Vice President's Message

Martin A.A. Schoonen Named Interim Dean of Stony Brook Southampton

On behalf of all in OVPR as well as the five cross-disciplinary faculty working groups he has established, I congratulate our wonderful colleague of the last four years, Associate Vice President for Research and Professor of Geosciences Martin Schoonen, as he goes forth at the end of this month to the new position of Interim Dean of Southampton College. His record in this office – where he also assumed a newly created position with relatively little preparation – must inevitably create high expectations. Quickly becoming the campus’ leading advocate for multidisciplinary research, he has not only worked hard to ensure that the campus research community is fully informed about critical policy developments at the national level, as federal sponsors have adopted new approaches to defining their priorities, requiring researchers to organize our responses in new ways. He has also labored ceaselessly with PIs, Co-PIs and their colleagues to identify appropriate opportunities and to clarify and present Stony Brook’s capabilities most effectively in response to fresh sponsor expectations. Martin spearheaded the effort that recently won Stony Brook's first-ever NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) award and has assisted faculty members on both sides of campus in enhancing the competitiveness of their proposals, including a biodiversity award to Profs. Ojima and Wright and an Iraqi university program award to Profs. Hailoo and Stone. Perhaps more important even than those that have succeeded, he has taught us that, in the new national funding environment, the only truly unsuccessful proposal is the one from which we don’t learn how to prepare ourselves to generate a better one for the next round. He has been a valued member of campus-wide committees including those on conflict of interest review, homeland security and Southampton programs, and has continued to press for enhancements to our electronic research administration capability to aid researchers. Martin’s contributions to the University’s research enterprise are fundamental and manifold and will live long beyond his presence in this office.

I have initiated the search for Martin's replacement, inviting nominations and/or applications from deans and chairs, and expect to make the appointment for a three-year term before the end of the semester. The search committee chair will be announced momentarily. Applications and nominations for the Associate Vice President for Research should be submitted no later than September 25, 2006, to Christine Davide, VP Coordinator, Office of the Vice President for Research either via e-mail at: cdavide@notes.cc.sunysb.edu or via fax to 632-9520.

COEUS To Provide Grants.gov Submission Module and Sponsored Programs Institutes a New 5 Day Deadline for Submissions

As many of you are aware, the National Institutes of Health has been transitioning to mandatory electronic proposal submission through Grants.gov. A major NIH milestone that is approaching is the mandatory submission of all RO1 grants on February 1, 2007. Some federal agencies (i.e., US Dept of Energy, NOAA, US Dept of Ed) have already instituted this mandatory electronic submission requirement and it is anticipated that other federal agencies will follow suit shortly thereafter. Currently, Grants.gov submissions at this campus are accomplished through the utilization of the Pure Edge software, which is quite cumbersome and involves substantial cutting and pasting. Alternatives to this include building an in-house "system-to-system" computer program that would communicate directly with Grants.gov and avoid Pure Edge, or purchase one of these systems from a vendor or educational institution that has built one. The Office of Sponsored Programs on behalf of Stony Brook University in conjunction with the University at Buffalo, the University at Albany, and Binghamton University have entered into a consortium arrangement to license Massachusetts Institute of Technology's COEUS software product. Currently, this product is licensed to over 90 institutions including Johns Hopkins University, the largest US recipient of NIH funding. In addition to the proposal preparation and submission module, COEUS provides internal proposal routing and approval, and modules for proposal and award tracking, research compliance and conflict of interest approvals.

The consortium is planning on having the proposal preparation and submission module up and running by January 1, 2007, in anticipation of the NIH implementation, with the other modules being phased in at a later date. Therefore, it is vital for the Office of Sponsored Programs to know which principal investigators are planning to submit for the 2/1/07 deadline. My office will work with these investigators to get trained on COEUS so they will be in a position to successfully submit these proposals. Further, OSP will continue to utilize the Pure Edge software between now and 2/1/07, so if there is anyone that requires training on Pure Edge immediately please contact me at your earliest convenience.

