Strategy:  Invest in targeted areas of established and emerging excellence and distinction

Point People:  Barry Klein and Ken Burtis

Narrative Summary of Third Year Implementation Efforts:

One of our core missions is supporting, and sometimes assisting in defining the emerging areas of excellence, and then help the efforts prosper and achieve success.  Along with the great faculty efforts and the inherent collegiality of their efforts, the administrative support groups of Deans and Vice Chancellors/Provosts have worked very well together this past year in providing appropriate support.  There is a strong sense that our effectiveness is making a difference.

For example, the Office of Research has been working with the campus deans in helping implement the various FTE Initiatives that have gotten underway.  Our goal has been to support the academic missions of the diverse groups that have been formed and to gear much of our development efforts toward garnering additional resources for these efforts.  This goal has received special attention this past year together with our efforts with the deans to support other major, multi-unit efforts –– done largely through the Administrative Coordinating Councils.

The Office of Research continues to promote collaboration and large-scale, interdisciplinary research projects in general.  Efforts will include refocusing the Research Vision Study Group that brings together faculty from across campus to investigate possibilities to foster more collaboration in selected research areas and continuing and expanding the joint research seminar series with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which enhances opportunities for UC Davis and Livermore scientists to learn more about potential areas of collaboration.

The Office is continuing to work with the "Nano-science and Nano-technology Steering Committee," the "Cyber-security Working Group," and the “Mathematical and Computational Biology Working Group,” consisting of faculty from diverse backgrounds; all groups will play crucial roles in coordinating our campus's efforts in these fields, and will catalyze more and larger-scale proposal efforts.

The position of Faculty Assistant for the Humanities was created.  In conjunction with a newly established committee on research opportunities in the humanities, the position is designed to help develop and prepare new research/scholarly activity opportunities for faculty in the Humanities.

Professor Deb Niemeier has joined the Office of Research this year as one of our Associate Vice Chancellors and as Director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment.  She has been effective in moving that unit forward in many areas and working to create a stronger interdisciplinary environmental studies group and developing and capitalizing on new opportunities.

We are working closely with the Foods for Health Initiative group to move that extremely important agenda forward.  There has also been very close coupling with the various “energy” groups on campus.  We were actively involved in helping to capture the Energy Efficiency Center on campus and leveraging those efforts to expand our “energy reach.”  The Entrepreneur Center, headed by Professor Andy Hargadon, is also off and running and reports to the Office of Research with Dean Biggart as the lead dean on these efforts.

Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent with Strategy: 

• Nano-science and Nano-technology Steering Committee established.  A first major effort led to the submission of 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.  Currently, the committee investigates possibilities for:

• A Designated Emphases graduate program, and
• A potential small-scale internal seed funding program to foster multidisciplinary collaborations.

• Planning coordination of stem cell research initiative for the campus with key administrators and researchers.
• Co-established the Stem Cell Internal Advisory Board and manage the Internal Seed Grant program.
• Interdisciplinary Research Support (IRS), led by Dr. Billy Sanders, 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. This year IRS-assisted proposals were awarded $34 million from various funding agencies.
• Increased funding for the Humanities Institute
• Leadership role or participating strongly in the development of new university-industry engagements — development of relationships including those with Hewlett-Packard Company, Intel and PIXAR.
• Air Quality Research Center approved as the campus’s 13th ORU (headed by Professor Tony Wexler) (http://airquality.ucdavis.edu/).
• ORU Budget Review Committee established to ensure that the core budget best supports emerging areas of research.
• New Organized Research Projects (ORPs):

• Center for Collaborative Advanced Laboratory Fusion Science and Engineering Research (CalFUSE)
• Institute for Biophotonics Innovations

• In the areas of Nano-science and Nano-technology, there is the initiation of pioneering research 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 center.
• Facilitation and assistance in the development of two Department of Homeland Security (DSH) proposals.
• Cost-share funding for the Texas A&M DHS Animal Safety Center of Excellence
• Planning activities for the NIH Roadmap.
• Bi-annual meetings with External Research Advisory Board (ERAB), consisting of senior and high-ranking representatives from industry, national laboratories and the policy sector.
• Academic development of the Venture Design Center, as well as the integration of the technology training of our Ph.D. and postdoctoral researchers.
• Research Vision Study Group established.
• Establishment of informal “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.
• Cyber-security Working Group created.
• Active engagement of the campus Research Coordinating Council.  The council consists 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, and also Limited Submissions pre-proposal selection.
• More proactive role in communicating proposal opportunities that require multi- or inter-disciplinary teams.
• McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center Research Advisory Board’s development of research priorities to support campus initiatives.
• Enlistment of key faculty members to attend national conferences focusing on emerging areas of research, such as nano-technology and cyber-security.
• 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 (nano-science and -technology, cyber-security, computational biology).
• Informal luncheons bringing together Organized Research Unit (ORU) directors and Office of Research senior administrators, to foster an ongoing dialogue regarding issues pertaining to organized research and interdisciplinary research in general.
• Identification of ways to streamline technology transfer with industry through projects related to the former California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency.
• New grants program research ideas/results to patent in progress, developed in conjunction with UCDHS.
• Became a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) University/Industry Demonstration Partnership.
• Established the state-wide Energy Efficiency Center, directed by Professor Andy Hargadon.
• Established the Entrepreneurship Center with Professor Hargadon as Director.
• Participated in the Canada-California Innovation Partnership.

Short Statement of Plans for 2006-07:

• Develop strategic connections with federal and private program managers in key programs at NIH, NSF, DHS and DOD.
• Provide avenues for faculty to develop inter- and multi-disciplinary research endeavors to promote campus research strengths and expertise.
• Review goals and priorities of each ORU and Central Facility to assure continued and expanded commitment and support of excellence.
• Establish metrics for evaluation of the Interdisciplinary Research Support unit.
• Expand collaborative efforts with national laboratories (advancement:  Homeland Security workshop held at UC Davis in November 2005, 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 the Office of Research External Research Advisory Board; 2) introduction to potential industry partners to potential industry partners for IDAV, Genome Center, and the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging).
• Promote more aggressively campus research strengths in areas that are likely to lead to valuable industry-university relationships (advancements:  UC Davis CONNECT and the Graduate School of Management’s Little Bang student poster competitions held in conjunction with ITS, CIFAR and CBST; 18 student teams participated and the top two teams move on to the Big Bang business plan competition).
• Expand industry specific relationships. For example, Hewlett Packard, Pfizer, Amgen and Genentech.

Evaluation of Metrics:

In addition to the existing Strategic Plan metrics, new metrics will be used:

• Increased recognition of an even more collaborative and multidisciplinary research culture.
• Significant support for the homeland security efforts funded by the Department of Homeland Security and other federal and private sources.
• Expanded collaborations with the UC Davis Development Office.
• Increase in outgoing proposals and funded large-scale research efforts.
• Increase in the number of ORPs moving to ORU status.
• 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.