Helen Hay Whitney Post Doc Fellowship 7/15/2010

The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation supports early postdoctoral research training in all basic biomedical sciences.

To attain its ultimate goal of increasing the number of imaginative, well-trained and dedicated medical scientists, the Foundation grants financial support of sufficient duration to help further the careers of young men and women engaged in biological or medical research.

Click Here To Apply Online

Eligibility
Candidates who hold, or are in the final stages of obtaining a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree and are seeking beginning postdoctoral training in basic biomedical research are eligible to apply for a fellowship. The Foundation accepts applications from candidates who have no more than one year of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the deadline for submitting the application (July 15), and who have received a PhD (or D.Phil. or equivalent) degree no more than two years before the deadline, or an M.D. degree no more than three years before the deadline.

Fellowships may be awarded to US citizens planning to work in laboratories either in the US, Canada, or abroad and also to foreign citizens for research in laboratories in the US only. We expect that most applicants will reside in North America at the time of application. Foreign Students will need to obtain appropriate visa documentation, as required by US Immigration.

Applications are to be filled out and submitted online at www.hhwf.org. Applications must be received by The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation no later than 5:00pm EST, July 15, 2010. Late applications will not be considered.

Susan G. Komen Deadlines

Research Grants Opens May 11, 2010
Pre-application June 25, 2010, 8pm ET Full application November 2, 2010, 8pm ET
Investigator-Initiated Research IIR grants seek to stimulate exploration of new ideas and novel approaches in breast cancer research and clinical practice that will lead to reductions in breast cancer incidence and mortality within the next decade.
NEW! Scientific focus on the biology of breast cancer; novel therapeutics and resistance; prevention and early detection; and disparities research.
Applicants may request funding for 2 or 3 years: Up to $400,000 over 2 years; or up to $600,000 over 3 years.

Opens May 11, 2010 Pre-application June 25 2010, 8pm ET
Full application November 2, 2010, 8pm ET
Career Catalyst Research
CCR grants provide unique opportunities for scientists in the early stages of their career to achieve research independence.

NEW! Scientific focus on biology and translation research and disparities research.
Applicants may request funding for 2 or 3 years:Up to $300,000 for the initial 2 years; with $150,000 for a 3rd year based on 1st year progress.

Opens Late May, 2010
Pre-applicationuly 15, 2010, 8pm ET Full application December 1, 2010, 8pm ET
Promise Grants
Promise Grants seek to support integrated programs of collaborative and cross-disciplinary research projects leading to the aggressive translation of scientific discoveries into interventions and strategies that have the greatest potential to significantly reduce breast cancer incidence and/or mortality.
Applicants may request funding for 3 to 5 years: Up to $6,500,000 over the timeframe of the grant.

Fellowships and Training Grants
Opens Early August, 2010 Pre-application September 15, 2010
Full application TBD
Postdoctoral Fellowships
PDF Grants seek to attract scientists into careers addressing important research questions about breast cancer, expand the skills and expertise of breast cancer researchers in training, and position trainees for independent careers conducting breast cancer research that will directly affect breast cancer patients..
Fellowships are awarded to the mentor/PI. By the start date of the grant, fellows must be no more than 3 years post-completion of his/her most recent clinical M.D. fellowship or 5 years post-completion of his/her most recent M.D. residency or Ph.D.
*Scientific focus on basic, translational, clinical and disparities research.

Applicants may request funding for 2 or 3 years: Up to $60,000 per year for the initial 2 years; with $60,000 for a 3rd year based on 1st year progress.

Opens Early August, 2010, Pre-application September 15, 2010 Full application TBD
Post Baccalaureate Training in Disparities Research
PBT-DR grants seek to support training for students very early in their careers to allow them to begin to define meaningful career paths focused on disparities in breast cancer outcomes across population groups.Up to $45,000 per student (up to 3), per year for 2 years, with a progress-based option for a 3rd year.

AAALAC Funding for Projects June 30, 2010

AAALAC International announces funding for Special Projects

AAALAC International is seeking applications to support training in laboratory animal medicine,research projects in laboratory animal science and medicine, as well as applications forprojects that will enhance the mission of AAALAC International.For prospective applications in each of the above areas, applicants should provide a Letter of Intent to outline the focus and basic elements of the proposal. Based upon this information, the AAALAC International Special Projects Committee will select proposals of interest that will then be invited to submit full application packages for review.

