Keys to Research | Faculty Research & Professional Development Program
The Faculty Research and Professional Development Program at UTRGV has been established as a training course by the Division of Research and New Program Development. This activity will provide 10 workshops during the 2022-2023 academic year for tenure track and tenured faculty to build professional grant writing skills and build capacity for developing high impact research projects, peer review publications, and highly competitive grant proposals, student mentoring, leadership, and updates on research compliance, export control, time & effort reporting policies, etc. The monthly three-hour workshops will provide faculty a venue to get their questions answered in a conversational, open, coaching atmosphere designed to give faculty real solutions to improve their research and grant activity. Participants will receive a certificate and a $500 research award upon successful completion of the training program (attending 9 out of 10 workshops). Attendance at 9 out of 10 workshops is mandatory in order to receive the incentives regardless of when one started attending.
This year, thirty-six UTRGV faculty completed the program designed to equip them to be successful in peer review publishing, contribute to a culture of research compliance and ethical behavior and pursue federal, state, and private sector grants from external agencies. The workshops led by Dr. Karen Martirosyan, AVP for Research Enhancement and keynote speakers, provided an opportunity for faculty and staff to participate in a series of ten training workshops related to research development. Click here to read more
Next registration period | September 12, 2022
Eligibility: Participant must hold a tenure or tenure track faculty position at UTRGV. By special request from the Dean's office, the Division of Research may set additional eligibility requirements.
Photos from our past training program can be viewed here.
Workshop 1 : 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, September 23, 2022
- Introduction to Faculty Research and Professional Development Program; Identifying appropriate federal and state agencies or private foundations to support individual faculty research efforts;
- How to find the appropriate program and funding mechanism for research idea. Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA): understand eligibility requirements, goals, needs and procedures;
- How to initiate collaborations with your colleagues for potential help to accomplish your proposed goal. Strategies for recruiting students to conduct research;
- Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at UTRGV: submitting an Intent to Submit form and Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF). UTRGV Research Forms, Policies, and Guidelines
Workshop 2: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, October 28, 2022
- Assistance and guidance in NSF proposal writing for CAREER and research grants ;
- Identifying the Intellectual Merit and Broad Impacts for the individual faculty specific research programs;
- How to formulate clear research questions early in your proposal? Why is it important to gain the insights or information you are seeking?
- How to create a Compelling, Informative title for your Proposal; Research team and expertise needed to carry out the proposed work, your NSF CV and research background/accomplishment. Summary of the proposal;
- Training: Introduction to Research Compliance, training on policies, procedures and responsible conduct in research.
Workshop 3: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, November 18, 2022
- Assistance and guidance in NSF proposal writing for NUE, MRI, REU/RET, SBIR/STTR programs;
- Identifying the Intellectual Merit and Broad Impacts for the individual faculty specific research programs;
- Transformative research vs. Incremental improvements of existing approaches and technologies;
- Key proposal elements: Introduction/Background, Rational/Needs, Goals & Objectives, Methodology, Preliminary data, Research/Educational Outcomes/Impact, Evaluation/Assessment; Resources & Capabilities;
- Assistance and guidance for NSF Budget and Budget Justifications preparation;
- NSF review and peer review processes;
- Training: Ethics and compliance in research, conducting research responsibly - mentor/mentee relationship, authorship.
Workshop 4: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, December 2, 2023
- Introduction of NIH Funding Opportunities: Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) programs. Assistance and guidance in NIH proposal writing;
- Key elements of NIH proposal: Specific Aims, and Narrative Description,
- Background and Significance, Research Design & Methods, and Preliminary Studies; Abstract of the proposal;
- Assistance and guidance for NIH Budget and Budget Justifications preparation;
- Training: Scientists as a Responsible Members of Society, Contemporary Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research, and the Environmental and Societal Impacts of Scientific Research. Institutional Review Board (IRB): Human Subjects Protection.
- Translational research: Evolution and Definitions;
- Clinical Research: Types, protocols, review committees, training;
- Clinical Trial start-up processes; operationalizing clinical research;
- Investigator Responsibilities in Clinical Research.
Workshop 6: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, January 27, 2023
- Introduction of NIH programs: R series - Research Grants, K series - Career Development Awards, T&F series - Research Training and Fellowships, P series - Program Project/Center Grants;
- Assistance and guidance in proposal writing to NIH, key elements of NIH proposal: Specific Aims, Narrative Description (continuation);
- Background and Significance, Research Design & Methods, and Preliminary Studies (continuation);
- NIH Biographical Sketches;
- Training: Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC): Animal research and UTRGV animal facility.
Workshop 7: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, February 24, 2023
- Introduction of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) research programs: Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research;
- DOD Basic Research Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI);
- U.S. Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellowship Program;
- Assistance and guidance for peer review publications;
- Why should I protect my Work and Ideas with a patent? Material Transfer Agreements and Disclosure of New Technology;
- Training: Collaborative Research, International Travel and Export Controls.
Workshop 8: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, March 24, 2023
- Introduction of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research programs: Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); High Energy Physics (HEP); Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS);
- DOE Laboratories and research opportunity with them; Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) research funding and collaboration opportunity;
- Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR);
- UTRGV library resources and access to supercomputing;
- Training: Conflicts of Interest: Policies and Practices
Workshop 9: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, April 28, 2023
- Introduction to US Department of Education Research Grant Programs: Institute of Education Sciences;
- Career and Technical Education (CTE), The Cognition and Student Learning (CASL), The Early Learning Programs and Policies, The Education Leadership, The Education Technology Research Program, The Effective Teachers and Effective Teaching;
- STEM Education topic (curricula, programs, and assessments);
- The Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning, (assess students, social-behavioral competencies, and teacher practices);
- College-wide Commitment to Sustainable Practices in Research;
- Training: Time & Effort reporting.
Workshop 10: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, May 5th, 2023
- Introduction to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research Grant Programs: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative;
- USDA programs: Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Economic Research Service (ERS), and The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS);
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant opportunity;
- Individual faculty Research and Lab Website development;
- Initiating collaborations and Summer fellowship activity;
For more information, contact Dr. Karen Martirosyan at karen.martirosyan@utrgv.edu or (956) 882-6736.