Knight Foundation today launched an open call for new ideas that answer the question: How might cultural institutions use technology to connect people to the arts? We’re offering a share of $1 million for new, early-stage ideas that help arts organizations attract and connect with audiences in innovative ways.

Arts organizations and artists, as well as technologists, designers, educators, researchers and others who are excited to collaborate with arts institutions, and have diverse perspectives on how to solve this challenge are welcome to apply. We expect to award funding of up to $50,000 for each idea.

Knight Foundation is running the call through the Knight Prototype Fund, which supports early-stage ideas. The application, due on March 6, 2018, is available at prototypefund.org. We will also host office hours for those who want to learn more about the open call at 1 p.m. Feb. 21. You can join here.

For more information, take a look at this press release and blog post. Follow #prototypefund and @knightfdn on Twitter for updates and please spread the word through your networks.

To obtain a copy of the complete RFP please contact Katie Watkins (kwatkin@uakron.edu) or Emily Njus (emily@uakron.edu).

ATTENTION Ohio Federal Research Network Community: OFRN Round 3 SOARING RFP WSARC 18-002_revision2

Attached is the Ohio Federal Research Network Round 3 SOARING initiative Request for Proposal – revision 3.

Revisions were made to the RFP to provide corrections and clarity to sections 1.1, 3.7.2, 3.7.2.2, 3.7.3.4, and 6.3.7.3.

 A redline version of the RFP Revision 2 can be found in the OFRN document repository in the OFRN Public Documents / Round 3 RFP Documents folder. The document repository can be accessed at https://data.ohiofrn.org/Login.aspx

The RFP Q&A will be posted in the near future to the OFRN website at https://data.ohiofrn.org/FAQ.aspx

Reminder: Key Dates for the RFP:

Questions regarding the RFP:

OFRN will receive questions until February 28 for White Papers, May 11 for Volume 1: Technical Volume, and May 25 for Volume 2: Cost Proposal. OFRN plans to publish and update an FAQ prior to submission due dates that will incorporate all directly submitted questions. All questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail with a subject line of “OFRN Round 3: SOARING Q&A”. Questions must be submitted to both Paul Jackson at paul.jackson@wright.edu and Becky Mescher at becky.mescher@wright.edu.

The RFP Q&A will be posted to https://data.ohiofrn.org/FAQ.aspx

Internal Limited Submission Deadline to the Office of Research Administration: Friday, February 16, 2018 at 5pm.

NSF Deadline: March 28, 2018

A well-educated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is a significant contributor to maintaining the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program addresses the need for a high quality STEM workforce in STEM disciplines supported by the program and for the increased success of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ^[6], ^[16].

Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to fund scholarships and to advance the adaptation, implementation, and study of effective evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities that support recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM. The S-STEM program encourages collaborations among different types of partners: Partnerships among different types of institutions; collaborations of STEM faculty and institutional, educational, and social science researchers; and partnerships among institutions of higher education and local business and industry, if appropriate.

The program seeks: 1) to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need obtaining degrees in STEM and entering the workforce or graduate programs in STEM; 2) to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, with a focus on academically talented low-income students; and 3) to generate knowledge to advance understanding of how factors or evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities affect the success, retention, transfer, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM of low-income students.

The STEM disciplines supported by the S-STEM program include:

• Biological sciences (except medicine and other clinical fields);
• Physical sciences (including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and materials science);
• Mathematical sciences;
• Computer and information sciences;
• Geosciences;
• Engineering; and
• Technology areas associated with the preceding disciplines (for example, biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology, etc.)

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

An Institution may submit one proposal (either as a single institution or as subawardee or a member of a Collaborative Research project) from each constituent school or college that awards degrees in an eligible field.

For full program details visit NSF’s S-STEM webpage.

For details regarding The University of Akron’s limited submission process, visit the ORA Limited Submission webpage.

Internal Limited Submission Deadline to the Office of Research Administration: Friday, March 2, 2018 at 5pm.

NSF Deadline: April 17, 2018

Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM) funds research projects that identify (1) factors that are effective in the formation of ethical STEM researchers and (2) approaches to developing those factors in all the fields of science and engineering that NSF supports. CCE STEM solicits proposals for research that explores the following: ‘What constitutes responsible conduct for research (RCR), and which cultural and institutional contexts promote ethical STEM research and practice and why?’ Factors one might consider include: honor codes, professional ethics codes and licensing requirements, an ethic of service and/or service learning, life-long learning requirements, curricula or memberships in organizations (e.g. Engineers without Borders) that stress responsible conduct for research, institutions that serve under-represented groups, institutions where academic and research integrity are cultivated at multiple levels, institutions that cultivate ethics across the curriculum, or programs that promote group work, or do not grade. Do certain labs have a ‘culture of academic integrity’? What practices contribute to the establishment and maintenance of ethical cultures and how can these practices be transferred, extended to, and integrated into other research and learning settings?

Successful proposals typically have a comparative dimension, either between or within institutional settings that differ along these or among other factors, and they specify plans for developing interventions that promote the effectiveness of identified factors.

CCE STEM research projects will use basic research to produce knowledge about what constitutes or promotes responsible or irresponsible conduct of research, and how to best instill students with this knowledge. In some cases, projects will include the development of interventions to ensure responsible research conduct.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

Only one proposal may be submitted by an eligible organization, as defined above, in which a member of their organization serves as the PI

For full program details visit NSF’s CCE STEM webpage.

For details regarding The University of Akron’s limited submission process, visit the ORA Limited Submission webpage.