The Score

• Each letter must be no more than 100 words. NIH encourages applicants to use this single sentence for letters of collaboration: "If the application submitted [org name and PI name] as PI of the application, [app title] is selected for funding by NIH, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the application."
• Letters from senior/key personnel and other significant contributors are unnecessary.
• Letters from trainees or laboratory staff, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and technicians, should not be included.
• Once Forms J are implemented, applications that include letters of support may be returned without review.

As a condition for NIH funding, all research subject to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) must be reviewed by the UNMC Institutional Biosafety Committee. Examples of clinical trials subject to the NIH Guidelines (human gene transfer) include viral vector-based vaccines, mRNA vaccines, and gene-modified cell therapies such as CAR-T. Industry-sponsored clinical trials where a new IBC protocol is submitted on or after March 1, 2026, will be subject to the following IBC review fees: 

Fees for IBC review of Industry Sponsored Clinical Trials

• Initial Review: $1,500 per IBC protocol
• Request for Change to IBC protocol (sponsor initiated): $750
• Annual Continuing Review: $750
• Study Closure: No charge

Invoicing for IBC review will occur through RSS. Please contact IBCORA@unmc.edu or biosafety@unmc.edu if you have any questions.

TriNetX LIVE is a powerful tool for clinical research, enabling swift cohort discovery and feasibility assessments across a vast data network.

• This platform is now available for use by UNMC researchers, a new resource supported by the READi Core and the VCR office.
• Supports queries against the TriNetX research network (includes more than 100 HCOs and more than150 million patients) or Nebraska Medicine.

TriNetX LIVE empowers researchers at UNMC by streamlining access to real-world data from over 100 healthcare organizations, enhancing the speed and accuracy of study planning.

• Provides comprehensive EHR data, including demographics and lab results, supporting robust analysis.
• Accelerates feasibility and cohort discovery for observational studies, outcomes research, pragmatic research, and hypothesis generation.
• Supports trial feasibility planning by helping teams estimate eligible populations and baseline characteristics.

Researchers interested in using this new tool can now request access through the UNMC/NM Service Now website.

Questions? Contact Lisa Treat at ltreat@unmc.edu.

Sponsored Programs Administration is offering a free professional development opportunity for the UNMC research community focused on research security and its impact throughout the sponsored project lifecycle.

The NCURA webinar will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, 1-2:30 pm, followed by an “After the Show” discussion with faculty from 2:35-3:30 pm. The session will provide an overview of federal agency requirements and explore how research security affects research administrators, investigators and institutions. Topics will include disclosures, international collaborations, foreign influence, institutional obligations, risk mitigation plans and potential impacts of forthcoming changes to Uniform Guidance.

The training is intended for research administrators, departmental administrators, grant managers, pre- and post-award professionals, compliance staff and others who support principal investigators.There is no cost to participate, and there is no limit on the number of UNMC participants.

Click for webinar details and registration instructions. Contact spadmin@unmc.edu with questions.

Registration is now open for the 2026 UNMC Protection of Human Subjects Conference. The hybrid conference will be hosted in person at the Michael F. Sorrell Center (619 S 42nd St, Omaha, NE 68198) Oct. 16, 8 am to 4 pm. This is a free educational event.

View more information or click here to register for the in-person event. For information regarding virtual attendance, please email irbora@unmc.edu. Registration for in person attendance will close Oct. 11. Registration for virtual attendance will close Oct. 14.

Nebraska INBRE and the Center for Biomedical Informatics Research and Innovation (CBIRI) are offering a free online bioinformatics course. The Introduction to Bioinformatics course is a self-paced, comprehensive program covering seven key topics in the field of bioinformatics. Participants from nonprofit organizations in Nebraska are eligible to enroll at no cost. To get started, please complete the registration approval form using your official institutional email.

The Collaboration Initiative supported by NRI is hosting their investigator meeting for fiscal year 2028. Seed grant funding will be competitively awarded to multi-campus collaborations with the expectation that the work will lead to future federal funding. Awards up to $100,000 will be for one year. Funding levels will be proportional to the potential award amounts available from the targeted federal funding opportunity. View more information about this award.

If you are interested in applying, you must attend the in-person meeting at the Nebraska Innovation Campus – Conference Center (2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, NE 68508), October 16, 9:30 am-2:30 pm (lunch provided). Click here to register.

For more information or if you have questions, please contact Lori Robison or Dr. Michael Jolley in the Provost's Office at nri@nebraska.edu or (402) 472-5242.