Research News - March 6, 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Core of the Week: Ragon Institute Virology Core

The Ragon Institute Virology Core addresses the need for a reliable source of many HIV characterization services such as nucleic acid isolation, viral stock propagation, and viral genome sequencing. The Core gives users access to top-of-the line equipment and to the specific expertise necessary to properly design and safely execute HIV research in BSL-2+ facilities.

With a solid customer base, knowledgeable staff, and nearly a decade of experience, the Ragon Virology Core is a dependable resource for HIV characterization support. With the HIV Virology Core, researchers have a timely, reliable option for the generation of viral stocks and a variety of virus characterization methods while continuing with their own research.

To learn more about the Ragon Institute Virology Core, please click here.

2. PCORI Update: Funding Deadline Friday; Rare Disease; First Annual Meeting

Please click here to read the latest news from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

3. NIH Update: Implementation of Federal Grant Policies (Uniform Guidance), Supporting Peer Review, New Webinars & Resources

Please click here to read the NIH Extramural Nexus.
 

EVENTS

1. Call for Abstracts! 2015 Research Fellow Poster Celebration

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The ORCD's Research Fellow Poster Celebration will take place on May 27, 2015. The Poster Celebration highlights the excellent research being done by MGH postdoctoral fellows. The Call for Abstracts is now open! All MGH postdocs are invited to submit your research abstract now to present your research to the MGH community at this high-profile event and compete for cash prizes.

Abstracts are due Thu, Mar 19 at 5:00 pm.

Please click here for instructions and abstract submission materials.

2. Research Seminar - The Flagship VentureLabs Internship Program

Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Location provided upon registration.

The Center for Faculty Development's Office for Research Career Development presents a seminar for MGH research faculty.

The Flagship VentureLabs Fellows Program is a short-term (12 weeks), full-time, paid internship for graduate students and postdocs interested in building scientific entrepreneur skills. The key benefits of the internship include:
• Learn to generate and refine venture hypotheses
• Contribute to game-changing ideas and innovations
• Build relationships and expand your network
• Exhibit and develop your creativity, adaptability, and ability to innovate
• Gain exposure to leaders in science and business
• Work directly with highly experienced Flagship Venture labs members

Faculty with HMS academic appointments, please click here to register by Mon, Mar 9.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Clinical Fellowship Awards 

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Clinical Fellowship Awards!

What are they?
MD fellows, PhD postdoctoral research fellows and Instructors within 5 years of the start of their fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital are encouraged to apply.
The award may be used only for salary and fringe benefits. The awards are not transferable to any other institution and will be effective on or about July 1, 2015. The awards are unrestricted as to area of study. 

How much is each award?
The awards will include a stipend of $40,000 plus applicable fringe benefits and 15% indirect costs.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Click here to read more and apply online!

For a guide to help make your application more competitive click here.  

2. HMS Foundation Funds: Opportunities for Faculty and Fellows

Information on funding opportunities offered through the HMS Foundation Funds is now available online at: www.hms.harvard.edu/foundationfunds

Each year several foundations invite HMS junior faculty members and postdocs to apply for their fellowships and grants, which serve as critical funding at the early stages of a research career. For awards that limit the number of applicants from Harvard, interested investigators must first apply for the HMS nomination through the HMS Foundation Funds, and a committee will select the final candidates to submit applications to the foundations.

The following opportunities may be applied to via HMS:

• Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award
• Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists
• Burroughs Wellcome Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases
• Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program
• Grunebaum Cancer Research Fellowship
• Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship Program
• Searle Scholars Program
• W.T. Grant Scholars Program

Researchers interested in applying for any of the awards listed above can apply for the HMS nomination by submitting an application online no later than Tuesday, April 7, 2015 by 5:00PM

Please join us for an informational forum on March 23, 2:00-3:00pm at HMS in the Armenise Amphitheater.

Please direct all inquiries to Betty Carbunari, Office of the HMS Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs, 617-432-7463, Betty_Carbunari@hms.harvard.edu

The selection process for the following opportunities is handled by MGH ECOR. To view MGH’s internal process on applying for limited submission funding opportunities as well as corresponding deadlines, please click here. For more information, please visit the ECOR website.

• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Accelerator Award
• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Career Initiator Award
• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Visionary Award
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant
• Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences
• Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research

If you have any questions regarding applying for a limited funding opportunity through MGH, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

3. 2016 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award

The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals, in Cleveland, Ohio – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development - is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2016 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award.  The award recognizes physician-scientists throughout the U.S. whose drug discovery research has the potential to change standard of care.  

The Harrington Discovery Institute is committed to providing Scholar-Innovator awardees with a full level of support, including:

• Up to $700,000 over two years ($100,000 guaranteed)
• Additional funding according to the needs of specific projects
• Project management support through our Innovation Support Center

Applicants must have a doctorate in medicine, be on faculty at an accredited U.S.-based academic institution, and must demonstrate exceptional promise.

