Research

Proposal Submission Guidelines and Timelines

NJIT faculty and researchers should start the institutional process on proposal preparation including budget and any research compliance requirements as applicable for institutional approvals and proposal submission by contacting their respective college/school representative as listed below and follow the institutional proposal submission guidelines as posted on the pre-award services webpage.

All research proposals are submitted on behalf of NJIT to specific funding agencies using the internal proposal submission online software system Streamlyne.

Principal investigators on research proposals should direct questions regarding internal approvals, proposal submission and Streamlyne software system to the respective college/school representative:

John McCarthy, NCE Director of Research (973) 596-3247; john.p.mccarthy@njit.edu
Reeja Thomas, NCE Director of Research (973) 596-5352; reeja.thomas@njit.edu
Cristo Leon, CSLA Director of Research (973) 596-6426; cristo.e.yanezleon@njit.edu
Selenny Fabre, YWCC Associate Director of Research (973) 596-6344; selenny.m.fabre@njit.edu
James Hecker, HCAD and MTSM Research Administrator 973-642-4171; james.hecker@njit.edu

Additional Contacts are available on our Contact Us page

1 month (or earlier) before the Sponsor Submission Deadline

Initiate Proposal Submission in Streamlyne: PIs should work with their college director or project manager to initiate the proposal submission process in Streamlyne, which should include the proposal identification number (NSF, NIH) and/or the RFP document. This will allow:

Preliminary review of needs and sponsor requirements (meeting recommended)
Set up the timeline in motion and internal checklist/deadlines
Collaborator outreach and intake requirements (where applicable)
Budget Creation and Streamlyne document development process

1 month - 2 weeks before Sponsor Submission Deadline

The budget should be finalized and the approval process should be initiated. This includes academic approvals, conflict of interest forms, the detailed budget and justification, proposal title, and preliminary specific aims (NIH), proposal summary (NSF), or contract scope of work (SOW). College directors and program managers will provide project-specific checklists to aid PIs in this process.

2 weeks - 1 week before the Sponsor Submission Deadline

Submit all required internal attachments. College directors or project managers will assist in this process.

72 hours before the Sponsor Submission Deadline

We are suggesting that all final proposals be released for submission 72 hours before the published sponsor deadline so that there is time to account for server delays, system outages, and other technical issues that may be more difficult to troubleshoot in a completely distributed work environment, both at NJIT and our sponsors.

Particular attention should be given to proposals requiring federal assurances and certifications. These proposals require vice presidential endorsement and must be submitted via Streamlyne no later than four (4) days prior to the agency/sponsor submission deadline.

Proposal Preparation and Submission

Once a funding opportunity is targeted, Principal investigator and applicant team must carefully read the specific Request for Proposal (RFP), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) along with funding agency requirements and guidelines on proposal preparation, format and submission as well as review process and criterion information. A typical research proposal includes the following sections:

Cover Sheet
Project Summary (or Narrative)
Table of Contents
Project Description/Plan (Includes: Specific Objectives, Introduction and Background, Proposed Approach and Innovation, Research Plan, Potential Risks and Risk Management , Assessment, Deliverables/Milestones and Timeline)
References Cited
Biographical Sketch(es)
Budget and Budget Justification
Current and Pending Support
Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources
Special Information and Supplementary Documentation (As applicable - Human Subjects, Use of Animals, Project Management Plan (Multiple PIs with Multi-Institutional Proposal), Data Management Plan (and/or Data Sharing Plan), Postdoctoral or Student Mentoring Plan)

More information on the proposal development, budget and review processes are available to NJIT faculty with ppt presentations, templates and samples in the Research Proposal Development Workshop folder on NJIT Google drive.

Agency Specific Proposal Submission Information

NSF Proposal Submission

Information on NSF proposal preparation is posted on the NSF website https://www.nsf.gov/funding/preparing/ NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) document provides detailed information on proposal preparation and submission of NSF proposals. However, when submitting a proposal in response to specific Request for Proposal (RFP) and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), information included in the RFP or announcement must be followed for additional requirements on proposal preparation and submission.

