The first funding for the University of Mississippi Research Park arrived in September 2006 via a grant for $20 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce. This critical initial funding will allow for construction to commence on the first park building, the access bridge from the park to the main campus, and the infrastructure to support the first phase of the park. The development of the Research Park is the first step toward a major expansion of the University of Mississippi campus across Highway 6.

In anticipation of receiving the Commerce funding, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs contracted with Cooke, Douglass, Farr, Lemons, Ltd. (CDFL) of Jackson, Mississippi to design the Master Plan for the park. CDFL teamed with Sasaki Associates, Inc., a Boston based architectural and engineering firm world renowned for their planning of research and technology parks, and George Henry George Partners, a Virginia firm well known for their technology based economic development services. Together this team designed a Master Plan which defined an aggressive but achievable marketing plan for the park, based on the research and technology strengths of the University, and created a physical design framework that is in keeping with the extraordinary sense of culture and community that distinguish Oxford and the University of Mississippi. The Master Plan was completed in November 2006, at which time public meetings were held to share information with the community.

The use of federal funds for park development necessitated the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA is now complete and was presented at a public meeting on Tuesday, April 17, 2007, at the National Food Service Management Institute building on the UM campus. The EA and instructions on how to formally comment on its findings can be found at http://research.olemiss.edu/park/.

A nationwide search is in progress to fill the position of Executive Director of the Research Park. Many fine applications have been received and interviews are currently underway. The Executive Director, expected to be in place by the beginning of the new fiscal year, will begin the process of securing an architectural and engineering firm to design the bridge, infrastructure and first building for The University of Mississippi Research Park.

More information about The University of Mississippi Research Park, including planned development phases, site drawings, and progress updates, will be posted at the website given above. Questions and comments may be emailed to research.foundation@research.olemiss.edu.

Perfecting Your Profile? Don't Skip the Expertise Sections!
When you log in to COS Expertise to update your profile, be sure to include entries in the free-text boxes titled Expertise and Research Interests, Other Expertise, Future Research, Industrial Relevance, and Additional Terms. You can easily copy and paste information from other sources into these fields.

All these sections are extremely important because they help the COS Expertise Editors assign terms in the database that describe your work using the controlled vocabulary of COS Keywords. Once your profile is created, you can manage your own Keywords via the Options link on your COS Workbench (see the Workbench FAQ page for instructions).

Expertise and Research Interests should contain a summary of your expertise and interests in your primary field/s of study for which you are best known and for which you seek collaboration and funding. Other Expertise might include any academic, consulting, or business experience you have that would not qualify for the Expertise section, as well as society or professional development experiences. Industrial Relevance would include descriptions of the impact your research has or could have on any industry, or you might create a list of industries to which your research has relevance. In the Additional Terms section, you can also add words or short phrases describing your research interests.

Don't Know About COS?
Check out our COS page, the January 2005 and September 2006 newsletter articles, and/or the COS home page. COS is for all UM faculty in all academic disciplines and research areas.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) National Conference ~ April 30-May 3, 2007
Registration is now open for the Spring 2007 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) National Conference, hosted by the NC Small Business and Technology Development Center. Participants from small businesses and researchers will learn about the SBIR/STTR Program, including how to apply for, and what it takes to win, some of the $2 billion in U.S. Government R&D investments. The four-day conference will give participants the opportunity to meet and network with representatives from 11 participating federal agencies.
www.sbtdc.org/events/sbir/2007/about.htm

AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy ~ May 3-4, 2007
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Forum on Science and Technology Policy provides a setting for discussion and debate about the federal budget and other policy issues facing the science, engineering, and higher education communities. The program will include a keynote address by the President's science advisor, an overview of FY2008 federal research and development budget proposals, several major sessions on a variety of budgetary and policy topics, and the William D. Carey Lecture, an invited address by a notable figure in science and technology. Program details, updates and registration information are at www.aaas.org/forum.

Coastal Development Strategies Conference: Smart Growth ~ May 9-10, 2007
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ Comprehensive Resource Management Plan (CRMP) and partner, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, host this conference annually. The main focus is to continue work to balance conservation efforts and economic development and proceed with planning, designing and building safe, healthy and livable communities for Southern Mississippi. The multidisciplinary event draws elected officials, city and county staff, contractors, developers, bankers, planners, realtors, engineers, landowners, industry, students, federal and state agencies, county boards of supervisors, lawyers, private and corporate entities, environmentalists, resource managers and others committed to building the Gulf Coast.
www.dmr.state.ms.us or www.mscoastchamber.com

BRINGING THE “I’s” TOGETHER: Toward IACUC, IBC and IRB Harmonization Conference ~ June 14-15, 2007
The 2nd annual BRINGING THE “I’s” TOGETHER conference will focus on how the research community can share competencies in a professional setting. An international conference faculty will help participants confront tough issues and develop new approaches to enhancing the entire research process through interdisciplinary cooperation and collaboration. The goal is to bring together IACUC, IBC and IRB experts to build stronger relationships between industry, academia and government, and to increase communication and interaction among these entities.
www.msmr.org/bringing_registration2007.html

SICU2: An International Workshop on Historic Scientific Instrument Collections in the University ~ June 21-24, 2007
The first international conference on Scientific Instrument Collections in Universities (SICU) was held at Dartmouth College in 2004. The SICU1 conference began addressing the unique challenges faced by those who deal with university collections, while also striving to increase awareness among those who may not recognize the importance of their collections. The purpose of the SICU2 workshop (hosted by the University of Mississippi) is to continue solidifying the foundation for finding, describing, organizing, preserving, and utilizing the vast resource of historic scientific instrument collections that reside in academic institutions. These instruments are a vital part of our cultural and scientific heritage. Scientists, junior scholars, advanced graduate and undergraduate students, and people from outside academia are particularly encouraged to participate.
home.olemiss.edu/~sicu2web/index.html

