In a unique joint effort, the University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are partnering to host the Metropolitan St. Louis Grants Conference Jan. 10-11.
Conference topics will include updates on the latest funding trends from federal agencies and informative sessions for academic researchers on research policies, practices and opportunities. Attendees also will have the chance to explore ways to enhance the success of their individual and collaborative research projects.
The conference is the first of what is hoped to be a biennial event and is intended to facilitate faculty research opportunities and stimulate broad-based increases in sponsored research and scholarship, interdisciplinary collaborations and institutional partnerships.
“We find that sponsors, both federal and private, are drawn to crosscutting research that demands real and effective collaborations across the campus and the world, not just deals or structures cobbled together in time for a proposal deadline,” said Cindy White, director of WUSTL’s Research Office. “We hope that this kind of event will spark ideas and conversations that lead to great research partnerships in the future.”
Washington University will host the first day’s program in Whitaker Hall. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will deliver introductory remarks, and Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., vice chancellor for research, will introduce the day’s first session and deliver closing remarks at the end of the day.
Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D., the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Arts & Sciences in biology and vice president of the National Academy of Sciences, will be one of three presenters in the “Fostering International Collaborations” concurrent session on Day 1.
In another session, Marty Igel, foundation relations director at WUSTL, will moderate the panel “Seeking Foundation Support.”
Highlighted federal guests include Richard Buckius, the recently appointed head of the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Norka Ruiz Bravo, director of extramural research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These senior federal officials will speak on the significance and impact of the American Competitiveness Initiative and the NIH Roadmap Initiative, respectively, on the faculty and research programs of the Danforth Campus schools.
“This is a very special opportunity to hear from our most important partners in the research arena and to get their views on present and future trends in this realm,” Stanley said. “It is not often that we can bring such high-ranking leaders at the federal level to the Midwest, and I encourage our faculty to take full advantage of this chance.”
The two research days have comprehensive objectives:
One is supporting junior faculty by offering exposure to larger collaborative activities and interdisciplinary thinking and to problem-solving models outside their fields of expertise.
Another is encouraging sponsored international collaborations by building on the University’s strong multicultural and international foundation by promoting dialogue with colleagues who have experienced successful international partnerships.
And a third is shaping the research agenda through invitations to federal agency representatives, private foundation delegates and key faculty members to discuss the direction of future and current research.
The conference will be structured around keynote speakers, panelists, break-out sessions and exhibits. The NSF, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, NIH and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will be represented, along with several participants from select foundations and institutions.
Day 2 will be hosted by SIUE at its conference center and will feature a program at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, a key partner in a Washington University center proposal on biofuels research.
In addition, the NEH will host a regional outreach conference in the afternoon at SIUE, a must for potential project directors and fellows.
For more information, visit research.wustl.edu/ResearchDay/conference.htm.
Registration is free to all WUSTL and SIUE faculty members. Guests from other area institutions should submit their registration via mail (address provided on Web site registration form) by Dec. 21.