1. Training Applications: Internship Eligibility: Veterinarian, postdoctoral fellow, or Ph.D. in any discipline involving the use of animal models in research, teaching and testing. The principal investigator (PI) must hold a doctoral-level degree (D.V.M./V.M.D., M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D. or equivalent) and will supervise the intern. Applications may be submitted by the supervisor/mentor or by the intern with supervisor/mentor endorsement. Duration: As short as 3 months and as long as 1 year. Budget: $5,000 - $30,000/per project Requirements: Identify the area of career training. If training is in laboratory animal medicine, identify a mentor with ACLAM or equivalent credentials; describe the mentor’s background with the use of animal models in research. Provide a letter of support from mentor as well as an outline of the training plan within the time frame requested. If the training is in an area other than laboratory animal medicine, please explain how AAALAC International’s support for the trainee is expected to influence the quality of the trainee’s contributions to AAALAC International or its accredited community or how it will impact the policies, practices or standards used in the accreditation process. Provide the amount requested for the internship. If applying as a mentor in anticipation of trainee recruitment, please provide a copy of your curriculum vitae. 2. Research Projects Eligibility: Veterinarian, postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D. or graduate student in disciplines involving the use of animal models in research, teaching and testing. The principal investigator (PI) must hold a doctoral-level degree (D.V.M./V.M.D., M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D. or equivalent). Duration: Maximum of 1 year Budget: Maximum of $25,000/per project Requirements: Research must be conducted in an AAALAC International accredited institution. State the area of interest, background, general hypothesis and objectives. Include an outline of the experimental design and anticipated time-line for project completion. Explain how the proposed research inquiry is aligned with AAALAC International’s mission to promote animal well-being, to enhance the quality of research, teaching and testing in animal models or to refine and inform AAALAC International’s application of “standards” in the accreditation process. Provide the amount requested for this research project. Graduate students should provide a letter of support from the selected mentor. 3. Non-traditional Projects that reflect the mission of AAALAC International Eligibility: Veterinarian, postdoctoral fellow, or Ph.D. in any discipline involving the use of animal models in research, teaching or testing. Duration: Maximum of 1 year Budget: Maximum of $10,000/project LINK for more info.

American Diabetes Association Junior Faculty Award

Junior Faculty Award
Award Description: These awards support new investigators who are establishing their independence in diabetes research. Applicants can have any level of faculty appointment up through assistant professor.
Support: Awards are up to $120,000 per year for up to three years for direct costs, plus 15% allowable indirect costs. Additionally, applicants can request up to $10,000 per year towards the repayment of the principal on loans for a doctoral degree (MD, PhD, PharmD, DPM or DO). There is not a fixed limit for PI Salary.
Deadline Date: July 15, 2010 for January 1, 2011 funding.
Important Documents: Download, review, and/or complete these documents before online submission:

American Diabetes Association Career Development Award

Career Development Award
Award Description: The American Diabetes Association’s Career Development Awards are designed to assist outstanding Assistant Professor level faculty investigators in conducting diabetes-related research. The award supports an individual’s salary and research project to enable the investigator to advance his/her career as an independent investigator.
Support: Awards are $150,000 per year for up to five years, plus 15% allowable indirect costs. Additionally, applicants may request a $25,000 stipend for each of the first two years for additional equipment.
Deadline Date: July 15, 2010 for January 1, 2011 funding.
Important Documents: Download, review, and/or complete these documents before online submission:

JAMA Article on Revised Conflict of Interest Requirements

JAMA. 2010;303(23):(doi:10.1001/jama.2010.774).
Managing Financial Conflict of Interest in Biomedical Research
Sally J. Rockey, PhD
Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD

AS THE NATION’S BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AGENCY, THE National Institutes of Health (NIH) must ensure that the research it funds on the behalf of US taxpayers is scientifically rigorous and free of bias.
Over the course of more than 65 years and hundreds of thousands of awards, most researchers receiving funds from NIH have proved to be trustworthy stewards. Still, more must be done to retain, and in some instances regain, public trust in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise. The public may not always understand the intricacies of rigorous science, but most individuals quickly grasp the concept of bias. Plain and simple, Americans do not want financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) to influence the federally funded research they hope will yield better ways to fight disease and improve health.
Managing FCOI in biomedical and behavioral research, however, can prove to be a major challenge because of the complex relationships among government, academia, and
industry. Partnerships between NIH-funded researchers and industry are often essential to the process of moving discoveries from the bench to the bedside. These relationships manifest as consultant agreements, in published works, and through a variety of other productive alliances. However, such relationships can sometimes lead to FCOI that may compromise—or appear to compromise—the integrity of research supported by NIH.
For complete article:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/jama.2010.774

NSF Announces New Deadline for Proposals for Innovation in Science Learning

Informal Science Education (ISE)

The ISE program supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning, through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings.

Informal” science education, which occurs outside formal school settings and across all ages, plays an increasingly vital role in the 21st century educational landscape. Americans spend over 80% of their lifetime waking hours outside schools (Stevens & Bransford, 2007), and have access to a vast array of learning resources, experiences, and educators.

The ISE program also invests in five types of projects that are specific to the program: Research; Pathways; Full-Scale Development; Broad Implementation, and Communicating Research to Public Audiences. No institutional limits on this FOA. For Communicating Research to Public Audiences projects ONLY: PI must hold an active NSF-funded research award in any NSF directorate or program. The ISE program expects to make approximately 46 awards based on anticipated funding of $25 million in FY 2011 for new awards. It is anticipated that approximately 8 Research, 8 Pathways, 17 Full-Scale Development, 3 Broad Implementation, and 10 Communicating Research to Public Audiences awards will be made as Standard or Continuing Grants per year, pending availability of funds.

Duration and Funding Levels:

Research: Project duration from one to five years. The maximum award is $1,500,000.

Pathways: Project duration is up to two years. The maximum award is $250,000.

Full-Scale Development: Project duration may be from one to five years. Full-Scale Development proposals will normally be funded in the $1 million to $3 million dollar range.

Broad Implementation: Project duration may be from one to five years. Broad Implementation proposals will normally be funded in the $1 million to $3 million dollar range.

Communicating Research to Public Audiences: Project duration may be up to two years and the maximum award is $150,000.

