Gloria  Waters,  PhD  Vice  President  and  Associate  Provost  for  Research  

The  Research  Enterprise  @  Boston  University  

The  role  and  ra?onale  for  the  American  Research  University,  Jonathan  Cole:  “……our  finest  universi.es  are  able  to  produce  a  very  high  propor.on  of  the  most  important  fundamental  

knowledge  and  prac.cal  research  discoveries  in  the  world.    It  is  the  quality  of  the  research  produced,  and  the  

system  that  invests  in  and  trains  young  people  to  be  leading  scien.sts  and  scholars,  that  dis.nguishes  [the  

research  universi.es]  and  makes  them  the  envy  of  the  world.”  

   

Boston  University  is  a  Research  University:  

The  Intellectual  Enterprise  at  BU  

Full  range  of  our  intellectual  efforts  is  expansive:  •  Theology  to  Economics  •  Pain?ng  to  Biomedical  Engineering  •  Medicine  to  Crea?ve  Wri?ng          Faculty  engage  in  three  broad  forms  of  intellectual  work:  •  Research  •  Scholarship  •  Crea?ve,  ar?s?c  endeavors    

Research,  Scholarship  and  Ar?s?c  Endeavors    

All  require  a  strategic  focus  on  excellence  •  Hiring  and  retaining  talented  faculty  members  •  Resourcing  high-­‐quality  doctoral  programs  •  Providing  world-­‐class  infrastructure  

•  Laboratories  •  Libraries  •  Studios  •  Computa?on  •  Instrumenta?on  •  Administra?ve  support  

Research  drives:    

•  Recogni?on  of  our  faculty    

•  Reputa?on  of  the  University    

•  Rankings  of  our  programs    

Why  is  research  important  to  the  University?    

Research  is  the  2nd  largest  source  of  revenue    to  the  University.  

 

Sponsored  Research  Important  Criteria  for  Entrance  into  AAU  

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

•  The  Associa?on  of  the  na?ons  elite,  leading  research  universi?es  

•  Elected  by  membership  of  AAU  (61  ins?tu?ons)  in  2012  

•  BU  was  the  first  new  private  university  member  since  Emory  (1995)  and  Brandeis  (1985)  

 •  Other  New  England  members:  

•  Harvard,  MIT,  Yale,  Brown,  Brandeis    

•  Research  and  Scholarship  is  cri?cal  for  all  faculty  and  in  all  Schools  and  Colleges  at  BU  

 •  BU  has  grown  in  research  excellence  over  the  past  several  decades  

 •  Number  of  areas  in  which  we  are  excellent  is  growing  con?nuously    

 

Research  and  Scholarly  Excellence  

Rise  in  Research  Excellence  as  Measured  by  Award  $  

Compe..on  for  federal  funds:  NIH,  NSF,  DOE  and  compe..on  for  founda.on  and  corporate  funding  (e.g.  Gates  Founda.on)  is  intense Faculty  with  the  capability  to  compete  are  cri.cal   $0  

$75  

$150  

$225  

$300  

$375  

$450  

72   74   76   78   80   82   84   86   88   90   92   94   96   98   00   02   04   06   08   10   12   14  

(Millions)  

*Excluding Financial Aid. FY 2004 includes $128.0 million for the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL).!

•  Faculty  

•  Research  labs    

•  Research  infrastructure  

Increasing  Excellence  Requires  a  Significant  Investment  in:    

BU  is  rela?vely  young  as  a  research  university  and  so  the  investment  needed  to  be  compe??ve  is  significant  

 

Major  Sources  of  Funding  

1.  Federal  Government  

2.  Corpora?ons  and  Founda?ons  

3.  Philanthropy  

4.  University  itself  

Where  does  the  investment  come  from?  

