relevant to their specific goals.

  • A sophisticated search mechanism enables those who aren’t familiar with the human subjects review process to hone in on the precise policies, processes, and forms they need to get started.
  • A massive content migration brings all four Office of Research websites into a single content management framework, laying the groundwork for tighter integration of information across sites.

  If you haven't already, check out the new site at: http://www.washington.edu/research/hsd
• ORIS Recognized for Outstanding Service Sep 10, 2010 at 4pm
  In August 2010, the Faculty Council on Research recognized Jim Kresl, Assistant Vice Provost and Director of ORIS, for the extraordinary service he and the entire ORIS staff provided in meeting the challenges of the 2009 ARRA submission opportunity. In particular, the Council recognized ORIS for:

  • Effectively partnering with other support offices to deliver clear, timely communication to the UW research community on ARRA procedures and deadlines for submissions.
  • Negotiating an agreement with the WA state Office of Financial Management and the Federal Office of Management and Budget to enable batch submissions of UW applications rather than time-consuming individual submittals.
  • Designing and generating critical ARRA reports required by the UW, the Governor’s Office, and Federal agencies.

  Congratulations to the ORIS Team!
• New Energy Website Launched! Jan 29, 2010 at 11am

  Energy researchers at the University of Washington are involved in scientific discovery, technology innovation, and society impacts research, and are involved in a broad range of energy projects that are making a difference and changing lives. The new website is designed to build the reputation of the UW in energy research, to increase our visibility, and to serve as a resource to find expertise in a given research area.  Visit Energy Research at the UW.

• Major Changes in NIH applications. Be Prepared! Dec 18, 2009 at 4pm

  A Message from the NIH Office of Extramural Research

  Are you planning to submit an NIH grant application?  If so, please note that all applications intended for due dates on or after January 25, 2010* require the use of new forms and instructions. Major changes include:

  • Restructured forms to align with review criteria
  • Significantly shorter page limits

  These changes apply to all competing applications, so whether you are submitting a new, renewal, resubmission or revision, you must take action now to ensure a successful submission! 

  1. Return to the updated funding opportunity announcement or reissued parent announcement to download the new application package and instructions.
  • FOAs are in the process of being updated.  See timeline for more information.
  2. Be sure to choose the correct forms.  Applications intended for due dates on or after January 25 require new forms.
  • For Electronic SF 424 (R&R):  ADOBE-FORMS-B
  • For Paper PHS 398:  Revision date “June 2009”
  3. Read the updated FOA and new application instructions carefully

  For more details the Enhancing Peer Review Web site, which has a page dedicated to the upcoming application changes, as well as a number of additional resources including:

  • A short video overview of the changes
  • FAQs
  • List of related policy notices
  • A Training and Communications Resources page, and more.
• Are You Ready for the Restructured Grants.gov/NIH Forms? Grant Runner Is! Dec 3, 2009 at 8am
  Next week, NIH plans to release a new version of the SF424 and PHS398 forms. Grant Runner has already been enhanced to handle these changes. Read more about the change [...] NIH has mandated that all applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2010 must use the restructured forms. For further information, visit http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/restructured_applications.html.