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This program funds high-quality, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects that address violence and trauma within the following 3 Special Areas of Emphasis: Intentional Trauma; Unintentional Trauma; Substance Use and Trauma.
Amount: Up to $12,000,000
Due Date: 05/13/2025 (LOI)
This program seeks to fund high-quality patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects that focus on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Amount: Up to $12,000,000
Due Date: 05/13/2025 (LOI)
This purpose of this program is to solicit proposals for a single cooperative agreement between NOAA and an institution of higher learning to operate and maintain a Joint Hydrographic Center.
Amount: $47,500,000
Due Date: 05/27/2025
This program will make investments in planning, design, and implementation of nature-based solutions to enhance protection for coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural hazards while improving habitats for fish and wildlife.
Amount: $100,000 – $10,000,000
Due Date: 05/06/2025 (Pre-Proposals); 07/17/2025 (Invited Full Proposals)
This program supports research on strategies focused on improving the use, usefulness, and impact of evidence in ways that benefit young people ages 5-25 in the United States.
Amount: $100,000 – $1,000,000 (Major Research Grants)
Due Date: 05/07/2025
This program addresses high-risk basic research and attempts to understand or achieve something that has never been done before.
Amount: Typically, up to $1,500,000 per year
Due Date: 05/02/2026 (White Papers); 09/05/2025 (Full Proposals)
This program addresses high risk basic research as an international collaboration. The goal of this program is to produce significant scientific breakthroughs and knowledge that will be critical steps in enabling revolutions in robotics technology and stimulate the emergence of new industries.
Amount: $6,000,000
Due Date: 05/30/2025 (White Papers)
This program seeks to support studies that aim to evaluate or modulate the function of innate immune cells and pathways in Type 1 Diabetes, with an emphasis on human disease during relatively early stages of disease (i.e., autoantibody positivity through early onset of clinical disease).
Amount: $900,000 (Lab-based studies); $1,500,000 (Clinic-based studies)
Due Date: 4/30/2025 (Concept Notes)
This Initiative invites applications from collaborative teams to join the ASAP Collaborative Research Network (CRN). For this cycle, applications within the Scientific Track that focus on dissecting the mechanisms that contribute to Parkinson’s disease heterogeneity will be considered.
Amount: $9,000,000
Due Date: 03/20/2025 (LOI); 08/07/2025 (Invited Proposals)
This Initiative invites applications from collaborative teams to join the ASAP Collaborative Research Network (CRN), which works to address high-priority research questions in an effort to advance our understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and drive new ideas into the R&D pipeline. For this cycle, applications within the Technical Track that focus on the development of novel tools that can be reliably produced and shared with the research community to accelerate validation and therapeutic R&D for emerging targets identified from ASAP discoveries will be considered.
Amount: $6,000,000
Due Date: 05/05/2025 (LOI); 09/08/2025 (Invited Proposals)
This program strengthens the teaching and study of the humanities at institutions of higher education by developing new or improving existing humanities programs, educational resources, or coursework.
Amount: $150,000
Due Date: 03/25/2025 (Optional Draft); 05/06/2025 (Full Proposal)
CARE is focused on the intersection of neuroendocrine risks and neurodegeneration so as to identify personalized preventative strategies and treatments, with the ultimate goal of cutting women’s lifetime risk of Alzheimer’s in half.
Amount: Unspecified
Due Date: 03/14/2025 (Abstracts); 04/28/2025 (Full Proposals)
This program aims to cultivate and grow the earliest foundations of convergent approaches for addressing a specific and compelling problem. Proposals should explore novel avenues not previously investigated that are at the forefront of advancing science through deep integration.
Amount: $1,200,000 (Phase I); $2,400,000 (Phase II)
Due Date: 02/09/2026
This program aims to achieve a stronger national cancer program and address challenges in cancer and cancer disparities research, education, and outreach, as well as cancer’s impact on underserved populations.
Amount: $12,835,000 – $16,610,000
Due Date: 10/09/2025More Information
This program invites proposals for basic research into solid-state qubits for quantum computing at various stages of maturity.
Amount: $300,000 – $3,750,000
Due Date: 03/27/2025 (White Papers); 05/12/2025 (Full Proposals)
This program supports projects focused on accelerating the development of effective new approaches to the early detection of cancer. These projects will advance our understanding of the origins and risk stratifications of recalcitrant cancers and accelerate the development of technological and methodological innovation in early cancer detection and interception.
Amount: $2,000,000
Due Date: 03/10/2025 (LOI); 06/17/2025 (Full Proposal)
This program strengthens the teaching and study of the humanities at institutions of higher education by developing new or improving existing humanities programs, educational resources, or coursework.
Amount: Up to $150,000
Due Date: 03/25/2025 (Optional Draft); 05/06/2025 (Full Proposal)
This program’s purpose is to leverage NICHD clinical research network infrastructure relevant to infants, children, women, pregnant and lactating individuals, and persons with disabilities to conduct innovative, multisite, investigator-initiated clinical trials and observational studies.
Amount: $6,250,000
DueDate: 07/15/2025
The central goal of this NOFO is to establish robust proof of concept in mouse models or cell-based models of AD/ADRD that will enable rational drug repositioning and the development of precision combination therapies for the treatment and prevention of AD/ADRD.
