School of Information Research and Innovation Office

From SIResearchInnovationOffice

The Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) is led by Thomas Finholt, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation. Our goal is to create an environment where faculty research: flourishes; is engaged in cutting edge technology; and contributes to the mission of the School of Information (SI) by creating new knowledge and serving the local and global communities. This involves working with faculty in a broad spectrum of activities, from directing their ideas to appropriate funding sources to ensuring their work is published and results disseminated. ORI activities can be described as follows:

Seek research funding
Facilitate implementation of research projects
Create appropriate infrastructure at SI for research
Interact with the University of Michigan research world
Track emerging opportunities, in industry, government and foundations
Promote the sponsored activities of SI and manage relationships with partners in research and innovation of the School

ORI is led by Thomas A. Finholt who is the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation.

We have four staff associated with the Office and they are:

Becky O'Brien - Assistant Director for Research Administration
Erik Hofer - Project Director -VISIT and Research Investigator
Jocelyn Webber - Research Administrative Assistant
Karen Woollams - Student Affairs Program Manager-[STIET ]

[edit] Research Administration: Frequently Asked Questions

[edit] Important News, Notices and Events

[edit] News

[edit] Science Magazine Article on Financial Boost to NSF CAREER Program this year

CAREER program will receive $203 million in FY10 (which restores the program to its FY08 level). In addition there is a $165 million increase from the stimulus money for this year only. Please follow link below to read the full story.

Link to Article

[edit] NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Expanded Directions in Cyberinfrastructure -Posted 6/8/09

Dear Colleague:

The Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI) would like to inform the community about some expanded directions that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is planning to take in the future. We are strengthening the national cyberinfrastructure (CI) through investments in the TeraGrid, and the Track 1 and Track 2 programs, while forging important new activities in areas of expanded computing services, data, networking, virtual organizations, and education. We plan to continue building in these areas as well as expanding in the areas listed below that will help round out the portfolio of activities needed to advance science through CI.

As an overarching theme, OCI will promote the development of collaborative computational science---defined broadly to encompass research and development of comprehensive CI in all areas described below, as well as the application of CI to solve complex problems in science and engineering---as one of OCI's primary missions. OCI will work to provide stewardship for computational science at NSF, in strong collaborations with other offices, directorates, and agencies.

In order to support these activities, we anticipate building new programs over time, and will solicit input from the community to guide us through a series of task forces and workshops in each of the areas listed below. In the short term, OCI will begin to support specific existing programs that allow us to jumpstart some of these areas. You will be able to find more detail on these activities, as they develop, on the OCI website.

Learning and workforce development in computational sciences. OCI anticipates supporting the following existing programs:

Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER). OCI will fund CAREER awards to support outstanding young faculty in any area of computational science. This includes computer and computational scientists who research, develop and prototype advanced CI (software, tools, computing hardware, data, networks, visualization, human-computer interfaces, etc.) needed to advance science, as well as domain scientists in any discipline who use, develop, and drive advanced CI needed in their communities. Link to The CAREER Solicitation
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Likewise, OCI encourages submissions for GRFP awards for outstanding graduate students who use or advance development of CI for, or in, any discipline. Proposal information
Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI). As part of OCI's growing mission to support computational science education, we encourage submissions for the development of undergraduate multidisciplinary computational science curricula at colleges and universities. CCLI solicitation

We are also planning additional activities in this area, and will make further announcements when ready.

