Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter
Research and Creative Scholarship Stories
Linking Wild Birds to Care: UM Collaboration Improves Life After Stroke
On the wooded University of Montana campus, resident Cooper’s hawks are helping people recover from stroke.
Each summer, stroke survivors enrolled in UM’s Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program take part in community- and curiosity-driven bird-related activities.
Birding, it seems, provides a natural, low-pressure setting that encourages communication through shared attention and curiosity. Bird researchers and speech-language experts offer the healing activities under the auspices of UM’s Big Sky Aphasia Program. Read the entire story on UM News.
News and Updates
Reminder: Required Training for PIs and Research Personnel
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) would like to remind Principal Investigators (PIs) and research teams about training requirements associated with sponsored research activities. Maintaining current training records helps ensure compliance and prevents delays in proposal submission and award management.
Before submitting a proposal, PIs must have current:
CITI PI Training (renewed every three years)
Research Security Training (renewed annually)
Before participating in a sponsored activity:
Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) Training. PIs and departments are responsible for ensuring that all undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty members, and other senior/key personnel complete RECR training before participating in sponsored research activities.
Please note that PIs with expired PI Training or Research Security Training will need to complete these requirements before a new proposal can be submitted.
If you're unsure whether your training is up to date, or if you need assistance verifying your status, Sara Hull can review your training record and confirm your status. If training is needed, please complete it as soon as possible to avoid delays in future proposal submissions.
Thank you for helping UM maintain compliance and support a strong research environment.
⬇️ Research Tip
Planning to submit an NSF proposal? Be sure to include the PI and all key personnel on the project budget. The NSF uses budgeted effort as evidence of participation and commitment to the project. When principal investigators and leadership team members are not included in the budget, reviewers may question their level of involvement, which can negatively affect funding prospects.
If you’d like assistance with your NSF proposal, the Research Development team is available for questions and support.
Vision Story Selection
Thank you to everyone who contributed story ideas for Vision, ORCS's magazine celebrating discovery and innovation at UM. The editorial team has completed its review and selected the stories for the next issue, and we're excited to bring these compelling stories of research, scholarship, and creative activity to our readers. Look for Vision 2027 early in the new year.
Events
BIG Night 🌟
October 9, from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM, Missoula County Public Library, 4th Floor
spectrUM Discovery Area will ring in the start of the Halloween season with our annual gala fundraising event, the STEAMpunk Soiree. Tickets are on sale now.
This event helps to fund spectrUM's nonprofit activities, such as:
the completely admission-free museum in the Missoula Public Library
after school educational activities at EmPower Place in the Missoula Food Bank
lab science field trips to spectrUM's museum
outreach events to schools, community centers, museums, and libraries across the state
and pop-up events at the Arlee Celebration, Elmo Standing Arrow Powwow, and so much more.
NEW TIME! Collaboration Workshops: Research Synergies in AI
October 15, 2026, 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM, register for location
In the coming academic year, the Office of Research Development (ORD) is focusing on supporting researchers and scholars as they navigate changing federal priorities and processes. As part of a wholesale effort, we are hosting interactive workshops to generate multi-disciplinary, funding-friendly project ideas. Additional details and registration are available on GrizHub.
Event Reminders
Follow links for details
ORCS Coffee Hour ☕️
Monday, October 5, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Chemistry 123
The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship is bringing coffee and treats to departments across campus, and in October you'll find us at the Department of Chemistry! Our goal is to share information about UM’s research sector and build community with faculty, students, and staff who work every day to make research and creative scholarship thrive at UM. Colleagues from across disciplines are welcome.
Griz and Cats Writing in the Wild: A Joint UM-MSU Proposal Writing Retreat 🐻🐱📝⛰️
January 5-8, 2027, Homestake Lodge, application required
The Office of Research Development (ORD) at the University of Montana has teamed up with Montana State University’s ORD for an exclusive three-day retreat designed to help you make significant progress on your grant proposal.To be eligible, participants must be full-time UM faculty or staff and have identified a funding opportunity to pursue. Submit your application by 5 p.m. on October 15, 2026 by following the instructions in the Request for Applications.
Note that the submission instructions for the E-RISE differ slightly from our standard instructions. Refer to the original announcement for full detail.
Send us feedback about our content and format. We've made some updates to ensure our newsletter is ADA compliant and accessible for those using assistive technology, but if there's more we can do, please let us know.
View our website for access to research communication resources.
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