Amount: $7,550,000
Due Date: 06/09/2025; 10/06/2025
The Office of Research announces the FY 2026 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., FY26); 2) Tenured applicants may not have received more than $50,000 in institutional research support in the past three years (FY23 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 FY23 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 Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Grants for successful applications will be awarded with a start date of July 1, 2025 (FY26).
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.
This program invites applications proposing pre-clinical and early stage clinical (Phase I) development of novel small-molecule and biologic drug candidates that aim to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, slow its progression, or treat its cognitive and behavioral symptoms.
Amount: $11,325,000
Due Date: 05/05/2025 (LOI); 06/05/2025 (Full Proposal)
This partnership between the NSF and NEH supports projects to develop and advance knowledge concerning dynamic language infrastructure in the context of endangered human languages — languages that are both understudied and at risk of falling out of use.
Amount: $450,000
Due Date: 09/15/2025
This program supports exceptionally creative scientists, who propose high-impact studies that open new areas of HIV research in the context of substance use and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and/or lead to new avenues for prevention and treatment of HIV in people with SUD.
Amount: $5,285,000
Due Date: 07/15/2025 (LOI); 08/15/2025 (Full Proposal)
This program supports archival projects that significantly improve online public discovery and use of historical records collections.
Amount: $150,000
Due Date: 02/18/2025 (Optional Draft); 05/07/2025 (Full Proposal)
This program supports interdisciplinary research in e-mobility related topics along the electric vehicle/mobility value chain such as battery manufacturing and rare earth materials mining, supply chain and logistics, vehicle manufacturing, charging infrastructure and utilities, sales and consumer knowledge, and battery and EV components/materials recycling.
Amount: $40,000 up to $60,000 per award
Proposal due date: December 18, 2024 through InfoReady. Funds must be used by December 30, 2025.
This program supports a series of one-week residential, virtual, and combined format workshops across the nation to enhance how K-12 educators and higher education faculty and humanities professionals incorporate place-based approaches to humanities teaching and scholarship.
Amount: $190,000
Due Date: 01/06/2025 (Optional Draft); 12/12/2025 (Full Proposal)
This solicitation invites proposals on bold new scientific ideas tackling ambitious fundamental research problems that cross the boundaries of two or more CISE core programs, which range from Computing and Communications to Computer and Network Systems, to Information and Intelligence Systems.
Amount: $3,000,000 – $5,000,000
Due Date: 09/29/2025
The deadline for receipt of Research Scientist promotion dossiers to Office of Research is Friday, November 1, 2024. 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 any 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 make sure you are using the most recent guidelines, which state “Effective 8-1-2023” at the top heading.
Outline 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/_resources/documents/promotion-tenure-evaluation/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 the promotion form revised on 3/30/2016.
- IMPORTANT-Years in Rank Calculation: Please ensure your unit(s) use the 2024-2025 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 Office of Research: Please submit the required materials through UGA’s InfoReady Portal via the Research Scientist Promotion Dossier Submission Form – Nov 2024.
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 Moriah Thomas, 145 Coverdell Building CAMPUS.
Please direct questions to: research-personnel@uga.edu
This program supports mentored research career development of junior faculty members who have recently completed clinical training or postdoctoral fellowships, and who will be engaged in interdisciplinary basic, translational, data science, behavioral, clinical, and/or health services research relevant to the health of women and, where appropriate, the use of both sexes to better understand the influence of sex as a biological variable on health and disease.
Amount: $6,342,000
Due Date: 05/30/2024; 05/28/2026
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.”
Supports the work of the research projects funded under the Individually Measured Phenotypes to Advance Computational Translation in Mental Health (IMPACT-MH) initiative described in the companion announcement RFA-MH-23-105.
Amount: $18,875,000
Due Date: 6/14/23
This program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments.
Amount: $400,000
Due Date: 6/14/23
After several recent incidents that have required police or fire assistance in the research labs after hours or on weekends, the Office of Research Integrity & Safety is requiring all principal investigators and laboratory supervisors to register or update their primary and alternate emergency contacts in the Chematix system. This information will only be made available to UGA Police and UGA Lab Safety.
Instructions:
Only Principal Investigators and Laboratory Supervisors assigned in the Chematix system can enter this information.
1. Login to the Chematix system at chematix.uga.edu using your UGA credentials.
2. Click on the Resources tab in the menu bar.
3. Click the View My Locations on the Resource Management page.
4. Click the laboratory location/name under your respective assignment (PI or Lab Supervisor). The link will show the building number, the room number and the lab name identifier. For example, 1000/0531/C – Smith is the link that identifies the Smith Laboratory in room 531 of the Biological Science building.
5. On the bottom of the following page, click the After-Hours Contacts button.
6. Enter cell and/or home number for both a primary and secondary contact. These contacts should have after-hours entry access and knowledge of all hazards in the lab space. All of your lab locations require a primary and secondary contact.
7. Click Submit. A success message will appear.
8. Repeat this procedure for each of your assigned locations.
9. Logout of the system when finished.
If your lab location is not listed or if you encounter any issues with the Chematix system while updating your emergency contacts, contact the Environmental Safety Division at 706-542-5801 or email chematix@uga.edu.
Supports multidisciplinary research approaches for the development of novel nonsteroidal contraceptive products for men and women that act prior to fertilization.
Amount: $3,020,000
Due Date: 3/29/23
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.
Supports teams of three or more PIs to cross boundaries of interdisciplinary collaboration to elucidate the contributions of dynamic circuit activity to a specific behavioral or neural system.
Amount: $7,200,000
Deadline: June 14, 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.