And finally, since electronic proposal submission can be a complex and system dependent endeavor, the Office of Sponsored Programs is instituting a five business day internal deadline for the receipt of the complete and final proposal accompanied by a signed SB299 form for both paper and electronic submissions effective 10/1/06. Please note the proposal should include the final scope of work and administrative components of the proposal including all required documentation from proposed subrecipients and collaborators. This deadline is irrespective of the SOM deadline. Should an individual faculty member fail to comply with OSP's deadline, we can make no guarantee that these proposals will be successfully submitted. Should anyone have any questions, please call me at 2-4402, or e-mail me at IStrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Research Foundation Web Site Redesign: Principal Investigators Portal

The Research Foundation is rolling out its new and improved portal-based Web site. The principal investigator (PI) portal is one of five audience-based portals that allow the new RF Web site to provide personalized content based on the user’s needs. This portal is intended for the use of project support staff as well as principal investigators.

You will need a user name and password to access the PI portal, which you can request through the new RF Web site at www.rfsuny.org immediately upon receipt of this information. The user name and password you currently use to access the PIAI are separate from your new portal user name and password and will not change after the portal rolls out. To make it easier to remember, you can make both passwords the same (at least eight characters with one numeric character).

The features and benefits of the PI portal include:
· PIAI access from anywhere – Currently, you can only get details on your projects and awards in the Principal Investigator Award Interface (PIAI) from your SUNY network (campus) connection. Now with the new site, once you log in to the RF portal from anywhere there is Internet access, you can log in to PIAI using the same user name and password you currently use for PIAI and access your information.
· Information written for principal investigators – Information is provided specifically for principal investigators. Rather than detailed policies and procedures, you will find high-level definitions and policies associated with managing your awards.
· Web site access from anywhere – Information on the internal Web site and EPSS, where RF policies and procedures documentation is contained, is currently only accessible through a SUNY network connection. Now when you’re working off campus, you’ll have the capability of accessing this information from anywhere simply by logging in with your user name and password.
· Funding Opportunities – Links to sources that provide electronic notification of funding opportunities to you in your field of research. Simply access any of the sources from the PI portal home page and sign up to receive e-mail alerts about possible opportunities for funding your next research project.
· RF News – Scan headlines quickly for the news you really need and click for more detail, without having to scroll through several articles that contain information that doesn’t interest you.
· Improved search functionality – The search tool, accessible from any page at the top of the site, provides refined and usable results because each piece of content on the site is identified with keywords that you enter into the search tool to locate the information you need.

For instructions on creating a portal website user account please click this link:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/portal.html

Proposed Changes in NIH Grant Appendix Material

The NIH is proposing changes in grant appendix material. NIH is soliciting comments on its proposal that will virtually eliminate the use of appendices in applications submitted using the electronic Standard Form 424 R&R grant application. Comments are due September 14, 2006. The NIH goal is to encourage concise, but complete, applications. One study section member confided to me that he is annoyed by investigators who try to circumvent proposal page limitations by voluminous appendices. We don't want any annoyed reviewers!
The request for comments may be found at:
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-088.html

Phi Beta Kappa Membership

The campus chapter of Phi Beta Kappa is updating its membership list and asks that colleagues who are members and are not certain their affiliation is known to the chapter to notify the chapter secretary by emailing clagrega@notes.cc.sunysb.edu Chapter president Richard Gerrig anticipates an enhanced schedule of chapter activities and invites all members to offer their participation and ideas.

Monday Memo will resume regular biweekly publication on Monday, September 4.

Good News and Coming Events

News

Physics and Astronomy

Professor Michael Zingale was one of seven recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers funded by the Department of Energy, the highest honor the federal government bestows on scientists and engineers at the beginning of their careers. Zingale won the award for his work advancing the detailed simulation of turbulent combustion and demonstrating parallel, multi-physics methods used in national security-related applications, and for training students in computational astrophysics.