Due Dates

• Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

  July 22, 2010

  except CRPA proposals (which do not require preliminary proposals)

• Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

  December 07, 2010

  except CRPA proposals (which do not have deadlines)

  Click here for complete announcement

Awards Program in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Research

The Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation was created in 2002 to advance the health of older adults through the support of direct service projects and medical research on diseases and disorders affecting older adults. In keeping with the Foundation's mission, we are pleased to announce a new Awards Program in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research.

The goal of the Awards Program is to support innovative drug discovery research that will lead to improved therapies for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Initial Research Proposal Application Deadline
The Initial Proposal Application must be submitted by Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 12:00 Noon, U.S. Eastern Time, to the online application system, at www.tmfgrants.org/ThomeAD.
Invited Full Proposal Deadline Sept. 15, 2010 Applicants who are invited to submit Full Research Proposals will be notified by email in late July 2010. The Full Research Proposal Application includes the Application Face Sheet,Department or Division Head Letter, Budget Forms, Budget Justification, Applicant’s Biosketch and a 10‐page Research Proposal. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions and funding will begin on or before December 31, 2010.

For Complete Announcement

DOD Peer Reviewed Cancer Translational New Investigator Award

The PRCRP Translational New Investigator Award mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY10. The Translational New Investigator Award supports the development of translational research partnerships among two independent investigators to address at least one of the FY10 PRCRP Topic Areas in a manner relevant to military beneficiaries. Within the partnership, one member must be a laboratory scientist and the other must be a clinician. This award is intended to support a mentoring partnership between a new investigator (the Principal Investigator [PI]) and a mentor (a clinician or laboratory scientist with an established research program in one of the FY10 PRCRP Topic Areas). The ultimate goal of translational research is to move an observation forward into a clinical application. Research does not have to be performed in the clinic but should include human anatomical substances. The Translational New Investigator Award supports preclinical studies in animal models and/or human anatomical substances that have clear potential for translation into clinical applications.

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=1kHCL2vG2BlLL4gC2KrsnPV9mnJBqFZKX8fq8jCQZvJh4FFP9LBX!688309371?oppId=54713&mode=VIEW

DOD Peer Reviewed Cancer Idea Award

The PRCRP Idea Award mechanism was first offered in FY09. Since then, 38 Idea Award applications have been received, and 6 have been recommended for funding. The Idea Award is intended to promote the exploration of ideas that are still in the early stages of development yet have the potential to yield high-impact results and open new avenues of investigation in the relevant FY10 PRCRP Topic Areas. This mechanism supports conceptually innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements. Preliminary data are not required. However, research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on a strong scientific rationale. DOD FY10 Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program Idea Award 3 Research involving human subject participation is permitted under this funding opportunity but is restricted to studies without clinical trials. Clinical trials are not permitted under this award mechanism. In general, a clinical trial is defined as a prospective study where an intervention (e.g., a device, drug, behavioral, surgical procedure) is tested on human subjects for a measurable outcome. Correlative Human Subject Use (clinical research) studies are permitted, and the study may be associated with a Clinical trial but it does not seek the main outcomes of the clinical trial. Correlative studies are defined as a prospective or retrospective collection of human anatomical substances (tissue, blood, nail clippings, bone marrow, behavioral documentation, etc.) to be used in research to answer a question regarding the disease and /or interventions. It does not include the direct testing for the outcome of any intervention for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or evaluation of the quality of life of the patient. Correlative Human Subject Use may require informed consent of the human subject, and may include identifiable information. Refer to the General Application Instructions, Appendix 5, for additional information about studies involving human subjects, human subjects data, or human anatomical substances. For FY10, the PRCRP Idea Award will only consider applications that address one or more of the FY10 PRCRP Topic Areas.

Pre-application Submission Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (ET), July 14, 2010

• Invitation to Submit an Application: September 8, 2010

• Application Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET, October 20, 2010

• Scientific Peer Review: December 2010

• Programmatic Review: February 2011

NIH to tighten rules on conflicts

Published online 20 May 2010 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2010.257

New regulations would increase oversight of payments to researchers.

Meredith Wadman

Recent scandals have raised concerns about biomedical researchers.

After a wave of financial scandals over the past few years involving biomedical researchers, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed far-reaching changes today that would lead to much tighter oversight of agency-funded extramural investigators and their institutions.

In the first proposed overhaul of financial reporting regulations since 1995, the agency is moving to counter a growing public perception that biomedical researchers are being compromised by increasingly numerous and lucrative consulting relationships with drug and device companies.

"This will be a substantial change in the way in which NIH seeks to oversee potential conflicts of interest," Francis Collins, the NIH director, said during a press teleconference today. "The public trust in what we do is just essential. And we cannot afford to take any chances with the integrity of the research process."

Senator Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican whose investigations have exposed several researchers who failed to report lucrative company income related to their publicly funded work, called the new proposal "an important step in the right direction".

"Enforcement of current requirements has been lax, and the federal agency has failed to send a message to grantees that accountability in this area matters," Grassley said in a statement (see Money in Biomedicine: The Senator's Sleuth). He spearheaded legislation, enacted this year, that will require companies to publicly report payments to physicians of any kind above $10, starting in 2013. The new NIH rules would cover all researchers, whether or not they are physicians, who receive funding from the agency.

The proposed rules state that a "significant financial interest", or SFI, exists when the combined value of an investigator's equity holdings in, and payments from, a publicly traded company exceed $5,000 in any given year. Under current rules, the reporting threshold is set at $10,000.

Any amount of equity in a privately held company would be considered an SFI under the new rules.

Wider reach for reporting requirements

Principal investigators and other key personnel on any NIH-funded project would be required to annually report a large range of SFIs to their institutions, embracing anything that could touch on their "institutional responsibilities" broadly construed, and not only those that could conceivably pertain to specific NIH-funded research projects. Under current NIH rules, investigators are required to report to their institutions only the SFIs that they themselves deem relevant to their NIH research.

For complete article click here

Epilepsy Foundation Research and Fellowship Application Upcoming Due Dates

Grant & Fellowship Opportunities

The Epilepsy Foundation supports a series of grants to advance the understanding of epilepsy that will lead to better treatment, more effective prevention, and ultimately to a cure. Our grants fund a wide range of researchers including students, junior level and senior level investigators. For researchers intending to apply for a grant, please download the information and instructions for each program listed below.

FALL CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Due August 31, 2010 (unless otherwise noted)

Research Grants Program
Predoctoral Research Training Fellowship
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Research and Training Fellowships for Clinicians (proposals due October 1, 2010)
Partnership for Pediatric Epilepsy Research (continuation pending)
New Therapy Grants Program information (due date to be determined)

For more information click here.

NSF Advances in Biological Informatics (ABI) 8/10/2010

The Advances in Biological Informatics program seeks to support research that enables investigators to make use of biological data and information for the discovery of new knowledge and the advancement of the field of biology. The Program supports a range of activities along a continuum, from the formative, theoretical development of new algorithms, data structures, and tools specific to the curation of biological information, through the development of new information resources to the enhancement of established resources needed by whole communities of biological researchers. However, the highest priority of the ABI program as reflected in this solicitation is on supporting proposals that address the formative stages of this continuum. Examples include new tools which scale well to complex biological data, theoretical research on data structures, design of easy-to-use interfaces and tools for data input, manipulation, analysis and extraction, and planning and prototype development of new types of biological data- or knowledge-bases. Research supported by ABI must lead to the solution of problems in biology. Multidisciplinary research is encouraged and requires prior coordination with the program manager.

For complete announcement click here

Human Frontiers Science Program Fellowships

Fellowships

Long-Term Fellowships provide young scientists with up to three years of postdoctoral research training in an outstanding laboratory in another country. The third year of the Long-Term Fellowship can be used either for repatriation to the Fellow's country or in the host laboratory. To be eligible, a fellow must either come from or go to a member country. Long-Term Fellows who return to their home country at the end of the fellowship may apply for the competitive Career Development Award.

Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships: Cross-Disciplinary fellowships are intended for postdoctoral fellows with a Ph.D. degree in the physical sciences, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and computer sciences who wish to receive training in biology. The conditions are the same as for the Long-Term Fellowships.-Term Fellowships 2011

Important deadlines

> 26 August 2010: Pre-registration (for obtaining a password) and for initializing an application
9 September 2010: Submission deadline for Long-Term Fellowships

The fellowship application guidelines for award year 2011 will be available on our web site in May.
The instructions for accessing and completing the online application form and the link to the registration website will be available on our website end of June / early July 2010. As of this date, it will be possible to complete the online application documents.

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Program in Environmental Chemistry

Deadline: August 24, 2010
Announcement: October 2010

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation seeks to further the development of scientific leadership in the field of environmental chemistry with a postdoctoral fellowship program. The Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry provides an award to a principal investigator of $120,000 over two years to appoint a Postdoctoral Fellow in environmental chemistry.

Eligibility
The Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry is open to all academic and other not-for-profit organizations in the States, Districts, and Territories of the United States of America that have well-established research efforts in environmental science or engineering. These research activities need not be located in traditional departments in the chemical sciences, and collaboration across departments and institutions is encouraged.

Research Areas of Interest
Applications most likely to be of interest should describe innovative fundamental research in the chemical sciences or engineering related to the environment. Examples include but are not limited to the chemistry associated with: the climate, the atmosphere, aquatic or marine settings, toxicology, soil or groundwater. Also of interest are chemistry-related energy research (renewable sources, sequestration, etc.), and new or green approaches to chemical synthesis and processing, with a clearly stated relation to the environment.

Click here to see complete announcement

Office of Naval Research Basic Research Challenge Program

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving proposals for the BRC Program, which supports basic science and or engineering research within academia and industry. The program is focused on stimulating new, high-risk basic research projects. Work funded under a BAA may include basic research, applied research and some advanced technology development (ATD). White paper due June 3, 2010. Full proposal due July 18, 2010

Link to announcement

Open Society Institute Global Drug Policy Program

The Open Society Institute Global Drug Policy Program aims to broaden, diversify and consolidate the network of organizations actively challenging the current state of international drug policy. Stemming from the notion that the "war on drugs" is actually a "war on drug users," the program advocates a more balanced approach in international drug policy with a greater focus on human rights.

The program is dedicated to utilizing scientific evidence and input from organizations and individuals engaged in and affected by drug use and drug policy in the development of policy recommendations.

Eligibility

The Global Drug Policy Program welcomes proposals from organizations worldwide. We support a broad range of institutions working in different fields, such as economics, policy, public health, human rights, and the media.

Successful projects should support one or more of the program's objectives and have a strong regional or international focus. Projects should be advocacy-based and are required to have a well-developed strategy for media outreach.

While the program does not have upper or lower funding brackets, projects are expected to demonstrate co-funding. The Global Drug Policy program funds projects which do not exceed one year.

View a list of projects supported in 2008 and 2009.

If the main focus of your project is harm reduction, please consider applying for funding from the Open Society Institute International Harm Reduction Development Program.

Application Procedure

If you are contacting the program for the first time, we request that you send a concept paper of no more than 2 pages. It should include:

• the aim, objectives and main outcomes
• estimated budget and timeframe
• short description of the organization

Submit via email to proposals_drugpolicy@sorosny.org.

Once the program has reviewed concept papers, grant seekers may be invited to submit a full application. Please find application forms below for requests under and over $25,000.

Deadline

In 2010, the program will accept applications on a rolling basis from March 1 until October 1.

More information click here.

COMPETES Reauthorization Bill Stalls

Chairman Gordon Comments After Pulling COMPETES from Consideration

(Washington, DC) – Today, House Leadership pulled H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, from consideration at Chairman Gordon’s request after the Minority offered a Motion to Recommit that cut funding for the basic research programs, on top of the 10.3 percent reduction from the bill as introduced that was adopted at the Committee Markup; defunded the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, which is pursuing revolutionary breakthroughs in clean energy technology; and eliminated programs to support economic development and job creation right now. The Motion to Recommit also included a small piece of language that would prohibit any funds authorized in this bill from being spent to pay the salary of any federal employee who had been disciplined for viewing pornography.


Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) made the following statement:
“I’m disappointed that politics trumped good policy. The Minority was willing to trade American jobs and our nation’s economic competitiveness for the chance to run a good political ad.

Read More

NSF Investigators: Important News

Press Release 10-077
Scientists Seeking NSF Funding Will Soon Be Required to Submit Data Management Plans


Government-wide emphasis on community access to data supports substantive push toward more open sharing of research data

May 10, 2010


During the May 5th meeting of the National Science Board, National Science Foundation (NSF) officials announced a change in the implementation of the existing policy on sharing research data. In particular, on or around October, 2010, NSF is planning to require that all proposals include a data management plan in the form of a two-page supplementary document. The research community will be informed of the specifics of the anticipated changes and the agency's expectations for the data management plans.

The changes are designed to address trends and needs in the modern era of data-driven science.

"Science is becoming data-intensive and collaborative," noted Ed Seidel, acting assistant director for NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences directorate. "Researchers from numerous disciplines need to work together to attack complex problems; openly sharing data will pave the way for researchers to communicate and collaborate more effectively."

Read the entire press release

Grand Challenges Vector-based Control of Transmission Research

As a component of the Grand Challenges Vector-based Control of Transmission Discovery Research (VCTR) program, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is seeking innovative discovery projects to identify new chemical leads to fuel the development pathway for insecticides to control the mosquito vectors of malaria. $6 million in funding is available for this new grant program to discover chemical agents with novel mechanisms of action to kill mosquitoes.

Letters of Inquiry will be accepted through June 25, 2010.

Current efforts aimed at the control of the mosquito vectors of malaria rely heavily on a limited number of related products for insecticide treated bednets, for indoor residual spraying and for chemical larvicides. These products act on a very limited number of mosquito targets and are subject to failure as a result of the selection and spread of insecticide resistance. Despite the importance of insecticides in controlling the devastating impact of malaria, no new products have been developed for public health use in malaria endemic countries in 30 years.

To address this situation, this program seeks to support projects that will discover new active ingredients with novel mechanisms of action as the basis for insecticide development. It is envisioned that chemical leads identified in these projects can be taken forward in collaboration with industrial partner.

To learn more about the Request for Proposals and the on line LOI application process go to http://www.grandchallenges.org/FNIHvector

Lustgarten Foundation K-ras Targeted Drug Discovery

2010 Request For Applications: K-ras Targeted Drug Discovery
Release Date: May 14, 2010

Concept Proposal Due Date: June 14, 2010
Full Proposal Requests within 4-6 weeks


The Lustgarten Foundation invites collaborative or individual applications proposing innovative approaches to target K-ras. Pancreatic cancers are one of the most lethal of all cancers and studies have found that up to 95% contain K-ras mutations. Therefore, the Foundation is prepared to allocate a significant portion of its multi-million dollar budget to this K-ras program.

Interested applicants should submit a Concept Proposal by June 14, 2010. The Foundation will contact the Principal Investigators of selected concepts to request detailed proposals.



Eligibility Requirements

Applications may be submitted by domestic or foreign, non-profit or for-profit organizations, public or private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government.

Mechanism of Support

Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. Given the urgent need for therapies, we encourage projects that can make the largest impact in the shortest time. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed three years and will be subject to yearly review by The Lustgarten Foundation and its review board.

Concept Proposal

Prospective applicants are asked to submit a Concept Proposal that addresses specific questions as outlined in the Guidelines. The deliverables of the proposed research should be compound(s) that inhibits K-ras function in cells in vitro and in vivo. The proposal should therefore focus on drug discovery rather than on the discovery of potential drug targets. All sorts of therapeutic agents will be considered, though approaches that employ macromolecules (antibodies, genes, siRNA, etc.) must include documentation that the agent can be delivered to the vast majority of tumor cells in an animal model.

