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Strategy: Invest
in targeted areas of established and emerging excellence and
distinction
Point
People: Barry Klein and Phyllis Wise
Narrative
Summary of Second Year Implementation Efforts:
The
Office of Research has developed various mechanisms to promote
collaboration and large-scale, interdisciplinary research
projects. For example, the new Interdisciplinary Research
Support (IRS) unit supports scientists with the preparation
of large proposals.
The office has
increased its interdisciplinary steering committees and working
groups. Currently, they include the Nano-science and Nano-technology
Steering Committee, the Computational and Mathematical Biology
Working Group, and the Cyber-security Working Group. These
committees and working groups consist of faculty members with
diverse research backgrounds. They play crucial roles in coordinating
our campus's efforts in these fields and will catalyze more,
and larger-scale proposal efforts.
Advances
and Ongoing Programs Consistent with Strategy
- Facilitated
and assisted in the development of two DHS proposals
- Provided cost-share
funding for the Texas A&M DHS Animal Safety Center of
Excellence
- Planned activities
for the NIH Roadmap
- Established
the Nano-science and Nano-technology Steering Committee,
which is instrumental in catalyzing efforts, including a
multi-million dollar NIH grant application seeking support
for an NIH cancer research center based on the development
and utilization of novel nano-technologies
- Established
a working group in Computational and Mathematical Biology,
with the goal of identifying new, large-scale thrusts in
this area leading to interdisciplinary grant applications
and research efforts
- Created the
Cyber-security Working Group
- Host bi-annual
meetings with the External Research Advisory Board (ERAB),
consisting of senior and high-ranking representatives from
industry, national laboratories and the policy sector
- Actively engage
the campus Research Coordinating Council, consisting of
Associate Deans for Research and other key faculty members,
who provide guidance, specifically in the context of becoming
more effective in large proposal preparation
- Hold regular
meetings of the interdisciplinary faculty steering committees
and working groups
- Coordination
of planning efforts for the stem cell research initiative
for the campus, including key administrators and researchers
- McClellan Nuclear
Radiation Center Research Advisory Board’s development
of research priorities to support campus initiatives
- Received approval
from the National Cancer Center to use NCI central review
on NCI-supported oncology studies
- Participate
in externally funded programs such as the Cancer Center
AP 4 program. Lynne Chronister and David McGee are co-investigators
- Established
a task force to review the clinical trials sponsored activities
- Created the
Interdisciplinary Research Support (IRS) unit, led by Dr.
Richard Meisinger. IRS has become a significant campus resource
that is in high demand, providing faculty with the needed
and desired support for the preparation of major grant/contract
applications: 30 proposals submitted; 4 proposals in progress.
- Assumed a more
proactive role in communicating proposal opportunities that
require multi- or inter-disciplinary teams, with an increasing
emphasis on limited submissions opportunities
- Enlisted key
faculty members to attend national conferences focusing
on emerging areas of research, such as nano-technology and
cyber-security
- Conduct dialogue
with Office of Graduate Studies and faculty, concerning
the issue of new graduate education and training efforts,
as a result of an increasingly interdisciplinary research
landscape (eg., nano-science and -technology, cyber-security,
computational biology)
- Hold informal
luncheons bringing together Organized Research Unit (ORU)
directors and Office of Research senior administrators,
to foster an ongoing dialogue regarding research issues
pertaining to organized research and interdisciplinary research
in general
- Organizing
first ORU directors retreat, to broadly discuss ORU-related
issues
- Established
an expanded role for the John Muir Institute of the Environment
ORU, led by a new Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
- Establishing
a new ORU: Air Quality Research Center (to be directed by
Professor Tony Wexler; proposal submitted to Academic Senate
for review) (http://airquality.ucdavis.edu)
- Established
ORU Budget Review Committee to ensure that the core budget
best supports emerging areas of research
- New Organized
Research Projects (ORPs):
- Emerging proposals
under development:
- Combinatorial
Chemistry Center
- Institute
for Complex Adaptive Matter
- Mathematical
Biology
- National
Cancer Bioinformatics Grid
- In the areas
of Nano-science and Nano-technology, there is the possibility
to catalyze research thrusts on the possible health effects
of certain nanomaterials, such as "nanotubes"
(newly approved EPA project by Professors Kent Pinkerton
and Ting Guo). This project could develop into a campus
center of excellence.
