ResearchAdministrationDigest.com - Reading the industry so you don't have to

Preparing the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS)

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

The Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS), is required for use of live vertebrate animals, tissues, or the production of antibodies when applying for grant applications, contract proposals and cooperative agreements where they relate to animal use. The Office of Laboratory Animal…

IACUC or Facility review of SOPs?

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

The February issue of Lab Animal (V41, No.2, p. 41-43) poses the question of whether an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has the authority to modify or approve animal facility SOPs. The IACUC is charged by federal mandate…

Chemical and Biological Defense Program Authorized for FY2012

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into law on New Year’s Eve by President Obama. Funding for the Chemical and Biological Defense Program was reduced by 5%, most of which came from removing allocations for delayed projects. …

Registering with Grants.gov – a refresher

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Roger Wood |

The folks at Grants.gov recently posted a nice summary of the steps involved in getting registered to submit applications via their system. I’ve copied that post below: In order to apply for a Federal grant, you will need to take…

Is Pharma Neglecting Less Profitable Indications?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

An article published today by the Washington Post suggests pharmaceutical companies may be increasing their focus on orphan drugs and treatments for rare diseases, leaving governments to foot the bill for research on the prevention and treatment of common conditions that…

Hoteling – Where’s my desk?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Roger Wood |

Everyone has probably heard of the concept of hoteling. Most likely, you’ve heard about it in the context of consulting firms, many of who’s staff are on the road predominantly. Hoteling provide a way to be more space efficient, providing…

Flight to the Cloud

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Roger Wood |

I’m not sure that most research administrators have noticed, but there is a major migration going on within the US federal government – IT systems are moving into the cloud. I talked about this in a recent post that focused…

Healthcare IT and the Megaupload Shutdown

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

A blog post published today on ModernHealthCare.com asks whether the US government’s shutdown of Megaupload could have implications for other cloud-based services, including healthcare applications.

Designing a Better Enzyme Via Web 2.0

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

Nature reports that players of Foldit, a protein modeling game, have produced what is being called “the first crowdsourced redesign of a protein”. The community is working on other puzzles that could eventually aid in the development of new drugs.

Point-Counterpoint on Pharmaceutical Patents

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Matthew Tanner |

An article in the “Big Issues: Health Care” series by the Wall Street Journal presents two opposing views of the role patents play in supporting ongoing research and development. Differing opinions of the patent system, and the application of patent protection…