August 2024

Apply Now: Research Community-Building Small Grants Program

The Office of Research's Community-Building Small Grants Program provides one-time funds of up to $10,000 to support activities that build engagement and collaboration to support equity and belonging for the UCSF research community.

Eligible applicants include all members of the UCSF research community: faculty, staff, trainees, and community members.

Apply now for the Fall 2024 funding cycle. Deadline: September 9.

Important NIH "Other Support" Update

An August 7 Office of Research email announced communication from the NIH regarding recent failures to disclose scientific overlap between existing and proposed grants on Other Support forms, which has led to the loss of important NIH awards. NIH has asked UCSF to provide a corrective action plan to ensure compliance with NIH requirements.

A new article from the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) provides more detail on the NIH’s Other Support document, the importance of research, budgetary and commitment overlap disclosures for UCSF Principal Investigators (PIs) and senior/key personnel, and institutional responsibilities to ensure accuracy of Other Support information.

Read more and join OSR for an off-cycle Research Administration Town Hall on August 28 at 10 a.m. to get your questions answered.

Now Live: Research Gateway Conflict of Interest Portal

We are excited to announce that the Research Gateway Conflict of Interest (COI) portal is now live—replacing COI-Smart. This new portal offers a more user-friendly interface and comprehensive features designed to streamline the COI disclosure and management process. Learn more.

CTEC Update: New Slack Channel for Industry Contract Execution

As part of the Clinical Trial Excellence Campaign (CTEC), and to maintain a close focus on trials that are approaching KPI milestones, the Industry Contracts Division (ICD) has created a Slack channel utilizing its contract execution list to support communications in the joint OCTA / ICD weekly pipeline meetings.

ICD will also be checking in on contracts that are in the "Aging Studies" category monthly to see if there is anything we can collectively do to move the contract forward.

Contact [email protected] with questions and learn more about the Clinical Trial Excellence Campaign.

OCTA Customer Experience Survey

UCSF’s Office of Clinical Trial Activation (OCTA) is conducting a survey about your experience working with OCTA. Your opinion is very important. Please take a few minutes to share your feedback via an emailed link from OCTA. Please complete your survey by September 6 and contact [email protected] with questions.

Community Engagement and Equitable Research Consultations

Are you wondering about how to attract more diverse people to your study? Or curious about community engagement? CTSI’s Community engagement and Research Action Group for Equity (RAGE) programs include consulting on these topics and more. The first hour is free! Learn more and sign up for your consultation.

Attn: Animal Researchers – AAALAC Accreditation Updates

The Office of Research is preparing for the upcoming AAALAC International site visit. The visit is essential for our re-accreditation process and will take place sometime in February or March 2025. Learn more and contact [email protected] with questions.

IRB Spotlight: Jennifer Michlitsch, MD

Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist and Oakland IRB Chair Jennifer Michlitsch, MD, is a specialist in pediatric blood diseases who is also passionate about increasing access to care and clinical trials for all children and their families.

Read the Q&A with Dr. Michlitsch about her work on the IRB, the special challenges associated with approving pediatric studies, and the importance of improving access to pediatric clinical trials.

Construction Updates: Parnassus Heights and HSIR Improvements Program

This summer, UCSF construction efforts are nearing new milestones. Read the quarterly Parnassus Heights update, which provides essential information about important capital projects and their impacts on campus, and the latest monthly update for the HSIR Improvements Program.

AI Events Spotlight

Mark your calendars for these upcoming AI events!

August 26: UCSF CoDeX Webinar Series on “Innovations at the Intersection of AI and Diagnosis.”
August 26-29: UCSF Library Teaching and Learning Symposium on "Embracing Technology in Education with a Human-Centered Approach.
Restarting in September: The monthly seminar series, ”Implementation and Evaluation of AI in Real-World Clinical Settings”
September 10: DOM Grand Rounds on “Updates in Generative AI in the DOM: Cutting-Edge Applications and Innovations.”
Every other Wednesday from 1-2 p.m.: Bi-weekly GenAI at UCSF Office Hours (past recordings available).