Software. OCI anticipates continuing and expanding its activities in software. Existing programs that encourage software development include PetaApps and Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure (STCI), which is a recurring program. (Note that in 2009 STCI has a target date of August 13, but can accept proposals at any time. Link to more details Other programs may be announced in time for FY10 funding.
Networking and Campus Bridging. As data volumes grow, and collaborations become more important in science, alignment of computing environments and connectivity within and between campuses, to remote instruments, and to colleagues and facilities worldwide is increasingly important. OCI has recently released a new solicitation for International Research Network Connections (IRNC).NSF has also recently issued the Academic Research Infrastructure Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R2) that may be used to advance campus and regional network environments. Look for more information on these and other programs on our website.
Grand Challenge Communities and Virtual Organizations. As science tackles more complex problems, the scale of collaborations is growing. OCI wishes to support the development of teams needed to solve complex problems through grand challenge teams and communities through virtual organizations. We anticipate continuing activities such as PetaApps and Virtual Organizations as Sociotechnical Systems (VOSS), and expect to develop new programs to support complex problem solving using advanced CI in the future.
Advanced Computing and Services. In addition to our current TeraGrid, Track 1, Track 2, and XD programs, we would like to draw your attention to an expanded Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI-R2) solicitation that has just been released, aimed at providing much stronger campus-level resources. Additional programs, addressing advanced high performance computing, services, and other computing paradigms will be developed.
Data and Visualization. Data-driven science is upon us in a big way and growing fast, and OCI is working to support new data-driven science activities. In addition to the current DataNet competition, the recurring Community-based Data Interoperability Networks (INTEROP) program has a target date of July 23, 2009, although proposals can be accepted at any time. We expect to grow activities in this area in the future.
EAGER. OCI is planning to fund Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) awards that promote the innovative use or development of advanced Cyberinfrastructure. More information on submitting EAGER proposals

Please look for further announcements as we move forward in this exciting time.

[edit] Ideas solicited for future research at the former Pfizer campus - Posted 6/4/09

Later this spring our university hopes to complete the purchase of the former Pfizer campus - and make an investment in the future of our research and education enterprise. We are soliciting inputs from the community in the planning process.

What are the “revolutionary” directions we should take? What technological advances will reshape our research work? Is there an idea for a research program that could be developed at Michigan that would have global impact? How might we come together in new ways to remain world leaders in driving science forward? How should our research and education missions evolve in the future? There's never been a more exciting time to be a member of the academic community at U-M. Together, we can create the future of research, and the educational opportunities that research brings.

To submit your ideas, follow this link and click on “Call for Ideas”.

The website is a secure site. In order to comply with the confidentiality agreement with Pfizer, the website is only accessible on the Ann Arbor campus or through a VPN connection to campus.

If you have questions or comments, please use the dedicated e-mail address - GoResearch@umich.edu

[edit] NSF Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) Research in the Federal Context

A Report from the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Social, Behavioral and Economic Science

Link to Report

[edit] National Science Foundation Requests $7.045 Billion for Fiscal Year 2010 - May 14, 2009

Note the 47% increase for CDI – and the 11.6% increase for CAREER

National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Arden L. Bement, Jr. today presented the agency's proposed $7.045 billion budget for fiscal year (FY) 2010, an 8.5 percent increase over its planned expenditures for FY 2009. The additional $555 million would increase funding for major investments in the scientific infrastructure, research endeavors and human capital.

"With this budget, the President makes it absolutely clear that science and engineering research and education are vital to the nation's future," Bement said in a presentation to the National Science Board. "NSF has a long history of success in supporting research with far-reaching impacts on the U.S. economy and the well-being of Americans."

The requested budget will also put the agency on a path to doubling its budget from FY 2006 to FY 2016, as envisioned in the President's Plan for Science and Innovation, which is designed to sustain the momentum for investing in science and innovation that was generated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Several prominent initiatives and other key investments outlined by President Obama will receive increased support under the requested budget:

[edit] Join the Recovery Dialogue on IT Solutions! - Week of April 27th

The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and the Office of Management and Budget in partnership with the National Academy of Public Administration, is currently hosting a week-long national online dialogue to engage leading information technology (IT) vendors, thinkers, and consumers in answering a key question:

What ideas, tools, and approaches can make Recovery.gov a place where all citizens can transparently monitor the expenditure and use of recovery funds?

Visit www.recovery.gov to join the discussion

[edit] News Archive

[edit] Important Notices

[edit] Looking for Partners to Collaborate-Openclimate Community - Posted 4/3/09

Richard Rood is a professor in the department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science who is working on developing an open community for climate change problem solving. He has a mock-up of a web page, meant to illustrate his concept and market it a bit. If you're interested in learning more, please contact him directly at rbrood@umich.edu. He is looking for partners to collaborate from amongst both faculty and students, and some of the skills he needs are those that the SI community has deep expertise in (computer-supported collaboration, interactive web design, incentive-centered design, etc.)