Awards  by  Source  (By  Direct  Sponsor)  

Sponsor  Type     Total  Award  Amount  

Federal  Government   $271,455,119  

Universi?es  (subawards)   $24,223,478  

Founda?on  /  Associa?on  /  Society  

$23,613,277  

Industry   $12,236,705  

Hospital   $8,743,401  

Foreign   $2,457,519  

Other   $7,616,443  

Total   $  350,345,942  

6

77.48%

6.91%

6.74%

3.49% 2.50%

0.70%

2.17%

5.37%

Federal Government University

Foundation / Association / Society Industry

Hospital Foreign

Other

Sponsor Type Total Award Amount

Federal Government $ 271,455,119

Universities (subawards) 24,223,478

Foundation / Association / Society 23,613,277

Industry 12,236,705

Hospital 8,743,401

Foreign 2,457,519

Other 7,616,443

Total $ 350,345,942

Ins?tu?onal  Fund  Expenditures  for  AAU  Privates  (2014  NSF  HERD)  

$0    

$50,000    

$100,000    

$150,000    

$200,000    

$250,000    

Vand

erbilt  University

 Co

rnell    

Harvard    

Brow

n    

Yale    

Northwestern      

Emory      

Duke    

Columbia    

Washington  University

 Stanford      

Princeton      

New

 York  University

   John

s  Hop

kins    

Boston

 University

 MIT  

Case  W

estern  Reserve  

University

 of  R

oche

ster    

University

 of  C

hicago    

Rice    

Tulane

 Cal  Tech  

Syracuse  University

   Brande

is      

Carnegie  M

ellon    

Expe

nditu

re  (in  millions)  

InsFtuFon  (paGerned  bar  indicates  peer  insFtuFon)  

Ins?tu?onal  Fund  Expenditures  for  AAU  Privates  (2014  NSF  HERD)  InsFtuFon     Expenditure  of  

InsFtuFonal  Funds  

Vanderbilt  University   $204,033    

Cornell  University     $194,709    

Harvard  University     $189,291    

Brown  University   $188,749    

Yale  University   $188,411    

Northwestern  University     $165,519    

Emory  University     $158,943    

Duke  University   $138,665    

Columbia  University  in  the  City  of  New  York     $124,948    

University  of  Southern  California     $123,990    

Washington  University  in  St  Louis   $122,857    

Stanford  University     $100,968    

Princeton  University     $93,461    

New  York  University     $93,209    

InsFtuFon     Expenditure  of  InsFtuFonal  Funds  

Johns  Hopkins  University   $86,879    

Boston  University   $84,070    

MA  Ins?tute  of  Tech     $81,528    

University  of  Pennsylvania     $55,275    

Case  Western  Reserve  University   $42,445    

University  of  Rochester     $41,690    

University  of  Chicago     $36,345    

Rice  University     $33,247    

Tulane  University   $33,216    

California  Ins?tute  of  Technology     $25,483    

Syracuse  University     $22,919    

Brandeis  University     $13,000    

Carnegie  Mellon  University   $11,382    

•  Increasing  cost  of  research  and  decreasing  federal  budget    •  Increasing  cost  due  to  technological  advancements—expensive  techniques    •  Increasing  cost  due  to  regulatory  burden  –  regula?ons  increasing  but  not  cost  to  cover  

adhering  to  them    •  Es?mate  faculty  spend  42%  of  ?me  on  compliance  with  regula?ons    •  BU  rela?vely  young  as  a  research  university  –  as  a  result  immature  research  

infrastructure  

Current  Challenges    

•  Limited  Resources  and  so  need  to  choose  areas  for  investment  

 •  Research  peaks  =  Areas  of  excellence  targeted  for  increased  growth  

and  future  investment  

Research  Peaks    

•  Focus  on  work  that  is  solving  important  societal  problems  

•  Areas  with  a  cri?cal  mass  of  faculty  

•  One  or  more  research  Centers  

•  Significant  research  funding  $  

•  Dedicated  space  

Characteris?cs  of  Research  Peaks    

   

Data  Science:  Cybersecurity,  health  care  technologies,  smart  ci?es    •  Algorithms  allevia?ng  concerns  of  private  companies  to  provide  gender  pay  equity  data  to  the  state    •  Somware  to  flag  pa?ents  at  risk  for  medical  emergencies  based  on  their  electronic  medical  record    Hariri  Ins?tute  for  Compu?ng  and  Computa?onal  Science  and  Engineering  

 

Engineering  Biology:  Synthe?c  biology,  ?ssue  engineering,  regenera?ve  medicine    •  Micro-­‐robots  control  cells  to  exhibit  behaviors  and  work  with  other  cells  –  could  eventually    transform    cells  into  ?ssue  and  organs  for  transplant    Biological  Design  Center  