Oral Biology and Pathology

Professor Lorne Golub has been awarded the 2006 American Dental Association's Gold Medal Award, which is their most prestigious scientific honor and is only awarded every three years. Professor Golub is responsible for developing Periostat®, the first and only systemic treatment for periodontal disease approved by the FDA. His research on the non-antibiotic properties of tetracyclines may potentially help treat medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Golub has kept busy and his newest FDA approved drug, Oracea®, is being prescribed by dermatologists as a treatment for rosacea, an inflammatory skin disease.

Health Sciences

President Kenny has announced the appointment of Craig Lehmann as Interim Executive Dean of Health Sciences, effective July 19. Dean Lehmann will be responsible for the administration of the Schools of Nursing, Dental Medicine, Social Welfare and Health Technology and Management. Lehmann, who is the Dean of the School of Health Technology and Management is also a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

"Craig Lehmann is an outstanding educator and innovator," President Kenny said. "His work in creating new academic programs in the health sciences fields has benefited thousands of students."

Journalism

President Kenny also announced the establishment of New York State's first undergraduate School of Journalism at a public university. Howard Schneider, former editor and managing editor of Newsday, has been appointed the Founding Dean of the school.

"Our Journalism School fills a large gap in undergraduate public education in the State," said Dr. Kenny. "For the first time, students will be able to attend a publicly-supported undergraduate School of Journalism in either the SUNY or CUNY system. Having Stony Brook as its home provides the opportunity to combine a first-class journalism education with the study of liberal arts and sciences at one of the world's leading public research universities."

Recent Research Results

Political Science

A week away from the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina -- perhaps the most devastating natural disaster ever to strike a U.S. city -- a special issue of the Du Bois Review on “Katrina: Unmasking Race, Poverty, and Politics in the 21st Century” includes an article, “Worlds Apart: Blacks and Whites React to Hurricane Katrina,” by Political Science Profs. Leonie Huddy and Stanley Feldman with significant implications for U.S. race relations and how our polity is addressing them. These implications are suggested in their summary: “Hurricane Katrina elicited the kind of polarized racial reaction typically reserved for racial issues such as affirmative action and housing integration. At odds with the broad-based support expected in response to a natural disaster, the hurricane produced a sharp line of racial demarcation more reminiscent of reactions to the O. J. Simpson trial than to the 2004 Asian tsunami or the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Blacks were much more sympathetic than were Whites towards those stranded in New Orleans, more concerned that these individuals would not receive adequate government assistance, more critical of the performance of the Bush administration, and more cynical about the president’s motives.” Multivariate analyses demonstrated that these strong differences persisted regardless of respondents’ political beliefs and demographic characteristics, which suggest difficulty for the Republican Party’s effort to recruit Black voters in the context of the upcoming midterm and presidential elections. More important, the results demonstrate that the profound racial divide revealed by the Kerner Commission more than 35 years ago is still a fundamental issue for our society.

Profs. Huddy and Feldman direct the campus’ Center for Survey Research. Their research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (under a special program swiftly initiated by NSF in response to the disaster, under which a multidisciplinary team from the Center for Environmental Molecular Science (CEMS), Pathology and Biochemistry also received support, studying the possible health effects of Katrina-deposited sediments) and a presidential award from the Russell Sage Foundation. The Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race is a publication of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard.

Chemistry

A paper published by Kathy Parker's research group in the Journal of Organic Chemistry was cited as the second most accessed online paper by the journal for the period of January to March, 2006. The paper described a novel synthetic route to morphine. (J. Org. Chem., 2006, 71 (2), pp 449-455).

Medicine

Researchers led by Professor Douglas E. Gladstone have found that high-dose chemotherapy has the potential to both slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and improve patients' neurological function. Their research results were reported in the Aug. 14 online edition of the American Medical Association's Archives of Neurology and is to appear in the print edition in October.

