2018 GRC Funding Competitive Conference

Sr. Grants Proposal Specialist Kerry Morris recently attended the Grants Resource Center’s (GRC) annual Funding Competitive Conference in Washington, DC. Sessions included presentations from the National Institutes of Health, National Endowment for the Humanities the U.S. Department of Defense, and a special proposal development session presented by GRC Advisory Board Member Jeremy Miner, Director of Grants and Contracts, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Sessions in development featured the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Health Resources and Services Administration, a mix of international program funders, and much more! Some highlights from the conference include:

  • NSF Policy Update – Big changes have come to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in recent months. In addition to their recent relocation from their Ballston, Va. campus, 2018 is bringing new policies on sexual harassment in NSF-funded labs, new functionalities to Research.gov, and the latest revisions to the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Jeremy Leffler, an outreach specialist in the NSF Policy Office spoke at the GRC Funding Competitiveness Conference last week to help guide attendees through the shifting landscape.
  • NEH Preservation and Access – Program Officer Cathleen Tefft of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) joined GRC conference attendees last week to speak about NEH funding to support preserving and accessing cultural collections and to provide tips to potential applicants.
  • NIJ Research Support – At GRC’s annual conference last week, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, gave a presentation on its criminal justice research, development, and forensic science programming.
  • Cybersecurity Awardee Gives Tips and Lessons Learned – Jim Jones, Associate Professor at GRC member institution George Mason University (GMU), is the recipient of two groundbreaking federal awards totaling $80 million dollars. Support from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technology will enable him and his team of researchers to explore and improve issues in forensic science, criminal investigations, and network analysis.

The Grants Resource Center (GRC), a unit of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), has enhanced the research and sponsored programs capabilities of higher education institutions since 1967. VSU’s subscription to GRC provides you with access to a comprehensive suite of tools, services, and expertise to improve your office’s efficiency and increase success in securing competitive grants from federal and private sponsors. To view these resources, visit the GRC website here and use the following institutional login credentials: User Name – valdosta, and Password – information. Both are in lower case.

For more information and help navigating all the benefits of your GRC subscription, contact Kerry in the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Administration at (229) 245-3828 or emailing him at kwmorris@valdosta.edu.