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Seats Are Still Available for the Patents Workshop
It is not too late to sign up for the April workshop, “Demystifying Patents." If you are interested please contact Vallie Stewart at 644-9318 or vastewart@fsu.edu. The program will feature a presentation by Malvern U. “Griff” Griffin III, a partner with the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan law firm, who will discuss a variety of issues related to patents. Additional perspectives will be provided by Jack Sams, Director of IP Licensing at FSU. After a lunch provided by your host an expert panel will share their patent experiences, offer valuable advice, and field questions from the audience.
Date: Thursday, April 10, 2008
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Place: 2000 Levy Avenue, Research Building A (Innovation Park)
For more details about this workshop, visit www.techtransfer.fsu.edu/workshops.html.
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CRC and Cornerstone Updates
Council on Research & Creativity (CRC)
For a listing of CRC awards soon after they are awarded, watch for articles in issues of STATE.
The Developing Scholar, Distinguished Research Professor awardees, and recipient of the new award program, Distinguished University Scholar, have been selected. Please make plans to attend the Faculty Awards program, scheduled for Monday, April 7, in Dodd Hall (Werkmeister Reading Room) to learn who has been selected. Watch for announcements from the Faculty Awards planners and articles in STATE which will follow the awards program.
The all-day grant writing workshop for this year’s First Year Assistant Professor grant recipients is scheduled for Thursday, May 1. New FYAPs will receive emails with workshop details and registration form very soon. Also at the workshop, last year’s FYAPs will be presenting posters representative of their accomplishments during their first year as assistant professors at FSU; they have already been notified of the poster details and some have begun submitting their posters for display at the workshop.
Cornerstone
External FSU review of the AHPEG and SSPEG Cornerstone proposals has been completed. Internal FSU considerations are under way. Funding decisions will be made on/about April 9. This is a change from the originally advertised date.
Remember that future DSR forms (aka proposal transmittal forms) related to CRC or Cornerstone programs are to be delivered to Jan Townsend in 109 Westcott (not to the Sponsored Research Services Office).
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Florida University Research Up By $77 Million in 2007
Public and private sector investments in research at major Florida research universities were up $77 million between 2006 and 2007, totaling more than $1.6 billion in 2007, according to a new survey. Licensing income increased for Florida universities, and university researchers applied for and were issued more patents than in 2007, according to the survey of 13 Florida research institutions by the FSU Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization. Results were announced March 19 at the 2008 Florida Innovation Showcase in Orlando, Florida.
Florida university researchers were issued 171 U.S. patents in 2007, up from 156 the prior year. The survey reported that 135 licenses generated revenue for universities last year, up from 130 in 2006. Licensing income totaled over $53 million, up over $6 million from 2006 and a continued an upward trend after a downward trend that occurred by 2005 due to marketplace phasing out several successful products based on Florida university inventions. Invention disclosures were up with a total of 730 filings versus 636 in 2006.
The impact and importance of this research is also measured by the list of new products introduced into the marketplace based on the creative work at Florida’s research universities. To see a partial list, go to http://www.betterworldproject.net/ and type ‘Florida’ in the Search Stories engine; See the last slide of the PowerPoint attached
About the Innovation Showcase
On March 19 & 20, Florida Innovation Showcase 2008 featured Florida’s hottest university technologies and research competencies for leveraging research and development efforts. Co-located with SPIE Defense + Security Symposium at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort, showcase highlighted Florida’s best and brightest emerging Homeland Security and Defense expertise, with a special emphasis on laser and optics technologies. The showcase is produced by the Florida Research Consortium and sponsored by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Tampa Bay Technology Forum, AT&T, Florida Trend/Research Florida, and a number of the Florida research universities.
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UPDATE: Spring Equipment Grant Competition – Round 6
The deadline for submitting proposals for the sixth round of the Equipment and Infrastructure Enhancement Grant (EIEG) has passed. Five proposals have been submitted for a total request of $128,664. The EIEG Review Panel is expected to meet in April to review proposals and recommend funding. Formal approval of their recommendations will be made in June 2008. The fall competition is anticipated to have a submission deadline in October 2008.
Funding: The FSU Research Foundation (FSURF) has made available a total of $98,377 to be awarded to or divided among FSU researchers to assist in acquiring equipment or access to tools such as highly specialized databases that are not available through either routine budget appropriations or contracts and grants for this 6th round of funding.
If you have any questions about the program, please contact the EIEG program administrator, Eric McNair at 644-3328 or emcnair@techtransfer.fsu.edu.
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FSU Receives $2.5 Million Grant to Develop Forecasts for Farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Florida State University $2.5 million to provide climate forecasting for the agricultural community in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd (D-FL) helped acquire the grant, which begins in July 2008. The grant continues work begun in 2003 and will help fund salaries for researchers and graduate students at FSU and five other universities that together make up the Southeast Climate Consortium (SECC). James O'Brien, Emeritus Robert O. Lawton Professor of Meteorology and Oceanography, leads the FSU team.
"Climate variability in the southeastern states is largely determined by El Niño and La Niña,” O'Brien said. "By understanding how these oceanic phenomena can predict climate over the southern states, we can advise farmers through the extension services to change planting practices and varieties so that they can make more money."
Farmers throughout the region rely on the short-term climate forecasts by SECC to make decisions on peanuts, cotton, corn and strawberries, among other crops. SECC has a web site, www.agclimate.org, that provides climate and crop predictions for each county in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
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Change to FSU Foundation Projects in OMNI
In an effort to improve the efficiency of the FSU Foundation funding process, all current FSU Foundation projects will end June 30, 2008. New projects will have to be set up to replace the old ones and will have initial funding/budget periods of July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. The purpose of this change is to establish a new process that will treat all projects as cost reimbursable. The new process will eliminate having to request checks as pre-paid commitments by the FSU Foundation.
Important Items to Note:
- If there are multiple sources of funding at the Foundation, one project number can be established in OMNI. This will make appointments much easier to process.
Eminent Scholar projects will continue to be set up on a one to one basis.
- Allowable expenditures for these new projects will be limited to salaries (including OPS), fringes and tuition. All other types of expenses, such as travel, materials and equipment must be requested through the FSU Foundation using a Disbursement Request Form.
- New projects or amendments to existing projects requested prior to April 1, 2008, will be processed under the existing procedures and will end on June 30, 2008.
- New projects requested after April 1, 2008, will be processed under the new procedures and will have a funding/budget period of the start date requested through June 30, 2009.
- Amendments to existing projects will not be accepted after April 1, 2008. Therefore, any increases needed to accommodate additional expenses for the period April 1 through June 30, need to be requested prior to April 1.
- Beginning April 1, 2008, departments will need to review existing projects and request new projects for those that will need to be continued. It is very important that departments begin this as soon as possible so that any appointments that are effective July 1, 2008, can be entered by the fiscal year end and payroll deadlines. A reminder notice will be sent as we approach April 1.
- The new process will be as follows (all documents referenced are attached to this Notice):
New Projects:
- Prepare a Transmittal Form and Budget Summary Form – both signed by the PI, Chair and Dean
- Send the original Transmittal Form and a copy of the Budget Summary form to Jan James in Sponsored Research Services – Mail Code 4166
- Prepare the FSU Foundation Memo requesting a new account and send it along with the original Budget Summary Form to Laura Hensley at the FSU Foundation – Mail Code 2739.
Amendments to existing budgets (set up after July 1, 2008.)
- Prepare a Budget Amendment Form (signed by the PI, Chair and Dean) and submit the original to Laura Hensley and a copy to Jan James.
- There will be an annual budget amendment process to extend the end date and increase existing projects for the next fiscal year. This process will take place between April 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year.
- A new fund number has been established (547 Sponsored Pgms FSU Fdtn) and will be used for all new FSU Foundation projects.
Questions concerning this change should be directed to:
Laura Hensley lhensley@foundation.fsu.edu 644-0749
Jan James jjames@fsu.edu 644-8663
Roberta McManus rmcmanus@admin.fsu.edu 645-2485
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