[edit] NSF Recovery Act FAQ's - Posted 3/30/09

[edit] CISE Directorate: Coordinated Solicitation and Cross-Directorate Solicitation

In an effort to give us the big picture of all research funding opportunities within each division and across the entire CISE Directorate, CISE is embarking on a new way to present themselves. They will release this summer a Coordinated Solicitation and a Cross-Directorate Solicitation. The Coordinated Solicitation will be the simultaneous release of three solicitations that covers each research program within each division. The Cross-Directorate Solicitation will describe cross-cutting research programs, those with interests that cut across the entire CISE Directorate and are managed entirely within CISE.

Please see the Dear Colleague Letter for further details.

[edit] NSF Broader Impacts Notice

On July 31, 2008, the Materials Research Division Director issued yet another statement on Broader Impacts:

Dear Colleague,

Proposals received by the National Science Foundation are evaluated based on two merit review criteria: intellectual merit and broader impacts. Through its merit review process, NSF ensures that proposals submitted are reviewed in a fair, competitive transparent, and in-depth manner.

Proposals submitted by Principal Investigators (PIs) are reviewed based on the first criterion, intellectual merit, with the mexpectation that the research be high quality, innovative and advance the frontiers of science. NSF asks reviewers to consider the following in evaluating intellectual merit.

Potential of the Research to Advance Knowledge and Understanding
Originality, Creativity and the Potentially Transformative Nature of the Proposal
Qualifications of Researchers
Organization and Conceptual Foundation of the Proposed Activities
Access to Resources Needed

The broader impacts criterion identifies the important outcomes and consequences of NSF-supported research. Research supported by the Division of Materials Research (DMR) is particularly well suited to demonstrate these impacts in ways visible to scientists and engineers as well as the general public. This message is meant to clarify what is meant by broader impacts and how it is applied by Program Directors in making their final decisions.

The NSF Grant Proposal Guide (Chapter III, Section A)poses five questions that identify the general areas in which broader impacts (Merit Review Broader Impacts Criterion: Representative Activities) typically occur. Some examples that illustrate contributions in each of the five areas are given below.Proposals need not address all of these areas, and PIs are advised to focus on those areas in which they are well prepared to make meaningful contributions.

To Continue Reading, please visit the NSF Website

OR see http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08062/nsf08062.pdf?govDel=USNSF_25

On April 7, 2008 the NSF issued a Dear Colleague Letter giving further clarification on Broader Impacts Proposal Requirements. Broader Impacts is one of two merit review criteria by which applications for funding are reviewed. Please familiarize yourself with these guidelines.

On April 16, 2008 a News Blog in the Chronicle for Higher Education noted NSF's push to include broader impacts into proposals.

[edit] NIH Publication Policy

On October 8, 2008, The National Institutes of Health announced that it would allow researchers only two chances instead of three when they submit proposals for research grants. In the past, if a proposal failed during its first trip through the peer-review process, the scientist could amend and resubmit it a total of two times. Limiting the process to one resubmission, the agency said, “will help ensure earlier funding of high-quality applications and improve efficiencies in the peer-review system.”

The New NIH Policy on Resubmission

On April 7, 2008, a new NIH policy went into effect requiring the deposit of all articles resulting from NIH funding to be posted to Pub Med Central. The link here outlines the key components of the policy along with websites to go for help. [1]This new mandate presents a number of new obligations for NIH-funded investigators and failing to comply with them could have a severe impact on your access to future NIH funding.

[edit] Upcoming Events

[edit] Current Funding Opportunities

This section has a list of current funding opportunities that we are aware of. If you would like us to post other opportunities that you've come across please contact us at siresearchwiki@umich.edu

[edit] Current Active Awards at the School of Information

For a list of all current active awards at the School of Information please go to the Research section at SIs Website. If you follow the link to the Current Active Awards at SI section of this wiki it will bring you to additional awards associated with the School of Information.

[edit] Funding Agency Opportunity Alert Sign Up

[edit] Just for PhD Students

[edit] Tidbits

[edit] Links of Interest

Computing Community Consortium www.cra.org/ccc

One of the main activities is to sponsor workshops on cutting edge topics in computing and information that can help develop research questions and inform CISE about areas in need of funding. The summit on Cyber-Physical Systems is one example, but they're open to a broad range of ideas.