 

Neuroscience:  Degenera?ve  diseases,  au?sm,  ADHD,  CTE    •  Microelectrodes  that  can  be  implanted  in  the  brain  to  s?mulate  areas  and  produce  behavior  

   Center  for  Systems  Neuroscience    

Photonics:  Health  Diagnos?cs,  Optogene?cs,  biophotonics  sensors      •  Using  light  to  turn  brain  cells  on  and  off;  using  light  to  detect  and  iden?fy  viruses    Photonics  Center  

Research  Peaks  and  Sample  Projects  

 

 InfecFous  Disease:  Emerging  infec?ous  diseases,  e.g.;  ebola,  TB  

 •  Why  immunity  to  pneumonia  develops  in  late  childhood  and  early  adulthood    •  Develop  simple  devices  to  screen  for  ebola  in  the  field    Na?onal  Emerging  Infec?ous  Disease  Lab  

 Global  Health:  Managing  chronic  disease,  HIV  treatment,  alcohol  &  violence    

 •  Role  of  stable  housing  in  reducing  ER  visits  for  those  with  hepa??s  C      Center  for  Global  Health  and  Development  

 Urban  Health:  Low  income  housing,  climate  change,  greenhouse  gas    

 •  Role  of  stable  housing  in  reducing  ER  visits  for  those  with  hepa??s  C      •  Following  the  health  of  65,000  black  women  over  20  years  to  iden?fy  risk  factors  for  breast  cancer    Center  for  Innova?on  in  Social  Work  and  Health  ($12.5m  gim)  

 

Research  Peaks  and  Sample  Projects  

Center  for  Integrated  Life  Science  &  Engineering   •  Building  will  be  designed  for  collabora?ve  and  interdisciplinary  research  involving  life  scien?sts,  engineers,  

mathema?cians,  computer  scien?sts,  and  physicians.  

•  Highly  visible  space  on  Commonwealth  Avenue:  170,000  GSF  

•  Focus  on  research  in:  •  Systems  neuroscience:  memory,  speech,  and  disorders  •  Brain  Imaging  Center  •  Biological  Design  •  Center  for  Sensory  Communica?on  and  Neural  Technologies  

Disciplines  that  define  our  future: A  new  home  for    computa.onal  sciences  on  Commonwealth  

Avenue

•  Department  of  Mathema?cs  &  Sta?s?cs    

•  Rafik  B.  Hariri  Ins?tute  for  Compu?ng  and  Computa?onal  Science  &  Engineering  

•  Department  of  Computer  Science    

•  Innova?ve  teaching  center  for  College  of  Arts  &  Sciences  

Office  of  VP  for  Research  •  Research  Ini?a?ves,  Research  Peaks,  University-­‐wide  Centers  •  Office  of  Technology  Development  •  Professional  Development  and  Post-­‐doctoral  Affairs  Office  •  Compliance    Research  Finance  •  Office  of  Sponsored  Programs  •  Post-­‐award  Financial  Opera?ons  •  Research  Opera?on  Systems  and  Analy?cs  •  School  and  College  pre-­‐award  and  post-­‐award  specialists    Office  of  General  Counsel  Marke?ng  and  Communica?ons  Corporate  and  Founda?on  Rela?ons  Office  of  Federal  Rela?ons  IS&T  

Infrastructure  Required  for  the  Research  Enterprise    

•  Publicize  the  work  of  the  faculty  

•  Facilitate  the  work  of  the  faculty  

Goal  of  Office  of  VP  for  Research    

Office  of  the  VP  for  Research  

•  Co-­‐ordinate  different  offices  suppor?ng  research  

•  Establish  university-­‐wide  research  policies  

•  Oversee  research  ethics  and  compliance  

•  Oversee  technology  development  and  transfer  

•  Oversee  university-­‐wide  research  centers  

Help  Faculty  Find  Funding  

•  Host  workshops  on  aspects  of  research  opera?ons—invite  Federal  Agencies;  panels  of  faculty/experts  on  side  range  of  topics    

