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University of Georgia Office of Research
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The two graduate research awards administered through the UGA Office of Research described below require nomination by the Director of Graduate Studies.
James L. Carmon Scholarship
The James L. Carmon Scholarship is an academic year scholarship awarded to a graduate student whose dissertation/thesis research reflects state-of-the-art utilization of computer and/or networking technology in the sciences or creative arts. It is in memory of Dr. James L. Carmon, a UGA faculty member for 36 years, who helped advance computer research and development at the university.
Departments may nominate up to two candidates through their Director of Graduate Studies.
Deadline for nominations to be received by the Office of Research: Third Tuesday in September, which is September 15, 2026 for the 2026-2027 cycle.
The detailed guidelines can be found here.
Graduate Coordinators should submit nominations through UGA’s InfoReady Portal via the James L. Carmon Scholarship – Nomination Form for Directors of Graduate Studies.
Robert C. Anderson Memorial Award
As a memorial to Dr. Robert C. Anderson, former Vice President for Research and President of the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc., two awards to recent graduates of the University of Georgia Graduate School are made annually. Usually, although not necessarily, one award is made in the natural sciences and one in any other field. This award reflects an outstanding record of research accomplishment carried out as part of a candidate’s graduate studies and during the period immediately following receipt of the terminal degree.
University of Georgia graduate students who have received their terminal degree no more than two years prior to the award year are eligible for nomination. For the FY27 award year, anyone that has already graduated in 2025 or 2026 is eligible to be nominated in the November 2026 deadline.
Deadline for nominations to be received by the Office of Research: November 1, 2026.
The detailed guidelines can be found here.
Nominations are made by the nominee’s major professor and Director of Graduate Studies. Directors of Graduate Studies should submit nominations through UGA’s InfoReady Portal via the Robert C. Anderson Memorial Award – Nomination Form for Director of Graduate Studies. Please note that the submission forms are to be used by Graduate Coordinators (or a designated staff program assistant) to submit nominees for their department. Graduate Coordinators (or a designated staff program assistant) should click “Nominate Candidate” and log-in to InfoReady with their UGA MyID and password.
The deadline for receipt of Research Scientist promotion dossiers to the Office of Research is Friday, November 6, 2026. Please be sure that all faculty and staff in your unit are aware of this deadline.
(Note: Please check with your unit and Dean’s Office for internal procedures and earlier deadlines.)
The items listed below are required for the promotion dossier. Please see the Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion of Research Scientists for promotion procedures and details regarding these required items, particularly for Section 5 (Promotion Procedures), Appendix B (Dossier for Promotion), and Appendix C (Suggested Letter of Request).
Please ensure you use the most recent guidelines, which state “Effective 8-1-2023” at the top heading.
List of items required for promotion dossier (see the Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion of Research Scientists, Appendix B – Dossier for Promotion of Research Scientists for more details on the following items):
- UGA Recommendation for Promotion Form for Academic Professional, Lecturer, Librarian, Public Service, and Research Scientist Ranks (with original signatures).
- This required form is on the Office of Faculty Affairs website at https://provost.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/promotion-form-non-tenure-track.pdf. (Failure to use this form will result in the dossier being returned to the unit without further consideration.)
- Include the candidate’s full name and full home department name. Submit the original form with signatures, votes, and approval status (yes/no) for each level of review. Ensure that all units use this promotion form revised on 7/10/2025.
- IMPORTANT-Years in Rank Calculation: Please ensure your unit(s) use the 2026-2027 Quick Reference Guide when completing the form to calculate years in rank for all promotion candidates.
- Cover letter
- Statement of Roles and Responsibilities
- Vitae
- Achievements
- Annual Evaluations
- External Evaluations (minimum of 4)
To submit promotion recommendation dossiers to the Office of Research: Please submit the required materials through UGA’s InfoReady Portal via the Research Scientist Promotion Dossier Submission Form – Nov 2026.
IMPORTANT SUBMISSION NOTE: The original hard copy Recommendation for Promotion form with original signatures should then be sent to: The Office of Research c/o Jessica Hawks Farmer OR Nathan White, 145 Coverdell Building CAMPUS.
Please direct questions to: research-personnel@uga.edu
This program supports groups of two or more scholars increasing humanistic knowledge through the preparation of a manuscript for print publication, the creation of a scholarly digital project, or the planning of an international collaboration. Projects must pursue significant research questions and lead toward an interpretive product. This year’s competition is limited to projects on American history and culture or Western civilization.
Amount: $50,000 (Planning); $250,000 (Manuscript Preparation or Scholarly Digital Project)
Due Date: 09/16/2026
UGA’s Sponsored Projects Administration has made the following process and policy changes to enhance its service regarding setup and management of sponsored projects.
- Reduced award modification burden: SPA no longer requires a copy of continuation determinations/approvals for human subjects, animal, or biosafety compliance with award modifications; compliance offices will monitor directly with PIs/units. These improvements are expected to save more than 1,000 hours per year institution wide.
- Updated policy and guidelines related to graduate assistant tuition: The revised Student Compensation, Tuition & Fees Policy clarifies graduate tuition expectations and Dean/VP approval authority for exemptions.
- Improved Grants Portal tracking: New WHO:WHAT statuses in the Grants Portal clarify who owns each action and what action is pending, enabling better processing-time reporting and bottleneck analysis.