Proposals submitted to NSF must be submitted via use of either the NSF FastLane System, Research.gov or Grants.gov. See the relevant funding opportunity for additional information. Further information on each system is available in Chapter I.A of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

The Policy Office, in the Division of Institution and Award Support, provides general policy guidance for proposers. The Policy Office page includes NSF regulations, other Federal regulations, notices of important policies and other information for proposers and awardees.

NSF conducts outreach on proposal preparation and award administration, through NSF Grant Conferences and other outreach activities.

NSF has updated “Biographical Sketch” and “Current and Pending Support” forms to comply with SciENcv Please use the following links to access the updated forms and instructions:

NSF FAQ Guidance for SciENcv compliance

NIH Proposal Submission

NIH proposal planning, preparation and submission guidelines for applicants are posted on the NIH website https://public.csr.nih.gov/ForApplicants

Most competing grant applications to NIH require electronic submission using the SF424 (R&R) application forms. Electronic submission involves two separate systems working together – the federal portal Grants.gov and the NIH eRA Commons. The Office of Extramural Research provides information on electronic submission and submission options. (Paper applications may only be submitted if required by the funding opportunity announcement.) The Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) in the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) receives and checks for compliance all applications submitted to NIH. Then the DRR assigns each application: 1) to one or more institutes or centers for funding consideration and 2) to a study section (scientific review group) to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of the application.

The applicant organization submits applications prepared by the principal investigator(s) to NIH through Grants.gov, a single access point for all 26 federal grant-making agencies. The eRA Commons is an online interface where a grant applicant can check the submitted grant application for errors and warnings and view the final image.

CSR offers a number of ways to identify an appropriate study section including searching for a study section or using the CSR Assisted Referral Tool, and you can use NIH RePorter to identify where similar funded proposals were reviewed. Applicants may wish to contact scientific review officers or the DRR (301-435-0715) with specific questions about a potential assignment.

A cover letter may be included (as a PDF attachment) with your application. Cover letters may not be used for assignment requests but instead should address important information, not covered by the PHS Assignment Request Form, such as eligibility for continuous submission or the reason for a late submission.

For electronic submissions, the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) determines the validations that will be applied in processing receipt of the application by the NIH eRA Commons. If errors are identified in the validation process, the errors must be addressed and a changed/corrected application resubmitted to Grants.gov. Applicants are encouraged to start the submission process early enough to allow for error correction and still have an error-free, on-time submission by 5 p.m. local time on the due date.

NIH proposal review criteria, templates and general guidelines are posted on the website.

NIH has updated “Biosketch” and “Other Support” forms and instructions. The updated forms will be required for use for applications and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2021. Please use the following links to access the updated forms and instructions:

NIH Biosketch Format Pages, Instructions and Samples

NIH Other Support Format Pages, Instructions and Samples

DoD Proposal Submissions

New Principal Investigators must register on the DoD’s online system prior to submitting information for their first proposal at https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/register/Register.htm. CDMRP website provides a information on the “How to Apply” to grant funding opportunities. The DoD requires that final proposals be submitted by the university’s sponsored research administration office rather than by the principal investigator directly. The NJIT proposal submission guidelines and timeline must be followed as posted on the pre-award services webpage. The general tips for DoD submission process as posted on the CDMRP website include:

Download a copy of the PA/BAA from the CDMRP, eBRAP, or Grants.gov.

Carefully read the PA/BAA to understand its key elements

Start application submission early to allow adequate time to address issues that may arise during the process

Adhere to PA/BAA timelines

Ensure spelling of names and emails are correct and consistent throughout the process

Remember that corrections to the project narrative and budget requires the application to be submitted through Grants.gov before the application submission deadline

Supporting Materials

NJIT Agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services

The current overhead rates for NJIT are:

50.5% for On-Campus Organized Research

53.7% for On-Campus Instruction

30.0% for On-Campus Other Sponsored Activity

26.0% for All Off-Campus Programs

The current fringe rates for sponsored projects are:

37% for Fulltime Employees on sponsored projects

9.1% for Part time non-summer faculty

6.8% for Doctoral students

FY2024-2025 DHHS Rate Agreement

NJIT Salary Computation Guidelines (.xls)

High performance computing facilities information

ISTNJITFacilities

Data Management Plan Resources

Reserach Data Management

Research Policies

Functional area policies for the Office of Research are below. Sponsored research programs also follow all university policies.

