Research News - October 30, 2015

To:  Principal Investigators and Research Administrators
From:  Robert Kingston, Chief of Molecular Biology and Jeff Davis, Senior Vice President for Human Resources

We would like to remind you that as of October 1 there is a new NIH/NRSA pay schedule for all newly hired post docs. The new scale implements a 2% increase over the Fiscal Year 2014 scale and should be used for all post docs who began employment on or after October 1, 2015.

This pay scale is inclusive of external funding and applies to both employees and non-employees.  The updated pay scale is reflected in the current new hire form for research fellows. 

Thank you for your attention to these changes.  Information pertaining to the post doc minimum salary policy including the new pay scale can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact Rita Haney, Professional Staff Compensation or Bonnie Welch, Human Resources.   

Unparalleled discovery and clinical application continues across Partners HealthCare. Our faculty and employees throughout the Partners community - Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, and Spaulding Hospital - create dozens of innovations every month. This newsletter provides insights into some of those new discoveries, commercial outcomes and the people behind them.

Click here for our Fall edition! Also, look for an announcement soon on the launch of a new round of Innovation Discovery Grant (IDG) opportunities.

Monday, November 2, 2015, 12:00 - 1:00 PM, Simches Auditorium (3.110)
Broadcast to Isselbacher Auditorium (CNY-149, 7th Floor)

Introduction of the Candidates for Elected ECOR Representatives

Center for Faculty Development: An Overview and Update
Anne Klibanski, MD, CFD Director
· Office For Research Career Development (ORCD) - Dennis Brown, PhD
· Graduate Student Division - Thilo Deckersbach, PhD

(Lunch available at 11:45 AM)

All MGH Researchers welcome!

Friday, November 6, 2015, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Location provided upon registration

The Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Clinical Careers presents a seminar for MGH faculty with HMS academic appointments.

Do you need help drafting the "Chief's letter" for your promotion?

This interactive session will focus on how to write a convincing letter for Harvard Medical School promotion committees. Learn how to help your chief understand and convey your story so that your promotion can move forward. Don’t let procrastination and anxiety get in your way!

Drafting Your Chief’s Letter

Facilitator: Theodore Stern, MD, Director of the Office for Clinical Careers, Ned H. Cassem Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Psychosomatic Medicine/Consultation at HMS, and Chief of the Avery D. Weisman, MD, Psychiatry Consultation Service.

Faculty with HMS academic appointments, please click here to register by Wed, Nov 4. 

Accreditation
Partners HealthCare System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Partners HealthCare System designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

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, 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

Preliminary applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards.

What is it?
The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award Program supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoral/research degree or clinical residency, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career.

MGH is eligible to nominate two candidates to apply to NIH for this award.

When is the deadline?  
MGH internal preliminary applications: November 23, 2015 – 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Click here to for more information and to apply for this award.

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the MGH Research Scholars Program

What is it?
The Massachusetts General Hospital Research Scholars Program was established with the aim of supporting MGH research faculty who are pursuing either fundamental (basic) or clinical research at the level of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor.  The intent of these awards is to support the careers of outstanding MGH investigators doing cutting-edge research that is highly innovative and expected to result in fundamental scientific discoveries and/or clinical applications.

How much is each award?
These awards are for $500,000 over 5 years; and will be funded at $100,000 per year, including 15% indirect costs.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 – 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?

• Click here to read more and apply online.
• Click here to see a list of past recipients.
• Visit the ECOR website for other funding opportunities.

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 November 4, 2015 (EXTENDED)
If proposal accepted,
Applications due by December 9, 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 9, 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      
Prendable@molbio.mgh.harvard.edu

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.

• Wendy Walk/ACGT Sarcoma Clinical Research Grant, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT)
• Heart to Heart Grant, Alpha Phi Foundation
• AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty, American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)
• Postdoctoral Fellowships for Clinical Neurologists (Postdoctoral Fellowship for Neurologists), Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship for Basic Scientists, Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF)

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.

• 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

Advanced J Visa Information and Visa Manager Tips - November 11

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