Research Revealed: Funding Trends, Communicating Science & More

January 2021 | Information & Support for the BU Research Community

Insider Insights

  • ANNUAL REPORT
    Pioneering Solutions
    In 2020, BU researchers made stunning progress in the face of widespread uncertainty—pioneering solutions to problems ranging from COVID-19 to the climate crisis, systemic racism, and antibiotic resistance.
  • Lessons from BU podcasters on making science accessible
  • Advice from early career investigators on starting your own lab

Find Funding

  • Federal Funding: Federal Relations maintains a list of federal funding trends and opportunities on their website, including opportunities for behavioral and social sciences, arts, and the humanities; early career faculty; and large federal grants.
  • Brain Aging: Through Monday, February 1, the Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program is soliciting proposals focused on genetic, genomic, biomarker, epidemiological, behavioral, brain imaging, ethical, health systems or other research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), AD-related disorders, and brain aging. 
  • Data Science: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Emerging Leaders in Data Science Fellowship Program is accepting applications from recent master’s and PhD graduates through Friday, February 12.

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Manage an Award

  • International Collaboration: We continue to closely monitor guidance coming out from federal agencies about the disclosure of international collaborations. Last year, we updated both BU’s proposal summary form and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research performance progress report summary form with a checklist of considerations related to what the NIH calls “foreign components”: any significant scientific element or segment of a project performed outside the US. This recently updated resource page from the NIH offers a useful list of examples of what to disclose about senior/key personnel on applications and awards.

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Conduct Research

  • Back2BU Research: We continue to accept research recovery plans from faculty who wish to activate their research groups or increase lab density. Faculty investigators approved for on-campus research should make any necessary updates to their personnel lists for the spring semester as soon as possible, and post health and safety posters in their labs if they haven’t already.
  • COVID-19 Biological Samples: The COVID-19 Biorepository is an institutional resource available to Boston Medical Center (BMC) and BU researchers interested in clinical samples collected from BMC patients to support innovative science on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Find a list of samples available on the Biorepository website.
  • Cleaning Logs: As outlined in the guidance issued for BU research during the pandemic, research groups are responsible for cleaning laboratories and maintaining a cleaning log to track and coordinate these efforts. Faculty investigators must have a record of this log available in the event of a public health inspection.
  • Safety Reporting: ObservNow in BioRAFT is a safety reporting tool that allows BU faculty and staff to anonymously call attention to non-emergency safety issues related to COVID-19, as well as trip hazards, spills, or out-of-place chemical containers. Kerberos login is required.

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Promote Your Work

  • Communicating Newsworthy Science: The National Academies of Sciences recently published an interactive digital resource about communicating social and behavioral science.
  • Public Engagement Around Basic Science: The Kavli Foundation has partnered with the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science to launch the Science Public Engagement Partnership, which aims to explore the characteristics and challenges of public engagement in research. It will also create resources for researchers to use to engage the broader public as well as stimulate scholarship around public understanding and support of basic science.
  • Faculty Websites: A modern, up-to-date web presence is an important tool for showcasing your research portfolio to internal and external audiences, including students, collaborators, and funders. The University recently rolled out a new web template to help BU faculty promote their work. Learn more on the Research Support site.

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Notes & News

  • CARB-X, the BU-led global partnership dedicated to accelerating antibiotic innovation, was awarded the Innovating for Impact Partnership Award from the Global Health Technologies Coalition.
  • An article published by Clinical Assistant Professor Kathy MinHye Kim, Language Education (Wheelock), has been selected as one of the “Best of the Modern Language Journal in 2019.”
  • Assistant Professor Laura Lewis, Biomedical Engineering (ENG), received the inaugural 1907 Trailblazer Award for her proposal “Linking sleep, cerebrospinal fluid flow, and inflammation, in depression.”
  • Professor Jerome Mertz, Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering (ENG), was named BU’s Innovator of the Year for his work advancing microscopic imaging quality and capabilities.
  • Professor Joyce Wong, Biomedical Engineering (ENG), was elected a National Academy of Inventors Fellow.
  • On December 14, Pamela Richmond assumed the role of Executive Director, Research Compliance, overseeing BU’s oversight committees, financial conflict of interest in research, export control, and overall research integrity, as well as the human subjects protection program on the Charles River Campus (CRC). LaNeia Thomas moved into the role of Assistant Director, CRC Institutional Review Board, and can be contacted with questions or issues related to human subjects research on the CRC.
  • This fall, Professional Development & Postdoctoral Affairs, in partnership with BU’s Digital Learning & Innovation Incubator, launched a new pilot project: PhD Professional Development Pathways Platform. The platform is a digital badging tool that allows BU doctoral students to track their skill development and learning achievement toward core competencies.

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