Calling all research administrators: Apply by June 2 to join STRIVE mentorship program

STRIVE Mentoring is designed to strengthen the network of research administration staff at USC, fostering professional development through mutually beneficial mentoring relationships. Through monthly mentor-mentee meetings over the course of a twelve-month work period, pairs will work together to accomplish mentee-determined goals designed to enhance research administration skills.

We are welcoming both mentors and mentees to be considered for recruitment at this time. In order to be considered for STRIVE, you must submit an application form by Monday, June 2, 2025. Mentees will be required to submit the Self-Assessment Worksheet and the Acknowledgement from Supervisor Form as part of their applications.

  

The Office of Research Security is now live on the web

Last week, a new unit within the Office of the Vice President for Research came online. The Office of Research Security empowers the USC research community to pursue innovation, discovery, open scientific discourse and collaboration with the global scholarly community while keeping USC’s research enterprise secure. This new unit will ensure compliance with planned U.S. government and sponsor agency requirements that have been put into place methodically over several years, starting in 2021.

• Learn more about research security at USC.
• Take a tour of the new Office of Research Security website.

 

New Monthly Grant Awards Report: April 2025

The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to share our monthly report listing new grant awards USC faculty researchers across the university system received between April 1 and April 30, 2025. Please note that some awards received toward the end of that period might have missed the reporting cut-off. In such cases, the award will be listed in the next monthly report. Review the April 2025 report.

 

Accelerated implementation date for the NIH Public Access Policy – July 1, 2025

In 2024, the NIH released a Public Access Policy, eliminating the 12-month embargo period allowed by the previous 2008 policy. This new policy, which applies to articles and their associated research data, was slated to go into effect on December 31, 2025. This deadline has been moved up to July 1, 2025.

USC Libraries has prepared guides for the new policy implementation and is available to support researchers with questions.

• For updates and information on compliance with the new NIH Public Access Policy, visit https://guides.library.sc.edu/ostp.
• For support with publishing open access, visit https://guides.library.sc.edu/openaccessresources/publishingoa or contact Amie Freeman, Assistant Head of Acquisitions and Scholarly Communication.
• To learn more about complying with the NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy, visit https://guides.library.sc.edu/nihdmsp or contact Stacy Winchester, Research Data Librarian. 

REMINDER: Simplified Review Criteria are now in effect for NIH proposals
Now in effect, NIH review criteria will operate based on new, simplified review criteria. To review these updates and learn more, visit the NIH website detailing these changes. 

 

Build your technology skills this summer

• Register now for SC INBRE’s free, virtual workshops in AI/ML held over the summer. The workshops are designed for undergraduate students but are open to anyone seeking to develop fundamental skills in AI and machine learning. Click here to view the full schedule and register. For more information, please reach out to Homayoun Valafar.
• The University Libraries is hosting a series of virtual GenAI learning sessions this month. Topics include “Where are we with GenAI?,” “Building a GenAI Academic Toolkit,” and more. Browse and register for University Libraries AI sessions.
• The CGI Hub offers all faculty and staff free access to DataCamp, an interactive training platform with expert-led courses on a wide range of data skills. Advance your career with professional certifications, take a skills assessment to find out what you need and browse the most popular courses on your schedule. Learn more and get started with DataCamp today.

 

Save the date: 2025 Research Core Fair is set for September

The 2025 Research Core Fair is scheduled for Friday, September 19, 2025, in the USC Russell House Ballroom and Theater. This full-day event is dedicated to fostering Collaborative Opportunities for Research Excellence (CORE) across our research community. Attendees will be provided lunch and are invited to stay for refreshments at the closing awards reception. We welcome the entire research community to join us, share your work, and collaborate in strengthening our CORE network. Registration and call for abstracts will open August 2025, the date to be announced.