The study was initiated to provide a treatment alternative for the small number of MS patients who stop responding to traditional medication. A group of patients with moderate to severe MS that no longer responded to therapy experienced improvements in quality of life and neurological functioning in addition to stopping the advance of MS when treated with a high dose chemotherapy agent. The chemotherapy kills white blood cells, which normally fight disease, but in patients with autoimmune disorders like MS, the white blood cells attack normal tissue—causing the symptoms of MS. In theory the eradication of white blood cells by chemotherapy would substantially reduce or even cure the MS.

Events

Wine Center Events

September 16-17: "Sustaining the Good Life: A Symposium, Celebration, and Tour
 of the Stony Brook Southampton Campus"

This symposium will serve as kickoff event for the college’s new sustainability-based curriculum, drawing the community into part of the University’s core program. On the weekend of September 16-17, Stony Brook University’s Center for Wine, Food, and Culture will present "Sustaining The Good Life: a Symposium, Celebration, and Tour", at Stony Brook University’s newly-acquired Southampton College campus.

The Saturday morning program features excursions aboard the Marine Science Center's research vessels and hands-on discovery activities with Stony Brook marine scientists. Local farm products and books by featured speakers will be available in our “Sustainability Store,” in cooperation with Garden of Eve, A Taste of the North Fork, Paumanok Preserves, North Fork Potato Chips, and Bookhampton. Following a picnic lunch and welcome from University President Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny, a keynote address by author Peter Matthiessen on sustainability–the challenge to live well now and maintain the well being of our planet into the future–will lead into small group breakout sessions for discussions.

For more information and a complete schedule go to:
http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/sb/winecenter/southampton.shtml

January 12-15, 2007: "5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities"

Please note change of venue below.

Call for Papers/Abstracts/Submissions requested from all areas of the Arts and Humanities. Submission Deadline: August 23, 2006

The 5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities will be held from January 12 (Friday) to January 15 (Monday), 2007 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, the Radisson Waikiki Prince Kuhio, and the Pacific Beach Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference will provide many opportunities for academicians and professionals from arts and humanities related fields to interact with members inside and outside their own particular disciplines. Cross-disciplinary submissions with other fields are welcome. Performing artists (live dance, theater, and music) interested in displaying their talents will be accommodated whenever possible. Sponsored by: Asia-Pacific Research Institute of Peking University and University of Louisville - Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods.

For detailed information about submissions see:

http://www.hichumanities.org/cfp_artshumanities.htm

Web address:
http://www.hichumanities.org

Email address:
humanities@hichumanities.org

Opportunities and Sponsor Information

Diabetes Related Research Opportunities

Grant funds are available to support diabetes and endocrinology related pilot research and to solicit proposals from interested investigators. This opportunity has arisen as a component of a larger grant application that Stony Brook University will be submitting in December to the NIDDK to establish a Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center (DERC). The intent of a DERC is to support multidisciplinary research in diabetes and endocrinology by providing shared access to specialized resources and expertise. For more information, you can access the NIH DERC grant information site at (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-06-014.html).

As part of this application, we anticipate funding 3-5 pilot and feasibility grants directed at basic biomedical, clinical and translational research questions relevant to diabetes and its complications. The budget requests for these applications cannot exceed $50,000/year in direct costs for a maximum of two years ($100,000 total). To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 10/15/06. For more information including eligibility and related guidelines, please go to this link:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/derc.html
--Contributed by Lucy Kenny, Department of Planning, SBUH

Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

Through this DURIP competition, the DoD intends to award approximately $41 million for FY 2007, subject to the availability of funds. These funds will be awarded via grants made by ARO, ONR, and AFOSR (hereafter referred to as “agencies”). Grants will be for the purchase of research equipment costing $50,000 or more, for items that typically cannot be purchased within the budgets of single-investigator awards. An individual award may not exceed $1,000,000 in DoD funding. In FY 2006, 183 awards totaling $40.4 million were made. Awards ranged from approximately $51,000 to $1,000,000 averaging $217,000; very few awards exceeded $500,000.

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: applications must be received no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time Tuesday, 12 September 2006. URL for the full text of the announcement:
http://www.afosr.af.mil/Documents/funding_DURIP07BAA-f1a.pdf

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States and to reinforce its diversity by offering approximately 1,000 graduate fellowships in this competition. The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees and is intended for students who are at the early stages of their graduate study. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) invests in graduate education for a cadre of diverse individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the NSF.

The affiliated institution receives a $40,500 award for the costs described below. Fellows abroad receive direct NSF grant awards up to the same amount. The Graduate Research Fellowship stipend is currently $30,000 for a 12-month tenure period, prorated monthly at $2,500 for shorter periods. All awards will be for a maximum of three years usable over a five-year period. Deadlines are as follows:

• November 1, 2006, for Interdisciplinary Fields of Study
• November 3, 2006, for Mathematical Sciences and Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering
• November 6, 2006, for Social, Behavioral, Economic Sciences and Geosciences
• November 8, 2006, for Life Sciences
• November 9, 2006, for Engineering
• November 13, 2006, for Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy

URL for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06592/nsf06592.htm

Funding Opportunities and COS

The University subscribes to Community of Science (COS), home to at least two data-bases that will be of interest to faculty members.

The COS Expertise database can assist in identifying experts and collaborators for your research. You can search among 500,000 profiles of researchers from 1,600 institutions throughout the world. Discover who's doing what -- current research activity, funding received, publications, patents, new positions and more.

You can also promote your research with a COS Profile that will showcase your research and expertise among researchers and scholars from universities, corporations and nonprofits in more than 170 countries.

The information that you input about your research interests will generate e-mail alerts when the COS Funding Opportunities database is updated with new grant opportunities.

Faculty can also search the Funding Opportunities database directly. The Main Search interface may be a little intimidating, so why not try the Search Wizard option. Search Wizard will allow you to do searches that are more detailed than those allowed by the Simple Search.

With its step-by-step guidance, it's ideal for helping you become familiar with the process of building a targeted funding search.

Visit the COS homepage at: http://www.cos.com/

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

For a complete list of upcoming deadlines, please go to -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/fndopp/deadlcal.html

Interdisciplinary Seminars

Please remember that, in an effort to encourage interdisciplinary research on campus, this office will supply $100 toward a speaker's luncheon when your department invites a Stony Brook colleague from an unrelated discipline to give a seminar. Please contact Ann-Marie Scheidt amscheidt@notes.cc.sunysb.edu to determine eligibility. You will be asked to provide a copy of the seminar notice annotated with the number of attendees and a brief description of any anticipated collaborations with the speaker's department.

Music for Meetings

Please remember that the OVPR would like to assist those of you who are planning a research meeting on campus by providing musical interludes. If you would like to have Stony Brook student musicians play at the reception for your meeting it can be arranged by contacting Ann-Marie Scheidt amscheidt@notes.cc.sunysb.edu. OVPR will make a payment to the Department of Music and the Department in turn pays the students. You get to listen to some nice music.

NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications

Notice Number: NOT-OD-06-086

NIH has provided an update (link to full notice above) and further clarification of the policy published on January 27, 2005 (Notice OD-05-030). The new dates for AREA applications are included, as is info about the New Investigator Pilot.

Standing dates for submission can be found at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

For paper format applications the dates refer to submission or postmark dates; for electronic submission the dates refer to 5 p.m. local time on the date indicated. For both paper and electronic submission if these dates fall on a holiday or weekend they are extended to the next business day. This does not apply to RFAs or PARs, which must be submitted by the date indicated without exception. For more information on NIH's policy on late submissions please go to the full notice link above.

--Contributed by Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Programs

New Version of "Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research

An updated version of the DHHS Office of Research Integrity's "Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research", by Nicholas H. Steneck, Ph.D., is available online at:

http://ori.dhhs.gov/steneck/RCRintro/

Notice of NIH Policy for Funding of Tuition, Fees and Health Insurance on Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Awards

On Friday, the NIH released a revision to the policy for funding of tuition, fees, and health insurance on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). This notice essentially corrects the policy change that was issued earlier this month. The new notice "clarifies that the new policy applies to all grant mechanisms that use NRSA funding authorities; corrects the stipend levels shown for postdoctoral trainees and fellows in the tables; clarifies F&A applicability under the new policy; and includes minor clarification to the language. There are no substantive changes to the policy itself."

