International Studies Association Annual Meeting ~ March 22-25, 2006
The North-South Divide and International Studies: In the second half of the twentieth century, a good proportion of international relations was colored significantly by the East-West cleavage.  The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, and their respective allies, generated  structural influences that were all-pervasive.  Many, if not all, of these influences have now dissipated.  Yet there is a good chance that the first half of the twenty-first century will be equally shaped by a North-South cleavage.  Many of the processes of current interest to members of ISA – globalization, democratization, nuclear democratic peace, nuclear proliferation, the ascent of China, and terrorism, to name a few – all have strong links to the differential resources, opportunities, and challenges confronted by more affluent and lesser developed parts of the world. www.isanet.org/sandiego/

National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance Annual Meeting ~ March 23-25
The NCIIA fosters invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship in higher education to create innovative, commercially viable, and socially beneficial businesses and employment opportunities in the U.S. The program was founded on the premise that invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship are essential components of the higher education curriculum, and vital to the nation's economic future. In March the NCIAA will celebrate 10 years of innovative education at U.S. colleges and universities at its three-day annual meeting. www.nciia.org

Reinventing Mississippi: The Role of Nonprofits and Volunteers ~ April 19-21, 2006
Original manuscripts that address issues pertaining to the importance of volunteerism with an emphasis on social, cultural, political, historical and economic dimensions of volunteering will be considered for publication in an anthology and/or presentation at this conference, to be held in Jackson. Empirical and conceptual/theoretical papers written with practitioners, community groups or individuals from an array of disciplines are strongly encouraged. Sponsored by the Mississippi Volunteer Service Commission in conjunction with the Jackson State University Department of History and Philosophy. Abstracts of no more than two pages, double spaced, or queries, may be submitted by January 15, 2006, to Dr. Elizabeth Overman.

Social Capital Foundation Seminar on Social Fragility ~ June 26-28, 2006
The Social Capital Foundation invites all interested persons or organizations to present a paper at its upcoming international, interdisciplinary seminar on social fragility that will be held on June 16-18, 2006, at the American University in Bulgaria, in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Additionally, the THRACE project (Targeting Human Research for Anchoring Cooperative Evolutions in Europe ) supported by The Social Capital Foundation will be presented at the seminar. It is an investigation on how to use social capital to favor transborder cooperation in the border regions of Europe, and to elaborate appropriate tools for doing so. For more information please go to http://www.socialcapital-foundation.org/conferences/synopsis.htm.

Mississippi Humanities Council Minigrants ~ Deadline March 1
MHC awards grants to nonprofit organizations to sponsor projects and public programs which use the knowledge and insights of one or more areas of the humanities to increase understanding of any aspect of human experience. March 1 is the next Mississippi Humanities Council minigrant application deadline for proposals up to $2,000. Application guidelines and forms are available at www.mshumanities.org.

National Science Foundation Advanced Learning Technologies ~ Deadline May 4
Through the Advanced Learning Technologies program, NSF's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering and Directorate for Education and Human Resources support research that enables radical improvements in learning through innovative computer and information technologies, and advances research in computer science, information technology, learning, and cognitive science through the unique challenges posed by learning environments and learning technology platforms. Educational foci for ALT projects must include an area of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), or general cross-cutting skills directly relevant to STEM. www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06535/nsf06535.htm

Dreyfus Foundation Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences ~ Deadline June 1
The Special Grant program is intended to strengthen chemistry teaching and research, with the expectation that awardees will find continuing funding from other sources. Past areas of support include development of curricular and instructional materials, including new media; institutional enhancement of education and research; public understanding of the role of chemistry in society, and encouragement of high school students and teachers. www.dreyfus.org/sg.shtml

Lindbergh Foundation Grants ~ Deadline June 8
Each year, the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation provides grants to men and women whose individual initiative and work in a wide spectrum of disciplines furthers the Lindberghs' vision of a balance between the advance of technology and the preservation of the natural/human environment. These grants provide seed money for pilot projects, with hope that the works will gain creditability and subsequently receive larger sums of money from other sources. Categories include agriculture; aviation and aerospace; conservation of natural resources; education; exploration; health; and waste minimization and management. www.lindberghfoundation.org/grants/

Smith Richardson Foundation Junior Faculty Research Grant Program ~ Deadline June 30
The Smith Richardson Foundation's International Security and Foreign Policy Program has announced its annual grant competition to support junior faculty research on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, military policy, and diplomatic and military history. The Foundation will award research grants to support tenure-track junior faculty engaged in the research and writing of a scholarly book on an issue or topic of interest to the policy community. Projects in military and diplomatic history are especially encouraged. www.srf.org/grants/JF_Domestic_Description.php

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements page

SEARCH for Funding Opportunities using Community of Science

NIH Delays R01 Transition to Grants.gov
After carefully considering input from the applicant community, analyzing the results of the first few submission rounds, and examining the timing of key submission dates in relation to other NIH initiatives, NIH has adjusted the implementation timeline for electronic application submission to provide an additional four months (one submission round) before the transition of the NIH traditional research grant (R01) mechanism and all subsequent mechanisms (see updated timeline at era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/files/Electronic_receipt_timeline_Ext.pdf; also see FOCUS article above).

2006 National Medal of Arts Nominations
Nominations for the 2006 National Medal of Arts are being accepted online until March 15, 2006. The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States Government. Each year, citizens from across the country submit nominations for consideration by the National Council on the Arts. The Council in turn forwards recommendations to the President of the United States. The National Medal of Arts is awarded by the President to individuals or groups who, in his judgment, “...are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.” During the past 21 years, more than 200 extraordinary patrons and artists in the fields of visual, performing and literary arts have been honored. With this medal, the President recognizes the wealth and depth of creative expression of America's artists. For more information and to submit your nomination online, go to www.arts.gov/honors/Medals/index.html .

Southern Growth Seeks Input on Innovation Survey
Southern Growth Policies Board has launched its 2006 online survey at www.southern.org/main/surveyintro.shtml to poll Southern citizens on their attitudes towards innovation and technology, and their role in the economic future of the region. Citizens are encouraged to share their opinions and ideas on strategies for increasing the role of innovation and technology in southern businesses, universities and governments, and the potential of technology to create jobs and wealth in the South. The 12-question survey should take only a few minutes to complete. Responses will be incorporated into Southern Growth's 2006 Report on the Future of the South and in presentations at the Southern Innovation Summit conference on June 4-6, 2006 , in New Orleans, Louisiana. To learn more about the conference or Southern Growth, visit www.southern.org/conf.asp.

Animal Research SOP FAQs
SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure. An SOP is a written description of the accepted method of some task or operation. SOPs are often posted in laboratories to make it clear to workers exactly how tasks are to be done. An SOP which describes routine or recurring procedures can be submitted by an investigator or a research team to the UM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
:: What are the advantages to filing an SOP? The advantages to filing an SOP include: saving time in the preparation of a protocol application; streamlining the review process (reviewers would be assured that the SOP part of a project had already received IACUC approval); and improving consistency of reviews (SOPs minimize the possibility of a procedure being accepted in one protocol application and rejected or questioned in another).
:: What do I include in an SOP? Information in an SOP should include a detailed description of the procedure; background, purpose and scope; and definitions. Because the SOP is a stand-alone document, it may need to be presented in some context for proper evaluation.
:: How will SOPs be reviewed? SOPs are reviewed by the full IACUC. This will promote consistency in review of procedures described in protocol applications.
:: For how long are SOPs approved? SOPs are approved for a period of three years. Once approved, SOPs can be cited in future protocol applications.
Materials to assist investigators and research teams in writing SOPs have been posted on the Compliance Forms page on the ORSP website. For more information and/or assistance, contact the ORSP Division of Research Integrity and Compliance at x7482 or irb@research.olemiss.edu.

ORSP Orientation Door Prize Winners
On January 20 the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs presented an orientation for faculty who have joined the university within the last two years. Congratulations to the following individuals who won door prizes (computer flash drives):

Division of Research
Proposal Development Specialists Lesha Agnew and Mickey McLaurin processed 35 external funding proposals during January 2006.

Division of Research Integrity and Compliance
:: Human Subjects Research Training ~ Dr. Tom Lombardo, ORSP Director of Research Integrity and Compliance, would like to remind everyone that all faculty, students, and staff who have contact with human subjects or human subject data, or who are listed as the advisor of a student conducting human subject research, must receive online training in the protection of human subjects. A delay in obtaining the training means a delay in the beginning of your project, since we cannot process IRB applications until all members of the research team have been trained. Please see www.research.olemiss.educompliance/human/human_CITI_readfirst.html for information on registering for the course. If you need assistance, please call Diane Lindley, IRB Coordinator, at x6534 or e-mail her at dlindley@olemiss.edu.
:: Animal Research Forms ~ The Animal Research section of the Compliance Forms web page is being revised to better assist principal investigators and other research personnel. We are developing form instructions and guidance, including samples of forms. To avoid any delay in the review and approval process, principal investigators are encouraged to check the forms page before completing and submitting related forms. Principal investigators using older versions of any form will be asked to resubmit their information on the new version.
:: IACUC Notice ~ The full IACUC will hold its next meeting February 24, 2006. Future meetings are posted here ~ please check for dates.

Division of Sponsored Programs Administration
SPA Division staff (Scottie Casey, Euphiazene Gray, Anita Randle, Linda Stone) processed 17 external funding awards during January 2006.

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

January Proposals Submitted: 35

January Awards Received: 17 totalling $4,599,777

FY06 Year-to-Date Number of Active Sponsored Projects: 425

FY06 Year-to-Date Number of Active Investigators: 221