Research News - May 15, 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. New NIH Biosketch Format Must Be Used Starting May 25!

We've learned from our PI's that the new NIH Biosketch format can take substantial time to build. The issue is primarily the PMCID's on the references.  Proposals that do not use the new format will be considered non-conforming by NIH and will not be reviewed. We recommend the YouTube video as a guide.

For more information, visit the FAQs or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm#format.

2. Don't Miss the New Research Institute Display

Make sure to stop by the Lunder Display Case by the hospital's main entrance to see a new multimedia display celebrating research at Mass General and the launch of the Mass General Research Institute. The display includes a slideshow of colorful researcher-submitted photos of cells, neurons and more. Come see if images from your lab or center are featured in the display!

3. MGH Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) Animal Ordering Web Site - Scheduled Maintenance 

On Friday 5/15/15, CCM will be performing scheduled maintenance to the Animal Ordering Web Site (http://ccm.partners.org).
The downtime will begin at 6:00pm on 5/15/15 through Saturday 5/16/15 at 3:00pm. This maintenance is part of the Partners Healthcare project to relocate the CNY Data Center to the all-new Marlborough Data Center (MDC). Please do not attempt to access the application during this maintenance window. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. If you have any questions or problems, please email us at MGHCCM@partners.org

4. Important Information Regarding Adobe Acrobat Licensing

On April 7, 2015, Adobe released Acrobat DC (Document Cloud) Standard and Professional. Adobe Acrobat XI has been discontinued and you can now only upgrade from Acrobat X or XI to Acrobat DC. Anyone with versions earlier than Acrobat X will need to purchase a new license. On November 15, 2015, Adobe will no longer offer patches or bug fixes for Adobe Acrobat X. Anyone using this product for legal or confidential purposes will need to upgrade to the latest version to make sure they are not affected by security issues. All departments and labs are encouraged to prepare and budget accordingly. There is a bulk order price break if 50 or more licenses are purchased at once using one Purchase Order (PO). Request a quote through Insight, Partners' software vendor at Partners@insight.com or 1.800.467.4448. A reference guide for obtaining software for use at work at Partners HealthCare can be found on the RISC website. Visit our KnowledgeBase, Cost Estimates for Software, for additional information.

5. Core of the Week: CBRC Confocal Microscope Core

CBRC Confocal Microscope Core
Director: Kristin White, PhD
Location: Building 149 13th Street, Charlestown

The CBRC Confocal Microscope Core provides support for confocal microscopy. The core is currently equipped with a Nikon A1SiR confocal equipped with galvo and resonant scanners for high resolution and high speed scanning. A motorized stage facilities data collection at multiple regions during time lapse imaging. A stage incubator is available for long term imaging of mammalian cells. Spectral imaging and unmixing allows users to separate multiple fluorescent proteins in live and fixed tissue. This facility is available on a fee for service basis to trained users from the CBRC and the MGH Community. Training is a two step process, scheduled on an as needed basis. Please contact the core coordinator with questions or to schedule training.

To learn more about the CBRC Confocal Microscope Core, please click here.

 

6. PCORI May 2015 Newsletter: PCORnet Demonstration Projects, PCORI at Scientific Meetings, and Twitter Chat

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

EVENTS

1. MGH/Harvard Cutaneous Biology Research Center Seminar Series

Monday, May 18, 2015, 4:00pm, CNY Bldg 149-East, Isselbacher Auditorium 7th Floor

“Feeding Metabolic Adaptation in Cancer and the Immune System”
Russell G. Jones, PhD
Associate Professor, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Center
Department of Physiology, McGill University

Contact: vtheodoracopoulos@partners.org

2. MGH Research Core Day 

Thursday, June 4, 2015, 1:00 -3:00pm, CNY 149 Atrium area

Please join the MGH Research Community on June 4, 2015 starting at 1pm in the CNY 149 Atrium area to learn more about the Cores at MGH!

Light refreshments will be available as well as a raffle!

If you or a representative from a Core would like to register to participate, please contact Samantha Molle (molle.samantha@mgh.harvard.edu)
 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. 2016 Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine

The Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine, presented by the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals - part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, honors the physician-scientist who has moved science forward with notable achievements in innovation, creativity and potential for clinical application.

This annual prize provides the awardee with:

• An unrestricted $20,000 honorarium
• The Harrington Prize Lecture, delivered at the ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting
• A review, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation

This prize requires Institutional Nomination; MGH is not limited in the number of nominees we can submit. If you are interested, please contact MGH ECOR at ecor@partners.org by July 17, 2015 to be considered. Please contact Erin McGivney if you have questions regarding this process.

Click here for more information. 

2. Pfizer’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI) - Request for Translational Proposals: Biotherapeutic Targets

Proposal Deadline: Send to Partners Innovation by June 12, 2015

CTI is an innovative Pfizer program that partners with leading academic medical centers and patient foundations nationwide to speed the translation of novel targets into potential therapeutics. CTI seeks to identify and partner novel targets with the goal of identifying new compounds and accelerate drug development from validated target to proof-of-mechanism in humans.  A partnership with CTI may include collaborative use of Pfizer’s proprietary antibody drug delivery technologies, broad publishing rights and financial awards in the form of milestone and royalty payments for successful programs.

For more information, please see the CTI Request for Proposals.

• To See what CTI looks for, click here.
• For the CTI Pre-Proposal template, click here.
   

3. Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards

Preliminary applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards

What is it?
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the Assistant Professor level.
MGH is eligible to nominate one candidate.

When is the deadline?  
MGH internal preliminary applications: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards - Click here

4. The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research: A program of the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation

Preliminary applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research.
 
What is it?
The mission of the Awards Program is to launch the careers of newly independent biomedical researchers with the ultimate goal of achieving medical breakthroughs. The three‐year Award supports newly independent faculty engaged in basic biomedical research. Investigators in the physical sciences (physics, chemistry and engineering) whose projects focus on biomedical science are also encouraged to apply. Clinical trials are outside of the scope of this program however, basic research using human specimens is eligible. In recognition of the importance of research collaboration by the scientific community, collaboration is an additional, but not required, positive ancillary factor. These projects may involve researchers within and/or outside MGH.
MGH is eligible to nominate two candidates.

When is the deadline? 
MGH internal preliminary applications: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 – 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research - Click here

5. 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.

• Children's Prize (Caplow Children's Prize), CappSci (Caplow Applied Science) (DBA Whole New World Foundation)
• Clinical Research and Intervention Investigator Awards, National Parkinson Foundation
• Healthy Eating Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity - Round 9, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
• New Connections Grants Awarded through the Healthy Eating Research Program, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
• Request for Blepharospasm/Meige Research Proposals, Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation, Inc. (BEBRF)
• Fellowship Program, Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation, Inc. (BEBRF)
• Young Investigator Grants, Breast Cancer Alliance (BCA)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

6. 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 Rheumatic Diseases Research Resource-based Centers (P30)
• Career Development Programs in Diabetes Research for Pediatric Endocrinologists (K12)

The two awards below are offered in addition to those that follow the LOI process mentioned above and will require a full preliminary application be prepared:

• Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences
• Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research

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.

7. NIH Update for Week Ending May 15, 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

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

Research Faculty Seminar - RCR: Responsibilities of Mentors and Mentees - May 21 

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

A Primer on Complex Trait Genetics: Principles for the Beginning Investigator - May 26

2015 Research Fellow Poster Celebration - May 27

Research Billing Discussion Group - May 27

D3 (Drug Discovery and Development) Project Simulation - June 2 & 3

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@mgh.harvard.edu