These changes streamline processing, clarify accountability, reduce unnecessary documentation, and improve data quality. SPA is grateful to the UGA community for its partnership and guidance in helping to identify, prioritize, and implement improvements.
Recent and upcoming process and system improvements will continue to be shared in the Office of Research’s Research Improvements and Service Enhancements (RISE) tracker.
The purpose of this NOFO is to catalyze the translation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled, image-centered, multimodal CDS tools, developed as Software as a Medical Device, from training and testing of prototypes towards clinical applications that address unmet health challenges in precision medicine. These projects are expected to have high potential for demonstrable, positive impact on patient outcomes and/or healthcare processes.
Amount: $5,928,000
Due Date: 10/19/2026
The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit applications for the creation of a Validation Center to serve as a dedicated hub for the comprehensive evaluation and characterization of AI-enabled, image-based, multimodal clinical decision support tools developed by the PRIMED-AI Consortium, to ensure these tools are reliable, reproducible, and generalizable.
Amount: $22,496,000
Due Date: 10/02/2026
The purpose of this program supports collaborative teams who edit, annotate, and translate foundational humanities texts that are vital to generating new scholarship but are not available in adequate editions or translations. This year’s competition is limited to projects on American history and culture or Western civilization. Applications must focus on topics in the history and culture of the United States in any period from the Colonial Era to the present, or topics in Western civilization from antiquity to the present.
Amount: $65,000 (Planning); $450,000 (Implementation)
Due Date: 09/16/2026
The purpose of this NOFO is to catalyze the development and testing of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled, image-centered, multimodal Clinical Decision Support tools, developed in pursuance as Software as a Medical Device. These projects are expected to have high potential for demonstrable, positive impact on patient outcomes and/or healthcare processes.
Amount: $5,016,000
Due Date: 08/24/2026
The Department of State invites eligible applicants to advance the America First Global Health Strategy, which aims to save lives, strengthen health systems, enhance efficiency, foster self-reliance, and ensure U.S. investments benefit American safety, strength, and prosperity. This Annual Program Statement (APS) establishes a supplemental framework through which the Department of State may identify and support projects that complement, extend, and/or fill identified gaps in the implementation of these bilateral MOUs.
Amount: $500,000 – $250M
Due Date: Rolling
This NOFO solicits applications for the continued development and sustainment of high value informatics research resources to improve the acquisition, management, analysis, and dissemination of data and knowledge across the cancer research continuum including cancer biology, cancer treatment and diagnosis, early cancer detection, risk assessment and prevention, cancer control and epidemiology.
Amount: $4,560,000
Due Date: 10/19/2026
This NOFO solicits applications for the continued development and sustainment of high value informatics research resources to improve the acquisition, management, analysis, and dissemination of data and knowledge across the cancer research continuum including cancer biology, cancer treatment and diagnosis, early cancer detection, risk assessment and prevention, cancer control and epidemiology.
Amount: $4,560,000
Due Date: 10/19/2026
This program solicits applications for research on developing a comprehensive and cohesive understanding of cancer metastasis. Each MetNet Center should propose an overarching scientific theme that will be pursued through two or three scientific inter- and multidisciplinary basic research projects. Studies on all types of cancer are welcome, including rare and pediatric metastatic cancers. Proposed research is expected to advance our understanding towards a more comprehensive appreciation of metastasis as a whole body, systems-level problem.
Amount: $9,880,000
Due Date: 08/25/2026
The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to establish a Center that educates and mentors researchers in formal product development for new substance use disorder (SUD) pharmacotherapeutics and to advance the best concepts through initial experiments via technical and financial support.
Amount: Unspecified
Due Date: 09/30/2026
This program intends to fund high-impact research that bridges the gap between research, practice and policy by building real-world evidence on how interventions, clinical practices/guidelines, or policies can be deployed to targeted populations at the appropriate time. In order to meet this intent, the mechanism supports health services research approaches.
Amount: $4,000,000
Due Date: 09/24/2026 (LOI); 10/15/2026 (Full Proposal)
This NOFO invites applications for the enhancement and dissemination of emerging, user-friendly informatics technologies that support a wide range of cancer research, including discovery biology, population studies, as well as clinical and translational research. The emphasis is on uniqueness and potential impact on cancer research.
Amount: $4,560,000
Due Date: 10/19/2026
This program supports clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on psychological health conditions and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) through clinical applications, including health care products, technologies and/or practice guidelines.
Amount: $2,100,000 (Level 1); $4,100,000 (Level 2)
Due Date: 07/13/2026 (Pre-Applications); 10/15/2026 (Full Proposals)
This program supports research on STEM education in one or more of three research areas: STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.
Amount: $500,000 (Level I); $1,500,000 (Level II); $2,500,000 (Level III)
Due Date: 10/01/2026
This NOFO invites applications from eligible organizations to establish a Data Coordination and Integration Center (DCIC) which will support the coordination and integration of data from both the HEAL INTERACT program and progressively facilitate broader integration of related musculoskeletal datasets and programs. The Center will lead efforts for managing and integrating complex pain-associated data types and information from the INTERACT Consortium and progressively related datasets. It will also establish a web-accessible information system and disseminate datasets that can facilitate hypothesis generation and be widely used throughout the research community.