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-093.html

NIH: Percent Effort to Person Months FAQs and Calculator Now Available

The NIH Extramural Newsletter addresses how the 'person months' unit of measurement collected by the SF 424 (R&R) grant application is different from the PHS 398 application "percent time and effort" measurement unit. The transition to "person months" will be addressed on these NIH webpages:
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Usage of Person Months,
A downloadable Excel-based interactive conversion calculator,
Both are also available on the Grants Policy and Guidance Web site.

NIH Offers PIs Resource, "What Investigators Need to Know About the Use of Animals

Principal Investigators now have a succinct resource to quickly grasp the main expectations and requirements when using animals in research supported by the Public Health Service (PHS). The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) created the brochure to inform PIs of their compliance responsibilities under the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Hard copies of the document will be provided by SBU's Office of Research Compliance—please contact Mary Johnson 631-632-9036. A copy is also available online at:
http://agrnts.nih.gov/grants/olaw/InvestigatorsNeed2Know.pdf

--Contributed by Judy Matuk, Director of Research Compliance

All R03, R21, R21/R33, R33 and R34 Grant Applications Must Use SF424 (R&R) and Grants.gov for the June 1, 2006, Submission Date and Beyond

The purpose of this Notice is to remind the research community that the R03, R21, R21/R33, R33, and R34 grant programs have transitioned to electronic submission of the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.
For details and the full text of NIH Notice NOT-OD-06-068, May 4, 2006, go to:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-068.html

NIH Multiple PI Implementation Date

The National Institutes of Health will recognize multiple Principal Investigators (PI) on a selected set of grant programs beginning in September, 2006 (http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi/). This notice reminds the research community that the multiple PI option will be available only for programs involved in the pilot; that all participating PIs will need to be registered on the NIH Commons prior to submission; and that Multiple PI applications must include a leadership plan. Finally, this notice describes the management strategies for Multiple PI projects that are in place for the pilot initiatives and special review criteria that will be used for these pilots. Other policies and management strategies will be announced as they are developed. Further details are available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-069.html

Essential Policies, Procedures and Resources

Power Outages and Other Emergencies

As the heart of the hurricane season approaches, please remember that the campus Website has an Emergency Management page and its components include links to status reports and means of communication:

Emergency Status
http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/emergency/status.shtml

Emergency Communications
http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/emergency/comm.shtml

It should also be noted -- thanks to Executive Director of Campus Operations and Maintenance Amy Provenzano -- that as a major electricity user the campus is a participant in a statewide electrical load reduction program that requires us, when called upon because of a statewide electrical system-wide emergency, to reduce the total electrical load to 33.7 MW from our normal load of 36MW for the duration of the emergency. The campus has already been notified that an emergency will likely be called for some period this afternoon, and tomorrow and Wednesday as well. The emergency responses include
- slowing down speeds of noncritical air handlers
- turning off unnecessary lighting (including perimeter garage lighting)
- turning off down escalators
- turning off certain elevators where there are more than one in a building

RF Equipment Insurance - Rate Reduction

The RF insurance carrier has reduced the rate for the Property Floater Insurance Policy to $.86 on the $100 value (down from $.95) effective July 1, 2006. Since the University has no other funding to provide for damage to, or loss of equipment, this is your only vehicle for protecting your equipment. This low cost coverage through AMSURE protects equipment against loss anywhere in the world. Most sponsors allow equipment insurance to be charged to grants and contracts (for the current budget period) as an acceptable way to protect the equipment necessary to conduct the project. We strongly recommend that you consider this option. Your Grants Management Specialist can give you additional information regarding this insurance as well as claim settlements and policy regulations.