Other Helpful Policy Links

Finance

Human Resources

University Human Resources Policies

Purchasing

Purchasing Resources

Quick Reference

NJIT is committed to fostering and upholding the highest ethical standards in the conduct of research and scholarship and complying with all federal, state, and university training requirements. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training is a framework for imparting the highest ethical and professional standards, and is a critical component of scholarly and career development. The Office of Research is responsible for providing support and RCR training to faculty, students and staff to meet our legal and regulatory obligations and comply with university policy.

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Online Software System

NJIT research compliance training is supported by CITI online training software. NJIT faculty, staff and students can access required compliance training modules via the NJIT CITI program portal which offers web-based training courses to fulfill research compliance training requirements. The CITI system is an external website that supports some of NJIT's required compliance training programs. CITI provides an online training and certification courses that are required by all students, post-docs and research staff in compliance with federal and university regulations.

Accessing CITI

If you have a CITI Program account, NJIT now has access using your NJIT ID. Please click here.
If you are signed into NJIT, it will bring you to your CITI home page. If you are not, you will see the page below. Please sign using your NJIT credentials.

If you do not already have a CITI Program account, please click here for instructions.

CITI Curriculum Modules and Courses

The NJIT CITI curriculum supports various needs and learning styles. Registrants may enroll in multiple courses which can be taken sequentially or together and use multiple login sessions for different course selections. NJIT faculty, staff and students can access to the following modules and courses in the CITI online software system using their NJIT UCID and email addresses.

The Human Subjects Courses (see Institutional Review Board)
Human research training must be completed by all Principal Investigators (PIs), Co-Investigators, and those meeting the NIH definition of “Key Personnel” who will be working directly with human subjects or with data or biospecimens regardless of whether or not they have access to identifiable data/biospecimens or direct contact with subjects. Completion of training from some other training provider, i.e., another University’s training program, DHHS or the FDA are also acceptable. Documentation of valid completion certificates must be uploaded in Streamlyne.
The Lab Animal Welfare Courses
All animal users must complete the General Lab Safety Training and Biosafety/BBP training provided by EHS and the CITI course on Working with the IACUC every four years.
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Training
Individuals engaged in the conduct of a clinical trial (per the NIH definition) must complete a GCP training
Conflicts of Interest
All personnel involved in the design, conduct, or reporting of Public Health Service (PHS) funded research must take the Conflicts of Interest course once every four years. Additionally, PIs are responsible for notifying the Office of Research if there are others working on any PHS funded research projects that, regardless of title or position, are responsible for the design, conduct or reporting of the research
Export Controls
All personnel interacting with export controlled technical data/technology on campus and sponsoring H1-B and J-1visa must complete the CITI Export Controls Course.

IMPORTANT: All training certifications must be renewed periodically. Updated and current certifications are required to participate in any research and must be supplied for approvals.

NJIT relies on the Rutgers-Newark IACUC for review and approval of vertebrate animal research conducted by NJIT researchers in order to ensure compliance with all regulations, policies and standards that protect animal welfare.

All persons working with animals must receive training regarding procedures and equipment to ensure their safety and that of the animals. Training must occur prior to the handling of animals. The principal investigator of a research project is responsible for ensuring that personnel working on the project have received all required training.

NJIT researchers contemplating the use of animals in their research or in the early stages of preparing to use animals in their research should contact Dr. Raju Tamot (raju.k.tamot@njit.edu), Director, Research Compliance and Services, Office of Research and/or Dr. Eric Hetherington (erich@njit.edu), Associate Vice Provost for Sponsored Research Administration in the Office of Research at NJIT.

Information regarding the IACUC of Rutgers-University Newark can be found here: https://research.rutgers.edu/animal-care/institutional-animal-care-and-use-committee

Animal Research Regulations

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety is dedicated to reducing injuries, accidents, negative environmental impacts, and ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, policies, and standards. It achieves these by providing technical support, information and training, expert consultation and periodic audits of environmental, health and safety practices and regulatory compliance. The EHS services are designed to assist the University in achieving its teaching, research, and service objectives.

