Final fringe benefit rates for fiscal year 2024 have been confirmed. These rates are effective immediately and should be used when preparing budget estimates to be included in proposals submitted for extramural support. To facilitate the transition to these new rates, budgets that are in process will be accepted at the old rate until July 21, 2023 at which time PreAward Services will require the adoption of fiscal year 2024 rates.

Fiscal year 2024 rates are as follows:

• Faculty and unclassified staff: 32.8%
• University support staff: 45%
• Student hourly employees and enrolled graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants with appointments less than 0.5 time: 1%
• Student hourly employees and non-enrolled graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants with appointments less than 0.5 time: 9.0%*
• Graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants enrolled in six hours or more and who have appointments of 0.5 time or greater: 14.0% - this includes the percentage allocable to employer’s share of health insurance

*Add 12.99% to this rate to include health insurance for benefit eligible graduate students not enrolled during the summer.

The above rates are to be used for estimating purposes. An individual’s actual fringe benefits will be charged to the sponsored project account. Details regarding the different rates are available here: https://www.k-state.edu/research/faculty/proposal/budgets/fringe-rates.html

Please circulate this notification to all who need to know these new rates.

Questions? Call PreAward Services at 785-532-6804 or email research@k-state.edu

The purpose of this Notice is to clarify NOT-OD-22-044 on Maintaining Security and Confidentiality in NIH Peer Review: Rules, Responsibilities and Possible Consequences and inform the extramural community that the NIH prohibits NIH scientific peer reviewers from using natural language processors, large language models, or other generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for analyzing and formulating peer review critiques for grant applications and R&D contract proposals. NIH is revising its Security, Confidentiality, and Non-disclosure Agreements for Peer Reviewers to clarify this prohibition. Reviewers should be aware that uploading or sharing content or original concepts from an NIH grant application, contract proposal, or critique to online generative AI tools violates the NIH peer review confidentiality and integrity requirements. 

Read the full notice.

The National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation program has changed its long-time mid-January due date to a date in mid-November.  This means that the internal notification (working title, team/researcher list, submission type) due date for this very popular limited submission program will be 5 p.m., August 11 this year rather than in mid-September as has been the case in the past. Internal preproposals will be due by 5 p.m., September 1, 2023. The notification and preproposals should be submitted to the Office of Research Development via ordlimitedsubs@k-state.edu.  

NSF’s MRI program supports the acquisition of a multi-user research instrument that is commercially available through direct purchase from a vendor, or for the personnel costs and equipment that are required for the development of an instrument with new capabilities, thereby advancing instrumentation capabilities and enhancing expertise for instrument design and fabrication at academic institutions. MRI instruments are, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs.

1 p.m.

July 19

The Community Infrastructure for Research in Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CIRC) program drives discovery and learning in the core disciplines of the three participating CISE divisions [Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF), Computer and Network Systems (CNS), and Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS)] of the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) by funding the creation and enhancement of world-class research infrastructure. This research infrastructure will specifically support diverse communities of CISE researchers pursuing focused research agendas in computer and information science and engineering. This support involves developing the accompanying user services and engagement needed to attract, nurture, and grow a robust research community that is actively involved in determining directions for the infrastructure, as well as management of the infrastructure. This should lead to research infrastructure that can be sustained through community involvement and community leadership, and that will enable advances not possible with existing research infrastructure. Further, through the CIRC program, CISE seeks to ensure that researchers from a diverse range of institutions of higher education (IHEs), including minority-serving and predominantly undergraduate institutions, as well as researchers from non-profit, non-academic organizations, have access to such infrastructure.

Register for a webinar to learn more about the CIRC program here.

12-1 p.m.

July 20

Many doctoral students and post-docs are in training to become faculty. Unfortunately, this period often does not include training in the finer points of grant proposal writing. During this office hour, we will focus on information specifically targeting doctoral students and post-docs, covering topics such as the NSF review process and funding opportunities for new faculty.

The IIS Office Hours are for researchers interested in learning about programs and policies in the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (CISE) at NSF. Office Hours are designed to give current and potential investigators a window into IIS and other Directorate partners. Attendance at office hours is voluntary and designed to help investigators gain information that can help them strengthen their proposals. Sessions will be closed-captioned.

Please note that the office hours are designed to answer questions for a broad range of researchers and not inquiries about specific proposals. If you would like to talk to about a specific proposal you are considering submitting or which was already reviewed, please email the relevant program. This will connect you with program officers with whom you can ask questions.

Register here to attend IIS office hours.

