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Action Alert

Fight Back!
House Proposes to Cut NIH Funding By $1.6 Billion in 2011!


Later this week the House will vote on HR 1, a “continuing resolution” (CR) to fund the federal government for the remainder of FY 2011. HR 1 would cut NIH funding by $1.6 billion (5.2%) BELOW the current level – reducing the nation’s medical research budget to $29.4 billion! Everyone in the scientific community – researchers, trainees, lab personnel, etc. – must protest these short-sighted cuts. The cuts will slow the discovery of new treatments, lead to wasteful termination of projects, and ultimately cost some Americans their jobs. In addition, cutting the NIH budget will discourage young people from pursuing careers in science.

Please contact your Representative IMMEDIATELY to urge him/her to oppose the cuts to NIH and vote against HR 1. Because of the short time frame, we are taking the unusual step of asking you to call your Representative’s Washington, DC office. Instructions for placing the call will be provided after you enter your zip code in the box above. When you reach your Representative’s office, be ready to provide a specific example of how the cuts to the NIH budget will affect you. Talking points are included below to help you organize your message. Once you’ve made the call, use the email address provided in the instructions to send us feedback on what happened when you spoke to your Representative or his/her staff. We need as many voices as possible to tell members of the House how cuts to NIH will have a devastating impact on their constituents! THE PHONE LINES WILL LIKELY BE VERY BUSY THIS WEEK. PLEASE KEEP TRYING IF YOU CANNOT GET THROUGH ON THE FIRST TRY.

Create an Appealing, Blemish-Free Application: Tips from NIAID

This is the fourteenth article in our New Investigator Series.

In earlier articles, we wrote about what it takes to get independent support and how to plan and write your application. Here we focus on how to create an appealing application and what mistakes to avoid.

Summary

■Make your application attractive and easy to read.
■Read and follow instructions to the letter.
■Be aware of potential problems so you can sidestep them.
You may not think it right away, but your grant application has quite a bit in common with a job interview. You want to make a good first impression, put your best foot forward, and come across as intelligent, competent, and confident. And, of course, you want to avoid doing anything that might lead to rejection.

To enhance your application’s chances of success, knowing the qualities it needs to pass muster is essential. That includes everything from looking good to having substance so it appeals to its most important audience: your peer reviewers.

Even with these tactics under your belt, you won’t get far if you aren’t aware of potential pitfalls and how to steer clear of them. With competition so stiff, giving your application a leg up wherever possible could make the difference between getting funded and being passed over.
The Basics: Follow Instructions

One of the most important pieces of advice we can give you when writing your grant is this: read and follow instructions to a tee.

You’ll find them for R01s in the SF 424 Application Guide.

For program announcements (PA) or requests for applications (RFA), check the SF 424 Application Guide and the NIH Guide notice, which has additional information for each funding opportunity announcement
Read the rest of the article

'Tough Love' Budget for Science

'Tough Love' Budget for Science
February 15, 2011
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/02/15/obama_s_budget_spares_science_research_from_the_axe

WASHINGTON -- Federal money for science research would continue flowing next year under President Obama's spending plan for 2012, which was released Monday.

The priorities outlined in Obama's budget affirmed the protected status for science and research amid calls to cut back on spending and reduce deficits. They also echoed one of the most cited rhetorical phrases ("win the future") from last month's State of the Union speech. Obama's $3.7 trillion total budget calls for dedicating billions of additional dollars to energy research, information technology, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

In all, the president's budget includes $66.8 billion in non-defense research and development, which represents an increase of $4.1 billion, or 6.5 percent, over actual appropriations in 2010. The levels for the current year are still undetermined -- and, in fact, face an uncertain future following a House resolution introduced Friday that would cut $100 billion from Obama's 2011 budget. Obama's budget increases for 2011 and 2012 outstrip the 2.7 percent rate of inflation over the past two years.

"All of these investments are being made in the context of a tough love budget," said John P. Holdren, assistant to the president for science

Measuring Science Investments

Think piece describes new approach to documenting results of scientific research
Measuring the results of scientific research has seen little federal focus until now.
A 2010 administrative memorandum calls on U.S. federal agencies and executive departments to develop tools to "better assess the impact of [...] science and technology investments."
Translation: There is increasing pressure to document the results of [...] research investments in a scientific manner, writes Julia Lane, Science of Science and Innovation Policy program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and her co-author Stefano Bertuzzi, Office of Science Policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Read the rest of this story at the NSF web site.

ORI Film - "The LAB" - Released

This was posted on the Research Administration  e-mail list recently:

Colleagues,

The long awaited release of "The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct" is now available for viewing on the web site of the Office of Research Integrity, US Department of Health and Human Services.  