Principal Investigators (PIs) have overall responsibility for the health and safety of their research staff, for safe management of their laboratories, for the impacts of their activities on the environment and the health and safety of the public, and for ensuring compliance with a variety of federal, state, and local regulations. Specifically, PIs are responsible for:

a. Ensuring that laboratory personnel have read, understand and adhere to the relevant University Safety and Environmental Procedures and Manuals, their applicable Plans, and all University, school, departmental and laboratory policies and procedures.
b. Ensuring that new laboratory personnel take the required EHS training/s and other applicable safety training/s at the time of hire or before involvement in laboratory research activities.
c. Obtaining all necessary institutional approvals for experiments.
d. Ensuring that laboratory personnel use the required equipment and personal protective devices.
e. Ensuring that the laboratory meets the applicable requirements for handling radioactive materials, radiation producing machines or potentially hazardous biological materials and blood products.
f. Maintaining security of all classes of hazardous materials used in the laboratory and ensuring physical hazards are adequately controlled.
g. Handling/storing all "controlled substances" as required by regulation/s.
h. Ensuring all requirements are met for the shipment/transport of hazardous materials.
i. Developing lab specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) as required, and training lab personnel on each SOP.
j. Preparing laboratory personnel for disruptions/emergencies, such as injuries, fires or explosions, chemical spills, floods, unscheduled power failures, campus closures and earthquakes.
k. Maintaining a chemical inventory for the laboratory and providing Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all chemicals stored/used.
l. Establishing a policy for working after hours and working alone.
m. Ensuring that proper signage is present inside the laboratory to identify where hazards may exist.
n.Ensuring that containers are labeled so that laboratory personnel or emergency responders can determine the identity of the contents.
o. Reviewing the laboratory's operating procedures, plans and other relevant safety procedures at least once a year or whenever changes occur.
p. Taking prompt corrective action/s when unsafe acts or conditions are observed or reported.
q. Promptly investigating and reporting all laboratory and laboratory-associated accidents, and/or work-related health problems and requesting medical treatment if required.
r. Reporting all accidents, injuries, exposures, significant spills, and releases.
s. Completing Vacating Procedures prior to any laboratory renovation or move.
t. Conducting internal inspections, reviews or audits periodically.

The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR § 200) streamlines and consolidates government requirements for receiving and using federal awards so as to reduce administrative burden and improve outcomes. It was published in the Federal Register (79 Fed. Reg. 75871) on December 19, 2014, and became effective for new and continuation awards issued on or after December 26, 2014. Please note the new regulations do not affect grant funds awarded prior to December 26, 2014, unless funds made available under those grants are carried forward into a new Federal fiscal year or a continuation grant.

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, And Audit Requirements For Federal Awards

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

The Uniform Guidance: Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR Part 200) provides administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards. Full documentation on the guidelines and requirements of 2 CFR 200 can be accessed through the Uniform Guidance website with the following links to grant management, cost principles and administrative and audit requirements:

The Cost Principles (eCFR 200.400) must be used in determining the allowable costs of work performed by the non-Federal entity. The four main principles are:

Reasonableness- A cost is reasonable if, in its nature and amount, it does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision was made to incur the cost.
Allocability- A cost is allocable to a particular Federal award or other cost objective if the goods or services involved are chargeable or assignable to that Federal award or cost objective in accordance with relative benefits received.
Consistently Treated- A cost may not be assigned to a Federal award as a direct cost if any other cost incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances has been allocated to the Federal award as an indirect cost.
Allowable-Determine by the budget approved items, type of expense, timing of the expense, and award restrictions/eligibility.

Federal Agencies also have policies that may add additional restrictions for consideration:

National Institute of Health - https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/nihgps.pdf
National Science Foundation - https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/

The Post-Award Management team provides several functions that begin when an externally sponsored research award is funded. These services include ensuring adherence to rules and regulations of funding agencies, preparation and submission of financial reports and invoices, and the maximization of cash flow.

In addition, the Post-Award Management team prepares the A-133 annual audit report, develops policies/procedures that support proper internal controls, and other non-financial compliance protocols such as Effort Reporting and Sub-recipient monitoring.

Research is an integral part of a strong academic experience and a critical priority in NJIT’s 2025 Strategic Plan. The university aims for national and international prominence in research through new discoveries in areas ranging from medical sensors and devices to robotics, to nanotechnology, to cybersecurity, to next-generation materials, among other topics of vital importance in basic, applied and translational research.

The 150 new faculty members we have hired over the past five years strengthen our efforts considerably. They include experts on topics such as biomedical sciences and engineering, sensors, energy, novel materials, machine learning, data analytics, and virtual reality. They arrive with impressive track records in securing grants from key funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Defense. We are confident that their participation in our multidisciplinary centers will help NJIT reach its ambitious external funding benchmarks that has already more than doubled over the last five years.

To achieve our research and educational goals, the university’s strategic plan calls for seamless multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research collaborations and technology innovation-based entrepreneurship among faculty, staff and students, who all have a central part to play in advancing science, engineering and technology to fuel societal progress. NJIT’s nexus of core research facilities involving York Center, Life Sciences and Engineering Center and Microfabrication Innovation Center is designed to accelerate game-changing collaborations with new teaching and research labs, rooms to conduct projects and common areas where faculty and students can socialize and share ideas.

The NJIT’s 2025 Research Strategic Plan organizes five research clusters of high significance and societal impact aligned with the global trends in science and technology research and development. Comprised of core and transdisciplinary basic, applied and translational research interests, the five clusters in NJIT research enterprise include:

BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING: This research cluster includes multidisciplinary research in the areas of biomedical devices, sensors and instrumentation, brain health & neuroscience, tissue engineering, biological sciences & behavior, molecular biology, evolutionary sciences, and gene therapy and phenotype related research. Researchers at NJIT are advancing our understanding of the functions of the brain and spinal cord under normal, injured and diseased states at molecular, cellular and functional levels through experimental, theoretical and computational methods. Imaging experts, computer scientists and biomedical engineers are working together, for example, to devise therapies and devices that will improve motor, cognitive and organ functions. To this end, our tissue engineers focus on replacing dysfunctional cells with regenerating cells and tissues. The Bioscience and Bioengineering cluster intersects with other research clusters including Material Science and Engineering, Robotics and Machine Intelligence and Data Science and Management in developing healthcare technologies and systems such as point-of-care medical sensors, devices and rehabilitation systems as well as healthcare information systems and management involving primary care, hospitals and emergency care resources and protocols.

The scope of the proposed cluster includes areas that are aligned with the NSF’s 10 Big Ideas, and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Grand Challenges in “Reverse Engineering of the Brain,” “Tools for Scientific Discovery,” “Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype” and “Engineering Better Medicine.”

DATA SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT: This research cluster includes the study and practice of data science and analytics, and extracting information and knowledge from data that can be used for medical, financial, business management scientific and engineering applications. These groups conduct research on bioinformatics, medical informatics, image processing, data mining, solar-terrestrial physics, transportation, financial management, business administration and management, life sciences and healthcare.

The cybersecurity group designs secure cyber systems and improves cyber information and communications technology (ICT). ICT is shaping many aspects of society as the economy evolves rapidly, providing access to unprecedented amounts of information, anytime and anywhere, from any type of device. By 2025, the number of global IoT (internet of Things) connections will increase from 12 billion in 2020 to more than 30 billion according to an estimate by IoT Analytics. Global spending on security hardware, software and services is estimated to almost reaching $175 billion by 2024, according to Statista. This cluster with a broader transdisciplinary scope with diverse applications also includes multidisciplinary research centers focused on mathematical sciences, transportation systems, additive manufacturing and wireless communications technology and industry and business management, as well as on the societal impacts of science and technology.

The Data Science and Management cluster spans over all other research clusters including Bioscience and Bioengineering, Environment and Sustainability, Material Science and Engineering and Robotics and Machine Intelligence for developing data driven approaches in almost all applications from healthcare information systems to industry automation, and to finance and business management.

NAE and NAS Grand Challenges and NSF Big Ideas within the scope of this cluster include “Secure Cyberspace”, “Advance Personalized Learning”, “Enhance Virtual Reality” “Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure”, “Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery”, and “The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier”, “Harnessing the Data Revolution”, “Growing Convergence Research” and “The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution”.

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY: This cluster represents interdisciplinary research areas in urban ecology, space weather, solar terrestrial, environmental sensors, sustainable infrastructure, intelligent transportation systems, global climate change, biodiversity and conservation, clean water, waste management, renewable energy, and smart grid systems. The urban ecology and sustainability area emphasizes sustainable infrastructure, smart transportation, ecological communities, and urban modeling and simulation. Space weather sciences and impact of evolutionary changes in the solar system impacts directly our environmental ecosystem and global climate changes. This area also focuses on the water-energy nexus and the impact of ocean levels on the environment, as well as the development of technologies to clean water and to provide green energy, such as biofuel cells and powerful, long-lasting batteries. The Environment and Sustainability cluster intersects with other research clusters including Material Science and Engineering, Robotics and Machine Intelligence and Data Science and Management in developing smart and green buildings and sustainable communities, understanding space weather and climate changes.

NAE and NAS Grand Challenges and NSF Big Ideas within the scope of this cluster include “Solar Energy”, “Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure”, “Access to Clean Water”, “Provide Energy from Fusion”, “Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods”, and “The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier”, “Navigating the New Arctic” and “Windows on the Universe”.

MATERIAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING: This cluster represents transdisciplinary research areas in advanced materials including smart energetic and campsite materials, quantum materials, and biomaterials, polymers and membrane technologies, nanotechnologies, and additive/advanced manufacturing systems. The scope of nanotechnology research includes scientific and engineering phenomena at the minutest and most fundamental levels in order to develop technologies for environmental and pharmaceutical applications. The interdisciplinary group on engineered materials and particulates focuses on technology development for the preparation, processing and use of engineered-particulate materials and their composites for a spectrum of applications. Research in the manufacturing systems group involves developing new methods and technologies for design innovation and process automation. A specific emphasis is to devise new processes and tools for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The Material Science and Engineering cluster spans over almost all research clusters including Bioscience and Bioengineering, Environment and Sustainability, Robotics and Machine Intelligence and Data Science and Management in developing environmental and medical sensors and devices, tissue engineering intelligent robotics and rehabilitation systems, additive and pharmaceutical manufacturing, smart buildings and sustainable communities, and data driven modeling and simulation for the development and characterization of smart materials.

NAE and NAS Grand Challenges and NSF Big Ideas within the scope of this cluster include “Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure”, “Solar Energy”, “Provide Energy from Fusion”, “Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods”, and “The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier”, and “The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution”.

ROBOTICS AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE: This research cluster includes human machine interface, cyber-human systems, robotics: bioinspired, medical, social and industrial autonomous systems, intelligent infrastructure, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented and virtual reality. Robotics and bioinspired autonomous systems are making a significant impact in the society in many areas including rehabilitation, manufacturing, navigation and transportation, and medical and home-based care. The artificial intelligence and augmented/virtual reality applications have been evolving rapidly with the futuristic vision for new modes of automation, discoveries, social networking and even co-evolution of machine and human intelligence making important decisions in our daily life from finance to healthcare.

The Robotics and Machine Intelligence cluster also interacts with other research clusters including Bioscience and Bioengineering, Environment and Sustainability, Material Science and Engineering and Data Science and Management in developing smart automation and navigation systems, smart healthcare information systems, intelligent adaptative and data-driven automations in additive manufacturing systems, and intelligent systems for almost every application from education and learning to smart cities and living-assist systems.

NAE and NAS Grand Challenges and NSF Big Ideas within the scope of this cluster include “Advance Personalized Learning”, “Enhance Virtual Reality” “Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure”, “Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery”, and “The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier”, “Harnessing the Data Revolution”, “Growing Convergence Research” and “The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution”.

Atam P. Dhawan, Ph.D., is Senior Vice Provost for Research, Executive Director of the Center for Translational Research, Executive Director of Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) and Distinguished Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at NJIT.

He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba, all in Electrical Engineering. From 1985-2000, he held faculty positions in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Radiology departments at University of Houston, University of Cincinnati, University of Texas, University of Texas Medical Center (Dallas). From 2000-2014, he served as the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Associate and Interim Dean of Albert Dorman Honors College.

Dr. Dhawan is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE), Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE) for his contributions in medical imaging and image analysis, and healthcare innovations.

Dr. Dhawan serves on the NAI Board of Directors, NJII Board of Directors, R&D Council of NJ Board of Directors and NJACTS Advisory Board.

He has published over 215 research papers and book chapters. He has also authored and co-authored several books in medical imaging, and image analysis. He holds several patents, three of which have been commercialized or licensed.

Dr. Dhawan pioneered low-angle trans-illumination technology and first demonstrated its application in skin-cancer imaging and specifically diagnostic screening of skin-cancers in 1984. His invention, patented as Nevoscope, established the feasibility of point-of-care (POC) in-situ diagnostic evaluation of skin-lesions, creating the field of dermatoscopy for effective early detection of skin-cancers. His optical imaging cornerstone technology led to two successful medical companies (Translite and 3GEN) for manufacturing and marketing of Veinlite and Dermlite devices, which respectively are being used in the interventional treatment of spider-vein diseases and early diagnosis and clinical management of skin-cancers, specifically malignant melanomas.

Dr. Dhawan chairs the NIH Point-of-Care Technology Research Network (POCTRN) Independent Expert Board. He is a recipient of numerous awards including Martin Epstein Award (1984), NIH FIRST Award (1988), Sigma-Xi Young Investigator Award (1992), IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award (1995), Doermann Distinguished Lecture Award (1999), EMBS Distinguished Lecturer award (2012-2013) and IEEE EMBS William J. Morlock Award in Excellence in Biomedical Technology (2021).

He served as the Conference Chair of the IEEE 28th International Conference of Engineering in Medicine and Biology (EMB) Society (2006) and conference co-chair IEEE 42nd International Conference of Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (2020). He has organized and chaired the NIH-IEEE-EMBS International Conferences on Point- of-Care Technologies and Healthcare Innovation in Bangalore, India (2013), and in Seattle (2014), co-chaired the NIH- IEEE Strategic Conference on Point-of-Care Technologies for Precision Medicine in Bethesda (2015), co-chaired IEEE-NIH Conference on Healthcare Innovation and Point-of-Care Technologies in Cancun (2016) and co-chaired 2017 IEEE-NIH Special Topics Conference on Healthcare Innovation and Point-of-Care Technologies in Bethesda. Recently, he served as the co-chair of the NIH Research and Innovation Translation Partnerships in Point-of-Care Technologies Conference and Technology Showcase (2023).

Dr. Dhawan served as the founding Editor-In-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine (2012-2018), and the founding chair of the IEEE EMBS technical committee on Translational Engineering and Healthcare Innovations (2014-2018). He also served as the Senior Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Editorial Board Member for International Journal of Pattern Recognition, and steering committee member for IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

Since 1990, Dr. Dhawan has chaired numerous NIH special emphasis and review panels, and site visit teams for NIH BTRR program. From 2008-2011, He chaired the NIH Chartered Study Section on Biomedical Computing and Health Informatics. His research interests lie in medical imaging, medical image analysis, point-of-care technologies, pattern recognition and computer-aided-diagnosis.

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NJIT Implementation of Recent Executive Orders

Proposal Submission Guidelines and Timelines

72 hours before the Sponsor Submission Deadline

Proposal Preparation and Submission

Agency Specific Proposal Submission Information

Supporting Materials

Research Policies

1.0 General Policies

2.0 Pre-Award Services

3.0 Post-Award Management

4.0 Research Compliance​

5.0 Intellectual Property​

Quick Reference

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Online Software System

Accessing CITI

Animal Research Regulations

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

Popular Searches

4.0 Research Compliance

5.0 Intellectual Property