NSF is in the process of creating a Research on Research Security Program (RRSP) to fund research that will: (a) identify and characterize attributes that distinguish research security from research integrity; (b) improve understanding of the nature, scale and scope of research security risks; (c) provide insight into methods for identifying, mitigating and preventing research security violations; and (d) develop methodologies to assess the potential impact of research security threats on the U.S. economy, national security, and research enterprise. RRSP also will support the development of partnerships and collaborations of diverse groups of scientists and institutions in this research area as well as training resources for the research community.

Two identical webinars will be held, the first on Thursday, July 13 from 3:00 until 5:00 pm, and the second on Wednesday, July 26 from 1:00 until 3:00 pm. The webinars will be video recorded and both the videos and slides shown will be placed on the web at Research Security.

To view the Dear Colleague Letter, please visit nsf.gov.

We encourage you to send questions in advance of the webinar to RRSP@nsf.gov and to visit the Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy web page (see below) for more information about NSF’s research security activities. 

Register here to participate in one of the webinars.

October 12-13, 2023

Denver, Colorado

Calling all land-grant colleagues!

Join the Northcentral Region Water Network in Denver, Colorado to discuss how we can work together across institutions to address vulnerability associated with climate change, protect and restore our waters for future generations, and advance culturally rich and sustainable food systems and food sovereignty. 

The North Central Region Water Network, The First American Land-Grant Consortium, or FALCON, and partners from across the North Central Region are excited to host a workshop for 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant colleagues working on climate and water-related issues.

This in-person workshop will be held ahead of the FALCON Annual Conference, starting mid-day on October 12 and ending at 1 p.m. on October 13 in Downtown Denver, Colorado.

Together, we will create actionable recommendations to improve collaborations among land-grant institutions in ways that will increase our ability to provide climate and water programming in equitable and just ways with a focus on serving Black and Indigenous communities.

Learn more.

2-3 p.m.

Tuesday, July 18

Please join the Division of Biological Infrastructure for the monthly Virtual Office Hour. Program Officers will discuss how to write a great proposal, including key elements to a successful proposal, how to identify an appropriate program, required components, and review criteria. It is an opportunity to raise questions and communicate directly with program officers in your field.

Please register in advance for the webinar.

Noon

Wednesday, July 19

A public overview highlighting the NASA I-Corps Pilot, a new funding initiative supporting faculty and student research and development. The discussion is intended to allow teams to ask questions and learn more about how to apply. Hosted by NASA’s Science and Space Technology Mission Directorates’ Entrepreneurship Lead, Maggie Yancey, and with our agency partner at the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps, Program Director, Ruth Shuman.

Participants are invited to submit their questions below and/or vote up questions already posted via the provided Q&A link. All questions will be submitted anonymously and may be upvoted.

To request other reasonable accommodations for the webinar, please email Margaret.a.yancey@nasa.gov.

Register to attend.

1-2:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 20

Program directors from across the Computer and Information Science and Engineering, or CISE, will host a 90-minute webinar to provide the CISE community with information about the Research Initiation Initiative and answer questions.

The solicitation may be found on the NSF website.

Register in advance to attend.

MedCrypt Partners With Kansas State University to Drive Research on Medical Device Cybersecurity With Lifesaving Capabilities Cision PR Newswire

Invasive species sinks its teeth into NE Kansas trees KSNT

Partnership will add value to new commercial wheat varieties from KSU FarmProgress



K-State set to become leader in animal vaccine research with new Center WIBW

Study finds luminous red galaxies gain mass and acquire fewer satellite galaxies with time Phys.org/Science X

Deep brain stimulation during sleep strengthens memory

While it's known that sleep plays a crucial role in strengthening memory, scientists are still decoding how the process plays out in the brain overnight. U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research led by scientists at UCLA and Tel Aviv University offers new evidence from inside the human brain supporting the dominant theory of how the brain consolidates memory during sleep. NSF

Our brains may process silence and sounds the same way

Experiments with auditory illusions begin to answer a philosophical puzzle about whether we perceive when there is nothing there. Science

Developing human embryos imaged at highest-ever resolution

Researchers have captured the most-detailed images yet of human embryos developing in real time, using two common laboratory tools — fluorescent dyes and laser microscopes. Nature

Experiments with auditory illusions begin to answer a philosophical puzzle about whether we perceive when there is nothing there

The European Commission has proposed making gene-edited plants much easier to study and commercialize. Scientists welcomed this week’s draft proposal, which aims to accelerate research boosting the resilience of crops to climate change, pests, and diseases, and to develop plants that require fewer fertilizers. But it could take several years for it to be approved by the European Parliament and Council. Science

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