Deadlines
1. Letters of Intent due May 1, 2015
2. Proposals (for those invited) due August 3, 2015

Up to 12 awardees will be selected by the Harrington Discovery Institute’s scientific advisory board and announced December 2015. For complete details and access to the Letter of Intent guidelines, please visit www.HarringtonDiscovery.org/grant. Please feel free to contact Natalie Haynes with any questions at Natalie.Haynes@HarringtonDiscovery.org.

4. Center for Skeletal Research Requests Proposals for Pilot and Feasibility Studies

The Center for Skeletal Research (CFSR), based in the Endocrine Unit at MGH, and funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (NIAMS) is announcing a request for Pilot and Feasibility Research proposals. Two grants ($30,000/year) will be awarded this year, which may be renewable for an additional year for a maximum of two years funding in total.   Awardees will be expected to present progress to CFSR members biannually and provide a written annual report. 

For more information, visit: https://csr.mgh.harvard.edu/pilot-and-feasibility-studies

Submission deadline is Wednesday April 1, 5pm EST.  Funding is anticipated to start on or before June 1, 2015.

5. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Request for Proposals

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is pleased to announce that it has received a research grant from Astellas Pharma, Inc. and Medivation, Inc. to support NCCN investigator initiated clinical and pre-clinical studies of enzalutamide in the treatment of endometrial cancer.  A Request for Proposals (RFP) that clearly outlines the scope and the process that will be followed for the submission of proposals can be found here.  This RFP can also be accessed online by signing in as a member at http://www.nccn.org/clinical_trials/investigators/default.asp.

In brief, investigators are asked to submit short proposals detailing proposed studies.  The overall aim of this RFP is to develop innovative studies of enzalutamide in endometrial cancer.  Collaborative studies between NCCN Member Institutions are encouraged.

Proposals are due by 5 pm EDT on Monday, April 27, 2015.  For additional information, please contact Doreen Walker, Administrative Assistant, Oncology Research Program, at (215) 690-0565 or via email at Walker@nccn.org.

The NCCN views this major award by Astellas Pharma, Inc. and Medivation, Inc. as clear recognition of the advantages offered to industry through the NCCN Oncology Research Program.  We hope you and your colleagues will be interested in this opportunity. 

6. Private Funding Opportunities

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these funding opportunities.  Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

• Medical Research Grants, Progeria Research Foundation (PRF)
• Neilsen Proof of Concept Grant Psychosocial Research Grants, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
• Bronya J. Keats Award for International Collaboration in Research on FA, Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
• Research Grants, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)
• Nielsen Post-Doctoral Psychosocial Fellowships, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
• Pilot and Feasibility Awards, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)
• General Research Grants, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
• Faculty Grant Program, National Marfan Foundation (NMF)
• Nielsen Psychosocial Research Grants, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

7. Limited Submission Funding Opportunities

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

Process
Submit a one- to two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@partners.org.  In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH Biosketch.

The letter of intent should include:

• Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information 
• A descriptive title of the potential application
• Brief description of the project 
• Brief description of why you specifically should be selected to receive institutional nomination for this award

In the event that there is more than one MGH investigators interested in applying for each limited submission award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

Current Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
Please click here for more information and for our internal deadlines.

• NIAMS Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Centers (P30)
• NIAMS Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine Resource-based Centers (P30)
• American Diabetes Association Pathway to Stop Diabetes Research Awards
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant
• NIAMS Rheumatic Diseases Research Resource-based Centers (P30)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed above or you have any additional questions, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

8. NIH Update for Week Ending March 6, 2015

For the latest National Institutes of Health notices, requests for applications, and program announcements, follow this link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm
 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Reminders of recently posted funding opportunities, deadlines and events

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding
Application Deadline: March 7, 7th day of each month

2015 Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Clinical Fellowship Awards
Application Deadline: March 10

MGH Physician and/or Scientist Development Award 2015
Application Deadline: March 20

The Conquer Paralysis Now (CPN) Challenge
Application Deadline: April 1

KL2 Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training (CMeRIT) Award
Application Deadline: April 16

Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard
Application Deadline: April 22

Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Accepting PILOT & DRIVE Grant Pre-Proposals

HMS Faculty Seminar: Crafting Your CV Narrative - March 11

Communicating within Study Teams - March 24

Bedside to Bench: Recognizing and studying patients that lead to new discoveries - March 31

Save the Date! SAC 2015 - April 1 & 2, 2015

2015 World Medical Innovation Forum - Neurosciences - April 27-29

New Biographical Sketch Format Required for NIH and AHRQ Grant Applications Submitted - May 25

Register for the Employee Alert System (EAS) today!

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@mgh.harvard.edu