July 25, 2018
Funding Connection

  • The Department of Defense, DARPA seeks innovative proposals for the development of micro-to-milli (insect scale) robotic technologies (SHRIMP) to help with public health, surveillance, and first response.
  • The National Pork Board (NPB) is soliciting Letters of Intent in the areas of Human Nutrition and Public Health. 
  • Read more of this week's featured opportunities
Events and announcements
  • Research Weekly and the Funding Connection will take a break August 1 and August 8. We'll return August 15.

  • Graduate/professional students and postdocs who are seeking professional development are invited to enroll in Introduction to Responsible Conduct of Biomedical Research, AP 896, in fall 2018. Topics will include collaboration and mentorship, data management, scientific misconduct, authorship and plagiarism, peer review, and more. Download a flyer with more information.

  • Biocene 2018, the third annual biomimicry symposium, is August 14-17 at the Ohio Aerospace Institute. Miocene highlights artificial intelligence, unmanned air vehicles, and the state of the art in biomimicry. Find registration information.



K-State innovation crushes previous record
  • New record: The Kansas State University Research Foundation, or KSRUF, received 93 invention disclosures in fiscal year 2018. The previous record was 73.
  • Winning streak: We've now seen four straight record years.
  • Rookies rule: The 93 disclosures in FY18 included 65 K-Staters who were named as contributors in the invention disclosure process for the first time.
  • Licensing success: The technology transfer office signed a total of 105 commercial agreements in fiscal year 2018, including 3 master licenses, 28 exclusive licenses, 15 non-exclusive licenses, and 2 exclusive options to license K-State technologies. These agreements helped bring in more than $825,000 in new licensing revenue for a total of more than $2.8 million in licensing revenues. 

Commercialization of intellectual property developed by K-State accelerates the delivery of research results to the public . KSURF and the K-State Institute for Commercialization are excited to see our institution continue the trend of achieving record numbers of invention disclosures and the participation of new inventors.

We strive to make it easy for innovators to participate in this process. Explore our website to learn about the disclosure and commercialization process and submit your next innovation .

Questions? Contact KSURF at 785-532-5720 or tech.transfer@k-state.edu to discuss your innovations, sponsored research, and industry interest in your discoveries.

— Chris Brandt, KSURF president and CEO
Agency news and trending topics
The National Academies Press has released a consensus study report exploring the formidable challenges that will test the long-term sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience of the U.S. food and agricultural enterprise. The report includes chapters on crops, animal agriculture, food science and technology, soils, water-use efficiency and productivity, data, a systems approach, and strategy for 2030.

An outbreak of the Ebola virus that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in early May has been declared over by the country’s health ministry. ... the World Health Organization and other public-health bodies quickly gave the DRC support — including helping to deploy, for the first time early in an outbreak,  several thousands of doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine . Health agencies used a ‘ring vaccination’ strategy: they immunized contacts of infected people, and their contacts, as well as front-line responders. Data from the deployment of the vaccine, which is made by Merck, are being analysed for insights into its efficacy.

After they secure their first major research grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), women are almost as successful as men at netting further awards from the agency, according to an analysis published this week in  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . The study of almost 35,000 researchers that applied for NIH funding calls into question the commonly held belief that women leave science at a higher rate than men at all stages of their careers, which is often described as a leaky pipeline of talent.

AAAS recently convened a group of experts to provide input on “ How We Respond ,” a new communication initiative that will share the diverse ways communities across the United States are using science to respond to climate change. The two-year project is intended to empower public and private sector leaders, community-based organizations, scientists and other stakeholders who can influence how climate change issues are factored into decision-making.

An entomologist with a corporate background is President Donald Trump's pick to head research programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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