•  Work  with  Research  editorial  on  publicizing  the  work  of  our  faculty  

•  Highlight  work  of  the  faculty  on  the  Research  website    

•  bu.edu/research  •  Connect  faculty—help  them  find  collaborators/resources  at  BU    

•  Host  Research-­‐on-­‐Tap—micro-­‐talk  on  specific  topic  with  wine  &  cheese  

•  Monthly  newsleser  highligh?ng  recent  stories  from  website  

•  Monthly  Research  Opera?ons  Newsleser—Research  Revealed  

 

Help  Faculty  Find  Funding  

•  Send  no?fica?ons  of  grant  opportuni?es  to  Schools  &  Colleges  

•  Manage  limited  submissions  for  the  University  

•  Offer  COS  PIVOT  service  •  Database  updated  on  a  daily  basis    •  Provides  info  on  federal,  non-­‐federal,  founda?on,  and  private  funding  opportuni?es  for  any  discipline.    

•  Can  save  search  criteria  and  receive  weekly  updates  on  new  and  upcoming  funding  opportuni?es  

 

Research  Compliance  

•  Academic  and  medical  research  is  subject  to  a  myriad  of  laws  and  regula?ons  that  are  challenging  and  complex  

 •  The  Office  of  Research  Compliance  integrates  and  coordinates  the  significant  requirements  with  which  we  must  comply  

 •  The  mission  of  the  Office  of  Research  Compliance  is  to  foster  an  environment  of  safety  in  research,  incorpora?ng  the  highest  levels  of  research  integrity  and  compliance  with  city,  state,  and  na?onal  laws  

Challenge:  

Increased  Regula?on  =  Increased  Burden    

Oversees  a  number  of  programs  including:  •  Animal  Care  

•  Financial  Conflicts  of  Interest  •  Environmental  Health  and  Safety  

•  Export  Controls  •  Human  Subjects  

•  Research  Occupa?onal  Health  

Research  Compliance  Office  

Faculty  Commisees  

Research  Programs  are  overseen  by  faculty  commisees:  •  Ins?tu?onal  Animal  Care  and  Use  •  Faculty  Review  Commisee  on  Conflict  of  Interest  •  Export  Control  Advisory  Commisee  •  Human  Subjects  •  Ins?tu?onal  Biosafety  Commisee  •  Laboratory  Safety  Commisee  •  Radia?on  Safety  Commisee    

• Housed  in  DC    •  3  staff  

•  Jennifer  Grodsky,  VP  Federal  Rela?ons  •  Emily  Burlij,  Associate  Director  •  Melina  Luizaga,  Administrator  

Federal  Rela?ons  Office  

A Seat at the Table •  Connect  faculty  with  federal  funders  

and  share  intelligence  on  emerging  federal  funding  trends.    

•  Advocate  for  BU’s  priori?es  in  federal  research  and  educa?on  debates.  

•  Enhance  BU’s  reputa?on  in  Washington  amongst  policymakers,  scien?fic  community,  think  tanks,  peer  universi?es,  funders,  alumni.  

•  Share  our  exper?se  with  policymakers  

BU Federal Relations

Collabora?on  with  IS&T:  Strengthening  the  Research  Infrastructure  

•  Research  Finance—Kuali  Coeus  •  Proposal  Development  •  COI  •  IRB  

•  IACCUC/Animal  Science  Center  •  Keyes  Solu?on  

•  Technology  Transfer  •  Wellspring  

•  Environmental  Health  and  Safety  (EHS)  •  Research  Occupa?onal  Health  (ROHP)    Develop  comprehensive  plans  for  the  required  solu?on  architecture,  training,  installa?on,  integra?on,  data  migra?on,  communica?on    

Collabora?on  with  IS&T:  Other  Important  Areas  

Informa?on  Security  •  Data  protec?on  •  Encryp?on  •  HIPPA-­‐  protected  data  •  FISMA  Compliance  

Research  Compu?ng  •  Compu?ng  •  Storage  •  Visualiza?on    Guided  by  :  Research  Compu?ng  Governance  Commisee  

IS&T  Commitments  &  Values  

Commitment  to:    •  Efficiency  •  Timeliness  •  Transparency  •  Security  •  Service    Values:  •  Competence  •  Exper?se  •  Reliability  •  Con?nuous  improvement  •  Accountability