Sponsored Research Services RIT Researcher News

Program Purpose

The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills. The program is intended to establish new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is also intended to facilitate diversity in student participation and preparation, and to contribute to a world-class, broadly inclusive, and globally engaged science and engineering workforce.

The purpose of the IGERT program is to support new models in graduate education in which students are engaged in an environment that supports innovation to learn through hands-on experience how their own research may contribute in new ways to benefit society and to learn the processes for the successful implementation of such contributions.

The full program solicitation is NSF 11-533.

Eligibility

U.S. academic institutions that grant the Ph.D. degree in the sciences and engineering may submit proposals. Projects may involve more than one institution, but a single institution must accept overall management responsibility. The lead institution must grant the Ph.D. degree in at least one of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields supported by the National Science Foundation and at least one Ph.D. granting unit should participate in the IGERT.

There is a limit of one (1) proposal that may be submitted by an institution either as a single institution or as a lead institution in a multi-institution proposal.

Budget and Cost Sharing

Inclusion of voluntary cost sharing is prohibited and F&A is unrestricted.  NSF plans to make approximately 18 new and renewal IGERT awards from this competition as continuing grants, depending on the quality of the proposals and the availability of funds. The anticipated funding amount in FY 2012 is $13,500,000. Up to $3.3M to $3.5M per award may be budgeted over 5 years pending availability of funds.

Timeframe

Letters of intent are due to NSF by 5 p.m. local time on May 1, 2011.  Full proposals are due July 1, 2012. 

How to Apply

Please send a concept paper of no more than five pages to David Bond, Director, Sponsored Research Services, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by March 15, 2012.  Please include a preliminary description of the following items as described in the solicitation:

• Project Summary
• List of Participants
• Vision, Goals and Thematic Basis
• Major Research Efforts
• Education and Training

The annual Principal Investigators' Reception is scheduled for 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 16 in the Vignelli Center University Gallery.  The event recognizes RIT's PIs and will feature a short program followed by a reception.  Special honors and awards include Grant Writers' Boot Camp seed funding awards and the newest class of PI Millionaires.  Winners of the Strategic Acceleration of Research for Tenure Track Faculty (START) awards, Vice President for Research Scholarship Awards, and Sponsored Research Assistance Fund awards will be announced at the reception.

This event is open to the RIT community.  Please RSVP with Kelly Evinsky at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by February 4.

Are you eligible for the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program?

Would you like to get a head start on developing a competitive proposal for the July deadline?

Would you like to work with a team of faculty to help each other develop and fine tune your ideas into winning proposals?

The CAREER Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the NSF’s  most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. For more details about the CAREER program, and to check if you are eligible, see the CAREER Program Solicitation.

If you are eligible and thinking of applying, you are invited to an Information Session on Friday, February 3 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. in 78-2120.  A series of meetings will follow, with specific assignments to prepare you for a CAREER proposal.  To register, please fill out this clipboard survey.

On Friday, February 10th from 2:00 to 3:00 in room 70-2400, faculty are invited to a discussion regarding the submission of white papers to the US Department of Defense (DoD): DoD White Papers: The Coin of the Realm. We will use the recently announced Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), Cyber Awareness and Resilience Research, as an example.  The Air Force Research Laboratory  Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) is soliciting white papers under this BAA for research, design, development, test, evaluation and experimentation of innovative technologies and techniques for Cyber Awareness and Resilience Research. Three page white papers should be submitted to AFRL/RI by March 5th, so this is the perfect time to start developing innovative, highly competitive ideas for sponsored research projects.

Please RSVP with David Harrison at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by January 27th as space is limited.

RIT is a member of the Universities Space Research Association, an independent, not-for-profit corporation with the mission of advancing space-related sciences.  USRA facilitates collaboration with universities and government agencies in space-related research and education.  USRA operates a Research Opportunities Program to connect with individuals at member institutions on research opportunities.  These include needs within the USRA, emerging collaborative opportunities, and notices for student employment opportunities.  

Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up for USRA Research Opportunity Notices at http://www.researchopps.usra.edu/.

An information meeting for the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program is scheduled for Friday, January 20, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Golisano Auditorium.  The meeting will be led by vice president for research Ryne Raffaelle and dean of graduate studies Hector Flores.  Dean Flores is a former NSF program officer for the IGERT program. 

The IGERT program has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills. The program is intended to establish new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.  It is also intended to facilitate diversity in student participation and preparation, and to contribute to a world-class, broadly inclusive, and globally engaged science and engineering workforce.  More information about IGERT is available at the program page.

The IGERT program limits RIT to one submission.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide an overview of the program and RIT's internal application process and to discuss what makes a successful IGERT. 

Please rsvp with Kelly Evinsky at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Wallace Library has acquired three new titles by Lynn E. Miner, Ph.D., that are of particular interest to grant writers.  Dr. Miner has extensive experience as an academic and administrator in higher education and now leads a nation wide consulting group that specializes in training grant writers.  He was our guest facilitator at the annual Grant Writers' Boot Camp in November, 2011, and provided excellent advice for early stage grant seekers.

The library now holds the following titles by Dr. Miner as electronic resources:

Collaborative Grantseeking   http://albert.rit.edu/record=b2950908~S3

Proposal Planning and Writing  http://albert.rit.edu/record=b2950749~S3

Models of Proposal Planning and Writing  http://albert.rit.edu/record=b2950745~S3

SRS is making some key organizational changes in response to the growing volume and complexity of sponsored research. First, SRS is pleased to welcome two new Senior Research Administrators in December, 2011:

Charlie Bush is joining Sponsored Research Services as the Senior Research Administrator for the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, and the Center for Detectors.  Charlie comes to SRS from Development and Alumni Relations, where he has served as a prospect researcher for the past two years.  Charlie has an MS in Library Science from Syracuse and an undergraduate degree in Media Studies with a minor in Writing from the University of Rochester. 

Brian Duddy will be joining Sponsored Research Services as the new Senior Research Administrator for Proposal Development for the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, the College of Applied Sciences and technology, and the department of industrial and systems engineering in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Brian is also an RIT comes to SRS from CIMS, where he served as a Senior Program Manager.  Brian has extensive experience in program management and proposal development at RIT and with the Department of Defense.  He served in the US Air Force and has two masters’ degrees: one in European and American History and the other in SystemsManagement.  His bachelor’s degree is in Aeronautical Engineering. 

Additionally, SRS implemented a new organization for post award services at the start of this academic year. The table shows contact people by college and division:

The RIT Principal Investigators Institute schedule for the 2011 - 2012 academic year is set.  All sessions are open to the RIT community.

The PI Institute is offered in cooperation with the RIT Center for Professional Development .

To register for upcoming sessions, visit the RIT E-Learning Zone and look for the PI Institute under 'Enhancing Faculty and Staff Performance,' or call 585-475-6200.

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide ("Guide" from this point forward), NSF 11-1, was issued on October 1, 2010 and is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 18, 2011.

The Guide includes some significant changes: