Program AdministrationThe Board of Trustees is the governing body of the University. Its membership consists of the Secretary ofCommonwealth Department of Education and eight private citizens who represent the public interest in highereducation. All members are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate of PuertoRico. With the exception of the Secretary of Education, council members serve six-year terms. The Boardelects its president from among its members. The President of the University, appointed by the Board ofTrustees, is the chief executive officer of the University. The President appoints the Chancellors of the variouscampuses subject to the approval of the Trustees. UPRM has a Research and Development Center (CID bySpanish initials) whose Director reports directly to the UPRM Chancellor.The MBRS Program Director reports to the CID Director and has direct liaison with finance, accounting,purchasing, and human resources departments of the CID for administrative support. The Program Directoralso interacts directly with the Dean of Administration, Property Office, Buildings and Grounds, as well as withother academic deans and department chairmen. Program records are maintained in the Program Office. Allprogram fiscal documents and reports, including purchase orders, payrolls, and travel requests are sent byPrincipal Investigators to the Program Office for processing and forwarding to appropriate administrativeoffices. Financial balance ledger sheets are maintained in the Program Director's office where they areavailable to Project Leaders. The program's administrative officer and assistant also have access to theUniversity's Financial Report System (FRS) in which they keep track of the day-to-day fiscal transactions onthe Program's accounts. They also help Project Leaders with fiscal and other administrative matters includingcompliance with NIH and University regulations. Separate accounts are maintained for each project andaccount statements are sent to Pi's quarterly.This organizational structure allows the MBRS-SCORE Program to function as an institutional program notdirectly beneath a particular academic Department or College. The goals of the MBRS Program, thus, becometrue institutional goals and exist independently of the goals of different academic departments. This structurehelps the Program Director accomplish the goals of the Program, particularly those related to increasing thecompetitiveness and participation in MBRS-SCORE across UPRM science departments. The program avoidsthe perception that it is really for members of one or two Departments. This is evidenced by the fact thatSCORE researchers in the current cycle are from both the faculty of Arts and Science (Chemistry and MarineSciences Departments) and the faculty of Engineering (Chemical and Electrical Engineering Departments).In addition to the SCORE Program Director's role described above there are three other duties performed bythe Program Director:Recruitment of new researchers for the SCORE Program. Starting on November 2004 SCORE Program sendsa 'request for proposal' to researchers (especially to junior researchers) to apply for seed money grants.These grants (3 in total, $7000.00 each) helps such researchers to initiate biomedically oriented research witha commitment that they would submit a larger proposal in the next cycle or as a supplement to the SCOREProgram. Each PI in the program has a senior researcher as mentor to help with planning research, as well aseventual grants writing. The PD coordinates this activity including receiving proposals, forming a committeeand reviewing proposals. These funds are administered by our office. The costs for these seed money grantsare shared equally by the Faculty of Arts and Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Research andDevelopment Center.Two Graduate fellowships are awarded each year by the SCORE Program. The awards are set up bycompetition among graduate students who are engaged in biomedical research on campus (working withMBRS-SCORE Pis). The coordination as well as the review of the applicants and the ultimate selection is donewith the help of a committee and the P.D is actively involved with that process.ESAC: For each cycle an External Scientific Advisory Committee is set up by the P.D. depending on thefunded projects. Coordination of the annual meetings, report's review, and implementation ofrecommendations made by the committee is the responsibility of the P.D. Additionally, these reports areroutinely sent to the university administration and follow-up meetings are scheduled by the PD to discuss therecommendations made by the committee.
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