Concept Proposals should be sent to Mila McCurrach at mmccurra@cablevision.com no later than 5pm EST on June 14, 2010.

https://www.lustgarten.org/Page.aspx?pid=666&srctid=1&erid=1306398

DOE, USDA Announce Funding for Biomass Research and Development Initiative

May 6, 2010

DOE, USDA Announce Funding for Biomass Research and Development Initiative

Washington, DC – The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) today jointly announced up to $33 million in funding for research and development of technologies and processes to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products, subject to annual appropriations. These projects will support the Obama Administration’s comprehensive energy strategy of increasing the nation’s energy, economic and national security by reducing our reliance on foreign oil and reducing greenhouse gases.

“These projects will help advance the production of biofuels and related products. Supporting the development of sustainable and renewable biofuels is key to improving our energy security and addressing climate change,” said DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi.

“As the demand for energy rises, Americans need alternative, renewable energy sources,” said Roger Beachy, USDA chief scientist and director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. “The innovation and technology that these projects develop will foster a sustainable domestic biofuels industry by broadening the nation's energy sources as well as improving the efficiency of renewable fuels.”

USDA and DOE are issuing this joint funding announcement for several types of projects aimed at increasing the availability of alternative renewable fuels and biobased products. The projects will aim to create a diverse group of economically and environmentally sustainable sources of renewable biomass. Advanced biofuels produced from these projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50 percent, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Section 9008(e)(3) of the Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 provides direction and guidance on the technical areas addressed by the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, (BRDI). The technical areas are:

•Feedstocks development
•Biofuels and biobased products development
•Biofuels development analysis
BRDI requires that each proposed project integrate all three of the technical areas. The intent of requiring integration is to encourage a collaborative problem-solving approach to all studies funded under BRDI, to facilitate formation of consortia, identify and address knowledge gaps, and accelerate the application of science and engineering for the production of sustainable biofuels, bioenergy and biobased products.

The funding opportunity is available online at Grants.gov. Pre-applications are due July 13, 2010, and must be submitted electronically. Applicants who are encouraged to submit full applications will be notified by September 9, 2010.
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=54455

Attn: Dartmouth Space Coordinators, Dates and Registration for Training

Dartmouth College is periodically required to update the information necessary for calculating our Facilities & Administrative Rate (F&A) for grants. This information includes data on the locations and uses of space on campus. We are currently in the process of preparing our next rate application and we need your help with our space inventory.

OSP will be holding training sessions to provide you with information on your role and steps that you need to perform for the June 2010 update of space data for your department. You have been designated as the space coordinator for your department. As such, it is mandatory that you register for, and attend, one of the upcoming space training sessions to be held in May.

Please choose one training session to attend and RSVP for that session to Karin Spanos at karin.o.spanos@dartmouth.edu by Friday, May 14.

Space Training Schedule:

Friday May 21
DHMC Computer Room #2, 2nd floor, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Friday May 21
Instructional Center 37, 37 Dewey Field Road 1:00 to - 2:30 pm

Wednesday, May 26
Instructional Center 37, 37 Dewey Field Road 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Thank you very much for your participation in the survey. It is a mandatory requirement of our submission and we could not do it without you.

Jill Mortali
Director, OSP

Science and Technology Committee Advances COMPETES Reauthorization

Though not with the broad bipartisan support of the original America COMPETES Act, the reauthorization of America COMPETES passed the House Science and Technology Committee by a 29-8 vote after an all-day markup session on April 28. The legislation, H.R. 5116, authorizes science and education programs for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science and puts these agencies' budgets on a path to double over 10 years, starting with 2007 appropriated levels.

Read More

White House Streamlines Progress-Report System for Federal Grantees, Freeing Additional Time for Research

FROM: The Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/04/23/white-house-streamlines-progress-report-system
Posted by Diane DiEuliis on April 23, 2010 at 11:36 AM EDT
Imagine you are a scientist whose research is funded by various Federal agencies, and imagine that not only does each of these agencies require an annual progress report—a reasonable requirement—but that each has its own complicated forms for doing so and its own system you must navigate in order to submit those forms.

As Federal grantees know, this is the unfortunate situation today, and it is one of the big reasons why a survey sponsored by the National Academies found that administrative burdens now consume fully 42 percent of people’s time at the Nation’s research institutions, draining precious resources that might otherwise be devoted to research.

Today the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is announcing a change that will help resolve this longstanding inefficiency: the release of a new, universal, standardized progress-reporting format (pdf) for academic scientists and other Federal grantees.

A new form may hardly seem a thing for the Federal bureaucracy to crow about. But this is a form of the future. Not only will it simplify the lives of scientists and their administrators, it will also help Federal agencies and overseers do a better job of grant management. And because the submitted information will be both uniformly organized and primarily digital, the new forms will allow program managers to compare interim scientific results more readily across complementary programs within and between agencies.

"I wish I had this kind of streamlined report form when I was running research projects supported by Federal agencies," said OSTP Director John Holdren, whose White House office spearheaded the effort. "Ensuring that there are common standards across agencies will ensure that researchers spend less time managing paperwork and forms, and more time producing research results across all science and technology fields sponsored by the Federal Government."

