Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-02

NJIT Faculty and Researchers Access to Research Funding Opportunities Database: Pivot-RP

NJIT researchers have institutional access to Pivot-RP, an online tool that allows users to search and discover available grants and other funding opportunities. Pivot-RP will allow you to:

• Access the broadest global coverage of available funding opportunities in a single, editorially curated database
• Discover tens of thousands of funding opportunities worth billions of dollars from across the widest variety of funding types
• Track and share funding opportunities with colleagues, get alerts and updates on deadlines and other significant changes
• Receive automatic funding recommendations based on your specific profile
• Locate potential collaborators from within and outside NJIT across millions of scholarly profiles
• Communicate effectively and efficiently with other NJIT users with built-in groups
• Search thousands of conferences requesting “call for papers” to present and publish with the built-in Conferences and Papers Invited database.

To create your own Pivot-RP account:  
1. Go to pivot.proquest.com
2. NJIT has already set up Pivot-RP to use single sign-on (SSO).  Please click on the "Use Login from my institution " button for the drop-down list of institutions. Choose “New Jersey Institute of Technology” and login using your UCID. You can then create your account.
3. Pivot-RP will send you a verification email, with a link to confirm your account registration.

More information about Pivot-RP, introductory videos and a user manual are available on the NJIT Research website at https://research.njit.edu/pivot-rp-research-funding

NSF: Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (ExpandQISE); Planning Grants to Broaden Participation in the Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program; Enabling Access to the Semiconductor Chip Ecosystem for Design, Fabrication, and Training (Chip Design Hub); National Science Foundation - Future of Semiconductors (FuSe2); Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER); Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI)

NIH: Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant (R01); Centers of Excellence for Translational Research (CETR) (U19)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: ERDC Broad Agency Announcement; FY24 Department of Navy (DON) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Workforce Program; Minerva Research Initiative - University Research

Department of Energy: MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (MSIPP) CONSORTIA GRANT PROGRAM (CGP); Notice of Intent: Fiscal Year 2024 Technology Integration (TI) Funding Opportunity Announcement; Early Career Research Program; Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies 4 (SEEDS 4)

Agencies eye synthetic data to help train and test AI:  Government agencies are on the hunt for vendors and best practices that can help them make use of artificially generated data — also known as synthetic data generation – that can be used to build or test artificial intelligence applications and machine learning models. The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate released a solicitation Dec. 15 for synthetic data solutions that can “generate synthetic data that models and replicates the shape and patterns of real data, while safeguarding privacy.”

The technique has the potential to help the department train machine learning models in instances where there is no real-world data available or when using that data would be a privacy, civil rights and liberties or security risk. The agency’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program, which invests in startup companies with tech that could meet operational needs for DHS, calls out the potential for synthetic data generators to be of particular use to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to develop realistic training and exercise scenarios or model cyber and physical environments in real time.  A National Strategy on Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing and Analytics, issued by two subcommittees of the National Science and Technology Council in 2023, notes that the vast amounts of data existing today have great potential, but are often restricted by the challenges around sharing and using sensitive information. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

____________________________

Pentagon updates digital engineering guidance: Digital engineering, the practice of using computer models in the design, development and testing of complex physical and digital systems, is being integrated into Defense Department practice across multiple acquisition categories in different ways, under a policy document that took effect in late 2023. The document — which went into effect on Dec. 21 — said DOD will use digital engineering “methodologies, technologies and practices” in support of its effort to conduct “a comprehensive engineering program for defense systems,” including “across the life cycle of defense acquisition programs, systems and systems of systems.” 

The guidance document was approved by Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.  The Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition University Glossary defines digital engineering as “an integrated digital approach that uses authoritative sources of systems' data and models as a continuum across disciplines to support lifecycle activities from concept through disposal.”

DOD said digital engineering “must be addressed in the acquisition strategy, including how and when digital engineering will be used in the system life cycle and expected benefits of its use.” It noted that this approach “requires planning and providing financial and other resources for digital methods” — such as model-based systems engineering and product life-cycle management — to support necessary program activities. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

____________________________

4 steps to prepare for the coming quantum onslaught: When it comes to the cyber and tech landscape, a storm is brewing — one that threatens to dismantle the very fabric of our digital security. This storm is known as Q-Day, shorthand for the impending quantum computing era, when the capabilities of quantum computers will render even the most sophisticated encryption algorithms obsolete.  This quantum revolution is approaching at an alarming pace, possibly within the next few years, and it is imperative for governments and organizations across sectors to begin adapting and preparing in 2024.  The magnitude of this issue extends far beyond the confines of cyberspace — it poses an existential threat to the protection of our most critical national security secrets and systems. The scope of the problem reaches into the heart of our nation's security. Protecting critical assets such as infrastructure, healthcare systems, advanced weapons and intelligence assets becomes nearly impossible in the face of quantum advancements. It's not just about safeguarding data; it's about securing the very pillars that uphold the security and functionality of our society. More information is posted on the NextGov website.