SIGNIFICANT AWARD
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships ~ Deadline May 1
NEH Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research in the humanities that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the general public's understanding of the humanities. Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools. Fellowships support full-time work on a humanities project for a period of six to twelve months.
NEH Website: www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.html
COS Record: fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=48068

SIGNIFICANT AWARD
National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards ~ Deadlines July 17-18-19
The NSF CAREER Program is a foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from junior faculty members at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply. Each year NSF selects nominees for the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from among the most meritorious new CAREER awardees. The PECASE award is an honorary award and does not provide additional funds.
NSF Website: www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05579
COS Record: fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=70293

SIGNIFICANT AWARD
Fulbright U.S. Scholars: Traditional Lecture/Research Grants ~ Deadline August 1
The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. Grantees lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.
Fulbright Website: http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/

Department of Energy Funding to Universities for Nuclear Research ~ Deadlines May 23 and June 7
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced two new Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA), valued up to $14 million to better integrate the United States’ universities into DOE’s nuclear research and development (R&D) programs; and contribute to assuring a new generation of engineers and scientists necessary for pursuing nuclear power. These FOAs support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) University Readiness and the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative for Consortia (NERI-C).
NERI-C Deadline May 23
DOE’s Funding Opportunity Announcement for NERI-C seeks applications from university consortia for R&D that will directly support a broad range of programs in the Office of Nuclear Energy; including the Advanced Fuel Cycle R&D Program, the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative, and the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative.
GNEP Deadline June 7
For the GNEP University Readiness FOA, DOE seeks applications from universities for capability expansion that will directly support GNEP R&D programs. Capability expansion includes laboratory upgrades; faculty support; graduate fellowships; reactor improvements; equipment purchases or upgrades; curriculum development and enhancement; and international student exchange or other similar activities that directly impact a university’s ability to compete in future GNEP R&D solicitations.
DOE Website: http://www.nuclear.gov/

Department of Defense University Research Instrumentation Program ~ Deadline September 12 (anticipated)
The Department of Defense (DOD) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) is designed to improve the capabilities of U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment. Funding is awarded through competitions under the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). DURIP funds will be used for the acquisition of major equipment to augment current or develop new research capabilities to support research in the technical areas of interest to the sponsoring agencies. A central purpose of the DURIP is to provide equipment to enhance research-related education. Therefore, proposals must address the impact of the equipment on the institution's ability to educate, through research, students in disciplines important to DOD missions.
AFOSR Website: www.afosr.af.mil/ResearchAreas/funding_otherOpp.htm
AFOSR COS Record: fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=19055
ARO Website: www.arl.army.mil/main/Main/default.cfm?Action=6&Page=8
ARO COS Record: fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=19053
ONR Website (thru AFOSR): www.afosr.af.mil/ResearchAreas/funding_otherOpp.htm
ONR COS Record: fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=19054

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements page

SEARCH using COS Funding Opportunities

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Will Provide Major Funding to Address Childhood Obesity in U.S.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recently announced it will commit at least $500 million over the next five years to tackle one of the most urgent public health threats facing our nation: childhood obesity. The Foundation's goal is to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States by 2015. The Foundation will focus on improving access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for safe physical activity in schools and communities. It will place special emphasis on reaching children at greatest risk for obesity and related health problems: African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander children living in low-income communities.
RWJF Website: www.rwjf.org/portfolios/interestarea.jsp?iaid=138

CONGRATULATIONS!
Mickey McLaurin has recently been named Assistant Director of Sponsored Programs Administration in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Mickey has served as a Program Development Specialist in the ORSP since 2001, most recently assigned to assist the Schools of Applied Sciences, Education, Law, and Pharmacy, as well as an assortment of other academic and administrative units on campus. This assignment will continue along with his new responsibilities as assistant director.

Proposal Activity ~ ORSP staff (Lesha Agnew, Mickey McLaurin, Linda Stone) processed 15 external funding proposals during March 2007. For a complete listing, see the Monthly Report page.

Award Activity ~ ORSP staff (Scottie Casey, Julie Edgington, Anita Randle) processed 22 external funding awards during March 2007. For a complete listing, see the Monthly Report page.

For complete information about the ORSP — mission, structure, services, responsibilities, and more — visit the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs page

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs oversees funding for research, service,
education projects. These activities complement the fundamental aspects of The University of Mississippi’s mission and are among its most tangible contributions to the future. Funding for these activities is one of the best measures of a university’s success in engaging with national and international communities.

All of us who have sought funding to test our ideas know that it is difficult and that the communities to which we belong are highly competitive. That spirit of competition is critical and it contributes more than a little to the relief and excitement a researcher feels on receiving a funding award.

Listed below are our colleagues who have been notified of external funding awards in the last calendar month. Please join me in congratulating them. The news of their discoveries and the importance of their contributions are part of all of our futures and the future of Ole Miss.

Alice M. Clark, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs

Monthly Report: A list of awards received and proposals submitted by The University of Mississippi in the previous month.

March Proposals Submitted: 15

March Awards Received: 22 totaling $9,163,234

FY07 Year-to-Date Number of Active Sponsored Projects: 521

FY07 Year-to-Date Number of Active Investigators: 229