Quarterly Update
March, 2017
Most Recent Research Awards Recipients


Kevin Stokesbury, Steven Cadrin, Pingguo He, Changsheng Chen & Daniel Georgianna.


Congratulations to STEM Education & Teacher Development faculty:
Updates from SPA
If you have any questions or need any assistance Grant Managers will be available for Ad Comp Form drop-in sessions.


New Guidelines & Revised Policy:



If you are thinking about setting up a new CRF please contact Catherine Palmer for assistance.


Revised Policy on Course Buy-Outs effective July 1, 2017




It is this time of the year again - effort certification period is open.  We strongly encourage you to certify your effort on grants by mid-April, 2017. If you need assistance please contact Catherine Palmer.


SPA Staff Changes:
I'm pleased to announce that Constance Galanis will become our temporary part-time Pre-award and Sub-recipient Manager while we are searching for a permanent full time Pre-award & Sub-recipient Manager.  Connie will be responsible for proposal submissions & awards administration for the assigned departments
as well as sub-award issuance & monitoring.


Priorities & Progress Status Report on Research Support Initiatives Led by the Grants & Contracts Working Group: 


The group has been meeting every other Tuesday since February, 2015 and being lead by me as the SPA Director in order to streamline processes related to grants administration and have a vehicle to communicate with faculty, addressing their concerns in collaboration with other administrative offices. 


The core participants are: Tesfay Meressi, Suzanne Audet, Mike LaGrassa & Mary Hensel.  All other key stakeholders are invited to participate in the meetings, depending on topics discussed to address the issues and come up with workable solutions.


Some of our accomplishments include improved:
  • Communication & clarified roles & responsibilities among offices (on & off campus), e.g., with Payroll to effectively address graduate & undergraduate student payments, data entry errors & turn around time by revising internal forms & having a better understanding of all involved parties requirements & systems limitations.
  • Health & wellness fees - revised timing & allocation method.
  • Travel - initiating a possibility of electronically attaching the receipts in PeopleSoft instead of submitting paper copies in addition to Travel Expense report in PeopleSoft.
  • Access to SUMMIT for all faculty & research staff without requiring formal training to effectively manage their awards.
  • Participants compensation: gift cards vs. checks & other ways of payments, by setting up reasonable expectations, timelines & dollar thresholds.
Next meeting:
Tuesday, April 4 from 3:30PM to 4:30PM
SPA conference room 009, Foster Administration.
Discussion Topic: Administrative Burden Reduction


I would like to invite you to join us for a constructive discussion, bringing potentially workable solutions to the table.
Sincerely,



Elena Glatman

Director, Sponsored Projects Administration
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 Upcoming Proposal Submission Opportunities
Faculty Summer Research Fellowship deadline is coming up March 31st.
$6,000 stipend for 8 weeks commitment, plus, $1,000 in other expenses. 


If interested in applying, please contact Mary Hensel by the identified deadline.



to purchase equipment in support of research of interest to Defense agencies.

Proposals must relate to Defense agency missions.  Project cost $50K - $1.5MM.
Due Friday July 7, 2017. Multiple applications are allowed. No cost share requirements.


News from NSF & AFOSR


NSF Proposal & Award Policy Newsletter



NSF CAREER Program Webinar
on May 22, 2017 from 1:00PM to 3:00PM



The NSF CAREER Coordinating
Committee hosts a webinar to
answer participants' questions
about development and submission of proposals to the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program(CAREER).
The webinar will give participants the opportunity to interact with members of the NSF CAREER Coordinating Committee in a question-and-answer format.


AFOSR Memo on Timely Financial Performance (dated 01/25/2017)


With heightening oversight of funds obligations and expenditures at the Air Force and Department of Defense level, timely execution of expenditures are closely scrutinized and serve as a basis for future research funding allocations. Monthly billing and steady expenditure rates are an essential part of this process.
When expenditure rates and billings by grantees' institutions are not timely and up to date, there is a risk of termination or decrease in the amount of existing grants.


Updates from OTCV
OTCV continues to work with UMassD investigators to protect and license potentially valuable inventions and other intellectual property. So far during FY17, we've received 4 new invention disclosures, and we've filed 7 new patent applications.


Congratulations to Professor Dan MacDonald of Civil and Environmental Engineering who along with several former students received U.S. Patent No. 9,581,128, "Systems and Methods for Wave Energy Conversion" on February 28, 2017, our second issued patent for this fiscal year. 


We continue to make progress in moving UMassD inventions to the market. In October 2016, we signed a license agreement with User Friendly Recycling LLC of Norwood, Mass. for a novel technology for metal recycling invented by Dr. Chen-Lu Yang of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Bioengineering Department.


Upcoming Event
Engaged Scholarship Symposium 2017 at
Claire T. Carney Library
Robert F. Stoico/FIRSTFED 
Charitable Foundation 
Grand Reading Room on
March 31, 2017
Noon - 2:00PM


Contact Us
Sponsored Projects Administration


University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747
Phone: 508-999-8953
Fax: 508-999-8868
Website: umassd.edu/spa


University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | 285 Old Westport Road | Dartmouth | MA | 02747