Research Support

Contact: Jack Gilbert - Deputy Director for Research (DDR)/Associate Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences

The Deputy Director for Research (DDR) office coordinates activities related to your research. This includes a variety of issues such as large program development, space as it relates to academic research issues, seed funding, center establishment and reviews, section reviews, policy development, Researcher hiring, and the Institutional Postdoctoral Program. In addition, the DDR handles issues such as research salary shortfalls, bridge funding, and start-up funding changes.

Research Funding/Programs

Scripps scientists bring in about $180 million in external funding each year, which is vital for our research and educational programs. Effective July 1, 2021, the UC San Diego campus overhead rate is 58% (for historical reasons MPL has a somewhat lower rate, but uses a self-supporting model), which applies to salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and hardware purchases under $5000. 

Faculty Early Career Development Programs are available from NSF, DOE, and NIH (some agencies also allow researchers — check solicitation or ask your business office).

Extramural Funding and Solicitations are listed under Contract and Grant Administration.

Funding opportunities will be emailed to you once you subscribe to the funding opportunity list. For new subscriptions or changes to an existing subscription, please visit Google Group: Funding Announcements. Access and subscription will require a campus email address.

Campus provides links to other suggested funding opportunities including agency specific lists and limited submissions.  

Internal Funding Opportunities

Each section head has a small amount of discretionary funds and will occasionally provide minor amounts of funding for miscellaneous purposes. The Scripps Department Chair also has a limited amount of funding available as Bridge Support for graduate students when their advisors run short of funding.

Scripps Seed Funding Program - The primary purpose of the Seed Funding Policy is to provide resources (normally under $25K per project) to help an investigator develop and strengthen proof of concept for a new research idea with significant scientific merit. The focus is on new projects or new collaborative partnerships. The call for proposals is announced prior to the annual deadline to remind you of this opportunity (end of May deadline).

Scripps Small Grant Program - The primary purpose of the Small Grant Program is to provide funding for research-related expenses that are outside the scope of a single grant, yet critical for ongoing research activities. There is no specific call or announcement and will continue on a rolling basis. New requests can be submitted throughout the year.

UC San Diego Academic Senate provides awards of up to $15,000 to faculty and researchers as seed funds for Marine Science Research. Preference is given to junior and new applicants with little or no extramural support. Project Scientists are eligible to travel to scholarly meetings.

UC San Diego Academic Senate provides awards of up to $1000 (domestic) and $1500 (foreign) to faculty, researchers, or Project Scientists for travel expenses to scholarly meetings.

There are also multiple Internal Opportunities for Pilot and Seed Funding, Manuscript and Publication-Related Funding, Travel Grants, Commercialization Grants, and others offered through the Research Development office. 

 

External Funding Opportunities

Faculty Resources

At Scripps

There are several facilities that are available to Scripps academics. Some of these facilities are funded by the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) awards. By nature of the NSF MRI award policy, these are considered institutional resources. Other resources include Centers, Labs, Projects, and Data Centers, Oceanographic Collections, and Research and Shared Facilities. 

At UC San Diego

A number of UC San Diego Core Shared Facilities are available to Scripps faculty, normally on a recharge basis, which can be expensed on a specific grant or institutional fund. 

International Collaborations and Agreements

Contact: Kayla Jackson, Executive Assistant to the Director and International Relations Coordinator

International relations are vital to the advancement of Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s mission to better understand and protect the planet. Scripps Oceanography’s research programs span the globe, and international partners play an important role in exploration and discovery of our ocean planet as well as in the creation of science-based solutions for global environmental challenges.

There are several options when formalizing a collaboration with an international partner. If you need assistance determining what kind of agreement is appropriate for your collaboration, contact Travis Dadigian at Scripps Oceanography’s Office of Contract and Grant Administration (SIO C&G).

International Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding are reviewed and approved by our SIO C&G office and signed in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences. Please allow as much advance notice as possible, as negotiating with foreign universities and governments can be a lengthy process. 

MOUs: The most common unfunded agreement with an international collaborator is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). An MOU is typically an institutional agreement (Scripps-wide and signed by the Director) or a lab/department-wide agreement (signed by SIO C&G). MOUs are non-binding and do not have a specific Statement of Work (SOW). You can find a sample MOU template here and the process for working with the Director’s Office on an institutional MOU here. For lab/department-wide MOUs, please contact your business office and Travis Dadigian in SIO C&G to get started. 

MOUs involving both SIO and main campus require SIO C&G coordinating with main campus’s Office of International Affairs. If your MOU involves both SIO and main campus, contact the Director of International Affairs, for assistance. This can take longer, so allow extra time for the MOU process.

A complete list of MOUs at Scripps is available at https://scripps.ucsd.edu/international/mous (login required). To see all international agreements at UCSD, visit the International Affairs International Agreements Database. 

Sponsored Research

Please contact your business office and the appropriate SIO C&G officer if you’re interested in proposing a sponsored research project to an international sponsor. SIO C&G contacts can be found here.

Restricted Party Screenings

The U.S. government restricts collaborating with or shipping to certain individuals or organizations. These restricted entities include terrorists, weapons proliferators, and denied or debarred parties. Certain transactions with restricted entities are prohibited, require an export license, or require further review.

UCSD uses Restricted Party Screening (RPS) on VisualCompliance.com, escalation and export license reviews to ensure compliance with federal export control regulations. Download the RPS Guide (PDF) to learn how to sign up for the RPS tool used by UC and instructions for using it.

RPS is required for:

Foreign collaborations (including visitors, visiting scholars, or visiting grad students) Awards or agreements with foreign entities

 

The Office of International Affairs performs Restricted Party Screening for all international agreements and visit requests directly managed by OIA. This screening is conducted to ensure expert licensing requirements are identified and licenses obtained from the US government to support the activities covered under the international agreement. Questions about this requirement may be directed to export@ucsd.edu. Visit export.ucsd.edu for more information. 

• International shipments
• Paying foreign persons or entities (for purchase, travel, reimbursement, etc)

Export Licensing

Export licensing may be required for exports or hand carry of equipment, even for use by SIO researchers abroad, as part of international collaborations. The Export Control Office will advise on the required international trade paperwork and options for the use of export license exceptions like tools of the trade or will file for export licenses to support international collaborations. Researchers are encouraged to contact Export Control early as export licensing can take up to 3 months to obtain from the U.S. government. Email export@ucsd.edu or call 858-246-3300.