The Tenure Track Faculty Research and Professional Development Program at UTRGV was established as a training course by the Division of Research, Graduate Studies & New Program Development in 2019. This activity will provide nine, three-hour workshops for tenure track faculty to build capacity for developing high impact research projects, peer review publications, and highly competitive research grant proposals, as well as to promote a culture of research compliance and ethical behavior.
Participants will receive a certificate and a $500 research award upon successful completion of the training program (attending 8 out of 9 workshops). Attendance at 8 out of 9 workshops is mandatory in order to receive the incentives regardless of when one started attending.
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.
Registration closed on September 15, 2020.
Photos from our past training program can be viewed here.
Workshop 1 : 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, September 25, 2020
Introduction to Faculty Research and Professional Development Program;
UTRGV Research Forms, Policies, and Guidelines;
PIVOT – your expert in connecting scholars to funding opportunities;
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;
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 11, 2020
Introduction of NIH programs: SCORE - SC1, SC2 SC3;
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;
Institutional Review Board (IRB): Human Subjects Protection.
Workshop 5: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, January 29, 2021
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;
Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC): Animal research and UTRGV animal facility.
Biosafety in the Lab and IBC/HBA Registration
Workshop 6: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, February 26, 2021
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 7: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, March 26, 2021
Oak Ridge Associated Universities(ORAU) research funding and collaboration opportunity;
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 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR);
DOE Laboratories and research opportunity with them;
UTRGV library resources and access to supercomputing;
Training: Conflicts of Interest.
Workshop 8: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, April 23, 2021
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);
Commitment to sustainable practices in academics, research, operations, governance, and engagement;
Individual faculty Research and Lab Website development;
Training: Time & Effort reporting.
Workshop 9: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, May 7, 2021
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;
Initiating collaborations and Summer fellowship activity;