- Provided leadership
role in the development of new university-industry engagements
— development of relationships including those with
PIXAR and Intel
- Academic development
of the Venture Design Center and implemented a business
development certificate program for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral
students in science and engineering in collaboration with
GSM.
- Streamlining
technology transfer processes and decentralizing technology
transfer transactions from UCOP to campus management
- Aggressively
promoting campus research strengths in areas that are likely
to lead to valuable university-industry relationships. UC
Davis CONNECT and the Graduate School of Management’s
Little Bang student poster competitions was held in conjunction
with ITS, CIFAR and CBST. Sixteen student teams participated
and the top two teams went on to the Big Bang business plan
competition.
- Worked with
the Lighting Design Center on establishing an Industry Affiliates
Program
- Developed new
grants program research ideas/results to patent in progress
(developed in conjunction with UCDHS)
- Continue to
enhance and expand UC Davis interactions with state agencies
- Expand efforts
to support regional economic development, including monthly
meetings with campus representatives and holding regional
meetings with economic development leaders
- Worked to build
the security and infrastructure of the California National
Primate Research Center
- Worked with
campus and the Office of Resource Management and Planning
to propose and begin a boating safety program
- Worked to solidify
Tahoe Environmental Research Center and successfully recruited
Director, Professor Geoffrey Schladow.
- Worked to coordinate
successful implementation of Tahoe Environmental Science
Center.
Short Statement
of Plans for 2005-06
- Implement a
new, expanded and streamlined process of handling limited
submissions
- Develop strategic
connections with federal and private program managers in
key programs at NIH, NSF, DHS and DOD
- Review each
ORU and Central Facility goals and priorities to assure
continued and expanded commitment and support of excellence
- Work with Academic
Senate on revision of UC Davis policy concerning ORU creation
and evaluation
- Establish metrics
for evaluating the investment in the Interdisciplinary Research
Support unit
- Expand collaborative
efforts with national laboratories (advancement: Homeland
Security workshop held at UC Davis in November 2004, jointly
sponsored by Office of Research and the Lawrence National
Laboratory, bringing together campus and lab scientists
with the goal of identifying new areas of collaboration)
- Work more closely
with ORU and Center directors to develop effective strategies
to foster more collaborative efforts with industry (advancements:
1) ITS – synergy of Chevron executive on ERAB; 2)
introduction to potential industry partners to potential
industry partners for IDAV, Genome Center, and the Center
for Molecular and Genomic Imaging)
Evaluation
of Metrics
In addition to
the existing Strategic Plan metrics, new metrics will be used:
- Increase in
the number of ORPs moving to ORU status
- Significant
support for homeland security efforts funded by DHS and
other federal and private sources
- Expanded collaborations
with the UC Davis Development Office
- Increase in
outgoing proposals and funded large-scale research efforts
- Increased recognition
of an even more collaborative and multidisciplinary research
culture
- Increase in
the number of research efforts done in collaboration with
national laboratories and/or industry partners
Existing
metrics:
- Increase in
national and international leadership and recognition of
UC Davis research programs as reflected in prestigious awards
and appointments for faculty and research staff
- Improvement
in the ranking of UC Davis programs in national surveys
that are based on research visibility and excellence
- Growth in the
level of extramural funding across all disciplines
- Enhancement
of the number of participants in, and impact of, interdisciplinary
initiatives
- Increase in
the dissemination of knowledge through appropriate venues
- Timely implementation
of promising new initiatives that expand the realm of knowledge
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