Amount: $4,000,000
Due Date: 10/06/2026
This award supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have significant impact on the treatment and management of a disease or condition addressed in one of the congressionally directed FY26 PRMRP topic areas and FY26 PRMRP strategic goals.
Amount: $800,000 (Planning); $6M (Level 1); $10M (Level 2); $20M (Level 3)
Due Date: 07/23/2026 (Pre-Proposals); 09/22/2026 (Invited Full Proposals)
This award supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have significant impact on the treatment and management of a disease or condition addressed in one of the congressionally directed FY26 PRMRP topic areas and FY26 PRMRP strategic goals.
This NOFO invites applications which include at least two related, synergistic Research Projects that share a common central theme, focus, and/or overall objective; an Administrative Core; and optional Scientific Core(s). Applications must address scientific areas relevant to the NIAID mission.
Amount: Unspecified
Due Date: 09/26/2026
The BCRP seeks to accelerate high-impact research with clinical relevance, encourage innovation and stimulate creativity, and facilitate productive collaborations. The intent of the Breakthrough Award is to support promising research with high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer. The FY26 Breakthrough Award mechanism contains four different funding levels designed to support major (but not all) stages of research that will lead to clinical application.
Amount: $21,000,000
Due Date: 06/12/2026 (Pre-Proposals); 09/30/2026 (Invited Full Proposals)
This program will fund P50 SPORE grants to support state-of-the-art investigator-initiated translational research that will contribute to improved prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of an organ-specific cancer or a highly related group of cancers. For the purpose of this NOFO, a group of highly related cancers are those that are derived from the same organ system, such as gastrointestinal, neuroendocrine, head and neck, and other cancers.
Amount: $10,570,000
Due Date: 08/25/2026 (LOI); 09/25/2026 (Full Proposal)
The goal of this program is to advance the preservation and availability of physical and digital collections important for research, teaching, and public engagement in the humanities.
Amount: $50,000 – $500,000
Due Date: 05/11/2026; 12/15/2026
The Department of State invites eligible applicants to advance the America First Global Health Strategy through its new Advancing Global Health (AGH) program, which aims to save lives, strengthen health systems, enhance efficiency, foster self-reliance, and ensure U.S. investments benefit American safety, strength, and prosperity.
Amount: $500,000 – $250,000,000
Due Date: 05/31/2026 (Window 1); 11/14/2026 (Window 2); 02/14/2027 (Window 3)
This program supports the design and implementation of research infrastructure — including equipment, cyberinfrastructure, large-scale datasets and personnel — whose total project costs are under $20 million.
Amount: $4,000,000 – $19,999,999
Due Date: 09/01/2026 (Pre-Proposals); 02/08/2027 (Full Proposals)
The Sarah H. Moss Fellowships, administered by the Office of Research, provide funds for travel and related expenses for tenure-track faculty of the University of Georgia pursuing advanced scholarship, research, and study in institutions of higher learning abroad and in the United States. Applicants must be tenure-track faculty at the University of Georgia in Athens. Pre-tenure applicants are strongly prioritized. Funds may be used for faculty members’ own travel and research expenses, as well as for partner and dependent travel.
The deadline for applications for the FY27 cycle is April 1, 2026.
Prior uses of the award include:
- Funding to attend a summer institute abroad, with additional time in country to initiate a research collaboration and faculty/student exchange between UGA and another university.
- Funding to support archival material reproduction fees during a visit to another institution in the United States, plus funding to travel abroad to a field research location for additional research.
- Funding to travel abroad and spend several weeks in residence at an institute receiving specialized training and initiating a research collaboration to support faculty member’s research productivity at UGA.
- Funding to support travel and housing during field research abroad.
More information about the Sarah H. Moss Fellowships, including the eligibility criteria and application, please can be found on the Office of Research website here.
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for support of National Centers for Cryoelectron Tomography (CryoET) to provide nationwide access to advanced cryoET instrumentation and technical support, and to assist investigators in acquiring the skills needed to perform cryoET studies.
Amount: Unspecified
Due Date: 01/26/2027
The Office of Research announces the FY 2027 cycle for the Faculty Seed Grants in the Sciences and Engineering.
The goal of the Faculty Seed Grants in the Sciences and Engineering is to enable faculty to launch new, promising lines of research for which resources are currently not available. These seed grants are intended to fund pilot research generating preliminary data that will be leveraged to compete for externally funded grant/contract opportunities and contribute to a sustainable program of research and scholarship. Basic and applied research in the social, life, physical sciences, and engineering are eligible for funding through this program. (Note: The Office of Research funds research grants in Humanities and Arts through a separate program managed by the Willson Center).
All faculty (tenure-track and non-tenure track) with research EFT (equivalent full-time) are eligible with the following exceptions: 1) Applicants may not have access to more than $25,000 in institutional or discretionary research funding (e.g., start-up, salary returns, or IDC returns) during the award year (i.e., FY27); 2) Tenured applicants may not have received more than $50,000 in institutional research support in the past three years (FY24 or later). Examples of institutional research support include bridge funding, a Presidential Seed Grant or other internal seed grant; and 3) An applicant may not have received a Faculty Seed Grant from this program within the last three years (an FY24 grant or later).
See the guidelines on the Office of Research Internal Grants webpage. Answers to frequently asked questions, award conditions, and other information are on the Faculty Seed Grants FAQs page.
The deadline for proposal submission is 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Grants for successful applications will be awarded with a start date of July 1, 2026 (FY27).
This program supports research collaborations between mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, engineers and social behavior scientists to establish innovative and principled design and analysis approaches for AI technology.
Amount: $500,000 – $1,500,000
Due Date: 10/09/2026
- Deadline to submit comments: July 21, 2025
- NSF seeks input from academia, non-profits, philanthropy, state and local government, venture capital, the private sector and any other interested parties to inform the agency’s assessment and potential update of the Key Technology Focus Areas as described in Public Law 117-167 (Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act.)
- Comments may be submitted via https://airtable.com/appKnHdp08MhNZPyb/pagb14TC1ya9x4V2t/form or via email to KTA_RFI@nsf.gov.
Effective January 2025, there will be important changes to the Visiting Researcher/Scholar and Remote Research Affiliate processes. Below is a summary of these updates.
Key Changes
1. Terminology Update
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- Remote Research Affiliates will now be referred to as Remote Visiting Researchers/Scholars (Remote VRS).
- Information for both VRS and Remote VRS will be consolidated on the VRS webpage to provide clear and comprehensive details in one place.
2. Unified Registration Form
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- Registration requests for both VRS and Remote VRS will be submitted via a single request form on UGA’s InfoReady Portal.
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- Requesters will specify whether the request is for a VRS or a Remote VRS.
- Faculty Sponsor “Action Required” email approvals of request submissions will no longer be required.
- InfoReady features include:
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- Ability to save draft applications and return later to complete them.
- Capability to initiate multiple requests.
- Status tracking of submissions under the requesters “Applications” tab when logged in to InfoReady.
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- Extension requests for both VRS and Remote VRS will also use a single form on InfoReady.
- The request forms for new registrations and extensions will be accessible via the links on the website once posted.
- Registration requests for both VRS and Remote VRS will be submitted via a single request form on UGA’s InfoReady Portal.
3. Updated Agreements
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- New Agreements for VRS and Remote VRS:
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- The existing VRS Agreements have been updated for electronic signing capability and will now require the signature of the UGA Faculty Sponsor on page 2.
- The existing Remote Research Affiliate Agreements will be renamed to Remote Visiting Researcher/Scholar Agreement, will have electronic signature capability and also require the UGA Faculty Sponsor to sign on page 2.
- There is a grace period through January 20, 2025, for new VRS requests in which Faculty Sponsors have already initiated the signing process with his/her VRS using the previous version of the VRS Agreement that did not require the UGA Faculty Sponsor signature.
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- Given that updates to VRS/Remote VRS Agreements may occur, please return to the website to download the appropriate document each time you need an agreement.
- New Agreements for VRS and Remote VRS:
4. VRS Webpages
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- The VRS and Remote VRS information will be consolidated on the existing VRS webpages for ease of access.
- While these updates have not yet been implemented on the website, they will be available soon. Please visit the website for:
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- Definitions of VRS and Remote VRS statuses.
- Information on time limits, registration procedures, and extension request requirements.
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5. New Operations Associate
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- Starting January 2025, Nathan White will join the Office of Research’s IGARP division as the Operations Associate responsible for VRS and Remote VRS registration procedures.
- We extend our gratitude to Moriah for her contributions over the past two years and welcome Nathan to the team.
We appreciate your patience as we transition to these new processes and bring new staff on board. For questions or additional information, please email vrs@uga.edu.
Obtaining funding from mission-driven agencies requires early, consistent engagement with stakeholders and program managers. The Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) premier annual scientific research conference that brings together military providers, academia, industry and government officials—favorable circumstances for building connections within the DoD community. Abstract submission for the 2024 MHSRS opened January 8 and closes February 21, 2024 12 am EST. Click here for a list of 2024 MHSRS sessions and instructions for abstract submission.
UGA’s Office of Research Safety (ORS) has adopted a new software for its Chemical Safety Plan (CSP) program that will streamline submission of CSPs for investigators and lab managers across campus. Called ChemSafeUGA, the new platform links to outside databases that make it easier for lab personnel to keep their CSPs up to date with information on chemicals and substances and their respective hazard categories, current rosters of lab employees, and building/location information.
The CSP program affects more than 500 investigators spread among 1,200 labs at UGA. Each lab is required to submit a CSP, which helps both employees and ORS to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for storage, handling, usage and spill response of hazardous chemicals and waste products. CSP is part of UGA’s wider Environmental Health and Safety Management System.
Among ChemSafeUGA’s improvements are:
· Automatically linking a lab’s chemical inventory into hazard categories as defined by Chematix, and lists Particularly Hazardous Substances (PHS) for investigator and lab staff awareness.
· Connection to HR, Student Affairs and Facilities Management Division databases to streamline entry of laboratory staff and locations into the CSP.
· Connection to UGA Professional Education Portal to streamline reporting of training progress by lab personnel.
With the adoption of ChemSafeUGA, lab managers no longer will need to obtain personnel MyIDs to complete their CSPs, nor will they need to track down information about the training requirements for those personnel.
ChemSafeUGA was developed by the Office of Research Information Technology group in close consultation with UGA’s Research Safety Committee. ORS will roll the new system out during spring 2024 as it builds its calendar for lab safety inspections, reporting its progress and compliance back to the committee during the rollout.
If you have questions about ChemSafeUGA, contact ORS Director Zeke Barrera at 542-9373 or ebarr@uga.edu.
The Office of Research is offering two workshops in the coming months for grant writing and promotion dossier preparation, specifically for research scientists considering a grant promotion application in the next year. For both topics, there will be an informational webinar, followed by an in-person workshop to get direct guidance and feedback on documents. More detailed information on the workshops can be found at the link.
Grant writing workshops. The Offices of Research Personnel and Proposal Enhancement are hosting a two-part grant writing workshop in December to help research scientists build grantsmanship skills with an emphasis on issues specific to research scientists, including space and independence.
- Part 1 will be a zoom presentation at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 1. This session will provide a structured approach to proposal preparation, introduce the essential components of any argument for funding and assign writing tasks to prepare or Part 2.
- Part 2 will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13 in Coverdell Room 175. This will be an in-person, 2-hour grant writing workshop in which participants will work to refine their Specific Aims page or other proposal summary documents that serve as a roadmap for writing a competitive proposal.
- Participants may attend both parts or just Part 1. If you plan to attend both sessions, please register through this link. The registration deadline is Nov. 20.
Promotion Dossier workshops. The Office of Research is hosting a two-part promotion dossier workshop to help research scientists understand the promotion process and prepare promotion materials.
- Part 1 will be a zoom presentation at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23. This session will review the general guidelines, dossier components and timeline required by the Office of Faculty Affairs, as well as the specific requirements and criteria for Research Scientists.
- Part 2 will be held 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 in Coverdell Room 104. This will be an in-person, 2-hour dossier preparation workshop in which participants will work to refine their vita and summary of accomplishments, and get feedback on their dossier packages. Registration will be sent in December.
- In addition to these events sponsored by the Office of Research, the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Learning Community is hosting informal writing groups, details below:
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- Are you starting to work on your promotion or third-year review dossier? The NTT-FLC is hosting peer writing groups to share ideas, review past dossiers, offer constructive feedback and provide other support as appropriate. If you are interested, please complete this form.
Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion of Research Scientists.
- Finally, research scientists are invited to join a working group to review and revise our current appointment and promotion guidelines document. Please contact research-personnel@uga.edu if you are interested in joining this group.
The University Research Animal Resources team is excited to welcome Gianni Campellone as the new clinical assistant professor in the Laboratory Animal Medicine program.
Campellone always wanted to work with animals and pursued a degree in zoology before deciding to go into veterinary medicine. After initially getting rejected from veterinary school, however, he began to pursue a master’s degree in laboratory animal medicine. Even once he was accepted into the veterinary program at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, he continued his work in the related field.
“Truth be told, even with a degree in laboratory animal science, I entered veterinary school with the intention of pursuing zoological medicine,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to work with a variety of species.”
During the summer between his second and third year, he took an internship at Tulane’s National Primate Research Center. It was his first experience working with non-human primates, and he was hooked.
“After zoo medicine, laboratory animal medicine is the next best specialty for working with a wide variety of species,” he said.
After he finished his veterinary program, Campellone accepted an internship with Mannheimer Foundation, Inc., a laboratory that breeds non-human primates for use in biomedical research. He eventually moved to Emory University and worked with their laboratory animal residency before coming to UGA this month.
“Much of my professional experience has been in non-human primate medicine, particularly old-world species, but I also enjoy working with other traditional lab animal species such as rodents, ferrets, rabbits, fish, pigs, and the occasional cat and dog,” he said.
Campellone is currently studying for the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) specialty boards next summer and hopes to be an ACLAM Diplomate one day.
“I am very excited to get the opportunity to work with UGA’s wide variety of species and put my last four years of training to good use,” he said, also noting a passion for teaching. “I feel honored to be a part of such an elite University, and to work at such an outstanding College of Veterinary Medicine.”
The Human Research Protection Program professionals provide guidance and support for students and staff developing submissions for IRB review. They can provide guidance on: completing online submission forms; drafting recruitment materials and describing recruitment processes; drafting consent materials; describing data management processes; and collaborations with other entities. Make an appointment using the Support Appointment Form.
By Ian Bennett
Dan Runge has been named director of the newly recreated Office of Research Security & Export Control in the Office of Research. Runge has worked in research compliance at UGA since 2014, previously serving as the export compliance officer.
In his new position, Runge will work to ensure that federally funded research activity at UGA meets evolving federal mandates for the creation of a “research security program.” Additionally, he will help develop the safeguarding requirements for controlled unclassified and classified information.
The research security program is required by federal funding agencies for universities that receive more than $50 million in federally funded research per year by National Security Presidential Memorandum-33. NSPM-33’s requirements will apply to all federally funded research that UGA performs.
“While the safeguarding requirements for controlled unclassified and classified information apply to a narrower research portfolio, it is expanding. This new position will work with stakeholders across campus on cybersecurity, foreign travel security and research security training,” said Runge, who started in his new appointment on May 23.
Runge will continue to provide guidance and training for compliance with federal export control and economic sanctions regulations. These regulations govern the transfer of controlled items abroad, or the access to controlled information by foreign nationals in the United States. These federal regulations exist to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Export controls are usually implicated when the research, or research tool or equipment, has military or certain dual military and commercial application. Certain university activity may also be restricted by U.S. economic sanctions.
“Any item, whether it’s a commodity, software, technology, equipment or information that is sent, or hand-carried, from the U.S. to a foreign destination, or accessed by a foreign national within the U.S., can fall under export control rules,” said Runge.
Previously, Runge held positions at Texas Tech University and as a prosecutor in Kansas. He earned an LL.M. at the University of San Diego, his J.D. at the University of Kansas, , and a B.S. at Kansas State University.
The newly created office directed by Runge will implement compliance procedures and policies so that UGA appropriately follows these federal research security and export control regulations.
“It’s important that we have this position because it allows us to coordinate across the university. In a lot of cases, the systems to meet these new requirements already exist, but before Dan’s promotion, we didn’t have the ability to coordinate and standardize these practices,” said Martin Bink, director of defense and security collaborations, who serves as UGA’s designated facility security officer. “With Dan’s background in law and export controls, he is particularly qualified to head this up, and we’re excited to have him in this position.”
A new Office of Research Security and Export Controls (ORSEC) is on the horizon within the Office of Research. Under the Office of Research Integrity and Safety umbrella, ORSEC will continue its export controls and economic sanctions compliance mandate while responding to new and evolving federal guidelines related to research security requirements for federally funded research.
ORSEC also will further shepherd compliance with heightened security and safeguarding requirements when the institution performs certain restricted research projects. As UGA steps up its sponsored research activity with federal “mission agencies” such as the Department of Defense, ORSEC’s responsibilities will become even more important.
The establishment of ORSEC is driven mainly by the research security requirements as outlined in National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 and associated agency implementation guidance. These new federal mandates will require the development of a formal research security program, applicable across research funded by all federal agencies. The research security program will include elements of cybersecurity, foreign travel security, research security training, and, where appropriate, export control training. Additionally, ORSEC will work to ensure that research requiring heightened safeguarding meets federal requirements for safeguarding controlled unclassified and classified information. Marty Bink serves as the facility security officer and the director of defense and secure collaborations in the Office of Research. In his facility security role, Bink will work closely with the ORSEC director as facility security responsibility transitions into that office.
ORSEC will also work closely with Gene Pope and the Office of Conflicts of Interest Review and Management regarding disclosure and reporting obligations mandated in NSPM-33 related to conflicts of interest, conflicts of commitment, and outside activities and affiliations.
More information, including an updated website, an outreach and education effort, and new policy or process, will be communicated to the research and university community over the coming months.
Starting May 23, Dan Runge will serve as the director of ORSEC. Dan has worked in research compliance at UGA since 2014. He is a member of the Association of University Export Control Officers and earned a bachelor of science from Kansas State University, a law degree from the University of Kansas, and a master of laws in international law from the University of San Diego. Runge was a prosecutor when he practiced law in Kansas.
Attention human research investigators: We recognize and value UGA investigators’ experience and expertise in conducting research projects. Further, we understand the demands on researchers’ time, and we strive to create systems and infrastructure that provide a high level of research project management support. However, the PI is ultimately accountable for ensuring that individual research projects meet all reporting and approval requirements. While the IRB portal is programmed to send courtesy reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days prior to a study’s expiration date, this system does not replace the responsibility of PIs to be aware of the approval period for research studies.
We strongly urge investigators to have multiple tools and safeguards to ensure that they meet regulatory and institutional requirements pertaining to continuing review and maintaining approval of human research projects. Setting up calendar reminders for 30 days prior to study expiration is one possible method.
Please remember that all human research procedures related to the approved project must stop when approval expires until a new approval period is granted. When research activities are complete, the PI is responsible for closing the project in the IRB portal, even if the project was for a student’s thesis or dissertation.
Please contact the Human Subject Office at IRB@uga.edu or 706-542-3199 if you have any questions about continuing review and expiration of IRB approval. More information is available in our Policies and Procedures and on the Human Research Protection Program website.
The U.S. government imposes comprehensive economic sanctions and trade embargoes on Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. These restrictions limit nearly all imports and exports of technology, goods and services involving those countries. Services are very broadly defined and include prohibitions on participating in academic conferences in Iran and tourist travel to Cuba, for example. Travel to North Korea by U.S. citizens is, for all intents and purposes, prohibited.
Additionally, the U.S. has recently subjected Belarus and Russia to significantly expanded export controls and economic sanctions. While not comprehensively sanctioned, both countries are subject to significant controls on the import and export of technology, goods,and services.
China and Venezuela are also subject to heighted controls on end-users in those countries.
It is particularly important that activities involving these high-risk countries receive export control review. UGA personnel may contact Dan Runge, in the Office of Export Control, at drunge@uga.edu or 2-4188 to discuss travel, shipping and activities involving these countries.
The Office of Export Control can provide in-person or video conference training for international shippers on compliance with export controls and economic sanctions. Details about export control training are available here. University personnel that engage in international shipping are strongly encouraged to complete the “Export Compliance for International Shipping” CITI module available via the Professional Education Portal (PEP). The CITI modules are available by searching for Export Compliance in the PEP search bar.
All university personnel engaging in international shipping on behalf of UGA should request review of international shipments by the Office of Export Control prior to shipment. Anything you ship abroad is considered an export. Export shipments of equipment, tools or research materials, for example, may be submitted for review via the “International Shipping Export Control Review” form. Further details about international shipping are available here.
Please contact Dan Runge, in the Office of Export Control, at drunge@uga.edu or 2-4188 if you have questions or concerns.
In response to the change in UGA RIF requirements, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has revised its policy and guidelines for postdoc appointments and terminations.
In addition to no longer requiring an RIF for grant-funded postdocs, units now have two distinct options for postdoc appointments: defined term and open term. Faculty/units can choose which best suits their needs based on the nature of the funding available. The defined-term option requires an up-front defined end date and formal continuation letters, and has less notice requirement at the time of separation, while the open-term option does not require a defined end date or formal continuation letters, but requires additional notice at termination (and may be subject to RIF if the position is state funded).
Details of these changes can be found on pages 3 and 4 of the updated UGA Policy for Postdoctoral Appointments, found here. Updated templates for both defined-term and open-term offer letters can be found here and must be used for all new postdoctoral appointments effective April 11, 2022.
Shelly Terrazas and Amy Ware have been recruited to positions in the Office of Research. Terrazas is the newly appointed director of finance and human resources, and Ware will serve as special assistant to the vice president for research.
Terrazas, who began her new appointment on March 1, comes to the Office of Research from the School of Public and International Affairs, where she served as director of finance and administration for three years. Prior to working at SPIA, Terrazas held positions at Emory University, The Carter Center and Georgia Tech. She earned an M.B.A. at Georgia State University, an M.S. at Georgia Tech and a B.A. at Centre College.
Ware, who has a start date of March 15, is the assistant director for research communications in the Office of Research, where she has worked for more than eight years. Previously, she worked at P.I.E. Medical LLC, The Summit Agency and Athens Food and Culture Magazine. Ware earned a B.F.A. at Louisiana State University and is pursuing an M.P.A. at UGA.
“I am pleased to welcome Shelly to the senior leadership team in the Office of Research, and I am excited at the wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm she brings. I am also pleased to welcome Amy; her years of experience in research communications and interacting with UGA scholars make her uniquely suited for this new position, which will involve working across disciplines to facilitate research” said Karen Burg, vice president for research. “I look forward to collaborating with each of them.”
For NEW projects beginning on or after April 1, 2022, Principal Investigators will begin receiving monthly, automated project balance snapshots in the form of the Project Status Report (PSR) Lite. This report, designed by PIs for PIs, is like a bank statement that includes direct cost budget, actual expenses and remaining balance. It also shows recent transactions and recent payroll, with the option to drill down for additional information. The automatic subscription process will apply to new awards, and PIs also have the option create a subscription for existing projects. PIs will receive these updates on the 10th of each month. If you have any questions, please contact the Sponsored Projects Administration team.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has recently added multiple foreign universities and affiliated labs and other research centers to either the Unverified List or the Entity List. Multiple foreign universities have been previously listed and remain listed. These designations restrict, and may prohibit, certain interactions the University of Georgia and its employees may have with the designated institutions and individuals affiliated with those institutions.
The Office of Export Control, and others on campus, engage in “restricted party screening” related to many institutional interactions and agreements, such as in Sponsored Projects, and International Initiatives and Immigration Services in the Office of Global Engagement. UGA employees engaging internationally should be aware of these lists and contact the Office of Export Control prior to engaging in formal or informal relationships or collaborations, or providing services to ensure the foreign institution is not restricted.
The Office of Export Control maintains a list of restricted foreign universities on its website, but this list is not as up-to-date as utilizing the university’s “restricted party screening tool,” Visual Compliance. In addition to universities and research institutes, these lists contain individuals and entities, including multinational corporations such as Huawei and Gazprom. Please contact Dan Runge at drunge@uga.edu with questions or to set up a Visual Compliance account.
Feb. 8, 2022, additions to the Unverified List:
Hunan University, State Key Lab of Chemo/Biosensing & Chemometrics
Southern University of Science and Technology, Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering
Dec. 17, 2021, additions to the Entity List:
Academy of Military Medical Sciences and multiple affiliated research institutes
Nov. 26, 2021, additions to the Entity List:
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, a.k.a., the following two aliases: National Research Center for Microscale: and Microscale National Research Center
Before agreeing to provide an international sale or service, product, or international shipment, UGA personnel should contact the Office of Export Control to request review of the transaction. This review will ensure an export license is not needed for the provision of the service or international shipment and include a due diligence review of the end-use and end-user at the foreign destination.
The Department of Commerce has taken export enforcement actions, including imposing monetary settlements, against U.S. academic institutions for unlicensed export of strains and recombinants of animal pathogens to non-U.S. research institutions as well as for shipments of basic research equipment to embargoed non-U.S. research institutions.
Detailed information about International Shipping is available here and a list of export controlled items, software, and technology is available here. UGA employees also have access to the university’s “restricted party screening tool,” Visual Compliance.
Please contact Dan Runge at drunge@uga.edu to begin due diligence.
The Office of Research is hosting a Research Advisory Group with the goal of fostering open and ongoing discussion on opportunities to save time, remove obstacles and improve service and support for our research community. Process improvements that come from this group’s work will be shared publicly. The group includes both faculty and staff:
- Mr. Keith Anderson, Terry College of Business
- Ms. Caitlin Baerne, College of Pharmacy
- Dr. Robin Buell, College of Agricultural & Environment Sciences
- Dr. David Crich, College of Pharmacy
- Ms. Annie Curry, Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases
- Dr. John Drake, Odum School of Ecology
- Dr. Ellen Evans, Mary Frances Early College of Education
- Dr. Travis Glenn, Institute of Bioinformatics
- Dr. Robert Gogal, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Ms. Audrey Greeson, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources
- Dr. Tim Heckman, College of Public Health
- Dr. Ricardo Holdo, Odum School of Ecology
- Dr. Jean Martin-Williams, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
- Mr. Michael McGough, College of Family and Consumer Sciences
- Dr. Allen Moore, College of Agricultural & Environment Sciences
- Ms. Donella Moore, College of Engineering
- Dr. Glen Nowak, Grady College of Journalism
- Ms. Stephanie O’Kelley, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Dr. Gene Rhodes, Savannah River Ecology Lab
- Dr. Pejman Rohani, College of Veterinary Medicine/Odum School of Ecology
- Ms. Angie Royer, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Ms. Emily Salvia, Finance Division – Procurement
- Ms. Leslie Sitz, Odum School of Ecology
- Ms. Mica Turner, Odum School of Ecology
- Dr. Jody-Clay Warner, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released an updated Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) on June 22, 2021. The new PAPPG is effective on October 4, 2021. NSF requires the use of an NSF-approved format to prepare Current and Pending Support.
Current and pending support information must be separately provided through use of an NSF-approved format, for each individual designated as senior personnel on the proposal. Current and pending support includes all resources made available to an individual in support of and/or related to all of his/her research efforts, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value. Current and pending support also includes in-kind contributions (such as office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, employees, students. In-kind contributions not intended for use on the project/proposal being proposed that have associated time commitments also must be reported.
Current and pending support information must be provided for the proposed project, for ongoing projects, and for any proposals currently under consideration from whatever source irrespective of whether such support is provided through the proposing organization or is provided directly to the individual. This includes, for example, Federal, State, local, foreign, public, or private foundations, non-profit organizations, industrial or other commercial organizations, or internal funds allocated toward specific projects.
NSF updated Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide
FAQs on Current & Pending Support (nsf.gov)
https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/disclosures_table/jan2022.pdf
On Dec. 20, 2021, the Department of Energy issued an interim conflict of interest (COI) policy that addresses both financial and organizational conflicts of interest, which will be incorporated in and made enforceable through the Special Terms and Conditions for DOE financial assistance awards. The interim COI policy establishes standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, and reporting of projects wholly or in part funded under DOE financial assistance awards (e.g., a grant, cooperative agreement, or technology investment agreement) will be free from bias resulting from financial conflicts of interest or organizational conflicts of interest. As used in this announcement, reference to DOE includes both DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The interim policy requires each Investigator who is planning to participate in the DOE award to disclose the Investigator’s significant financial interests (and those of the Investigator’s spouse and dependent children) to UGA no later than the time of proposal for the DOE award. Disclosures must be made at least annually, thereafter, and within 30 days of acquiring a new significant financial interest. Disclosures of significant financial interests should be made to UGA via the Grants Portal. In addition, an Investigator may need to disclose the significant financial interest on UGA’s Compensated Outside Activities Approval Form. See UGA’s Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities Policy.
Finally, the DOE interim policy requires Investigator complete COI training prior to engaging in projects related to any DOE financial assistance award and at least every four years. Investigators can complete the CITI COI training module through UGA’s Professional Educational Portal (PEP).
Starting Jan. 25, 2022, Investigators identified as senior/key personnel on new National Institutes of Health projects and renewals will need to provide expanded disclosures of other support including third party contracts and agreements.
Other Support includes all resources made available to a researcher in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at the institution the researcher identifies for the current grant. This includes but is not limited to:
- Resources and/or financial support from all foreign and domestic entities, that are available to the researcher. This includes but is not limited to, financial support for laboratory personnel, and provision of high-value materials that are not freely available (e.g., biologics, chemical, model systems, technology, etc.). Institutional resources, such as core facilities or shared equipment that are made broadly available, should not be included in Other Support, but rather listed under Facilities and Other Resources.
- Consulting agreements, when the PD/PI or other senior/key personnel will be conducting research as part of the consulting activities. Non-research consulting activities are not Other Support.
- Honoraria in support of an individual’s research endeavors must be reported.
- In-kind contributions, e.g. office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, or employees or students supported by an outside source. If the time commitment or dollar value of the in-kind contribution is not readily ascertainable, the recipient must provide reasonable estimates.
NIH will require the following:
- Supporting documentation, which includes copies of contracts/agreements specific to senior/key-personnel foreign appointments and/or employment with a foreign institution for all foreign activities and resources that are reported in Other Support. If the contracts/agreements are not in English, recipients must provide translated copies.
- Immediate notification of undisclosed Other Support. When a recipient organization discovers that a PI or other Senior/Key personnel on an active NIH grant failed to disclose Other Support information outside of Just-in-Time or the RPPR, as applicable, the recipient must submit updated Other Support to the Grants Management Specialist named in the Notice of Award as soon as it becomes known.
The information required by NIH should also be disclosed to UGA via the Grants Portal. In addition, an Investigator may need to disclose the significant financial interest on UGA’s Compensated Outside Activities Approval Form. See UGA’s Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities Policy.
NIH- Upcoming Changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support