Month: April 2018

To become one of the nation’s premiere research institutions, we must break down silos and work collaboratively – with our peers, with industry and with each other. Solutions to complex global problems require new knowledge created by collaborative, interdisciplinary teams of scientists with unique perspectives and ideas.

We are collectively building these teams at Clemson, and I want to thank everyone who is engaging in collaborative research, seeking new discoveries, and working to make Clemson a leader in transformational research.

We can do more, and we want to help facilitate connections with your colleagues. Research Innovation Month and the upcoming Research Symposium offer great opportunities for this.

Research Innovation Month draws attention to the many great achievements by faculty, students and staff that have contributed to our designation as a Carnegie R1 university of the highest research activity. Events throughout Research Innovation Month raise awareness of varying research projects happening across Clemson’s campuses. I encourage you to view the Research Innovation Month calendar of events, attend an event, meet a colleague and begin sharing ideas.

Additionally, the Research Symposium on May 9 will feature numerous panel discussions and presentations designed to encourage multidisciplinary research collaboration. These panel topics have been chosen by a faculty member organizing committee for their relevance and impact. At the Symposium, the Division of Research also will announce the first recipients of the new University Research, Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Awards, a new awards program created to honor faculty who have achieved the highest levels of national and international recognition.

Collaborations with industry also are important to the ongoing success of our research enterprise. As a faculty member at Clemson, you have access to numerous tools to help facilitate successful industry collaboration through the University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), a membership-driven organization that includes many of the world’s finest companies and research universities. Our organizational membership in UIDP allows you to participate in UIDP events and webinars; to access UIDP publications and reports; to take advantage of numerous networking opportunities; and to receive valuable insights from experts. Sign up to receive insights and information from UIDP here, and visit the organization’s website here to learn more about the benefits of our membership. Anyone with a Clemson.edu email address can access members-only materials by clicking on the “Members-Only Area” button on the homepage and clicking on “Register” to set up an account.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to research and innovation at Clemson University.

Go Tigers!

Tanju

Be ready when opportunity arises

Following decades of steady increases, federal R&D funding hit a plateau in 2011 as Congress cut discretionary spending as part of the Budget Control Act. This year, however, Congress and President Trump have discussed a budget deal that would raise the discretionary spending caps by $143 billion in fiscal year 2018 and $153 billion in fiscal year 2019.

This does not guarantee a spending increase for all federal funding agencies. But there are reasons to be optimistic that increased federal funding will equate to more grant awards to fund university research. We need to be more aggressive now in preparing and submitting our proposals, so we will have competitive proposals lined up at the agencies if or when the additional funding becomes available. Let’s seize the opportunity.

Successful accreditation

I am happy to report a successful site visit from AAALAC International, a nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in teaching and research through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. This accreditation distinguishes our already strong agricultural and biomedical programs and signals to the public, to funding agencies and to others that Clemson is committed to the ethical treatment of animals and to responsible animal research. In fact, Clemson is one of the few universities that accredits its agricultural programs.

An AAALAC team including representatives from Duke University, University of North Carolina, Penn State, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service spent three days touring all of our animal research facilities and meeting with our faculty and administrators. The team has informed us they support our continued accreditation and commented favorably on the commitment and dedication demonstrated by our outstanding team of animal researchers, staff, facility managers and administrators.

Because of our participation in the AAALAC accreditation process, we operate at a higher standard, and I want to thank everyone involved for making this accreditation a success.

Don’t miss these events

We have two exciting speakers visiting campus this semester. Noted autonomous-vehicles expert Chris Gerdes will speak at 2 p.m. March 28 at the Watt Family Innovation Center. Dr. Gerdes served as the first chief innovation officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation and was part of the team that developed the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy. Details on his visit are available here.

Renowned chemist Robert H. Grubbs, who won a Nobel prize for unlocking the door for new customizable polymers and other advanced materials, will speak at Clemson University April 11. Few Nobel laureates have spoken on campus, so this is a rare opportunity for students, faculty and staff to hear from a gifted scientist whose work continues to drive innovations across many disciplines. I encourage you to attend.

Collaborate with peers

I encourage faculty from every college to submit abstracts by March 26 to participate in one of the discussions at the 2018 Research Symposium on May 9. The symposium is meant to increase interactions and collaboration between Clemson faculty, so your participation is key to the symposium’s success. The full list of session topics is listed in the call for abstracts. I hope to see you there.

Go Tigers!

Tanju

The Division of Research is accepting applications for grants to assist in the purchase of major research equipment or in the hiring of research faculty and post-doctoral researchers.

Funding is available through the Clemson Research Fellows and Clemson Major Research Instrumentation programs, two of four R-Initiative funding opportunities available this semester to spur collaborative research and boost scientific discovery.

Clemson Research Fellows provides grants to assist regular faculty, academic departments, centers and institutes in the hiring and training of qualified research faculty and post-doctoral researchers. Researchers may be hired to promote collaborative and creative interdisciplinary activities, research and demonstration projects with the goal of pursuing a large funding opportunity, building a major research program or a research center. These grants ($30,000 to $50,000 per year for each position) may run for a maximum of two years. At the end of the two-year period, the researcher position is expected to be fully supported by externally funded grants or the department. The deadline to apply is April 18.

Clemson Major Research Instrumentation(CU-MRI) program provides financial support to researchers for the purchase of major research equipment or to replace or upgrade major research equipment that will likely impact funding, scholarship and research productivity, and the probability of increased extramural funding. The equipment will have a useful life of at least five years and cost more than $50,000. The deadline to apply is May 1.

For details, guidelines and instructions for applying, visit the R-Initiatives webpage. Questions should be directed to Diana Thrasher in the Division of Research at dianas@clemson.edu or 864-656-6444.