The new form, formal approval of which was completed this week with the signing of a memo by Dr. Holdren and Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag, includes standardized fields to be used by all Federal research agencies as well as customizable fields to accommodate special assessments that may be needed by some Federal agencies or programs. The memo calls upon agencies to craft implementation plans to ensure timely adoption of the format.

According to a “faculty burden” survey conducted by the Federal Demonstration Project, supported by the National Academies, research faculty consider “grant progress report submissions” to be their top administrative burden. (The other winners in order were: personnel hiring, project revenue management, equipment and supply purchases, Institutional Review Board protocol approvals and training, training personnel and students, and student evaluations.) The survey concluded that an estimated $97,000,000 in salary support is spent nationwide on research-related administrative duties.

Diane DiEuliis is Assistant Director for Life Sciences at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

OSP Round Table Meeting May 12

Office of Sponsored Projects Round Table

Wednesday May 12, 10:30-12:00

Tindle Lounge, Dartmouth Campus

AGENDA

1. Conflict of Interest (COI) proposal process   (Liz Bankert, Jill Mortali, Tom Drinane)
2. Space survey for the F& A annual report.   Upcoming training sessions
3. Policy on allocation of international fees
4. OSP Updates
5. NIH Updates  (Christine Bothe, Renee Brown)
6. Old business/ New business

AAALAC Funding for Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine

AAALAC International is seeking applications to support training in laboratory animal medicine, research projects in laboratory animal science and medicine, as well as applications for projects that will enhance the mission of AAALAC International.

For prospective applications in each of the above areas, applicants should provide a Letter of Intent to outline the focus and basic elements of the proposal.  Based upon this information, the AAALAC International Special Projects Committee will select proposals of interest that will then be invited to submit full application packages for review.  Please provide the information described below in a short (two pages maximum) Letter of Intent:

1. Training Applications:  Internship

Eligibility:  Veterinarian, postdoctoral fellow, or Ph.D. in any discipline involving the use of animal models in research, teaching and testing. The principal investigator (PI) must hold a doctoral-level degree (D.V.M./V.M.D., M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D. or equivalent) and will supervise the intern.  Applications may be submitted by the supervisor/mentor or by the intern with supervisor/mentor endorsement.

Duration:  As short as 3 months and as long as 1 year.
Budget:  $5,000 - $30,000/per project

 Requirements:  

·       Identify the area of career training.  If training is in laboratory animal medicine, identify a mentor with ACLAM or equivalent credentials; describe the mentor¹s background with the use of animal models in research
·       Provide a letter of support from mentor as well as an outline of the training plan within the time frame requested

·       If the training is in an area other than laboratory animal medicine, please explain how AAALAC International¹s support for the trainee is expected to influence the quality of the trainee¹s contributions to AAALAC International or its accredited community or how it will impact the policies, practices or standards used in the accreditation process.

·       Provide the amount requested for the internship.

·       If applying as a mentor in anticipation of trainee recruitment, please provide a copy of your curriculum vitae.

 
2. Research Projects

Eligibility:  Veterinarian, postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D.s and graduate students in disciplines involving the use of animal models in research, teaching and testing.  The principal investigator (PI) must hold a doctoral-level degree (D.V.M./V.M.D., M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D. or equivalent).

Duration: Maximum of 1 year

Budget:  Maximum of $25,000/project

Requirements:  

·       Research must be conducted in an AAALAC International accredited institution.  

·       State the area of interest, background, general hypothesis and objectives

·       Include an outline of the experimental design and anticipated time-line for project completion.

·       Explain how the proposed research inquiry is aligned with AAALAC International¹s mission to promote animal well-being, to enhance the quality of research, teaching and testing in animal models or to refine and inform AAALAC International¹s application of ³standards² in the accreditation process.  

·       Provide the amount requested for this research project.

·       Graduate students should provide a letter of support from the selected mentor.
 

3. Non-traditional Projects that reflect the mission of AAALAC International

Eligibility:  Veterinarian, postdoctoral fellow, and Ph.D. in any discipline involving the use of animal models in research, teaching or testing.

Duration: Maximum of 1 year

Budget:  Maximum of $10,000/project

Requirements:  

·       Provide a statement of the problem and how the problem will be addressed, analyzed and resolved.

·       Provide the amount requested for this non-traditional project.

·       Discuss how project reflects AAALAC International¹s mission or would address a critical issue of interest to AAALAC International¹s accredited community. 

 Letters of intent should be submitted by June 30, 2010 to:

Special Projects Committee
AAALAC International
5283 Corporate Drive, Suite 203
Frederick, MD 21703
U.S.A.

You will receive a confirmation of receipt of your submission. If you do not receive a confirmation, please contact Dr. Christian Newcomer, Executive Director.

Reviewers will evaluate Letters of Intent based on scientific merit, consistency with the mission of AAALAC International, appropriate animal use (in compliance with the ILAR Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals), expertise of the investigator(s) and mentor(s), and feasibility of completion of the activity within the time requested.
 
All parties submitting a Letter of Intent will be notified by August 1, 2010 on the status of their selection for the submission of a full proposal to the Special Projects Committee.  The submission date for full proposals will be October 1, 2010 with proposal funding to commence on a date to be negotiated with the successful applicants.

The Smith Richardson Foundation’s International Security & Foreign Policy Program

The Smith Richardson Foundation’s International Security and Foreign Policy Program is pleased to announce its annual grant competition to support junior faculty research on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, military policy, and diplomatic and military history. The Foundation will award at least three research grants of $60,000 each to support tenure-track junior faculty engaged in the research and writing of a scholarly book on an issue or topic of interest to the policy community.

These grants are intended to buy-out up to one year of teaching time and to underwrite research costs (including research assistance and travel). Each grant will be paid directly to, and should be administered by, the academic institution at which the junior faculty member works. Projects in military and diplomatic history are especially encouraged. Group or collaborative projects will not be considered.

Procedure
An applicant must submit a research proposal, a maximum of ten pages, that includes the following five sections:

• a one-page executive summary;
• a brief description of the policy issue or the problem that the proposed book will examine;
• a description of the background and body of knowledge on the issue to be addressed by the book;
• a description of the personnel and methods (e.g., research questions, research strategy, analytical approach, tentative organization of the book, etc.); and
• a brief explanation of the implications of the prospective findings of the research for the policy community

Eligibility
An applicant must have a Ph.D., preferably in Political Science, Public Policy, Policy Analysis, International Political Economy, or History. He or she also must hold a position as a full-time tenure-track faculty member of a college or university in the United States. An applicant should explain how he or she meets all of these requirements in a cover letter to the proposal.

Deadline
The Foundation must receive all Junior Faculty Research Grant proposals postmarked by June 30, 2010. Applicants will be notified of the Foundation’s decision by November 1, 2010.

http://www.srf.org/grants/international_junior_faculty.php

AFOSR Young Investigator Program Scientists and Engineers

The AFOSR’s Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) is to support scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees in the last five years (on or after 1 May 2005) and who show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The objective of this program is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators, and increase opportunities for the young investigators to recognize Air Force mission and the related challenges in science and engineering. Proposals addressing the research areas of interest for the Air Force Research Laboratory will be considered. The basic research areas of current interest are available on-line at the AFOSR web site: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFRL/afosr/ Select “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR-BAA-2010-1) For detailed information regarding technical goals, potential applicants are advised to refer to the announcement cited above and may contact AFOSR program managers listed therein to explore mutual interests before submitting proposals.

Deadline 7/28/2010

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Improving Quality and Value in Health Care: Ideas from the Field

Over the past year, the nation's longstanding health care debate both clarified and highlighted much of the current thinking about broad solutions to improving our current system. There is general agreement that the cost of health care cannot continue its current trajectory. Policy-makers recognize that the nation faces significant health care quality and safety problems, and health professionals and health care consumers need widely-available public information about the cost and quality of care in order to make sound decisions. There is also broad agreement that we should be paying for high-value care rather than high volumes of care, and that it is essential that we strive for more coordination and accountability in health care. We are interested in promoting learning and knowledge about innovative efforts that address these health care quality and value problems. The purpose of this solicitation is to study such efforts in the following specific areas, in order to understand how they may lead to better health care quality and lower costs: value-based purchasing;  data collection and aggregation for performance measurement;  quality improvement support; and  public reporting of provider performance. Payment reform is critical if health care is to deliver sustainable high-value care. We anticipate a separate funding initiative to study payment reform efforts and will not entertain payment reform-oriented proposals. Projects may include short-term evaluations of local, state or federal policy changes or private sector innovations by employers, health plans or others. They may also include research and policy analysis that demonstrate the likely effect of projects in the above areas. We are also interested in supporting public opinion research that provides quantitative and qualitative insights into what Americans think about these concepts, as well as other potential changes in the way health care is paid for in America (e.g., paying health care providers for quality of outcomes vs. the current practice of paying for quantity of services).

Key Dates:		May 19, 2010—Deadline for receipt of brief proposals. Early June, 2010—Select applicants invited to submit full proposal. July 14, 2010—Deadline for receipt of full proposal. November 1, 2010—Start of grants.
Total Award:		Grants of up to $300,000 for up to three years. Up to $3 million will be awarded. Preference will be given to shorter projects. http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=21081

Astra Zeneca Connections for Cardiovascular Health 7/31/2010

Established in 1993, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is a Delaware not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) entity organized for charitable purposes including to promote public awareness of healthcare issues, to promote public education of medical knowledge and to support or contribute to charitable and qualified exempt organizations consistent with its charitable purpose.

Since its inception, the Foundation has provided support to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month organization - a partnership of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on breast cancer, and provide greater access to screening services.

In addition, through the AstraZeneca Employee Disaster Relief Fund program the Foundation also provides funds for AstraZeneca employees affected by federally declared disasters in the United States. The Foundation also has the Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SMprogram which supports nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or similar nonprofit organizations working to improve cardiovascular health in the US.

Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM

The newest program within the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is Connections for Cardiovascular Health. With the mission of improving cardiovascular health within the United States.

The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation will award Foundation grants of $150,000 and greater annually to US-based, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or similar nonprofit organizations through its Connections for Cardiovascular Health program.

To Qualify

To qualify for a Foundation grant, nonprofit organizations must be engaged in charitable work (at the community level or otherwise) that addresses the Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health mission, to improve cardiovascular health, by helping to:

• Address patient cardiovascular health issues
• Recognize and work to address an unmet need related to cardiovascular health in the community
• Respond to the urgency around addressing cardiovascular health issues including cardiovascular disease or conditions contributing to cardiovascular disease

http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/_mshost795281/content/media/CCH_application.pdf

http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation/