Research News - October 23, 2015

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. Partners HealthCare employees can save 15% on the newest version of Adobe Acrobat DC Standard or Professional software when 6+ licenses are purchased on one Purchase Order (PO). This Adobe promotion applies to new licenses, perpetual or subscription, and to upgrades from perpetual Acrobat X or XI licenses and lasts until November 27, 2015. Perpetual licenses are desktop licenses with a one-time fee; subscription licenses include cloud services. Request a quote through Insight, Partners' software vendor at Partners@insight.com or 1.800.467.4448. Visit the Acrobat FAQ webpage for more information.

Thursday, October 29, 12:00 - 2:00pm, WebEx or Prudential Center

This month, Joseph Abbott, Partners IS Tivoli Storage Management Architect (TSM) will give a thorough overview of TSM at Partners: current architecture, initiatives, costs and how calculated, different levels of backup and the restore process. Griffin Weber, M.D., Ph.D, Director, Biomedical Research Informatics Core at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard University will describe Clinical Query 2 (CQ2) and its similarities with and differences from the Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR). CQ2 is a web-based graphical tool to query BIDMC’s Clinical Data Repository. Griffin will discuss how CQ2 is being used for a long term NIH-funded research project. The monthly Tech Lunch is an important forum for research IT administrators and managers to engage with ERIS, Partners IS and each other regarding IT services, technologies, security and infrastructure. RSVP Online by 10/27 and note if you plan to attend remotely so that details are sent. Visit the website and contact rcc@partners.org with questions about Tech Lunch.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015, 10:30 - 11:30 am, Location provided upon registration

The Center for Faculty Development's Office for Research Career Development presents a seminar for HMS faculty and trainees.

Peer Review of Journal Manuscripts
This Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) workshop will present an overview of the scientific peer review process, including:
• Journal guidelines and unwritten rules
• Ethical considerations for reviewers
• Case studies of peer review challenges and solutions

Discussion Leaders:
Dennis Brown, PhD, Professor of Medicine, HMS; Director, Office for Research Career Development
Hensin Tsao, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Dermatology, HMS; Clinical Director, MGH Melanoma & Pigmented Lesion Center

Please click here to register by Wed, Nov 4.

Note: This seminar counts as one of the four required lectures in part III of Partners RCR training. All are welcome, but space is limited and registration preference will be given to those with RCR training requirements.

Wednesday, November 18, 1:30 - 3:00 pm, Simches 3.110

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research and MGH Health Information Services

Speaker: Doug DeMio, MGH Information Security Officer

With federal and state agencies holding all covered entities to new standards for securing personal and protected information, Doug DeMio and MGH's Privacy and Security team will discuss the importance of applying these regulations within the clinical research setting. This presentation will include real life examples, and ways to prevent potentially damaging privacy and security breaches from occurring.

This lecture is strongly recommended for new and experienced clinical investigators, research nurses and study coordinators.

Registration is required. Please contact Kelsey Gay with any questions.

This program meets the requirements of the Board of Registration in Nursing, at 244 CMR 5.00, for 1.5 contact hours of nursing continuing education.

RCR Eligibility: Completion of this program will fulfill one lecture/discussion requirement

Wednesday, November 11, 2015, 10:30am - 1:00pm, Haber Auditorium

PIPS will host an upcoming presentation for department Administrative Contacts on the following topics:

• Two-year home residency
• Advisory Opinion about two-year home residency
• Waiver (release) from the two-year home residency
• Repeat J-1 restrictions (24-month and 12-month bar)
• Compliance considerations
• Visa Manager tips

Click here to register. If you have any questions, please email pips@partners.org.

1. MGH ECOR Deliberative ISF Call for applications – Deadline: 12/1

The Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) is accepting applications for the December 1st deadline for the Deliberative Interim Support Funding.  December is the 1st of three standing deadlines for these awards in Fiscal Year 2016.  The next deadline will be April 1, 2016.   

What are they?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding
This is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense).  Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01 and P01).  The Deliberative Interim Support process is open to:

1. Investigators whose grants were not scored or whose scores were not translated into a percentile ranking.
2. Investigators whose grants received scores >20th percentile.
3. Investigators who were awarded Formulaic Bridge Funding (grants with scores < or = 20th percentile), and are now requesting additional financial support (in excess of $75,000 for RO1s, and $37,500 for R21s).
4. Investigators who have already received Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support on their A0 grant application and are now requesting support for their A1 or A0 resubmission.  Investigators in this category must apply through the Deliberative Interim Support process for their A1 and A0 resubmission regardless of the score they received on their resubmitted grant.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding - Click here

The Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center is now accepting Pilot and Feasibility Research Grant Award Applications for studies of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications

The Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases (NIDDK) to support research in Diabetes and its complications.  Research grants up to $30,000 will be awarded for meritorious proposals from candidates whose eligibility is defined by one or more of the following three criteria:

1.            Junior faculty without past or current NIH support to conduct Diabetes research.
Not eligible if you have any support that is mandatory 100% effort where you cannot accept any federal funding.
2.            Established non-Diabetes researchers who have an innovative idea relevant to Diabetes.
3.            Established Diabetes investigators who have an innovative idea/approach relevant to Diabetes that represents a distinct departure from their established line of investigation.
4.            Co-PI’s are not allowed, and if you are not accepting salary and or less than 5%, please mention if there is cost sharing.

It is anticipated that up to four meritorious applications will be funded.

Letters of Intent, Biosketch, Other support and Abstract due October 21, 2015
If proposal accepted,
Applications due by December 2, 2015

If you qualify based on one of the three criteria listed above, please email a letter of intent in MS Word that includes your name, degree, title and email address and a brief description of your research.  In addition to the LOI email, please include an abstract with the title of your project (NIH form page) of your research, a biosketch and OS page.    If your proposed research is deemed compatible with the goals of the BADERC, instructions for the preparation of a five-page application for a Pilot and Feasibility Research Grant Award will be forwarded to you.  The deadline for the Grant application will be December 2, 2015.  Funding will be effective April 1, 2016.

Please send Letters of Intent and abstract page with the title of your project in word via (email) to      

Application deadline is Friday, November 13, 2015.

Email hearst_fund@hms.harvard.edu with statement of intent to apply by Tuesday, October 20, 2015.

The William Randolph Hearst Fund has been established at Harvard Medical School in honor and recognition of the efforts and devotion of Isabelle and Leonard Goldenson and Ethel and Jack Hausman on behalf of handicapped children.

Eligibility: Eligibility is restricted to research fellows, clinical fellows and instructors appointed within the Harvard Faculty of Medicine doing research in the area of brain development with particular emphasis on factors important for the prevention of neuromotor disabilities and on the fundamental neurobiological mechanisms that underlie health and disease during the process of development. Faculty at the assistant professor level or higher are excluded.

Awards of $50,000 will be made for one year, with the possibility of extension to two years for particularly meritorious applications. Funds may be used to supplement support for ongoing research from other sources.

All recipients of the Hearst funds must provide a brief summary of scientific accomplishment to the dean and the Hearst Fund committee at the end of the award year. 

SUBMIT APPLICATION WITH CONTENTS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER and COMBINE INTO A SINGLE PDF (Note: PDFs must be less than 20 MB in size):

1.  Application face page (see attached)
2.  Research content: A project description (not more than 5 pages) should be ordered as follows:

• • Specific aims
  • Background and significance
  • Research design and methods
  • Bibliography (will not be counted in the five-page limit)

3.  NIH biosketch of the applicant
4.  Budget and justification. Please note that no overhead or administrative expenses are allowed.
5.  Description of other support, active and pending, with overlap statement with the current proposal
6.  Three letters of recommendation, including one from current mentor*

NOTE: Animal and human subjects: Awardees using either animals or humans in the proposed research must submit an animal protocol and/or IRB approval letter prior to starting the project. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
1. Email statement of intent to apply to hearst_fund@hms.harvard.edu by Tuesday, October 20, 2015.
2. Email the application as a PDF document (<20MB) to hearst_fund@hms.harvard.edu by Friday, November 13, 2015. Use the following subject line/naming convention: lastnamefirstnameHearstFY16 (e.g., JonesSusanHearstFY16).
3. *Letters of recommendation must be submitted separately directly to the email address above.
4. Application must be received on or before Friday, November 13, by 5:00 p.m. Any application received after that date/time will not be considered.

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.

• CURE Epilepsy Award, CURE, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy
• Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) Grants, Cancer Research Institute (CRI)
• Clinical/Research Fellowship Award (Alan Laties Career Development Program: Clinical/Research Fellowship Award Program in Inherited Orphan Retinal Degenerations), Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB)
• Career Development Program: Career Development Award (Career Development Awards in Support of Research into Inherited Orphan Retinal Degenerative Diseases and Non-Exudative Age -Related Macular Degeneration), Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB)
• Call for NPKUA Post-Doctoral Fellowship Applications, National PKU Alliance (NPKUA)
• Pilot and Exploratory Project Support Grant, National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC)
• Junior Faculty Career Development Award, National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC)

Please click here for further details on these 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.

• NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research on Chronic Disease Prevention (U54)
• Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42)

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.

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

Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship
Application Deadline: November 2

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Support
Application Deadline: November 7, 7th day of each month

The MGH Research Scholars Program
Application Deadline: November 10

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Gliklich Innovation Scholars Program
Application Deadline: February 1, 2016

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

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