New Policies and Requirements

NIH Adoption of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support

NOT-OD-24-163 announces NIH plans to implement use of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support with all applications, Just-In Time submissions, and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) by May 25, 2025.

Guidance for Budgeting Non-NRSA GSRs/Postdocs on NIH Research Awards/Diversity Supplements

The Office of Sponsored Research has developed guidance for budgeting non-NRSA GSRs and postdocs on NIH research awards or diversity supplements, intended to provide clarification of NIH policies and instructions.

From EH&S: Request Order Authorization Before Purchase of Radioisotopes

Labs ordering radioisotopes must complete a “Request Order Authorization” before purchasing. The “Request Order Authorization” button is on your RUA, in the RSS Radiation app. Please direct questions to your DSA or to [email protected].

Updated IRB Review Fees

The IRB has implemented new review fees as of July 1 and has announced a fee structure for sIRB studies that will be implemented on October 1. These fees will help cover the escalating operating expenses involved in carrying out IRB reviews.

Funding and Fellowship Opportunities

RAP Intramural Funding

The Resource Allocation Program (RAP) manages the dissemination, submission, review, and award of various intramural funding opportunities and announces the Fall 2024 Funding Cycle. The call for applications opens on August 29. Deadline: September 30 at 2 p.m. PT.

Social Determinants of Health Funding Opportunity

The Upstream Research Center requests pilot proposals to catalyze research aimed at reducing cancer inequities due to structural and social determinants, including structural racism, poverty, income inequality, climate change, and food insecurity. Deadline: November 15.

Events

Getting to Patients Seminar

September 3, 4 p.m., HSW-301

Join us to celebrate the impact of UCSF science from breakthroughs to first-hand patient experience. Don’t miss Dr. Alex Fay and his patient discussing a new Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy experimental treatment.

UCSF GPU Workshop featuring special guests from NVIDIA

September 5, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Byers Auditorium

Come join us to learn about high performance computing from the experts at NVIDIA! This workshop will be split into multiple sessions. The first session will feature an introduction to GPU computing fundamentals and highlight the relevant resources on campus.

The Five Phases of Community-Engaged Research

September 5, 11 a.m., Virtual

CTSI's Community Engagement webinar series showcases researchers and community partners advancing Research Equity. Our next webinar will present best practices from CTSI's Community Engagement team.

Back-to-School Clothing and Book Swap

September 11, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Rutter Center Pub Lounge

Cleaning out your closet? Pairing down your bookshelf? Trade your gently used clothes & books for new ones at our back-to-school swap. Reach out to [email protected] if you would like to donate clothes or books.

Information, Trainings, and Tools

IRB DEIA Initiatives

Check out the IRB’s initiatives to address Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) in research. These include practices and resources regarding translated documents, participant payment, equitable language, and accessibility guidelines.

Complete Your UC-Required Security Trainings

With increased cybersecurity threats in the health care and higher education sectors, UCSF is boosting its efforts to ensure that all faculty, staff and learners comply with mandatory cybersecurity training. Learn more and complete your trainings.

Enrollment Open for Human Subjects RCR

Training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) is required for anyone funded on an NIH training or career grant (T, K, or F). Enrollment is now open for the Fall 2024 course.

Clinical Trials Operations (CTO) Principal Investigator (PI) Bootcamp

PIs are welcome to attend the modular sessions, on October 14 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom, designed to provide fundamental information and resources for conducting clinical trials at UCSF. Attending all sessions is recommended but not required.

Request a REDCap Consultation

If your research needs to be 21 CFR Part 11 compliant, don’t forget to budget in your eConsent configuration. REDCap Premium offers multi-flow, multi-signature, multi-language consenting options.

$10,000 Ultra-Low Freezer Rebate

The Office of Sustainability provides an incentive to replace ULT freezers with Energy Star-certified models, adhere to the new ULT freezer policy, and support UCSF's commitment to reduce energy use. Rebate open to all UCSF principal investigators.

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