To participate in this interactive experience, go to:

http://ori.hhs.gov/TheLab

This interactive film is an extremely rich and substantively educational resource for teaching/learning research integrity and ethics. It deals with the issue of research misconduct. Filmed in a university research environment, it makes excellent use of the best knowledge and science regarding ethical decision-making and the responsible conduct of research. The video simulation allows users to assume the role of a graduate student, post-doc, research administrator, or PI and make decisions that affect the integrity of research. 

Regards,

Dr. Edward Gabriele

Special Assistant to the Navy Surgeon General

    for Ethics and Professional Integrity

Deputy Vice Chancellor, Navy Medicine Institute

    for the Medical Humanities and Research Leadership

Navy Medicine Executive Research Integrity Officer

USN Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Washington, DC

Tough cuts proposed for US science - February 03, 2011

Nature.com

Tough cuts proposed for US science - February 03, 2011

By Adam Mann

When Republicans took control of the US House of Representatives at the beginning of this year, they promised to make cutting what they saw as an inflated federal budget their priority. True to their word, on 3 February Republican legislatorsreleased a miserly budget that includes significant reductions in federal science funding for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year.

The proposed budget, announced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), sets limits that legislators must abide by in crafting a Continuing Resolution (CR) to cover the seven remaining months (March-September) of FY2011. The total sum sheds $74 billion from President Obama’s 2011 budget request, $58 billion of which will come from non-security domestic discretionary spending that includes scientific investments. The details surfaced later in the day, when House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) specified the amounts each of his subcommittees will have to trim to meet the goal.

read remainder of article

Open Society New Response Projects

Over the last five years, the Think Tank Fund has underwritten some 40 initiatives from 30 organizations addressing a range of issues confronting populist policies and addressing threats to open society within the Open Society New Response Projects support.

Our support continues to be focused on supporting established policy research centers in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in development and promotion of innovative, evidence-based policy-relevant research seamlessly combined with comprehensive communication and advocacy of preferred policy alternatives

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/thinktank/focus_areas/open/guidelines

Economics Research Grants

Title: Economics Research Grants
Sponsor: Alex C. Walker Foundation
URL: http://walker-foundation.org/grant-guidelines

Deadline: April 1, 2011

Amount: N/A

Eligibility: Ph.D./M.D./Other Professional

Abstract:
The Foundation awards grants to:
(1) investigate the causes of economic imbalances, particularly in relation to ecosystem services, climate change, energy security, food production, and other environmental matters;
(2) investigate the effects of the global financial system and monetary policy in fostering a sustainable economy;
(3) investigate causes tending to destroy or impair the free-enterprise system;
(4) explore and develop market-based solutions;
(5) disseminate information on the results and findings.

WT Grant Research Grants

Title: Investigator initiated Research Grants
Sponsor: William T. Grant Foundation
URL: http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/funding_opportunities/research_grants/investigator_initiated_grants/investigator_initiated_grants

Deadline: April 6, 2011

Amount: N/A

Eligibility: Ph.D./M.D./Other Professional

Abstract: Supports high-quality research that addresses our Current Research Interests: enhancing our understanding of how youth settings work, how they affect youth development, and how they can be improved; and when, how, and under what conditions research evidence is used in policy and practice that affect youth, and how its use can be improved.

Human Frontier Science Program Fellowships

Title: Research Grants and Fellowships
Sponsor: Human Frontier Science Program
URL: http://www.hfsp.org/about/AboutProg.php

Deadline: March 22, 2011

Amount: up to $450,000

Eligibility: Ph.D./M.D./Other Professional

Abstract: Two types of Research Grant are available: Young Investigators’ Grants and Program Grants. Emphasis is placed on novel collaborations that bring together scientists preferably from different disciplines (e.g. from chemistry, physics, computer science, engineering) to focus on problems in the life sciences.

Long-Term Fellowships, Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships, and Career Development Awards also available.

Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship

1 March 2011: deadline for applications
Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship provides a platform for exceptionally qualified researchers, who are aiming to extend their scientific work to include specific social and cultural questions and perspectives.

The fellowship, founded in 2002, was initiated and is financed by the Swiss entrepreneur Dr. Branco Weiss. It is domiciled at and coordinated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). Professor Peter Chen, former Vice President Research and Corporate Relations at ETH, directs the fellowship program and thus holds scientific and operational responsibility. He is supported by the strategy committee of ETH who evaluates the applications and interviews potential candidates.


To be successful you should have the audacity and judgment to risk a comprehensive project. You may explore methodologies and concepts which partially link natural and social sciences, be active in both sciences or transfer methodologies and concepts from one to the other.

You must have the competences to design a courageous and scientifically rigorous research project which ideally blazes new trails and profits from the freedom uniquely offered by the Branco Weiss Fellowship.

The fellowship is geared primarily to natural scientists and engineers at an early stage of their postdoctoral studies; however, representatives of other disciplines may also apply if they are able to present an appropriate project. Applicants must provide evidence of outstanding scientific achievement to qualify.

Applicants whose fields of interest are not covered by current or former fellows are strongly encouraged to apply and will be looked upon favorably. The directorate is permanently seeking to broaden the perspective of the fellowship.

In the evaluation of candidates emphasis will be given to personality more than the proposed study. However, awardees are expected to design a courageous and scientifically rigorous research project which benefits from the unique freedom offered by the Branco Weiss Fellowship. The proposed inquiry must meet high standards of scientific quality as well as containing a clear and distinct social component.
Branco Weiss Fellows can expect financial support for up to five years as well as an opportunity to work at an academic institution of their choice anywhere in the world. The fellows belong to a diverse, dedicated, and intellectually stimulating group that meets at least once a year to present and discuss the research projects of its members to a selected scientific and public audience.

NEA Literature Fellowships

The NEA Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement.


Literature Fellowships:

Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

March 3, 2011

W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship Program FY 2011

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding under the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship Program FY 2011. This Fellowship furthers the Department’s mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels.
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks applications for the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship Program FY 2011. The W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship Program seeks to advance knowledge regarding the confluence of crime, justice, and culture in various societal contexts. The Fellowship places particular emphasis on crime, violence, and administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts within the United States.
Solicitation:
W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship Program FY 2011
Deadline
Registration with Grants.gov is required prior to application submission. (See “How to Apply,” page 7.)
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on March 22, 2011

Russel Sage Foundation: Invitation to Submit Letters of Inquiry

Invitation to Submit Letters of Inquiry: The Social Effects of the Great Recession
The Russell Sage Foundation announces a major new initiative assessing the effects of the Great Recession on the economic, political, and social life of the country. Please click here to read the Invitation to Submit Letters of Inquiry.

Due 2/15/2011

NIH: Ancillary Studies in Clinical Trials (R01)

RFA-HL-12-012
Letter of Intent Due Date April 27, 2011; August 29, 2011; December 27, 2011

Application Due Date(s) May 27, 2011; September 27, 2011; January 27, 2012

AIDS Application Due Date(s) May 27, 2011; September 27, 2011; January 27, 2012

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites research grant applications to conduct time-sensitive ancillary studies related to heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders in conjunction with ongoing clinical trials and other large clinical studies supported by NIH or non-NIH entities. The program establishes an accelerated review/award process to support the crucial time frame in which these ancillary studies must be performed. Time-sensitive ancillary studies include those that require active longitudinal data collection and thus need to begin recruiting subjects as close as possible to the start of the parent study. The ancillary study can address any research questions related to the mission of NHLBI for which the parent study can provide participants, infrastructure, and data. The parent studies most often will be a clinical trial, but also can be an observational study or registry that can provide a sufficient cohort of well-characterized patients. Each ancillary study application must demonstrate the time-sensitive nature of the proposal and must explicitly address why an expedited review is essential to its feasibility.

EPA: Extreme Event Impacts on Air Quality and Water Quality with a Changing Global Climate

Solicitation Opening Date: January 21, 2011
Solicitation Closing Date: April 18, 2011, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing the development of assessments, tools and techniques, and demonstration of innovative technologies for providing information and capacity to adequately prepare for climate-induced changes in extreme events in the context of air and water quality management. A goal of this RFA is to seek a better understanding of the hazards (the extreme events) and to establish ways for climate scientists, impact assessment modelers, air and water quality managers, and other stakeholders to co-produce information necessary to form sound policy in relation to extreme events and their impact on air and water quality under a changing climate.
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2011/2011_star_extremeevent.html

NSF: Advancing Theory in Biology (ATB)

NSF 11-523
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

April 13, 2011

Synopsis of Program:

The Biological Sciences Directorate invites submission of proposals that advance our conceptual and theoretical understanding of living systems. The Advancing Theory in Biology (ATB) solicitation supports the development of new theoretical approaches that will improve our understanding of general biological principles that account for phenomena that occur independently across levels of biological organization. Awards will not exceed a total of $750,000 over a three year period. This total includes all participants in collaborative projects.

This is the final year that a separate competition will be held for Advancing Theory in Biology. After this year, the Biological Sciences Directorate will continue to support the development of new theoretical approaches to account for phenomena at different levels of biological organization through proposals submitted to existing core programs in the Directorate.
http://nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11523/nsf11523.htm