Transcript Pursuing Center

PURSUING CENTERLEVEL FUNDING
Alicia J. Knoedler, CRA, PhD
Assistant Vice President for Research
Director, Center for Research Program
Development and Enrichment
Overview
• Center-Level Funding
• Technical Aspects
• Non-Technical Aspects
• Significant Challenges
• Horror Stories
• Resources
Centers Defined
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An organizational unit established to enhance the working
relationship between and among entities, advance their
work, and produce a whole that is greater than the sum of its
parts
Centers vs Institutes vs Laboratories
Common Elements
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Mission, goals, strategy, objectives
Activities (technical and non-technical)
Science vs application
Types
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Comprehensive vs program-focused
National vs Regional vs Local vs Institutional
Resource
Virtual
Why Establish a Center?
• Interdisciplinary solutions to big problems/questions
• Strategic directions
• Strong research agendas
• Thematically-based
• Visibility and Impact
• Challenges…
• Politics
• Academic and Institutional Structures
• Tradition (research, teaching, administration)
• Funding
• Visibility and Impact
If you are
doing this
because of
the
money…
Where is the Money?
• National Science Foundation
• Engineering Research Center (ERC)
• Science and Technology Center (STC)
• Science of Learning Center (SLC)
• Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC)
• National Institutes of Health
• P01, P20, P30, P50
• Department of Energy
• Energy Innovation Hubs – Batteries and Energy Storage Hub
• Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC)
• Department of Education
• Education Research and Development Center Program
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of Defense
• Department of the Interior
• National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Industry
OU Centers
• University Strategic Organizations (USOs)
• The Atmospheric Radar Research Center
• Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms
• Center for Applied Social Research
• Center for the Study of Wireless Electromagnetic Compatibility
• OU Institute for Energy and the Environment
• Institute for Environmental Genomics
• K20 Center for Education and Community Renewal
• Advanced Center for Genome Technology
• USOs will be re-competed next fiscal year
• Updated information is forthcoming
Technical Aspects
• Start with institutional strengths
• Defining the vision, integrated scope
• Focus areas and their leaders
• Identifying partners
• Planning and writing
• Mapping across partners
Non-Technical Aspects (“strings-attached”)
• Management Plans
• Cost-sharing
• Cyber Infrastructure (including communication)
• Broadening Participation
• Education (K-20+), including Postdocs
• Outreach/Knowledge Transfer
• International Collaboration
• Industrial Collaboration
• Evaluation/Assessment
• Data Sharing Plan
• Site Visits
• Other items
Significant Challenges
• Manage expectations
• Getting your act together
• Having multiple conversations with the program officers
• Creating a plan and sticking to it (and know when to quit)
• Who are the essential partners – core administration
• What happens when a core partner leaves?
• Spend time thinking about the non-technical aspects
• Consensus building
• Pursuing center-level funding for the right reasons
• Establishing appropriate records of funding in advance
• Making sure the team isn’t institutional-centric
Center Development Horror Stories
• Absent PI
• Control Freak PI
• Great Leadership, weak participants
• Micromanaging Administrator
• Struggling to obtain cost sharing
• Partners jumping ship right before the deadline
• External grant writer ruins the proposal
• Last minute realizations
• Lack of institutional support/commitment ($, space,
personnel, etc.)
• Budget woes
Resources
• Pulling the entire project and process together – CRPDE
• Assistance with:
• Management Plans - CRPDE
• Cost-sharing – CRPDE, VPR
• Cyber Infrastructure (including communication) – CRPDE
• Broadening Participation – CRPDE, K20, Graduate College, some
college programs
• Education (K-20+), including Postdocs - CRPDE, K20
• Outreach/Knowledge Transfer – CRPDE, Outreach
• International Collaboration – CRPDE, International Programs
• Industrial Collaboration – CRPDE, CEO
• Evaluation/Assessment – CRPDE; http://oerl.sri.com/
• Data Sharing Plan – CRPDE, OSCER
• Site Visits - CRPDE
• Other items – CRPDE, Writing Center, Institutional Research
CRDPE
• Seek out challenging new research opportunities
• Assemble research teams
• Assist with proposal preparation and planning
• Assist with proposal preparation resources
• Assist with the establishment of submission timeline
• Coordinate review teams
• Assist with management planning
• Assist with budget development
• Serve as liaison with ORS
• Get the inside scoop, sample proposals, etc.
CRPDE
• Facilitate preliminary meetings with potential researchers
• Help identify additional collaborators
• Explore ways to make project fit sponsors program - Spin
• Facilitate proposal planning, preparation, university
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boilerplate
Assist with communication links; e.g., listservs,
conference calls, meetings, document storage systems
Run interference with chairs, deans
Assist with non-technical components
Review and edits proposal drafts; organize outside
reviews
Assist in inter-institutional partnerships and major
university research centers
Help locate supplemental or follow-on funding
Contact Information
• CRPDE – Alicia Knoedler ([email protected])
• ORS – Andrea Deaton ([email protected])
• K20 – Gregg Garn ([email protected])
• OCCE – Cal Hobson ([email protected])
• OSCER – Henry Neeman ([email protected]
• CEO – Cameron McCoy ([email protected])
• International Programs – Suzette Grillot ([email protected])
• Writing Center – Michele Eodice ([email protected])
• Institutional Research - Cheryl K. Jorgenson
([email protected])
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