Faculty Development Institute: Spring Tracks: Track R - Life Cycle of a Sponsored Project: Research Administration

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Spring Track R - Life Cycle of a Sponsored Project: Research Administration

Spring Track General Requirements
This year, FDI is again offering alternative tracks that will meet during the spring semester. By attending the sessions that comprise a spring track, faculty can opt out of participating during the summer months and still meet the participation requirements to receive a computer.

Track Requirements
(click on title to jump to a description and time listing)

Total of Seven 2-hour Spring Short Courses

Required Short Course #1:

Campus Instructional Resources/Computer Security

Required Short Course #2 :

Foundations of Responsible Research Conduct

Required Short Course #3:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Executing and Managing Federal Contracts

Required Short Course #4-#7:
choose four (or more) of the following courses:

Overview of VTIP: Capturing the Value of Technology Transfer
Invent the Future: Disclosing Inventions at VT
Licensing Your Invention to Start a Company
Writing Successful Grants (Part One)
Writing Successful Grants (Part 2)
Finding Funding: Using Online Databases to Locate Sponsors
Building the NSF Grant
Building the NIH Grant
Strengthening Your Grant Proposal I: Building in Quality Education, Outreach and Diversity Components
Strengthening Your Grant Proposal II: Adding High Quality Computer Visualization
Strategies for Success in Sponsored Research

Spring Track R Description
This spring-only track, a collaboration between the Office for the Vice President of Research and FDI, is designed for faculty members who have research administration responsibilities or who wish to pursue funding for research at Virginia Tech. The overarching goal of this track is to provide faculty with the tools and information necessary to manage sponsored research projects. This track includes new courses on the topics of managing of federal contracts, intellectual property, and strategies for success in sponsored research. The track also includes sessions devoted to finding funding, grant writing, post award compliance and more. Instruction will be led by a variety of faculty and staff affiliated with VT’s Office of Research, and participants will have many opportunities to meet and develop rapport with those at the university who provide support for faculty in pursuit of sponsored projects.

Spring Track R Requirements Overview
Those participating in this spring track will be asked to attend a total of seven short courses during the spring semester. There are three requirement areas:

Faculty participating in this track will be required to attend one of FDI's “Campus Resources at VT” sessions. There are five different times to choose from.
Three sessions comprise the heart of this track.
For the last (three) sessions, participants can choose an elective to attend from a list of topics related to research administration.

The table to the right summarizes these requirements. The table below details the requirements, with course descriptions, time and dates of the courses, and links to enroll into the course. If you plan to attend a spring alternative track, you must be able to attend required sessions from those listed below. As always, it is possible to sign up for more than the required minimum courses.

Spring Track Course Listing

Required Session #1

Campus Instructional Resources/Computer Security

Tuesday February 3
10am - 12pm
Torgersen 1100
Windows / Macintosh

Wednesday February 4
3pm - 5pm
Torgersen 1100
Windows / Macintosh

Monday February 9
3pm - 5pm
Torgersen 1100
Windows / Macintosh

Thursday February 26
10am - 12pm
Torgersen 1100
Windows / Macintosh

Thursday March 26
3pm - 5pm
Torgersen 1100
Windows / Macintosh

This short course will provide participants with an overview of the services and agencies that are in place at Virginia Tech to support the use of technology across instructional and research activities. Virginia Tech's security group will present and provide strategies, suggestions, and access to software that will assist participants as they take steps to ensure the safety of the information on their computers and the computer systems at Virginia Tech. In addition, leadership from new centers and projects which have broad interest to all Virginia Tech faculty will be present to describe and discuss their forthcoming projects and work.

Required Session #2

Foundations of Responsible Research Conduct

Tuesday March 3
3 to 5
Torgersen 3060
Windows / Macintosh

Wednesday March 18
3pm - 5pm
Torgersen 3060
Windows / Macintosh

Research integrity is the underlying component of the trustworthiness of research as a whole and essential in preserving public support for research. Therefore, it is critical that VT is diligent in its management and oversight of research conduct to ensure responsible and ethical expenditure of public funds for research. This short course will focus on 6 core areas of research conduct to include:

Data Management & Integrity-explores the implications of privacy, data integrity, data storage and retrieval
Conflict of Interest-explores what constitutes conflict of interest and regulations and guidelines outlining disclosure
Human & Animal Subjects-explores legal issues and policies involving the use of humans or animals in research
Publication-explores copyright laws, contributions to literature, redundant publication, plagiarism, citations, and corrections/retractions.
Research Misconduct- explores the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
Whistleblowers-explores protections afforded under law to those who expose research misconduct.

Please Note: This short course is required for the VT Research Administrator Certification Program.

Required Session #3

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Executing and Managing Federal Contracts

Thursday April 9
10 to 12
Torgersen 3060
Windows / Macintosh

In recent years, the Office of Sponsored Programs has seen a growth of Federal contracts awarded to Virginia Tech. This short course will walk through some of the FAR clauses that require additional diligence on the Principal Investigator, departmental staff supporting faculty, and the Office of Sponsored Programs. This workshop is designed for faculty who manage Federal contracts and for staff who support faculty in the administration of said contracts.

Required Session #4 - #7
choose four (or more) of the following courses:

Overview of VTIP: Capturing the Value of Technology Transfer Tuesday February 17 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Technology transfer and commercialization are complex processes. They involve licensing inventions or starting up new ventures based on research conducted at Virginia Tech. Research and development resources, infrastructure, seed capital, entrepreneurial incentives and culture, university-industry interactions, facilitators and mentors, and leadership - academic, corporate and political - are just some of the factors involved in shaping effective technology commercialization. This workshop will review how Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties (VTIP) manages its commercialization activities in our unique environment of resources, culture, environment and priorities while working to maximize the benefit to society of inventions generated by Virginia Tech researchers. Case studies will also illustrate how start-ups and established firms have benefited from Virginia Tech innovations. ^

Invent the Future: Disclosing Inventions at VT Thursday March 19 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	A significant part of the mission of Virginia Tech is to transfer technology out of the university into the marketplace where it can be used for the improvement of society. A large percentage of net revenues from technology licenses is returned to inventors and their departments, with 50% going directly to the inventors. The first step in accomplishing the tech transfer mission is creating a proper record of invention and registering it with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties (VTIP). This short course will describe the process for producing legally supportable invention documentation beginning with the proper use of laboratory notebooks, avoiding enabling public disclosure prior to patenting, providing appropriate supporting materials, and finally preparing the actual invention disclosure using the form on the VTIP website. ^

Licensing Your Invention to Start a Company Tuesday March 24 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Virginia Tech inventors assign ownership rights to Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties (VTIP) when they submit an invention disclosure – so if VTIP owns that invention, how can an inventor start a company based on the use of that technology? In addition to providing a platform or products, exclusive rights to a technology can increase the value of your startup and help you attract investors. This session will go over the steps for acquiring a license from VTIP when a VT inventor becomes an entrepreneur. Topics include the licensing process from “letter-of-intent" to license and beyond, milestones that VTIP will require prior to licensing, the “option agreement" option, minimum expectations for licensing terms, how royalty rates are determined, exclusive vs. nonexclusive licensing, equity sharing agreements, licensing multiple technologies with different inventors involved, and resources that can help with laying the groundwork for a startup. ^

Writing Successful Grants (Part One) Thursday February 5 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Tuesday February 24 10am - 12pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Wednesday April 1 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Are you planning to apply for a grant in the near future? This session will provide you with the keys to successful grant writing. Special emphasis will be placed on how to avoid the common mistakes that can lead to early rejection by substituting more effective writing strategies. NOTE: It is recommended that if you sign up for this session, you should also consider signing up for Part Two as well as the Finding Funding workshop. ^

Writing Successful Grants (Part 2) Thursday February 12 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Tuesday March 3 10am - 12pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Grants2 Wednesday April 8 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	This highly interactive session will give you an opportunity to apply your grant writing and funding search skills. Excerpts from successful grants will be read and critiqued in small group discussion. Participants will also be asked to submit one page grant abstracts prior to the session for response by the group. This is your chance to have your grant idea "reviewed" by your peers! NOTE: It is recommended that if you sign up for this session, you should also consider signing up for Part One as well as the Finding Funding workshop. ^

Finding Funding: Using Online Databases to Locate Sponsors Thursday February 19 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Tuesday March 17 10am - 12pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Wednesday April 15 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Are you currently searching for external funding for a research project you have in mind? A number of prestigious and significant grant opportunities can be found on the Web, if you know the right places to look. In this short course, participants will learn how to find and use online databases to locate sponsors for research projects. Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session. NOTE: It is recommended that those that attend this session should also consider attending both parts of the "Writing Successful Grants" short courses. ^

Building the NSF Grant Friday February 20 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Does your research agenda depend heavily on support from the National Science Foundation? This short course will focus on the essentials of crafting an effective NSF grant proposal. Best practices and essential hints based on first-hand experiences with the NSF will be provided. Special emphasis will be placed on how to avoid the common mistakes that can lead to early rejection of an NSF grant application. ^

Building the NIH Grant Friday February 27 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Does your research agenda depend heavily on support from the National Institutes of Health? This short course will focus on the essentials of NIH's demanding proposal format, with tips on how to write effectively for each key component. Best practices and essential hints based on first-hand experiences with the NIH will be provided. Special emphasis will be placed on how to avoid the common mistakes that can lead to early rejection of an NIH grant application. ^

Strengthening Your Grant Proposal I: Building in Quality Education, Outreach and Diversity Components Friday March 20 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Education, outreach and diversity are key review criteria at NSF and other funding agencies. This workshop will identify VT resources--people and programs--that researchers can use to build these critical components into their grant proposals. ^

Strengthening Your Grant Proposal II: Adding High Quality Computer Visualization Friday April 3 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	Computer-generated visualization can be a powerful addition to your grant proposal, both in the research design and with graphic illustrations that enhance your proposal's appearance and overall readability. This workshop will demonstrate a variety of visualization techniques that will add to your proposal's overall score. ^

Strategies for Success in Sponsored Research Wednesday March 18 10 to 12 Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh Wednesday March 25 3pm - 5pm Torgersen 3060 Windows / Macintosh	For those with some experience in grant writing, this advanced session will focus on three key strategies to assure success in sponsored research: Got a Match? Assuring your proposal is a good fit with grant program goals is a critical first step. This small group exercise will focus on an actual grant program, and participants will assess whether a specific research idea matches what the sponsor wants to fund. Can We Talk? Contacting Grant Program Officers. Experienced grant writers know that communicating with the sponsor agency prior to writing the proposal is key to success. This session will provide tips for planning and conducting a productive dialogue with a grant program officer. Proposal Evaluation: Grant Reviewer Exercise. In this session, participants will act as a mock review panel, reading and evaluating a sample grant proposal. The intent is to help grant writers understand what reviewers are looking for and how meet to those expectations. ^

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