For detailed information please refer to the Equipment Insurance Guide at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/gmo/equipins.html

--Submitted by Aaron Rosenblatt, Assistant Vice President for Grants Management

Change in Facilities and Administrative Rate for Evaluative Testing Agreements

Effective July 1, 2006, The Office of the Vice President for Research will be raising the Facilities and Administrative Rate for Evaluative Testing, which includes pharma sponsored and initiated clinical trials from 20% to 25%. This is being done at this time to bring the rate more in-line with the other SUNY schools so that negotiating master agreements with companies will be less cumbersome and to align it more closely with the nationwide rates which currently range from 25-35%. Therefore, all proposed budgets on Evaluative Testing Agreements submitted to the sponsor on or after 7/1/06 should reflect a rate of 25%. Should anyone have any questions, please contract Mr. Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice President, Office of Sponsored Programs at 2-4402, or via e-mail at IStrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.

Updated Fringe Benefit Rates

An updated Fringe Benefit Memo has been posted here on our website for your reference. Please note at this time the FY07 rates have been approved by DHHS and the FY07 rate breakdown has been updated.

If you have any questions please contact your Sponsored Programs Administrator or Coordinator at 2-9949/2-4402.

Office of Clinical Trials

The goals of this office are to streamline the process of industry sponsored clinical trials by utilizing the office as a single point of contact between industry sponsors and Stony Brook University Hospital. The Office of Clinical Trials will review and track all paperwork submissions, match sponsors with investigators that have the resources (staff, experience, and subject population) for the best overall study outcome. The office will provide assistance as needed with mentoring new investigators, coordinators and regulatory submissions.

As of September 1, 2006 all potential industry sponsored studies must go through the Office of Clinical Trials for review. The paperwork to be sent to the office includes:

Site Questionnaire
Confidentiality Agreement
Protocol
Draft Contract
Budget
Site Implementation Plan (SIP) (form attached)

The fee for the office to review, negotiate and track these studies is $250.00. If IRB submission is needed through this office a separate fee of $300.00 will be charged. This fee includes one year renewal. These fees will be factored into the budget as part of the non-refundable start up fees prior to execution of the contract.

In addition to reviewing the studies, negotiating the budget, and submitting the applications to the IRB, a study coordinator services will be available, if necessary. The study coordinator fee will be determined based on need and % of effort.

For more information feel free to contact
Silvia Muniz, Regulatory Specialist (P) 444-9016 (F) 444-7292
silvia.muniz@stonybrook.edu
Teresa Hunt-Goncalves NP, CCRC (P) 444-8302
teresa@osa.sunysb.edu
Sharon Nachman, MD, Director (P) 444-7692
sharon.nachman@stonybrook.edu

--Contributed by Sharon Nachman, Director, Office of Clinical Trials

Travel Warnings and the Threat Level

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a fact sheet about the raised threat level for all airline passengers. The threat level has been raised to SEVERE, or Red, for all travel between the United Kingdom and the United States and to HIGH, or Orange, for all other travel. These levels mean that the government has implemented much more stringent controls at airports. The list of restricted materials has increased significantly as has the time that it will take to clear through airport security checkpoints.
If RF staff or principal investigators plan any work-related (or personal, for that matter) travel of this nature, please have them familiarize themselves with the fact sheet at the following link:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/press_release/press_release_0976.xml

Two countries have been added to the U.S. Department of State's "Current Travel Warnings" list: Sri Lanka on 8/15/06 and Kenya on 8/10/06, which can be accessed at the following link:

 http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

For More Information

Gail S. Habicht is Vice President for Research. She can be reached at (631) 632-7932. An abundance of specific information for the research community is available on our Website, where past issues of this bulletin can also be found.

Office of the Vice President for Research -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/

Monday Memo archive - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/monmemo/mmarchive.html

All Past issue of Monday Memo are keyword searchable.

And if you are challenged by the embarrassment of riches in the over 2,000 individual Web pages that comprise the Website, you may find the alphabetical site index helpful. The index can be accessed at - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/index2.html.

If you have information you would like to contribute to Monday Memo please email it to the editor, Adnan Rangwala, at marc.dempsey@stonybrook.edu